Annual Report Gorenje Group 2009

Annual Report Gorenje Group 2009 Annual Report Gorenje Group 2009

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Credit, currency and interest rate risks as well as risks of financial solvency are key kinds of financial risks for the Gorenje Group. Due to the increasingly difficult macro-economic situation in 2009 the special attention was paid to credit risks to which the Group was exposed in compliance with the assessment of the management board. They include all risks where economic benefits of the Group are reduced due to unsettled contractual obligations of business partners. The following measures have been taken for their control: • security of the major part of operating receivables with the Slovene Export Company (SID) - Prva kreditna zavarovalnica d.d. and other insurance companies, • risks receivables due from customers have been additionally secured by bank guarantees and other security instruments, • the financial position of new and existing business partners has been regularly controlled and limits on maximum exposure have been set, • joint and chain offset with customers have been carried out, • credit limits and collection of receivables have been controlled. Due to geographic diversification of operation the Gorenje Group has been greatly exposed to currency risks where the economic benefits of the company may decrease due to changes in the exchange rate of an individual currency. The exposure of cash flows and balance sheet has been considered in the valuation of risks. These risks are high in the markets of Serbia, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, and in all US dollar markets. Special attention has been paid to the control of currency risk by regulation of sales and purchasing in a separate currency. Futures contracts and short-term borrowings in local currency have been used as protection against short-term currency fluctuations. In recent years great attention has been paid to interest rate risks that may reduce economic benefits of the company due to a change in interest rates in the market. In the financial year 2009 the share of loans with a fixed interest rate or those secured by derived financial instruments grew. At the end of 2009 their share accounted for 47.5 % of the credit portfolio of the Gorenje Group. Liquidity risk includes risks associated with the lack of financial resources available and consequently the inability of the company to settle its liabilities within the time limits agreed. The financial liabilities of the Gorenje Group amounting to 192.0 million EUR mature in the year 2010 and therefore discussions with banks relating to the re-financing of the existing financial liabilities started. The liquidity reserve as at 31 December 2009 amounting to 162.7 million EUR consisting of unutilised revolving lines, shortterm time deposits at banks and cash on accounts of the Gorenje Group have provided appropriate short-term regulation of cash flows and liquidity of the Group. The risk of short-term liquidity of the Gorenje Group has increased due to the reduction in availability of financing sources of our business partners who sell or purchase the goods. The risk of long-term liquidity is moderate and a consequence of successful operation, efficient asset management, sustained ability of generating cash flows from operating activities and suitable equity structure. OPERATING RISKS Operating risks include a reduction in economic benefits of the Group arising from the ability of unsuitable planning, performance and control of business processes and activities. When controlling production risks the emphasis has been placed on the operation of key equipment (machines, tools, production lines) and infrastructure involving undisturbed supply with energy products and appropriate management of hazardous substances. The production risk is greater in line production and it is controlled by qualifications of employees and regular maintenance of production lines. 79 Annual Report Gorenje Group 2009

Information system risks are related to the assurance of availability and response of the information system (hardware and software). The exposure to these risks has been reduced by the introduction of the SAP information system to all the companies in the Household Appliances Division and besides that by: • measures for individual types of disturbances in the operation of the local computer network, supporting servers, global communications and network connections in the system prepared in advance, • operation of the centre for continuous operation or safe secondary locations (i.e. Disaster Recovery Center - DRC), • changes in the architecture of server systems (server virtualisation), • BCM (business continuity management) process control and the related measures, • regular maintenance of hardware and software, communications and network connections, • regular archiving of data, • planning of actions at the time of information support failure, • control of changes in the development of information systems. Organisational changes are associated with non-observing of rules and regulations. Managers or heads play the key role in the control of these risks since they have to provide compliance of authorisation and responsibilities of individual employees in co-operation with the Organisation department. The Gorenje Group would like to encourage innovativeness of the employees by such procedures and therefore we avoid excessive automation. Logistic risks are associated with the increase in transport costs of products. Supply and demand are most important factors influencing prices of sea transport, but oil prices influence road transport to a maximum extent. Contracts with suppliers include the possibility of a change in transport price upon changes in oil prices. These risks are assessed under consideration of the movement of oil prices and prices of sea transport. Tax risks are associated with potential changes in tax legislation, its implementation and provision of administrative conditions. The basic control measure is consistent following of regulations of tax legislation, monitoring of tax and legal practice, establishment of internal control mechanisms and intensive co-operation among the departments in the Group companies, etc. Transfer prices related to the operation of subsidiaries are co-ordinated at the Group level. Fire risks have been limited by regular assessment of fire danger on the basis of which all facilities have been equipped by active fire protection systems, the supervision over the performance of fire protection measures has been intensified, and the employees have been additionally trained in the area of fire protection. PURCHASING The prices of raw materials have achieved one of the greatest increases on stock exchanges in the last decades in spite of the reduction in world economic activities in the year 2009. At the beginning of the year the decrease of the year 2008 continued and reached the bottom in March 2009. A significant turning point came and led to strong growth of raw material prices on stock exchanges and the trend marked by some periodic negative corrections continued to the end of the year. The early recovery of raw material prices was surprising with respect to the crisis economic conditions. The growth at the annual level strongly exceeded the recovery of the economy and changes in real factors of raw material trading (offer, inquiry, inventories, capacities and similar). The main reason for such development of events is probably speculative purchases of financial investors that were based on optimism that the state fiscal and monetary incentives would lead to quick recovery of the world economy. The increase in raw material prices was additionally driven by the decrease in the US dollar value, large inflows of money to financial markets, record import from China 80 Annual Report Gorenje Group 2009

