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The Weir Group

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Industry Oil & Gas Equipment & Services
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FY2015 Annual Report · The Weir Group
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Progress in  
challenging  
markets

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and  
Financial Statements 2015

Section I:
Strategic Report 

2015 Highlights 

Weir at a Glance 

Understanding Our Markets 

Chairman’s Statement  

Strategy  

Business Model 

Key Performance Indicators 

Chief Executive’s Strategic Review 

How We Manage Risk 

Operational Review 

Financial Review 

Sustainability Review 

Section II:
Corporate Governance 

IFC

Board of Directors 

Group Executive 

Corporate Governance Report 

Nomination Committee Report 

Audit Committee Report 

Remuneration Committee Report 

Directors’ Report 

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities 

04

06

08

10

12

14

16

20

30

42

50

72

74

75

86

88

95

118

121

Section III:
Financial Statements 

Independent Auditor’s Report 

Consolidated Income Statement  

Consolidated Statement  
of Comprehensive Income  

Consolidated Balance Sheet 

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement  

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Notes to the Group Financial Statements 

Company Balance Sheet  

Company Statement of Changes in Equity 

Notes to the Company Financial Statements 

Subsidiaries 

Shareholder Information 

Glossary 

Financial Calendar 

122

130

131

132

133

134

135

184

185

186

201

205

207

208

The Weir Group is one of the world’s 
leading engineering businesses.  
We design, manufacture and service 
innovative solutions for our global 
customers and deliver long-term  
value for shareholders.

Order input 1

£1,877m
-24%

Revenue

£1,918m
-21% 

Operating profit 2

Profit before tax 2

£259m
-42%

£220m
-46%

Earnings per share 2

Reported loss per share 3

Cash flow from operations

Net debt

78.4p
-45%

83.6p
(2014: earnings per share 
33.8p)

£396m
-6%

£825m
+£36m

Continued resilience in Minerals: aftermarket 
revenues stable.  

Strong cash generation: free cash flow 
increased to £132m, up 67%. 

Sequential input decline in Oil & Gas: in line 
with market conditions. 

Increased R&D investment: up 17% delivering 
new products and extending global technology 
leadership. 

Power & Industrial: improved profitability 
despite challenging markets.

2015 cost reductions delivered £110m  
in annualised savings. 

Notes
1.  2014 restated at 2015 average exchange rates.
2.  Continuing operations adjusted to exclude exceptional items and intangibles amortisation.
3.  After exceptionals and intangibles amortisation.

www.annualreport.weir

Strategic Report a

I: Strategic Report 

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III

Progress in  
challenging markets
Despite market challenges which 
are unprecedented in recent years, 
Weir has delivered a resilient 
performance in Minerals, maintained 
leadership and market share in Oil 
& Gas, and created an additional 
platform for growth with the new 
Flow Control division.

KEITH COCHRANE
Chief Executive

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

01

Strategic Report 

SPM® QEM 3000 

Innovation 
The new frack pump from the Oil & Gas division will 
lower customers' total cost of ownership and is the 
industry's first continuous duty frack pump technology.

Read more in the Oil & Gas Operational Review on p37

Delivering greater

Eff 

Creating the Weir Cloud 

Value Chain Excellence 
The Group is developing secure cloud technology 
which will make access to IT services more 
efficient and effective. 

Read more in the Financial Review on p45

02

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

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Integrating Trio® Engineering Products 

Collaboration 
Teams from around the world worked together  
to successfully globalise our new range of Trio  
comminution products.

Read more in the Minerals Operational Review from p33
p

p

iciency

Engineering nuclear solutions in France 

Global Capability 
Weir Power & Industrial was awarded  
a multi-million Euro contract to replace  
pneumatic controls across 28 reactors.

Read more in the Power & Industrial Operational Review on p41

The Weir Group PLC 
The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

03
03

Strategic Report 

Weir at a Glance

Global capability,  
local delivery

The Weir Group consists of three complementary divisions which operate in markets 
with strong prospects for long-term growth. Our engineering solutions help meet 
the demands of the world’s growing population for more energy and natural 
resources. You can learn more in ‘Understanding Our Markets’ on pages 6 and 7. 

Read more on Strategy and Business Model on pages 10 to 13.

Minerals

Designing, manufacturing and supporting 
products used in mining and minerals 
processing. Weir Minerals is the global 
market leader in slurry handling equipment.

2015 Revenue*

£1,034m 
-4%

2015 Operating profit*

£198m
-9%

Key brands: 
Warman, GEHO, Linatex, 
Vulco, Cavex, Enduron  
and Trio.

Main markets: 
Mining and minerals 
processing, including 
comminution, slurry 
transportation and  
mine dewatering;  
sand and aggregates;  
and oil sands.

Major operational 
locations: 
US, Chile, Brazil, Peru, UK, 
Netherlands, South Africa, 
Malaysia, China and 
Australia. 

Oil & Gas

Major customers: 
Major and junior mining 
houses; Engineering, 
Procurement and 
Construction Management 
companies (EPCMs); and 
national and international 
oil companies.

Designing, manufacturing and supporting
products used in the upstream pressure 
pumping, upstream pressure control
and downstream refining operations. 
Weir Oil & Gas is the global market leader 
in pressure pumping equipment.

Main competitors: 
Metso, FLSmidth  
and KSB.

Employees: 
8,700

Addressable market: 
£8bn

2015 Revenue*

£582m
-45%

2015 Operating profit*

£58m 
-76%

Operations in over 70 countries. 
Our comprehensive global manufacturing and service centre 
network means our engineers are where our customers need  
them, when they need them. Our commitment to close customer 
relationships is a significant source of competitive advantage  
in the need-it-now industries we serve. 

Total people

14,700 

  North America 
  Asia-Pacific 
  Europe 
  Latin America 
  Middle East & Africa 

 Australia

Total facilities

239

  North America 
  Latin America 
  Europe 
  Australia 
  Asia-Pacific 

 Middle East & Africa 

36

38

22

50

68

25

1,200

1,800

3,900

2,000

3,000

2,800

04

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

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2015 Group input by market

2015 Group input by geography

  Minerals
  Oil & Gas
  Power

Industrial and other
  Sand & Aggregates

11%

3%

10%

  North America
  Latin America
  Middle East & Africa
  Europe
  Asia-Pacific
  Australia

9%

11%

13%

41%

37%

35%

17%

13%

Key brands: 
SPM, Seaboard, Mathena, 
Novatech, Gabbioneta and 
Weir Oil & Gas Services.

Major customers: 
Oilfield service companies; 
national and international 
oil companies; and EPCMs.

Main markets: 
Oil and gas drilling, 
completion and 
production and refining. 

Major operational 
locations: 
USA, Canada, UK,  
Middle East and China.

Main competitors: 
FMC Technologies, 
Gardner Denver  
and Cameron. 

Employees: 
3,000 

Addressable market: 
£5bn

Power & Industrial

Designing, manufacturing and supporting 
valves, pumps and turbines which are
used in conventional and renewable 
power and industrial operations and
in oil and gas production, mid-stream 
and refining markets.

2015 Revenue*

£302m 
-5%

2015 Operating profit*

£22m
+15%

Major customers: 
Utility companies; general 
industrial companies; and 
EPCMs. 

Main competitors: 
Flowserve, Pentair, Velan, 
GE, IMI, Voith and Andritz. 

Employees: 
3,000

Addressable market: 
£8.1bn

Key brands: 
Hopkinsons, Atwood & 
Morrill, Blakeborough, 
Sarasin-RBSD, WSP.

Main markets: 
Nuclear, conventional  
and renewable power 
generation; water and 
waste water; mid and 
downstream oil and gas; 
and general industrial 
processes. 

Major operational 
locations: 
USA, Canada, UK, France, 
South Korea, South Africa, 
India and China. 

 3 

 4 

 5 

*  In constant currency terms.

Global partners in action

1.
NORTH AMERICA 
The Oil & Gas division 
responded quickly to 
changing market conditions 
by reducing costs while 
continuing to deliver 
innovative engineering.

See more from p34

2.
LATIN AMERICA 
The Minerals division 
recorded record growth in 
Latin America as production 
in the region grew reflecting 
its low costs of production. 

See more from p30

4.
AFRICA AND THE 
MIDDLE EAST
Oil & Gas opened the first 
wellhead manufacturing 
facility in the United Arab 
Emirates which will serve 
the local region and the 
Eastern hemisphere.

See more from p34

5.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Malaysia was the first 
business to roll out the 
Minerals division’s new 
Enterprise Resource 
Platform which will 
eventually consolidate  
15 current systems into  
one across the world.  

See more from p30

 6 

3.
EUROPE,  
NORTH AFRICA 
AND RUSSIA
A partnership agreement  
has been signed with 
Imperial College in London 
to undertake fundamental 
research into minerals 
processing technology. 

See more from p58

6.
AUSTRALIA
The Group-wide ‘Internet  
of Things’ technology 
development is being led  
by engineers in Australia 
working in collaboration with 
colleagues around the world. 

See more from p58

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

05

 
Strategic Report 

Understanding Our Markets

Strong 
Fundamentals

Weir operates in three main markets which are 
cyclical but all share strong prospects for long-term 
growth. Together, mining, oil and gas and power 
contribute around 90% of Group revenue.

Long-term growth in cyclical markets 

Copper consumption in the post-war period has closely followed 
growth in the world population

Figure 1. Global copper consumption vs. population, last 60 years

Consumption (’000 tonnes)

Population (millions)

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

1950 1955 1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Copper consumption

Population

Source: United Nations/CRU/ICSG.

8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

The Group’s main markets benefit from global trends 
including the growing population, increasing economic 
development, urbanisation and the need to produce 
greater energy and natural resources to replace rapidly 
depleting supplies. These trends mean that mining,  
oil and gas and power markets remain good sources  
of long-term shareholder value, but they are not immune 
to nearer-term declines which reduce investment  
and activity. 

