Quarterlytics / Auto - Parts / Surface Transforms Plc / FY2016 Annual Report

Surface Transforms Plc
Annual Report 2016

SCE · LSE
Claim this profile
Ticker SCE
Exchange LSE
Sector
Industry Auto - Parts
Employees 11-50
← All annual reports
FY2016 Annual Report · Surface Transforms Plc
Loading PDF…
Surface Transforms Plc

Registered number 03769702

Annual Report and
Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 May 2016

Contents
for the year ending 31 March 2008

Highlights

Chairman’s Statement

Strategic Report

Directors’ Report

Report on Directors’ Remuneration

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

Independent Auditor’s Report

Statement of Total Comprehensive Income

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Changes in Equity

Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to the Financial Statements

Company Information and Advisers

Notice of Annual General Meeting

2

3

5

9

12

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

37

38

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

1

Highlights
for the year ended 31 May 2015

l

Significant,  and  continuing,  progress  with  automotive  Original  Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) on winning ‘game changer’ contracts, including signing a pre
production contract with a major German automotive OEM.

l Continuing  progress  on  the  aerospace  contract  with  production  still  expected  to

commence in early 2018.

l

l

l

Successful  equity  placing  raised  £5.5m  to  finance  the  Company’s  expansion  plans.
Negotiations  since  completed  on  new  55,000  ft2 factory  in  Knowsley,  Liverpool,
providing sufficient floor space for the production capacity of initially approximately
20,000 discs per annum.

Revenues increased by £0.3m to £1.4m (2015: £1.1m).

Sales to retrofit and near OEM customers increased by 33.3% to £557k (2015: £418k).

l Gross margin percentage increased to 51.6% (2015: 51.1%).

l

l

l

l

EBITDA  (including  tax  credits  and  excluding  share  based  payments)  loss  of  £640k
(2015: loss of £584k).

Increased research costs of £1,254k (2015:£933k).

Loss before taxation of £1,154k (2015: loss of £982k).

Loss per share at 1.44p (2015: loss per share of 1.65p).

l Cash used in operating activities increased by 62.6% to £909k (2015: £559k).

l Cash position as at 31 May 2016 of £4,777k (2015: £829k). 

2

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2

Chairman’s Statement
for the year ended 31 May 2015

The financial year ended 31 May 2016 has been transformative for Surface Transforms,

l

l

l

improvement of the underlying financial performance – offset by increasing research costs;

excellent,  and  continuing,  progress  on  the  “game  changing”  aerospace  and  automotive  OEM  contracts,  including
signing a pre-production contract with an internationally renowned German sports car manufacturer;

completion  of  negotiations  on  a  new  factory  site  together  with  supporting  local  authority  grants  and  interest  free
loans. Orders have been placed, and deposits paid, on the key items of new capital equipment to support an annual
capacity of 20,000 discs which management anticipate would equate to sales of £17m per year and

l

£5.5m placing and open offer which in part will finance this capital equipment.

Sales in the year rose by 28% to £1,362k (2015: £1,066k). This increase was primarily driven by an increase of 55% in sales
to retrofit customers of £384k (2015: £247k) and a one-off increase of £142k in aerospace development revenues.

Whilst the loss for the year after tax rose to £848k (2015: £765k), this was largely attributable to increased research costs
to £1,254k (2015: £933k) to support both the achievement of the German Automotive Industry standard (VDA 6.3) and
the increasing activity on the “game changing” contracts, slightly offset by the subsequent increase in the R&D tax credit
to  £306k  (2015:  £217k),  albeit  this  increase  in  “other  income”  was  less  than  anticipated  as  the  Company  received
approximately £100k less research grants than expected. The gross margin percentage and all other costs were broadly in
line with the previous year.

However at this stage of the Company’s development, the crucial issue is revenue growth. In this regard, the Company is
pursuing both aerospace and automotive customer opportunities.

In aerospace the Company is still expecting to commence series production of a carbon ceramic brake disc package on a
US military aeroplane in early 2018. We expect first financial year (“FY”) revenues of £0.5m and future mature production
sales of £1.3m. Testing has continued throughout the year with all objectives having been met. By contrast there has been
little progress on the civil light aircraft opportunity, solely driven by resource constraints within our customer.

In  the  automotive  market  the  Company  is  pursuing  two  parallel,  complementary  but  in  practice,  different  revenue
strategies:

l

l

in the short term, retrofit and “near OEM’s” are important to both demonstrating real road mileage experience and
reducing “cash burn”. The Company fits retrofit products to road cars already in service replacing both iron discs and
competitor  discs.  “Near  OEMs”  are  defined  as  car  assemblers  who  take  existing  models,  pre-registration  and
customise  them  for  higher  performance  and/or  luxury,  as  well  as  companies  who  build  very  specialist  vehicles.
Individual “near OEM” sales volumes are typically between 10 and 200 cars per year; 

the  longer  term  game  changing  OEM  contracts  on  cars  generally  costing  more  than  £50,000  where  the  model
volumes (on which contracts are based) are typically between 500 and 5,000 cars per year. These potential customers
are typically well known international brands.

In respect of the five main automotive manufacturers the Company is working on or is in discussions with:

OEM 1 (British) Start of production (“SOP”) on this limited edition car had been expected to be in mid-2018, with first
financial  year  (“FY”)  sales  of  £0.8m  and  a  further  £1.2m  in  the  following  FY.  For  reasons  unconnected  with  Surface
Transforms this performance car customer has extended the vehicle freeze date of the first model by six months but has
stated  that  this  will  not  impact  the  SOP  of  the  car.  Self  evidently  any  delay  in  the  SOP  dates  causes  anxiety  about  the
programme itself. At the very least it seems increasingly likely that the SOP will slip by six months and this is now the
Company’s planning assumption. 

OEM 2 (British) SOP is currently scheduled for late 2020 with first FY sales of £0.7m and future mature production sales
of £1.1m. This luxury car company continues to test, however it is a sister company of OEM 3 and is therefore waiting for
the OEM 3 tests to finish before contractually committing to Surface Transforms. Nonetheless the size and weight of this
vehicle is such that the superior heat dissipation characteristic of the Surface Transforms product is particularly relevant.

3

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

3

Chairman’s Statement
for the year ended 31 May 2015

OEM 3 (German) As recently announced, the Company has signed a pre-production technology development agreement
with OEM 3. As part of this process the customer notified the Company that, after achievement of agreed technical and
operational  goals,  they  intend  to  introduce  Surface  Transforms  onto  a  different,  higher  volume,  model  than  previously
discussed. This change of model impacts the forecast sales and cash profile. The SOP is now later than forecast (now
September 2019) but the effect is a higher forecast of sales in FY 2017-18 (higher volume cars need more prototype parts),
lower than forecast sales in 2018-19 (later SOP) but significantly higher sales thereafter. The details of these numbers are
still in discussion but the Company’s planning assumptions now include this change of model. 

The significantly higher volumes of this different model have capacity implications in Q4 2019 that may require further
investment to meet the needs of other customers (above the currently planned total 20,000 p.a. planned disc capacity).
However no decisions on capacity to support other customers will be made without contractual customer commitment
from OEM 3.

The testing process is arduous but progress is in line with management expectations and we expect a final decision, on
this model, at the end of Q1 2017.

OEM 4 (German) SOP is currently scheduled for late 2020 with expected initial FY revenues of £1.8m and future mature
production sales of £3.8m. As previously announced, this is a sister company to OEM 3 and therefore, the current testing
required by OEM 3 should not need to be duplicated. OEM 4 sees all the test data from OEM 3.

It is not clear if the later SOP of OEM 3 will impact OEM 4 but our revised planning assumption is that this could well be
the case.

OEM  5  (German) This  Company  is  a  competitor  to  OEMs  2,  3  and  4.  SOP  is  currently  scheduled  for  mid-2019  with
expected initial FY revenues of £2.5m and future mature production sales of £2.6m. There has been an acceleration of
activity with this customer who is both aware of their competitors’ activities with Surface Transforms and seeking to ensure
they get equality of resource allocation. No new issues have arisen from recent testing.

In support of these anticipated contract wins the Company is in the process of moving from its Ellesmere Port site to a
new facility in Knowsley, Liverpool, and increasing floor space from 12,000 ft2 to 55,000 ft2. This new floor-space has a
footprint  which  could  accommodate  machines  with  a  capacity  for  100,000  discs  per  annum.  The  Company  is  now  in
occupation of this site and the planned move is ahead of schedule. In the period to September 2016 the Company has
also now ordered and paid deposits of £735k on the key items of plant totalling £2.9m which would support a capacity
of 20,000 discs to be located in the new site. Local authority grants and interest free loans to the value of £500k have
been negotiated, to be offset against the capital expenditure; the first instalment of the grant income has been received
in the new financial year.

The German automotive companies have requested that the Company achieve the German automotive quality standard
VDA 6.3 before issuing contracts – this project is well in hand and we expect to achieve this accreditation within the next
six months and in advance of any contract award.

This capacity expansion has been financed by an equity cash raise of £5.5m and a loan to equity conversion of £400k. The
Company would like to thank both existing and new shareholders for their support in this fundraising.

David Bundred
Chairman

7 October 2016

4

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

4

Strategic Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Operational review and principal activity
Surface Transforms is a UK based developer and manufacturer of carbon ceramic products for the brakes market. In these
industries  our  products  are  lightweight,  extremely  durable  and  highly  refined.  They  offer  better  heat  dissipation  and
material  strength;  resulting  in  superior  wear  life,  improved  brake  pad  wear  life  and  weight  reduction  compared  to  our
competitor’s  carbon  ceramic  products  in  the  automotive  industry  and  for  the  aerospace  industry  they  offer  weight
reduction, improved brake performance and superior wear life. 

