Professional Documents
Culture Documents
December 2008
PART 3: INDIA 5
PART 4: PORTFOLIO
INVESTMENTS 10
LOGISTICS PARKS 16
CONTAINER LOGISTICS 21
OFFICE DEVELOPMENT 31
APPENDIX 1: EREDENE
MANAGEMENT 39
APPENDIX 2: PARTNERS IN
INDIA 40
APPENDIX 3: BUILDING
METHOD 42
Index: AIM
Sector: Infrastructure
Key points
Eredene has now invested or committed more than 90% of its available funds into
nine individual projects, of which three are revenue producing and a fourth on the
verge of it. Three are follow-on investments with existing partners: the company’s Major Shareholders
local partners and connections are key factors. Shares (m) %
Caledonia & Cayzer 60.9 24.9
Trust combined
Third Party Logistics (‘3PL’)
Ruffer LLP 51.3 21.0
3PL is in its infancy in India. MJ Logistic is building a three centre development to Henderson Global 28.4 11.6
Investors
serve a pressing need in Delhi and the northern region of India.
Rebelco S.A. 25.0 10.2
Ornaisons Foundation 20.2 8.3
Logistics Parks
GLG Partners LP 11.4 4.6
Eredene’s first JV with Apeejay Surrendra serves the new commercial and
industrial hub in Haldia, close to Haldia port and to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
Apeejay Surrendra have committed to a similar venture with Eredene in Orissa.
Container logistics
Initially, two smaller container freight station (‘CFS’) projects to serve container
traffic: growth in general cargo is compounded by transfer of cargo to the
container concept. These have been followed on by two larger investments with
the same partners, one a CFS and the other an inland container depot (‘ICD’).
Urban development
Eredene’s planned development of up to 185,000 homes outside Mumbai
addresses a large gap in the market. We estimate value of £45m against a Eredene is quoted on AIM
planned equity investment of only £16.4m. In addition, the company is investing and investors should be
in high end dedicated IT office space in Bangalore and Chennai. aware that shares traded
on AIM are subject to
Fair value lighter due diligence than
Three of the earliest investments give us sufficient confidence to assign a value shares quoted on the
other than cost. The largest and the smallest are the top performers. The largest, main market and are
the low income residential project, has a major effect on our fair value calculation, therefore more likely to
which we set at 37.5p per share, against the present price of 10.0p. carry a higher degree of
risk than main market
Figure 1: Price performance
companies.
25
20
pence
15
10
5 Equity Development contact
Nov-07 Feb-08 May-08 Aug-08 Nov-08
Andy Edmond
www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
The company had as its objective the building of a portfolio of real estate
projects, but has since modified this to concentrate on infrastructure investments,
with a particular emphasis on distribution logistics. In the first half of 2007, as
part of this decision, the arrangement with the investment advisors (Saffron
Group) was terminated, Eredene became a self-managed investment company
and the first three real estate developments were sold.
Two of these are urban and office developments, but very different from the kind
of real estate originally targeted by the company: Matheran is a residential
development serving lower income groups in the Mumbai/Pune region, while
Symcon is developing dedicated IT infrastructure offices in the high-tech
Bangalore/Chennai region. Both fit into the concept of basic infrastructure
investments.
1
We use the term ‘committed’ to describe future planned investment, rather than that
which has been legally contracted.
2 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
The interests of Eredene and the new fund are therefore aligned: the new fund
will benefit from the widespread connections, experience and knowledge built up
by Eredene, and Eredene will share in its success. We have not taken any of this
into account when assessing the company.
Corporate structure
Eredene is designed to be tax-efficient. The quoted company, Eredene Capital
PLC, is registered in the UK. Its investments, however, are held through holding
companies in Mauritius, which has a double tax agreement with India, and has
become a channel for foreign direct investment into that country.
India partners
As in many other economic environments, direct investment in India would be ill
advised without local partners. Local knowledge and connections are vital.
Eredene representation
Eredene Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (‘EIPL’) has been established in Mumbai to act as
Eredene’s investment advisor in India. EIPL is a company owned by Nikhil Naik2
who, with the support of fellow-director Jose Mathew3 and a small team in
Mumbai, acts in an advisory capacity. Nikhil Naik is also a non-executive director
of Eredene Capital.
EIPL’s remit is actively to monitor investments, for the sourcing, assessment and
transaction of potential investments, and for financial and operating reporting to
Eredene in London. This role is backed up by frequent visits by senior Eredene
management to India. EIPL is funded by fees charged to the relevant Mauritius
holding companies.
2
See Appendix 1 of this report
3
See Appendix 2 of this report
www.equity-development.co.uk 3
Eredene Capital
Eredene from Apeejay’s position and widespread connections in West Bengal and
the Eastern states of India and Apeejay from Eredene’s expertise and connections
in distribution logistics.
Eredene has the exclusive right of first refusal on projects proposed by Apeejay in
nine states of eastern India.
ED estimates
Assumptions underlying these figures are set out in the coverage in this report of
the individual investments.
4 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
PART 3: INDIA
Figure 2: Investment Locations
The country is diverse in terms of religion – although Hindus account for about
80% of the population, the country supports all major world religions, and many
minor ones.
