UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

xQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31,June 30, 2014

 

or

 

¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from __________ to __________

 

Commission File Number 001-33717

 

General Steel Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Nevada 41-2079252
(State or other Jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
Incorporation or Organization)  

 

Level 21, Tower B, Jia Ming Center

No. 27 Dong San Huan North Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100020

(Address of Principal Executive Office, Including Zip Code)

 

+86 (10) 5775 7691

 

(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes x   No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes x  No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer¨Accelerated filer¨

Non-accelerated filer¨

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting companyx

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes ¨  No x

 

As of May 9,August 1, 2014, 58,314,688 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were outstanding.

 

 
 

 

Table of Contents

 

  Page
Part I.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
   
Item 1.Unaudited Financial Statements.3
   
 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.3
   
 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income for the Three and Six Months Ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.4
   
 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the ThreeSix Months Ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.5
   
 Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.6
   
Item 2.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.3740
Item 3.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk61
   
Item 4.Controls and Procedures.5561
   
Part II. OTHER INFORMATION 
   
Item 1.Legal Proceedings.5662
   
Item 1A.Risk Factors.5662
   
Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

5662
Item 3.Defaults Upon Senior Securities.62
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosure.62
Item 5.Other Information.62
   
Item 6.Exhibits.5763
   
Signatures5864

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

(In thousands)

 

 March 31, December 31,  June 30, December 31, 
 2014 2013  2014 2013 
ASSETS        ASSETS
                
CURRENT ASSETS:                
Cash $36,378  $31,967  $44,749  $31,967 
Restricted cash  428,615   399,333   448,106   399,333 
Notes receivable  81,998   60,054   36,948   60,054 
Restricted notes receivable  261,220   395,589   106,873   395,589 
Loans receivable - related parties  4,540   4,540   4,540   4,540 
Accounts receivable, net  4,388   4,078   5,277   4,078 
Accounts receivable - related parties  4,474   2,942   5,788   2,942 
Other receivables, net  54,078   54,716   54,804   54,716 
Other receivables - related parties  57,854   54,106   57,983   54,106 
Inventories  210,761   212,921   208,971   212,921 
Advances on inventory purchase  44,338   44,897   58,503   44,897 
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties  120,426   83,003   119,279   83,003 
Prepaid expense and other  1,890   1,388   3,322   1,388 
Prepaid taxes  23,238   28,407   12,489   28,407 
Short-term investment  2,597   2,783   2,763   2,783 
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS  1,336,795   1,380,724   1,170,395   1,380,724 
                
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, net  1,269,199   1,271,907   1,253,351   1,271,907 
                
OTHER ASSETS:                
Advances on equipment purchase  54,690   6,409   92,133   6,409 
Investment in unconsolidated entities  16,635   16,943   16,710   16,943 
Long-term deferred expense  606   668   552   668 
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization  23,587   23,707   23,333   23,707 
TOTAL OTHER ASSETS  95,518   47,727   132,728   47,727 
                
TOTAL ASSETS $2,701,512  $2,700,358  $2,556,474  $2,700,358 
                
LIABILITIES AND DEFICIENCY        LIABILITIES AND DEFICIENCY
                
CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
Short term notes payable $963,357  $1,017,830  $875,479  $1,017,830 
Accounts payable  513,397   434,979   418,468   434,979 
Accounts payable - related parties  282,540   235,692   262,103   235,692 
Short term loans - bank  230,118   301,917   201,673   301,917 
Short term loans - others  48,695   62,067   64,395   62,067 
Short term loans - related parties  105,080   126,693   153,996   126,693 
Current maturities of long-term loans - related party  57,428   53,013   62,374   53,013 
Other payables and accrued liabilities  60,795   45,653   48,343   45,653 
Other payable - related parties  80,694   94,079   98,209   94,079 
Customer deposits  107,002   87,860   136,288   87,860 
Customer deposits - related parties  145,366   64,881   142,888   64,881 
Deposit due to sales representatives  23,713   24,343   21,435   24,343 
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties  1,980   1,997   1,658   1,997 
Taxes payable  7,276   4,628   4,181   4,628 
Deferred lease income, current  2,168   2,187   2,171   2,187 
Capital lease obligations, current  4,774   4,321   6,443   4,321 
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES  2,634,383   2,562,140   2,500,104   2,562,140 
                
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
Long-term loans - related party  14,607   19,644   9,750   19,644 
Deferred lease income, noncurrent  74,072   75,257   73,620   75,257 
Capital lease obligations, noncurrent  376,025   375,019   384,830   375,019 
Profit sharing liability  160,956   162,295 
Profit sharing liability at fair value  164,067   162,295 
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES  625,660   632,215   632,267   632,215 
                
TOTAL LIABILITIES  3,260,043   3,194,355   3,132,371   3,194,355 
                
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                
DEFICIENCY:                
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 3,092,899 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013  3   3 
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 58,314,688 and 58,234,688 shares issued, 55,842,382 and 55,762,382 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively  58   58 
Treasury stock, at cost, 2,472,306 shares as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013  (4,199)  (4,199)
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 3,092,899 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013  3   3 
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 58,314,688 and 58,234,688 shares issued, 55,842,382 and 55,762,382 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively  58   58 
Treasury stock, at cost, 2,472,306 shares as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013  (4,199)  (4,199)
Paid-in-capital  107,028   106,878   107,097   106,878 
Statutory reserves  6,387   6,243   6,408   6,243 
Accumulated deficits  (458,362)  (414,798)  (469,381)  (414,798)
Accumulated other comprehensive income  3,593   729   3,016   729 
TOTAL GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. DEFICIENCY  (345,492)  (305,086)  (356,998)  (305,086)
                
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS  (213,039)  (188,911)  (218,899)  (188,911)
                
TOTAL DEFICIENCY  (558,531)  (493,997)  (575,897)  (493,997)
                
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND DEFICIENCY $2,701,512  $2,700,358  $2,556,474  $2,700,358 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME

FOR THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,JUNE 30, 2014 AND 2013

(UNAUDITED)

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

 For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, 
 2014 2013  2014 2013 2014 2013 
            
SALES $512,005  $502,431  $508,637  $517,350  $1,020,642  $1,019,781 
                        
SALES - RELATED PARTIES  82,206   148,860   79,376   136,301   161,582   285,161 
TOTAL SALES  594,211   651,291   588,013   653,651   1,182,224   1,304,942 
                        
COST OF GOODS SOLD  530,744   498,626   482,011   540,271   1,012,755   1,038,897 
                        
COST OF GOODS SOLD - RELATED PARTIES  86,028   148,598   77,908   148,916   163,936   297,514 
TOTAL COST OF GOODS SOLD  616,772   647,224   559,919   689,187   1,176,691   1,336,411 
                        
GROSS (LOSS) PROFIT  (22,561)  4,067 
GROSS PROFIT (LOSS)  28,094   (35,536)  5,533   (31,469)
                        
SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES  (21,053)  (18,955)  (18,849)  (20,848)  (39,902)  (39,803)
CHANGE IN FAIR VALUE OF PROFIT SHARING LIABILITY  (49)  46,779   (2,920)  9,494   (2,969)  56,273 
                        
(LOSS) INCOME FROM OPERATIONS  (43,663)  31,891 
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS  6,325   (46,890)  (37,338)  (14,999)
                        
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)                        
Interest income  3,192   2,439   4,066   3,383   7,258   5,822 
Finance/interest expense  (28,695)  (24,857)  (26,619)  (21,216)  (55,314)  (46,073)
Gain on disposal of equipment and intangible assets  46   331 
Gain (loss) on disposal of equipment and intangible assets  (142)  (235)  (96)  96 
Income from equity investments  13   (42)  54   132   67   90 
Foreign currency transaction (loss) gain  (854)  28 
Foreign currency transaction gain  (963)  98   (1,817)  126 
Lease income  546   532   542   539   1,088   1,071 
Other non-operating (expense) income, net  (176)  269   302   521   126   790 
Other expense, net  (25,928)  (21,300)  (22,760)  (16,778)  (48,688)  (38,078)
                        
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES AND NONCONTROLLING INTEREST  (69,591)  10,591 
LOSS BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES AND NONCONTROLLING INTEREST  (16,435)  (63,668)  (86,026)  (53,077)
                        
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES                        
Current  5   71   107   105   112   176 
Deferred  -   -   -   -   -   - 
Provision for income taxes  5   71   107   105   112   176 
                        
NET (LOSS) INCOME  (69,596)  10,520 
NET LOSS  (16,542)  (63,773)  (86,138)  (53,253)
                        
Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest  (26,032)  7,417 
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  (5,523)  (23,955)  (31,555)  (16,538)
                        
NET (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. $(43,564) $3,103 
NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. $(11,019) $(39,818) $(54,583) $(36,715)
                        
NET (LOSS) INCOME $(69,596) $10,520 
NET LOSS $(16,542) $(63,773) $(86,138) $(53,253)
                        
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS                        
Foreign currency translation adjustments  4,670   (2,526)  (929)  (7,210)  3,741   (9,736)
                        
COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME  (64,926)  7,994 
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS  (17,471)  (70,983)  (82,397)  (62,989)
                        
Less: Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest  (24,226)  6,455 
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  (5,875)  (26,745)  (30,101)  (20,290)
                        
COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. $(40,700) $1,539 
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. $(11,596) $(44,238) $(52,296) $(42,699)
                        
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES                        
Basic and Diluted  55,813   54,805   55,842   54,980   55,828   54,893 
                        
(LOSS) INCOME PER SHARE        
LOSS PER SHARE                
Basic and Diluted $(0.78) $0.06  $(0.20) $(0.72) $(0.98) $(0.67)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

4

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE THREESIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,JUNE 30, 2014 AND 2013

(UNAUDITED)

(In thousands)

 

 2014 2013 
 2014 2013     
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:                
Net (loss) income $(69,596) $10,520 
Net loss $(86,138) $(53,253)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
Depreciation, amortization and depletion  24,346   21,358   47,788   43,067 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities  -   (1)
Gain on disposal of equipment and intangible assets  (46)  (331)
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities - warrants  -   (1)
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability  2,969   (56,273)
(Gain) loss on disposal of equipment and intangible assets  96   (96)
Provision for doubtful accounts  (251)  (42)  (250)  (169)
Reservation of mine maintenance fee  242   45   278   215 
Stock issued for services and compensation  150   245   219   480 
Amortization of deferred financing cost on capital lease  5,086   5,095   9,253   10,217 
(Income) loss from equity investments  (13)  42 
Income from equity investments  (67)  (90)
Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss  854   (28)  1,817   (126)
Deferred lease income  (546)  (532)  (1,088)  (1,071)
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability  49   (46,779)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities                
Notes receivable  (70,354)  27,752   45,931   (64,424)
Accounts receivable  (102)  (9,426)  (1,008)  (33,951)
Accounts receivable - related parties  (1,569)  6,808   (2,875)  8,969 
Other receivables  355   (2,826)  (307)  (857)
Other receivables - related parties  (4,219)  (20,212)  (4,275)  10,275 
Inventories  (730)  (37,526)  1,286   38,014 
Advances on inventory purchases  176   22,786   (13,968)  23,215 
Advances on inventory purchases - related parties  (38,419)  (46,883)  (36,971)  (48,019)
Prepaid expense and other  (516)  (1,039)  (1,947)  (1,115)
Long-term deferred expense  56   260   111   317 
Prepaid taxes  4,963   1,049   15,747   2,742 
Accounts payable  59,351   57,648   (18,050)  43,122 
Accounts payable - related parties  16,986   39,661   28,204   55,227 
Other payables and accrued liabilities  15,300   1,887   2,637   5,002 
Other payables - related parties  (12,676)  8,789   4,824   (16,987)
Customer deposits  20,043   (21,956)  49,187   (6,103)
Customer deposits - related parties  113,895   (9,457)  78,667   (14,502)
Taxes payable  2,708   (4,427)  (413)  (6,639)
Other noncurrent liabilities  -   1,370   -   1,378 
Net cash provided by operating activities  65,523   3,850 
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities  121,657   (61,436)
                
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:                
Restricted cash  (32,943)  54,991   (51,820)  (49,988)
Cash proceeds from short term investment  164   -   -   80 
Cash proceeds from sales of equipments and intangible assets  24   4   24   16 
Equipment purchase and intangible assets  (56,861)  (24,093)  (112,713)  (52,350)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities  (89,616)  30,902 
Net cash used in investing activities  (164,509)  (102,242)
                
CASH FLOWS FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                
Restricted notes receivable  131,971   99,224   286,485   244,940 
Borrowings on short term notes payable  439,342   289,548   900,202   812,577 
Payments on short term notes payable  (485,455)  (493,064)  (1,035,408)  (1,001,301)
Borrowings on short term loans - bank  95,120   32,563   185,023   141,484 
Payments on short term loans - bank  (165,711)  (63,315)  (285,100)  (83,433)
Borrowings on short term loan - others  9,853   21,296   19,949   47,903 
Payments on short term loans - others  (14,426)  (21,432)  (25,417)  (47,055)
Borrowings on short term loan - related parties  24,528   142,999   32,576   213,576 
Payments on short term loans - related parties  (5,849)  (30,430)  (19,233)  (124,059)
Deposits due to sales representatives  (425)  6,411   (2,736)  (3,734)
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties  -   526   (326)  529 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  28,948   (15,674)
Payments on long-term loans - related party  -   (17,544)
Net cash provided by financing activities  56,015   183,883 
                
EFFECTS OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE IN CASH  (444)  254   (381)  1,199 
                
INCREASE IN CASH  4,411   19,332   12,782   21,404 
                
CASH, beginning of period  31,967   46,467   31,967   46,467 
                
CASH, end of period $36,378  $65,799  $44,749  $67,871 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Note 1 – Organization and Operations

 

General Steel Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated on August 5, 2002 in the state of Nevada. The Company through its 100% owned subsidiary, General Steel Investment, operates steel companies serving various industries in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). The Company’s main operation is manufacturing and sales of steel products such as steel rebar, hot-rolled carbon and silicon sheets and spiral-weld pipes. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entity, is referred to as the “Group”.

  

On April 29, 2011, a 20-year Unified Management Agreement (“the Agreement”) was entered into between the Company, the Company’s 60%-owned subsidiary Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture”), Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. (“Shaanxi Coal”) and Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group (“Shaanxi Steel”). Shaanxi Steel is the controlling shareholder of Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd (“Long Steel Group”) which is the non-controlling interest holder in Longmen Joint Venture, and Shaanxi Coal, a state owned entity, is the parent company of Shaanxi Steel. Under the terms of the Agreement, all manufacturing machinery and equipment of Longmen Joint Venture and the $605.8 million (or approximately RMB 3.7 billion) of newlythe constructed iron and steel making facilities owned by Shaanxi Steel, which includes one 400 m2 sintering machine, two 1,280 m3 blast furnaces, two 120 ton converters and some auxiliary systems, are managed collectively as a single virtual asset pool (“Asset Pool”). Longmen Joint Venture manages the Asset Pool as the principal operating entity and is responsible for the daily operations of the new and existing facilities.

The Agreement leverages each of the parties’ operating strengths, allowing Longmen Joint Venture to derive the greatest benefit from the cooperation and the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. At the designed efficiency level, these newthe facilities are expected to contribute three million tons of crude steel production capacity per year.

 

Longmen Joint Venture pays Shaanxi Steel for the use of the constructed iron and steel making facilities an amount equaling the depreciation expense on the equipment constructed by Shaanxi Steel as well as 40% of the pre-tax profit generated by the Asset Pool. The remaining 60% of the pre-tax profit is allocated to Longmen Joint Venture. As a result, the Company’s economic interest in the profit or loss generated by Longmen Joint Venture decreased from 60% to 36%. However, the overall capacity under the management of Longmen Joint Venture has increased by three million tons, or 75%. The Agreement is also expected to improveimproved Longmen Joint Venture’s cost structure through sustainable and steady sourcing of key raw materials and reduced transportation costs. The distribution of profit is subject to a prospective adjustment after the first two years based on each entity’s actual investment of time and resources into the Asset Pool. There has been no adjustment to the Agreement from its inception to the present time nor intention to make future adjustment by the Company and Shaanxi Steel.

 

The parties to the Agreement have agreed to establishestablished the Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Unified Management Supervisory Committee ("Supervisory Committee") to ensure that the facilities and related resources are being operated and managed according to the stipulations set forth in the Agreement. However, theThe Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture, of which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. Therefore, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venturevote and remains the controlling decision-making body of Longmen Joint Venture and the Asset Pool. See Note 2(c) “Consolidation of VIE.”

 

The Agreement constitutes an arrangement that involves a lease which metmeets certain of the criteria of a capital lease and therefore the lease isassets constructed by Shaanxi Steel are accounted for as such by Longmen Joint Venture as a capital lease. The profit sharing liability portion of the lease obligation, representing 40% of the pre-tax profit generated by the Asset Pool, is accounted for by Longmen Joint Venture as a derivative financial instrument at fair value. See Notes 2 “Summary of significant accounting policies”, 15 “Capital lease obligations” and 16 “Profit sharing liability”.

 

Note 2 – Summary of significant accounting policies

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The financial statements include the accounts of all directly, indirectly owned subsidiaries and the variable interest entity listed below. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to givefor a fair statementpresentation of the financial statements have been included. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for athe full year. The information included in this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with information included in the 2013 annual report on Form 10-K/A filed on Form 10-K filed on March 27,August 19, 2014.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

(a)Basis of presentation

 

The consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the activities of the following major directly owned subsidiaries:

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Subsidiary 

Percentage

of Ownership

General Steel Investment Co., Ltd.British Virgin Islands  100.0%
General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. (“General Steel (China)”)PRC  100.0%
Baotou Steel – General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Co., Ltd.PRC  80.0%
Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd. (“Yangpu Shengtong”)PRC  99.1%
Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. (“Qiu Steel”)PRC  98.7%
Longmen Joint VenturePRC  VIE/60.0%
Maoming Hengda Steel Company, Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”)PRC  99.0%

 

Tianwu

 

Prior to November 19, 2013, the Company held a 60.0% equity interest in Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. (“Tianwu”). 32% interest was held by General Steel (China) and 28% interest was held by Yangpu Shengtong. On November 19, 2013, the Company sold its 28% equity interest of Tianwu held by Yangpu Shengtong to Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd., a related party through indirect common ownership, for $13.6 million (RMB 84.3 million) while retaining 32% interest held by General Steel (China). Tianwu is in the process of registering the ownership change with the local State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) office. As a result of this transaction, the Company met the criteria under ASC 810-10-40-4 to deconsolidate Tianwu at the disposal date and recognized a gain of $1.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 in accordance with ASC 810-10-40-5. At the same time, General Steel (China)’s remaining 32% interest is accounted for as an investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries using the equity method. See Note 2(t) - Investments in unconsolidated entities for details.

  

(b)Principles of consolidation – subsidiaries

  

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, its variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary, and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

 

Subsidiaries are those entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.

 

A VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiary, through contractual arrangements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the entity, and therefore the Company or its subsidiary is the primary beneficiary of the entity.

 

All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

 

(c)Consolidation of VIE

 

Prior to entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture had been consolidated as the Company’s 60% direct owned subsidiary. Upon entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture was re-evaluated by the Company to determine if Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE and if the Company is the primary beneficiary.

 

Based on projected profits in this entity and future operating plans, Longmen Joint Venture ’sVenture’s equity at risk is considered insufficient to finance its activities and therefore Longmen Joint Venture is considered to be a VIE.

 

The Company would be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE if it has both of the following characteristics:

 

 a.The power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and
 b.The obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

A Supervisory Committee was formed during the negotiation of the Unified Management Agreement. Given there is both a Supervisory Committee and a Board of Directors with respect to Longmen Joint Venture , the powers (rights and roles) of both bodies were considered to determine which party has the power to direct the activities of Longmen Joint Venture, , and by extension, whether the Company continues to have the power to direct Longmen Joint Venture ’sVenture’s activities after this Supervisory Committee was formed and the significant investment in plant and equipment by owners of the Longmen Joint Venture partner. The Supervisory Committee, in which the Company holds 2 out of 4 seats, requires a ¾ majority vote, while the Board of Directors, on which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. As the Supervisory Committee’s role is limited to supervising and monitoring management of Longmen Joint Venture and in the event there is any disagreement between the Board and the Supervisory Committee, the Board prevails, the Supervisory Committee is considered subordinate to the Board. Thus, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact Longmen Joint Venture ’sVenture’s economic performance.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

In connection with the Unified Management Agreement, the Company, Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel may provide such support on a discretionary basis or as needed in the future. See Note 2 item (d) Liquidity.

 

The Company has the obligation to absorb losses and the rights to receive benefits based on the profit allocation as stipulated by the Unified Management Agreement that are significant to the VIE. As both conditions are met, the Company is the primary beneficiary of Longmen Joint Venture and therefore, continues to consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE.

 

The Company believes that the Unified Management Agreement between Longmen Joint Venture and Shaanxi Coal is in compliance with PRC law and is legally enforceable. The Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE. However, PRC law and/or uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement, which in turn, may lead to reconsideration of the VIE assessment and the potential for a different conclusion. If the Unified Management Agreement cannot be enforced, the Company would not consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE. However, the current PRC legal system has not limited the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement nor does the Company believe it is likely to do so in the future. The Company makes an ongoing assessment to determine whether Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE.

 

The carrying amount of the VIE and its subsidiaries’ consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands)
Current assets $1,174,775  $1,282,054  $990,397  $1,282,054 
Plant and equipment, net  1,260,199   1,262,144   1,245,144   1,262,144 
Other noncurrent assets  77,116   29,014   114,372   29,014 
Total assets  2,512,090   2,573,212   2,349,913   2,573,212 
Total liabilities  (3,039,135)  (3,040,879)  (2,891,359)  (3,040,879)
Net liabilities $(527,045) $(467,667) $(541,446) $(467,667)

 

VIE and its subsidiaries’ liabilities consist of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands)
Current liabilities:                
Short term notes payable $937,389  $988,364  $864,104  $988,364 
Accounts payable  479,154   393,816   409,550   393,816 
Accounts payable - related parties  281,899   235,116   261,437   235,116 
Short term loans - bank  189,219   267,688   149,348   267,688 
Short term loans - others  42,525   55,844   58,218   55,844 
Short term loans - related parties  103,635   125,236   152,550   125,236 
Current maturities of long-term loans – related party  56,130   56,614   62,374   56,614 
Other payables and accrued liabilities  51,991   37, 028   39,685   37, 028 
Other payables - related parties  76,370   88,914   93,742   88,914 
Customer deposits  106,959   87,661   66,595   87,661 
Customer deposits - related parties  27,020   18,359   45,589   18,359 
Deposit due to sales representatives  23,713   24,343   21,435   24,343 
Deposit due to sales representatives – related parties  1,980   1,997   1,658   1,997 
Taxes payable  6,013   3,357   2,930   3,357 
Deferred lease income  2,168   2,187   2,171   2,187 
Capital lease obligations, current  4,774   4,321   6,443   4,321 
Intercompany payable to be eliminated  21,237   21,420   21,263   21,420 
Total current liabilities  2,412,176   2,412,265   2,259,092   2,412,265 
Non-current liabilities:                
Long term loans - related parties  15,906   16,043   9,750   16,043 
Deferred lease income - noncurrent  74,072   75,257   73,620   75,257 
Capital lease obligations, noncurrent  376,025   375,019   384,830   375,019 
Profit sharing liability  160,956   162,295 
Profit sharing liability at fair value  164,067   162,295 
Total non-current liabilities  626,959   628,614   632,267   628,614 
Total liabilities of consolidated VIE $3,039,135  $3,040,879  $2,891,359  $3,040,879 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

 Three months ended
March 31, 2014
 Three months ended
March 31, 2013
  Three months ended
June 30, 2014
 Three months ended
June 30, 2013
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands)
Sales $594,014  $646,748  $587,314  $650,741 
Gross (loss) profit $(22,219) $4,367 
Gross profit (loss) $28,229  $(36,193)
Income (loss) from operations $(39,294) $34,937  $8,128  $(44,684)
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest $(38,034) $8,325 
Net loss attributable to controlling interest $(8,077) $(34,944)
        
 Six months ended
June 30, 2014
 Six months ended
June 30, 2013
 (in thousands) (in thousands)
Sales $1,181,328  $1,297,489 
Gross profit (loss) $6,010  $(31,826)
Loss from operations $(31,166) $(9,747)
Net loss attributable to controlling interest $(46,111) $(26,619)

 

Longmen Joint Venture has two 100% owned subsidiaries, Yuxin Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuxin”) and Yuteng Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuteng”). Longmen Joint Venture also has two consolidated subsidiaries, Hualong and Huatianyulong, in which it does not hold a controlling interest. Hualong and Huatianyulong are separate legal entities which were established in the PRC as limited liability companies and subsequently invested in by Longmen Joint Venture in June 2007 and July 2008, respectively. However, these two entities do not meet the definition of variable interest entities. Further consideration was given to whether consolidation was appropriate under the voting interest model, specifically where the power of control may exist with a lesser percentage of ownership (i.e. less than 50%), for example, by contract, lease, agreement with other stockholders or by court decree.

