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China GengSheng Minerals Acquires Minority Interest in Yili Yiqiang Silicon Company

2011-04-07 20:07 2506

Strategic Investment to Improve GengSheng's Access to Raw Materials Used in Fine Precision Abrasives Production


GONGYI, China, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. (AMEX:CHGS), a leading China-based high-tech industrial materials manufacturer producing heat resistant, energy efficient materials for a variety of industrial applications, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 24.5% ownership in the Yili Yiqiang Silicon Company (Yili Yiqiang) for RMB 15 million (approximately US$2.3 million). Yili Yiqiang is a manufacturer of green silicon carbide ("SiC"), which is the primary material used in the production of GengSheng's fine precision abrasive products.

The Company funded this investment through a combination of cash from operations and domestic commercial bank loans. It is expected to close by April 10th, 2011.

"Acquiring a minority stake in Yili Yiqiang enhances our emerging fine precision abrasives products and furthers our strategy to increase our sales and margins in this segments of our business," said Mr. Shunqing Zhang, China GengSheng's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, "With raw material costs high and continuing to rise as a result of tight capacity, our ability to improve the sourcing of high-quality, cost-effective green SiC was crucial to our success in this market. In addition to cost savings, we believe this investment will allow us greater control over the raw material production process, further improving the quality of the green SiC that Yili Yiqiang manufactures."

Yili Yiqiang, located in Yili, Xinjiang Province in China, one of the region's leading producers of high-quality green SiC, with average purity of 98.8%. Yili Yiqiang has green SiC reserves of approximately six million metric tons, and current annual production capacity of approximately 16,000 metric tons. Yili Yiqiang expects 2011 revenue of approximately $24 million, based on current production capacity and an average green SiC price of $1,500 per metric ton.

Through this investment, Yili Yiqiang has granted GengSheng right of first refusal on its production output, ensuring consistent, low-cost supply of the principal raw material used in the manufacture of fine precision abrasives.

Mr. Zhang continued, "As one of the safest clean energy technologies, the solar industry is experiencing tremendous growth, which is creating a sizeable market opportunity for fine precision abrasive products. Having launched this product line in third quarter of 2010, we believe that we can grow sales and expand margins by improving overall manufacturing efficiency and continued effective product marketing. With these key objectives in mind and our minority position in Yili Yigiang, we expect that our fine precision abrasives products will contribute to profitability and top-line growth in 2011."

About China GengSheng Minerals, Inc.

China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. ("GengSheng") develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of high-tech industrial material products, including monolithic refractories, industrial ceramics, fracture proppants and fine precision abrasives. A market leader offering customized solutions, GengSheng sells its products primarily to the iron and steel industry as heat-resistant components for steel-making furnaces, industrial kilns and other high-temperature vessels to guarantee and improve the productivity of those expensive pieces of equipment, while reducing their consumption of energy. Founded in 1986 and based in China's Henan province, GengSheng currently has over 200 customers in the iron, steel, oil, glass, cement, aluminum and chemical businesses located in China and other countries. GengSheng conducts business through GengSheng International Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company, and its Chinese subsidiaries, which are Henan GengSheng Refractories Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou Duesail Fracture Proppant Co., Ltd., Henan GengSheng Micronized Powder Materials Co., Ltd, Guizhou SouthEast Prefecture Co., Ltd., GengSheng New Materials Co., Ltd, and Henan GengSheng High Temperature Materials Co., Ltd.

For more information about the Company, please visit http://www.gengsheng.com .

To be added to the Company's email distribution for future press releases, please send your request to gengsheng@tpg-ir.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of China GengSheng Minerals, Inc., and its subsidiary companies. All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company's ability to meet its projected output for the term of the supply contract; the general ability of the Company to achieve its commercial objectives; the business strategy, plans and objectives of the Company and its subsidiaries; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

For more information, please contact:

 

 

In the US:

 

 

The Piacente Group, Inc.

 

 

Investor Relations

 

 

Brandi Floberg or Lee Roth

 

 

Tel:     +1-212-481-2050

 

 

Email: gengsheng@tpg-ir.com

 

 

 

 

In China:

 

 

The Piacente Group, Inc.

 

 

Investor Relations

 

 

Wendy Sun

 

 

Tel:     +86-10-6590-7991

 

 

Email: gengsheng@tpg-ir.com

 

 

 

 

China GengSheng Minerals, Inc.      

 

 

Investor Relations      

 

 

Mr. Shuai Zhang

 

 

Email: gszs@gengsheng.com

 

 

Tel:     +86-135-2551-0415

 

 

 

 

 
Source: China GengSheng Minerals, Inc.
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