Equally diverse is language. India’s banknotes list 15 official languages, but in fact
the list extends to 22, not counting the many sub-divisions of Hindi.
At the national level Hindi (spoken by 41% of the population) is the main official
language. English occupies a special position, being the second official language
at the federal level, and the sole one used in the Supreme Court. Its status is
fiercely guarded by non-Hindi speaking states5, and it is more widely spoken than
Hindi.
4
Estimate by the US Central Intelligence Agency
5
An attempt in 1964 to provide for the cessation of the use of English was strongly
opposed by non-Hindi speakers, in some cases violently. The Official Languages Act,
1963, was subsequently amended to ensure that the use of English would not be ended
until a resolution was passed by each individual non-Hindi state and by both houses of
the federal legislature.
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Eredene Capital
India boasts the largest English speaking population in the world. Of its
1.15bn people, some 50% speak the English language, which is the lingua franca
of the modern business world.
Economy
Using purchasing power exchange rates (‘PPP’), India ranks as the world’s fourth
largest economy after the USA, China and Japan6. The economy has been moving
up the scale from under-developed to developing to developed, with GDP growing
at an average 8.8% pa over the last four years, although slowing slightly to 8.1%
in Q2 20087.
This growth has been led by services (10%+ pa): although manufacturing
industry has held its own at about 8% pa, other sectors, notably agriculture, have
lagged behind. There has thus been a direct shift from agriculture to services,
services going from 46% of GDP in 1990 to 56% in 2003, and agriculture
declining from 32% to 22%8. By now (2008) the service element must be even
higher and agriculture lower.
But will it stop the growth or, worse still, send the economy into reverse? India
will certainly be affected, but perhaps to a lesser extent than China, which is
heavily dependent on export-led manufactured goods and on foreign direct
investment (‘FDI’) – although FDI into India has grown substantially in the last
two years, from US$8.9bn in 2005/06 to US$32.5bn in 2007/089.
Infrastructure
India’s economic growth, although impressive, has lagged well behind that of
China. It can be argued, with justification, that a major reason for this has been
chronic lack of investment, particularly in the crucially important infrastructure of
the country.
Distribution problems have been characterised by port congestion and a poor road
network. These problems have been addressed by government action to free up
the port system to private enterprise and foreign investment, and by a major
programme of roadbuilding. The ‘Golden Quadrilateral’, a 6,500km system of
4/6/8 lane highways connecting the cities of Delhi, Mumbai (formerly Bombay),
Chennai (Madras) and Kolkata (Calcutta), is the prime example of this. It is now
largely complete.
6
Source: ‘China and India: the Reality Beyond the Hype’, by Deloitte Research
7
Source: Reuters, 29 August 2008
8
Source: Reserve Bank of India
9
Source: ‘India’s International Trade and Investment’, Export-Import Bank of India
6 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
MJLSL
It has been not uncommon for a cargo which has taken six days from Singapore
to Mumbai to sit awaiting unloading for up to 30 days: in many ports there is a
shortage of container freight stations (‘CFS’) to ease this congestion. Equally,
India was slow to move to containerisation.
Logistics
The cost of logistics in India is 13% of GDP, which is high by international
standards and certainly high in comparison with developed countries. The key is
outsourcing, which in India is very low:
www.equity-development.co.uk 7
Eredene Capital
The full implementation of uniform VAT in 2009 and the abolition of central sales
tax (removing tax barriers to efficient operations) are key components in the
drive for change. As a consequence, logistics costs as a proportion of GDP should
decline.
The prime target is domestic logistics, and a shift in the emphasis from
distribution to the second layer (distributors) direct to the retail customer. All
existing independent distribution is to the second layer, but this is expected to
change, with ownership of goods transferring directly from the importer (or
domestic manufacturer) to the retailer, and ‘just-in-time’ completion becoming
important. IT control and tracking of goods in transit are vital components in the
services offered in support of this.
Two-thirds of the slums were built on land owned by governmental bodies: most
are controlled by private landlords with no interest in maintaining properties or
providing proper infrastructure. Only 15% of these households have drinking
water, electricity and lavatories. With continuing population drift from rural areas
to the cities these problems can be expected to grow rather than diminish.
8 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Most developments in India are aimed at the middle to upper income brackets –
for example, the DLF Group, one of India’s largest developers, concentrates solely
on these with its housing, hotel and shopping mall developments. Unitech Group
is similar in its objectives.
There are some historic reasons for this. Credit risk for lending institutions is a
major one – lower income people probably have no pay slips or tax returns, and
find it difficult to provide evidence of a regular income source. Government
pressure, however, has led to initiatives by the lenders, and this is not now as
great a problem as it was.
So the banks are eager to lend, but they face another problem, which is finding
enough mortgageable properties. Most property (especially urban) lacks clear
land title.
www.equity-development.co.uk 9
Eredene Capital
Company Data
Modern 3PL operations provide outsourcing facilities for practically any operational
function other than the manufacture and sale of goods. Specifically, they cover
the following spheres of activity:
10 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Company, ED
MJ Logistic
Table 6: Eredene investment in MJLSL
Investment
INR m £m*
Invested to date 632 7.9
Committed 248 3.1
880 11.0
Company Data
Business plan
MJLSL is building on its existing successful business by constructing a complex of
three new logistics centres, designed with the latest handling technologies and IT
systems.