MINING
Weir is a global market leader in the provision of 
engineering solutions for the mining mill circuit: the 
process by which mined rock is broken down into 
valuable ore. The Group’s largest exposures are to 
commodities, such as copper, which has good long-term 
growth prospects and requires the greatest amount  
of processing, supporting our aftermarket-focused 
business model. 

Mining original equipment orders are driven by capital 
expenditure from global natural resource customers.  
This can come in the form of greenfield expenditure  
on new mines or brownfield spending, where existing 
assets are developed to increase production or efficiency. 

Processing rock into ore leads to significant wear  
and tear to our equipment, which in turn generates 
valuable aftermarket revenues for spares and servicing. 
Increasingly, operators need to process more rock to 
access the same amount of ore as grades decline, which 
leads to more abrasive processing and therefore more 
aftermarket opportunities. To put this issue into context, 
the mining industry is expecting an average copper  
grade decline of 17% over the next decade1; adding  
to the medium to long-term pressure on supply. 

OIL AND GAS
All three divisions have some exposure to this market 
with Weir Oil & Gas serving the North American shale 
gas and tight oil sectors with pressure pumping and 
pressure control products which are used in hydraulic 
fracturing or fracking. The steep increase in the supply  
of these unconventional sources of oil and gas is one of 
the contributing factors to the recent oversupply of global 
markets, which has led to reduced commodity prices. 
The division also provides dedicated engineering support 
and services to both conventional and unconventional 
markets, particularly in the Middle East. 

Weir Minerals technology is used in oil sands projects in 
Canada, and Weir Power & Industrial supplies ‘engineered 
to order’ pumps to downstream markets and safety valve 
products to the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry. 

06

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

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“ The Group’s main markets benefit from long-term 
global trends including the growing population, 
increasing economic development, urbanisation  
and the need to produce greater energy and natural 
resources to replace rapidly depleting supplies.”

Aftermarket 
The market for replacement parts 
or services which follow the 
purchase of original equipment. 
The Group drives the majority  
of its revenues from aftermarket 
products and services. 

Read more from p42

As current resources are exhausted, continuous 
investment is needed to maintain oil and gas supplies. 
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates 
US$630bn a year will need to be spent on worldwide 
upstream oil and gas investment just to compensate  
for “declining production at existing fields and to keep 
future output flat at today’s levels”2. At the same time  
as existing supplies are being exploited, global demand 
for energy is rising with good growth expected in  
demand for oil and even stronger prospects for gas,  
as it is increasingly used as a source of power  
generation globally. 

As greater efficiency and technology development  
have reduced unconventional ‘breakeven’ production 
costs, shale gas and tight oil are becoming increasingly 
important to the global energy mix. At the same time,  
the engineering solutions needed to access these 
resources are becoming more complex, including demand 
for continuous duty at high pressures in what are very 
challenging operational environments. This leads to 
substantial aftermarket opportunities which are captured 
using the Group’s extensive service centre network.

POWER 
Electricity demand is estimated to increase by more than 
70% between 2013–2040, with emerging economies 
responsible for the vast majority of the projected 
increase. The IEA estimate that, to keep pace with strong 
electricity demand growth, installed capacity needs to 
more than double in non-OECD countries, led by China 
(where capacity doubles) and India (where capacity 
almost quadruples)3.

Weir Power & Industrial operates in the conventional, 
nuclear and renewables power generation markets.  
It serves these markets through the design and 
manufacture of valves, pumps and turbines and  
the provision of specialist support services.

Notes
1.  BHP Biliton investor presentation December 2015. 
2. 
3. 

IEA World Energy Outlook 2015.
IEA World Energy Outlook 2015. 

Figure 2. Ore production in billion tonnes

Figure 3. Breakeven costs of oil sources versus peak  
production capacity

bn tonnes

20

15

10

5

0

US$

120

100

80

60

40

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

20

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

Iron ore

  Thermal core
  Metallurgical coal

  Copper
  Gold

Cumulative peak production (Kbls/d)

"Shale oil"
Heavy oil

Deepwater
Traditional

Ultra deepwater

Source: Goldman Sachs, January 2016.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

07

 
Strategic Report 

Chairman’s Statement

Navigating 
challenging 
markets

The Group’s 2015 financial performance was 
significantly affected by declines in its main 
markets as customers sought to reduce spending 
in response to falling commodity prices. While 
responding quickly to these market issues, the 
Group also made substantial strategic progress 
aimed at delivering significant shareholder value  
in the future. 

CHARLES BERRY
Chairman

08

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

OUR RESULTS
As a result of market conditions, reported revenues  
fell to £1.9bn, with pre-tax profits from continuing 
operations, before exceptional items and intangibles 
amortisation, of £220m: a significant decrease of 46%  
on 2014, reflecting a substantial downturn in oil and gas 
markets, the continuing reduction in capital expenditure 
by mining customers and project deferrals in power 
markets. On a constant currency basis, revenues were 
22% lower year-on-year, with pre-tax profits falling 47%.

The Group was swift to react to deteriorating conditions, 
including reducing costs to support competitiveness.  
At the same time substantial progress was made in  
a number of strategic areas to ensure Weir retains and 
extends its global leadership positions in the future.  
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank all those  
who worked for the Group in 2015, for their dedication  
and commitment to serving our customers. 

DIVIDEND 
We are proposing a final dividend payment of 29p per 
share, making 44p for the full year.

STRATEGY 
The Group has deliberately chosen to serve markets 
which are crucial to the world’s continuing long-term 
economic development. As the global population  
grows and increasingly urbanises, it will need more 
energy and natural resources. Currently available  
supplies are depleting and investment will be  
needed to meet future demand.

Weir has developed leadership positions in these 
structurally strong markets, creating an extensive 
installed base of equipment. The Group has used its 
success and materials expertise in one product range  
to expand into other complementary technologies, 
supported by a comprehensive service network in over 
70 countries, helping to capture valuable aftermarket 
opportunities for spare parts and services. 

Our competitive advantages are based on our four 
strategic pillars: innovation; collaboration; value chain 
excellence; and global capability. Even in tough markets  
it is important the Group continues to execute its strategy 
successfully. By putting our customers at the heart of our 
business, we ensure we meet their changing needs today 
while also investing in the engineering solutions which 
will make them more efficient and productive in the 
future. Chief Executive Keith Cochrane gives more detail 
of the Group’s 2015 strategic progress from page 16.

I: Strategic Report 

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III

Strategy 
The Group has deliberately  
chosen to serve markets  
which are crucial to the  
world’s continuing long-term  
economic development. 

Read more from p10.

IMPROVING SAFETY 
Improving the Group’s safety record is on the agenda of 
every Board meeting as we work towards making Weir  
a zero-accident workplace. We were pleased to see the 
Group continue to improve in this important area with  
a further reduction in the Total Incident Rate achieved as 
the first stage of the Group’s Environment and Health  
and Safety (EHS) roadmap was completed. More details 
can be found from page 51.

A PROUD PARTNER IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Weir has always been an active member of the 
communities we work in. In Scotland, in the early  
years of the 20th century, we were the first company  
to establish an apprentice school ensuring future 
generations were given vital engineering training. Today, 
we continue to work closely with community partners  
all over the world. This includes supporting educational, 
health and other charitable projects. In 2015, we spent 
more than £900m across our supply chain, helping  
to support employment throughout the world, while the 
Group also donated almost £500,000 to charitable causes.

Living by the Group’s values – doing all we can to make 
our customers successful, finding innovative solutions, 
caring for our colleagues, acting with integrity and an 
enduring commitment to quality in all we do – help to 
build a successful and sustainable business. In 2015,  
the Group made progress in a variety of sustainability 
arenas including the continued growth of Weir’s network 
of academic partners, which resulted in new research 
projects with a number of institutions worldwide. Weir  
is also continuing the Group’s commitment to innovation 
and the creation of long-term sustainable products that 
aim to minimise environmental impact. 

THE BOARD
As part of the Board’s annual programme, we visited  
the Group’s operations in Alberta in Canada, where Weir 
serves customers in oil and gas and oil sands markets.  
It was a valuable opportunity to meet local stakeholders, 
including government representatives, in what is an 
important part of the Group’s global operations. 

At the beginning of 2016, Minerals Managing Director 
Dean Jenkins joined the Board as Chief Operating Officer. 
Dean is uniquely qualified for the role as an engineer who 
has led two of the Group’s three divisions, having joined 
Weir as Managing Director of our Power & Industrial 
division in 2010. 

Looking to the rest of 2016, we will continue to face 
challenging market conditions reflecting uncertain 
short-term prospects for global economic growth.  
As it has always done, Weir will navigate these waters 
carefully, relying on the commitment of our 14,000  
staff and the resilience provided by our strategy and 
business model. When markets recover, we will be  
well placed to benefit because of the important work  
we are undertaking now.

CHARLES BERRY
Chairman
24 February 2016

“When markets recover, we will be well placed  
to benefit because of the important work we  
are undertaking now.”

We have continued to support staff as they develop  
their skills through our training programmes which  
offer a wide variety of opportunities for continuous 
professional development. Training undertaken using  
our Weir University online portal has increased 
substantially in the last year. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

09

Strategic Report 

Strategy

How we deliver  
long-term  
shareholder value

Strategic pillar #1

Innovation 

The Weir Group was founded by innovative 
engineers almost 150 years ago. We are 
always asking how we can make our 
customers more efficient and productive.

OUR MISSION AND STRATEGY

Mission
Our mission is to be wherever and whenever our global 
energy and resources customers need us, delivering 
innovative products and services and becoming their 
trusted partner of choice.

How we measure strategic success?
How we measure strategic success?
We aim to achieve sustainable growth ahead of our chosen 
We aim to achieve sustainable growth ahead of our chosen 
markets You can see details of how we performed in 2015
markets. You can see details of how we performed in 2015  
by looking at the Operational Review sections of each division, 
starting on page 30.

Our strategic goal
Our strategic goal
Our strategic goal is to strengthen and extend our position 
Our strategic goal is to strengthen and extend our position  
in the global structural growth markets of minerals
in the global structural growth markets of minerals,  
oil and gas, power and other aftermarket-oriented 
processing industries.