Our strategy is to firstly manufacture and sell high quality engineered products into the automotive retrofit market and
‘near OEM’ market. Although these markets are relatively small it allows the Company to generate revenues/cash and
importantly reduces the product and supplier risks for the main part of our strategy. The Company’s primary focus is to
work closely with major Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs and introduce our products into these large volume original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs).

The key features of our business model are as follows:

l we engineer, develop and manufacture carbon ceramic brake products, which deliver high technical performance for
the demand in luxury and performance brakes markets, which we estimate to be, ultimately, a £2 billion per annum
market.

l

l

our product technology offers highly desirable technical advantages over our competitors and our process technology
offers a highly competitive low cost manufacturing route making our products price competitive with good margins.

to sell a new disruptive product technology the risks need to be managed. These risks are addressed in partnership
with Tier 1 system suppliers and OEMs and through adoption of our products in the retrofit and niche vehicle car
manufacturers.

l we have an industry recognised high quality product that has been validated by our strategic partners/customers to

support product adoption in the key ‘game changing’ volume markets.

l

our quality management systems follow the automotive and aerospace quality standards (TS16949 and AS9100); and
through continuous improvement we are developing our system to be compliant to the German automotive industry
quality standard (VDA6.3) and;

l we  are  building  a  new  advanced  manufacturing  plant  with  a  capacity  of  approximately  20,000  disc/annum  that

becomes operational during 2018 that will then supply the large volume OEMs.

Our products are protected by a high level of intellectual property through a combination of patents and mainly Company
process knowhow.

Delivering our objectives: 
New product engineering and sales have expanded in the retrofit and niche vehicle markets. We continue to offer retrofit
products for Porsches, Ferraris and Nissan GTR’s. We have added three new kits to our Porsche range, three new kits for
Ferrari 458 and 430 models and our first kit for Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

In addition our tactical objectives relating to the key automotive market differentiators are advancing well:

l

Product – Engineering support to British OEM 1 continues albeit with delays to programme. Refinements have been
introduced to delivery to German OEM 3 environmental requirements. Progress is good and is anticipated to meet the
customer’s requirements during the next financial year.

l Quality – We have maintained our automotive quality standard (TS16949) and aerospace quality standards (A9100)
during the year and are focused on further improving our business and manufacturing systems to comply with the
German automotive industry quality standard (VDA6.3). The Company has invested £200k towards this objective, is
pleased with the progress made and is on track to become compliant within the next 6 months. These activities have
also  begun  to  yield  significant  improvements  in  the  cost  of  manufacturing  non-conformance.  This  has  been  very
encouraging and has also confirmed that further significant improvements can be made during the next 12 months.

5

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

5

Strategic Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

l

Supply chain security and manufacturing capability – Our expansion plans are progressing well with the Company
expecting to move from its current Ellesmere Port location to its new Knowsley factory before the end of 2016. The
new factory has been designed using lean manufacturing techniques and will initially have three manufacturing cells.
A small volume production cell which will continue to support our existing automotive customer and additional ‘near
OEM’ customers. A series production cell which is being designed and built during 2017 and will supply the first large
volume  OEM  customer  model.  An  Aerospace  cell  which  will  supply  our  aerospace  customer  for  their  US  military
aircraft programme. The factory then has the floor space to support a further four similar sized series production cells
to support future demand. In total the three manufacturing cells provide a capacity of 20,000 discs per annum, with
the capability to expand the factory to a capacity of approximately 100,000 discs per annum.

l Cost – our cost reduction programme has now been fully incorporated into the series production cell process and is
expected to achieve the target of reducing the cost to manufacture by over 40%. With the introduction of the series
production cell we will then have completed the cost reduction programme to reduce the cost to manufacture by 
over 50%.

In  terms  of  the  manufacture  and  supply  of  aircraft  brakes  we  continue  our  targeted  strategy  of  working  with  an
international aircraft brake system supplier on an exclusive basis. The two companies have continued to work together
with the aircraft manufacturer and US Military to progress the qualification, certification and approval process. Progress
has been made and is expected to continue during 2017 to commence series production in early 2018. 

There has been a large amount of engineering work completed during the year to support the good progress made for
both the OEM customers and the new factory. The demand for engineering time has increased further particularly in terms
of  the  quality  and  manufacturing  requirements  for  our  automotive  OEM  customers.  As  part  of  the  additional  £200k
investment previously mentioned we are increasing our engineering resources further. The expanded team will ensure the
delivery of:

l

l

The new factory in terms of design and building the manufacturing capability and

Series production manufacturing cell meets our automotive OEM customer requirements, our cost to manufacture
target and supply chain security plan.

By  focusing  the  Company  on  these  key  medium  and  long  term  objectives  the  Company  will  have  the  manufacturing
capacity to produce approximately 20,000 discs per annum.

Financial review
In the year ended 31 May 2016, revenues were £1.4m (2015: £1.1m). Gross margin improved during the year to 51.6%
(2015: 51.1%) due to the sale of more products at a higher gross margin compared to prior year. 

Losses after taxation increased by 10.8% to £848k (2015: £765k) due to additional costs in operational and engineering
staff appropriate to continued investment and lower grant income, while being offset by increases in gross margin and
income tax credit.

At 31 May 2016, inventory was £570k (2015: £317k). This increase was due in part due to an increase of work in progress,
and higher volumes of finished product. 

Net cash used in operating activities increased by 62.6% to £909k from £559k in the prior year, mainly due to increased
losses after tax, offset by R&D tax credit received of £306k.

The Company had a cash balance of £4,777k at 31 May 2016 (2015: £829k).

Loss per share was 1.44 pence (2015: loss 1.65 pence).

6

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

6

Strategic Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Key performance indicators
The Directors continue to monitor the business internally with a number of performance indicators: order intake, sales
output, profitability, supply chain capacity, health and safety, quality and manufacturing cost of automotive discs. A set of
business milestones is also updated and reviewed as part of the monthly board meeting.

The Company produces an annual business plan and full monthly forecasts detailing sales, profitability and cash flow to
help monitor analysis performed above business performance going forward. These are detailed in the Financial Review
above.

Management  meetings  are  held  on  a  weekly  basis,  all  senior  managers  attend  and  discuss  production,  engineering,
financial and quality issues.

Risks and uncertainties 
As in previous years the principal risk faced by the Company is considered to be the speed at which our customers and
potential customers adopt the new carbon ceramic product technology. Indications are that there is a strengthening desire
from  our  strategic  aerospace  partner  and  from  a  number  of  volume  automotive  OEMs  to  incorporate  the  Company’s
product in their respective platforms. This risk is constantly assessed by regular customer review meetings.

The  risks  associated  with  designing  and  building  of  a  new  factory  is  being  managed  by  a  project  team  that  has  the
experience  and  skills  to  deliver  this  type  of  project.  Regular  weekly  and  monthly  reviews  are  held  and  the  project’s
progress is communicated across the entire company on a regular basis. 

In terms of uncertainties, product sales are expected to decline in the race markets but continue to grow in the retrofit and
niche vehicle markets with an increasing number of distributors and niche vehicles. This uncertainty is constantly assessed
by  regular  customer  meetings  and  monitoring  the  level  of  enquiries  and  orders  for  both  the  Company’s  products  and
industry wide. 

In  addition,  the  Company  faces  the  continued  uncertainty  created  by  the  global  economic  and  political  climate.  This
changing landscape is constantly assessed and reviewed by both the management team and the board of directors.

In summary, the Company has seen significant progress in its automotive ‘game changing’ projects and is progressing well
with its expansion plans. Further progress on automotive ‘game changers’ is expected during 2017 and 2018. Please refer
to note 20 for information on financial risk management and exposure.

Directors and staff
We  would  like  to  thank  all  our  colleagues,  management  and  staff  alike,  for  their  hard  work  and  dedication  over  the 
past year.

Outlook
The Company expects sales in the financial year 2016-17 to be flat when compared with FY 2015-16 and to also return to
a historically more typical split between first half-year and second half-year sales than was seen in the current FY 2015-16.
As a result the first half sales of FY 2016-17 will be below the first half sales of FY 2015-16 even if the sales for the year are
unchanged. 

We expect the factory move to be complete by the end of the calendar year, ahead of schedule.

However this overall picture masks considerable change between customer groups;

l

l

The first half of the FY 2015-16 included “catch up sales” following a furnace breakdown in May 2015. This “catch up”
will not be repeated in FY 2016-17.

The Company expects further growth from near OEM’s.

7

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

7

Strategic Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

l

l

The Company continues to expect growth in the retrofit market albeit at a lower rate than previously anticipated. The
Company  will  sell  retrofit  kits  that  have  already  been  engineered  but  has  taken  the  decision  to  focus  scarce
engineering resource onto the “game changers” OEM’s, therefore no new kits will be introduced thereby restricting
coverage of this, smaller, market.

The Company currently sells into the race market via another company. We anticipate that sales will fall significantly
with this customer in the forthcoming year.

l Development revenues related to aerospace qualification/certification will reduce significantly until we begin series

supply in early 2018.

Development costs will continue at the current higher level but not increase against the FY 2015-16 levels.

The  projected  loss  for  the  financial  year  2016-17  (the  year  the  grants  and  loans  in  support  of  capital  equipment  are
received) will be increased by approximately £300k when compared with previous projections as whilst the Company will
be  recognising  this  as  “other  income”,  it  will  be  recognised  in  the  income  statement  on  a  systematic  basis  over  the
expected useful life of the asset funded. There is no impact on cash, and the change in future years, by comparison with
previous forecasts, is minimal.

Thereafter  the  Board  is  confident  of  delivering  substantial  sales  growth  and  expects  to  make  further  announcements
during the year. As noted above when the current capacity expansion programme is complete, in 2018, the Company will
have  capacity  for  20,000  discs  facilitating  overall  sales  of  approximately  £17m.  The  prospects  pipeline  significantly
exceeds this number and the current planning assumption is that the Company would need to further increase capacity in
Q4  2019.  There  is  a  two  year  planning,  furnace  manufacturing  and  customer  quality  approval  lead-time  on  capacity
installation and therefore decisions may need to be taken at the end of the next calendar year. However no decisions will
be taken without customer contractual commitments to fill the current capacity. 