The complex will consist of a ‘hub’ and two ‘spokes’ serving North India, centred
on National Capital Region Delhi (‘NCR Delhi’). Each logistics centre will have two
www.equity-development.co.uk 11
Eredene Capital
warehouses, one for dry storage and the other for temperature controlled cargoes
(00 to +100). All three sites will offer:
The hub and spokes provide similar services, but have important differences in
their purpose. Because of this they vary in size, with the hub accounting for about
50% of total capacity.
Cold storage is very significant. With different stacking requirements and higher
value, it is expected to account for about 50% of gross revenue at full operation.
MJLSL
Site locations
The following map shows the locations of the hub and spokes in Northern India:
MJLSL
12 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
The two spokes are located in rapidly developing industrial areas. They will take in
raw materials and finished and part finished goods: some will be distributed back
to the areas from which they came in the first place for further processing: others
will be distributed further into local areas, or sent on to the hub at Faridabad for
storage and distribution further into North India or elsewhere.
The hub at Faridabad is an essential part of the operation, and the key to
widespread distribution – some cargoes from there will go to the spoke, others
into the metropolitan district of New Delhi, some elsewhere in India. Spokes are
basically local: the hub is general.
MJLSL
The hub will be built on a 15 acre site located next to the National Highway 2, on
the Golden Quadrilateral Expressway project, which will connect all four regions of
India. It is located south of Faridabad, and is 60km south of Delhi, within a 15km
radius of three CFS/ICD operations: two major automobile manufacturing hubs
are within two hours driving distance; and it will serve NCR Delhi, which is the
largest FMCG and retail market in India.
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Eredene Capital
Spokes
The spoke at Uttaranchal will be on an eight acre site in the Haridwar Industrial
Area approximately 220km from Delhi: the spoke in Punjab is five acres in area,
but agreement has not yet been reached on its acquisition.
Both sites are in fast growing industrial areas producing processed foods,
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, general FMCG and also automobile components.
Markets
Existing clients will be offered additional services, moving the business up the
value chain. In addition MJLSL will:
z Tap the automobile (tier 1 and tier 2 component manufacturers) and retail
(brand franchisees) markets by offering a single point solution across North
India.
z Dealing with the raw material suppliers and finished goods vendors of existing
clients. A pilot scheme has already been started for feeding raw materials to
the ITC plant in Haridwar in Uttaranchal, and returning the finished products to
Delhi.
z The spokes in Uttaranchal and Punjab will provide proximity value added
services such as just-in-time and vendor managed inventory.
Timescale
The first part of the project, the hub at Palwal, is well under construction, the
foundations and footings having been completed by the end of October. Other
milestones are:
14 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
There will be three zones, Ambient 1, Ambient 2 and Cold Store. The site is
expected to begin trading towards the end of January on a phased basis, Ambient
1 (220,000 sq ft) to be followed by Ambient 2 and then by Cold Store, with the
whole site up and running within 30-40 days.
Construction of the spoke at Uttaranchal should begin at the end of Q2 2009 and
that at Punjab in Q3.
It should be noted that the concept is scalable, in two ways. The MJLSL
management believes that a single hub can support 6-8 spokes; while the concept
www.equity-development.co.uk 15
Eredene Capital
can also be transferred to other major centres within India, e.g. to Mumbai,
Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore etc. We have not factored this into our view.
ED estimates
Our NPV numbers suggest a value of £14.4m for Eredene’s 74% share at a
discount rate of 12%. Applying earnings multiples in current market conditions is
a hazardous exercise, but the table above tends to support our NPV figure.
LOGISTICS PARKS
A logistics park is normally located in a ‘hub’ area close to road, rail and sea
arteries, and adjacent to or within an industrial area.
It brings together in one place warehousing (and 3PL), cold store, transportation
and office facilities, and may include hotels, retail, light industry and residential
development.
Some of these facilities may be owned and operated by the developer, but at
least a proportion will also normally be leased to third parties. A park should,
however, be managed centrally.
Development of logistics parks in India has only begun in recent years, often
fuelled by FDI. One recent example of this is the Tata project to develop seven
parks at major centres throughout the country in a 50/50 joint venture with the
Dubai based Jafza International. An offshore fund of US$750m is being raised for
the purpose. Tata envisages a second phase of 15-20 similar projects.
16 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Company Data
Business plan
Construction has not yet started, but should begin in late Q4 2008, with first
revenues in 2009. The 90 acres of land for the project has already been
specifically zoned for industrial use by the Haldia Development Authority and
lease acquisition is complete.