 

Hualong

 

Longmen Joint Venture, the single largest shareholder, holds a 36.0% equity interest in Hualong. The other two shareholders, who own 34.67% and 29.33% respectively, assigned their voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of the acquisition of Hualong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Hualong ceases its business operations or the other two shareholders sell their interest in Hualong. Hualong’s main business is to supply refractory. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Hualong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, and for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Huatianyulong

 

Longmen Joint Venture holds a 50.0% equity interest in Huatianyulong and the other unrelated shareholder holds the remaining 50.0%. The other shareholder assigned its voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of acquisition of Huatianyulong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Huatianyulong ceases its business operation or the other unrelated shareholder sells its interest in Huatianyulong. Huatianyulong mainly sells imported iron ore. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Huatianyulong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, and for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

The Company has determined that it is appropriate for Longmen Joint Venture to consolidate Hualong and Huatianyulong with appropriate recognition in the Company’s financial statements of the non-controlling interests in each entity, beginning on the acquisition dates as these were also the effective dates of the agreements with other stockholders granting a majority voting rights in each entity, and thereby, the power of control, to Longmen Joint Venture.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

(d)Liquidity

 

The Company’s accounts have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP on aunder the going concern basis. The going concern basis assumes that assets are realized and liabilities are extinguished in the ordinary course of business at amounts disclosed in the financial statements. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends upon aligning its sources of funding options (debt and equity) with the expenditure requirements of the Company and repayment of the short-term debt facilities as and when they fall due.

 

The steel business is capital intensive and as a normal industry practice in the PRC, the Company is highly leveraged. Debt financing in the form of short term bank loans, loans from related parties, financing sales, bank acceptance notes, and capital leases have been utilized to finance the working capital requirements and the capital expenditures of the Company. As a result, the Company’s debt to equity ratio as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were (5.8)(5.4) and (6.5), respectively. As of March 31,June 30, 2014, the Company’s current liabilities exceed current assets (excluding non-cash item) by $1.3 billion.

 

Longmen Joint Venture, as the most important entity of the Company, accounted for a majority of the total sales of the Company. As such, the majority of the Company’s working capital needs come from Longmen Joint Venture. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends heavily on Longmen Joint Venture’s operations.operations, as well as its ability to obtain external financial supports, including but not limited to lines of credit from banks and vendor financing. If Longmen Joint Venture does not maintain a sufficient level of financial support by renewing its financing terms with existing financing sources or obtaining new sources of financial support, there may be an immediate negative impact on the Company’s operations and its ability to continue as a going concern. Longmen Joint Venture has obtained different types of financial supports,support, which are listed below by category:

 

LineLines of credit

 

The Company receivedhas lines of credit from the listed major banks totaling $229.0$147.9 million with expiration dates ranging from March 23,June 16, 2015 to July 17,November 28, 2015.

 

Banks Amount of
Line of Credit
(in millions)
 Repayment Date Amount of
Line of Credit
(in millions)
 Repayment Date
Bank of Chongqing  48.7  March 23, 2015*
Industrial Bank Co., Ltd.  48.7  May 5, 2015
China Merchant Bank  48.7  May 19, 2015
China Minsheng Bank  97.5  November 28, 2015
China CITIC Bank  32.5  June 16, 2015  32.5  June 16, 2015
Bank of Communication  17.9  July 17, 2015  17.9  July 17, 2015
Bank of Jinzhou  32.5  March 23, 2015*
Total $229.0    $147.9   

 

*Management expects the above lines of credit will be extended after the repayment dates.

 

As of the date of this report, the Company utilized $181.0$50.4 million of these lines of credit.

 

Vendor financing

 

Longmen Joint Venture signed additional vendor financing agreements, which will provide liquidity to the Company in a total amount of $811.5 million with the following companies:

 

Company Financing period covered Financing Amount
(in millions)
  

 

Financing Period

 

Financing Amount

(in millions)

 
         
Company A – related party July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015 $162.3  July 30, 2014 – July 30, 2019 $243.8 
Company B – third party January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017  162.3  January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017  162.5 
Company C – third party October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015  486.9  October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2016  487.5 
Total   $811.5  $893.8 

 

Company A, a related party company and Company B, a third party company, are both Longmen Joint Venture’s major coke suppliers. They have been doing business with Longmen Joint Venture for many years. On January 6, 2013,July 30, 2014, Company A signed a two-yearfive-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance its coke purchasepurchases up to $81.9$243.8 million. On July 1, 2013, Company A agreed to increase the financing amount to $162.3 million and extend the financing period to June 30, 2015. Company B signed a two-yearthree-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture on November 7, 2013January 22, 2014 to finance its coke purchasepurchases up to $162.3 million and agreed to extend the financing period for another three years effective on January 22, 2014.$162.5 million. According to the above signed agreements, both Company A and B will not demand any cash payments during their respective financing periods. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company A and Company B were approximately $67.2$68.2 million and $94.9$65.4 million, respectively.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Company C is a Fortune 500 Company. On June 28, 2013, Company C signed an agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance Longmen Joint Venture’s purchase of iron ore for an amount up to $486.9$487.5 million to commence on October 1, 2013 and end on March 31, 2015. On August 1, 2014, Company C signed an extension agreement with the Company and extended the financing terms to March 31, 2016. Subject to the terms of the agreement, Longmen Joint Venture is subject to a penalty of 0.05% of the daily outstanding balance owed to Company C in an event of late payment. As of the date of this report, our payable to Company C is approximately $5.8$1.9 million.

 

Other financing

 

On February 20, 2014, March 5, 2014, April 22, 2014 and April 23, 2014 Longmen Joint Venture signed payment extension agreements with each company listed below. In total, Longmen Joint Venture can obtain $362.0 million in financial support from two-year and three-year balancing payment extensions granted by the following five companies:

Company

 

 

Financing period covered

 

Financing Amount

(in millions)

  

 

Financing Period

 

Financing Amount

(in millions)

 
          
Company D – related party April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017 $81.2  April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017 $81.3 
Company E – related party April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017  86.0  April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017  86.0 
Company F – related party April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017  81.2  April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017  81.3 
Company G – related party March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016  56.8  March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016  56.9 
Company H – related party March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016  56.8  March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016  56.9 
Total $362.0  $362.4 

 

According to the contract terms, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H have agreed to grant payment extensions in the amounts of $81.2 million, $86.0 million, $81.2 million, $56.8 million and $56.8 million respectively. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H are approximately $20.3$16.3 million, $14.2$21.5 million, $16.1$19.0 million, $7.5$9.9 million and $9.6$1.0 million, respectively.

 

Amount due to sales representatives

 

Longmen Joint Venture entered into agreements with various entities to act as the Company’s exclusive sales agents in specified geographic areas.  These exclusive sales agents must meet certain criteria and are required to deposit a certain amount of money with the Company. In return, the sales agents receive exclusive sales rights in a specified area and discounted prices on products they order. These deposits bear no interest and are required to be returned to the sales agent once the agreement is terminated. As of March 31,June 30, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture has collected a total amount of $25.7$23.1 million. Historically, this amount is quite stable and we do not expect a big fluctuation in this amount for the next twelve months from March 31,June 30, 2014 onwards.

 

With the financial support from the banks and the companies above, management is of the opinion that the Company has sufficient funds to meet its future operations, working capital requirements and debt obligations until the end of March 31,June 30, 2015. The detailed breakdown of Longmen Joint Venture’s estimated cash flows items are listed below.

 

  Cash inflow (outflow)
(in millions)
 
  For the twelve months
ended March 31, 2015
 
Current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited) $(1,295.4) 
Projected cash financing and outflows:    
 Cash provided by line of credit from banks  229.0 
 Cash provided by vendor financing  811.5 
 Cash provided by other financing  362.0 
 Cash provided by sales representatives  25.7 
 Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015  (29.5) 
 Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015  (74.0) 
Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015 $29.3 

  Cash inflow (outflow)
(in millions)
 
  For the twelve months
ending June 30, 2015
 
Current liabilities over current assets (excluding deferred lease income) as of June 30, 2014 (unaudited) $(1,327.5)
Projected cash financing and outflows:    
Cash provided by lines of credit from banks  147.9 
Cash provided by vendor financing  893.8 
Cash provided by other financing  362.4 
Cash provided by sales representatives  23.1 
Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ending June 30, 2015  (28.8)
Cash projected to be used for financing costs in the twelve months ending June 30, 2015  (63.7)
Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ending June 30, 2015 $7.2 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

As a result, the consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31,as of June 30, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

  

 (e)Use of estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include the fair value of the profit sharing liability, the useful lives of and impairment forof property, plant and equipment, and potential losses on uncollectible receivables, the allowance for inventory valuation, the interest rate used in the financing sales, the fair value of the assets recorded under capital leaseleases and the present value of the net minimum lease payments of the capital lease.leases. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

 

 (f)Concentration of risks and uncertainties

 

The Company’s operations are carried out in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environment in the PRC, and by the general state of the PRC’s economy. The Company’s operations in the PRC are subject to specific considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

 

The Company has significant exposure to the price fluctuation of raw materials and energy prices as part of its normal operations. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, theThe Company diddoes not haveutilize any open commodity contracts to mitigate such risks.

 

Cash includes demand deposits in accounts maintained with banks within the PRC, Hong Kong and the United States. Total cash (including restricted cash balances) in these banks on March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 amounted to $465.0$ 492.9 million and $431.3$ 431.3 million, including $0.4$ 0.6 million and $2.0$ 2.0 million that were deposited in Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Financial Co., Ltd., a related party, respectively. As of March 31,June 30, 2014, $0.2$ 0.1 million cash in the bank was covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in otherits bank accounts and believes it is not exposed to any risks ondeposits its cash in bank accounts.a number of different banks to minimize its exposure to credit risk.

 

The Company’s five major customers are all distributors and collectively represented approximately 20.4%31.8% and 20.4%24.4% of the Company’s total sales for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively. None of the five major customers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total sales for the three months or the six months ended June 30, 2014. The Company’s five major customers represented 27.8% and 23.3% of the Company’s total sales for the three months and six months ended March 31, 2014 andJune 30, 2013, respectively. None of the five major customers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total sales for the three months or the six months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These five major customers accounted for 0% of total accounts receivable, including related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31,June 30, 2013. None of the five major customers accounted for more than 10% of totalhas accounts receivable, including related parties, with the Company as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.2013, respectively.

 

For the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, and 2013, the Company purchased approximately 43.9%47.4% and 32.6%43.8% of its raw materials from five major suppliers, respectively. OneNone of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and noneone of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10%12.7% of the total purchases for the six months ended June 30, 2014. The purchases from the five major suppliers represented 45.0% and 38.4% of the Company’s total purchases for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2013, respectively. Two of the five major suppliers individually accounted for 15.6% and 10.7% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013, respectively, and one of the five major suppliers individually accounted for 11.6% of the total purchases for the six months ended June 30, 2013. These five vendors accounted for 39.6%38.3% and 29.1% of total accounts payable, including related parties, as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. TwoNone of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable as March 31,June 30, 2014 and none of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable asand December 31, 2013.

 

 (g)Foreign currency translation and other comprehensive income

 

The reporting currency of the Company is the U.S. dollar. The Company’s subsidiaries and VIE in China use the local currency, Renminbi (“RMB”), as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate as quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the end of the period. The statementstatements of operations accounts are translated at the average translation rates and the equity accounts are translated at historical rates. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the statement of equity. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Translation adjustments included in accumulated other comprehensive income amounted to $3.6$3.0 million and $0.7 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The balance sheet amounts, with the exception of equity, at March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were translated at 6.166.15 RMB and 6.11 RMB to $1.00, respectively. The equity accounts were stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates applied to statementthe statements of operations accounts for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 were 6.126.16 RMB and 6.286.20 RMB, respectively. The average translation rates applied to the statements of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 were 6.14 RMB and 6.24 RMB, respectively. Cash flows are also translated at average translation rates for the periods, therefore,periods; as a result,, amounts reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances onin the consolidated balance sheet.

 

The PRC government imposes significant exchange restrictions on fund transfers out of the PRC that are not related to business operations. These restrictions have not had a material impact on the Company because it has not engaged in any significant transactions that are subject to the restrictions.

 

 (h)Financial instruments

 

The accounting standardsstandard regarding fair value of financial instruments and related fair value measurements defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. The Company considers the carrying amount of cash, short term investment,investments, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, to approximate their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization. For short term loans and notes payable, the Company concluded the carrying values are a reasonable estimate of fair values because of the short period of time between the origination and repayment and as their stated interest rates approximate current rates available.

The Company analyzes all financial instruments with featurescarrying value of both liabilities and equity, pursuant to which the Company’s warrants were required to be recorded as a liability atlong term loans-related party approximates its fair value and marked to market eachas of the reporting period.date as their stated interest rates approximate current rates available.

 

The accounting standards define fair value, establish a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement and enhance disclosure requirements for fair value measures. The three levels are defined as follow:

 

 ·Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
 ·Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.

 ·Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value.

 

On December 13, 2007,The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity, pursuant to which warrants previously issued by the Company entered intowere required to be recorded as a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors for the sale of $40 million of Notesliability at fair value and 1,154,958 common stock warrants, initially exercisable at $13.51 per share. On December 24, 2009, the warrant holders entered into an agreement with the Company that reset the exercise price from $13.51marked to $5 per share and increased the number of warrants from 1,154,958 to 3,900,871.market each reporting period. The warrants were accounted for as derivative liabilities and recorded at their fair value, with the change in fair value charged or credited to income each period.  The warrants expired unexercised on May 13, 2013. Prior to their expiration, the fair value of the warrants was estimated using a binomial lattice model, using level 3 inputs.

 

PaymentsAs described in Note 15 - Capital lease obligations, payments related to the capital lease of the Asset Pool consist of two components: (1) a fixed monthly payment of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million), based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the assets, to be paid for the 20 year term of the Unified Management Agreement; and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool, which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the constructed iron and steel making facilities. The aforementioned profit sharing component meets the definition of a derivative instrument under ASC 815-10-15-83 and, accordingly, the profit sharing liability is accounted for separately as a derivative liability. It was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at inception. The estimated fair value is adjusted each reporting period, with changes in the estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability charged or credited to operating income each period.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

The Company determines the fair value of the profit sharing liability using Level 3 inputs by considering the present value of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses, withdiscounted based on our average borrowing rate, which is currently 7.3%.

The fair value of the profit sharing liability will change each period as a result of (a) any changes in our estimate of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses over the remaining term of the Agreement, (b) any change in the discount rate used, based on changes in our current or expected borrowing rate, (c) the change in fair value related to the passage of 7.3%,time and change in the number of future periods over which the present value of future cash flows is estimated and (d) any difference between the previously estimated operating results for the current period and actual results.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Each period, the Company considers whether the discount rate based on the Company’s average borrowing rate. rate should be adjusted based upon the current and expected future financial condition of the Company. To date, the Company has not considered any adjustment to be necessary based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

·because the joint venture partner of Longmen Joint Venture is a state-owned enterprise with an excellent credit history, PRC banks grant similar credit treatment to Longmen Joint Venture in terms of credit availability
·the current average borrowing rate of enterprises in the steel industry in the PRC is similar to this borrowing rate
·the current new/renewal borrowing rates of the Company’s bank loans are similar to prior periods
·the People’s Bank of China has not recently adjusted any borrowing rate
·PRC bank interest rates are not industry specific. The downtrend in the steel industry did not materially impact the bank borrowing rates for steel companies
·the bank interest rates are assessed by each individual bank and governed by the Chinese banking regulatory bodies. Reports from credit rating research firms are not commonly used by PRC banks

The projected profits/losses in Longmen Joint Venture are based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

 

·projected selling units and growth in the steel market
·projected unit selling price in the steel market
·projected unit purchase cost in the coal and iron ore markets
·selling and general and administrative expenses to be in line with the growth in the steel market
·projected bank borrowings
·interest rate index
·gross nationnational product index
·industry index
·government policy

 

From inception to December 31, 2012, the assumptions underlying the estimated fair value did not change significantly. Beginning in the first quarter of 2013, the assumptions related to unit selling prices and costs were revised, resulting in a reduction of the estimated profit sharing liability. These assumptions were further revised during 2013. The above assumptions were again reviewed by the Company at March 31,June 30, 2014 but no major change was deemed necessary to the assumptions used at December 31, 2013. For the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, the Company recognized a loss on the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability of $0.05$2.9 million due to a $2.81$5.7 million reduction in the present value discount offset by a $2.76$2.8 million gain resulting from the Asset Pool’s operating results for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 being slightly lowerless favorable than previously estimated as of December 31, 2013.

 

The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability at March 31,June 30, 2014 is $161.0$164.1 million. Changes in any of the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the profit sharing liability will change the liability accordingly. If we were to reduce the projected bank borrowingsborrowing rate used to discount the liability to a present value by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31,June 30, 2014 would have been $184.2$187.3 million and we would increase the loss from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $23.2 million. If we were to reduce the projected selling units and growth in the steel market rate by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31,June 30, 2014 would have been $158.4$162.2 million and we would increasedecrease the gainloss from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $1.8$1.9 million.

 

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31,June 30, 2014:

 

(in thousands) Carrying Value as 
of March 31, 2014
  Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2014
Using Fair Value Hierarchy
 
     Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Profit sharing liability $160,956  $-  $-  $160,956 
Total $160,956  $-  $-  $160,956 

(in thousands) Carrying Value as
of June 30, 2014
  Fair Value Measurements at June 30, 2014
Using Fair Value Hierarchy
 
     Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Profit sharing liability $164,067  $-  $-  $164,067 
Total $164,067  $-  $-  $164,067 

 

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013:

 

(in thousands) Carrying Value as
of December 31,  2013
  Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2013
Using Fair Value Hierarchy
 
     Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Profit sharing liability $162,295  $-  $-  $162,295 
Total $162,295  $-  $-  $162,295 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands) Carrying Value as
of December 31,
2013
  Fair Value Measurements at December 31,
2013
Using Fair Value Hierarchy
 
     Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Profit sharing liability $162,295  $-  $-  $162,295 
Total $162,295  $-  $-  $162,295 

 

The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and for the year ended December 31, 2013:

 

  March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $162,295  $328,828 
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:        
Present value discount amortization  2,810   16,872 
Change in estimate  (2,761)  (191,441)
Change in derivative liabilities-warrants  -   1 
Exchange rate effect  (1,388)  8,035 
Ending balance $160,956  $162,295 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

  June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $162,295  $328,828 
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:        
Change in estimate of future operating profits  -   (174,821)
Change in discount rate  -   - 
Change in the number of future periods over which the present value of future cash flows is estimated  5,778   16,872 
Difference between the previously estimated operating results for the current period and actual results  (2,809)  (16,620)
Change in derivative liabilities - warrants  -   1 
Exchange rate effect  (1,197)  8,035 
Ending balance $164,067  $162,295 
         

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Except for the derivative liabilities related to the profit sharing liability and to the warrants issued by the Company, which expired on May 13, 2013, the Company did not identify any other assets or liabilities that are required to be presented on the balance sheet at fair value. The carrying value of the long term loans-related party approximates its fair value as of the reporting date.

 

(i)Notes receivable

 

Notes receivable represents trade accounts receivable due from various customers where the customers’ banks have guaranteed the payment. The notes are non-interest bearing and normally paid within three to six months. The Company has the ability to submit requestrequests for payment to the customer’s bank earlier than the scheduled payment date, but will incur an interest charge and a processing fee.

 

Restricted notes receivable represents notes receivable pledged as collateral for short-term loans and short-term notes payable issued by banks.

 

Interest expensesexpense for early submission request ofrequests for payment amounted to $14.1 million and $10.8 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 respectively.amounted to $12.8 million and $6.5 million, respectively, and amounted to $26.9 million and $17.3 million, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013.

 

(j)Plant and equipment, net

 

Plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets with a 3%-5% residual value. The depreciation expense on assets acquired under capital leases is included with depreciation expense on owned assets. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

 

Buildings and Improvementsimprovements 10-40 Years
Machinery 10-30 Years
Machinery and equipment under capital lease 10-20 Years
Other equipment 5 Years
Transportation Equipmentequipment 5 Years

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

The Company assesses all significant leases for purposes of classification as either operating or capital. At lease inception, if the lease meets any of the four following criteria, the Company will classify it as a capital lease; otherwise it will be treated as an operating lease: a) transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of the lease term, b) bargain purchase option, c) lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated economic life of the leased property, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset.

 

Construction in progress represents the costs incurred in connection with the construction of buildings or new additions to the Company’s plant facilities. No depreciation is provided for construction in progress until such time as the assets are completed and are placed into service, maintenance,service. Maintenance, repairs and minor renewals are charged directly to expense as incurred. Major additions and bettermentbetterments to buildings and equipment are capitalized. Interest incurred during construction is capitalized into construction in progress. All other interest is expensed as incurred.

 

Long lived assets, including buildings and improvements, equipment and intangible assets, are reviewed if events and changes in circumstances indicate that itstheir carrying amount may not be recoverable, to determine whether their carrying value has become impaired. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of depreciation and amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.

 

(k)Intangible assets

 

Finite lived intangible assets of the Company are reviewed for impairment if events and circumstances require. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.  As of March 31,June 30, 2014, the Company expects these assets to be fully recoverable.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Land use rights

 

All land in the PRC is owned by the government. However, the government grants “land use rights.”  General Steel (China) acquired land use rights in 2001 for a total of $3.9 million (RMB 23.7 million). These land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2050 and 2053. The Company amortizes the land use rights over the twenty-year business term because its business license hadhas a twenty-year term.

 

Long Steel Group contributed land use rights for a total amount of $24.1 million (RMB 148.3 million) to the Longmen Joint Venture. The contributed land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2048 to 2052.

 

Maoming Hengda has land use rights amounting to $2.7 million (RMB 16.6 million) for 50 years that expire in 2054.

 

Other than the land use rights that General Steel (China) acquired in 2001, the Company amortizes the land use rights over their 50 year term.

  

Entity Original Cost Expires on  Original Cost Expires in 
 (in thousands)    (in thousands)   
General Steel (China) $3,851   2050 & 2053  $3,856 2050 & 2053 
Longmen Joint Venture $24,075   2048 & 2052  $24,097 2048 & 2052 
Maoming Hengda $2,694   2054  $2,697 2054 

 

Mining right

 

Mining rights are capitalized at cost when acquired, including amounts associated with any value beyond proven and probable reserves, and amortized to operations as depletion expense using the units-of-production method over the estimated proven and probable recoverable tons. Longmen Joint Venture has iron ore mining rightrights amounting to $2.4 million (RMB 15.0 million), which is amortized over the estimated recoverable reserve of 4.2 million tons.

  

(l)Investments in unconsolidated entities

 

Entities in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not have a controlling interest, are accounted for using the equity method. Significant influence is generally considered to exist when the Company has an ownership interest in the voting stock between 20% and 50%, and other factors, such as representation on the Board of Directors, voting rights and the impact of commercial arrangements, are considered in determining whether the equity method of accounting is appropriate. The Company accounts for investments with ownership less than 20% using the cost method.

  

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

The table below summarizes Longmen Joint Venture’s investment holdings as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Unconsolidated entities Year
acquired
  March 31, 2014
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned
%
  December 31,
2013
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned
%
 
Xi’an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.  2007  $1,042   24.1  $1,215   24.1 

 

Unconsolidated entities Year
acquired
  June 30, 2014
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned %  December 31,
2013
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned
%
 
Xi’an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.  2007  $1,098   24.1  $1,215   24.1 

The table below summarizes General Steel (China)’s investment holding (see Note 2(a) - Basis of presentation) as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

 

Unconsolidated entities Year
acquired
  March 31, 2014
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned
%
  December 31,
2013
Net investment
(In thousands)
  Owned
%
 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.  2010  $15,593   32.0  $15,728   32.0 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Unconsolidated entities Year 
acquired
  June 30, 2014 
Net investment 
(In thousands)
  Owned %  December 31,
2013 
Net investment 
(In thousands)
  Owned 
%
 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.  2010  $15,612   32.0  $15,728   32.0 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Total investment income (loss) in unconsolidated subsidiaries amounted to $0.01$0.05 million and $(0.04)$0.13 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and $0.06 million and $0.09 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which was included in “Income from equity investments” in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income.