The Company’s board and management is looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of the next few years with
confidence and excitement.

David Bundred 
Chairman

7 October 2016

Kevin Johnson
Chief Executive

8

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2014

8

Directors’ Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

The Directors present their annual report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2016.

Directors and Directors’ interests
The Directors who held office during the year and to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

D Bundred* (Chairman)
Dr K Johnson (Chief Executive)
K D’Silva*
RD Gledhill*

*denotes non-executive Director.

The Directors who held office at the end of the financial year had the following interests in the ordinary shares of the
Company according to the register of Directors’ interests:

K D’Silva
RD Gledhill
Dr K Johnson
D Bundred

% of issued
share capital
at end of year

Number of £0.01 ordinary shares
Interest at
start of year

Interest at
end of year

1.02%
13.12%
0.14%
0.81%

15.09%

920,818
11,818,853
124,000
733,341

826,203
8,801,977
124,000
560,747

According to the register of Directors’ interests, no rights to subscribe for shares in or debentures of the Company were
granted  to  any  of  the  Directors  or  their  immediate  families,  or  exercised  by  them  during  the  financial  year,  except  as
disclosed in the report on Directors’ remuneration on pages 12 and 13. 

The Directors benefited from qualifying third party indemnity provisions in place during the financial year and at the date
of this report. 

Substantial shareholders
In addition to the Directors’ interests noted above, the Directors are aware of the following who were interested in 3% or
more of the Company’s equity as at 31 May 2016: 

Registered holding 

Hargreave Hale
Unicorn Asset Management 
Maunby Investment Manager
Barclays Wealth

Number of
ordinary shares

% of issued
share capital

16,644,670
9,375,000
3,297,211
2,847,773

18.48%
10.41%
3.66%
3.16%

9

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

9

Directors’ Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Corporate governance
The Directors recognise the importance of sound corporate governance and confirm that although compliance with the
UK Corporate Governance Code is not compulsory for AIM listed companies, the Company is following the guidelines of
the QCA Corporate Governance Code (as devised by the QCA in consultation with a number of significant institutional
small company investors) to the extent appropriate and practical for a Company of its nature and size.

The Board has appointed an Audit Committee whose primary role is to review the Company’s interim and annual financial
statements before submission to the Board for approval. The Board has also appointed a Remuneration Committee, which
is responsible for reviewing executive remuneration and performance. The Remuneration Committee is made up of three
non-executive Directors, David Bundred, Kevin D’Silva and Richard Gledhill. The Audit Committee is made up of the same
three  non-executive  Directors.  Details  of  the  Remuneration  Committee  are  disclosed  in  the  report  on  Directors’
remuneration on pages 12 and 13.

Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which the Directors believe to be appropriate. The
Company incurred a net loss of £848k during the year however the Directors are satisfied, based on detailed cash flow
projections and after the consideration of reasonable sensitivities, that sufficient cash is available to meet the Company’s
needs as they fall due for the foreseeable future and for at least 12 months from the date of signing the accounts. The
detailed cash flow assumptions are based on the Company’s annual budget, prepared and approved by the Board, which
reflects a number of key assumptions including; revenue growth, underpinned by current pipeline; customer compliance
with  payment  terms;  other  receipts  of  a  value  and  timing  consistent  with  previous  years.  Revenues  are  expected  to
continue in the forthcoming year.

Further  information  regarding  the  Company’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors  likely  to  affect  future
development, performance and position are set out in the Chairman’s statement on pages 3 and 4 and the Strategic report
on pages 5 to 8. In addition, note 20 to the financial statements includes the Company’s objectives, policies and processes
for managing its capital; its financial risk management objectives; details of its financial instruments and its exposures to
credit risk and liquidity risk.

The  Directors  believe  that  the  Company  is  well  placed  to  manage  its  business  risks  successfully  despite  the  current
uncertain economic outlook. After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has
adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt
the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts.

Principal activity
The principal activity of the Company is to design, manufacture and sell carbon fibre components. The majority of the
Company’s staff are employed in research activities which are concentrated on the ongoing identification of new products
and applications for carbon fibre reinforced ceramic friction and non-friction materials. 

Result for the year and proposed dividend
The loss for the year after taxation amounted to £848k (2015: £765k). The Directors do not recommend the payment of a
dividend (2015: £nil).

Disclosure of information to auditor
The Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors’ report confirm that, so far as they are each aware,
there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor are unaware; and each Director has taken all the
steps that he ought to have taken as a Director to make himself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish
that the Company’s auditor is aware of that information.

10

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

10

Directors’ Report
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Strategic report
The information required by schedule 7 of the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports)
Regulations  2008  has  been  included  in  the  separate  Strategic  Report  in  accordance  with  section  414C(11)  of  the
Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013.

Auditor
RSM UK Audit LLP has indicated its willingness to continue in office. Ordinary resolutions to re-appoint RSM UK Audit
LLP, whose name changed from Baker Tilly UK Audit LLP on 26 October 2015, as auditor and to authorise the directors to
agree their audit fee, will be proposed at the forthcoming annual general meeting.

By order of the board

D Bundred
Chairman

7 October 2016

Unit 4
Olympic Park
Poole Hall Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH66 1ST

11

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

11

Report on Directors’ Remuneration
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Policy on executive Directors’ remuneration
The Remuneration Committee comprises of David Bundred, Kevin D’Silva and Richard Gledhill.

The  Remuneration  Committee  is  responsible  for  reviewing  and  determining  the  Company’s  policy  on  executive
remuneration  (including  the  grant  of  options  under  the  Share  Option  Scheme).  Executive  remuneration  packages  are
designed  to  ensure  the  Company’s  executive  Directors  and  senior  executives  are  fairly  rewarded  for  their  individual
contributions to the Company.

Fees for non-executive Directors
The fees for non-executive Directors are determined by the Board. The non-executive Directors are not involved in the
decisions about their own remuneration.

Directors’ remuneration
Set out below is a summary of the fees and emoluments received by all Directors for the year or, where applicable, period
of office:

Salary
£

Fees
£

2016
£

Executive directors
Dr K Johnson

Non-executive directors
K D’Silva
R D Gledhill
D Bundred

104,764

104,764

16,550
–
–

16,550

121,314

–

–

104,764

104,764

–
18,000
27,000

45,000

45,000

16,550
18,000
27,000

61,550

Salary
£

94,220

94,220

16,550
–
–

16,550

Fees
£

–

–

–
18,000
27,000

45,000

45,000

2015
£

94,220

94,220

16,550
18,000
27,000

61,550

155,770

166,314

110,770

With the exception of Dr K Johnson, none of the Directors received pension contributions in respect of their office. In
addition to the emoluments received, as stated above, Dr K Johnson received £9,424 (2015: £9,424) in respect of pension
contributions.

Directors’ interests
Details of any contracts in which a Director has a material interest are disclosed in note 18.

None of the Directors received any remuneration or benefits under long term incentive schemes.

12

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

12

Report on Directors’ Remuneration
for the year ended 31 May 2015

Share options
The Company operates a share incentive scheme. All options are granted at the discretion of the Board. The number of
options granted, date of grant, exercise price and exercise periods under the scheme are set out below. 

None  of  the  Directors  exercised  options  during  the  year.  Directors’  options  outstanding  and  the  options  which  were
granted, surrendered and expired during the year are as follows:

Director

Dr K Johnson
Dr K Johnson
Dr K Johnson
Dr K Johnson
Dr K Johnson
KA D’Silva
D Bundred
D Bundred
D Bundred
Dr K Johnson
D Bundred

Date of
Grant

18/04/2007
30/06/2008
22/09/2008
01/03/2010
15/02/2012
17/04/2007
17/10/2011
17/10/2011
17/10/2011
30/09/2015
02/10/2015

Holding

Number
of Share
options
expired,
on Granted
waived
during
2015 the year or lapsed

1 June

100,000
288,000
481,707
345,000
330,000
50,000
100,000
100,000
100,000

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– 600,000
– 250,000

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Holding
on

31 May Exercise
Price

2016

100,000
288,000
481,707
345,000
330,000
50,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
600,000
250,000

£0.21
£0.18
£0.19
£0.09
£0.12
£0.21
£0.09
£0.09
£0.09
£0.145
£0.155

Exercise Period

Expiry Date

18/04/10-18/04/17 18/04/2017
30/06/11-30/06/18 30/06/2018
22/09/11-22/09/18 22/09/2018
01/03/13-01/03/20 01/03/2020
15/02/15-15/02/22 15/02/2022
17/04/10-17/04/17 17/04/2017
17/10/14-17/10/21 17/10/2021
17/10/14-17/10/21 17/10/2021
17/10/14-17/10/21 17/10/2021
30/09/18-30/09/25 30/09/2025
02/10/18-02/10/25 02/10/2025

1,894,707 850,000

– 2,744,707

The  market  price  of  the  shares  at  31  May  2016  was  17.375  pence  and  during  the  year  varied  from  23.25  pence  to 
12.25 pence. 

By order of the board

D Bundred
Chairman

7 October 2016

Unit 4
Olympic Park
Poole Hall Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH66 1ST

13

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

13

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities
for the year ended 31 May 2015

The directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report and the financial statements in
accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors
have  elected  to  prepare  the  financial  statements  of  the  company  in  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting
Standards (“IFRS”) as adopted by the European Union (“EU”).

The financial statements are required by law and IFRS as adopted by the EU to present fairly the financial position and
performance of the company. The Companies Act 2006 provides in relation to such financial statements that references in
the  relevant  part  of  that  Act  to  financial  statements  giving  a  true  and  fair  view  are  references  to  their  achieving  a  fair
presentation.

Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true
and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. 

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are required to:

(a) select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

(b) make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

(c) state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU;

(d) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company

will continue in business.

The  directors  are  responsible  for  keeping  adequate  accounting  records  that  are  sufficient  to  show  and  explain  the
company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable
them  to  ensure  that  the  financial  statements  comply  with  the  Companies  Act  2006.  They  are  also  responsible  for
safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud
and other irregularities.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the
Surface  Transforms  Plc  website.  Legislation  in  the  United  Kingdom  governing  the  preparation  and  dissemination  of
financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

14

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

14

Independent Auditor’s Report
to the members of Surface Transforms Plc

We have audited the financial statements on pages 16 to 36. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in
their preparation is applicable law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European
Union.

This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies
Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are
required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not
accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities of Directors and auditor
As  more  fully  explained  in  the  Directors’  Responsibilities  Statement  on  page  14,  the  directors  are  responsible  for  the
preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to
audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on
Auditing  (UK  and  Ireland).  Those  standards  require  us  to  comply  with  the  Auditing  Practices  Board’s  (APB’s)  Ethical
Standards for Auditors.

Scope of the audit of the financial statements
A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is provided on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at
http://www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate.

Opinion on financial statements
In our opinion the financial statements:

l

l

l

give a true and fair view of the state of the company’s affairs as at 31 May 2016 and of its loss for the year then ended;

have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union; and

have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

Opinion on other matter prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In  our  opinion  the  information  given  in  the  Strategic  Report  and  Directors’  Report  for  the  financial  year  for  which  the
financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you
if, in our opinion:

l

l

l

adequate  accounting  records  have  not  been  kept,  or  returns  adequate  for  our  audit  have  not  been  received  from
branches not visited by us; or

the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

l we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Graham Bond FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of RSM UK Audit LLP (formerly Baker Tilly UK Audit LLP), Statutory Auditor
20 Chapel Street
Liverpool L3 9AG

7 October 2016

15

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

15

Statement of Total Comprehensive Income
for the year ended 31 May 2016

Revenue 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit

Administrative expenses:
Before research and development costs
Research and development costs

Total administrative expenses

Other operating income

Operating loss
Financial income
Financial expenses

Loss before tax
Taxation

Loss for the year after tax
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to members

Loss per ordinary share
Basic and diluted

All amounts relate to continuing activities.

Note

2

3
6
7

8

16

2016
£’000

1,362
(659)

703

(654)
(1,254)

(1,908)

84

(1,121)
2
(35)

(1,154)
306

(848)
–

(848)

2015
£’000

1,066
(521)

545

(666)
(933)

(1,599)

114

(940)
–
(42)

(982)
217

(765)
–

(765)

19

(1.44p)

(1.65p)

The notes on pages 20 to 36 form part of these financial statements.

16

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

16

Statement of Financial Position
at 31 May 2016

Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities
Other interest bearing loans and borrowings
Trade and other payables

Non-current liabilities
Other interest bearing loans and borrowings

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Capital reserve
Retained loss

Total equity attributable to equity shareholders 
of the Company

Note

2016
£’000

570
939
4,777

(4)
(936)

(940)

(16)

9

10
11

12
13

12

15
16
16
16

2016
£’000

627

6,286

6,913

(956)

5,957

901
14,359
464
(9,767)

5,957

2015
£’000

317
367
829

(9)
(379)

(388)

(409)

2015
£’000

483

1,513

1,996

(797)

1,199

532
9,186
464
(8,983)

1,199

These financial statements were approved by the board of Directors on 7 October 2016 and were signed on its behalf by:

D Bundred 
Chairman

Dr K Johnson
Director

Company Registered Number 03769702

The notes on pages 20 to 36 form part of these financial statements.

17

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

17

Statement of Changes in Equity
for the year ended 31 May 2016

For the year to 31 May 2015

Balance at 31 May 2014

Comprehensive income for the year
Loss for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Transactions with owners, recorded directly 
to equity
Shares issued in the year
Cost of issue written off to share premium
Equity settled share based payment transactions

Total contributions by and distributions 
to the owners

Balance at 31 May 2015

For the year to 31 May 2016

Balance at 31 May 2015

Comprehensive income for the year
Loss for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Transactions with owners, recorded directly 
to equity
Shares issued in the year
Cost of issue written off to share premium
Equity settled share based payments

Total contributions by and distributions 
to the owners

Balance at 31 May 2016

Share
capital
£’000

423

–

–

109
–
–

109

532

Share
capital
£’000

532

–

–

369
–
–

369

901

Share
premium
account
£’000

7,995

–

–

1,308
(117)
–

1,191

9,186

Share
premium
account
£’000

9,186

–

–

5,531
(358)
–

5,173

14,359

Capital
reserve
£’000

Retained
loss
£’000

464

(8,242)

–

–

–
–
–

–

(765)

(765)

–
–
24

24

464

(8,983)

Capital
reserve
£’000

Retained
loss
£’000

464

(8,983)

–

–

–
–
–

–

(848)

(848)

–
–
64

64

464

(9,767)

Total
£’000

640

(765)

(765)

1,417
(117)
24

1,324

1,199

Total
£’000

1,199

(848)

(848)

5,900
(358)
64

5,606

5,957

The notes on pages 20 to 36 form part of these financial statements.

18

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

18

Statement of Cash Flows
for the year ended 31 May 2016

Cash flows from operating activities
Loss after tax for the year 

Adjusted for:
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Depreciation charge
Equity settled share-based payment expenses
Financial expense
Financial income
Taxation

Changes in working capital
(Increase) in inventories
(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

Taxation received

Net cash used in operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of share capital, net of expenses
Payment of finance lease liabilities
Interest paid

Net cash generated from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

Note

8

9

7

2016
£’000

(848)

(16)
111
64
35
(2)
(306)

(962)

(253)
(572)
572

(1,215)

306

(909)

(265)
26

(239)

5,142
(11)
(35)

5,096

3,948

829

4,777

2015
£’000

(765)

–
115
24
42
–
(217)

(801)

(46)
87
(16)

(776)

217

(559)

(12)
–

(12)

1,300
(9)
(42)

1,249

678

151

829

The notes on pages 20 to 36 form part of these financial statements.

19

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

19

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

1 Accounting policies

Surface Transforms Plc (the Company) is a Company incorporated and domiciled in the UK, functional currency being
sterling. The financial statements have been presented in sterling and rounded to the nearest £’000. The registered
office of business is Unit 4, Olympic Park, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH66 1ST.

Surface Transforms is a UK based developer and manufacturer of carbon ceramic products for the brakes market.
Surface Transforms Plc has four dormant subsidiary companies that are excluded from these financial statements on
the basis of materiality and that they do not currently trade. These are; ST Aerospace Ltd., ST Automotive Ceramic
Ltd., ST Defence Ltd and ST Racing Ltd.

Statement of compliance
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (‘IFRSs’)
as adopted by the EU.

The financial statements were approved by the board on 7 October 2016.

Basis of preparation
The  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  applicable  accounting  standards  and  under  the
historical cost convention. 

The  accounting  policies  set  out  below  have,  unless  otherwise  stated,  been  applied  consistently  to  all  periods
presented in these financial statements. 

Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which the Directors believe to be appropriate.
The Company incurred a net loss of £848k during the year however the Directors are satisfied, based on detailed cash
flow  projections  and  after  the  consideration  of  reasonable  sensitivities,  that  sufficient  cash  is  available  to  meet  the
Company’s  needs  as  they  fall  due  for  the  foreseeable  future  and  at  least  12  months  from  the  date  of  signing  the
accounts. The detailed cash flow assumptions are based on the company’s annual budget, prepared and approved by
the Board, which reflects a number of key assumptions including; revenue growth, underpinned by current pipeline;
customer  compliance  with  payment  terms;  other  receipts  of  a  value  and  timing  consistent  with  previous  years.
Revenues are expected to continue in the forthcoming year.

Further  information  regarding  the  Company’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors  likely  to  affect  future
development, performance and position are set out in the Chairman’s statement on pages 3 and 4 and the Strategic
report on pages 5 to 8. In addition, note 20 to the financial statements includes the Company’s objectives, policies and
processes for managing its capital; its financial risk management objectives; details of its financial instruments and its
exposures to credit risk and liquidity risk.

The Directors believe that the Company is well placed to manage its business risks successfully despite the current
uncertain economic outlook. After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company
has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to
adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts.

Share based payments
The share option programme allows employees to acquire shares of the Company. The fair value is measured at grant
date and spread over the period during which the employees and Directors become unconditionally entitled to the
options. The fair value of the options granted is measured using an option pricing model, taking into account the terms
and conditions upon which the options were granted. The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the
actual  number  of  share  options  that  are  expected  to  vest  except  where  forfeiture  is  only  due  to  share  prices  not
achieving the threshold for vesting.

20

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

20

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

1 Accounting policies continued
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses.

Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate
items of property, plant and equipment.

Leases in which the Company assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased asset are
classified as finance leases. Leased assets acquired by way of finance lease are stated at an amount equal to the lower
of their fair value and the present value of the minimum lease payments at inception of the lease, less accumulated
depreciation and less accumulated impairment losses. Payments are accounted for as described below.

Depreciation is charged to the statement of total comprehensive income on a straight-line basis over the estimated
useful lives of each part of an item of property, plant and equipment. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

l

l

l

Plant and machinery 
Fixtures and fittings
Leasehold improvements 

12.5%-20% per annum
15% per annum
Over life of lease

Depreciation methods and useful lives are reviewed at each balance sheet date. 

Foreign currencies
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate of exchange ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary
assets  and  liabilities  denominated  in  foreign  currencies  are  translated  to  the  functional  currency  at  the  foreign
exchange rate ruling at the balance sheet date, the gains or losses are included in the income statement.