The plan envisages a total of about 2m sq ft, of which 70-75% will be developed,
owned and operated by the JV, Apeejay Infralogistics, and the remainder
(principally hotels) by third parties:
Apeejay Infralogistics
www.equity-development.co.uk 17
Eredene Capital
Construction
Retail 54.6 0.7 24.1 0.3 26.6 0.4 105.3 1.4
Offices 54.7 0.7 96.4 1.3 106.3 1.4 257.4 3.5
Warehousing & storage 218.1 2.9 241.0 3.3 265.7 3.6 724.8 9.8
Transport & logistics 8.2 0.1 9.0 0.1 10.0 0.1 27.2 0.4
Common/public facilities 50.2 0.7 55.4 0.7 61.1 0.8 166.7 2.2
385.7 5.2 426.0 5.7 469.6 6.3 1,281.4 17.3
Total capex 801.1 10.8 566.4 7.6 624.4 8.4 1,991.9 26.9
Apeejay Infralogistics
Site location
The site is about 7km from the port of Haldia. Haldia itself is located 90 km
downstream from Kolkata (Calcutta) where the Haldi and Hooghly rivers meet.
Haldia is the fifth largest port in India. It is also a major petrochemicals centre
with an oil refinery, fertiliser facilities, manufacturing plants and various light
industries, with companies such as Indian Oil Corporation, Tata Chemicals, Haldia
Petrochemicals and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.
The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (“WBIDC”) and the Haldia
Authority are keen to promote investment. The WBIDC and Tata Steel have
formed a JV to build a coking plant for the production of 800,000 tonnes of coke
per annum, and the WBIDC has also recently proposed a ‘Mega Chemical
Industrial Estate’ on a 10,000 acre site in Haldia.
ED
The logistics park will be located 6km from the NH41, which provides a link to the
NH6 part of the Golden Quadrilateral. The NH41 is planned to be widened soon
from two lanes to four.
Also planned is a bridge over the Hooghly river, which would provide a more
direct connection with Kolkata.
18 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Markets
The new site will be surrounded by industry.
Anecdotal evidence gathered from meetings with some of the large companies in
the immediate vicinity suggests that there is indeed a pent-up demand for the
kind of facilities to be provided by the park.
Inland distribution is a key area of concern for some of the large companies,
which are short on warehousing facilities. Although export business may well be in
bulk, inland distribution frequently is not, because of the fragmentation of Indian
industry and commerce: individual orders are very often of a low ticket nature.
Timescale
Phase 1 will begin in late Q4 2008, and should be ready to start trading in Q3
2009. Phase 2 will follow two years after that, and Phase 3 in a further two years.
These figures are almost certainly conservative, and do not fully reflect the
potential of the project. For the present, we think fair value should be set at
investment cost.
Company Data
www.equity-development.co.uk 19
Eredene Capital
Site acquisition is still under way. We have not visited the site, but we had the
opportunity to discuss it with Eredene’s co-investing principals.
This is the second co-investment with Apeejay Surrendra. The logistics park will
be owned and operated by the same JV as Haldia.
Business plan
The 30 acre park will be the first fully purpose-built transport and warehouse
facility to serve the Kalinganagar region in the state of Orissa in East India.
The park will target inbound and outbound cargo centred around the steel
industry.
Site location
The site is in the village of Khurunti, 129km from the major port of Paradip and
86km from Dhamra, where a new port is due to be ready for commercial
operation in March 2010.
Markets
Kalinganagar is becoming one of the largest steel clusters in India. Steel projects
in the area include:
Other iron and steel producers include Jindal Stainless Steel, Mesco Steel.
The new port at Dhamra will be the deepest in India with a draft of 18m, capable
of berthing super cape size vessels of up to 180,000 DWT. There will be thirteen
berths with an annual capacity of 83m tonnes pa dry bulk, liquid bulk, break bulk
and containerised cargo.
Timescale
Construction has begun and will be in three phases, as in the case of Haldia. The
first phase will be available in 2009 and the final phase completed in 2012/13.
20 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
As in the case of Haldia, these figures are almost certainly conservative. For the
present, we think fair value should be set at investment cost.
CONTAINER LOGISTICS
Eredene has completed two investments in container freight stations (‘CFS’), has
committed to a third, and also to an investment in an inland container depot
(‘ICD’):
It is notable that the two last are follow-on investments with existing partners.
CFS
A CFS, as distinct from an ICD, is generally an off-dock facility close to a port,
helping to de-congest the port by shifting cargo and customs related activities
outside the port itself. It provides facilities for cross-border trade in the close
vicinity of production/consumption centres in its hinterland, with linkages to
gateway ports, shown in the following diagram:
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Eredene Capital
Eredene presentation
Facilities include warehousing, short and long term storage, stuffing and
unloading etc.
ICD
An ICD performs essentially the same functions as a CFS, except that it is located
inland. Whereas a CFS deals with imports and exports at the point of entry/exit to
or from the country, an ICD will mostly deal with internal traffic, and will normally
be located close to a major distribution hub with access to road and rail arterial
systems.
Container traffic
Indian container traffic exhibits strong growth, growth in cargo being compounded
by an increasing share of the total cargo market:
World Bank
Using 2002/03 as a base, the World Bank has forecast an acceleration in this rate
of growth, estimating a compound annual growth rate of 18.3% from the
3.36m TEU shipped in 2002/03 to 20.95m TEU in 2013/14.
22 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Company Data
This is Eredene’s smallest investment, but its most successful to date. Sattva has
now been trading for more than a year, and is well ahead of budget. It is revenue
producing, and profitable.
Business plan
The project was proposed by the Sattva Business Group, which had acquired an
initial 15 acre site at Vichoor, near Chennai (formerly Madras). The site is now 24
acres, with plans to expand this to 30 acres. For information on the Sattva
Business Group, see Appendix 2.