How is this achieved?
How is this achieved?
We have four key strategic pillars which define our distinctive
We have four key strategic pillars which define our distinctive 
approach and support our competitive advantage. They are 
approach and support our competitive advantage They are
innovation, collaboration, value chain excellence and 
global capability.

10

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Strategic pillar #2

Collaboration 

We work closely with customers, colleagues, 
suppliers and communities to better understand 
and respond to the demands of our markets 
and promote mutually-beneficial relationships 
with all our key stakeholders.

Strategic pillar #3

Value Chain 
Excellence 

We prioritise operating excellence across  
the full value chain from new product 
development, order acquisition and order 
fulfilment through to the final delivery  
to the customer.

Strategic pillar #4

Global  
Capability 

Our global operations match those of our 
customers ensuring we offer comprehensive 
support and become their trusted partner  
of choice.

I: Strategic Report 

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How we do it:
 – Work closely with customers to fully understand their priorities.
 – Invest in research and development based on customer insights, 
deep technical knowledge and partnerships with some of the 
world’s leading technology institutions.

 – Use our comprehensive product development process to 
continually deliver new solutions which address customer 
challenges and deliver efficiency and productivity improvements.

What we did in 2015
 – Our global engineering team conducted thousands of site  

visits and helped audit customer operations to understand their 
challenges and concerns.

 – The Group signed a partnership agreement with Imperial College 

London to undertake fundamental research into minerals processing.

 – New products were launched by all three divisions which lower 

customers total cost of ownership and make their operations more 
efficient. You can see further details of individual innovations in the 
Operational Review section from page 30. 

How we do it:
 – Our Excellence Committees develop and promote best practice 

What we did in 2015
 – Agreed to work with Microsoft Corporation to develop ‘Internet  

across all three divisions. 

 – We work closely with customers, academic partners and other 

companies to develop solutions which address market demands 
for less operational downtime and improved materials performance.
 – We work with stakeholders throughout the world helping to make 
a positive difference to local communities. You can learn more in 
our sustainability section from page 50.

of Things’ technology for the Group’s global customers.

 – Progress continued on forming a joint venture with Rolls-Royce 
subsidiary MTU to develop an integrated frack power system 
which will utilise Weir’s leading pump technology and extensive 
service network. 

 – Employees worked with charity partners in a variety of countries 
supporting causes which benefit local communities and improve 
educational opportunities. You can read more in the Sustainability 
section from page 50. 

How we do it:
 – Apply our Value Chain Excellence Management System 

throughout the Group to deliver efficiency improvements  
across all our processes.

What we did in 2015
 – Substantially reduced inventory in our Oil & Gas pressure  

pumping business.

 – Significantly improved On Time Delivery and working capital 

 – Improving on-time-delivery through better planning, 

performance particularly in Oil & Gas and Power & Industrial divisions. 

communication and execution using a detailed analysis  
of customers’ individual demands.

 – Ensuring all parts of the value chain, from suppliers to sales  

and marketing, work in harmony to produce the most efficient 
solutions for customers.

 – Minerals initiated the roll out of an integrated Enterprise Resource 
Platform (ERP) which will consolidate fifteen systems into one.
 – Negotiated improved arrangements with strategic suppliers to 

reduce procurement costs by £37m. 

How we do it:
 – Our regional manufacturing model means our customers have 

quick access to products made and delivered in their own areas.
 – Our unrivalled service centre network gives our customers in the 
need-it-now industries we serve the rapid aftermarket support 
which keeps their operations active.

 – Strategic acquisitions are able to find new markets using the 

What we did in 2015
 – Fully integrated Trio Engineered Products into the Weir Minerals 
division and established global sales team to take its mining and 
sand and aggregates products to new markets.

 – Completed the development of a new regional manufacturing  
hub in the United Arab Emirates to serve local and Eastern 
hemisphere customers.

Group’s established global customer relationships.

 – Increased the supply of Power & Industrial products manufactured 

in best-cost countries to support competitiveness. 

 – Continued to develop Weir Cloud technology which will give 
employees access to more secure and effective IT services 
wherever they are. See page 45 for more details.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

11

Strategic Report 

Business Model

Delivering value  
for customers  
and shareholders 

Both our strategy and our business model have the needs of 
our customers at their core. They have been designed to fully 
capture the attractive long-term opportunities in our chosen 
markets of mining, oil and gas and power.

Original equipment
Our business model begins with designing and manufacturing 
innovative and highly engineered equipment for use in some  
of the world’s most challenging operating environments.  
We use our materials knowledge and technology expertise  
to grow a large installed base of original equipment.

Aftermarket
As our equipment is used in highly abrasive environments such  
as processing rock into ore and fracking oil and gas wells using 
extremely high pressures, it needs regular maintenance and 
replacement leading to demand for spares, service and support.  
This is delivered through Weir’s comprehensive global service centre 
network which means our customers have quick access to the 
products and services they need, when they need them. These 
valuable aftermarket opportunities provide the majority of the  
Group’s earnings.

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The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

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G l o b a l  mega-trends

Oil & Gas

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c

h

a

n

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e

s

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f

t

e

r

m

a

r

k

e

t

W

a

t

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r

s

e

c

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Power & 
Industrial

Integri t y

Cross-sell i n g

Minerals

s

d

n

e

r

t

-

a

g

e

m

l
a

b

o
l

G

Emerging market growth

Resource scarcity

G
l
o
b

al m

ega-trends

Cross-selling our wider portfolio
With a strong installed base and a comprehensive service centre 
network, the Group is able to use its close customer relationships to 
cross-sell our wider portfolio of products and services. We use our 
leadership in one market as a platform for entering and growing into 
adjacent markets, supported by targeted and strategic acquisitions.  
In Oil & Gas, this has included a move into pressure control markets 
from our strong base in pressure pumping. In mining, it has involved 
the extension into comminution markets for crushing, grinding and 
screening which serve similar customers.

Aligned to global mega-trends 
The aftermarket focus of the Group’s business model benefits from 
the increased complexity in accessing new supplies of energy and 
natural resources. Minerals’ ore grades are declining which means 
more processing is needed to extract the same amount of ore while 
in oil and gas markets, shale gas and tight oil producers are reducing 
the breakeven costs of their operations significantly, making 
unconventional oil and gas a more sustainable source of long-term 
global energy supply. This is being achieved by drilling longer lateral 
wells with more stages which supports demand for the Group’s 
aftermarket products and services. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

13

 
 
 
Strategic Report 

Key Performance Indicators

Results

Monitoring and evaluating our performance  
The Board uses a range of financial and non-financial 
metrics, reported on a periodic basis, to monitor the 
Group’s performance over time.

Input1 
(£m)

Operating 
margin2  
(%)

Free 
cash
flow
(£m)

Return 
on capital 
employed3 
(%)

Inventory 
turns4

Total  
Incident  
Rate (TIR)5

Strategic goals

Strengthen and extend  
addressable markets  
in minerals, oil and gas 
and power sectors

Attain status of partner 
of choice for engineered  
products and services  
in our chosen markets

Priorities

Innovation

Collaboration

Value Chain Excellence

Global Capability

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Notes
1.  Calculated at 2015 average exchange rates.
2.  Adjusted to exclude exceptional items and intangibles amortisation.
3.  Continuing operations EBIT before exceptional items on a constant currency basis (excluding Trio and Delta Valves 
EBIT) divided by average net assets (excluding Trio and Delta Valves net assets) excluding net debt and pension 
deficit (net of deferred tax assets).

4.  As reported.
5.  2015 average v 2014 average measuring medical treatment of any kind required by employees divided by 200,000 

hours worked.

14

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

#1 Input 

Input1 (£m)

£1,877m
-24%

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

2,478

2,262

1,877

2013

2014

2015

#3 Free cash flow 

Free cash flow2 (£m)

£132m
+67%

168

200

100

132

79

0

2013

2014

2015

#5 Inventory turns 

Inventory turns4

2.5 times
-0.2 times

3

1

0

3.0

2.7

2.5

2013

2014

2015

 
I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Performance
 – Minerals margin resilient in challenging 

market conditions.

 – The decline in Oil & Gas reflects 

substantial volume decline, negative 
operating leverage and pricing pressure 
across Upstream businesses.
 – Power & Industrial benefited from 
previous restructuring actions.

Performance
 – Lower commodity prices, primarily  
as a result of oil and gas declines, 
reduced demand for original equipment 
and aftermarket products and services.
 – Aftermarket orders increased to 69%  
of Group input from 67% in 2014.
 – Reduced Oil & Gas input reflected  
a substantial reduction in customer 
activity while Minerals was impacted 
by mine closures, customers  
reducing safety stocks and delaying 
scheduled maintenance.

#2 Operating margin 

Operating margin2 (%)

13.5%
-490bps

19.2

18.4

13.5

20

10

0

2013

2014

2015

#4 Return on capital employed 

Performance
 – Strong cash generation.
 – Cash generation from operations 
decreased 6% but represents an 
improved EBITDA to cash conversion 
ratio of 123%.

 – Working capital inflows of £87m  

driven by excellent cash collections of 
receivables, particularly in Oil & Gas.

Return on capital employed (ROCE)3 (%)

10.0%
-820bps

20

10

18.3

18.2

10.0

0

2013

2014

2015

Performance
 – The decrease in ROCE reflects 
challenging market conditions.

 – Oil & Gas’ returns declined reflecting 
challenging market conditions as oil 
dropped to the lowest price since 2003 
and North American Upstream activity 
levels fell significantly.

Performance
 – Inventory turns fell as underlying 

inventory performance was skewed  
by market conditions and revenue 
decreased faster than stock levels.
 – Inventory initiatives continued with  
a significant reduction in Upstream  
Oil & Gas.

 – ‘Engineer to order’ businesses were 
impacted by an incremental £25m  
of Work In Progress as a result of 
project and delivery delays.