Leases
Operating lease payments
Payments made under operating leases are recognised in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term
of the lease. Lease incentives received are recognised in the income statement as an integral part of the total lease
expense.

Finance lease payments
Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding liability.
The  finance  charge  is  allocated  to  each  period  during  the  lease  term  so  as  to  produce  a  constant  periodic  rate  of
interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Government grants
Revenue grants are credited to the statement of total comprehensive income, and included within other operating
income, deferred over the life of the asset to which it refers.

Post-retirement benefits
The  Company  does  not  operate  a  pension  scheme,  but  does  contribute  to  specific  employees’  personal  pension
schemes.  The  amount  charged  to  the  profit  and  loss  account  represents  the  contributions  payable  to  employees
personal pension schemes during the accounting year.

Reserves
Share capital
Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of Ordinary shares.

Share premium
This reserve records the amount above the nominal value received for shares sold, less transaction costs.

Capital reserve
This reserve records the nominal value of shares repurchased by the company.

21

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

21

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

1 Accounting policies continued

Research and development expenditure
Expenditure on research activities is recognised in the statement of total comprehensive income as an expense as
incurred. Expenditure arising from the Company’s development is recognised only if all of the following conditions
are met and an asset is created that can be identified:

l

l

l

l

l

it is probable that the asset created will generate future economic benefits;

the development cost of the asset can be measured reliably;

the Company has the intention to complete the asset and the ability and intention to use or sell it;

the product or process is technically and commercially feasible; and

sufficient resources are available to complete the development and to either sell or use the asset.

Expenditure is only capitalised if there is a high probability by the customer for the programme to proceed to full scale
commercial  sales.  This  would  normally  be  reflected  in  a  firm  purchase  order  and/or  production  contract,  and  a
decision by their Board that the underlying car programme will go into production.

Where  these  criteria  have  not  been  achieved,  development  expenditure  is  recognised  in  the  statement  of  total
comprehensive income in the period in which it is incurred.

Inventories 
Inventories  are  stated  at  the  lower  of  cost  and  net  realisable  value.  In  determining  the  cost  of  raw  materials  and
consumables the purchase price is used. For work in progress, cost is taken as production cost, which includes an
appropriate proportion of attributable overheads.

Taxation
The charge for taxation is based on the loss for the year and takes into account taxation deferred or accelerated arising
from temporary differences between the carrying amounts of certain items for taxation and for accounting purposes. 

Deferred taxation is provided for in full at the tax rate which is expected to apply to the period when the deferred
taxation is expected to be realised, including on tax losses carried forward. 

Deferred taxation assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available
against which the temporary differences can be utilised. 

Research and development tax credits, which are typically received in the Autumn, are recognised on a cash received
basis as a reduction in the current tax payable as this is when the tax credit is considered recoverable as the associated
uncertainties have been eliminated.

Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand, demand deposits held on call with banks, and other short term
highly  liquid  investments  with  original  maturities  of  three  months  or  less  that  are  readily  convertible  to  a  known
amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.

Revenue
Revenue comprises income derived from the supply of carbon fibre materials during the course of the year. Revenue
is recognised on transfer to the customer of significant risks and rewards of ownership, generally this will be when
goods are despatched to the customer. Turnover excludes value added taxes.

22

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

22

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

1 Accounting policies continued

Critical accounting estimates and judgements
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with adopted IFRSs requires management to make judgements,
estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income
and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors
that  are  believed  to  be  reasonable  under  the  circumstances,  the  results  of  which  form  the  basis  of  making  the
judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not already apparent from other sources. Actual
results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to carrying amount of
assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below:

Impairment of property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are reviewed annually for impairment if events or changes in circumstances, such as
changes in technology, indicate that the carrying amount of an asset is not recoverable. The directors judge that no
impairment is required as the Company is still at the pre commercialisation phase of the technology exploitation.

Research and development expenditure
The Board considers the definitions of research and development costs as outlined in IAS 38: Intangible assets when
determining the correct treatment of costs incurred. Where such expenditure is technically and commercially feasible,
the Company intends and has the technical ability and sufficient resources to complete development, future economic
benefits are probable and if the Company can measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset it
is treated as development expenditure and capitalised on the statement of financial position.

In considering whether an item of expenditure meets these criteria, the Board applies judgement. During the year all
such expenditure has been expensed to the statement of total comprehensive income on the grounds that it relates
to feasibility studies to identify new applications for the technology or methods of improving the production process.
As  the  technical  feasibility  of  this  work  is  unknown  at  the  time  the  costs  are  incurred,  none  meet  the  criteria  for
capitalisation during the current or previous year.

Deferred tax
Management judgement is required to determine the amount of tax assets that can be recognised, based upon the
likely  timing  and  level  of  future  taxable  profits  together  with  an  assessment  of  the  effect  of  future  tax  planning
strategies. Further information regarding the level of unrecognised deferred tax is included in note 14.

Going concern
Management judgement is applied at each reporting date in assessing the ongoing applicability of the going concern
assumption and the current year’s assessment of which has been included within the going concern section above.

Segmental reporting 
The Board has reviewed the requirements of IFRS 8 “Operating Segments”, including consideration of what results
and information the Chief Executive (the Chief Operating Decision Maker) reviews regularly to assess performance
and allocate resources, and concluded that all revenue falls under a single business segment.

The Directors consider the business does not have separate divisional segments as defined under IFRS 8. The Chief
Executive  assesses  the  commercial  performance  of  the  business  based  upon  a  single  set  of  revenues,  margins,
operating costs and assets.

Non-derivative financial instruments
Non-derivative financial instruments comprise trade and other receivables, cash and cash equivalents and trade and
other payables.

Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables are recognised initially at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition they are measured
at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment losses.

23

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

23

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

1 Accounting policies continued

Non-derivative financial instruments continued
Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables are recognised initially at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition they are measured at
amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Interest-bearing borrowings 
Interest-bearing  borrowings  are  recognised  initially  at  fair  value  less  attributable  transaction  costs.  Subsequent  to
initial recognition, interest-bearing borrowings are stated at amortised cost using the effective interest method less
any impairment losses.

Interest rate risk
The Company finances its operations through cash. Cash resources are invested to attract the highest rates for periods
that do not limit access to these resources.

Liquidity risk
With regard to liquidity, the Company’s policy has throughout the year been to ensure that the Company is able at all
times to meet its financial liabilities as and when they fall due. Cash flow forecasting is undertaken on a monthly basis
approved and board level and managed on a daily basis by the finance function.

Exchange rate risk
As the Company evolves exchange rate fluctuations could have an adverse effect on the Company’s profitability or
the price competitiveness of its services. There can be no assurance that the Company would be able to compensate
or  hedge  against  such  adverse  effects  and  therefore  negative  exchange  rate  movements  could  have  a  material
adverse effect on the Company’s business, prospects and financial performance.

New standards, amendments and interpretations issued but not effective for the financial year beginning
1 June 2016 and not early adopted
The IASB and IFRIC have issued the following standards and interpretations with effective dates as noted below:

Standard

Key requirements

Effective date

IFRS 9, 
Financial Instruments

The standard is the first standard issued as part of a wider project to replace  1 January 2018
IAS 39. It replaces the parts of IAS 39 that relate to the classification and 
measurement of financial instruments. IFRS 9 requires financial assets to be 
classified into two measurement categories: those measured as at fair value 
and those measured at amortised cost. The classification depends on the 
entity’s business model and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the 
instrument. The guidance in IAS 39 on impairment of financial assets and 
hedge accounting continues to apply

IFRS 15, Revenue 
from Contracts 
with Customers 

The standard specifies how and when a company will recognise revenue 
as well as requiring such entities to provider users of financial statements 
with more informative, relevant disclosures. The standard provides a single, 
principles based five-step model to be applied to all contracts with customers.

1 January 2018

IFRS 16, Leases 

The standard requires lessees to recognise most leases on their balance 
sheets, regardless of the industry the entity operates within.

1 January 2019

The Directors are currently assessing the impact of the above standards on the financial performance of the Company
however  are  unable  to  fully  quantify  the  impact  of  the  revised  standards.  There  are  no  other  IFRSs  or  IFRIC
interpretations that are not yet fully effective that would be expected to have a material impact on the Company. There
are no other IFRSs or IFRIC interpretations that are not yet effective that would be expected to have a material impact
on the Company.

24

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

24

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

2 Segment reporting

Due to the start up nature of the business the Company is currently focussed on building revenue streams from a
variety of different markets. As there is only one manufacturing facility, and as this has capacity above and beyond the
current levels of trade, there is no requirement to allocate resources to or discriminate between specific markets or
products.  As  a  result  the  Company’s  chief  operating  decision  maker,  the  Chief  Executive,  reviews  performance
information for the Company as a whole and does not allocate resources based on products or markets. In addition,
all products manufactured by the Company are produced using similar processes. Having considered this information
in conjunction with the requirements of IFRS 8, as at the reporting date the board of Directors have concluded that
the Company has only one reportable segment that being the manufacture and sale of carbon fibre materials and the
development of technologies associated with this.

The  Company  considers  it  offers  product  technology  namely  carbon  fibre  re-enforced  ceramic  material,  which  is
machined into differing shapes depending on the intended purpose of the end user.

Revenue by geographical destination is analysed as follows:

United Kingdom
Rest of Europe
United States of America
Rest of World

3 Expenses and auditors remuneration

Operating loss is stated
after charging
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Research costs expensed as incurred
Rents payable under operating leases – land and buildings
Exchange losses

after crediting
Government grants

Auditor’s remuneration
Amounts receivable by auditors and their associates in respect of:

Audit of these financial statements
All other services

2016
£’000

199
835
313
15

1,362

2016
£’000

16
111
1,254
55
2

84

2016
£’000

23
9

2015
£’000

164
838
51
13

1,066

2015
£’000

–
115
933
55
12

114

2015
£’000

18
12

Grants received comprise revenue grants from the Technology Strategy Board.