Although Sattva CFS is a relatively small investment for Eredene, the purpose was
to establish a foothold in the Chennai region with an established partner. It is
significant that, after a ‘getting to know’ period, the Sattva Business Group has
committed to another and larger JV with Eredene near Ennore.
Site location
The new CFS is situated at Vichoor, which is about 17km from Chennai and just
12km from Ennore.
It is therefore well placed to attract business from both ports: Chennai is well
established, and is the second largest container port in India after Jawaharlal
Nehru Port Trust (‘JNPT’) in Mumbai. The container terminal is owned and
operated by Dubai Ports World (the former P&O Ports India), handling 800,000
TEUs in 2006.
Markets
Ennore is currently developing its own container terminal, which is expected to
come on line in 2010. The two-berth terminal will be able to handle up to 6m
TEUs pa, which are expected to be incremental to the growing business at
Chennai. Against this, Sattva’s target capacity of 120,000 TEUs by 2015 does not
look ambitious.
Timescale
Development will take place in three phases as container traffic grows. Capacity is
planned to reach 120,000 TEUs by 2015:
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Eredene Capital
Eredene
The first phase is already complete. The CFS became operational in October 2007,
but Eredene’s investment did not begin to have an impact until H1 2008/09.
There are two warehouses of 15,000 sq ft each, running at full capacity, while a
third warehouse of 30,000 sq ft recently became operational. A fourth warehouse
is leased. The owned space is more or less equally divided between dedicated
import and export warehouses and a bonded warehouse.
*Removed from containers and assembled in the yard by Sattva, an added value service.
This resulted in an improvement in EBITDA of 93%, with profit before tax some
14 times greater than budget.
24 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
The second half will benefit from additional capacity. Our estimates are as follows:
ED estimates
ED estimates
The earnings multiple basis is supported by our NPV calculation, and by strong
evidence of trading.
Ennore CFS
Table 21: Eredene investment in Ennore CFS
Investment
INR m £m
Invested to date 168 2.1
Committed* 232 2.9
400 5.0
Company Data
www.equity-development.co.uk 25
Eredene Capital
Business plan
The site will be operated at first as a general warehousing facility to satisfy
existing demand in the Ennore/Chennai area, but will be fully developed as a CFS
in time for the new Ennore Container Terminal, which is scheduled for 2011.
Site location
The site is 18km north of Ennore on a state highway.
Eredene holds 22% of a consortium bidding for the new Ennore Container
Terminal project for a 1,000m terminal. The consortium is one of six selected in a
tender process to submit a formal bid.
Contrans Logistic
Table 22: Eredene investment in Contrans
Investment
INR m £m
Invested to date 232 2.9
Committed* 0 0.0
232 2.9
Company Data
Contrans is promoted by Captains Niroola and Grewal, who (in a model similar to
that at Sattva) operate a CFS at the port of Mundra, also in Gujarat state. It has
been trading since January 2008 (before completion of most of the site facilities).
Business plan
When property purchases are completed, total land will be 182 acres, of which 72
acres will be used by the CFS and 110 acres developed as a Free Trade
Warehousing Zone (‘FTWZ’).
Contrans had 32 acres of land when the investment was made, representing the
promoters’ contribution to equity. Eredene’s total investment of INR233m
(£2.9m) funds further acquisitions of land and development of the CFS, with a
26 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
total project cost of INR395m (£4.9m): this will require debt of INR162m
(£2.0m), with a gearing ratio of 0.41x.
The first phase of investment has been completed, with the construction of two
warehouses, an office building etc:
Warehouse capacity will be up to 1.4m sq ft, which at current rates should bring
in INR360m pa (£4.5m).
If and when developed, the FTWZ will have up to 800,000 sq ft capacity. Current
rental rates should bring in INR35m pa (£0.44m): this implies total potential
revenues to the FTWZ of IR350m pa (£4.4m), about doubling the returns to
Contrans.
An FTWZ is deemed to be foreign territory, all traffic of goods to and from being
considered to be imports/exports. Free foreign exchange transactions are
permitted. In addition, it carries major tax advantages:
z Ten year exemption from income tax at the corporate rate of 33.99%. A
company has the choice of years in which this exemption applies, the only
proviso being that the choice must be in a ‘block’ of ten years.
z Exemption from service tax. Service tax is essentially a tax on turnover, at a
rate of 12.5%, and exemption confers a significant competitive advantage.
Site location
The CFS is in a prime position just 700m from the Pipavav port gates.
Pipavav is the first privately owned port in India, and is of recent vintage, having
begun cargo handling operations in 1996.
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Eredene Capital
The port is well served by rail connections to North and West India, and is well
connected for internal Indian traffic.
Markets
The market at present is mostly for agricultural products for export, other export
products (e.g. stone) having dried up over the last few months. There has been
very little import traffic. CFS operators at the port of Mundra have also seen lower
volumes, although this appears principally to be due to over-expansion by the
operators: traffic there has continued to grow.
