PGI net sales increase 72.3% to $498.0 million in third quarter 2014

Polymer Group, Inc. ("PGI" or the "Company") reported results of operations for the third quarter ended September 27, 2014.

As previously announced, the Company completed the acquisition of Providencia on June 11, 2014 (the "Providencia Acquisition Date"), whereby the Company acquired a 71.25% controlling interest in Providencia. The results of operations of Providencia have been included in the Company's operating results since the Providencia Acquisition Date. In addition, the Company completed the acquisition of Fiberweb on November 15, 2013 (the "Fiberweb Acquisition Date"), whereby Fiberweb became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The results of operations of Fiberweb have been included in the Company's operating results since the Fiberweb Acquisition Date.

In light of the recent acquisition of Providencia, the Company realigned its reportable segments during the third quarter of 2014 to more closely reflect our corporate and business strategies and to promote additional productivity and growth. Reportable segments are now as follows: North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The operations previously reported in the Oriented Polymers segment are now included within the North America segment, along with the operations in Mexico. The Europe and Asia segments remain unchanged. Prior-year information has been updated to conform to the current year presentation.

Third Quarter 2014 Highlights:

• Record Sales and Adjusted EBITDA
  • Net sales for the third quarter of $498.0 million grew 72.3% from a year ago and increased 13.2% from the second quarter of 2014.
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $57.9 million for the third quarter was 64.2% higher than the prior year.
• Continued Momentum in Core Markets, Acquisitions and Growth Initiatives and Investments
  • Fiberweb integration is nearing completion and Providencia integration fully underway. Providencia provided $91.1 million of net sales during the third quarter.
  • Cost optimization initiatives are ahead of schedule and contributing to improved productivity and overall cost position. Annualized integration synergies are now expected to exceed $55 million for both Fiberweb and Providencia.
  • Solid organic growth year-over-year as North America benefited from expansion in hygiene and technical specialties; South America grew hygiene volumes and experienced pricing stability; growth in Europe resulted from improved volumes in wipes and technical specialties combined with productivity improvements; and Asia continued to benefit from strong healthcare volumes.
  • Growth investments continue with significant expansion of Spinlace® technology in Benson, NC, added a new line and an additional 300 million square meters of manufacturing capacity.
• Focus on Operational Excellence and Raw Material Environment
  • Priorities remain on continued integration and growth initiatives combined with productivity improvements and a focus on economic leadership.
  • Raw material costs increased during the quarter compared with the second quarter of 2014, which impacted quarter-over-quarter profit dynamics. Additionally, raw material costs in North America have continued to increase in the fourth quarter.

PGI's Chief Executive Officer, J. Joel Hackney Jr., stated, "PGI delivered a solid third quarter, following a strong second quarter, with record sales as our base business, strategic acquisitions and growth initiatives are continuing to build momentum. Our integration of Fiberweb is nearing completion and our integration of Providencia is fully underway. Both of these acquisitions are resulting in significant financial contributions and growth opportunities for PGI. Continued growth in our base business is also a top priority for our Company and we are very pleased with the benefits from the investment we made in our Waynesboro facility to expand our Spunmelt line for filtration and other technical specialty applications. Additionally, consistent with our strategy to grow by leveraging differentiated technology, and to better serve our global customer base, we recently announced our plans to expand our Spinlace® technology in our Benson, NC, manufacturing facility, which will allow us to continue to lead the specialty materials market. Our focus remains on strategic initiatives that will result in growth in new markets and economic leadership that will result in a safer, cleaner and healthier world."

THIRD QUARTER 2014 RESULTS

Net sales were $498.0 million for the third quarter of 2014 compared with $289.0 million for the third quarter of 2013. The increase in net sales was primarily driven by an increase in overall volumes as well as improved pricing. Net sales in Asia increased 10.5%, driven by a strong healthcare market as well as incremental volume from our new hygiene manufacturing line. In addition, net sales in the South America, Europe and North America increased 177.1%, 85.5% and 56.3%, respectively, as incremental sales from both Fiberweb and Providencia complemented our overall portfolio.

Overall volume growth contributed $205.3 million to net sales compared with the three months ended September 28, 2013. The increase was primarily driven by the contributions of both Fiberweb and Providencia, which represented an incremental $198.4 million of net sales for the current period. Incremental volume growth of $3.2 million in Asia was driven by higher volumes sold in the hygiene and healthcare markets, both of which were supported by our recent capacity expansions. In Europe, increased sales into the technical specialties and wipes product markets increased net sales by $4.0 million. Improvements in the hygiene market provided $0.4 million of incremental volume growth in South America. Volumes decreased slightly by $0.7 million in North America, primarily driven by lower wipes and industrial market sales.

For the three months ended September 27, 2014, net selling prices increased $3.5 million compared with the three months ended September 28, 2013. The pricing increase was primarily driven by product mix movements of $1.4 million in Asia. The increase was a result of a larger proportion of current quarter sales in the healthcare market. Improved pricing of $1.0 million in North America reflects the impacts of pricing initiatives implemented during the year. In addition, we experienced improved pricing of $0.7 million in South America and $0.4 million in Europe. The pricing increase primarily resulted from our passing through higher raw material costs associated with index-based selling agreements and market-based pricing trends.