 – Further reduction expected in 2016  
as Value Chain Excellence initiatives 
deliver further benefits and the 
Minerals global ERP roll out continues.

#6 Total Incident Rate 

Total Incident Rate (TIR)

0.6
-25%

1

1.0

0.5

0.8

0.6

0

2013

2014

2015

Performance
 – Completed the roll-out of the EHS 

Roadmap 2012-2015.

 – Next phase of the Roadmap developed.
 – Vast majority of businesses increased 
EHS compliance scores by more than 
10% in 2015.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

15

Strategic Report 

Chief Executive’s Strategic Review

Building  
a stronger  
Weir Group

Revenue

£1,918m
-21%

Operating profit

£259m
-42%

KEITH COCHRANE
Chief Executive

16

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2015 saw the Group pro-actively address changing 
market conditions ensuring that we remained cost 
competitive and highly customer-focused while building 
our technology leadership positions.

The scale of the market challenges faced by the Group 
was unprecedented in recent years. The steep decline  
in the price of oil and other commodities had a substantial 
impact on customer activity and consequently, the overall 
financial performance of the Group. 

This was clearly disappointing but, as Weir has always done, 
we acted swiftly. Costs were aggressively reduced as the 
Group adapted to the new market environment. £110m in 
annualised savings was delivered, including the closure of 
smaller manufacturing operations in the US, Australia and 
Europe and the consolidation of 12 oil and gas service 
centres into larger, more efficient facilities. In total, the 
Group’s workforce reduced by around 10%. In this process, 
we have been very careful to ensure we retain the capability 
to respond quickly when markets recover.

These were difficult but necessary decisions and I would 
like to thank everyone who worked for Weir during the 
course of the year for their dedication and commitment.  
In the tough market conditions of 2015 our people again 
demonstrated their ability to react quickly and work 
tirelessly to continue to serve our customers. 

The Group also benefited from its highly cash-generative 
nature which allowed us to continue to prioritise investment 
in the people, technology and products which will position 
Weir to grow strongly in the future.

We were particularly pleased to have made further 
progress in reducing the Group’s Total Incident Rate (TIR) 
which fell by 25%. This is the result of our Environment, 
Health and Safety (EHS) road map which is now being 
refreshed after an initial three-year period in which it 
substantially improved performance. 

WEAKER GLOBAL GROWTH AFFECTING 
COMMODITY PRICES
Slowing economic growth in China and other emerging 
economies coupled with a continued oversupply of oil and gas 
were the main reasons for falls in commodity prices in 2015.

International oil benchmarks Brent crude and West  
Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell by around two-thirds 
between their 2014 peak and the end of 2015, with  
a subsequent reduction in capital spending and activity  
by oil companies. Operators sought pricing discounts from 
suppliers as part of their focus on reducing expenditure. 

In North America, the rig count fell by 61% in 2015. As a 
result, the number of active frack fleets fell with utilisation 
estimated to have reduced from 87% in 2014 to less than 
50% in 2015. Similarly, the dramatic reduction in activity 
affected North American pressure control markets. 

 
Globally, it is estimated that more than US$400bn of 
projects were either delayed or cancelled. Both the 
International Energy Agency and the Saudi Arabian 
government highlighted the potential for a rebound in  
oil prices in the future as demand continues to grow  
but future supplies are constrained by under-investment 
and continuing depletion of resources. In this context,  
the fall in the breakeven price of shale gas and tight oil 
strengthened its position in the global energy mix. 

The relatively low capital costs and the short time-frame 
between investment decision and production of shale 
resources means it is far quicker to respond to an upturn 
in the market than conventional energy sources. An 
unconventional oil well can be in production within six 
months of the investment decision compared to several 
years for conventional developments.

In mining markets, copper prices fell 26%, iron ore reduced 
40% and gold fell by 12%, staying below incentive levels. 
Some miners with higher costs of production responded 
by closing mines, principally in Africa, North America and 
China. Production in lower-cost regions, such as South 
America and Australia, grew as miners sought to increase 
market share. Overall, global ore production increased with 
copper estimated to have risen by 4%.

Across the industry, mining companies intensified their 
focus on reducing costs as commodity prices fell. Some of 
the world’s largest miners sought to protect their balance 
sheets by announcing the disposal or mothballing of less 
cash-generative assets and the acceleration of future  
cost saving initiatives. Globally, more than 70 mines were 
closed in 2015, with the biggest impact on higher-cost iron 
ore and copper mines.

Power markets were affected by weaker economic 
growth, particularly in emerging economies and Europe 
and North America. New nuclear opportunities were 
largely restricted to China although progress towards a 
new nuclear fleet in the UK was a positive development. 

OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN 2015
Overall, in the face of unprecedented market challenges, 
order input in constant currency terms was down 24%  
on 2014 and 27% on a like-for-like basis, with each quarter 
down on the prior year period. Original equipment orders 
were down 29% and 34% on a like-for-like basis, reflecting 
challenging market conditions across all our divisions but 
particularly within Oil & Gas. Aftermarket orders were  
down 22% and represented 69% of total input (2014: 67%), 
driven, primarily by Oil & Gas declines of 44%, although 
there was also an impact of reduced aftermarket orders  
for Minerals and Power & Industrial, which each also have 
exposure to oil and gas markets.

Group revenues were down 22% on a constant currency 
basis and 24% on a like-for-like basis. In Minerals, revenues 
were down 4% as resilient aftermarket demand was more 
than offset by lower demand for original equipment. Both 
original equipment and aftermarket revenues in Oil & Gas 
decreased, by 54% and 41% respectively, reflecting the 
significant decline in customer activity. Power & Industrial 
revenues were down 5%, with the aftermarket broadly  
flat and original equipment down 9%.

Group operating margin declined by 510bps on a constant 
currency basis. This reflected the significant negative 
impact on the Oil & Gas division of current market 
conditions. As expected, Minerals margins were also  
only slightly down year-on year. Power & Industrial 
margins increased as it saw the benefits from its recent 

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

restructuring. Combined with declining reported 
revenues, this translated into a 46% fall in underlying 
profit before tax to £220m. On a constant currency basis, 
operating profit decreased by 43% and pre-tax profits  
by 47%, reflecting the challenging conditions in all three 
main end markets, although the margin performance  
in the second half of the year improved. Overall, Group 
gross margins (before manufacturing overhead under-
recoveries) were broadly stable supported by increases  
in both Minerals and Power & Industrial. 

After a £3m foreign exchange impact, chiefly as a result 
of the US Dollar appreciating against Sterling, offset by 
the Australian Dollar and emerging market currencies 
depreciating against Sterling, reported pre-tax profits of 
£220m were 46% down on 2014. This foreign exchange 
exposure was largely translational and had limited impact 
on our competitive positioning.

Free cash flow, after dividend payments, increased to 
£132m, despite the significant reduction in operating 
profit. This was driven by an impressive working capital 
performance and the ongoing cash-generative nature of 
the Group. Return on capital employed, excluding 2015 
acquisitions, decreased by 820bps to 10.0%.

Operating exceptionals charges of £365m were incurred, 
reflecting impairments and restructuring actions taken 
across the Group. In 2015, the Group also delivered 
£110m in annualised savings and announced a further 
target of an additional £40m in annualised savings to be 
achieved in 2016. The Group also intends to realise up  
to £100m in non-core asset disposals.

STRATEGIC PROGRESS
Despite the market challenges faced by the Group  
in 2015 and reflected in our financial performance, we 
made significant strategic progress. This was achieved by 
remaining highly responsive and carefully controlling the 
levers available to us, while ensuring Weir continues to 
have the people, technology and products to fully benefit 
when markets improve. 

The success of the Group’s Downstream Forum, which 
brought together businesses from different divisions to 
share best practice and market opportunities, has been 
recognised with the strategic restructuring of the Power & 
Industrial division. Power & Industrial will be renamed Weir 
Flow Control and will incorporate downstream-oriented 
pump businesses Floway and Gabbioneta which were 
previously in Minerals and Oil & Gas divisions respectively, 
creating a division clearly focused on flow control 
opportunities in power, oil and gas and other aftermarket-
orientated process industries.

Our strategy, which is to strengthen and extend our 
positions in structurally strong markets, is based on  
four strategic pillars: innovation; collaboration; value  
chain excellence; and global capability. 

Innovation has been at the heart of Weir’s approach since 
the Group’s foundation almost 150 years ago. We have a 
proud history of increasing customer efficiency, but in the 
rapidly evolving technology landscape of the 21st century, 
we need to look beyond our own industry. That is why we 
established the Weir Technology Advisory Board which is 
chaired by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, one of our Non-
Executive Directors and a leading UK engineering academic. 
The Technology Advisory Board includes experts from a 
diverse range of backgrounds and it will help guide Weir’s 
technology priorities in future years, helping the Group 
maintain and extend our global market leadership positions.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

17

 
Strategic Report 

Chief Executive’s Strategic Review continued

In addition, we have broadened our network of partnership 
agreements with leading technology universities. This now 
includes Imperial College London, which is consistently 
ranked as one of the best performing universities in  
the world. Our engineers are working with Imperial’s 
academics to undertake fundamental research to improve 
minerals processing. This agreement builds on our already 
established relationships with the University of Strathclyde, 
the University of Cambridge, the Royal Melbourne Institute 
of Technology and the University of Sydney. In July, Her 
Majesty the Queen visited the Weir Advanced Research 
Centre at the University of Strathclyde and learned about 
the work being undertaken at the Centre to support our 
operations around the world.

These partnerships are an important supplement to  
our own innovation efforts, which in 2015 delivered  
new products and services which substantially improve 
customers’ efficiency and performance. These include  
Oil & Gas’ new SPM® QEM 3000 frack pump and 
Minerals new Cavex® 700 CVX Hydrocyclone and 
high-horsepower range of crushers. Power & Industrial 
launched a new safety valve for Liquefied Natural Gas 
(LNG) customers and a light-weight industrial pump  
for hydrocarbon applications. 