The future for the Contrans CFS at Pipavav depends on development of the port
itself, which has suffered some delays due to weather and other factors. However,
dredging is now due to complete by the end of 2009, with a deepening of the port
from 11.5m to 14.5m. This will enable ships to use the port which are currently
subject to long delays due to severe congestion at JNPT.
Timescale
Phase 1 complete. Further development is subject to a decision on the FTWZ,
which will depend on the timing of port growth.
28 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
These figures should be treated with caution. Contrans at present earns INR4,000
per TEU, compared with INR3,000 earned by Sattva Vichoor. It is certainly valid
to assume a differential between Tamil Nadu in the south-east and Gujarat in the
north-west. We are doubtful if such a large differential can, however, be
maintained in the longer term, although it is true that expansion of Pipavav Port
will leave the area under-supplied with CFS facilities. The argument for differential
rates might have more force when applied to the new ICD at Baroda.
ED estimates
Port expansion should bring improvement at the CFS in its wake, while the
development of the FTWZ could add significant value. For the moment we value
Contrans at investment cost.
www.equity-development.co.uk 29
Eredene Capital
Baroda ICD
Table 25: Eredene investment in Baroda ICD
Investment
INR m £m
Invested to date 48 0.6
Committed* 352 4.4
400 5.0
Company Data
Site acquisition is still under way. As this process is sensitive, we have not visited
the site, but we had the opportunity to discuss it with Eredene’s co-investing
principals.
Business plan
The ICD will feed off the ports of Mundra, Pipavav and JNPT (the largest container
port in India), as well as from its position straddling the arterial connections from
North India and the western parts of the country (Mumbai et al).
Site location
Eredene’s partner has already acquired 49 acres of land, and is in negotiation for
a further substantial acreage to bring the total up to 105 acres. Completion of
land buying is expected by March 2009. The site is located near Indore in East
Gujarat.
The area to be occupied by the ICD is long and relatively narrow - 800m wide -
bounded on one side by the NH8 part of the Golden Quadrilateral highway, and on
the other by the main rail route between Delhi and Mumbai, which already carries
the highest freight traffic in India. India Railways plans to develop a dedicated
freight line, to which the ICD should have access.
The side immediately next to the railway line is 2,000m long, which is sufficient to
berth a full length freight train. With access on the other side to the NH8, it will
connect immediately with the two main commercial arterial routes and, we have
been told, will be the only ICD in Eastern Gujarat.
Markets
As above.
Timescale
Development is two years away. First revenues are expected in late 2010, with
the venture moving into profit in 2014.
The ICD will have capacity to handle 100,000 TEU by year five, with plans to raise
this to 180,000 by year ten and 280,000 by year 15. The investment is of a long
term nature.
30 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Contrans
OFFICE DEVELOPMENT
Symcon
Table 28: Symcon
Investment
INR m £m
Invested to date 168 2.1
Committed* 0 0.0
168 2.1
Company Data
www.equity-development.co.uk 31
Eredene Capital
Company Data
Bangalore is the centre of the IT industry in India. The planned office space is
aimed at that market, in which Eredene’s investment partner is heavily involved.
More than 50% of the space in Bangalore has been pre-let to Symcon’s sister
companies in India. Although this gives some comfort in the first phase of
development, we have yet to see the effect of the global economic downturn on
the Indian IT industry and on the outsourcing phenomenon (call centres etc). We
assume a value equal to the investment cost.
Company Data
Eredene’s partner in the project is Joe Silva (Silvex and Sterling Construction) –
see Appendices 1 and 2.
32 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
The project
The development planned by Matheran Realty Pvt Ltd (‘MRPL’) in the Matheran
Hills outside Mumbai is Eredene’s single biggest investment commitment to date,
with a planned project investment of INR2.5bn (£31.5m), of which up to
INR1.3bn (£16.4m) will be provided by Eredene’s equity investment and the
remainder by debt.
The project in its entirety is very large indeed. We estimate that, if carried
through to completion, the project should generate total revenues of INR117bn
(£1.5bn) and free cash flows of INR53.3bn (£700m).
MRPL plans to build 185,000 homes over an eight year timescale, the prime
target market being the seven million lower middle class occupants of the Mumbai
(Bombay) region, who at present live in slums – and their numbers are
increasing. The development could in time house up to one million of these.
Ownership
Ownership of the project is complex. Eredene owns 45% of MRPL and 43.5% of
Alibante which itself owns 42.06% of MRPL. Eredene also separately owns
32.25% of the MRPL subsidiary Gopi Resorts. Gopi Resorts owns and is the
vehicle for development of the first 100 acres to be developed, at Karjat Central.
The following map of the Mumbai Metropolitan region places the locations in
relation to Greater Mumbai and Navi Mumbai (New Bombay):
Company Data
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Eredene Capital
It can be seen that both sites are within easy reach of Mumbai – they are also
within reach of the city of Pune (formerly Poona) to the south-east. Indian
infrastructure is notoriously poor, but is now the subject of major investment. Of
critical importance to both sites is road improvement and the recent extension of
the Mumbai rail system to both Karjat and Khardi, as shown in the following rail
map:
Company data
No housing unit will be more than 5km from a railway station, and most will be
less than 2km. Of greater importance, travel time to Mumbai has now been
reduced typically to 1¼ hours, a critical time period for commuting.