 

(m)Revenue recognition

 

Sales isare recognized at the date of shipment to customers when a formal arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, the delivery is completed, the Company has no other significant obligations and collectability is reasonably assured. Payments received before all of the relevant criteria for revenue recognition are met are recorded as customer deposits. Sales represent the invoiced value of goods, net of value-added tax (VAT). All of the Company’s products sold in the PRC are subject to a Chinese value-added tax at a rate of 13% or 17% of the gross sales price. This VAT may be offset by VAT paid by the Company on raw materials and other materials included in the cost of producing the finished product.

 

The Company infrequently engages in trading transactions in which the Company acts as an agent between the suppliers and the customers. The trading arrangements are such that the suppliers are the primary obligators,obligors, the Company does not have any general inventory risk, physical inventory loss risk or credit risk, and the Company does not have latitude in establishing price. Sales and cost of goods sold from these trading arrangements are recorded at the net amount retained in accordance with ASC 605-45.

 

(n)Recently issued accounting pronouncements

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-08,Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations should be presented as discontinued operations. The new guidance also requires disclosure of the pre-tax income attributable to a disposal of a significant part of an organization that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The amendments in the ASU are effective in the first quarter of 2015 for public organizations with calendar year ends. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a significant impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09,Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Topic 606. This Update affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets, unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards. The guidance in this Update supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605,Revenue Recognition and most industry-specific guidance. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to illustrate the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.The new guidance also includes a cohesive set of disclosure requirements that will provide users of financial statements with comprehensive information about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from a reporting organization’s contracts with customers.This ASU is effective retrospectively for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2016 for public companies and 2017 for non-public entities. Management is evaluating the effect, if any, on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

(o)Reclassifications

 

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows.

 

Note 3 – Loans receivable – related parties

 

Loans receivable – related parties represents amounts the Company expects to collect from related parties upon maturity.

 

The Company had the following loans receivable – related parties due within one year as of:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Loan to Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd; due in June, July and December 2014; interest rate was 4.75% $4,540  $4,540 
Loan to Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd; due in June, July and December 2014; interest rate is 4.75% $4,540  $4,540 
Total loans receivable – related parties $4,540  $4,540  $4,540  $4,540 

 

See Note 20“18“Related party transactions and balances” for the nature of the relationship of related parties.

 

Total interest income for the loans amounted to $0.05 million and $0.07 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Total interest income for the loans amounted to $0.1 million and $0.1 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Note 4 – Accounts receivable (including related parties), net

 

Accounts receivable, including related party receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts consists of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Accounts receivable $5,188  $5,131  $6,078 $5,131 
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts  (800)  (1,053)          (801) (1,053)
Accounts receivable – related parties  4,474   2,942   5,788  2,942 
Net accounts receivable $8,862  $7,020  $11,065 $7,020 

 

Movement ofChanges in the allowance for doubtful accounts isare as follows:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $1,053  $1,367  $1,053 $1,367 
Charge to expense  -   96  - 96 
Less: recovery  (245)  (449) (244) (449)
Exchange rate effect  (8)  39   (8  39 
Ending balance $800  $1,053  $801 $1,053 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Note 5 – Inventories

 

Inventories consist of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Supplies $23,172  $21,040  $23,451 $21,040 
Raw materials  130,356   164,301  147,780 164,301 
Finished goods  72,611   42,977  47,713 42,977 
Less: allowance for inventory valuation  (15,378)  (15,397)  (9,973)  (15,397)
Total inventories $210,761  $212,921  $208,971 $212,921 

 

Raw materials consist primarily of iron ore and coke at Longmen Joint Venture. The cost of finished goods includes direct costs of raw materials as well as direct labor used in production. Indirect production costs at normal capacity such as utilities and indirect labor related to production such as assembling, shipping and handling costs for purchasing are also included in the cost of inventory.

 

The Company values its inventory at the lower of cost or market, determined on a weighted average method, or net realizable value. As of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had provided allowance for inventory valuation in the amounts of $15.4$10.0 million and $15.4 million, respectively.

 

Movement ofChanges in the allowance for inventory valuation isare as follows:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $15,397  $9,585  $15,397 $9,585 
Addition  15,493   15,194  9,996 15,194 
Less: write-off  (15,380)  (9,757)     (15,319) (9,757)
Exchange rate effect  (132)  375   (101  375 
Ending balance $15,378  $15,397  $9,973 $15,397 

 

Note 6 – Advances on inventory purchases

 

Advances on inventory purchases are monies deposited or advanced to outside vendors or related parties on future inventory purchases. Most of the Company’s vendors require a certain amount of money to be deposited with them as a guarantee that the Company will complete its purchases on a timely basis.

 

This amount is refundable and bears no interest. The Company has legally binding contracts with its vendors, which require the deposit to be returned to the Company or netted against accounts payable due to its vendors to the extent there are unpaid balances when the contract ends. The inventory is normally delivered within one month after the monies have been advanced. The total outstanding amount, including advances to related parties, was $164.8$177.8 million and $127.9 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

 

Note 7 – Plant and equipment, net

 

Plant and equipment consist of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Buildings and improvements $287,617  $274,402  $280,272 $274,402 
Machinery  663,902   667,093  658,159 667,093 
Machinery under capital lease  618,559   623,895  625,196 623,895 
Transportation and other equipment  23,220   22,991  23,322 22,991 
Construction in progress  24,920   11,412   38,736  11,412 
Subtotal  1,618,218   1,599,793  1,625,685 1,599,793 
Less: accumulated depreciation  (349,019)  (327,886)         (372,334)  (327,886)
Total $1,269,199  $1,271,907  $1,253,351 $1,271,907 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Construction in progress consisted of the following as of March 31,June 30, 2014:

 

Construction in progress Value Completion Estimated
additional cost to
complete
 
description (In thousands) date (In thousands) 
Construction in progress
description
 Value Completion Estimated
additional cost to
complete
 
 (In thousands) date  (In thousands) 
Factory wall remodel  1,021   June 2014   77   1,022 July 2014 77 
Equipment updates  696   May 2014   1,332   109 July 2014 3,206 
Sintering machine construction  3,923   November 2014   141,580   4,830 November 2014 140,122 
#5 blast furnace construction  10,654   December 2014   166,253   22,970 December 2014 150,155 
Electrical substation construction  5   August 2014   24,523   13 August 2014 24,419 
Reconstruction of miscellaneous factory buildings  5,272   June 2014   4,405   5,547 October 2014 4,337 
Project materials  2,136       -   2,133   - 
Others  1,213       -   2,112    - 
Total $24,920      $338,170  $38,736   $326,316 

  

The Company is obligated under a capital lease for the iron and steel making facilities, including one sintering machine, two converters, two blast furnaces and some auxiliary systems that expire on April 30, 2031. During 2013 and 2014, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a number of capital lease agreements for energy-saving equipment installed throughout the steel production line. The Company is obligated under the capital lease for the equipment upon the confirmation of the energy-saving rate between the Company and its vendors.

 

The carrying value of assets acquired under the capital lease consists of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Machinery $618,559  $623,895  $625,196 $623,895 
Less:accumulated depreciation  (84,250)  (77,086)  (92,037)  (77,086
Carrying value of leased assets $534,309  $546,809  $533,159 $546,809 

  

The Company assessed the recoverability of all of its remaining long lived assets at March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, and such assessment did not result in any impairment charges.

 

Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $24.1$23.2 million and $21.1$21.4 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $47.3 and $42.5 million, respectively. These amounts include depreciation of assets held under capital leases for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, which amounted to $7.9$7.7 million and $7.0$7.1 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $15.6 and $14.1 million, respectively.

 

Note 8 – Intangible assets, net

 

Intangible assets consist of the following:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Land use rights $30,620  $30,884  $30,650 $30,884 
Mining right  2,438   2,459  2,441 2,459 
Software  1,047   743   1,049  743 
Subtotal  34,105   34,086   34,140  34,086 
Less:             
Accumulated amortization – land use rights  (8,595)  (8,498) (8,767) (8,498)
Accumulated amortization – mining right  (1,322)  (1,320) (1,363) (1,320
Accumulated amortization – software  (601)  (561)  (677)  (561)
Subtotal  (10,518)  (10,379)  (10,807)  (10,379)
Intangible assets, net $23,587  $23,707  $23,333 $23,707 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

The gross amount of the intangible assets amounted to $34.1 million and $34.1 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The remaining weighted average amortization period is 33.333.1 years as of March 31,June 30, 2014.

 

Total amortization expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.2$0.3 million and $0.2$0.3 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Total depletion expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.01$0.04 million and $0.02 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $0.05 million and $0.1 million, respectively.

 

The estimated aggregate amortization and depletion expenses for each of the five succeeding years is as follows:

 

Year ending Estimated
amortization and
depletion expenses
  Gross carrying
amount
 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
March 31, 2015 $917   22,669 
March 31, 2016  917   21,752 
March 31, 2017  917   20,835 
March 31, 2018  917   19,918 
March 31, 2019  917   19,001 
Thereafter  19,002   - 
Total $23,587     
Year ending 

Estimated

amortization and
depletion expenses

  

Gross carrying

amount

 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
June 30, 2015 $1,024   22,309 
June 30, 2016  1,024   21,285 
June 30, 2017  1,024   20,261 
June 30, 2018  1,024   19,237 
June 30, 2019  1,024   18,213 
Thereafter  18,213   - 
Total $23,333     

 

Note 9 – Debt

 

Short-term notes payable

 

Short-term notes payable are lines of credit extended by banks. Banks in turn issue the Company a bank acceptance note, which can be endorsed and assigned to vendors as payments for purchases. The notes payable are generally payable within three to six months. This short-term note payable is guaranteed by the bank for its complete face value. The banks do not charge interest on these notes, but usually charge a transaction fee of 0.05% of the notes value. In addition, the banks usually require the Company to deposit either a certain amount of cash at the bank as a guarantee deposit, which is classified on the balance sheet as restricted cash, or provide notes receivable as security, which are classified on the balance sheet as restricted notes receivable. Restricted cash as a guarantee for the notes payable amounted to $419.8$430.2 million and $399.4 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Restricted notes receivable as a guarantee for the notes payable amounted to $133.0$51.0 million and $231.7 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

 

The Company had the following short-term notes payable as of:

 

  March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
General Steel (China): Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to July 2014. Restricted cash required of $13.0 million and $16.4 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $25,968  $29,466 
Longmen Joint Venture: Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to September 2014. $406.8 million restricted cash and $133.0 million notes receivable are secured for notes payable as of March 31, 2014, and comparatively $383.0 million restricted cash and $231.7 million notes receivable secured as of December 31, 2013, respectively; some notes are further guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.  937,389   988,364 
Total short-term notes payable $963,357  $1,017,830 

  June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
General Steel (China): Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from July to December 2014. Restricted cash required of $11.4 million and $16.4 million as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $11,375  $29,466 
Longmen Joint Venture: Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from July to December 2014. $418.8 million restricted cash and $51.0 million notes receivable are secured for notes payable as of June 30, 2014, and comparatively $383.0 million restricted cash and $231.7 million notes receivable secured as of December 31, 2013, respectively; some notes are further guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.  864,104   988,364 
Total short-term notes payable $875,479  $1,017,830 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Short-term loans

 

Short-term loans represent amounts due to various banks, other companies and individuals, including related parties, normally due within one year. The principal of the loans are due at maturity but can be renewed at the bank’s option. Accrued interest is due either monthly or quarterly.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Short term loans due to banks, related parties and other parties consisted of the following as of:

 

Due to banks

 

  March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
General Steel (China): Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from May 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 7.1% per annum and 7.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $40,899  $34,229 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from April 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 6.1% per annum and 6.3% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties, restricted cash or notes receivables. $128.2 million and $163.9 million restricted notes receivable were secured for the loans as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.  189,219   267,688 
Total short-term loans - bank $230,118  $301,917 
   June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
General Steel (China): Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from August 2014 to June 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 7.1% per annum and 7.2% per annum as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties and related parties. $8.1 million and $0 restricted cash were secured for the loans as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $52,325  $34,229 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from August 2014 to June 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 6.1% per annum and 6.3% per annum as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties, accounts receivable, restricted cash or notes receivables. $56.1 million and $163.9 million restricted notes receivable were secured for the loans as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; $5.9 million and $0 restricted cash were secured for the loans as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.  

 

 

 

 

149,348

   

 

 

 

 

267,688

 
Total short-term loans - bank $201,673  $301,917 

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had not met its financial covenants stipulated by certain loan agreements related to the Company’s debt to asset ratio. As of March 31,June 30, 2014, two of General Steel (China)’s bank loans contained financial covenants stipulating debt to asset ratios below 20%. However, as of March 31,June 30, 2014, General Steel (China)’s debt to asset ratio was 93.5%95.4%. As of December 31, 2013, three of General Steel (China)’s bank loans contained financial covenants stipulating debt to asset ratios below 20% and 70%. However, as of December 31, 2013, General Steel (China)’s debt to asset ratio was 89.7%.

 

Furthermore, the Company is a party to a loan agreement with a cross default clause whereby any breach of loan covenants will automatically result in default of the loan. The outstanding balance of the short term loans affected by the above breach of covenants and cross default as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $5.2 million and $6.4 million, respectively. According to the Company’s short term loan agreements, the banks have the rightsright to request for more collateral or additional guarantees if the breach of covenant is not remedied or request early repayment of the loan if the Company does not cure such breach within a certain period of time. As of the date of this report, the Company has not received any notice from the banks to request more collateral, additional guarantees or early repayment of the short term loans due to the breach of covenant.

 

Due to unrelated parties

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013  
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various unrelated companies and individuals, due various dates from April to September 2014, and weighted average interest rate was 5.6% per annum and 5.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $17,987  $22,720 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various unrelated companies and individuals, due various dates from July to December 2014, and weighted average interest rate was 5.6% per annum and 5.2% per annum as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates. $17,099  $22,720 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.  24,538   33,124   41,119   33,124 
Maoming Hengda: Loans from one unrelated parties and one related party, due on demand, none interest bearing.  6,170   6,223 
Maoming Hengda: Loans from one unrelated party and one related party, due on demand, none interest bearing.  6,177   6,223 
Total short-term loans – others $48,695  $62,067  $64,395  $62,067 

 

The Company had various loans from unrelated companies amounting to $48.7 million and $62.1 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Of the $48.7 million, $6.2 million loans carry no interest, $24.5 million of financing sales are subject to interest rates ranging between 4.2% and 5.9%, and the remaining $18.0 million are subject to interest rates ranging from 5.0% to 12.0%. All short term loans from unrelated companies are payable on demand and unsecured.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

The Company had various loans from unrelated companies amounting to $64.4 million and $62.1 million as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Of the $64.4 million, $6.2 million of loans carry no interest, $41.1 million of financing sales are subject to interest rates ranging between 4.6% and 9.6%, and the remaining $17.1 million are subject to interest rates ranging from 5.0% to 5.8%. All short term loans from unrelated companies are payable on demand and unsecured.

 

As part of its working capital management, Longmen Joint Venture has entered into a number of sale and purchase back contracts ("contracts") with third party companies and Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiaries, Yuxin and Yuteng. According to the contracts, Longmen Joint Venture sells rebar to the third party companies at a certain price, and within the same month, Yuxin and Yuteng will purchase back the rebar from the third party companies at a price of 4.2%4.6% to 5.9%9.6% higher than the original selling price from Longmen Joint Venture. Based on the contract terms, Longmen Joint Venture is paid in advance for the rebar sold to the third party companies and Yuxin and Yuteng are given a credit period of several months to one year from the third party companies. There is no physical movement of the inventory during the sale and purchase back arrangement. The margin of 4.2%4.6% to 5.9%9.6% is determined by reference to the bank loan interest rates at the time when the contracts are entered into, plus an estimated premium based on the financing sale amount, which represents the interest charged by the third party companies for financing Longmen Joint Venture through the above sale and purchase back arrangement. The revenue and cost of goods sold arising from the above transactions are eliminated and the incremental amounts paid by Yuxin and Yuteng to purchase back the goods are treated as financing costs in the consolidated financial statements.

 

Total financing sales for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $230.5$229.1 million and $165.2$188.1 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $459.6 million and $353.3 million, respectively, which are eliminated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The financial cost related to financing sales for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.9$0.8 million and $1.6$3.1 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, amounted to $1.7 million and $3.1 million, respectively.

 

Short term loans due to related parties

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013  
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
General Steel China: Loans from Yangpu Capital Automobile, due on demand, and interest rates is 10% per annum. $1,445  $1,458 
General Steel China: Loans from Yangpu Capital Automobile, due on demand, and interest rate is 10% per annum. $1,446  $1,458 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd., due on demand, and interest rate is 7.0% per annum.  22,169   28,216   

 

8,822

   28,216 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Steel Group due on various dates from November 2014 to March 2015, and interest rate is 6.6% and 7.0% per annum.  73,035   49,110 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Steel Group due on various dates from November 2014 to June 2015, and interest rate is 6.6% per annum.  81,250   49,110 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.  8,431   47,909   62,478   47,909 
Total short-term loans - related parties $105,080  $126,693  $153,996  $126,693 

  

Long-term loans due to related party

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from Shaanxi Steel Group, due on various dates through November 2015 and interest rate are 5.6% - 5.9% per annum. $72,035  $72,657 
Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from Shaanxi Steel Group, due on various dates through November 2015 and interest rate is 5.6% per annum. $

 72,124

  $72,657 
Less: Current maturities of long-term loans – related party  (57,428)  (53,013)  (62,374)  (53,013)
Long-term loans - related party $14,607  $19,644  $9,750  $19,644 

 

Total interest expense, net of capitalized interest, amounted to $9.5$8.2 million and $8.0$10.5 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Total interest expense, net of capitalized interest, amounted to $17.7 million and $18.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Capitalized interest included in construction in progress amounted to $0.6$0.2 million and $0.2$0.6 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Capitalized interest included in construction in progress amounted to $0.8 million and $0.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. 

 

Note 10 – Customer deposits

 

Customer deposits represent amounts advanced by customers on product orders. The product normally is shipped within one month after receipt of the advance payment, and the related sale is recognized in accordance with the Company’s revenue recognition policy. As of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31 2013, customer deposits amounted to $252.4$279.2 million and $152.7 million, respectively, including deposits received from related parties, which amounted to $145.4$142.9 million and $64.9 million, respectively.

 

Note 11 – Deposits due to sales representatives

 

Longmen Joint Venture entered into agreements with various entities to act as the Company’s exclusive sales agent in a specified geographic area.  These exclusive sales agents must meet certain criteria and are required to deposit a certain amount of money with the Company. In return the sales agents receive exclusive sales rights in a specified area and at discounted prices on products they order. These deposits bear no interest and are required to be returned to the sales agent once the agreement is terminated. The agreement is normally entered/or renewed on an annual basis. Termination of the agreement can be mutually agreed to by both parties at any time. The Company had $25.7$23.1 million and $26.3 million in deposits due to sales representatives, including deposits due to related parties, as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Note 12 – Warrants

 

The Company previously had 3,900,871 common stock warrants outstanding, warrantswhich were issued in connection with the $40 million of convertible notes issued by the Company in 2007,2007. The warrants, which were accounted for as a derivative liability at fair value, expired unexercised on May 13, 2013. The aforementioned warrants met the definition of a derivative instrument in the accounting standards and were recorded at their fair value on each reporting date. The change in the value of the derivative liabilities is charged against or credited to income each period.

The Company had the following warrants outstanding:

Outstanding as of December 31, 20123,900,871
Granted-
Forfeited / expired(3,900,871)
Exercised-
Outstanding as of December 31, 2013-
Granted-
Forfeited / expired-
Exercised-
Outstanding as of March 31, 2014-

 

Note 13 - Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized, amounted to $5.7$12.4 million and $3.6$7.6 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

The Company paid income tax amounted to $0.01taxes of $0.1 million and $0.1$0.2 million forduring the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company had receivables of $0.01$(0.01) million and $1.0 million, respectively, as a result of the disposal of equipment that hashave not been collected.

 

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company used $1.0$1.1 million $4.1and $19.0 million of inventory, respectively, in plant and equipment constructions.construction.

 

The Company had $47.7$2.3 million notes receivable from financing sales loans to be converted to cash as of March 31,June 30, 2014.

 

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, the Company incurred $23.4$4.7 million in accounts payable to be paid for the purchase of equipment and construction in progress.

 

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, one of the Company’s unconsolidated entities declared a dividend and the Company wasis entitled for theto a dividend amounted toof $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, which washas not yet been collected.

 

During the threesix months ended March 31, 2013,June 30, 2014, the Company converted $0.5$(0.05) million of equipment into inventory productions.production.

During the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company acquired $5.9 million of equipment through capital leases.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Note 14 - Deferred lease income

 

To compensate the Company for costs and economic losses incurred during construction of the iron and steel making facilities owned by Shaanxi Steel and which are leased by the Longmen Joint Venture, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $11.4 million (RMB 70.1 million) in the fourth quarter of 2010 for the value of assets dismantled and rent under a 40-year property sub-lease that was entered into by the parties in June 2009 (the "Longmen Sub-lease"), and $29.7$29.8 million (RMB 183.1 million) for the reduced production efficiency caused by the construction. In addition, in 2010 and 2011, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $14.5$14.6 million (RMB 89.5 million) and $14.5 million (RMB 89.3 million), respectively, for trial production costs related to the new equipment.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

During the period from June 2010 to March 2011, as construction progressed and certain of the assets came online, Longmen Joint Venture used the assets free of charge to produce saleable units of steel products during this period. As such, the cost of using these assets and therefore the fair value of the free rent received was imputed with reference to what the depreciation charge would have been on these assets had they been owned or under capital lease to Longmen Joint Venture during the free use period. This cost of $7.1 million (RMB 43.9 million) each year werewas deferred and will beis being recognized over the term of the land sub-lease similar to the other charges and credits related to the construction of these assets.

 

The deferred lease income is amortized to income over the remaining term of the 40-year land sub-lease. For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized $1.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively. As of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the balance of deferred lease income amounted to $76.2$75.8 million and $77.4 million, respectively, of which $2.2 million and $2.2 million represents balanceamounts to be amortized within one year. See Note 2018 – Related party transactions and balances (m) – Deferred lease income for details.

 

Note 15 - Capital lease obligations

 

Iron and steel production facilities

 

On April 29, 2011, the Company’s subsidiary, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a Unified Management Agreement with Shaanxi Steel and Shaanxi Coal under which Longmen Joint Venture uses new iron and steel making facilities including one sintering machine, two converters, two blast furnaces and other auxiliary systems constructed by Shaanxi Steel. As the 20-year term of the agreement exceeds 75% of the assets’ useful lives, this arrangement is accounted for as a capital lease. The ongoing lease payments are comprised of two elements: (1) a monthly payment of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million), based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the assets, of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million) to be paid over the term of the Unified Management Agreement of 20 years and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. In February 2014, Shaanxi Steel agreed that it will not demand capital lease paymentpayments from Longmen Joint Venture until February 2017. The profit sharing component does not meet the definition of contingent rent because it is based on future revenue and iswas therefore considered part of the financing for the capital leased assets which is related toassets. The initial fair value of the Unified Management Agreement. For purposes ofprofit sharing liability was included in determining the value of the leased asset and obligationassets at the inception of the lease, the leaseinception. The profit sharing liability is then reduced byaccounted for separately from the value of the profit sharing component, whichmonthly lease payments and is recognizedaccounted for as a derivative liability which is carried at fair value.value, with changes in the fair value charged or credited to income each period. See Note 2(h) – “Financial instruments” and Note 16 – “Profit sharing liability”.

 

Energy-saving equipment

 

During 2013 and 2014, the Company’s subsidiary, Longmen Joint Venture, entered into capital lease agreements for energy-saving equipment to be installed throughout the production chain. Under these agreements, Longmen Joint Venture uses the energy-saving equipment for which the vendors are responsible for the design, purchase, installation, and on-site testing, as well as the ownership rights to the equipment during the lease periods. The lease periods, which vary between four to six years, begin upon the completion of the equipment installation, testing, and the issuance of the energy-saving rate reports to be agreed upon by both the vendors and Longmen Joint Venture. As the ownership rights of the equipment transfer to Longmen Joint Venture at the end of the lease periods, these agreements are accounted for as capital leases.

 

The minimum lease payments are based on the energy cost saved during the lease periods, which is determined by the estimated annual equipment operating hours per the lease agreements. If the actual annual equipment operating hours are less than the estimated amount, the lease periods may be extended, subject to further negotiation and agreement between the Company and the vendors. If the actual annual equipment operating hours exceed the estimated amount, the Company is obligated to pay themake additional lease paymentpayments based on the additional energy cost saved during the lease period and will recognize the additional lease payments as contingent rent expense. For the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, no contingent rent expense haswas incurred under these lease agreements.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Presented below is a schedule of estimated minimum lease payments on the capital lease obligationobligations for the next five years as of March 31,June 30, 2014:

 

Year ending March 31, Capital Lease Obligations
Minimum Lease Payments
 
Year ending June 30, Capital Lease Obligations
Minimum Lease Payments
 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
2015 $5,755  $7,567 
2016  4,211   5,804 
2017  172,982   181,884 
2018  31,906   33,280 
2019  30,345   30,108 
Thereafter  345,697   338,666 
Total minimum lease payments  590,896   597,309 
Less:amounts representing interest  (210,097)  (206,036)
Ending balance $380,799  $391,273 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)The above amounts do not include the profit sharing liability, which is accounted for separately as a derivative instrument at fair value.