The Group-wide development of ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) 
technology is making good progress as we broaden our 
digital customer experience. When fully established,  
it will allow our engineers to better monitor and control 
equipment using predictive analytics; gaining a deeper 
understanding of performance and wear life and ultimately 
helping make our customers more efficient and productive. 
We have agreed to work with Microsoft Corporation to 
accelerate that process as we develop IoT solutions for our 
mining, oil and gas and power customers. The agreement 
recognises the importance of accessing the best skills  
and solutions to complement our own engineering 
expertise by working with one of the world’s leading 
technology companies. 

You can learn more about the new innovations introduced 
by each division in the operational review section which 
begins on page 30.

Our technology and safety initiatives have been led in recent 
years by Gavin Nicol, who retired as Director of Operations 
at the end of 2015. I would like to take this opportunity to 
thank Gavin for the substantial contribution he made to the 
Group. His legacy is a business with a culture of continuous 
improvement in safety and one which is well positioned  
to benefit from the opportunities of new technology. The 
leadership of our innovation and safety agenda is now part 
of the expanded remit of Dean Jenkins, who became  
Chief Operating Officer at the beginning of 2016. Dean was 
succeeded as Divisional Managing Director of Weir Minerals 
by Ricardo Garib, formerly Regional Managing Director of 
the division’s Latin American operations and an engineer 
with more than 30 years of mining experience.

18

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Weir’s commitment to collaboration includes colleagues 
working closely together across different divisions to 
share best practice. It also involves working with other 
companies to jointly develop new products and services 
for our customers. As part of that process, the Group 
agreed to establish a joint venture agreement with 
Rolls-Royce PLC subsidiary MTU America to develop  
an integrated frack power system which will combine  
a frack pump, transmission and engine. The new power 
system will be offered alongside comprehensive 
aftermarket support which will be provided through 
Weir’s Oil & Gas service network.

As we make our customers more efficient, the Group  
has also been focused on improving the operational 
performance of our facilities by ensuring the customer is 
at the core of our manufacturing and service performance. 
This constant attention to value chain excellence (VCE) 
has involved dozens of tailored initiatives to improve 
individual facility performance in areas such as reducing 
lead times and working capital, where there was 
substantial progress, particularly in Oil & Gas and Power  
& Industrial divisions. The Minerals division is continuing 
to implement a common Enterprise Resource Planning 
(ERP) tool across its global operations which will 
eventually consolidate 15 ERP systems into one. These 
initiatives helped deliver a £87m working capital inflow,  
in addition to the Group’s ongoing procurement efforts 
which in 2015 delivered £37m in procurement savings, 
helping to offset some of the pricing pressure the Group 
experienced as customers sought to reduce costs. 

The integration of Trio Engineered Products was 
successfully completed with early success in new 
comminution (crushing, grinding and screening) markets 
and sand and aggregates markets. A worldwide sales team 
was established to bring Trio’s products to a wider range  
of customers building on the Group’s global capability, 
which includes operations in more than 70 countries.  
The Group also acquired US-based Delta Industrial Valves, 
which is a leading supplier of knife-gate valves principally 
for mining and oil sands. Work is also continuing to develop 
the Group’s manufacturing facilities with our new centre  
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, moving to full production 
serving upstream and downstream oil and gas customers, 
and a new factory and distribution centre in Milan to  
serve downstream oil and gas customers. 

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Keith 
Ruddock who retired as the Group’s General Counsel  
and Company Secretary at the end of 2015. Keith was  
a valuable source of strategic advice for the entire  
business and played an important role in developing  
our ethics and compliance procedures in an increasingly 
complex global environment.

Value chain excellence 
The process by which every part 
of the Group’s operations are 
focused on optimising efficiency 
and customer satisfaction. 

See more from page 10.

Global capability 
Our equipment is “mission 
critical” to our customers which 
is why we have developed a 
comprehensive global service 
centre network. 

See more from page 10.

DELIVERING ON 2015’S KEY PRIORITIES
In last year’s Annual Report, I set out a series of key 
priorities for the year:

Deliver benefits from the Minerals facility restructuring 
programme, the integration of Trio and the investment in  
a common Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform.

The Minerals division delivered around £20m in cost 
savings during 2015 including realising the benefits of  
its efficiency review. The roll-out of the ERP system 
progressed from Malaysia to Europe and is expected to be 
in operation in Latin America later in 2016. The integration 
of Trio is complete and a new sales team is globalising its 
product range including the first in a new range of crushers 
developed using Weir’s materials expertise.

Ensure agile response to oil and gas end market conditions 
and maximise opportunities from new product launches.

The Group reshaped its Oil & Gas division in response to 
deteriorating market conditions by insourcing manufacturing, 
cutting operating costs, consolidating facilities and reducing 
the division’s North American workforce. It maintained  
core skills which will allow it to benefit when the market 
recovers. The division launched a new frack pump which 
can reduce total cost of ownership by approximately  
20% and has received positive feedback from customers.  
In addition, the division’s new frack valves offer double 

Her Majesty the  
Queen visited the  
Weir Advanced Research 
Centre in Glasgow. 

the life expectancy of their predecessors.

Drive improved performance in Power & Industrial, 
including benefits of divisional reorganisation.

Margins improved as the division benefitted from 
restructuring as a result of the Group-wide efficiency 
review. Restructuring resulted in a £8m reduction in the 
division’s Selling, General and Administration (SG&A) 
costs in 2015.

Accelerate pace of new technology developments.

The Group has launched a large range of new products 
focused on improving the efficiency of customers 
operations. More details of specific innovations can be 
found in the operational review section. The Group has 
also established new partnerships with leading 
universities, is developing an IoT offering and established 
the Weir Technology Advisory Board.

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Drive reductions in lead times and working capital through 
application of the Value Chain Excellence roadmap.

Each business in the Group undertook initiatives using the 
VCE roadmap. Oil & Gas achieved a 21% improvement in 
On Time Delivery (OTD) while in Africa, the Minerals 
division achieved significant lead time reductions through 
the use of a new Sales and Operating Process, while 
restructuring supply chain processes in Power & 
Industrial achieved substantial OTD improvements. 

OUTLOOK
Given ongoing market conditions, 2016 will be another 
challenging year. As a result, we are planning for a further 
reduction in constant currency Group operating profits, 
driven primarily by lower activity levels in upstream oil and 
gas markets. We will continue to invest for the medium 
term supported by our aftermarket-focused business 
model, further cost reduction initiatives, non-core asset 
disposals and a clear focus on cash generation, to ensure 
we benefit fully and quickly when markets improve.

More broadly and as part of our normal assessment of 
potential political and social risks, we will closely monitor 
the outcome of the referendum to decide whether the UK 
should continue to be a member of the European Union. 
The Group believes continued membership would be 
beneficial to the UK economy as it gives UK-based 
businesses access to one of the world’s largest single 
markets, facilitating increased trade. 

2016 PRIORITIES
1   Maintain competitiveness in challenging markets 

including delivering £40m in additional cost reduction 
benefits and more than £30m of procurement savings.
2   Prioritise cash generation with further reductions in working 
capital and up to £100m in non-core asset disposals.
3   Extend the Group’s technology leadership through the 

development of ‘Internet of Things’ capability.

4   Capture benefits from comminution strategy in Minerals 
across both mining and sand & aggregates markets.

5   Continue to expand Oil & Gas product and service 

offering in the Middle East and launch integrated frack 
power systems joint venture.

6   Drive revenues from new product launches and deliver 
benefits from the new Weir Flow Control strategy.

KEITH COCHRANE
Chief Executive
24 February 2016

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

19

Strategic Report 

How We Manage Risk

Managing  
risk 
effectively

We operate in a complex global environment, 
where risks offer opportunities as well as 
challenges. Our objective is to allow our people to 
be decisive, so we can take advantage of attractive 
opportunities whilst ensuring we are not exposing 
the organisation to excessive risk. 

Figure 1:  
Risk Management Cycle

assure
nitor, assure
report
d report
nitor,r

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t he risks
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Quantif y
Quantif y
the net r i s k
the net r i s k

20

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

THE RISK AGENDA
During the year, the Board has reviewed the Risk Appetite 
Statement, the effectiveness of the systems of risk 
management and internal control and conducted a robust 
assessment of the principal risks affecting the Group. 
These activities meet the Board’s responsibilities in 
connection with Risk Management and Internal Control 
set out in the 2014 UK Corporate Governance Code.

The Board reviewed the Risk Appetite Statement which 
was approved with only minor amendments and is set  
out below. The aim of the Risk Appetite Statement 
remains to highlight the risks that we should be willing  
to take, as well as those which are unacceptable. The 
statement includes a series of risk assertions which are 
aligned to our strategy, together with the risk parameters 
within which we expect our people to work. The risk 
appetite is all of the risk assertions and the parameters 
taken together. The parameters can apply to more than 
one risk assertion, and therefore the individual risk 
assertions should not be read in isolation. Compliance 
with the Risk Appetite Statement is monitored through 
the Group’s standard monitoring and reporting 
mechanisms. The Board will continue to review and 
update the Risk Appetite Statement on an annual basis. 

Details of the review of the internal control and risk 
management systems undertaken during the year are 
contained in the Audit Committee Report on page 92.

RISK MANAGEMENT 
The management of risks is at the core of the internal 
control framework. We have a risk management policy 
which defines how we expect risks to be identified, 
assessed and managed throughout the organisation. 

Risks are assessed, and quantified, in terms of impact 
and likelihood of occurrence, both before and after control 
mitigation. Assessing the gross risk before control 
mitigation allows the business to review the relative 
impact of the existing controls by comparing the gross 
and net risk assessment. This also allows the business to 
avoid wasting resources on mitigating controls and actions 
which have a negligible impact on the risk assessment. 

The impact of risks is quantified across a range of  
factors including: financial; strategy; reputation; people 
and property; ability to perform services; regulation, 
environment, health and safety; and investors and 
funding. The risk management policy includes defined 
criteria for each risk impact factor, supporting a consistent 
measurement approach. Risk management takes place  
at the grassroots level, for example in individual projects, 
all the way up to Group level assessments, thereby 
providing an integrated bottom-up and top-down 
approach to risk management.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2:  
Risk Universe

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

The specific risks identified across the business generally fall under one of the categories within the ‘Risk Universe’  
as shown below.