The locality is served by a broad gauge single track line with passing way stops:
Company Data
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Eredene Capital
All long and short distance trains halt at Karjat. Most of the locations are close to
the new Mumbai-Pune expressway, and the growth hubs of Navi Mumbai. The
planned trans-harbour link between Sewri, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai will cut the
distance between the two cities further and offer faster connectivity.
Karjat is a town of more than 200,000 people. New housing policies have
removed many procedural hurdles, facilitating urbanisation. Karjat has
engineering, pharmacy, medical, management, advertising, hospitality colleges,
the Asian Institute of Communication and Research (‘AICAR’) affiliated to the All
India Council for Technical Education (‘AICTE’) and the University of Mumbai, and
also a few other graduation colleges and Oxford Schools (private schools).
A major advantage is that MRPL will be able to deliver clear land title on its
housing units. Lending banks are keen to market the development to their
customers, and have personnel sitting in the Silvex office ready to offer 20-year
mortgages.
The first phase of 100 acres has been named Tanaji Malusare City (‘TMC’).
The initial marketing by Silvex took place in August 2008, off plan. People were
invited to register their interest by filling in a lengthy form requiring all their
personal details, at a cost to them of INR100 (about £1.25, a not inconsiderable
sum in India). They then went into a ballot to go on a waiting list of the first
5,000.
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Eredene Capital
65,000 people applied. The ballot chose 5,000, who were then invited to
proceed to the next stage, which involved paying a deposit of 15% of the
purchase price. 1,050 have done so, a response rate of more than 10%.
The details gathered from the 65,000 applicants is being used to market the
commercial part of the development, which will be a significant part of continuing
revenue and value – about 40% of the total.
Building
TMC is being built to a masterplan produced by SKM (shown below):
Company Data
Using the Sterling method of construction with James Hardie fibre cement boards
(see Appendix 3) it is expected that each block of 57 flats will take three months
from start to being fully fitted out. Very fast.
Building will be on an industrial scale. MRPL estimates that by end March 2009 it
will have between 60 and 70 blocks under construction at any one time – in other
36 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
words, 3,500+ flats. We think this is optimistic, but we have worked out our
numbers on this basis.
This highlights our principal concern about the project as a whole. Silvex and
Sterling Construction appear highly competent, but an operation on such a scale
requires significant organisational and management structure and skills. We are
not yet convinced that there is sufficient management depth to ensure timely and
controlled delivery.
Timescale
MRPL expects the first phase to be complete within 24 months from start.
Acquisition of 137 acres in Karjat township is virtually complete, with 284 acres at
Khardi under negotiation and a further 200 acres possibly available on the same
terms. In addition, there are two parcels of 1,000 acres each, which would bring
MRPL close to its stated target of 2,900 acres.
ED estimates
These numbers must, however, be considered very speculative. They depend on:
z The ability of the management not only to control large scale building, but also
to gear up the rate of production on a constant basis.
z Control of costs, including the cost of land acquisition.
z Sustained demand at MRPL’s selling prices.
z Continuing acquisition of large parcels of land for development.
Our figures suggest an NPV to Eredene of £18m for the first 100 acres at a
discount rate of 12%, which is greater than the total planned investment and the
money already invested (£12.7m to date): further investment depends on land
acquisition.
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Eredene Capital
Chairman (non-executive)
David Coltman has over 40 years of international experience in major and
complex logistics projects, including recently in India. After 14 years at British
Airways (BA), David moved to British Caledonian where he became Chief
Executive. After its acquisition by BA he moved to United Airlines, where from
1995 to 2001 he was Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Officer of the UAL
Corporation, based in Chicago. David is the Chairman of Edinburgh Worldwide
Investment Trust PLC, and the Senior Independent Director of John Menzies PLC,
a leading international logistics company with significant interests in India. David
read Chemical Technology at Edinburgh University.
Chief executive
Alastair King qualified as a solicitor and practised in London and Central Asia
with Baker & McKenzie. From 1999 to 2002, he held several senior positions
within NewMedia SPARK PLC, an early stage technology venture capital investor.
From February 2002, he was Managing Director of Galahad Capital PLC, then an
AIM-quoted cash shell, which completed the acquisition of Shambhala Gold
Limited in December 2003 and changed its name to Galahad Gold PLC. Alastair
King left the board of Galahad Gold in December 2004. He holds an MSc in finance
from London Business School and founded Eredene Capital plc in January 2005.
Alastair King is a part of the executive team and a board member with main
responsibilities including management of the company's investment strategy,
capital raising, and investor relations.
Executive director
Gary Varley is a Chartered Accountant with board level experience in sectors
including private equity and real estate development. He joined
PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1994, where he practised in the firm's audit,
management consultancy and forensic accounting divisions. As well as a number
of board level commercial roles, he was previously a Principal with the AIM quoted
venture capital investor NewMedia SPARK PLC where he sat on the fund's
investment committee. Mr Varley was most recently Finance Director of Nicholas
King Homes PLC, a UK residential property developer. Gary Varley is the Finance
Director and a core member of the executive team with responsibilities including
investment analysis, structuring and execution
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Eredene Capital
Non-executive directors
Sir Christopher Benson has been involved in real estate investment and
development throughout his career. He gained significant development experience
when with Arndale, which was followed by his appointment as Managing Director
of MEPC. He has previously been Chairman of MEPC, Royal and Sun Alliance,
Boots the Chemist, Costain and Albright & Wilson. He was also Chairman of the
London Docklands Development Corporation. Sir Christopher Benson sits on the
audit and remuneration committees.