These are subject to making expenditure as stipulated in the grant applications and to audit of the claims. There are
no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies associated with government assistance received.

25

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

25

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

4 Remuneration of Directors

The aggregate amount of emoluments paid to Directors in respect of qualifying services during the year was £166,314
(2015: £155,770).

The amounts set out above include remuneration in respect of the highest paid director of £104,764 (2015: £94,220).

Pension contributions of £9,424 (2015: £9,424) were made to a money purchase scheme on behalf of one director, no
other pension contributions were accruing by any other Director during either the current or prior year.

5 Staff numbers and costs

The  average  number  of  persons  employed  by  the  Company  (including  Directors)  during  the  year,  analysed  by
category, was as follows:

Number of employees
2015
2016

Directors
Other employees

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs (see note 17)
Share based compensation 

6 Financial income

Total bank interest 

7 Financial expenses

Total interest expense on financial liabilities measured at amortised cost

4
25

29

2016
£’000

1,006
97
21
64

1,188

2016
£’000

2

2016
£’000

35

4
20

24

2015
£’000

831
78
27
24

960

2015
£’000

–

2015
£’000

42

26

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

26

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

8 Taxation

Analysis of credit in year

UK corporation tax 
Adjustment in respect of prior years – R&D tax allowances

Total income tax credit

Details of the unrecognised deferred tax asset are included in note 14.

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

(306)

(306)

(217)

(217)

Factors affecting the tax credit for the current period
The  current  tax  credit  for  the  year  is  higher  than  the  standard  rate  of  corporation  tax  in  the  UK  of  20.00% 
(2015: 20.83%). The differences are explained below:

Reconciliation of effective tax rate
Loss for the year 
Total income tax credit 

Loss excluding income tax

Current tax at average rate of 20.00% (2015: 20.83%)

Effects of:
Non-deductible expenses 
Change in unrecognised timing differences 
Current year losses for which no deferred tax recognised 
Adjustment in respect of prior years – R&D tax allowances 

Income tax credit (see above) 

2016
£’000

(848)
(306)

(1,154)

(231)

13
18
200
(306) 

(306)

2015
£’000

(765)
(217)

(982)

(205)

6
11
188
(217)

(217)

Factors that may affect future tax charges 
In the Summer Budget 2015, the government announced legislation setting the Corporation Tax main rate at 19% for
the years starting the 1 April 2017, 2018 and 2019 and at 18% for the year starting 1 April 2020. At Budget 2016, the
government announced a further reduction to the Corporation Tax main rate for the year starting 1 April 2020, setting
the rate at 17%.

27

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

27

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

9 Property, plant and equipment

Leasehold 
improvements
£’000

Plant and
machinery
£’000

Fixtures
and fittings
£’000

Cost
At 31 May 2014 
Additions 

At 31 May 2015 
Additions 
Disposals 

At 31 May 2016 

Depreciation
At 31 May 2014 
Charge for year 

At 31 May 2015 
Charge for year 
Disposals 

At 31 May 2016 

Net book value
At 31 May 2014 

At 31 May 2015 

At 31 May 2016 

75 
– 

75 
10 
– 

85 

52 
7 

59 
7 
– 

66 

23 

16 

19 

846 
12 

858 
231 
(38) 

1,051 

293 
101 

394 
99 
(28) 

465 

553 

464 

586 

65 
– 

65 
24 
– 

89 

55 
7 

62 
5 
– 

67 

10 

3 

22 

At 31 May 2016 the net carrying amount of leased plant and machinery was £9,437 (2015:£20,972).

10 Inventories

Raw materials and consumables 
Work in progress 
Finished goods 

2016
£’000

47
408
115

570

Total
£’000

986
12

998
265
(38)

1,225

400
115

515
111
(28)

598

586

483

627

2015
£’000

18
260
39

317

Raw materials, consumables and changes in finished goods and work in progress recognised as cost of sales in the
year amounted to £607,009 (2015: £521,296).

11 Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables
Other receivables
Prepayments and accrued income

All receivables fall due within one year.

2016
£’000

346
173
420

939

2015
£’000

157
143
67

367

28

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

28

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

12 Other interest-bearing loans and borrowings

This note provides information about the contractual terms of the Company’s interest-bearing loans and borrowings,
which  are  measured  at  amortised  cost.  For  more  information  about  the  Company’s  exposure  to  interest  rate  and
foreign currency risk, see note 20.

Current liabilities
Finance lease liabilities

Non-current liabilities
Government grants 
Loans 
Finance lease liabilities 

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

4

16
–
–

16

9

–
400
9

409

On the 5 April 2016 the company converted the loan facility of £400,000 from Group 14 Limited into ordinary shares.

Finance lease liabilities are payable as follows:

Future
minimum
lease
payments
2016
£’000

5
–

5

Present
value of
minimum
lease
payments
2016
£’000

4
–

4

Future
minimum
lease
payments
2015
£’000

11
11

22

Present
value of 
minimum
lease 
payments
2015
£’000

9
9

18

Interest
2015
£’000

2
2

4

Interest
2016
£’000

1
–

1

Less than one year
Between one and five years

The finance lease is in relation to a motor vehicle being used as part of the research & development programme and
is secured on the asset in question. The interest rate is at an annual rate of 8.5% payable over a period of 36 months.

13  Trade and other payables: amounts falling due within one year

Trade payables 
Taxation and social security 
Accruals and deferred income 

14 Deferred tax 

Difference between accumulated depreciation and amortisation and capital allowances 
Tax losses 

Unrecognised deferred tax asset 

The elements of the deferred taxation are as follows:

2016
£’000

761
28
147

936

2016
£’000

5

(1,046) 

(1,041) 

2015
£’000

247
22
110

379

2015
£’000

(3)
(846)

(849)

The  Company  has  an  unrecognised  deferred  tax  asset  at  31  May  2016  of  £1,041,000  (2015:  £849,000)  relating
principally to tax losses which the Company can offset against future taxable profits from the same trade.

29

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

29

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

15 Called up share capital

Allotted, called up and fully paid
90,091,081 shares of £0.01 each (2015: 53,181,081 shares of £0.01 each)

2016
£’000

901

2015
£’000

532

In  November  2015  the  Company  issued  35,000  as  part  of  the  employee  share  option  scheme,  and  in  April  2016
36,875,000 ordinary shares at £0.01 each at a price of 16p per share were issued. Of this number 2,500,000 were
issued as part of the Group 14 loan conversion. Total issue costs incurred were £358k. 

The Company operates a share incentive scheme for the benefit of the Directors and certain employees. All options
are granted at the discretion of the Board. The scheme grants options to purchase ordinary shares of £0.01 each. No
options were exercised in the period.

The options granted to Directors, date of grant and exercise price and exercise periods under the scheme are set out
in  the  report  on  Directors’  remuneration  on  pages  12  and  13.  In  addition  to  the  Directors’  share  options,  certain
employees and former directors have been granted the following options:

Date of grant

17/04/2007
30/06/2008
22/09/2008
01/02/2010
15/02/2012
25/09/2014
30/09/2015

Number of
unexpired share
options at year end

180,000
180,200
353,766
110,000
106,696
440,753
1,030,000

2,401,415

Exercise price

£0.20
£0.18
£0.19
£0.09
£0.12
£0.105
£0.145

Exercise period

18/04/10-18/04/17
30/06/11-30/06/18
22/09/11-22/09/18
01/03/13-01/03/20
15/03/15-15/03/22
25/09/17-25/09/24
25/09/18-25/09/25

There  are  a  total  of  1,679,355  unexpired  options  held  by  employees,  722,060  unexpired  options  held  by  former
directors and a total of 2,744,707 unexpired options held by Directors.

16 Share premium and reserves

At 31 May 2014 
Retained loss for the year 
Share issue (net of expenses) 
Equity settled share based payment transactions 

At 31 May 2015 
Retained loss for the year 
Share issue (net of expenses) 
Equity settled share based payment transactions 

At 31 May 2016 

Share
premium
account
£’000

7,995 
– 
1,191 
– 

9,186 
– 
5,173 
– 

14,359 

Capital
reserve
£’000

464 
– 
– 
– 

464 
– 
– 
– 

464 

Retained
loss
£’000

(8,242)
(765)
–
24

(8,983)
(848)
–
64

(9,767)

17 Pension scheme

The  Company  contributes  to  specific  employees’  personal  pension  schemes.  The  pension  charge  for  the  year
represents contributions payable by the Company to the schemes and amounted to £20,824 (2015: £26,849). During
the year one director and several senior managers opted to enter into salary exchange arrangements whereby they
sacrificed  salary  for  increased  pension  contributions.  These  arrangements  accounted  for  £11,576  of  the  pension
contributions (2015: £17,076).

There were outstanding contributions of £12,055 (2015:£6,959) at the end of the financial year.

30

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

30

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

18 Related party disclosures

Transactions with key management personnel
Directors of the Company and their immediate relatives control 15.09% (2015; 19.38%) per cent of the voting shares
of  the  Company.  At  present  employees  and  Directors  would  hold  18.14%  (2015;  25.60%)  of  the  share  capital,
following the exercise of all outstanding share options.

The  company  considers  key  management  personnel  as  defined  in  IAS  24  “Related  party  disclosures”  to  be  the
Directors of the company and key senior manager personnel and their remuneration is as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Share based payments

2016
£000

436
45
19
58

558

2015
£000

431
45
26
44

546

Other related party transactions
On  5  April  2016,  a  loan  facility  of  £400,000  provided  by  Group  14  Limited  was  converted  into  equity.  Due  to  the
presence of a common Board Director, Group 14 Limited is a related party of Surface Transforms Plc.