 

Interest expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 on the capital lease obligations was $5.4$5.7 million and $5.1 million, respectively.

Interest expense for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 on the capital lease obligations was $10.8 million and $10.2 million, respectively.

 

Note 16 –Profit sharing liability

 

The profit sharing liability component of the capital lease obligation was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at the lease commencement date and included in the initial measurement and recognition of the capital lease, in addition to the fixed payment component of the minimum lease payments. The profit sharing liability is accounted for separately from the fixed portion of the capital lease obligation (see Note 15 - “Capital lease obligation”) and is accounted for as a derivative instrument in accordance with ASC 815-10-15-83. The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability is reassessed at the end of each reporting period, with any change in fair value charged or credited to income as “Change in Fair Value of Profit Sharing Liability”. See Note 2(h) – “Financial instruments” for details.

 

Payments to Shaanxi Steel for the profit sharing liability are not required until net cumulative profits are achieved. Based on the performance of the Asset Pool, no profit sharing payment was made during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

from inception to date.

 

Note 17 – Other income (expense)

Lease income

The deferred lease income from the reimbursement from Shaanxi Steel for the net book value of the fixed assets that were demolished and for the inefficiency costs caused by the construction and loss incurred in the beginning stages of the system production is amortized to income over the remaining sub-lease term. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized lease income of $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

Note 18 – Taxes

 

Income tax

 

Significant components of the provision for income taxes on earnings and deferred taxes on net operating losses from operations for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:

 

(In thousands) The three months ended
March 31, 2014
 The three months ended
March 31, 2013
  Three months ended
June 30, 2014
 Three months ended
June 30, 2013
 
Current $5  $71  $107  $105 
Deferred  -   -   -   - 
Total provision for income taxes $5  $71  $107  $105 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands) Six months ended
June 30, 2014
  Six months ended
June 30, 2013
 
Current $112  $176 
Deferred  -   - 
Total provision for income taxes $112  $176 

 

Under the Income Tax Laws of the PRC, General Steel (China), Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture (located in Inner Mongolia province), Maoming Hengda (located in Guangdong province) and Tianwu Joint Venture (located in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone) are subject to income tax at a rate of 25%.

 

Longmen Joint Venture is located in the Mid-West region of China and as such, qualifies for the “Go-West” tax rate of 15% promulgated by the government. In 2010, the Chinese government announced that the “Go-West” tax initiative would be extended for 10 years and thus the preferential tax rate of 15% will be in effect until 2020. This special tax treatment for Longmen Joint Venture will be evaluated on a year-to-year basis by the local tax bureau.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited) The special tax treatment has not changed to date as a result of the evaluations by the local tax bureau.

 

Deferred taxestax assets – China

  

According to Chinese tax regulations, net operating losses can be carried forward to offset operating income for the next five years. The Group’s losses carried forward of $533.0$536.8 million will begin to expire in 2015. The Chinese government recently announced several policies to curb the real estate price increases across the country, which led to a slowdown in demand for construction steel products. Additionally due to the continued global economic slowdown and the overcapacity issues in China's steel market, management expected there would be a sustained increase in margin pressure in the next five years until all the existing but outdated steel capacity across the whole industry areis eliminated. Management took into consideration this potential negative impact on average selling price and gross margin of its products, re-performed an operating forecast for the next five years and concluded that the beginning-of-the-year balance of deferred tax assets mainly relating to the net operating loss carry forward may not be fully realizable due to the reduction in the projection of income to be available in the next 5 years. Management therefore decided to provide a 100% valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets. The valuation allowance as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $100.7$101.0 million and $97.6 million, respectively. Management will review this valuation allowance periodically and make adjustments as warranted. Temporary differences represent tax and book differences infor various items, such as receivable allowances, inventory allowances, impairments on fixed assets and deferred lease income.

 

Movement of valuation allowance:

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $97,569  $72,891  $97,569  $72,891 
Current period addition  4,129   23,293   4,194   23,293 
Current period reversal  (155)  (1,206)  (55)  (1,206)
Deconsolidation of Tongxing  -   - 
Exchange difference  (865)  2,591   (726)  2,591 
Ending balance $100,678  $97,569  $100,982  $97,569 

 

Deferred taxestax assets – U.S.

 

General Steel Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in the United States and has incurred net operating losses for income tax purposes for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014. The net operating loss carry forwards for United States income taxes amounted to $2.3$2.4 million, which may be available to reduce future years’ taxable income. These carry forwards will expire, if not utilized, starting from 2026 through 2033. Management believes that the realization of the benefits from these losses appears uncertain due to the Company’s limited operating history and continuing losses for United States income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Company has provided a 100% valuation allowance on the deferred tax asset benefit to reduce the asset to zero. The valuation allowance as of March 31,June 30, 2014 was $0.8 million. The net change in the valuation allowance for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 was $0.1 million. Management will review this valuation allowance periodically and make adjustments as warranted.

 

The Company has no cumulative proportionate retained earnings from profitable subsidiaries as of March 31,June 30, 2014. Accordingly, no provision has been made for U.S. deferred taxes related to future repatriation of these earnings, nor is it practicable to estimate the amount of income taxes that would have to be provided if we concluded that such earnings will be remitted in the future.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Value added tax

 

Enterprises or individuals who sell commodities, engage in repair and maintenance or import and export goods in the PRC are subject to a value added tax in accordance with PRC laws. The value added tax (“VAT”) standard rates are 13% to 17% of the gross sales price. A credit is available whereby VAT paid on the purchases of semi-finished products or raw materials used in the production of the Company’s finished products can be used to offset the VAT due on sales of the finished product. As of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had $12.1$2.8 million and $3.5 million in value added tax creditcredits which are available to offset future VAT payables, respectively.

 

Sales and purchases are recorded net of VAT collected and paid as the Company acts as an agent for the government for VAT collection. VAT on sales and VAT on purchases amounted to $152.9$178.6 million and $151.9$174.5 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and $183.2$164.8 million and $183.8$154.4 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited) VAT on sales and VAT on purchases amounted to $331.5 million and $326.4 million, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and $353.2 million and $338.2 million, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2013. 

 

Taxes payable consisted of the following: 

 

  March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
VAT taxes payable $4,472  $2,211 
Income taxes payable  164   173 
Misc. taxes  2,640   2,244 
Totals $7,276  $4,628 

Note 19 – Income (loss) per share

The computation of income (loss) per share is as follows:

(in thousands, except per share data) The three months
ended March 31, 2014
  The three months
 ended March 31, 2013
 
Income (loss) attributable to holders of common stock $(43,564) $3,103 
Basic and diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding  55,813   54,805 
Earnings (loss) per share        
Basic and diluted $(0.78) $0.06 

The Company had warrants exercisable for 0 and 3,900,871 shares of the Company’s common stock at March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, all outstanding warrants were excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation since they are anti-dilutive.

Other than the aforementioned potentially dilutive securities, there were no other potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

  June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
VAT taxes payable $2,496  $2,211 
Income taxes payable  185   173 
Other taxes  1,500   2,244 
Totals $4,181  $4,628 

 

Note 2018 – Related party transactions and balances

 

Related party transactions

 

a.Capital lease

a.  Capital lease

 

As disclosed in NotesNote 15 – “Capital lease obligations”, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a capital lease arrangement on April 29, 2011, with Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel, which are related parties of the Group. The following is an analysis of the leased assets under the capital lease:

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Machinery $600,658  $605,839  $601,398  $605,839 
Less:accumulated depreciation  (83,216)  (76,740)  (90,460)  (76,740)
Carrying value of leased assets $517,442  $529,099  $510,938  $529,099 

  

b.  The following chart summarizedsummarizes sales to related parties for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.

 

Name of related parties Relationship Three months ended
March 31, 2014
  Three months ended
March 31, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $44,800  $80,675 
Sichuan Yutai Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group*  -   72 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   14,435 
Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  15   10,592 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  20,736   18,286 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  471   963 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  4,969   1,834 
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd Subsidiary of Long Steel Group  6,618   1,999 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  4,597   20,004 
Total   $82,206  $148,860 

Sales to related parties in trading transactions, which were netted against the corresponding cost of goods sold, amounted to $33.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014. See Note 2(m) Revenue Recognition for details.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Name of related parties Relationship Three months ended
June 30, 2014
  Three months ended
June 30, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $25,150  $82,286 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group*  -   5,975 
Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group*  805   5,004 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group*  26,967   18,393 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  626   448 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  16,420   12,792 
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd Subsidiary of Long Steel Group  5,117   114 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  4,291   11,289 
Total   $79,376  $136,301 

 

*Long Steel Group has the ability to significantly influence the operating and financial decisions of the entity through equity ownership either directly or through key employees, commercial contractual terms, or the ability to assign management personnel.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Name of related parties Relationship Six months ended
June 30, 2014
  Six months ended
June 30, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $69,950  $162,961 
Sichuan Yutai Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   72 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   20,410 
Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  820   15,596 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  47,703   36,679 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  1,097   1,411 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  21,389   14,626 
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd Subsidiary of Long Steel Group  11,735   2,113 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  8,888   31,293 
Total   $161,582  $285,161 

Sales to related parties in trading transactions, which were netted against the corresponding cost of goods sold, amounted to $58.7 million and $91.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively. See Note 2(m) Revenue Recognition for details.

 

c. The following charts summarize purchases from related parties for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.

 

Name of related parties Relationship Three months ended
June 30, 2014
  Three months ended
June 30, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $100,504  $170,005 
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long   Steel Group  40,179   53,193 
Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group  5,016   742 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  -   1 
Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co., Ltd Significant influence by the Long Steel Group  7,561   8,560 
Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd. Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary  -   1,432 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China)  73,940   - 
Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding**  4,253   - 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding**  17,721   - 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  1,037   166 
Total   $250,211  $234,099 

Name of related parties Relationship Three months ended
March 31, 2014
  Three months ended
March 31, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $151,772  $104,493 
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group  44,088   63,798 
Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group  904   11,755 
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd Subsidiary of Long Steel Group  -   53 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  -   210 
Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co., Ltd Significant influence by the Long Steel Group  6,660   9,529 
Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd. Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary  -   3,477 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China)  23,339   - 

Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd

 

Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding

  4,275   

-

 

Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd

 

Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding

  

27,919

   

-

 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  47   70 
Total   $259,004  $193,385 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

**The CEO referred to herein is the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc. 

Name of related parties Relationship Six months ended
June 30, 2014
  Six months ended
June 30, 2013
 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $252,276  $274,498 
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long   Steel Group  84,267   116,991 
Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group  5,920   12,497 
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd Subsidiary of Long Steel Group  -   53 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  -   211 
Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co., Ltd Significant influence by the Long Steel Group  14,221   18,089 
Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd. Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary  -   4,909 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China)  97,279   - 
Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  8,528   - 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  45,640   - 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  1,084   236 
Total   $509,215  $427,484 

 

Related party balances

 

a.Loans receivable – related parties:

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding**  4,540   4,540 
Total   $4,540  $4,540 

**The CEO is referred to herein as the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc.

Name of related parties Relationship June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  4,540   4,540 
Total   $4,540  $4,540 

 

See Note 3 – loans receivable – related parties for loan details.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

b.Accounts receivables – related parties:

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $2,633  $548  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $1,316  $548 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd
 Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   - 
Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Steel Plates Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  19   19  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  19   19 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd
 Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  2,586   - 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  1,816   1,741  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  1,866   1,741 
Others    6   634     1   634 
Total   $4,474  $2,942    $5,788  $2,942 

 

c.Other receivables – related parties:

 

Other receivables - related parties are those nontrade receivables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments made on behalf of these related parties.

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $702 $406  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $379  $406 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group 47,238 46,439  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  48,532   46,439 
Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 1,237 1,247  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  1,238   1,247 
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co, Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 484 491  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  -   491 
Beijing Shenhua Xinyuan Metal Materials Co., Ltd. Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 4,859 4,901  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  4,865   4,901 
Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 2,531 -  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  2,231   - 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  803  622  Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  738   622 
Total $57,854 $54,106    $57,983  $54,106 

  

d.Advances on inventory purchase – related parties:

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
   (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $- $9,123  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $-  $9,123 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd. Significant influence by Long Steel Group - 25,607  Significant influence by Long Steel Group  13,088   25,607 
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 26,049 10,343  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  1,379   10,343 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 60,849 16,158  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  61,440   16,158 
Tianjin General Qiugang Pipe Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 30,018 555  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  202   555 
Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding - 21,197  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  43,137   21,197 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China) 3,490 - 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  20  20  Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  33   20 
Total $120,426 $83,003    $119,279  $83,003 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

e.Accounts payable - related parties:

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31,
2013
 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $71,047 $58,163  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture $62,890  $58,163 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture 176,347 134,758  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture  164,073   134,758 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel 21,814 29,990  Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  3,507   29,990 
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 7,528 958  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  972   958 
Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group 4,429 8,714  Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group  2,036   8,714 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  9,862   1 
Henan Xinmi Kanghua Fire Refractory Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary 641 716  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary  702   716 
Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary 36 1,004  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary  36   1,004 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China) - 759  Investee of General Steel (China)  17,299   759 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  696  630  Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  726   630 
Total   $282,540 $235,692    $262,103  $235,692 

 

f.Short-term loans - related parties:

  

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $73,035 $49,110  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $81,250  $49,110 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel 22,169 28,216  Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  71,287   28,216 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture - 33,183  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture  -   33,183 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 8,431 8,178  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  -   8,178 
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding - 6,548  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  13   6,548 
Yangpu Capital Automobile Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  1,445  1,458  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  1,446   1,458 
Total $105,080 $126,693    $153,996  $126,693 

 

See Note 9 – Debt for the loan details.

 

g.Current maturities of long-term loans – related parties

 

Name of related party Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $57,428 $53,013  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $62,374  $53,013 
Total $57,428  $53,013  $62,374  $53,013 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

h.Other payables – related parties:

 

Other payables – related parties are those nontrade payables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments from these related parties on behalf of the Group.

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31,
2014
 December 31,
2013
  Relationship June 30,
2014
 December 31,
2013
 
   (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co, Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding $377 $380  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding $377  $380 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture 31,861 43,636  Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture  44,730   43,636 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group 43,983 44,363  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group  48,670   44,363 
Wendlar Investment & Management Group Co., Ltd Common control under CEO 900 895  Common control under CEO  1,053   895 
Yangpu Capital Automobile Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 325 291  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  362   291 
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 469 473  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  470   473 
Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding 2,248 1,745  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  2,201   1,745 
Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding - 1,375  Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding  -   1,375 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  531  921  Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  346   921 
Total  $80,694 $94,079    $98,209  $94,079 

 

i.Customer deposits – related parties:

 

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  $10   $10 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  1,967   - 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture  20,978   15,038 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  4,065   2,748 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   275 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China)  118,346   46,521 
Others Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management  -   289 
Total   $145,366  $64,881 

j.Deposits due to sales representatives – related parties

Name of related parties Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Gansu Yulong Trading Co., Ltd. Significant influence by Long Steel Group $1,396  $1,408 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  584   589  Significant influence by Long Steel Group $10  $10 
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel  13,749   - 
Long Steel Group Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture  8,378   15,038 
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd Investee of Long Steel Group  16   2,748 
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  -   275 
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. Investee of General Steel (China)  113,549   46,521 
Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  7,186   - 
Others    -   289 
Total $1,980  $1,997    $142,888  $64,881 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

j.Deposits due to sales representatives – related parties

Name of related parties Relationship June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
    (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Gansu Yulong Trading Co., Ltd. Significant influence by Long Steel Group $1,073  $1,408 
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd Significant influence by Long Steel Group  585   589 
Total   $1,658  $1,997 

k.Long-term loans – related party:

 

Name of related party Relationship March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Relationship June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)    (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Shaanxi Steel Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $14,607 $19,644  Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group $9,750  $19,644 
Total $14,607  $19,644    $9,750  $19,644 

 

The Company also provided guaranteeguarantees on related parties’ bank loans amounting to $190.1$201.7 million and $205.8 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and as of December 31, 2013, respectively.

 

l.Deferred lease income

 

 March 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  June 30, 2014 December 31, 2013 
 (in thousands) (in thousands)  (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Beginning balance $77, 444  $77,199  $77,444  $77,199 
Less: Lease income realized  (546)  (2,158)  (1,088)  (2,158)
Exchange rate effect  (658)  2,403   (565)  2,403 
Ending balance  76,240   77,444   75,791   77,444 
Current portion  (2,168)  (2,187)  (2,171)  (2,187)
Noncurrent portion $74,072  $75,257  $73,620  $75,257 

 

For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company realized lease income from Shaanxi Steel, a related party, amountedamounting to $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, the Company realized lease income from Shaanxi Steel, a related party, amounting to $1.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

 

m.Equity

 

On November 19, 2013, the Company sold its 28% equity interest ofin Tianwu, held by Yangpu Shengtong, to Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd., a related party through indirect common ownership by the CEO, for $13.6 million (RMB 84.3 million) while retaining the 32% interest held by General Steel (China). As a result of this transaction, the Company met the criteria under ASC 810-10-40-4 to deconsolidate Tianwu as of the ownership disposal date and recognize a gain, which amounted to $1.0 million. After the deconsolidation of Tianwu, General Steel (China)’s 32% interest in Tianwu wasis accounted for as an equity method investment, which amounted to $15.6 million and $15.8 million as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

 

Note 2119 – Equity

 

2014 Equity Transactions

 

On February 3, 2014, the Company granted 80,000 shares of common stock at $1.01 per share as service fees for investor relations consulting services under two service agreements dated January 14, 2014. The shares were valued at $1.01 per share, the quoted market price onat the grant date.time the services were provided.

34

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Note 2220 – Retirement plan

 

Regulations in the PRC require the Company to contribute to a defined contribution retirement plan for all employees. All the employees of the Company’s entities in China are entitled to a retirement pension amount calculated based upon their salary at their date of retirement and their length of service in accordance with a government managed pension plan. The PRC government is responsible for the pension liability to the retired staff. The Company’s entities in China are required to contribute based on the higher of 20% of the employees’ monthly base salary or 12% of the minimum social average salary of the city where the facilities are located. Employees are required to contribute 8% of their base salary to the plan. The minimum social average salary is announced by the local Social Security bureau and updated annually. Total pension expense incurred by the Company for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $2.8$3.0 million and $2.2$1.9 million, respectively.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Note 23 – Statutory reserves

The lawsrespectively, and regulations offor the People’s Republic of China require that before a foreign -invested enterprise distributes profits to its shareholders, it must first satisfy all tax liabilities, provision for losses in previous years, and make allocations, in proportions determined at the discretion of the board of directors, to the statutory reserves. The statutory reserves include the surplus reserve funds and the enterprise fund and these statutory reserves represent restricted retained earnings.

Surplus reserve fund

The Company is required to transfer 10% of its net income, as determined in accordance with the PRC accounting rules and regulations, to a statutory surplus reserve fund until such reserve balance reaches 50% of the Company’s registered capital.

The transfer to this reserve must be made before distribution of any dividend to shareholders. The surplus reserve fund is non-distributable other than during liquidation and can be used to fund previous years’ losses, if any, and may be utilized for business expansion or converted into share capital by issuing new shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their shareholding or by increasing the par value of the shares currently held by them, provided that the remaining reserve balance after such issue is not less than 25% of the registered capital. For the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 the Company did not make any contributionsamounted to these reserves.

Special reserve

The Company is required by the PRC government to reserve safety and maintenance expense to the cost of production based on the actual quantity of mineral exploited.  The amount of reserves is determined within the unit price range provided by Ministry of Finance of PRC. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company made contributions of $0.3$5.8 million and $0.2$4.1 million, to these reserves, respectively and used $0.1 million and $0.1 million of safety and maintenance expense, respectively.

 

Note 2421 – Commitment and contingencies

 

Operating Lease Commitments

 

Total operating lease commitments for rental of offices, buildings, equipment and land use rights of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries as of March 31,June 30, 2014 is as follows:

 

Year ending March 31, Minimum lease payment 
Year ending June 30, Minimum lease payment 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
2015 $1,243  $1,055 
2016  568   566 
2017  568   566 
2018  568   566 
2019  568   566 
Years after  19,744   19,849 
Total minimum payments required $23,259  $23,168 

 

Total rental expense was $0.9$0.6 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and $1.5 million and $1.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Contractual Commitments

 

Longmen Joint Venture has $338.2$326.3 million contractual obligations related to construction projects as of March 31,June 30, 2014 estimated to be fulfilled between May and December 2014.

 

Contingencies

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture provided guarantees to related parties’ and third parties’ bank loans, including lines of credit and others, amounting to $274.5$265.4 million.

Nature of guarantee Guarantee
amount
  Guaranty Due Date
  (In thousands)   
Line of credit $153,563  Various from July 2014 to August 2015
Three-party financing agreements  19,500  Various from July 2014 to May 2015
Confirming storage  52,975  Various from August 2014 to April 2015
Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future  39,406  Various from July to October 2014
Total $265,444   

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Nature of guarantee Guarantee
amount
  Guaranty Due Date
  (In thousands)   
Line of credit $177,353  Various from April 2014 to August 2015
Three-party financing agreements  4,869  July 2014
Confirming storage  41,549  Various from April to September 2014
Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future  50,719  Various from April to October 2014
Total $274,490   


Name of parties being guaranteed
 Guarantee
amount
 Guaranty Due Date Guarantee
amount
 Guaranty Due Date
 (In thousands)  (In thousands) 
Long Steel Group $55,182 Various from September 2014 to August 2015 $82,875  Various from September 2014 to August 2015
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd 44,795 Various from April to December 2014  39,975  Various from August 2014 to April 2015
Shaanxi Xingyuan Materials Co., Ltd. 2,435 July 2014
Long Steel Group Fuping Rolling Steel Co., Ltd 6,938 Various from April to June 2014
Chengdu Zhongyi Steel Co., Ltd  8,125  March 2015
Shaanxi Tianyi Metal Materials Co., Ltd 6,492 December 2014  6,500  December 2014
Xi’an Laisheng Logistics Co., Ltd 11,767 Various from May to August 2014  11,781  Various from August 2014 to May 2015
Xi'an Kaiyuan Steel Sales Co., Ltd 6,492 January 2015  6,500  January 2015
Shaanxi Anlin Logistics Co., Ltd 6,492 April 2014
Shaanxi Longan Industry Co., Ltd. 8,115 December 2014  8,125  December 2014
Hancheng Sanli Furnace Burden Co., Ltd. 16,230 March 2015  16,250  March 2015
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd 44,633 Various from June 2014 to March 2015  38,188  Various from June 2014 to March 2015
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd 40,575 Various from July 2014 to January 2015  40,625  Various from July 2014 to January 2015
Tianjin Qiu Steel Pipe Industry Co., Ltd 4,869 April 2014
Jinmen Desheng Metallurgy Co., Ltd 19,475 Various from August to September 2014  6,500  September 2014
Total $274,490   $265,444   

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, the Company did not accrue any liability for the amounts the Group has guaranteed for third parties and related parties because those parties are current in their payment obligations and the Company has not experienced any losses from providing guarantees. The Company has evaluated the debt guarantees and concluded that the likelihood of having to make payments under the guarantees is remote and that the fair value of the stand-ready obligation under these commitments is not material.

 

Note 2522 – Segments

 

The Company’s chief operating decision maker evaluates performance and determines resource allocations based on a number of factors, the primary measure being income from operations of the Group’s four regional divisions in the PRC: Longmen Joint Venture in Shaanxi province, Maoming Hengda in Guangdong province, Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture in Inner Mongolia province and General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture in Tianjin City.

 

The Group operates in one business segment that includes four different divisions. These reportable divisions are consistent with the way the Company manages its business, each division operates under separate management groups and produces discrete financial information. The accounting principles applied at the operating division level in determining income from operations is generally the same as those applied at the consolidated financial statement level.