Nikhil Naik was until March 2006 Regional Director of P&O in India and has a
successful record in sourcing and managing large infrastructure projects
throughout South Asia. An Indian national, Nikhil led P&O's activities in South Asia
for two years. He was an employee of P&O for 10 years during which he held a
number of senior positions, including that of CEO of Mundra International
Container Terminal at Mundra Port, a substantial port operator in Western India.
Nikhil is a core member of the executive team and heads Eredene Capital PLC's
investment analysis and execution advisory teams in India.
Nikhil Naik is not allowed to vote on any investment proposal that he and his
team put forward to the Eredene Board.
Principal
Ranveer Sharma has been with Eredene since 2005 and is a member of the
Investment Committee with investment analysis, execution and monitoring
responsibilities. He has more than ten years experience in Consulting and
Investment roles. Previously, Ranveer worked with Citicorp in New York, Los
Angeles and Mumbai at various Citigroup entities including Citibank and Citigroup
Private Bank on development and implementation of financial services software
solutions. Prior to this, Ranveer worked at ING's Indian arm, ING Vysya Bank,
where his role mainly focused on managing and implementing of bank's IT
platform. Ranveer holds an MBA in Private Equity and Corporate Finance from
London Business School and an MS in Computer Science from Jiwaji University,
Gwalior, India.
Jose Mathew has spent much of his career building ports, container terminals,
and port infrastructure. Prior to joining Eredene he was Director responsible for
the Indian sub-continent at DP World (formerly Dubai Ports which, in 2006,
acquired P&O).
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Eredene Capital
As the Civil Engineer responsible for P&O Ports South Asia and Middle East
Region, Jose also built container terminals at Nhava Sheva, Chennai and Mundra
and directed P&O projects in Pakistan and Iran. He managed a number of
prestigious projects while working with leading consultancy and construction firms
such as Howe (India), Bovis, and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T).
z Real Estate and Hospitality: real estate development in the retail and
hospitality sectors. Developed and manages the Park boutique hotels, located
in Bangalore, Chennai, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Visakhapatnam
z Shipping: Apeejay Shipping Limited is India's largest privately owned
shipping company, with a fleet of modern dry bulk carriers operating
worldwide & in the Indian coastal trade. Total DWT capacity is 0.363m tonnes
with the average age of the fleet under 14 years
z Tea: Apeejay Tea is among the largest producers in India with a workforce of
over 40,000 and 17 estates producing over 21m kilograms of tea from a
plantation area of more than 30,000 acres. In 2005 Typhoo Tea was acquired
from Premier Foods plc for £80m
z Financial Services: Apeejay Insurance Broking Services caters to corporate
and retail segments. The stockbroking and retail finance businesses were sold
to ILFS Investmart India and Société Générale, France in 2006 and 2007
respectively.
MJ Logistic
Anil Arora, founder and MD, transformed his family’s traditional warehousing
business from a landlord-tenant model into a third party logistics (‘3PL’) company.
He built and managed the warehousing and distribution business over the past
twelve years.
40 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
Matheran Realty
Joe Silva is an entrepreneur with a background in Telecoms (as a main
contractor for the construction of telecom towers: in Cal Tiger, the first large scale
ISP in India); and in food manufacture and processing. In the latter capacity he
has built up relationships with the farming communities around Mumbai - through
his company Silvex he has more than 25 years of land and property development
experience in the Mumbai market and is a key agent in the acquisition of the land
MRPL needs for its development.
Mark Taylor (British) has a background in the oil and gas industry, building
refineries and offshore facilities etc. He is chairman of Sterling Construction
Services and developed the proprietary method of construction with James Hardie
fibre cement boards which is used in the Matheran development.
Company Data
The advantages of using James Hardie fibre cement boards are claimed to be:
z The buildings come in kit form, with 2½ and 4 inch thick panels delivered to
site. They can be cut to any shape or size.
z Buildings are cheap and fast to construct, an essential element in completing a
project of the size of Matheran. Essential also is that buildings and groups of
building can be constructed in a modular style, easing construction planning
problems.
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Eredene Capital
z Panels are slotted together on site and, after ducting and wiring, are grouted
with ready-mix cement.
z Finishing is very easy: there is no need for plaster, either exterior or interior,
with normal drying and cracking problems – paint can be applied immediately,
saving time.
z The walls are durable and require little maintenance. Not only that, they have
been tested to withstand repeated hammer blows from 14 lb sledgehammers,
and can withstand bullets (tested by police marksmen using M16s and other
weapons).
z Buildings constructed by this method are very robust: they can be used to
construct buildings four or five storeys high, and are structured to withstand
the typhoons and Pacific Rim earthquakes experienced in the Philippines.
We are told by Mark Taylor that James Hardie approve the construction method –
the first time they have ever done so – and that they are now promoting it
worldwide.
42 www.equity-development.co.uk
Eredene Capital
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