Strategic risk
Industry and  
market 
downturns.

Technological 
advances.

Pricing pressures.

Acquisitions  
and mergers.

Planning and  
resource 
allocation.

Hazard risk
Political and  
social instability. 

Natural disasters 
and other major 
incidents.

External and 
internal fraud  
and corruption.

Operational risk
People.

Delivery and  
supply chain.

Quality.

Commercial.

Communication.

IT.

Compliance risk
Laws and 
regulations.

Financial risk 
Financial 
management.

Code of Conduct.

Credit.

Environment,  
health & safety.

Governance.

Intellectual 
property.

Debt and  
interest rates.

Foreign exchange.

Accounting  
and reporting. 

Taxation.

Not all risks are controllable or foreseeable, a key example being natural disasters. Our response to such risks is having 
controls which lessen the impact to our business should they occur. For example, in the case of natural disasters,  
we have controls in place to reduce the risk of harm to our people, as well as response planning protocols, with clear 
accountability, to minimise disruption to operations and our customers. 

RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Weir Group is strategically positioned in markets with good long-term growth prospects. We will pursue ambitious 
growth targets, and we are willing to accept a higher level of risk to increase the likelihood of achieving or exceeding 
our strategic priorities, subject to the parameters below.

Risk assertions

Risk parameters

1.  Organic growth: We will rigorously pursue divisional 
organic growth strategies to meet our market growth 
objectives. We recognise that our end markets are 
subject to cyclicality and we plan to have sufficient 
flexibility to manage through the cycle.

2.  Mergers and acquisitions (M&A): We will actively 

pursue M&A opportunities that enhance our strategic 
platform subject to meeting investment criteria.

3.  Returns and profitability: We will not pursue growth 
at all costs, and expect high margins, strong returns  
on capital and working capital discipline together with 
cash generation.

4.  Capital allocation: We will encourage capital 

expenditure in pursuit of our growth ambitions subject 
to Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and achievement of 
Group free cash flow targets.

Investment of resources will be consistent with 
divisional strategies and expected divisional compound 
annual growth rates over five year plans.

Post-tax returns should exceed our cost of capital within 
three years of the acquisition.

Short term margin dilution is acceptable in gaining 
market entry but over the cycle we aim for top quartile 
operating margins and returns on capital.

Planned IRR on capital expenditure projects should not 
be less than 20%.

5.  Capital structure: We are prepared to use leverage in 
pursuit of our growth agenda and will actively seek low 
cost debt to fund the Group but will maintain significant 
headroom against our financial covenants.

We will seek to maintain the ratio of net debt/EBITDA 
below two times (current financial covenants 3.5 times) 
and will retain adequate headroom within our debt 
facilities at all times.

6.  Reputation and brand image: We will avoid/manage 
situations or actions that could have a negative impact 
on our reputation and brands. We aim to be transparent 
with all of our stakeholders unless prejudicial to our 
collective interests.

No tolerance for breaches of:
 – Legislative/statutory requirements.
 – Weir Code of Conduct.
 – International sanctions.
 – Delegated authority levels.
 – Group and divisional policies. 

7.  Environment, health and safety (EHS): We will not 
undertake or pursue activities that pose unacceptable 
hazard or risk to our people, the communities in which 
we operate, or the broader environment.

 – Total Incident Rate ≤0.8 and EHS Audit Score >50%.
 – No fatalities.
 – Active community and environmental engagement  

is expected.

 – No tolerance for breaches of Weir EHS system.

8.  Country presence: We are prepared to enter  

new countries which offer opportunities for growth 
consistent with our overall strategy. We will not enter,  
or will exit, countries which present a high risk of harm 
to our people, damage to our reputation, or breach of 
international sanctions.

 No tolerance for breaches of:
 – Legislative/statutory requirements.
 – Weir Code of Conduct.
 – International sanctions.
 – Delegated authority levels.
 – Group and divisional policies. 

9.  Innovation: We will invest in technology research and 

Target research and development spend >2% of sales.

development to innovate our customer offering allowing 
us to maintain and expand our market share.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

21

Strategic Report 

How We Manage Risk continued
Risk responsibilities and reporting

Ultimately, the Board is responsible for the Group’s risk and internal control 
framework. It has set out the decisions, and hence the level of risk, which can 
be delegated to the Group Executive, divisional and operational company 
management without requiring escalation. This is articulated in a series of 
Group policies and delegated authority matrices, as well as the parameters 
within the approved Risk Appetite Statement. The Board and committee 
structure can be viewed on page 80. 

The bottom-up risk reporting approach requires key risks 
identified, and reported, at project level to be escalated to 
the operating company management, which in turn may 
be escalated to divisional management, and ultimately  
to the Risk Committee and the Board. This is achieved 
through risk dashboard reports, which are maintained  
at operating company, divisional and Group levels. The 
dashboards provide a summary of the major net risks at 
each respective level, as well as a summary of the key 
mitigating controls and actions, and further control 
actions required. 

The Risk Committee monitors quarterly risk dashboard 
reports from the operating companies and divisions.  
In addition, the Risk Committee has oversight of the 
Group Risk Dashboard, along with a routine review of key 
controls identified to manage each risk and the sources  
of controls assurance, providing an update to the Board  
at each Board meeting. The Board obtains assurance  
over risks and risk management through the internal 
control framework. More information on the internal 
control framework can be found within the Corporate 
Governance Report on page 84 and within the Audit 
Committee Report on page 92.

g
g

ortin
ortin

p
p
Re
Re

Board and  
sub-committees

P
P

o
o

l
l

i
i

c
c

i
i

e
e

s
s

a
a

n
n

d
d

d
d

e
e

c
c

i
i

s
s

i
i

o
o

n
n

s
s

Group Executive

Risk Committee

Divisional management

Operating company management

Figure 3: Risk responsibilities and reporting

Case study 

Information security training
Information security training

Information security, also known  
as cyber security, is the protection  
of information and information  
systems from unauthorised access, 
use, disclosure, disruption, 
modification or destruction in order  
to provide confidentiality, integrity 
and availability. 

Cyber security is set apart from most 
forms of corporate risk in that very minor 

actions on the part of the individual can 
potentially have a disproportionately large 
negative impact on an organisation. In 
light of this, in 2015 the Company rolled 
out a new online information security 
awareness training programme, known as 
InfoSmart, to all employees with IT 
access. Through the promotion of good 
practice in their everyday activities, the 
programme aims to mitigate the overall 
risk to Weir by changing behaviours that 

could ultimately lead to data leakage, 
financial loss, reputational damage or 
business disruption. The comprehensive 
training programme is mandatory and 
completion is monitored by the General 
Counsel and Company Secretary. 
Following the initial roll out in 2015,  
the training will form part of all staff 
inductions and refresher courses will  
be undertaken periodically.

22

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
 
 
 
I: Strategic Report 

II

III

The key roles and responsibilities for risk management are set out below:

Board
Overall responsibility for the Group’s  
risk management and internal control 
frameworks, and strategic decisions  
within the Group.

Risk management responsibilities 

 – Annual review and ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of the risk 

management and internal control frameworks.

 – Annual review of the Group’s risk appetite.
 – On a biannual basis, receive a report from the Risk Committee which 
sets out the current assessment of each principal risk, the effect of 
mitigating controls on each risk, the direction of travel of each risk 
versus the prior year, the extent to which each could potentially impact 
the Group’s strategic goals and any relevant findings relating to 
significant control failings or weaknesses which have been identified.
 – Taking decisions in accordance with the delegated authority matrices.

Audit Committee 
Delegated responsibility from the Board  
to review the effectiveness of the Group’s 
risk and internal control frameworks.

 – Annual assessment of the effectiveness of the risk management 

and internal control frameworks.

 – Review of reports from the internal and external auditors. 
 – Review of the results from the six-monthly self-assessment 

Risk Committee
Management committee responsible  
for governance of the Group’s Risk 
Management Policy and Framework. 

Group Executive
Executive committee with overall 
responsibility for managing the Group to 
ensure it achieves its strategic objectives.

Excellence Committees
Engineering 
Environment, Health & Safety 
Finance 
HR 
Group Information Services 
Value Chain

Management committees with 
representatives from across the  
Group in their respective areas of focus.  
The committees govern activities  
and performance in the individual  
functional areas.

Divisional management
Responsible for managing the businesses 
within the divisions to ensure divisional 
strategic objectives are achieved and there 
is compliance with Group policies and 
standards throughout their division.

Operating company management
Responsible for ensuring company 
objectives are achieved and business 
activities are conducted in accordance  
with Group policies and standards.

compliance scorecards.

 – Review of the design and operation of the Group Risk Management 

Policy and Framework.

 – Identification and assessment of the key risks facing the Group, 
identification of the key controls mitigating those risks and 
identification of further actions where necessary.

 – Review of the Divisional Risk Dashboards, considering the 

appropriateness of management’s responses to identified risks  
and assessing whether there are any gaps.

 – Reporting key Group and divisional risks to the Board.
 – Prepare a biannual Risk Committee Report for the Board.

 – Managing risks which have the potential to impact the delivery  

of the Group’s strategic objectives.

 – Monitoring business performance, in particular key performance 

indicators relating to strategic objectives.

 – Taking strategic decisions in accordance with the delegated 

authority matrices.

 – Escalating issues to the Board as required.

 – Monitoring the management of key risks across the Group associated 

with the respective remits of the Excellence Committees.

 – Monitoring performance and compliance with Group objectives, 
policies and standards related to the respective remits of the 
Excellence Committees.

 – Taking decisions in accordance with the delegated authority matrices.
 – Escalating issues to the Group Executive as required.
 – Reviewing the results from relevant assurance activities.

 – Managing risks which have the potential to impact the delivery  

of the divisions’ strategic objectives.