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

The following represents the results of division operations for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013:

 

(In thousands)        
Sales: 2014 2013  2014 2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $594,014  $646,748  $587,314  $650,741 
Maoming Hengda  36   1,523   215   1,349 
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture  162   9   483   972 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  53   48,726   -   5,454 
Total sales  594,265   697,006   588,012   658,516 
Interdivision sales  (54)  (45,715)  1   (4,865)
Consolidated sales $594,211  $651,291  $588,013  $653,651 

 

Gross profit (loss): 2014 2013  2014 2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(22,219) $4,367  $28,229  $(36,193)
Maoming Hengda  24   (228)  21   473 
Baotou Steel  (23)  (78)  3   167 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (343)  6   (159)  17 
Total gross profit (loss)  (22,561)  4,067   28,094   (35,536)
Interdivision gross profit  -   -   -   - 
Consolidated gross profit (loss) $(22,561) $4,067  $28,094  $(35,536)

 

Income (loss) from operations: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(39,294) $34,937 
Maoming Hengda  (522)  (797)
Baotou Steel  (44)  (361)
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (2,566)  (808)
Total income (loss) from operations  (42,426)  32,971 
Interdivision income (loss) from operations  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  (1,237)  (1,080)
Consolidated income (loss) from operations $(43,663) $31,891 

Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(38,034) $8,325 
Maoming Hengda  (537)  (771)
Baotou Steel  (35)  (289)
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (3,843)  (3,156)
Total net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.  (42,449)  4,109 
Interdivision net income  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  (1,115)  (1,006)
Consolidated net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(43,564) $3,103 

Depreciation, amortization and depletion: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $23,530  $20,431 
Maoming Hengda  304   311 
Baotou Steel  62   97 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  450   519 
Consolidated depreciation, amortization and depletion $24,346  $21,358 

Finance/interest expenses: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $26,990  $22,150 
Maoming Hengda      - 
Baotou Steel  1   - 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  1,609   2,706 
Interdivision interest expenses  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  95   1 
Consolidated interest expenses $28,695  $24,857 

Capital expenditures: 2014 2013 
Income (loss) from operations: 2014 2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $56,747  $24,083  $8,128  $(44,684)
Maoming Hengda  32   2   (54)  (225)
Baotou Steel  -   7   (133)  55 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  82   1   (720)  (790)
Total income (loss) from operations  7,221   (45,644)
Interdivision income (loss) from operations  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  -   -   (896)  (1,246)
Consolidated capital expenditures $56,861  $24,093 
Consolidated income (loss) from operations $6,325  $(46,890)

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

Total Assets as of: March 31, 2014  December 31, 2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $2,512,090  $2,573,212 
Maoming Hengda  28,278   29,211 
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture  4,122   4,448 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  182,641   121,883 
Interdivision assets  (33,930)  (34,213)
Reconciling item (2)  8,311   5,817 
Total Assets $2,701,512  $2,700,358 
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(8,077) $(34,944)
Maoming Hengda  (123)  (216)
Baotou Steel  (106)  46 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (1,870)  (3,528)
Total net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.  (10,176)  (38,642)
Interdivision net income  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  (843)  (1,176)
Consolidated net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(11,019) $(39,818)

Depreciation, amortization and depletion: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $22,778  $20,850 
Maoming Hengda  158   315 
Baotou Steel  59   26 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  447   518 
Consolidated depreciation, amortization and depletion $23,442  $21,709 

Finance/interest expenses: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $25,131  $18,243 
Maoming Hengda  -   - 
Baotou Steel  (1)  - 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  1,488   2,972 
Interdivision interest expenses  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  1   1 
Consolidated interest expenses $26,619  $21,216 

Capital expenditures: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $55,852  $27,922 
Maoming Hengda  -   - 
Baotou Steel  -   1 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  -   2 
Reconciling item (1)  -   - 
Consolidated capital expenditures $55,852  $27,925 

The following represents the results of division operations for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013:

(In thousands)   
Sales: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $1,181,328  $1,297,489 
Maoming Hengda  251   2,872 
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture  645   981 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  53   54,180 
Total sales  1,182,277   1,355,522 
Interdivision sales  (53)  (50,580)
Consolidated sales $1,182,224  $1,304,942 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Gross profit (loss): 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $6,010  $(31,826)
Maoming Hengda  45   245 
Baotou Steel  (20)  89 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (502)  23 
Total gross profit (loss)  5,533   (31,469)
Interdivision gross profit  -   - 
Consolidated gross profit (loss) $5,533  $(31,469)

Loss from operations: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(31,166) $(9,747)
Maoming Hengda  (576)  (1,022)
Baotou Steel  (177)  (305)
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (3,286)  (1,598)
Total loss from operations  (35,205)  (12,672)
Interdivision loss from operations  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  (2,133)  (2,327)
Consolidated loss from operations $(37,338) $(14,999)

Net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $(46,111) $(26,619)
Maoming Hengda  (660)  (987)
Baotou Steel  (141)  (243)
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  (5,713)  (6,684)
Total net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.  (52,625)  (34,533)
Interdivision net income (loss)  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  (1,958)  (2,182)
Consolidated net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(54,583) $(36,715)

Depreciation, amortization and depletion: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $46,308  $41,281 
Maoming Hengda  462   626 
Baotou Steel  121   123 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  897   1,037 
Consolidated depreciation, amortization and depletion $47,788  $43,067 

Finance/interest expenses: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $52,121  $40,393 
Maoming Hengda  -   - 
Baotou Steel  -   - 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  3,097   5,678 
Interdivision interest expenses  -   - 
Reconciling item (1)  96   2 
Consolidated interest expenses $55,314  $46,073 

Capital expenditures: 2014  2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $112,599  $44,006 
Maoming Hengda  32   2 
Baotou Steel  -   8 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  82   3 
Reconciling item (1)  -   - 
Consolidated capital expenditures $112,713  $44,019 

Total Assets as of: June 30, 2014  December 31, 2013 
Longmen Joint Venture $2,349,913  $2,573,212 
Maoming Hengda  27,786   29,211 
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture  3,290   4,448 
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture  200,665   121,883 
Interdivision assets  (33,208)  (34,213)
Reconciling item (2)  8,028   5,817 
Total Assets $2,556,474  $2,700,358 

GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

 (1)Reconciling item represents the unallocated income or expenses of the Company, arising from General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.

 

 (2)Reconciling item represents assets held at General Steel Holdings, Inc., General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Note 23 – Subsequent events

On July 14, 2014, the Company entered into a Subscription Agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Zuosheng Yu, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Company's Board of Directors, relating to a private placement of the Company's common stock, par value $0.001 per share. Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, the Company agreed to sell to Zuosheng Yu 5,000,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $1.50 per share (the "Purchase Price"), for an aggregate amount of $7,500,000, subject to closing conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement. The Purchase Price represents a 23% premium to the volume weighted average closing price of the Common Stock from March 5, 2014 to July 11, 2014, which ranged from $0.90 to $1.47 per share of common stock during the period. Upon completion of this transaction, Zuosheng Yu would own 21.7% of the Company’s common stock.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements. General Steel Holdings, Inc. is referred to herein as “we,” “our,” “us” and “the Company.” The words or phrases “would be,” “will allow,” “expect to,” “intends to,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include those concerning our expected financial performance, our corporate strategy and operational plans. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, including: (a) those risks and uncertainties related to general economic conditions in the People���sPeople’s Republic of China, including regulatory factors that may affect such economic conditions; (b) whether we are able to manage our planned growth efficiently and operate profitable operations, including whether our management will be able to identify, hire, train, retain, motivate and manage required personnel or that management will be able to successfully manage and exploit existing and potential market opportunities; (c) whether we are able to generate sufficient revenues or obtain financing to sustain and grow our operations; and (d) whether we are able to successfully fulfill our primary requirements for cash which are explained below under “Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement. Additional information regarding certain factors which could cause actual results to differ from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, toin our Annual Report on Form 10-K10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the SEC on March 27,August 19, 2014.

 

Recent Developments and FirstSecond Quarter Highlights

 

The firstsecond quarter of 2014 was highlighted with the following:

 

·Sales in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 decreased by 8.8%10.0% to $594.2$588.0 million, from $651.3$653.7 million in the firstsecond quarter of 2013, due to the decrease in both the average selling price despite an increase inand the sales volume of our products. For the firstsecond quarter of 2014, sales volume of rebar in Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture”) totaled 1.321.31 million metric tons, an increasea decrease of 1.1%3.2%, compared to 1.26with 1.35 million metric tons in the firstsecond quarter of 2013, with an average selling price of $450.9$450.0 per ton, as compared to $515.3with $482.7 per ton in the firstsecond quarter of 2013.

 

 ·Gross lossprofit in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 was $(22.6)$28.1 million, or (3.8)%4.8% of total revenue, as compared towith a gross profitloss of $4.1$35.5 million, or 0.6%(5.4)% of total revenue in the firstsecond quarter of 2013.
   
 ·Total finance expense in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 was $28.7$26.6 million, as compared to 24.9with $21.2 million for the same period in 2013. Finance expenses mainly consisted of interest expense on capital lease,leases, which was $5.1$5.7 million and $5.1 million in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 and 2013, respectively, and interest expense on bank borrowings and discounted notes receivable, which was $23.6$20.9 million and $18.8$16.1 million in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

 ·Income (loss)Loss per share were $(0.78)$(0.20) and $0.06$(0.72) in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increasedecrease in the loss in the first quarter2014 was mainly due to the decrease in the average selling pricecost of rebar decreasing more than the average cost,selling price, leading to aan increase in gross loss.profit.

 

OVERVIEW

 

We were incorporated on August 5, 2002, in the State of Nevada. We are headquartered in Beijing, China and operate a portfolio of Chinese steel companies. We serve various industries and produce a variety of steel products including, but not limited to: reinforced bars (“rebar”), hot-rolled carbon, spiral-weld pipes and high-speed wire. Our current aggregate annual production capacity of crude steel products, consisting mainly of steel rebar, is 7 million metric tons. Our rebar products have a variety of demand drivers, such as rural income, infrastructure construction and energy consumption. Domestic economic conditions are also an overall demand driver for all our products.

 

Our vision is to become one of the largest and most profitable non-government controlled steel companies in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). Our mission is to grow our business organically, and through the acquisition of Chinese steel companies, increase profitability and efficiency by utilizing western management practices and advanced production technologies, and the infusion of capital resources.

 

Our two-pronged growth strategy focuses on a combination of capacity expansion, as well as optimizing operating efficiencies and leverage.

 

·We aim to grow revenue by increasing capacity and through continual cooperation and partnerships with leading state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

·We aim to drive profitability through improved operational efficiencies and optimization of our cost structure.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used herein the terms “General Steel”, the “Company”, “we”, “our” and “us” all refer to General Steel Holdings, Inc.

 

Steel-Related Subsidiaries and Raw Material Trading Company

 

We presently have controlling interests in four steel-related subsidiaries:

 

 ·General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. (“General Steel (China)”);
 ·Baotou Steel - General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Company Limited (“Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture”);
 ·Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture”);
 ·Maoming Hengda Steel Co., Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”); and.

 

Our Company, together with our subsidiaries, majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entity, are referred to as the Group.

 

General Steel (China) Co., Ltd

 

General Steel (China), formerly known as “Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Metal Sheet Co., Ltd.” started operations in 1988.

 

On May 14, 2009, General Steel (China) changed its official name from “Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Metal Sheet Co., Ltd.” to better reflect its role as a merger and acquisition platform for steel company investments in China.  In some instances, General Steel (China) retains the use of the name “Daqiuzhuang Metal” for brand recognition purposes within the industry.

 

On JanuaryMay 1, 2010,2011 General Steel (China) entered into a lease agreement with Tianjin DaqiuzhuangShuangjie Liansheng Rolled Steel Plates Co., Ltd. (the “Lessee”), whereby General Steel (China) leased parts of the facilities its facility located at No. 1, Tonga Street, Daqiuzhuang Town, Jinghai County, Tianjin City to the Lessee (the “Lease Agreement”). The Lease Agreement provides approximately 776,078 square feet of workshops, land, equipment and other facilities to the Lessee and allows our Company to reduce overhead costs while providing a recurring monthly income stream resulting from payments due under the lease. The initial term of the Lease Agreement was from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011 and the monthly base rental rate due to General Steel (China) was approximately $0.2 million (RMB 1.7 million). On July 28, 2011, General Steel (China) signed a supplemental agreement with the Lessee to extend the lease for an additional five years to December 31, 2016. However, due to current steel market conditions, the Lessee has informed us that it did not intend to continue with the lease at June 30, 2012. There was no penalty for early termination. Subsequently, General Steel (China) leased parts of its facilities to Tianjin Shuangjie Liansheng Rolled Steel Co., Ltd. for a monthly payment of $0.1 million (RMB 0.5 million). The lease expires in May 2021. A write-down in the carrying value of property, plant and equipment in relation to this event has been assessed and an impairment of $5.4 million (RMB 35.1 million) was recorded in the selling, general and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2011 and an additional $3.9 million (RMB 24.3 million) was recorded in the selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2012. Management also re-evaluatesevaluates the fair value of its long-term assets on an annual basis, or upon a triggering event which would require an assessment sooner.sooner, and is of the opinion that the fair value of the property, plant and equipment as supported by the operating lease approximates its current carrying value

 

Baotou Steel - General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Company Limited

 

On April 27, 2007, General Steel (China) and Baotou Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. (“Baotou Steel”) entered into an Amended and Restated Joint Venture Agreement, amending the Joint Venture Agreement entered into on September 28, 2005, to increase General Steel (China)’s ownership interest in the related joint venture to 80%. The joint venture’s name is Baotou Steel - General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Company Limited, a Chinese limited liability company (“Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture”). Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture obtained its business license from governmental authorities in the PRC on May 25, 2007, and commenced operations in July 2007. Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture has four production lines capable of producing 100,000 metric tons of double spiral-weld pipes primarily used in the energy sector to transport oil and steam. These pipes have a diameter ranging from 219mm to 1240mm, a wall thickness ranging from 6mm to 13mm, and a length ranging from 6m to 12m. Presently, Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture sells its products using an internal sales force to customers in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the northwest region of the PRC.

 

Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd

 

Effective June 1, 2007, through General Steel (China) and Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. (“Qiu Steel”), a 99% owned subsidiary of General Steel (China), we entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Shaanxi Longmen Iron & Steel Group Co., Ltd. (“Long Steel Group”) to form Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture”). Through General Steel (China) and Qiu Steel, we invested approximately $39.3 million in cash and collectively held a 60% ownership interest in Longmen Joint Venture until April 29, 2011, when a 20-year Unified Management Agreement (the “Unified Management Agreement”) was entered into between our Company, Longmen Joint Venture, Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel. Longmen Joint Venture was determined asto be a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) and we are the primary beneficiary.

 

Long Steel Group, located in Hancheng city, Shaanxi Province, in China’s Western region, was founded in 1958 and incorporated in 2002, and is owned by a state owned entity through Shaanxi Steel. Long Steel Group holds the remaining 40% ownership interest in Longmen Joint Venture and operates as a fully-integrated steel production facility.  Fewer than 10% of steel companies in China have fully-integrated steel production capabilities.

Currently, Longmen Joint Venture has five branch offices, four consolidated subsidiaries/VIE and five entities in which it has a noncontrolling interest. It employs approximately 8,700 full-time workers.  In addition to steel production, Longmen Joint Venture operates transportation services through its Changlong Branch, located in Hancheng city, Shaanxi Province. Changlong Branch owns 177 vehicles and provides transportation services exclusively to Longmen Joint Venture.

 

Longmen Joint Venture’s rebar products are categorized within the steel industry as “longs” (in reference to their shape). Rebar is generally considered a regional product because its weight and dimension make it ill-suited for cost-effective long-haul ground transportation. By our estimates, the market demand for rebar in Shaanxi Province is six to eight million metric tons per year. Slightly more than half of this demand comes from Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, located 180km from Longmen Joint Venture’s main steel production site. Currently, we estimate that we have approximately a 72% share of the Xi’an market for rebar.

An established regional network of approximately one hundred twenty-eight distributors, together with smaller distributors and three sales offices sell Longmen Joint Venture’s products. All products are sold under the registered brand name of “Yulong”, which has strong regional recognition and awareness. Rebar and billet products carry ISO 9001 and 9002 certification and other of Longmen Joint Venture’s products have won national quality awards. Products produced at the facility have been used in the construction of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Dam, the Xi’an International Airport, the Xi’an city subway system and the Xi Luo Du and Xiang Jia Ba hydropower projects.

On September 24, 2007, Longmen Joint Venture acquired a 74.9% ownership interest in Longmen Iron and Steel Group Environmental Protection Industry Development Co., Ltd. (“Longmen EPID”). At the same time, Longmen Joint Venture entered into an equity transfer agreement with Long Steel Group to acquire a 36% ownership interest in its subsidiary, Longmen Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. Hualong Fire Retardant Materials Co., Ltd. (“Hualong”). Longmen Joint Venture paid $0.4 million (RMB 3.3 million) in exchange for the ownership interest and is the largest shareholder in Hualong. Hualong’s facility produces fire-retardant materials used in various steel making processes.

In January 2010, Longmen Joint Venture completed its acquisition of the remaining 25.1% interest in Longmen EPID pursuant to an equity transfer agreement with Shaanxi Fangxin Industrial Co., Ltd. (“Shaanxi Fangxin”), the other shareholder of Longmen EPID, for $1.3 million (RMB 8.7 million). Longmen EPID then became a branch of Longmen Joint Venture.

 

From June 2009 to March 2011, we worked with Shaanxi Steel to build new iron and steel making facilities, including two 1,280 cubic meter blast furnaces, two 120 metric ton converters, one 400 square meter sintering machine and some auxiliary systems.  As a result, Longmen Joint Venture incurred certain costs of construction as well as economic losses on suspended production of certain small furnaces and other equipment to accommodate the construction of the new equipment, on behalf of Shaanxi Steel.

Dismantling of certain assets and a sub-lease of Longmen Joint Venture’s land associated with the construction by Shaanxi Steel began in June 2009. At the beginning See Note 14 - “Deferred lease income” of the construction in June 2009, Longmen Joint Venture reached an oral agreement with Shaanxi Steel that all costs incurred relatedNotes to the construction would be reimbursed by Shaanxi Steel. From that point forward through construction and testing until completion of the project in March 2011, Longmen Joint Venture recorded the related costs as they were incurred according to the nature of these costs and recognized the related receivable from Shaanxi Steel. In December 2010, Shaanxi Steel and Longmen Joint Venture were able to finalize the amount of costs incurred by the Longmen Joint Venture to be reimbursed and executed two agreements between the two parties on December 20, 2010. To compensate us, in the fourth quarter of 2010, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $11.4 million (RMB 70.1 million) relating to the value of assets dismantled and rent under a 40-year property sub-lease that was entered into by the parties in June 2009, and $29.7 million (RMB 183.1 million) for the reduced production efficiency caused by the construction. In addition, in 2010 and 2011, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $14.5 million (RMB 89.5 million) and $14.5 million (RMB 89.3 million), respectively, for trial production costs related to the new equipment.

During the period from June 2010 to March 2011, as construction progressed and certain of the assets came online, Longmen Joint Venture used the assets free of charge to produce saleable units of steel products. As such, the cost of using these assets, and therefore the fair value of the free rent received, was imputed with reference to what the depreciation charge would have been on these assets had they been owned or under capital lease to Longmen Joint Venture during the period. Costs of $7.1 million (RMB 43.9 million) each year were deferred and will be recognized over the term of the land sub-lease similar to the other charges and credits related to the construction of these assets

The amount of reimbursement was deferred as lease income and is being recognized and amortized to income over the remaining terms of the 40-year sub-lease. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we recognized lease income of $2.2 million and $2.2 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the deferred lease income on the land sub-lease was $76.2 million and $77.4 million, respectively. The remaining life of amortization is 35.0 years as of March 31, 2014.Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herein

 

On April 29, 2011, we entered into a 20-year Unified Management Agreement (the “Unified Management(“the Agreement”) with was entered into between the Company, the Company’s 60%-owned subsidiary Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture,Venture”), Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. (“Shaanxi Steel.Coal”) and Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group (“Shaanxi Steel”). Shaanxi Steel is the controlling shareholder of Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd (“Long Steel GroupGroup”) which is the non-controlling interest holder in Longmen Joint Venture, and Shaanxi Coal, a state owned entity, is the parent company of Shaanxi Steel, a state-owned entity.Steel. Under the terms of the Unified Management Agreement, all manufacturing machinery and equipment of Longmen Joint Venture and $600.7the $605.8 million (or approximately RMB 3.7 billion) of the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities owned by Shaanxi Steel, which includes one 400m400 m2 sintering machine, two 1,280m1,280 m3 blast furnaces, two 120 ton converters and some auxiliary systems, are managed collectively as a single virtual asset pool (the “Asset(“Asset Pool”). Longmen Joint Venture manages the Asset Pool as the principal operating entity and is responsible for the daily operationoperations of the new and existing facilities.

Furthermore, under the terms The Agreement leverages each of the Unified Management Agreement, Shaanxi Coal has committed to providingparties’ operating strengths, allowing Longmen Joint Venture with raw materials, including coketo derive the greatest benefit from the cooperation and coal, at a cost not higher than the market rate. In addition,newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. At the Unified Management Agreement includes provisions pursuant to which both Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel are expected to provide financial support, including credit guarantees, as needed for operations by Longmen Joint Venture. In February 2014, Shaanxi Steel agreed that it will not demand capital lease payments from Longmen Joint Venture until February 2017.designed efficiency level, the facilities contribute three million tons of crude steel production capacity per year.

 

Longmen Joint Venture pays Shaanxi Steel for the use of the constructed iron and steel making facilities an amount that equalsequaling the depreciation expense on the equipment constructed by Shaanxi Steel in addition toas well as 40% of the pre-tax profit generated by the Asset Pool. The remaining 60% of the pre-tax profit is allocated to Longmen Joint Venture. As a result, ourthe Company’s economic interest in the profitsprofit or loss generated by the Asset PoolLongmen Joint Venture decreased from 60% to 36%. However, the overall capacity under the management of Longmen Joint Venture has increased by three million tons, or 75%. The Unified Management Agreement is also expected to improveimproved Longmen Joint Venture’s cost structure through sustainable and steady sourcing of key raw materials and reduced transportation costs. The distribution of profit is subject to a prospective adjustment after the first two years based on each entity’s actual investment of time and resources into the Asset Pool. There has been no adjustment to the Agreement from its inception to the present time nor intention to make future adjustment by the Company and Shaanxi Steel.

 

The parties to the Unified Management Agreement have agreed to establishestablished the Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Unified Management Supervisory Committee ("Supervisory Committee") to ensure that the facilities and related resources are being operated and managed according to the stipulations set forth in the Unified Management Agreement. However, theThe Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture, of which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote and remains the controlling decision-making body of Longmen Joint Venture and the Asset Pool. See Note 2(c) “Consolidation of VIE.”

 

The Unified Management Agreement constitutes an arrangement that involves a lease which metmeets certain of the criteria of a capital lease and therefore the assets constructed by Shaanxi Steel are accounted for by Longmen Joint Venture as a derivativecapital lease. The profit sharing liability and therefore,portion of the lease obligation, representing 40% of the pre-tax profit generated by the Asset Pool, is accounted for as such by Longmen Joint Venture.Venture as a derivative financial instrument at fair value. See NoteNotes 2 - “Summary of significant accounting policies”, Note 15 - “Capital lease obligations” and Note 16 - “Profit sharing liability” of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herein..

 

In November 2010, we brought online a 1,200,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line, which was renovated based on an existing 800,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line. In July 2011, we brought online a 1,000,000 metric ton capacity high speed wire production line. These two newly installed production lines were both relocated from the Maoming Hengda (as defined below) facility and consume less energy when running at maximum efficiency compared to our previous production line. In July and November of 2013, we brought online two advanced continuous-rebar-rolling production lines with processing capacities of 900,000 metric tons and 1,200,000 metric tons of rebar respectively. Longmen Joint Venture now has a total processing capacity of 5.2 million metric tons.

 

Maoming Hengda Steel Co., Ltd

 

On June 25, 2008, through our subsidiary Qiu Steel, we paid approximately $7.1 million (RMB 50 million) in cash to purchase 99% of Maoming Hengda Steel Group, Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”).  The total registered capital of Maoming Hengda is approximately $77.8 million (RMB 544.6 million).

 

Maoming Hengda’s core business was the production of rebar products used in the construction industry.  Located on 140 hectares (approximately 346 acres) in Maoming city, Guangdong Province, the Maoming Hengda facility previously had two production lines capable of annual production capacities of 1.8 million metric tons of 5.5mm to 16mm diameter high-speed wire and 12mm to 38mm diameter rebar. The products were sold through nine distributors which targeted customers in Guangxi Province and the western region of Guangdong.

To take advantage of a stronger market demand in Shaanxi Province, in the second quarter of 2009, we relocated the 800,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line from Maoming Hengda’s facility to Longmen Joint Venture.  Thereafter, in December 2010, we relocated the 1,000,000 metric ton capacity high-speed wire production line from Maoming Hengda’s facility to Longmen Joint Venture to meet increased demand in Shaanxi Province.

In December 2010, we brought online a new 400,000 ton capacity rebar production line. The new rebar line was constructed as a result of a strategic alliance agreement between Maoming Hengda and Zhuhai Yueyufeng Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Yueyufeng”), executed on February 3, 2010.  According to this agreement, Yueyufeng paid in advance $4.4 million in three installments to support the construction of the rebar production line for Maoming Hengda, and charged Maoming Hengda interest at a rate of 10% annually.  The interest expense incurred was recorded in finance expenses.