Information system risks are related to the assurance of availability and response of the information<br />

system (hardware and software). The exposure to these risks has been reduced by the introduction of<br />

the SAP information system to all the companies in the Household Appliances Division and besides<br />

that by:<br />

• measures for individual types of disturbances in the operation of the local computer network,<br />

supporting servers, global communications and network connections in the system prepared<br />

in advance,<br />

• operation of the centre for continuous operation or safe secondary locations (i.e. Disaster<br />

Recovery Center - DRC),<br />

• changes in the architecture of server systems (server virtualisation),<br />

• BCM (business continuity management) process control and the related measures,<br />

• regular maintenance of hardware and software, communications and network connections,<br />

• regular archiving of data,<br />

• planning of actions at the time of information support failure,<br />

• control of changes in the development of information systems.<br />

Organisational changes are associated with non-observing of rules and regulations. Managers or<br />

heads play the key role in the control of these risks since they have to provide compliance of<br />

authorisation and responsibilities of individual employees in co-operation with the Organisation<br />

department. The <strong>Gorenje</strong> <strong>Group</strong> would like to encourage innovativeness of the employees by such<br />

procedures and therefore we avoid excessive automation.<br />

Logistic risks are associated with the increase in transport costs of products. Supply and demand are<br />

most important factors influencing prices of sea transport, but oil prices influence road transport to a<br />

maximum extent. Contracts with suppliers include the possibility of a change in transport price upon<br />

changes in oil prices. These risks are assessed under consideration of the movement of oil prices and<br />

prices of sea transport.<br />

Tax risks are associated with potential changes in tax legislation, its implementation and provision of<br />

administrative conditions. The basic control measure is consistent following of regulations of tax<br />

legislation, monitoring of tax and legal practice, establishment of internal control mechanisms and<br />

intensive co-operation among the departments in the <strong>Group</strong> companies, etc. Transfer prices related to<br />

the operation of subsidiaries are co-ordinated at the <strong>Group</strong> level.<br />

Fire risks have been limited by regular assessment of fire danger on the basis of which all facilities<br />

have been equipped by active fire protection systems, the supervision over the performance of fire<br />

protection measures has been intensified, and the employees have been additionally trained in the<br />

area of fire protection.<br />

PURCHASING<br />

The prices of raw materials have achieved one of the greatest increases on stock exchanges in the last<br />

decades in spite of the reduction in world economic activities in the year <strong>2009</strong>. At the beginning of the<br />

year the decrease of the year 2008 continued and reached the bottom in March <strong>2009</strong>. A significant<br />

turning point came and led to strong growth of raw material prices on stock exchanges and the trend<br />

marked by some periodic negative corrections continued to the end of the year.<br />

The early recovery of raw material prices was surprising with respect to the crisis economic conditions.<br />

The growth at the annual level strongly exceeded the recovery of the economy and changes in real<br />

factors of raw material trading (offer, inquiry, inventories, capacities and similar).<br />

The main reason for such development of events is probably speculative purchases of financial<br />

investors that were based on optimism that the state fiscal and monetary incentives would lead to quick<br />

recovery of the world economy. The increase in raw material prices was additionally driven by the<br />

decrease in the US dollar value, large inflows of money to financial markets, record import from China<br />

80<br />

<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Gorenje</strong> <strong>Group</strong> <strong>2009</strong>

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