 – Monitoring performance and compliance with Group objectives, 
policies and standards within the divisions with regard to the 
outputs from the Excellence Committees.

 – Taking decisions in accordance with the delegated authority matrices.
 – Escalating issues to the Group Executive as required.
 – Reviewing the results from relevant assurance activities.

 – Managing risks which have the potential to impact the delivery  

of their company’s strategic objectives.

 – Monitoring performance and compliance with Group objectives, 

policies and standards within their company.

 – Taking decisions in accordance with the delegated authority matrices. 
 – Escalating issues to divisional management and Excellence 

Committees as required.

 – Reviewing the results from relevant assurance activities.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

23

Strategic Report 

How We Manage Risk continued
Principal risks and uncertainties

As in any business, there are risks and uncertainties which could 
impact the Group’s ability to achieve its objectives in the future. 
However, we believe the Group’s risk management and assurance 
framework makes this less likely. The Board has conducted a  
robust assessment of the principal risks, alongside the risk appetite 
statement set out on page 21, meeting the Board’s responsibilities  
in connection with Risk Management and Internal Control detailed  
in the 2014 UK Corporate Governance Code. Each of the principal 
risks is assigned an owner from amongst the Board or Group senior 
management team and is either a standing agenda item at each 
Board meeting or subject to formal periodic review by the Board.  
A summary of principal risks and the Group’s mitigating controls  
is presented at every Board meeting. 

The Directors reviewed the Group’s risk register, reassessed the validity of the principal risks identified  
in the prior year and considered whether any new principal risks have emerged or a risk is no longer 
considered a principal risk. The identified principal risks were subjected to a detailed assessment based  
on the following considerations:
 – severity of each risk;
 – existence and effectiveness of actions and internal controls which serve to mitigate the risk;
 – the overall effectiveness of the Group’s control environment, including assurance and any identified 

control weaknesses or failings; and 

 – the extent to which each of the principal risks could impact upon the Group’s viability, in financial  
or operational terms, due to their potential effects on the business plan, solvency or liquidity.

The principal risks set out below are those which we believe to have the greatest potential to impact  
our ability to achieve the Group’s strategic objectives or which have the greatest potential impact on  
the Group’s solvency or liquidity.

KEY TO SYMBOLS

 Risk increasing

 Risk unchanged

 Risk decreasing

  Considered as 
part of Viability 
Statement 
assessment

Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

Global economic conditions
Changes in key markets, 
including commodity prices 
affecting mining and oil and 
gas, have an adverse impact  
on customers’ expenditure 
plans. This may include  
delaying existing expenditure 
commitments. 

We need to remain sufficiently 
flexible to allow us to anticipate 
downturns, to allow us to adjust 
our operations accordingly,  
and equally to meet growth in 
demand when our customers’ 
markets are buoyant and 
therefore capital investment is 
high. Otherwise, we are at risk  
of incurring unnecessary costs 
during downturns, and not 
maximising our potential for 
growth in buoyant markets. 

 – We maintain regular 

engagement with our 
customers to understand  
their needs and challenges, 
and ensure our business is 
appropriately aligned.
 – Our strategic planning  

utilises extensive market 
intelligence to assist in 
forecasting opportunities  
and dips in markets. 
 – We maintain contingency 
plans for downturns.

Market conditions have remained 
challenging during 2015, with 
commodity prices in oil and gas 
joining those in minerals markets 
at recent historical lows. 
Necessary adjustments have 
been made to our operations to 
accommodate our customers’ 
responses to these market 
conditions. 

In challenging market conditions, 
our supply chain risks are 
increased. These are described  
in more detail on page 26.

24

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Technology and innovation
We fail to drive innovation or to 
react to emerging technology 
developments, and therefore 
fail to ensure that the business 
continues to deliver sustainable 
and attractive solutions for  
our customers.

The strength of our business is 
built upon a history of delivering 
innovative and sustainable 
solutions for our customers.  
If we fail to keep abreast of 
market needs or to innovate 
solutions, we are at risk of losing 
market share to our competitors 
and lowering margins as demand  
will reduce. 

 – Continual investment in 

research and development, 
including the Weir Advanced 
Research Centre (WARC) in 
conjunction with the University 
of Strathclyde. 

 – We have a dedicated 

governance team (Engineering 
Excellence Committee) 
focused on the delivery of  
our strategic objectives for 
technological advances and 
innovation to meet the needs 
of our customers.

 – Weir Technical Advisory Board 
established comprising highly 
regarded experts to ensure 
Weir continues to be at the 
leading edge of technology 
development in our  
chosen industries. 

Political and social risk
Adverse political action, or 
political and social instability, in 
territories in which we operate 
may result in strategic, financial 
or personnel loss to the Group.

We operate across the globe and 
therefore have to work within a 
wide range of political and social 
conditions. Adverse events may 
occur in the territories in which 
we operate that may require us 
to act swiftly to protect our 
people, our property and to 
maintain our competitiveness, 
and we need to be flexible and 
able to anticipate such issues. 
Expansions into new territories 
are only undertaken after 
rigorous assessment of the risks, 
including the social and political 
situation within the territory. 

 – Regular review of market 

attractiveness. 

 – Monitoring travel by  

Weir employees to higher  
risk locations.

 – External expert risk 

assessments and regular 
monitoring in higher risk 
locations. 

 – Contingency plans and exit 

strategy planning.

 – Our strategic planning assists  
in forecasting potential political 
and social instability in regions. 

The pace of technological 
innovation continues to increase  
as we and our competitors seek to 
provide customers with solutions 
that improve the efficiency of their 
operations. To ensure we continue 
to retain competitive advantage in 
this area, our existing research and 
development initiatives within the 
business, at WARC, and at certain 
universities around the world,  
have been enhanced through our 
partnership with Imperial College 
London. This partnership will help 
the Group develop game-changing 
solutions to our customers’ 
challenges. We are also devoting 
additional resources to reviewing 
and responding to developing 
technologies and have signed an 
agreement with Microsoft 
Corporation to develop Internet  
of Things (IoT) technology. Further 
information on progress made in 
this area is set out in the Products 
and Technology section of the 
Sustainability Review on pages 58 
and 59. 

In response to increased security 
risks, arising from changes in the 
political environment in certain 
countries where the Group has 
operations, enhancements have 
been made to the Group’s access 
to expert risk assessments and 
plans to respond to adverse 
events in higher risk locations. 
During the course of 2015, the 
environment in which a number 
of the Group’s businesses 
operate continued to be 
challenging and uncertain, 
especially from a security 
perspective. During the year  
we appointed a Group Head  
of Security to a newly created 
role designed to improve the 
ways in which these concerns 
are addressed and mitigated. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

25

 
 
Strategic Report 

How We Manage Risk continued
Principal risks and uncertainties continued

Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

Supply chain management
Failure to achieve supply chain 
management improvements 
and the associated reduction in 
costs and enhanced flexibility.

If we fail to improve our supply 
chain management, we risk:

 – losing the opportunity to 

invest capital into alternative 
value creating opportunities;
 – damaging our reputation and 
as a consequence losing 
customers and market share;
 – incurring penalties as a result 
of late delivery contractual 
clauses; 

 – reducing margins by incurring 
unnecessary additional costs 
associated with late remedial 
actions taken to avoid missing 
delivery targets; and

 – holding excess inventory in 

the event of a market 
downturn. 

 – Regular KPI monitoring of the 
supply chain throughout the 
organisation. 

 – The Group’s operations are 

currently implementing Value 
Chain Excellence initiatives 
amongst other business 
improvement objectives. 

 – Established Centres of 

Excellence drive cost savings, 
efficiencies and enhance 
delivery standards whilst 
maintaining quality. 

 – The Group’s forward purchase 
commitments are being closely 
monitored to manage 
inventories at levels appropriate 
to market conditions.

 – Our credit risk management 

procedures are under 
continuous appraisal and their 
application is subject to specific 
internal audit review. 

Supply chain remains an area  
of strategic focus for the Group. 
Supply chain improvements 
continue to be recognised year on 
year as the Group realises benefits 
from its focused approach to 
these matters. In 2015, we have 
seen underlying improvements  
in working capital, including circa 
£65m in our Oil & Gas division, 
and substantial progress in 
improving on-time-delivery for all 
divisions with a 21% and 20% 
improvement in Oil & Gas and 
Power & Industrial respectively.  
A programme of Value Chain 
Excellence initiatives has been 
launched throughout the Group to 
drive supply chain improvements.

Environment, health and safety (EHS)
Failure to adequately protect our 
people and other stakeholders 
from harm associated with  
a breach in EHS standards.

We operate in hazardous 
environments, and therefore have 
a fundamental duty to protect our 
people and other stakeholders 
from harm whilst conducting our 
business. As well as the personal 
impact on our people resulting 
from a failure to meet this 
obligation, we would also be at 
risk of:

 – reputational damage leading 

to a loss of customers;

 – legal action from regulators, 
including fines and penalties; 
and 

 – exclusion from markets 
important for our future 
growth.

 – The Weir Behavioural Safety 
system is in place to reduce  
the risk of safety incidents.  
In addition, there are initiatives 
to prevent the most common 
accident types. The Weir  
global EHS standards are 
continually reviewed. 
 – The EHS Excellence 

Committee is responsible  
for monitoring performance 
and compliance with Group 
objectives, policies and 
standards relating to EHS. 

 – There is a formal EHS 

assurance programme with 
issues escalated as required 
through the reporting 
structures.

The Group is never complacent  
in relation to EHS matters. 
Committed to achieving the 
highest of standards, the  
Group continues to set  
higher benchmarks for EHS 
compliance and roll out cohesive 
programmes to address  
EHS risks and drive safe and 
sustainable working practices. 
Improvements have been made 
throughout the year to our  
EHS Board reporting and 
assurance activities and our  
key performance indicators in 
place to measure our success  
in mitigating EHS risks continue  
to show improvement.

26

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Contract risk
We fail to adequately manage 
contract risk and as a 
result commit to obligations 
which the Group is unable  
to meet without incurring 
significant unplanned costs.