Gross profit for the three months ended September 27, 2014 was $80.5 million, a $32.3 million increase compared with the three months ended September 28, 2013. The primary driver of the increase related to the contributions from Fiberweb, which represented and incremental $21.6 million for the period, including contributions associated with integration synergies. In addition, contributions from Providencia were $9.0 million, including $1.6 million related to the non-recurring amortization expense of the inventory step-up established as a result of the acquisition as well as the negative impact of start-up inefficiencies in Brazil as certain lines were returning to normal operations during the quarter.

Increases in net sales within each of our geographic regions, primarily in Europe and Asia, further provided incremental gross profit. In addition, the reduction of our labor component of cost of goods sold reflects the positive benefits of our cost reduction initiatives. However, these amounts were partially offset by lower net spreads (the difference between the change in raw material costs and selling prices) of $3.2 million as raw material costs increased, primarily impacting the North America and Asia. Other costs that impacted gross profit include an increase to our overhead component of cost of goods sold, primarily related to manufacturing costs in South America. As a result, gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the three months ended September 27, 2014, including the effects of purchase accounting, decreased slightly to 16.2% from 16.7% for the three months ended September 28, 2013.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 27, 2014 were $65.8 million, a $32.3 million increase compared with the three months ended September 28, 2013. The increase was primarily related to the inclusion of Fiberweb, which added an incremental $15.8 million of costs for the period. In addition, expenses related to our recent acquisition of Providencia added $11.1 million to selling, general and administrative expenses. Other selling general and administrative expenses increased $5.5 million compared with the prior year. Factors that contributed to the increase include higher incentive compensation and Blackstone-related management fees as well as increased selling, marketing and freight expenses. In addition, we incurred higher employee-related expenses and costs related to third-party fees and expenses. As a result, selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 13.2% for the three months ended September 27, 2014 from 11.6% for the three months ended September 28, 2013

Special charges were $14.9 million for the third quarter of 2014 and included $6.9 million related to a non-cash goodwill impairment charge in our South America segment. Other charges include $4.3 million related to professional fees and other transaction costs associated with our acquisition of Providencia as well as $2.6 million of Fiberweb integration costs. In addition, we incurred $1.0 million of restructuring and plant realignment activities primarily associated with the Fiberweb Acquisition. Special charges were $7.1 million for the third quarter of 2013 and included $6.2 million related to professional fees and other transaction costs associated with the acquisition of Fiberweb.

Operating income for the third quarter of 2014 was $2.1 million compared with operating income of $7.0 million in the third quarter of 2013 and a loss of $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2014. The overall decrease in operating income was primarily driven by higher special charges and the impact of purchase accounting adjustments associated with the acquisition of Fiberweb and Providencia.

Interest expense during the quarter was $28.8 million, of which $13.4 million relates to incremental indebtedness used to fund our recent acquisitions. Foreign currency and other, net was an expense of $26.6 million for the quarter. The main driver of the expense related to foreign currency losses on non-operating assets and liabilities, primarily impacting South America and Europe as the US dollar strengthened considerably during the quarter. Other items include $5.9 million attributable to the decline in the fair value of certain currency contracts in place associated with the Providencia Acquisition. In addition, we incurred $5.0 million related to certain changes to our debt structure, which are included within Debt modification and extinguishment costs. Income tax during the quarter was a benefit of $1.1 million and earnings of attributable to noncontrolling interests resulted in a charge of $1.9 million.

As a result of the above, the Company reported a net loss of $55.2 million for the third quarter of 2014 compared with a net loss of $8.3 million for the third quarter of 2013 and a net loss of $16.6 million in the second quarter of 2014. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2014 was $57.9 million compared with $35.3 million for the third quarter of 2013 and $55.3 million for the second quarter of 2014. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined and reconciled to net income below.

NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 RESULTS

Net sales were $1,360.5 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 compared with $867.6 million for the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The increase in net sales was primarily driven by an increase in overall volumes as well as improved pricing and favorable foreign currency impacts of $6.5 million. Net sales in Asia increased 14.4% driven by a strong healthcare market as well as incremental volume from our new hygiene manufacturing line. In addition, net sales in the Europe, South America and North America increased 86.7%, 80.2% and 47.3%, respectively, as incremental sales from both Fiberweb and Providencia complemented our overall portfolio.

Overall volume growth contributed $481.7 million to net sales compared with the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The increase was primarily driven by the contributions of both Fiberweb and Providencia, which represented an incremental $452.7 million of net sales for the current period. Incremental volume growth of $21.0 million in Asia was driven by higher volumes sold in the hygiene and healthcare markets, both of which were supported by our recent capacity expansions. In Europe, increased net sales of $9.2 million reflects improvement in underlying demand across our platform. Improvements in the hygiene market provided $4.2 million of incremental volume growth in South America, while total volumes decreased $5.4 million in North America, primarily driven by lower wipes and industrial market sales as well as the timing of customer orders.