On December 15, 2013, Maoming Hengda entered into a lease agreement with Zhongshan Baohua Rebar Factory, with which Maoming Hengda leased the 400,000 ton capacity rebar production line and various other buildings and equipment to Zhongshan Baohua Rebar Factory, for an annual payment of $1.2 million (RMB 7.2 million) for eight years between March 2014 and February 2022.

 

Production Capacity Information Summary by Subsidiary

 

Annual Production
Capacity (metric tons)
 General Steel
(China)
  Baotou Steel Pipe
Joint Venture
 Longmen Joint
Venture 
 Maoming
Hengda (1)
  General Steel
(China) (1)
  Baotou Steel Pipe
Joint Venture
 Longmen Joint
Venture 
 Maoming
Hengda (1)
 
Crude Steel - - 7 million -  - - 7 million - 
         
Processing 400,000 100,000 4.3 million 400,000  400,000 100,000 4.3 million 400,000 
  
Main Products Hot-rolled sheet Spiral-weld pipe Rebar/High-speed wire Rebar  Hot-rolled sheet Spiral-weld pipe Rebar/High-speed wire Rebar 
  
Main Application Light Agricultural vehicles Energy transport Infrastructure and construction Infrastructure and construction  Light Agricultural vehicles Energy transport Infrastructure and construction Infrastructure and construction 

 

(1)The production facilities of General Steel (China) and Maoming Hengda currently are leased to unrelated parties.

40

 

Marketing and Customers

 

We sell our products primarily to distributors, and we typically collect payment from these distributors in advance.  Our marketing efforts are mainly directed toward those customers who have demanding requirements for on-time delivery, general inquiriestimeliness of customer services, and product quality.  We believe that these requirements, as well as product planning, are critical factors in our ability to serve this segment of the market.

 

Our revenue is dependent, in large part, on significant contracts with a limited number of large customers. For the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, approximately 20.4%31.8% and 24.4% of our sales were to five customers.customers, respectively. We believe that revenue derived from our current and future large customers will continue to represent a significant portion of our total revenue.

 

Moreover, our success will depend in part upon our ability to obtain orders from new customers, as well as the financial condition and success of our customers and general economic conditions in China.

 

Demand for our Products

 

For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, rebar, our major product, comprised of more than 99%99.9% and 99%99.6% of our sales, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, rebar, our major product, comprised more than 99.9% and 99.4% of our sales, respectively. Overall, domestic economic growth is an important driver of demand for our major product, especially from construction and infrastructure projects.

 

At Longmen Joint Venture, growth in regional construction and infrastructure projects drives demand for our products. According to the 12th Five Year National Economic and Social Development Plan (“NESDP”) (2011-2015), development of China’s western region is one of China’s top five economic priorities. Shaanxi Province, where Longmen Joint Venture is located, has been designated as a focal point for development in the Western region, and Xi’an, the provincial capital, has been designated as a focal point for this development in China. Longmen Joint Venture is 180 kilometers from Xi’an and it does not have a major competitor within a 250 km radius.

 

The Western region of China, where our major sales market is located, has experienced a higher rate of growth than other Chinese regions in recent years. Compared to an increase of 7.7% for the national GDP, a GDP increase of 11% was reported by Shaanxi Province in 2013 over the previous year. Additionally, according to Accounting and Corporate Finance Production Statistics in China, Sichuan Province also reported a GDP increase of 10%. We have a sales office in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province to meet the increasing demand for the production of steel.

 

According to the Shaanxi provincial government, the total fixed asset investment for the Shaanxi Province was approximately $257.4 billion (RMB 1.59 trillion) for the year ended December 31, 2013, an increase of 24.1% over the same period in 2012.

 

At the end of June 2009, the State Council Office announced that it approved the Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone development program. This program covers the development of two western provinces and seven cities from 2009 to 2020.

In addition, the Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone will concentrate on the development of the Xi’an area. The metropolitan area construction program focuses on the cities of Xi’an, Xianyang, and their surrounding areas, covering up to 12,000 square kilometers, including the construction of railways, highways, subways, airport expansion and newly developed areas. Under this program, the Shaanxi provincial government has announced that it will build approximately 4,500 kilometers of railway with an investment of approximately $40.2$40 billion (RMB 260 billion) by 2015 and 8,080 kilometers of highway by 2020. The infrastructure and construction projects provide strong and stable demand for our steel products in this area, in which we have over 70% of the market share.

 

In January 2011, the Shaanxi provincial government announced that it will invest approximately $13.0$13 billion (RMB 80 billion) in the construction of hydro projects, which is three times the amount invested during the 11th Five Year National Economic and Social Development Plan. In addition to hydro projects, according to the central government, 16,000 total kilometers of high speed railway will be built by 2020.

 

In May 2011, the central government passed the Cheng-Yu Economic Zone Plan focusing on Chongqing City and Sichuan Province, covering 206,000 square kilometers, to further accelerate the development of the western region of China.  We anticipate that in the near future, the demand for our products will increase in those areas, and we expect that our expanded production capacity will be able to successfully meet the increase in demand. Furthermore, we have a sales office located in Chengdu to help facilitate such increased demand.

 

In February 2012, the government approved the Western Development 12th Five Year Plan, which continues the efforts to develop the Western areas. The Plan is centered on the infrastructure and construction, highlighted by the development of economic zones, construction of roads/railway and hydro projects, which drive the local demand for steel products.

In February 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) announced nine focal points of the western development, which will speed up the major infrastructure construction in the western areas, including the construction of railway, highway and hydro-projects.

 

We anticipate strong demand for our products driven by these and many other construction and infrastructure projects. We believe there will be sustained regional demand for several years as both the central and provincial governments continue to drive western region development efforts.

 

At Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture, energy sector growth, which spurs the need to transport oil, natural gas and steam, drives demand for spiral-weld steel pipe. Presently, demand is fueled by smaller pipeline projects and municipal energy infrastructure projects within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

 

Supply of Raw Materials

 

The primary raw materials we use for steel production are iron ore, coke, hot-rolled steel coil and steel billets.  Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture uses hot-rolled steel coil as its main raw material.  Longmen Joint Venture uses iron ore and coke as its main raw materials.  Maoming Hengda uses steel billets as its main raw material.  Iron ore is the main raw material used to produce hot-rolled steel coil and steel billets. Therefore, the prices of iron ore and coke are the primary raw material cost drivers for our products.

 

Iron Ore

 

Longmen Joint Venture has 7 million tons of annual crude steel production capacity. At Longmen Joint Venture, approximately 80% of production costs are associated with raw materials, with iron ore being the largest component.

  

According to the China Iron and Steel Association, approximately 60% of the Chinese domestic steel industry’s demand for iron ore must be filled by imports. At Longmen Joint Venture, we purchase iron ore from four primary sources: Mulonggou mine (owned by Longmen Joint Venture), Daxigou mine (owned by Long Steel Group, our partner in Longmen Joint Venture), surrounding local mines and mines located abroad. According to the terms of Longmen Joint Venture‘s Agreement with the Long Steel Group, we have a first right of refusal for sales from the Daxigou mine. We presently purchase all of the iron ore produced by this mine.

 

Coke

 

Coke, produced from metallurgical coal (also known as coking coal), is our second most consumed raw material, after iron ore. It requires approximately 550kg to 600kg of coke to make one metric ton of crude steel.

 

Under the terms of the Unified Management Agreement, our partner, Shaanxi Coal, has committed to providing coke and coal to us at a cost not higher than the market price.

 

Our Longmen Joint Venture facility is located in the center of China’s coal belt. We source all coke used at Longmen Joint Venture from the town in which Longmen Joint Venture is located. This ensures a dependable, local supply and minimum transportation costs.

 

The sources and/or our top five major suppliers of our raw materials for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 are as follows:

Name of Major SupplierRaw Material
Purchased
% of Total Raw
Material
Purchased
Relationship with
Company
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.Iron Ore6.3%Related Party
Longgang Group Import & Export Co., Ltd.Iron Ore4.9%Related Party
Shaanxi Fengyi Industry Co., Ltd.Coke4.2%Third Party
Fuping Rolling Steel MillCoke4.0%Third Party
Shaanxi Longmen Coal Chemical Industry Co., LtdCoke3.8%Third Party
Total23.2%

The sources and/or our top five major suppliers of our raw materials for the six months ended June 30, 2014 are as follows:

  

Name of Major Supplier Raw Material
Purchased
 % of Total Raw
Material
Purchased
  Relationship with
Company
Longgang Group Import & Export Co., Ltd. Iron Ore  15.412.7% Related Party
Shaanxi Longmen Coal Chemical Industry Co., Ltd Coke  9.78.8% Third Party
LongTianwu General Steel GroupMaterial Trading Co., Ltd. Iron Ore  7.68.2% Related Party
Shaanxi Haiyan Coal Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Coke  7.37.1% Related Party
China Railroad Logistics Xi'an Co., Ltd.Long Steel Group Iron Ore  3.97.0% ThirdRelated Party
  Total  43.943.8%  

 

Industry Environment

 

Despite demand growth experienced during 2010 and 2011, the overall nationwide steelmaking capacity still exceeds steel demand. There is significant over-capacity in the Chinese steel sector which is putting pressure on operators’ profitability which has become the most significant challenge in the steel manufacturing business. Chinese crude steel production was 202.7412 million tons from January to MarchJune in 2014, an increase of 2.37%3% compared towith the same period last year, while the total consumption of crude steel reached 160376 million tons from January to MarchJune in 2014, increased by 0.75%an increase of 0.4% from the same period last year, according to the China Iron and Steel Association.

 

For steelmakers, operating performance depends on the volatility of the cost of raw materials. The shortage of these raw materials in the market has allowed suppliers of iron ore and metallurgical coal to rebuild the pricing mechanisms through the shift from annual to shorter-term price contracts. This has created numerous challenges for steelmakers as they must now deal with volatility in raw material prices, as well as maintain margins with fluctuating demand. Over the past few years, we have witnessed perseverance in steel prices that has given iron ore producers an opportunity to increase the prices in the next contract; however the reverse may not be true as steel companies cannot always pass on the rise in iron ore prices to end consumers due to the market overcapacity and fragmentation.

The Chinese central government has had a long-stated goal to consolidate 70% of domestic steel production among the top ten producers by 2020. Currently, there are approximately over 500 crude steel producers throughout China, and the top ten producers account for approximately 48% of total national output. In April 2012, the central government announced its goal of reducing obsolete iron and steel capacities ofby 17.8 million tons in 2012 and successfully reached the goal and eliminated 20.2 million tons of obsolete iron and steel capacity. In April 2013, the central government published the industry target of eliminating 10.4 million tons of obsolete iron and steel capacities in 2013 and successfully eliminated 16.9 million tons of obsolete iron and steel capacity. In March 2014, the government reaffirmed its determination of industry consolidation, and announced that it plans to eliminate 27 million tons of obsolete iron and steel capacity in order to reach the industry goal of 12th five-year plan ahead of schedule in 2014. However, we continue to see a strong demand for our products and believe there are significant growth opportunities in the industry and market we service and such consolidation is not expected to directly impact our Company.

 

 On July 12, 2010, the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology Commission enacted the Steel Industry Admittance and Operation Qualifications standards. The new standards specify requirements for all aspects of steel production in China, which include: size of blast furnaces, size of converters, emission of waste water, dust per ton from steel production, quantity of coal used for each process in steel production and output capacity.  According to the new standards, blast furnaces under 450 cubic meters are targeted to be eliminated. These standards once again confirmed the central government’s determination to push forward the consolidation of this fragmented industry.  WhileAs the operational conditions become more stringent, more small and medium sized companies will likely to aggressively look for valued partners which could lead to opportunities for high quality acquisitions for us.  We believe the above government policy will strengthen our position as an industry consolidator by creating quantitative qualified potential acquisition targets.

 

Since 2013, the government has exerted a more stringent environment protection policy on the steel industry. In January 2014, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China (the "MIIT") announced a List of Enterprises Fulfilling the Iron and Steel Industry Specification (the "List"). The List includes a highly-selected group of large and medium steel manufacturers that have met or exceeded more stringent national requirements and standards on product quality, environmental protection, energy consumption, workmanship and equipment, production scale, as well as work safety and social responsibility. The MIIT will collaborate with China's other governmental agencies to provide support to the List's members and to speed up the steel industry's restructuring and consolidation. Steel makers omitted from the List will most likely face higher electricity costs, more restrictive administrative measures, and adverse effects of forceful regulations intent on reducing the nation's overcapacity. Longmen Joint Venture, the major facility of General Steel, has been included on the List as the only enterprise in China’s Shaanxi Province.

Results of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended March 31,June 30, 2014

 

Sales

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

The following table sets forth sales and volume in metric tons.

 

 Three months ended       Three months ended      
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change Change  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume Sales % Volume Sales % Volume % Sales %  Volume Sales % Volume Sales % Volume
%
 Sales
%
 
                                  
Longmen Joint Venture  1,317,540  $594,014   100.0%  1,255,123  $646,748   99.3%  5.0%  (8.2)%  1,305,127  $587,314   99.9%  1,348,173  $650,741   99.6%  (3.2)%  (9.7)%
Others  723   197   0.0%  49,300   4,543   0.7%  (98.5)%  (95.7)%  1,312   699   0.1%  36,731   2,910   0.4%  (96.4)%  (76.0)%
Total Sales  1,318,263  $594,211   100.0%  1,304,423  $651,291   100.0%  1.1%  (8.8)%  1,306,439  $588,013   100.0%  1,384,904  $653,651   100.0%  (5.7)%  (10.0)%

 

Total sales for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 decreased by 8.8%10.0% to $594.2$588.0 million from $651.3$653.7 million for the same period in 2013. The decrease in sales compared towith the same period in 20122013 was predominantly due to the decreaseddecrease in both the average selling price.price and sales volume of our rebar products. Longmen Joint Venture comprised approximately 100.0%99.9% and 99.3%99.6% of total sales for the firstsecond quarter of 2014 and 2013, respectively. Sales volume of rebar increaseddecreased by 5.0%3.2% to 1.321.31 million metric tons, compared to 1.26with 1.35 million metric tons in the same period in 2013. The average selling price of rebar decreased by 12.5%6.8% to approximately $450.9$450.0 per ton in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 compared towith approximately $515.3$482.7 per ton in the same period of 2013.

 

Our product demands and prices had been rising in the first two quarters of 2012. As a result of the China and global steel industry over-capacity, Chinese economic control polices and the financial crisis, commodity prices declined significantly in the third quarter of 2012. With weakened demand, market forces kicked-in and the price of steel dropped substantially. As such, our sales prices have dropped since the third quarter of 2012, evidencing a continued decline. The over-capacity issue continued to impact our results during the year of 2013 and into 2014. Further, the Chinese economy remained weak, which had an indirect impact of affecting our industry, and the selling price of our products continued to decrease during this period in comparison with the same period in 2013.

Our five major customers are distributors and collectively represented 31.8% of our total sales for the three months ended June 30, 2014 compared with 27.8% of our total sales for the three months ended June 30, 2013. These five customers include related parties and major distributors owned by the central government. As we are the largest supplier in Shaanxi Province, we maintain a good relationship with these five customers to stabilize our sales channel. 

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

The following table sets forth sales and volume in metric tons.

  Six months ended       
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change  Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume  Sales  %  Volume  Sales  %  Volume
%
  Sales
%
 
                         
Longmen Joint Venture  2,622,667  $1,181,328   99.9%  2,603,296  $1,297,489   99.4%  0.7%  (9.0)%
Others  2,035   896   0.1%  86,031   7,453   0.6%  (97.6)%  (88.0)%
Total Sales  2,624,702  $1,182,224   100.0%  2,689,327  $1,304,942   100.0%  (2.4)%  (9.4)%

Total sales for the six months ended June 30, 2014 decreased by 9.4% to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion for the same period in 2013. The decrease in sales compared with the same period in 2013 was predominantly due to the decreased average selling price. Longmen Joint Venture comprised 99.9% and 99.4% of total sales for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Sales volume of rebar increased by 0.7% to 2.62 million metric tons, compared with 2.60 million metric tons in the same period in 2013. The average selling price of rebar decreased by 9.6% to approximately $450.4 per ton in the six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with approximately $498.4 per ton in the same period of 2013.

Our product demands and prices had been rising in the first two quarters of 2012. As a result of the China and global steel industry over-capacity, Chinese economic control polices and the financial crisis, commodity prices declined significantly in the third quarter of 2012. With weakened demand, market forces kicked-in and the price of steel dropped substantially. As such, our sales prices have dropped since the third quarter of 2012, evidencing a continued decline. The over-capacity issue continued to impact our results during the year of 2013 and into 2014. Further, the Chinese economy remained weak, which had an indirect impact of affecting our industry, and the selling price of our products continued to decrease during this period in comparison with the same period in 2013.

Our five major customers wereare distributors and collectively represented approximately 20.4%24.4% of our total sales for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as compared to 20.4%with 23.3% of our total sales for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2013. These five customers included related parties and major distributors owned by the central government. As we are the largest supplier in Shaanxi Province, we maintain a good relationship with these five customers to stabilize our sales channel.

 

Cost of Goods Sold

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

 Three months ended       Three months ended      
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change Change  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume Cost of
Goods Sold
 % Volume Cost of
Goods Sold
 % Volume
%
 Cost of
Goods Sold
 %
  Volume Cost of
Goods Sold
 % Volume Cost of
Goods Sold
 % Volume
%
 Cost of
Goods Sold
%
 
                                  
Longmen Joint Venture  1,317,540  $616,234   99.9%  1,255,123  $642,381   99.3%  5.0%  (4.1)%  1,305,127  $559,084   99.9%  1,348,173  $686,934   99.7%  (3.2)%  (18.6)%
Others  723   538   0.1%  49,300   4,843   0.7%  (98.5)%  (88.9)%  1,312   835   0.1%  36,731   2,253   0.3%  (96.4)%  (62.9)%
Total Cost of Goods Sold  1,318,263  $616,772   100.0%  1,304,423  $647,224   100.0%  1.1%  (4.7)%  1,306,439  $559,919   100.0%  1,384,904  $689,187   100.0%  (5.7)%  (18.8)%

 

Our primary cost of goods sold is the cost of raw materials such as iron ore, coke, alloy and scrap steel. The costs of iron ore and coke accountaccounted for approximately 67.4%82.6% of our total cost of sales. The cost of goods sold decreased by 4.7%18.8% to $616.8$559.9 million in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 from $647.2$689.2 million in the same period of 2013. The decrease was mainly driven by the decreased unit costs of raw materials as a result of the decline in iron ore and coke purchase prices of approximately 3.0%9.7% and approximately 17.0%17.3%, respectively, for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as compared towith the same period in 2013. As such, the average costs of rebar manufactured decreased 8.6%15.9% to approximately $467.7$428.4 per ton in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 from approximately $511.8$509.5 per ton in the same period of 2013.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

  Six months ended       
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change  Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume  Cost of
Goods Sold
  %  Volume  Cost of
Goods Sold
  %  Volume
%
  Cost of
Goods Sold
%
 
                         
Longmen Joint Venture  2,622,667  $1,175,318   99.9%  2,603,296  $1,329,315   99.5%  0.7%  (11.6)%
Others  2,035   1,373   0.1%  86,031   7,096   0.5%  (97.6)%  (80.7)%
Total Cost of Goods Sold  2,624,702  $1,176,691   100.0%  2,689,327  $1,336,411   100.0%  (2.4)%  (12.0)%

Our primary cost of goods sold is the cost of raw materials such as iron ore, coke, alloy and scrap steel. The costs of iron ore and coke accounted for 74.6% of our total cost of sales. The cost of goods sold decreased by 12.0% to $1.2 billion in the six months ended June 30, 2014 from $1.3 billion in the same period of 2013. The decrease was mainly driven by the decreased unit costs of raw materials as a result of the decline in iron ore and coke purchase prices of 7.0% and 17.3%, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. As such, the average costs of rebar manufactured decreased 12.2% to $448.1 per ton in the six months ended June 30, 2014 from $510.6 per ton in the same period of 2013.

Gross Profit (Loss)

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

 Three months ended     Three months ended    
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume Gross
Profit
(Loss)
 Margin
%
 Volume Gross
Profit
(Loss)
 Margin
%
 Gross
Profit
  Volume Gross
Profit
(Loss)
 Margin
%
 Volume Gross
Profit
(Loss)
 Margin
%
 Gross
Profit
 
                              
Longmen Joint Venture  1,317,540  $(22,220)  (3.7)%  1,255,123  $4,367   0.7%  (608.8)%  1,305,127  $28,230   4.8%  1,348,173  $(36,193)  (5.6)%  (178.0)%
Others  723   (341  (173.1)%  49,300   (300)  (6.6)%  13.7%  1,312   (136)  (19.5)%  36,731   657   22.6%  (120.7)%
Total Gross Profit (Loss)  1,318,263  $(22,561)  (3.8)%  1,304,423  $4,067   0.6%  (654.7)%  1,306,439  $28,094   4.8%  1,384,904  $(35,536)  (5.4)%  (179.1)%

 

Gross lossprofit for the firstsecond quarter of 2014 was $(22.6)$28.1 million, or (3.8)%4.8% of total sales, as compared towith a gross profitloss of $4.1$35.5 million, or 0.6%(5.4)% of total sales in the same period in 2013. The decreaseincrease in gross margin percentage was mainly attributable to the percentage decrease in the costs of rebar manufactured of 15.9%, which was higher than the percentage decrease in the average rebar selling price of 12.5%6.8% compared with the same period of 2013.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

  Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change 
in thousands, except metric tons Volume  Gross
Profit
(Loss)
  Margin
%
  Volume  Gross
Profit
(Loss)
  Margin
%
  Gross
Profit
 
                      
Longmen Joint Venture  2,622,667  $6,010   0.5%  2,603,296  $(31,826)  (2.5)%  (118.9)%
Others  2,035   (477)  (53.2)%  86,031   357   4.8%  (233.6)%
Total Gross Profit (Loss)  2,624,702  $5,533   0.5%  2,689,327  $(31,469)  (2.4)%  (117.6)%

Gross profit for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was slightly higher$5.5 million, or 0.5% of total sales, compared with a gross loss of $31.5 million, or (2.4)% of total sales in the same period in 2013. The increase in gross margin percentage was mainly attributable to the percentage decrease ofin the costs of rebar manufactured of 8.6% for12.2%, which was higher than the first quarterpercentage decrease in the average rebar selling price of 2014 as9.6% compared towith the same period of 2013.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”)

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    Three months ended   
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change %  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change % 
              
Selling, general and administrative expenses $(21,053) $(18,955)  11.1% $(18,849) $(20,848)  (9.6)%
SG&A expenses as a percentage of total revenue  (3.5)%  (2.9)%      (3.2)%  (3.2)%    

 

SG&A expenses, such as travel expenses and transportation fees, entertainment, employee benefits, training, and travel expenses decreased by 9.6% to $18.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014, compared with $20.8 million for the same period in 2013.

Selling expenses increased by 4.7% to $9.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 compared with $9.3 million in the same period of 2013. The increase was mainly due to the increase in freight expenses as a result of the PRC government’s policy to increase freight train fees in early 2014.

In addition, general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were approximately $9.1 million and $11.6 million for three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The 21.0% decrease was mainly due to the decrease in salary expenses, union expenses, and employee education and training expenses in the second quarter of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Selling, general and administrative expenses $(39,902) $(39,803)  0.2%
SG&A expenses as a percentage of total revenue  (3.4)%  (3.1)%    
             

SG&A expenses, such as travel expenses and transportation fees, entertainment, employee benefit, training, and travel expenses increased by 11.1%0.2% to $21.1$39.9 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, compared to $19.0$39.8 million for the same period in 2013.

 

Selling expenses increased by 3.4%4.1% to $8.3$18.0 million for threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as compared to $8.1$17.3 million in the same period of 2013. The increase was mainly due to the increase in freight expenses along withas a result of the 5.0%PRC government’s policy to increase freight train fees in the sales volume of our rebar products.early 2014.

In addition, general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were approximately $12.7$21.9 million and $10.9$22.5 million for threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The 16.7% increase2.7% decrease was mainly due to the rise of benefitdecrease in salary expenses and waste management and environmental protectionunion expenses.