Transactions in the year:

Group 14 Limited
Interest paid
Fees paid

Balance payable
Group 14 Limited loan payable

19 Loss per ordinary share

2016
£000

33
18

51

–

2015
£000

40
18

58

400

The calculation of basic loss per ordinary share is based on the loss for the financial year divided by the weighted
average number of shares in issue during the year.

Losses and number of shares used in the calculations of loss per ordinary share are set out below:

Basic

Loss after tax (£)

Weighted average number of shares (No. of shares)

Loss per share (pence)

2016

2015

(848,724)

(765,586)

58,944,086

46,449,946

(1.44p)

(1.65p)

The calculation of diluted loss per ordinary share is identical to that used for the basic loss per ordinary share. This is
because  the  exercise  of  options  would  have  the  effect  of  reducing  the  loss  per  ordinary  share  from  continuing
operations and is therefore anti-dilutive under the terms of IAS33.

31

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

31

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

20 Financial instruments

The  Company’s  policies  with  regard  to  financial  instruments  are  set  out  within  note  1.  The  risks  arising  from  the
Company’s financial assets and liabilities are set out below with the policies for their respective management.

Currency Risk
The Company transacts business in foreign currencies and therefore incurs some transaction risk.

The Company’s exposure to foreign currency risk was as follows, this is based on the carrying amount for monetary
financial instruments:

31 May 2016

31 May 2015

US Dollar
£’000

Euro
£’000

Sterling
£’000

US Dollar
£’000

Euro
£’000

Sterling
£’000

Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables
Trade payables
Finance lease liabilities

Net exposure

27
42
(78)
–

(9)

US Dollar
Euro

17
3
(36)
–

(16)

2016

1.508
1.368

4,733
301
(647)
(4)

4,383

22
3
(42)
–

(17)

28
100
(8)
–

120

779
54
(197)
(18)

618

Average Rate

Reporting Date
Spot Rate

2015

1.538
1.404

2016

1.462
1.296

2015

1.528
1.390

Sensitivity Analysis
A ten percent strengthening of the pound against the US Dollar and the Euro at 31 May 2016 would have decreased
profit by the amounts below. This analysis assumes that all other variables, in particular interest rates, remain constant.
The analysis is performed on the same basis for 2015.

31 May 2016
31 May 2015

US Dollar
£’000

(1)
1

Euro
£’000

(1)
(11)

A ten percent weakening of the pound against the US Dollar and the Euro at 31 May 2016 would have an equal and
opposite effect to the amounts shown above, on the basis all other variables remain constant. 

Price Risk
The Company aims to minimise its exposure to supplier price increases and customer price decreases by offsetting
reciprocal supplier and customer arrangements.

32

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

32

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

20 Financial instruments continued

Credit Risk
The Company operates a closely monitored collection policy.

The ageing of trade receivables at the reporting date was:

Not past due
Past due 0 to 30 days
Past due 31 to 90 days

Gross
£’000

309
(10)
63

362

31 May 2016
Impairment
£’000

–
–
(16)

(16)

Net
£’000

309
(10)
47

346

Gross
£’000

126
2
29

157

31 May 2015
Impairment
£’000

–
–
–

–

Net
£’000

126
2
29

157

There was an amount of £15,750 (2015: £nil) in the allowance for impairment in respect of trade receivables.

The average debtor days are 97 days (2015: 54 days), the average creditor days are 185 days (2015: 173 days).

Liquidity Risk
The Company’s objective is to maintain a balance between continuity and flexibility of funding through the use of
short term deposits.

The contractual maturity of all cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables at the current and preceding
balance sheet date is within one year.

The contractual maturity of trade and other payables at the current and preceding balance sheet date is within three
months.

The contractual maturity of finance lease and loan liabilities can be found in note 12.

Interest Rate Risk
At the balance sheet date the interest rate profile of the Company’s interest-bearing financial instruments was:

Fixed rate instruments:
Finance lease liabilities

Floating rate instruments:
Loan

Fair values of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities
The table below analyses the Company’s financial instruments:

Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables

Total financial assets

Financial liabilities:
Trade and other payables
Loans
Finance leases

Total financial liabilities

2016
£’000

4

–

2016
£’000

4,777
519

5,296

761
–
4

765

2015
£’000

18

400

2015
£’000

829
300

1,129

247
400
18

665

33

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

33

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

20 Financial instruments continued

Cash and cash equivalents
The  fair  value  of  cash  and  cash  equivalents  is  estimated  as  its  carrying  amount,  all  cash  and  cash  equivalents  are
repayable on demand.

Trade and other receivables
The fair value of trade and other receivables is estimated as the present value of future cash flows, discounted at the
market rate of interest at the balance sheet date if the effect is material.

Trade and other payables
The fair value of trade and other payables is estimated as the present value of future cash flows, discounted at the
market rate of interest at the balance sheet date if the effect is material. 

Capital management
The Company manages its capital to ensure that it will be able to continue as a going concern and satisfy its debt as it
falls due whilst also maximising opportunities to progress the development of the business. The capital structure of
the Company consists of cash and cash equivalents and equity attributable to shareholders comprising issued capital.
The key indicator of capital management performance used by management is the level of cash and cash equivalents
available to the Company.

21 Commitments

Non-cancellable operating lease rentals are payable as follows:

Within one year
In the second to fifth years inclusive

Capital commitments as at 31 May 2016 were £nil (2015: £nil). 

Land and
buildings
2016
£’000

41
–

41

Land and
buildings
2015
£’000

55
96

151

22 Ultimate controlling party

The Directors do not consider there to be an ultimate controlling party due to no individual party owning a majority
share in the Company.

34

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

34

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

23 Share based payments

Share Options
The number of options outstanding under the Company’s share option scheme is as follows:

Number of Share Options – Ordinary Shares at 1p

Granted

Exercised

Lapsed

At
31 May
2015

280,000
50,000
468,200
610,035
225,438
145,000
345,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
106,696
330,000
440,753
–
–

Note

(a)
(b)
(a)
(a)
(b)
(a)
(b)
(b)
(b)
(b)
(a)
(b)
(a)
(a)
(b)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1,630,000
250,000

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
(35,000)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Total

3,301,122

1,880,000

(35,000)

At
31 May
2016

280,000
50,000
468,200
610,035
225,438
145,000
345,000
65,000
100,000
100,000
106,696
330,000
440,753
1,630,000
250,000

5,146,122

Exercise
price

£0.21
£0.21
£0.18
£0.18
£0.19
£0.09
£0.09
£0.09
£0.09
£0.09
£0.12
£0.12
£0.105
£0.145
£0.155

Date from
which 
exercisable

18/04/2010
18/04/2010
30/06/2011
22/09/2015
22/09/2011
01/03/2015
01/03/2015
17/10/2015
17/10/2015
17/10/2015
15/02/2015
15/02/2015
25/09/2017
30/09/2018
02/10/2018

Expiry 
date

18/04/2017
18/04/2017
30/06/2018
22/09/2018
22/09/2018
01/03/2020
01/03/2020
17/10/2021
17/10/2021
17/10/2021
15/03/2022
15/03/2022
25/09/2024
30/09/2025
02/10/2025

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

(a)  These options have been granted under the EMI approved scheme. There have been no variations to the terms
and conditions or performance criteria attached to these share options during the financial year. There are no
performance conditions attached to these shares other than continued employment by the Company.

(b) These options have been granted under the unapproved scheme. There have been no variations to the terms and
conditions  or  performance  criteria  attached  to  these  share  options  during  the  financial  year.  There  are  no
performance conditions attached to these shares other than continued employment by the Company.

There was no cost payable by the employees on the grant of any of the above options.

The option holder may only exercise their options during employment with the Company.

35

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

35

Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 May 2016

23 Share based payments continued

The movements of the EMI and unapproved share options outstanding are shown below:

Outstanding at 31 May 2014
Granted
Forfeited & surrendered

Outstanding at 31 May 2015
Granted
Exercised

Outstanding at 31 May 2016

Range of exercise prices

EMI Scheme

Unapproved Scheme

Number
of awards

1,809,931
440,753
(200,000)

2,050,684
1,880,000
(35,000)

3,895,684

9p to 21p

Weighted 
average 
exercise
price
£

0.17
0.105
–

0.135
0.146
0.09

0.135

Number
of awards

1,250,438
–
–

1,250,438
–
–

1,250,438

9p to 21p

Weighted 
average 
exercise
price
£

0.12
–
–

0.12
–
–

0.12

Weighted average remaining contractual life for the EMI Scheme is 9 years 4 months (2015: 7 years 9 months).

Weighted average remaining contractual life for the unapproved Scheme is 6 years 8 months (2015: 7 years 9 months).

There were 35,000 share options exercised during the year (2015: nil).

A charge of £64,204 (2015: £23,786) has been made in the statement of comprehensive income to spread the fair
value of the options over the 3 year service obligations of those incentives.

Assumptions used in the valuation of share based options
In  calculating  the  fair  value  of  the  share  based  payment  arrangements  the  Company  has  used  the  Black  Scholes
method.

Weighted average assumptions

Fair value per share option
Share price on date of grant
Exercise price
Share options granted in the year – EMI scheme
Expected volatility
Exercise pattern (years)
Expected dividend yields
Risk free rate of return

2016

2015

9.1p
14.5p
14.5p
1,880,000
100%
3-10 years uniformly
0%
2%

6.6p
10.5p
10.5p
440,753
100%
3-10 years uniformly
0%
2%

The  fair  value  of  the  share  options  is  applied  to  the  number  of  options  that  are  expected  to  vest  which  takes  into
account the expected and actual forfeitures over the vesting period as a result of cessation of employment. Expected
volatility was determined by assessing the Company’s historic data and the market in which the Company operates.