For the nine months ended September 27, 2014, net selling prices increased $4.7 million compared with the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The pricing increase was primarily driven by higher net selling prices of $7.0 million in North America, which reflects the impacts of pricing initiatives implemented during the year. In addition, we experienced pricing improvements in South America of $2.6 million. The pricing increase, which primarily resulted from our passing through higher raw material costs associated with index-based selling agreements and market-based pricing trends, more than offset lower selling prices of $1.3 million in Europe. Product mix movements in Asia impacted net sales by $3.6 million. The decrease was a result of a larger proportion of current-year sales in the hygiene market compared with more prior-year sales in the healthcare market, which have higher average selling prices.

Gross profit for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 was $241.5 million, a $97.1 million increase compared with the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The primary driver of the increase related to the contributions from Fiberweb, which represented an incremental $76.1 million for the period, including contributions associated with integration synergies. In addition, contributions from Providencia were $14.5 million, including $4.9 million related to the non-recurring amortization expense of the inventory step-up established as a result of the acquisition as well as the negative impact of start-up inefficiencies in Brazil as certain lines were returning to normal operations during the third quarter.

Increases in net sales within each of our geographic regions, primarily in Europe and Asia, further provided incremental gross profit. In addition, our reduction of our labor component of cost of goods sold reflects the positive benefits of our cost reduction initiatives. However, these amounts were partially offset by lower net spreads (the difference between the change in raw material costs and selling prices) of $10.3 million as raw material costs increased, primarily impacting the Asia and South America. Other costs that impacted gross profit include an increase to our overhead component of cost of goods sold, primarily related to increased manufacturing costs in South America and increased depreciation in Asia. These amounts were partially offset by improved manufacturing efficiencies in Europe, North America and Asia. As a result, gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the nine months ended September 27, 2014, including the effects of purchase accounting, increased to 17.8% from 16.7% for the nine months ended September 28, 2013.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 were $185.5 million, a $78.3 million increase compared with the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The increase was primarily related to the inclusion of Fiberweb, which added an incremental $54.1 million of costs for the period. In addition, expenses related to our recent acquisition of Providencia added $18.8 million to selling, general and administrative expenses. Other selling general and administrative expenses increased $5.4 million compared with the prior year. Factors that contributed to the increase include higher incentive compensation and Blackstone-related management fees as well as increased selling, marketing and freight expenses. However, these costs were partially offset by a reduction in third-party fees and expenses and lower stock-based compensation expense. As a result, selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 13.6% for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 from 12.4% for the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The nine months ended September 28, 2013 include $5.3 million of expenses related to the announced retirement, and simultaneous appointment of, our Chief Executive Officer position.

Special charges were $47.9 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 and included $19.2 million related to professional fees and other transaction costs associated with our acquisition of Providencia as well as $10.1 million of other costs associated with the integration of Fiberweb. In addition, we incurred $10.1 million of restructuring and plant realignment costs primarily associated with Fiberweb integration activity. Special charges also included $6.9 million related to a non-cash goodwill impairment charge in our South America segment. Special charges were $10.6 million for the nine months ended September 28, 2013 and included $6.2 million related to professional fees and other transaction costs associated with the acquisition of Fiberweb. In addition, we incurred $2.2 million related to our internal redesign and restructuring of global operations initiative and $1.5 million related to restructuring and plant realignment costs.

Operating income for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 was $5.5 million compared with operating income of $24.7 million in the nine months ended September 28, 2013. The overall decrease in operating income was primarily driven by higher special charges and the impacts of purchase accounting adjustments associated with the acquisitions of Fiberweb and Providencia.

Interest expense during the nine months ended September 27, 2014 was $67.6 million, of which $23.8 million relates to incremental indebtedness used to fund our recent acquisitions. Foreign currency and other, net was an expense of $11.6 million during the period. The main driver of the expense related to foreign currency losses on non-operating assets and liabilities, primarily impacting South America and Europe. Other items include $5.9 million attributable to the decline in the fair value of certain currency contracts in place associated with the Providencia Acquisition. These amounts were partially offset by the settlement of a foreign exchange contract associated with the Providencia purchase price. In addition, we incurred $15.7 million related to certain changes to our debt structure, which are included within Debt modification and extinguishment costs. Income tax during the quarter was a benefit of $0.9 million and earnings of attributable to noncontrolling interests resulted in a charge of $4.2 million.

As a result of the above, the Company reported a net loss of $84.4 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 compared with a net loss of $8.3 million for the nine months ended September 28, 2013. Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 was $161.9 million compared with $99.0 million for the nine months ended September 28, 2013. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined and reconciled to net income below.

FINANCIAL METRICS

Net debt (defined as total debt less cash balances) as of September 27, 2014 was $1,308.7 million compared with $810.6 million as of December 28, 2013. Capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 27, 2014 were $53.8 million. Operating working capital (defined as accounts receivable plus inventories less trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities) was $132.9 million as of September 27, 2014, or 6.7% of annualized net sales, compared with $43.2 million as of December 28, 2013, or 2.7% of annualized net sales.