 

Change in Fair Value of Profit Sharing Liability

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    Three months ended   
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change %  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change % 
                   
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability $(49) $46,779   (100.1)% $(2,920) $9,494   (130.8)%

We haveOur profit sharing liability relates to equipment operated by Longmen Joint Venture under a capital lease arrangement. Part of the payments under the capital lease is a portion of our future operating profits. Our estimate of those future profit sharing payments are accounted for as a derivative liability at fair value. In 2013, we considered the recent changes in China’s economic situation, which included a new estimation and downgrade of 2014 GDP by major investment bankers in June 2013, and a steel industry outlook reports issued for 2014. Also, there had been a tightening of the monetary policy by the Chinese policy makers since June 20, 2013 by increasing the short-term borrowing rates of approximately 1% in China, and removal of the floor rate charged to customers by the Chinese central bank. As a result, we have re-evaluated our projected operating profit (loss) taking into consideration the macroeconomic events in China, as well as our most recent operating results. Due to the continued decrease in our rebar selling price, the market slow-down in the first quarter of 2013, and the lack of gross profit recovery as quickly as expected in 2012, we foresaw a greater downward trend in 2014 through 2016 than previously anticipated in 2012. As our projected profit (loss) decreased in 2013, the fair value of our profit sharing liability was reduced as compared towith our previous estimates in 2012 and we recognized a gain of $46.8$9.5 million in our income from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2013. In 2014, the outlook has not changed significantly. As a result, we recognized a loss on the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability of $(2.9) million primarily due to the change in fair value related to the passage of time and change in the number of future periods over which the present value of future cash flows was estimated.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability $(2,969) $56,273   (105.3)%

As discussed above, our projected profit (loss) decreased in 2013, and as a result, the fair value of our profit sharing liability was reduced compared with our previous estimates in 2012 and we recognized a gain of $56.3 million in our income (loss) from operations for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013. WeIn 2014, the outlook has not changed significantly and we recognized a loss on the change in fair value of profit sharing liability of $0.05 million in our income (loss) from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 primarily due to the amortization of the present value discount. The fair value of the profit sharing liability at March 31, 2014of $(3.0) million primarily due to the change in fair value related to the passage of time and change in the number of future periods over which the present value of future cash flows was not materially different from the previous reporting period.estimated.

 

Income (Loss) from Operations

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    Three months ended   
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change %  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change % 
              
Income (loss) from operations $(43,663) $31,891 (236.9)% $6,325  $(46,890)  (113.5)%

  

LossIncome from operations for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 was $(43.7)$6.3 million as compared to $31.9with a $46.9 million incomeloss from operations for the same period in 2013. The increase in lossincome from operations was predominantly due to the increase in gross profit offset by the loss and the decrease infrom the change in fair value of the profit sharing liability.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Loss from operations $(37,338) $(14,999)  148.9%

Loss from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was $37.3 million compared with a loss of $15.0 million for the same period in 2013. The increase in the loss from operations was predominantly due to the decrease in the gain from the change in fair value of the profit sharing liability, offset by the increase in gross profit.

 

Other Income (Expense)

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    
  March 31, 2014  March 31, 2013  Change % 
          
Interest income $3,192  $2,439   30.9%
Finance/interest expense  (23,609)  (19,762)  19.5%
Financing cost on capital lease  (5,086)  (5,095)  (0.2)
Gain on disposal of equipment  46   331   (86.1)%
Income from equity investment  13   (42)  (131.0)%
Foreign currency transaction gain (loss)  (854)  28   (3,150.0)%
Lease income  546   532   2.6%
Other non-operating income (expense), net  (176)  268   (165.4)%
Total other expense, net $(25,928) $(21,300)  21.7%

(in thousands) Three months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Interest income $4,066  $3,383   20.2%
Finance/interest expense  (20,950)  (16,094)  30.2%
Financing cost on capital lease  (5,669)  (5,122)  10.7%
Loss on disposal of equipment  (142)  (235)  (39.6)%
Income from equity investment  54   132   (59.1)%
Foreign currency transaction gain (loss)  (963)  98   (1,082.7)%
Lease income  542   539   0.6%
Other non-operating income, net  302   521   (42.0)%
Total other expense, net $(22,760) $(16,778)  35.7%

Total other expense, net, for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 was $25.9$22.8 million, a 21.7%35.7% increase compared to $21.3with $16.8 million for the same period in 2013. The increase was mainly a result of the $3.8$4.9 million increase in finance/interest expensesexpense and $0.9$1.1 million increase in foreign currency transaction loss from the appreciation of our USD bank loans. The increase in finance/interest expensesexpense was mainly a result of the increase in the amount offinance charges from bank notes receivable redeemed earlyredemptions prior to maturity and the amount borrowed from banks and third parties in the firstsecond quarter of 2014 as compared towith the same period in 2013. As a result, notes receivable early redemption expenses for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 amounted to $14.1$12.8 million, a $3.3$6.3 million or 30.6%96.9% increase from $10.8$ 6.5 million for the same period in 2013. At the same time, interest expense on loan borrowings for the three months ended June 30, 2014 amounted to $8.2 million, a $2.3 million or 21.9% decrease from $10.5 million for the same period in 2013.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Interest income $7,258  $5,822   24.7%
Finance/interest expense  (44,559)  (35,856)  24.3%
Financing cost on capital lease  (10,755)  (10,217)  5.3%
Gain (loss) on disposal of equipment  (96)  96   (200.0)%
Income from equity investment  67   90   (25.6)%
Foreign currency transaction gain (loss)  (1,817)  126   (1,542.1)%
Lease income  1,088   1,071   1.6%
Other non-operating income, net  126   790   (84.1)%
Total other expense, net $(48,688) $(38,078)  27.9%

Total other expense, net, for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was $48.7 million, a 27.9% increase compared with $38.1 million for the same period in 2013. The increase was mainly a result of the $8.7 million increase in finance/interest expense and $1.9 million increase in foreign currency transaction loss from the appreciation of our USD bank loans. The increase in finance/interest expense was mainly a result of the increase in finance charges from bank notes receivable redemptions prior to maturity and the amount borrowed from banks and third parties for the six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. As a result, notes receivable early redemption expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2014 amounted to $26.9 million, a $9.6 million or 55.5% increase from $17.3 million for the same period in 2013, and interest expense on loan borrowings for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 amounted to $9.5$17.7 million, a $1.5$0.8 million or 18.8% increase4.3% decrease from $8.0$18.5 million for the same period in 2013.

Income Taxes

 

For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, we had a total tax provision of $5$107 thousand and $71$105 thousand, respectively.respectively, from our profitable subsidiaries. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we had current income tax provisions for our profitable subsidiaries, amounting to $0 and $0.1 million, respectively. For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, we evaluated the deferred tax assets of Longmen Joint Venture and Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture and concluded the net operating loss may not be fully realizable and to providethus we provided a 100% valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets. No deferred income tax provision was recorded for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as the deferred tax assets had been fully reserved.

 

For the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, we had effective tax rates of 0.0%(0.7)% and 0.7%(0.2)%, respectively.

For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, we had a total tax provision of $112 thousand and $176 thousand, respectively, from our profitable subsidiaries. For the six months ended June 30, 2014, we evaluated the deferred tax assets of Longmen Joint Venture and Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture and concluded the net operating loss may not be fully realizable and thus we provided a 100% valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets. As a result, no deferred income tax provision was recorded for the six months ended June 30, 2014 as the deferred tax assets had been fully reserved.

For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, we had effective tax rates of (0.1)% and (0.3)%, respectively.

 

Net Income (Loss)Loss

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    Three months ended   
 March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013 Change %  June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Change % 
              
Net income (loss) $(69,596)  $10,520 (761.6)%
Net loss $(16,542) $(63,773)  (74.1)%

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Net Loss $(86,138) $(53,253)  61.8%

 

Net Income (Loss)Loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.

 

Three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared with three months ended March 31,June 30, 2013

 

(in thousands) Three months ended    
  March 31, 2014  March 31, 2013  Change % 
          
Net income (loss) $(69,596)  $10,520   (761.6)%
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest  (26,032)  7,417   (451.0)%
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(43,564) $3,103   (1,503.9)%
(in thousands) Three months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Net loss $(16,542) $(63,773)  (74.1)%
Less:Net loss attributable to the non-controlling interest  (5,523)  (23,955)  (76.9)%
Net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(11,019) $(39,818)  (72.3)%

 

Net loss attributable to us for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 was $(43.6)$11.0 million as compared with $39.8 million for the same period in 2013. The decrease in net loss attributable to $3.1us for the three months ended June 30, 2014 was mainly a result of the $63.6 million increase in gross profit offset by a $12.4 million decrease in the gain from the change in the fair value of our profit sharing liability and a $4.9 million increase in finance/interest expense.

We have subsidiaries in which we do not have a 100% ownership interest. Allocation of income or loss to these non-controlling interests is based on the percentage of their equity investment times the subsidiaries’ net income or loss.

Six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with six months ended June 30, 2013

(in thousands) Six months ended    
  June 30, 2014  June 30, 2013  Change % 
          
Net income (loss) $(86,138) $(53,253)  61.8%
Less:Net income (loss) attributable to the non-controlling interest  (31,555)  (16,538)  90.8%
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc. $(54,583) $(36,715)  48.7%

Net loss attributable to us for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was $54.6 million compared with $36.7 million for the same period in 2013. The increase in net loss attributable to us for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 was mainly a result of the $26.3$37.0 million increase in gross loss, $46.8profit offset by a $59.2 million decrease in the gain from the change in the fair value of our profit sharing liability and a $3.8$8.7 million increase in finance/interest expense.

 

We have subsidiaries in which we do not have a 100% ownership interest. Allocation of income or loss to these non-controlling interests is based on the percentage of their equity investment times the subsidiaries’ net income or loss.

 

Liquidity and capital resources

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, our current liabilities exceeded theour current assets by approximately $1,297.6 million.$1.3 billion. Given our expected capital expenditure in the foreseeable future, we have comprehensively considered our available sources of funds as follows:

 

 ·Financial support and credit guaranteeguarantees from related parties; and
 ·

Other available sources of financing from domestic banks and other financial institutions given our credit history. 

 

Based on the above considerations, Management and our Board of Directors isare of the opinion that we have sufficient funds to meet our working capital requirements and debt obligations as they become due.due for at least the next year from the reporting date. As a result, our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended March 31,June 30, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, we had cash and restricted cash aggregating $465.0$492.9 million, of which $428.6$448.1 million was restricted.

 

We believe our cash flows generated from operations and financing, which include customer prepayments and vendor financing, existing cash balances, and credit facilities will be adequate to finance our working capital requirements, fund capital expenditures, make required debt and interest payments, pay taxes, and support our operating strategies.

The steel business is capital intensive and we utilize leverage greater than our industry peers, which we believe enables us to generate revenue compared to our shareholder equity at a rate higher than our industry peers. We utilize leverage in the form of credit from banks, vendor financing and customer deposits and from other sources. This blended form of financing reduces our reliance on any single source.

Substantially all our operations are conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi (“RMB”). RMB is subject to the exchange control regulation in China, and, as a result, we may have difficulty distributing any dividends outside of China due to PRC exchange control regulations that restrict itsour ability to convert RMB into U.S. Dollars.

 

Under applicable PRC regulations, foreign-invested enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a foreign-invested enterprise in China is required to set aside at least 10.0%10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to its general reserves until the accumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50.0%50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. The board of directors of a foreign-invested enterprise has the discretion to allocate a portion of its after-tax profits to staff welfare and bonus funds, which may not be distributed to equity owners except in the event of liquidation. Under PRC law, RMB is currently convertible into U.S. Dollars under a company’s “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, without prior approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), but is not convertible from a company’s “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investments and loans, without the prior approval of the SAFE.

 

We have previously raised money in the U.S. capital markets which provided the capital needed for our operations and for General Steel Investment Co, Ltd. (“General Steel Investment”). Thus the foreign currency restrictions and regulations in the PRC on the dividends distributiondividend distributions will not have a material impact on the liquidity, financial condition and results of operations of General Steel Holdings, Inc. and General Steel Investment.

 

Although the steel industry is slowing down due to over-capacity issues in the PRC, in order for us to stay competitive, we continue to look for opportunities to improve the efficiency onof our production lines. In addition to the 1,200,000 metric ton capacity rebar production renovation of an existing 800,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line that we brought online in November 2010, in July 2011, we also brought online a 1,000,000 metric ton capacity high speed wire production line. These two newly installed production lines were both relocated from theour Maoming Hengda (as defined below) facility and are expected towill consume less energy when running at maximum efficiencies compared towith our previous production line. In September 2012 we began the construction of a 900,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line, which was completed and put into production in September 2013. In March 2013, we began the construction of a 1,200,000 metric ton capacity rebar production line for the purpose of reducing our reprocessing cost and to increase our profit margin. The 1,200,000 metric ton capacity rebar production linesline was completed and put into testt production in November 2013.February 2014. Any future facility expansion will require additional financing and/or equity capital and will be dependent upon the availability of financing arrangements and capital at the time.

 

Short-term Notes Payable

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, we had $963.4$875.5 million in short-term notes payable liabilities, which were secured by restricted cash of $419.8$430.2 million and restricted notes receivable of $133.0$51.0 million. These are lines of credit extended by banks for a maximum of six months and are used to finance working capital. The short-term notes payable must be paid in full at maturity and credit availability is continued upon payment at maturity. There are no additional significant financial covenants. We pay zero interest on this type of credit as this is a monetary tool used by China’s central bank to control liquidity over the Chinese monetary system. However, we are subjectrequired to pay a transaction fee of 0.05% of the notes’ value. In addition, the banks usually require us to deposit either a certain amount of cash at the bank as a guarantee deposit or provide notes receivable as security.

 

Short-term Loans – Banks

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, we had $230.1$201.7 million in short-term bank loans. These were bank loans with a one year maturity and must be paid in full upon maturity. PRC banks have not been impacted as heavily by the financial crisis as U.S. banks and we believe our current creditors will renew their loans to us after our loans mature as they did in the past.

  

We are able to repay our short-term notes payables and short term bank loans upon maturity using available capital resources.

 

For more details about our debt, see Note 9 in our Notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report.

 

For more details about our related party debt financing, see Note 2019 in our Notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report.

As part of our working capital management, Longmen Joint Venture has entered into a number of sale and purchase back contracts (“Contracts”) with third party companies and two 100% owned subsidiaries of Longmen Joint Venture, named Yuxin Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuxin”) and Yuteng Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuteng”). Pursuant to the Contracts, Longmen Joint Venture sells rebar to the third party companies at a certain price, and within the same month, Yuxin and Yuteng will purchase back the rebar from the third party companies at a price between 4.2%4.6% to 5.9%9.6% higher than the original selling price from Longmen Joint Venture. Based on the Contract terms, Longmen Joint Venture is paid in advance for the rebar sold to the third party companies and Yuxin and Yuteng are given a credit period of several months to one year for the purchase back of the inventory from the third party companies. There is no physical movement of the inventory during the sale and purchase back arrangement. The margin between 4.2%4.6% to 5.9%9.6% is determined by reference to the bank loan interest rates at the time when the Contracts are entered into, plus an estimated premium based on the financing sale amount, which represents the interest charged by the third party companies for financing Longmen Joint Venture through the above sale and purchase back arrangement. As such, the revenue and cost of goods sold arising from the above transactions are recorded on a net basis and the incremental amounts paid by Yuxin and Yuteng to purchase back the goods are treated as financing costs in the consolidated financial statements.

Total financing sales for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $230.5$229.1 million and $165.2$188.1 million, respectively, which were eliminated in our consolidated financial statements. The financial cost related to financing sales for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.9$0.8 million and $1.6$1.5 million, respectively.

Total financing sales for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $459.6 million and $353.3 million, respectively, which were eliminated in our consolidated financial statements. The financial cost related to financing sales for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $1.7 million and $3.1 million, respectively.

 

 Liquidity

 

Our accounts have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP on a going concern basis. The going concern basis assumes that assets are realized and liabilities are extinguished in the ordinary course of business at amounts disclosed in the financial statements. Our ability to continue as a going concern depends upon aligning our sources of funding (debt and equity) with our expenditure requirements and repayment of the short-term debt facilities as and when they fall due.

 

The steel business is capital intensive and as a normal industry practice in PRC, we are highly leveraged. Debt financing in the form of short term bank loans, loans from related parties, financing sales, bank acceptance notes, and capital leases have been utilized to finance the working capital requirements and the capital expenditures of our Company. As a result, our debt to equity ratio as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were (5.8)(5.4) and (6.5), respectively. As of March 31,June 30, 2014, our current liabilities exceed current assets (excluding non-cash item)deferred lease income) by $1.3 billion.

 

Longmen Joint Venture, as our most important subsidiary, accounted for a majority of our total sales. As such, the majority of our working capital needs to come from Longmen Joint Venture. Our ability to continue as a going concern depends heavily on Longmen Joint Venture’s operations.operations, as well as its ability to obtain external financial supports, including but not limited to lines of credit from banks and vendor financing. If Longmen Joint Venture does not maintain a sufficient level of financial support by renewing its financing terms with existing financing sources or obtaining new sources of financial support, there may be an immediate negative impact on our operations and ability to continue as a going concern. Longmen Joint Venture has obtained different types of financial supports,support, which include linelines of credit from banks, vendor financing, financing sales, other financing and sales representative financing.

 

For more details and terms about our financial supports,support, see Note 2(d) in our Notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

With the financial support from the banks and the companies discussed in Note 2(d) in our Notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements, management is of the opinion that we have sufficient funds to meet our future operations, working capital requirements and debt obligations until the end of March 31,June 30, 2015. The detailed breakdown of Longmen Joint Venture’s estimated cash flowsflow items are listed below.

 

  Cash inflow (outflow)
(in millions)
 
  For the twelve months ended
March 31, 2015
 
Estimated current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited) $(1,295.4)
Projected cash financing and outflows:    
 Cash provided by line of credit from banks  229.0 
 Cash provided by vendor financing  811.5 
 Cash provided by other financing  362.0 
 Cash provided by sales representatives  25.7 
 Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015  (29.5)
 Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015  (74.0)
Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015 $29.3 

  Cash inflow (outflow)
(in millions)
 
  For the twelve months ending
June 30, 2015
 
Estimated current liabilities over current assets (excluding deferred lease income) as of June 30, 2014 (unaudited) $(1,327.5)
Projected cash financing and outflows:    
Cash provided by lines of credit from banks  147.9 
Cash provided by vendor financing  893.8 
Cash provided by other financing  362.4 
Cash provided by sales representatives  23.1 
Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ending June 30, 2015  (28.8)
Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ending June 30, 2015  (63.7)
Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ending June 30, 2015 $7.2 

 

As a result, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the threesix month period ended March 31,June 30, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

Cash-flow

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013 was $65.5$121.7 million and $3.9$(61.4) million, respectively. This change was mainly due to the combination of the following factors:

 

 ·The impact of some non-cash items included in net income (loss) of $29.9$61.0 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, compared to $20.9with $(3.8) million in the same period in 2013. The non-cash items include the following:

 

 -Depreciation, amortization and depletion;
 -Change in fair value of derivative liabilities;liabilities - warrants;
 -GainChange in fair value of profit sharing liability.
-(Gain) loss on disposal of equipment;equipment and intangible assets;
 -Provision for doubtful accounts;
 -Reservation of mine maintenance fee;

 -Stock issued for service and compensation;
 -Amortization of deferred financing cost on capital lease;
 -(Income) loss from equity investments;
 -Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss;
 -Deferred lease income; and
-Change in fair value of profit sharing liability.

 

 ·The primary reasons for the material fluctuations in cash inflow were as follows:

 

-Notes receivable: The decrease was mainly due to less notes receivable being received as a form of payment in the first six months of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013;
-Prepaid taxes: The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in prepaid VAT purchase taxes along with the decrease in purchases in the first six months of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013;
 -Accounts payable including- related parties: The increase in accounts payable including- related parties was mainly due to Longmen Joint Venture making more purchases from related parties during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as compared towith the same period in 2013. Pursuant to the supplier financing agreements signed between Longmen Joint Venture and its suppliers, those suppliers agreed not to demand certain cash paymentpayments for a certain period;
 -Other payables and accrued liabilities: The increase in other payables and accrued liabilities was mainly due to an decrease in payments to various third parties for the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to same period in 2013; and
-

Customer deposits, including related parties: The increase in customer deposit,deposits, including related parties, was mainly due to our customers making more prepaymentprepayments to us forin the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014. These deposits were subsequently recognized as sales after March 31,June 30, 2014 in accordance with our sales recognition policy.

 

·The primary reasons for material fluctuations in cash outflow were as follows:

 

 -Notes receivable: The increase was mainly due more notes receivable being received as a form of payment in the first three months of 2014 as compared to the same period in 2013;
-Advance on inventory purchases, including related parties: The increase was mainly due to more advance payments were made to both third parties and related parties for raw material purchases to meet future production capacity.requirements. Advance payment ispayments are a prevailing requirement on iron ore purchases in the steel production industry; and
 -Other payables – related parties:Accounts payable: The decrease in other payables – related partiesaccounts payable was mainly due to an increase in payments to various relatedLongmen Joint Venture making fewer purchases from third parties forduring the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared towith the same period in 2013. Pursuant to the supplier financing agreements signed between Longmen Joint Venture and its suppliers, those suppliers agreed not to demand certain cash payments for a certain period.

Investing activities

  

Net cash used in investing activities was $89.6$164.5 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $30.9with $102.2 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2013. FluctuationFluctuations in cash outflow between the two periods was mainly due to the increase of restricted cash. Restricted cash was used as a pledge for our notes payable as required by the bank. In the first three months of 2014, such balance increased because we needed more notes payable to settle with suppliers. In addition, the increase in cash used was also due to $56.9 million incurred for equipment and intangible asset purchases for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014, while $24.1which amounted to $112.7 million, was incurredcompared with $52.4 million in the same period in 2013.

 

Financing activities

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $28.9$56.0 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared to net cash used in financing activities of $15.7with $183.9 million for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2013. Compared towith the same period in 2013, the increasedecrease of cash inflow from financing activities was mainly driven by the following:

 

·Restricted notes receivable: The decrease of restricted notes receivable was mainly due to the use of more restricted cash instead of restricted notes receivable for borrowings on notes payable and bank loans as of March 31, 2014;
·Short term notes payable: We borrowed more notes payables to banks to pay suppliers for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared towith the same period in 2013 and repaid lessmore notes payable from the banks during the quarter;

·Short term loans – bank: We borrowed more from banks forduring the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared towith the same period in 2013;

·Short term loans – others: We repaid fewer loans from third parties during the six months ended June 30, 2014 compared with the same period in 2013; and

·Short term loans – related parties: We repaid fewer loans from related parties forduring the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as compared towith the same period in 2013.

The cash inflow was offset by the following cash outflow:

 ·Short term loans: We repaid more money to banks forduring the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 as they became due compared towith the same period in 2013 and borrowed less short term loans from the other parties and related parties during the quarter as we generated positive operating cash flows in the first quarter of 2014 allowing us to decrease borrowings on short term loans; and
 ·Deposits due to sales representatives: We received fewer deposits from sales representatives forduring the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 compared towith the same period in 2013.

Impact of Inflation

 

We are subject to commodity price risks arising from price fluctuations in the market prices of theour raw materials. We have generally been able to pass on cost increases through price adjustments. However, the ability to pass on these increases depends on market conditions influenced by the overall economic conditions in China. We manage our price risks through productivity improvements and cost-containment measures. We do not believe that inflation risk is material to our business or our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations

 

Longmen Joint Venture:

 

Together with our joint venture partners Long Steel Group and Shaanxi Steel, we have invested RMB 580 million in a series of comprehensive projects to reduce our waste emissions of coal gas, water, and solid waste. In 2005, we received ISO 14001 certification for our overall environmental management system. We have received several awards from the Shaanxi provincial government as a result of our increased effort in environmental protection.

 

We have spent in excess of $9.1 million (RMB 57 million) on a comprehensive waste water recycling and water treatment system. The 2,000 cubic meter/h treatment capacity systems were implemented at the end of 2005. In 2010, 1.08 metric tons of new water was consumed per metric ton of steel produced.

 

We have one 10,000 cubic meter coke-oven gas tank, one 50,000 cubic meter blast furnace coal gas tank and one 80,000 cubic meter converter furnace coal gas tank to collect the residual coal gas produced from our facility and that of surrounding enterprises. We also have spent $36.6 million (RMB 230 million) on a thermal power plant with two 25 Kilowatt generators that use the residual coal gas from the blast furnaces and converters as fuel to generate power.

 

We have several plants to further process solid waste generated from the steel making process into useful products such as construction materials, building blocks, porcelain tiles, curb tops, ornamental tiles, as well as other products.

 

In 2009, we treated and recycled about 6.8 million tons of waste water, 335,320 tons of slag, 130 million m³ of gas from the converters and 6.1 billion m³ of gas from the blast furnaces. We also reused 855,714 tons of hot steam and generated 433 million KWH of electricity.

 

During 2010 and 2012, more than $9.6 million (RMB 60 million) were usedwas spent on the technical upgrade and renovation of our converters and $0.88 billion (RMB 5.5 billion) were usedwas spent on the upgrade of the blast furnaces and sintering machines.

 

In 2012, we installed desulfidation equipment for two sintering machines, which started operating in June 2012.