36

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

36

Company Information and Advisers
for the year ended 31 May 2016

Website

www.surfacetransforms.com 

Registered Number

03769702

Directors

David George Bundred (Non-executive Chairman)
Dr Kevin Johnson (Chief Executive)
Kevin D’Silva (Non-executive Director)
Richard Douglas Gledhill (Non-executive Director)

Company Secretary

David Charles Allen

Address

Nominated Adviser and 
Joint Broker

Joint Broker

Auditors

Solicitors to the Company

Bankers

Registrars

Unit 4
Olympic Park
Poole Hall Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH66 1ST
Tel: 0151 356 2141

Cantor Fitzgerald Europe
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London E14 5RB

finnCap
60 New Broad Street
London EC2M 1JJ

RSM UK Audit LLP
20 Chapel Street
Liverpool L3 9AG 

Gateley LLP
Ship Canal House
98 King Street
Manchester M3 4WU

NatWest
Chester Branch
33 Eastgate Street
Chester CH1 1LG

Capita Asset Services 
The Registry
34 Beckenham Road
Kent BR3 4TU

37

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

37

Notice of Annual General Meeting
for the year ended 31 May 2016

NOTICE  IS  HEREBY  GIVEN  that  the  annual  general  meeting  of  the  above  named  Company  will  be  held  at  finnCap, 
60 New Broad Street, London, EC2M 1JJ on Tuesday 29 November 2016 at 11.00am for the following purposes:

Ordinary Business
1.

To receive the annual accounts of the Company for the financial year ended 31 May 2016 together with the last
Directors’ report, the last Directors’ remuneration report and the auditors’ report on those accounts.

2.

3.

To re-elect Kevin Alphonso D’Silva, who retires by rotation pursuant to article 113 of the articles of association of the
Company and who, being eligible, offers himself for re-election as a Director.

To re-appoint RSM UK Audit LLP as auditors for the Company to hold office from the conclusion of this meeting until
the  conclusion  of  the  next  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Company  and  to  authorise  the  Directors  to  fix  their
remuneration.

Special Business
To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolution which will be proposed as an ordinary resolution:

4.

“THAT, in substitution for all existing and unexercised authorities and powers, the Directors of the Company be and
they are hereby generally and unconditionally authorised for the purpose of section 551 of the Companies Act 2006
(the “Act”):

l

l

to  exercise  all  or  any  of  the  powers  of  the  Company  to  allot  shares  of  the  Company  or  to  grant  rights  to
subscribe for, or to convert any security into, shares of the Company (such shares and rights being altogether
referred to as “Relevant Securities”) up to an aggregate nominal value of £300,303 to such persons at such
times and generally on such terms and conditions as the Directors may determine (subject always to the articles
of association of the Company); and further

to allot equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the Act) up to an aggregate nominal value of £300,303
in connection with a rights issue or similar offer in favour of ordinary shareholders where the equity securities
respectively attributable to the interests of all ordinary shareholders are proportionate (as nearly as may be)
to  the  respective  numbers  of  ordinary  shares  held  by  them  subject  only  to  such  exclusions  or  other
arrangements as the directors of the Company may consider appropriate to deal with fractional entitlements
or legal and practical difficulties under the laws of, or the requirements of any recognised regulatory body in
any territory,

PROVIDED  THAT  this  authority  shall,  unless  previously  renewed,  varied  or  revoked  by  the  Company  in  general
meeting, expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting or on the date which is 6 months after the next
accounting reference date of the Company (if earlier) save that the Directors of the Company may, before the expiry
of such period, make an offer or agreement which would or might require relevant securities or equity securities (as
the case may be) to be allotted after the expiry of such period and the Directors of the Company may allot relevant
securities  or  equity  securities  (as  the  case  may  be)  in  pursuance  of  such  offer  or  agreement  as  if  the  authority
conferred hereby had not expired.”

38

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

38

Notice of Annual General Meeting
for the year ended 31 May 2016

5.

To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolution which will be proposed as a special resolution:
“THAT,  subject  to  and  conditional  upon  the  passing  of  the  resolution  numbered  4  in  the  notice  convening  the
meeting at which this resolution was proposed and in substitution for all existing and unexercised authorities and
powers, the Directors of the Company be and are hereby empowered pursuant to section 570 of the Act to allot
equity  securities  (as  defined  in  section  560  of  the  Act)  pursuant  to  the  authority  conferred  upon  them  by 
resolution 4 as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment provided that this authority and power
shall be limited to:

(a)

the  allotment  of  equity  securities  in  connection  with  a  rights  issue  or  similar  offer  in  favour  of  ordinary
shareholders where the equity securities respectively attributable to the interest of all ordinary shareholders
are proportionate (as nearly as may be) to the respective numbers of ordinary shares held by them subject only
to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors of the Company may consider appropriate to deal
with  fractional  entitlements  or  legal  and  practical  difficulties  under  the  laws  of,  or  the  requirements  of  any
recognised regulatory body in any, territory; and

(b)

the allotment (otherwise than pursuant to sub-paragraph (a) above) of equity securities up to an aggregate
nominal  amount  of  £90,091,  representing  approximately  10%  of  the  current  issued  share  capital  of  the
Company,

and shall expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting or on the date which is 6 months after the next
accounting reference date of the Company (if earlier) save that the Company may before such expiry make an offer
or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may
allot equity securities in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.”

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD

David C Allen
Company Secretary

Date: 7 October 2016

Registered office:
Unit 4 
Olympic Park
Poole Hall Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH66 1ST

39

Surface Transforms Plc

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

39

Notice of Annual General Meeting
for the year ended 31 May 2016

Notes: 
1.

A member of the Company entitled to attend and vote at the meeting convened by this notice is entitled to appoint
one or more proxies to exercise any of his rights to attend, speak and vote at that meeting on his behalf. If a member
appoints  more  than  one  proxy,  each  proxy  must  be  entitled  to  exercise  the  rights  attached  to  different  shares. 
A proxy need not be a member of the Company.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

A proxy may only be appointed using the procedures set out in these notes and the notes to the proxy form. To
appoint a proxy, a member may complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy form and deposit it at the Company’s
Registrars, Capita Asset Services at PXS, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU by 11.00am on 27 November 2016. Any power
of attorney or any other authority under which the proxy form is signed (or a duly certified copy of such power or
authority) must be enclosed with the proxy form.

In order to revoke a proxy appointment, a member must sign and date a notice clearly stating his intention to revoke
his  proxy  appointment  and  deposit  it  at  the  Company’s  Registrars,  Capita  Asset  Services  at  PXS,  Beckenham, 
Kent BR3 4TU by 11.00am on 27 November 2016.

CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies by utilising the CREST electronic proxy appointment service
may do so in relation to the meeting, and any adjournment(s) of that meeting, by utilising the procedures described
in  the  CREST  Manual.  In  order  for  a  proxy  appointment  made  by  means  of  CREST  to  be  valid,  the  appropriate 
CREST  message  must  be  transmitted  so  as  to  be  received  by  the  Company’s  Agent,  Capita  Asset  Services  at 
PXS,  Beckenham,  Kent  BR3  4TU  (CREST  Participant  ID:RA10)  by  no  later  than  48  hours  before  the  time  of  the
meeting. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied
to the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which the Company’s agent is able to retrieve the message
by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed. The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the
circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.

Any  corporation  which  is  a  member  of  the  Company  may  authorise  one  or  more  persons  (who  need  not  be  a
member of the Company) to attend, speak and vote at the meeting as the representative of that corporation. 

The right to vote at the meeting shall be determined by reference to the register of members of the company. Only
those persons whose names are entered on the register of members of the Company at entitlement time and date
close  of  business  on  27  November  2016  shall  be  entitled  to  attend  and  vote  in  respect  of  the  number  of  shares
registered  in  their  names  at  that  time.  Changes  to  entries  on  the  register  of  members  after  that  time  shall  be
disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and/or vote at the meeting.

Explanatory Notes:
Resolution 4 – Directors’ power to allot relevant securities
Under  section  551  of  the  Act,  relevant  securities  may  only  be  issued  with  the  consent  of  the  shareholders,  unless  the
shareholders  pass  a  resolution  generally  authorising  the  directors  to  issue  shares  without  further  reference  to  the
shareholders. This resolution authorises the general issue of shares up to an aggregate nominal value of £300,303, which
is equal to 33.33% of the nominal value of the current ordinary share capital of the Company and a further issue of shares
up to an aggregate nominal value of £300,303, which is equal to a further 33.33% of the nominal value of the current share
capital of the Company for the purposes of fully pre-emptive rights issues. Such authorities will expire at the conclusion of
the next annual general meeting of the Company or the date which is 6 months after the next accounting reference date
of the Company (whichever is the earlier).

Resolution 5 – Disapplication of pre-emption rights on equity issues for cash
Section  561  of  the  Act  requires  that  a  company  issuing  shares  for  cash  must  first  offer  them  to  existing  shareholders
following a statutory procedure which, in the case of a rights issue, may prove to be both costly and cumbersome. This
resolution  excludes  that  statutory  procedure  as  far  as  rights  issues  are  concerned.  It  also  enables  the  directors  to  allot
shares up to an aggregate nominal value of £90,091 which is equal to 10% of the nominal value of the current ordinary
share  capital  of  the  Company,  subject  to  resolution  5  (b)  being  passed.  The  directors  believe  that  the  limited  powers
provided  by  this  resolution  will  maintain  a  desirable  degree  of  flexibility.  Unless  previously  revoked  or  varied,  the
disapplication will expire on the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company or on the date which is 
15 months after the resolution being passed (whichever is the earlier).

40

Surface Transforms Plc

Printed by Michael Searle & Son Limited

40

Surface Transforms Plc
Unit 4
Olympic Park
Poole Hall Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH66 1ST
Tel: 0151 356 2141