 

Off-balance Sheet Arrangements

 

There were no off-balance sheet arrangements for the period ended March 31,June 30, 2014 that have or that, in the opinion of management, are likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

 

We have certain fixed contractual obligations and commitments that include future estimated payments. Changes in our business needs, cancellation provisions, changing interest rates, and other factors may result in actual payments differing from the estimates. We cannot provide certainty regarding the timing and amounts of payments. Throughout our operating history, we have funded our contractual obligations and commercial commitments through financing arrangements and operating cash flow, including but not limited to, the operating income, payments collected from the customers in advance and stock issuances. Below, weWe have presented in the tables below a summary of the most significant contractual obligations and commercial commitments, in the tables, in order to assist in the review of this information within the context of our consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

The following tables summarize our contractual obligations as of March 31,June 30, 2014 and the effect these obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods.

 

 Payment due by period     Payment due by period    
    Less than            Less than        
Contractual obligations Total  1 year  1-3 years  3- 5 years  5 years after  Total  1 year  1-3 years  3- 5 years  5 years after 
 (in thousands)    (in thousands)   
Note payable $963,357  $963,357  $-  $-  $- 
Notes payable $875,479  $875,479  $-  $-  $- 
Bank loans(1)  230,118   230,118   -   -   -   201,673   201,673   -   -   - 
Other loans, including related parties  153,774   153,774   -   -   -   218,391   218,391   -   -   - 
Deposits due to sales representatives, including related parties  25,693   25,693   -   -   -   23,093   23,093   -   -   - 
Lease obligations  23,259   1,243   1,136   1,136   19,744   23,168   1,055   1,132   1,132   19,849 
Construction obligations - Longmen Joint Venture(2)  338,170   338,170   -   -   -   326,316   326,316   -   -   - 
Long term loan – Shaanxi Steel  72,035   57,428   14,607   -   -   72,124   62,374   9,750   -   - 
Capital lease obligation  380,799   4,774   118,485   27,161   230,379 
Capital lease obligations  391,274   6,443   128,950   28,558   227,323 
Profit sharing liability  160,956   -   -   -   160,956   164,067   -   -   -   164,067 
Total $2,348,161  $1,774,557  $134,228  $28,297  $411,079  $2,295,585  $1,714,824  $139,832  $29,690  $411,239 

Bank loans in the PRC are due either on demand or, more typically, within one year. These loans can be renewed with the banks subject to bank’s credit reevaluation. This amount includes estimated interest payments as well as principal repayment.

(1)Bank loans in the PRC are due either on demand or, more typically, within one year. These loans can be renewed with the banks subject to the bank’s credit reevaluation. These loans amount includes estimated interest payments as well as principal repayment.

(2)Upon completion of the construction obligations – Longmen Joint Venture, if Longmen Joint Venture is unable to repay the obligation when due, Shaanxi Steel will support Longmen Joint Venture for such obligations.

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture guaranteed bank loans for related parties and third parties, including lines of credit, amounting to $274.5$265.4 million, as follows:

 

Nature of guarantee Guarantee
amount
 Guaranty Due Date Guarantee
amount
 Guaranty Due Date
 (In thousands)  (In thousands)  
Line of credit $177,353  Various from April 2014 to August 2015 $153,563  Various from July 2014 to August 2015
Three-party financing agreements  4,869  July 2014  19,500  Various from July 2014 to May 2015
Confirming storage  41,549  Various from April to September 2014  52,975  Various from August 2014 to April 2015
Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future  50,719  Various from April to October 2014
  39,406  Various from July to October 2014
Total $274,490   $265,444  
     

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, we did not accrue any liability for the amount the Group haswe have guaranteed for third parties and related parties because those parties are current in their payment obligations and we have not experienced any losses from providing guarantees. We evaluated the debt guarantees and concluded that the likelihood of having to make payments under the guarantees is remote and that the fair value of the stand-ready obligation under these commitments is not material.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

Management’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are based upon our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the selection and application of accounting policies which require management to make significant estimates and judgments. See Note 2 to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

We believe that the following reflect the more critical accounting policies that currently affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Principles of consolidation – subsidiaries

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of our Company, our subsidiaries, our variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which our Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary, and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

 

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis to reflect the financial position and results of operations of the Company in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

 

Subsidiaries are those entities in which our Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at thea meeting of directors.

 

A VIE is an entity in which our Company, or our subsidiary, through contractual arrangements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with, ownership of the entity, and therefore our Company or our subsidiary is the primary beneficiary of the entity.

All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

 

Consolidation of VIE

 

Prior to entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture had been consolidated as our 60% directly owned subsidiary. Upon entering into the Unified Management Agreement, Longmen Joint Venture was evaluated by our Company to determine if Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE and if we are the primary beneficiary.

Based on the projected profit in this entity and future operating plans, Longmen Joint Venture ’sVenture’s equity at risk is considered insufficient to finance its activities and therefore Longmen Joint Venture is considered to be a VIE.

 

We would be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE if we have both of the following characteristics:

 

 a.The power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and
 b.The obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

 

A Supervisory Committee was formed during the negotiation of the Unified Management Agreement. Given there is both a Supervisory Committee and a boardBoard of directorsDirectors with respect to Longmen Joint Venture, the powers, rights and roles of both bodies were considered to determine which has the power to direct the activities of Longmen Joint Venture, and by extension, whether we continue to have the power to direct Longmen Joint Venture’s activities after this Supervisory Committee was formed. The Supervisory Committee, on which we hold 2 out of 4 seats, requires a ¾ majority vote, whilewhereas the boardBoard of directors,Directors, on which we hold 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. As theThe Supervisory Committee’s role is limited to supervising and monitoring management of Longmen Joint Venture and in the event there is any disagreement between the boardBoard of directorsDirectors and the Supervisory Committee, the boardBoard of directorsDirectors prevails. In other words, the Supervisory Committee is considered to be subordinate to the boardBoard of directors.Directors. Thus, the boardBoard of directorsDirectors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. We control 60% of the voting rights of the boardBoard of directors,Directors, have control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, have the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact Longmen Joint Venture’s economic performance. We believe that the Unified Management Agreement between Longmen Joint Venture and Shaanxi Coal is in compliance with PRC law and is legally enforceable. As such, we have the power to direct the activities of the VIE. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement, which in turn, may lead to reconsideration of the VIE assessment.

 

In connection with the Unified Management Agreement, Shaanxi Coal, we and Shaanxi Steel may provide such support on a discretionary basis in the future, which could expose us to a loss.

 

As discussed in Note 2(c) to the consolidated financial statements – Consolidation of VIE, we have the obligation to absorb losses and the rights to receive benefits based on the profit allocation as stipulated by the Unified Management Agreement. As both conditions are met, we are the primary beneficiary of Longmen Joint Venture and therefore, continue to consolidate Longmen Joint Venture.

We believe that the Unified Management Agreement between Longmen Joint Venture and Shaanxi Coal is in compliance with PRC law and is legally enforceable. The board of directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. We control 60% of the voting rights of the board of directors and have control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture. As such, we have the power to direct the activities of the VIE. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement, which in turn, may lead to reconsideration of the VIE assessment.

 

Longmen Joint Venture has two 100% owned subsidiaries, Yuxin Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuxin”) and Yuteng Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuteng”). Longmen Joint Venture has two consolidated subsidiaries, Hualong and Huatianyulong, in which it does not hold a controlling interest. Hualong and Huatianyulong are separate legal entities which were established in the PRC as limited liability companies and subsequently invested in by Longmen Joint Venture in June 2007 and July 2008, respectively. However, these two entities do not meet the definition of variable interest entities. Further consideration was given to whether consolidation was appropriate under the voting interest model, specifically where the power of control may exist with a lesser percentage of ownership (i.e. less than 50%), for example, by contract, lease, agreement with other stockholders or by court decree.

 

Hualong

 

Longmen Joint Venture, the single largest shareholder, holds a 36.0% equity interest in Hualong. The other two shareholders, who own 34.67% and 29.33% respectively, assigned their voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of the acquisition of Hualong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Hualong ceases its business operation or the other two shareholders sell their interest in Hualong. Hualong’s main business is to supply refractory.

 

Huatianyulong

 

Longmen Joint Venture holds a 50.0% equity interest in Huatianyulong and the other unrelated shareholder holds the remaining 50.0%. The other shareholder assigned its voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of acquisition of Huatianyulong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Huatianyulong ceases its business operation or the other unrelated shareholder sells its interest in Huatianyulong. Huatianyulong mainly sells imported iron ore.

We have determined that it is appropriate for Longmen Joint Venture to consolidate Hualong and Huatianyulong with appropriate recognition in our financial statements of the non-controlling interests in each entity, beginning on the acquisition dates as these were also the effective dates of the agreements with other stockholders granting a majority voting rights in each entity, and thereby, the power of control, to Longmen Joint Venture. We also have determined that it is appropriate for Longmen Joint Venture to consolidate Tongxing’s net income from the beginning of the acquisition date to March 1, 2012, the date on which Longmen Joint Venture relinquished its equity interest and majority voting rights in Tongxing, and thereby its power of control of Tongxing.

Revenue recognition

 

We follow U.S. GAAP regarding revenue recognition. Sales revenue is recognized at the date of shipment to customers when a formal arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, the delivery is completed, we have no other significant obligations and collectability is reasonably assured. Payments received before all of the relevant criteria for revenue recognition are met are recorded as customer deposits. Sales revenue represents the invoiced value of goods, net of value-added tax (VAT). All our products sold in the PRC are subject to a Chinese VAT at a rate of 13% to 17% of the gross sales price. This VAT may be offset by VAT paid by us on raw materials and other materials included in the cost of producing the finished product.

 

We infrequently engage in trading transactions in which we actsact as an agent between the suppliers and the customers. The trading arrangements are such that the suppliers are the primary obligators,obligors, we do not have any general inventory risk, physical inventory loss risk or credit risk, and we do not have latitude in establishing price.prices. Sales and cost of goods sold from these trading arrangements are recorded at the net amount retained in accordance with ASC 605-45.

 

Accounts receivable, other receivables and allowance for doubtful accounts

 

Accounts receivable include trade accounts due from customers and other receivables from cash advances to employees, related parties or third parties. An allowance for doubtful accounts is established and recorded based on managements’ assessment of potential losses based on the credit history and relationships with the customers. Management reviews its receivablereceivables on a regular basis to determine if the bad debt allowance is adequate, and adjusts the allowance when necessary. Delinquent account balances are written-off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable.

 

Useful lives of plant and equipment

 

Plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets with a 3%-5% residual value. The depreciation expense on assets acquired under capital leases is included with depreciation expense on owned assets.

 

The estimated useful lives are as follows:

 

Buildings and Improvementsimprovements 10-40 Years 
Machinery 10-30 Years 
Machinery and equipment under capital leaseleases 20 Years 
Other equipment 5 Years 
Transportation Equipmentequipment 5 Years 

 

We have re-evaluatedperiodically re-evaluate the useful lives of depreciationour plant and amortizationequipment to determine whether events subsequent events andto their acquisition or other circumstances warrant any revision.revision of the estimated useful lives.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

The carrying values of long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Based on the existence of one or more indicators of impairment, we measuredetermine whether any impairment of long-lived assets exists using the projected undiscounted cash flow method. The estimation of future cash flows requires significant management judgment based on our historical results and anticipated results and is subject to many factors.

 

The discount rate that is commensurate with the risk inherent in our business model is determined by our management. An impairment charge would be recorded if we determined that the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. The impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying values of the assets exceed the fair value of the assets.

 

As of March 31,June 30, 2014, the fair value of our plant and equipment exceeded our carrying value of these assets by approximately 71.9%75%. We used the estimated discounted cash flows modelflow from these assets to determine thetheir fair value of these assets.value. The key assumptions that were included in the model are projected selling units and growth in the steel market, projected unit selling price in the steel market, projected unit purchase cost in the coal and iron ore markets, selling and general and administrative expenses to be in line with the growth in the steel market, and projected bank borrowings. We believedbelieve these assumptions providedprovide us the best estimates of projecting our future cash flows onfrom these assets, net of any related cash outflow of our cost,costs, expenses and taxes in related to these revenues. TheIn the future, the estimated fair value of these assets may be lower than their current fair value, thuswhich could result in future impairment chargecharges if potential events occur to further reduce the current selling price or product demand in the steel market or increase our costcosts that are associated with our revenues. In addition, competitive pricing pressure and changes in interest rates could materially and adversely affect our estimates of future net cash flows to be generated by our long-lived assets, and thus could result in future impairment losses.

Use of estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant accounting estimates reflected in our financial statements include the useful lives of and impairment for property, plant and equipment, potential losses on uncollectible receivables, the recognition of contingent liabilities, the interest rate used in financing sales, the fair value of the assets recorded under capital lease,leases, the present value of the net minimum lease payments offor the capital leaseleases and the fair value of the profit sharesharing liability. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Financial instruments

 

The accounting standard regarding “Disclosures about fair value of financial instruments” defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by us. We consider the carrying amount of cash, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities to approximate their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization. For short-term loans and notes payable, we concluded the carrying values are a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the short period of time between the origination and repayment and their stated interest rate approximates current rates available. The carrying value of the long term loans-related party approximates its fair value as of the reporting date as their stated interest rates approximate current rates available.

 

We also analyze all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under the accounting standard establishing, “accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity,” the accounting standard regarding “accounting for derivative instruments and hedging activities” and “accounting for derivative financial instruments indexed to, and potentially settled in, a company’s own stock.” Additionally, we analyze registration rights agreements associated with any equity instruments issued to determine if penalties triggered for late filing should be accrued under the accounting standard establishing “accounting for registration payment arrangements.”

 

Fair value measurements

 

The accounting standards regarding fair value of financial instruments and related fair value measurement define fair value, establish a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement and enhance disclosuresdisclosure requirements for fair value measures. The three levels are defined as follow:

 

Level 1: inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

Level 2: inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.

 

Level 3: inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value.

 

The warrants issued in conjunction with thenotes we issued in December 2007 notes were carried at fair value. The warrants were accounted for as derivative liabilities and recorded at their fair value, with the change in fair value charged or credited to income each period.  The warrants expired unexercised on May 13, 2013. Prior to their expiration, the fair value of the warrants was estimated using a binomial lattice model, using level 3 inputs.

 

The profit sharing liability associated with our capital lease at Longmen Joint Venture is accounted for as a derivative liability and is recorded at its fair value, with the change in fair value charged or credited to income each period.  We determine the fair value of the profit sharing liability using Level 3 inputs by considering the present value of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses, with a discount rate of 7.3%,discounted based on our average borrowing rate. rate, which is currently 7.3%.

The fair value of the profit sharing liability will change each period as a result of (a) any changes in our estimate of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses over the remaining term of the agreement, (b) any change in the discount rate used, based on changes in our current or expected borrowing rate, (c) the change in fair value related to the passage of time and change in the number of future periods over which the present value of future cash flows is estimated and (d) any difference between the previously estimated operating results for the current period and actual results.

Each period, we consider whether the discount rate based on our average borrowing rate should be adjusted based upon the current and expected future financial condition of the Company. To date, we have not considered any adjustment to be necessary based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

·because the joint venture partner of Longmen Joint Venture is a state-owned enterprise with an excellent credit history, PRC banks grant similar credit treatment to Longmen Joint Venture in terms of credit availability
·the current average borrowing rate of enterprises in the steel industry in the PRC is similar to this borrowing rate
·the current new/renewal borrowing rates of the Company’s bank loans are similar to prior periods
·the People’s Bank of China has not recently adjusted any borrowing rate
·PRC bank interest rates are not industry specific. The downtrend in the steel industry did not materially impact the bank borrowing rates for steel companies
·the bank interest rates are assessed by each individual bank and governed by the Chinese banking regulatory bodies. Reports from credit rating research firms are not commonly used by PRC banks

The projected profits/losses in Longmen Joint Venture are based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

 

 ·projected selling units and growth in the steel market;
 ·projected unit selling price in the steel market;
 ·projected unit purchase cost in the coal and iron ore markets;
 ·selling and general and administrative expenses to be in line with the growth in the steel market;
 ·projected bank borrowing;
 ·interest rate index;
 ·gross nationnational product index;
 ·industry index; and
 ·government policy.

 

Income Taxes

 

We did not conduct any business and did not maintain any branch office in the United States during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013. Therefore, no provision for withholding of U.S. federal or state income taxes has been made. The tax impact from undistributed earnings from overseas subsidiaries is not recognized as there is no intention for future repatriation of these earnings.

 

General Steel (China) is located in Tianjin CostalCoastal Economic Development Zone and is subject to an income tax rate of 25%.

 

Longmen Joint Venture is located in the Mid-West Region of China. It qualifies for the “Go-West” tax rate of 15% promulgated by the government. In 2010, the central government announced that the “Go-West” tax initiative was extended for 10 years, and thus, the preferential tax rate of 15% will be in effect until 2020. This special tax treatment will be evaluated on a year-to-year basis by the local tax bureau.

 

Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture is located in Inner Mongolia autonomous region and is subject to an income tax rate of 25%.

 

Maoming Hengda is located in Guangdong Province and is subject to an income tax rate of 25%.

Capital lease obligations

 

Iron and steel production facilities

 

On April 29, 2011, we, along with Longmen Joint Venture entered into a Unified Management Agreement with Shaanxi Steel and Shaanxi Coal under which Longmen Joint Venture uses the new iron and steel making facilities constructed by Shaanxi Steel, including one sintering machine, two converters, two blast furnaces and other auxiliary systems constructed by Shaanxi Steel.systems. As the 20-year term of the agreement exceeds 75% of the assets’ useful lives, this arrangement is accounted for as a capital lease. The ongoing lease payments are comprised of two elements: (1) a monthly payment of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million), based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the new iron and steel making facilities, of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million) to be paid over the term of the Unified Management Agreement of 20 years; and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. The profit sharing component does not meet the definition of contingent rent because it is based on future revenue and iswas therefore considered part of the minimum lease payment for purposes of determining the value of the leased asset and obligation at the inception of the lease, however, thelease. The initial lease liability is thenwas reduced by the initial fair value of the profit sharing component which, as discussed above, is recognized as a separate derivative instrument financial liability carried at fair value. See Note 16 – “Profit sharing liability” in the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Energy-saving equipment

 

During 2013, our subsidiary, Longmen Joint Venture entered into capital lease agreements for energy-saving equipment to be installed throughout the production chain. Under these agreements, Longmen Joint Venture uses the energy-saving equipment for which the vendors are responsible for the design, purchase, installation, and on-site testing, as well as the ownership rights to the equipment during the lease periods. The lease periods, which vary between four to six years, begin upon the completion of the equipment installation, testing, and the issuance of the energy-saving rate reports to be agreed upon by both the vendors and Longmen Joint Venture. As the ownership rights of the equipment transfer to Longmen Joint Venture at the end of the lease periods, these agreements are accounted for as capital leases.

 

The minimum lease payments are based on the energy cost saved during the lease periods, which is determined by the estimated annual equipment operating hours per the lease agreements. If the actual annual equipment operating hours are less than the estimated amount, the lease periods may be extended, subject to further negotiation and agreement between us and the vendors. If the actual annual equipment operating hours exceed the estimated amount, we are obligated to pay themake additional lease paymentpayments based on the additional energy cost saved during the lease period and recognize the additional lease payments as contingent rent expense. For the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013, no contingent rent expense haswas incurred under these lease agreements.

Profit sharing liability

 

The profit sharing liability component of the capital lease obligation was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at the lease commencement date and included in the initial measurement and recognition of the capital lease, in addition to the fixed payment component of the minimum lease payments. The profit sharing liability is accounted for separately from the fixed portion of the capital lease obligation (see Note 15 - “Capital lease obligation” in the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements) and is accounted for as a derivative instrument in accordance with ASC 815-10-15-83. The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability is reassessed at the end of each reporting period, with any change in fair value charged or credited to income as “Change in Fair Value of Profit Sharing Liability”. See Note 2(h) – “Financial instruments” and Note 16 – “Profit sharing liability” in the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for details.

 

Payments to Shaanxi Steel for the profit sharing liability are not required until net cumulative profits are achieved. Based on the performance of the Asset Pool, no profit sharing payment was made during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2014 and 2013.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-08,Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations should be presented as discontinued operations. The new guidance also requires disclosure of the pre-tax income attributable to a disposal of a significant part of an organization that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The amendments in the ASU are effective in the first quarter of 2015 for public organizations with calendar year ends. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a significant impact on the our financial position and results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09,Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Topic 606. This Update affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets, unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards. The guidance in this Update supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605,Revenue Recognition and most industry-specific guidance. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to illustrate the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.The new guidance also includes a cohesive set of disclosure requirements that will provide users of financial statements with comprehensive information about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from a reporting organization’s contracts with customers.This ASU is effective retrospectively for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2016 for public companies and 2017 for non-public entities. Management is evaluating the effect, if any, on our financial position and results of operations.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Our Company, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as of March 31,June 30, 2014. Our Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are designed: (i) to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submitssubmit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms; and (ii) to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

BasedAs a result of comments received from the Staff of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission following the Staff’s review of certain of our prior quarterly and annual reports, and based on their evaluations,subsequent communications between the Staff of the Commission and us, we concluded that the classification, display and disclosure of our profit sharing liability (which is accounted for at fair value as a derivative instrument liability) had been incomplete and inconsistent. As a result, we have restated our financial statements and related disclosures for each of the reporting periods from the period ended June 30, 2011 to the period ended March 31, 2014. The restatements are set out in our Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2013 and Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. Although the restatements did not result in any restatement of the reported balance sheets nor adjustment of reported net income for any period presented, because of the restatement, management concluded that the restatements resulted from control deficiencies that represent a material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures.

As a result of such material weakness, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of March 31,June 30, 2014.

Despite the existence of the material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures, we believe that the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-Q present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and comprehensive income (loss) and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

Remediation

Our management has dedicated significant resources to correcting the control deficiencies and to ensuring that we take proper steps to improve our internal control over financial reporting in the area of financial statement disclosures.

We have taken a number of remediation actions that we believe will improve the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting including the following:

·We have engaged an outside professional consulting firm to supplement our efforts to improve our internal control over financial reporting;

·We have engaged and will continue to engage accounting experts to review complex accounting transactions and our financial statement disclosures related to such transactions.

Management believes the foregoing efforts will effectively remediate the material weakness described above.

 

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

 

Except as otherwise noted above, there has not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

55

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

From time to time, we are subject to certain legal proceedings, claims and disputes that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Although we cannot predict the outcomes of these legal proceedings, we do not believe these actions, in the aggregate, will have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity. We are currently not a party to any material legal proceedings.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

To our knowledge and to the extent additional factual information disclosed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relates to such risk factors, there have been no other changes in the risk factors described in “ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on March 27,August 19, 2014.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

On February 3, 2014, in connection with two services agreements relating to investor relations and consulting services, both dated as of January 14, 2014, we issued 80,000 shares of common stock. The total cost of the stock issuance was $80,800. We basedThe shares were valued at $1.01 per share, the quoted market price for our common shares onat the date theytime the services were granted, which was $1.01 per share.provided. The recipients are accredited investors and the issuances are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) in reliance on an exemption from registration provided pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.

 

ITEM 3. DEFAULT UPON SENIOR SECURIITES

Not Applicable.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not Applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

Not Applicable.

5662
 

  

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

3.1Articles of Incorporation of General Steel Holdings, Inc. (included as Exhibit 3.1 to the Form SB-2 filed with the Commission on June 6, 2003 and incorporated herein by reference).

3.2Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated February 22, 2005 (included as Exhibit 3.2 to the Form 10-K filed March 16, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference).

3.3Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated November 14, 2007 (included as Exhibit 3.3 to the Form 10-K filed March 16, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference).

3.4Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred Stock of the registrant (included as Exhibit 10.6 to the Form 10-K filed June 30, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference).

3.5Bylaws of General Steel Holdings, Inc. (included as Exhibit 3.5 to the Form 10-K filed March 16, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference).

31.1*Certification of the CEO (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as filed herewith.

31.2*Certification of the CFO (Principal Financial Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as filed herewith.

32.1*Certification of the CEO (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as filed herewith.

32.2*

32.2*

Certification of the CFO (Principal Financial Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as filed herewith.

 

101.INS*** XBRL Instance Document
   
101.SCH*** XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
   
101.CAL*** XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
   
101.DEF*** XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
   
101.LAB*** XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
   
101.PRE*** XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

***

XBRL (Extensive Business Reporting Language) information is furnished and not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

 

*Filed herewith.

*Filed herewith.  

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 General Steel Holdings, Inc.
  
Date: May 15,August 19, 2014By: /s/ Zuosheng Yu
 Zuosheng Yu
 Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
  
Date: May 15,August 19, 2014By: /s/ John Chen
 John Chen
 Director and Chief Financial Officer

  

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