In addition, failure to follow 
Group policies and procedures 
may lead to commitments 
without the desired level of 
contractual protections.

IT security and continuity
Failure to maintain business 
systems or technical 
infrastructure that serves  
the business needs. 

Failure to successfully execute 
changes to these business 
systems or technical 
infrastructure; together with 
failure to minimise disruption 
and maintain business as usual 
activity during technical 
infrastructure or business 
system changes. 

Failure to adequately protect 
the business operations  
from cybercrime.

 – The Group has policies and 
procedures for contract 
acceptance and approval.
 – These are under continuous 
review and improvement to 
ensure they are adequate for 
current and future 
circumstances.

 – The tools and training 

available to employees 
responsible for contract 
management are similarly 
under continuous review.

Contract management has 
become an area of increased  
focus for the Group, given  
the competitive environment. 
Amongst other initiatives, certain 
of the Group’s policies and 
procedures have been reviewed 
and refreshed to provide 
employees with improved tools 
to assist them in their contract 
management activities.

We operate in an increasingly 
complex and competitive 
environment where customers 
are not only highly focused on 
price and service but are also 
more challenging in contract 
negotiations.

As we offer a broader range  
of products and services to our 
customers, including those  
that are more technologically 
advanced, we risk exposing  
the Group to reputational and 
financial loss should our contract 
acceptance, negotiation and 
approval processes fail to protect 
the Group accordingly.

IT security and continuity 
continues to be a matter of 
strategic priority for the Group. 
Progress to strengthen the 
Group’s defences in this  
respect is being made, including 
developing the Weir Cloud 
programme which aims to 
rationalise our IT infrastructure 
and service.

Up-to-date data allows us to 
make informed decisions about 
our business. Therefore, we 
require reliable and efficient IT 
systems and infrastructure to 
provide our data requirements. 
Breaches of our IT security could 
have serious consequences for 
our business, including:

 – interruption to business 

operations; and

 – loss of intellectual property 
and other sensitive data.

The Group is investing in a 
significant IT transformation 
programme. If this is not 
managed effectively, the 
consequences could include 
interruption to business 
operations if data is unavailable 
due to unsuccessful execution  
of change, impacting our ability 
to compete and our reputation  
in the market.

At present, the Group’s principal 
exposures to cybercrime relate to 
the misappropriation of cash and 
data. Our revenue streams are 
largely protected as our products 
are not currently electronic in 
nature and we do not, as a rule, 
transact over the internet. 

 – We continually review  

the effectiveness of our  
key IT security controls  
in consultation with  
external experts.

 – There is regular reporting  
of unplanned outages and 
potential security breaches, 
with lessons learned across 
the Group.

 – We have an IT Governance 
Framework with a focus  
on structured change 
management techniques, 
including setting project 
governance levels in line  
with risk.

 – External assurance being 
obtained on the Tier 1 IT 
transformation projects.
 – The security arrangements 
around all of the Group’s 
information assets will be 
revised following the 
transition to the Weir Cloud 
infrastructure.

 – Policies, procedures and 

baseline standards in relation 
to cyber risk and IT security 
more generally are continuously 
updated and rolled out to 
operations. A programme of 
user training in relation to 
cyber risk is being rolled out. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

27

Strategic Report 

How We Manage Risk continued
Principal risks and uncertainties continued

Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

Cost competitiveness
Failure to deliver cost 
competitive products and 
services, or failure to deliver 
sufficiently differentiated 
products and services which 
justify a price premium through 
lowest total cost of ownership 
value propositions.

Customers are increasingly 
focused on the price 
competitiveness of products and 
services as they seek to lower 
operating costs. If the Group fails 
to demonstrate the value of our 
products and services, it risks 
losing market position.

Cost competitiveness remains  
a strategic priority for the Group. 
Initiatives to expand production  
in best-cost locations are 
developing in South Africa and 
Malaysia and the procurement 
function continues to drive  
cost and quality improvements 
through the Group’s supply chain.

 – There is continual focus on 

maximising the efficiency of 
our products to ensure the 
solutions provided to 
customers deliver the best 
overall value, allowing our 
customers to meet their cost 
reduction strategies through 
lower energy costs and 
improved productivity.

 – The key component Centres 
of Excellence are driving  
cost efficiencies, whilst 
maintaining quality.

 – Expansion of production in 

best-cost locations, including 
foundry expansions in 
Malaysia and South Africa.
 – We regularly monitor market 
activity to ensure we remain 
competitive. 

Ethics and governance
Interactions with our people, 
customers, suppliers and other 
stakeholders are not conducted 
with the highest standards of 
integrity which devalues our 
reputation.

We are unwilling to accept 
dishonest or corrupt behaviour 
from our people, or external 
parties acting on our behalf, 
whilst conducting our business. 
If we fail to act with integrity,  
we are at risk of:

 – reputational damage leading 

to a loss of customers;
 – increased scrutiny from 

regulators; 

 – legal action from regulators 

including fines, penalties and 
imprisonment; and
 – exclusion from markets 
important for our future 
growth.

 – The Code of Conduct, 

supplemented with Group 
policies on related topics, 
provides a clear benchmark 
for how we expect our 
business will be conducted. 
 – Regular training is provided 

using a range of mechanisms 
including Town Hall style 
sessions, online and  
induction training.
 – The financial control 

framework is continually 
monitored for effectiveness. 
 – Internal Audit’s remit includes 

regular review of the 
anti-bribery and corruption 
and financial controls across 
the Group. The Group Legal 
team is responsible for 
monitoring compliance with 
the Code of Conduct. 

The governance and legislative 
environment in which the Group 
operates continues to evolve and 
become more complex. The 
Group has further developed and 
grown its operations in 
geographies where ethical 
standards may not be as well 
established as in other countries. 
The Group has reinforced its 
commitment to high standards of 
ethics and governance through 
the Code of Conduct and 
completed a programme of 
training for key individuals.  
In addition, the Group has 
developed and issued a Group 
Competition Law Manual, which 
again is being accompanied by 
related training for those in 
relevant roles.

28

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Risk

Why we think this is important

How we are mitigating the risk

Changes during 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Staff recruitment, development and retention 
Failure to recruit, develop or 
retain key management and 
staff may lead to disruption  
to the Group’s operations, 
functions and processes.

Our people represent our biggest 
asset and failure to attract, develop 
and retain key management and 
staff would have a detrimental 
impact on the Group’s ability to 
deliver our key strategic objectives.

 (new)

Recognising the ever increasing 
need to recruit, develop and 
retain the very best staff, this 
was included within our Principal 
Risk assessment during the year. 
We continue to focus on these 
key areas including obtaining 
feedback through staff surveys 
and measuring the success of 
our Leadership and Development 
Programmes. Recognising the 
importance of effective ongoing 
staff communication we continue 
to provide information and 
updates through our Global 
Intranet, Town Hall meetings  
and team briefings.

 – Promotion of the Weir Group 
Values & Behaviours, Code of 
Conduct and HR Policies sets the 
standards and expectations for all 
our staff, reinforcing our stated 
commitment to attracting and 
retaining the very best people.
 – High performer assessments 
are undertaken to identify and 
develop our very best talent. 
Succession plans are in place 
and periodically reviewed for 
all of our key management.
 – Personal Development Plans are 
set and reviewed for the effective 
development of all of our staff.
 – Continue to offer competitive 
compensation and benefits 
packages.

 – Personal development 

programmes including Weir 
University and the Weir 
Leadership Programme are 
open to participation by high 
potential staff members and 
these continue to attract high 
calibre individuals. 

VIABILITY STATEMENT
The Board carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks 
facing the Group, including those that would threaten its business 
model, future performance, solvency or liquidity. Those principal risks 
as described on the preceding pages and annotated with 
been determined by the Board as having the most significant potential 
impact on the Group’s longer-term viability. 

 have 

The three year period to 31 December 2018 was used as the period over 
which to assess the prospects of the Company, reflecting the average 
duration of previous cycles in both the minerals and oil and gas markets. 
The Group is, however, currently experiencing a prolonged downturn in 
its key markets with a lack of short-term visibility over commodity prices, 
and related production activity. Given this, the Board believes a period  
of three years best presents the readers of the Annual Report with  
a reasonable degree of confidence over the longer-term outlook.

From a financial modelling perspective, the potential impact of those 
principal risks identified as most relevant to supporting the viability 
statement was considered relative to the Group’s strategic plan.  
The strategic plan is prepared and submitted to the Board annually  
to facilitate discussion and decision-making in relation to longer-term 
business planning, for example geographic coverage, manufacturing 
footprint and capacity planning and so extends for a period of five 
years. The plan makes certain assumptions including those about 
market share, performance of the core revenue streams and market 
segments and the success of cost management initiatives, both 
ongoing and strategic. The output of this plan is also used to perform 
longer-term central debt and headroom profile analysis, including  
a review of sensitivity to ‘business as usual’ risks, such as profit 
growth, working capital variances and return on capital investment, as 
well as projected compliance with the Group’s debt facility covenants.

Financial sensitivity modelling was undertaken by firstly considering 
each identified principal risk in isolation and then a stress-test scenario 
was modelled which comprised a severe but plausible combination  
of events to represent the crystallisation of a number of individual 
principal risks. The latter enhanced stress-testing resulted in scenario 
planning for further market downturn in relation to commodity prices, 
plus a combination of one-off shocks to the financial results of the 
Group corresponding to: political and economic risk; contract failure; 
market disruption due to innovative technology; and environment, 

health and safety. A number of assumptions were made, including:  
(i) the period over which commodity prices would remain at their 
current lows; (ii) the impact on working capital cycles in an extended 
market downturn scenario; and (iii) the mitigating actions that could  
be executed to reduce the impact of the stress-test.

While this review does not consider all of the risks that the Group may 
face, the Directors consider that this stress-testing based assessment 
of the Group’s prospects is reasonable in the circumstances of  
the inherent uncertainty involved. The geographical and sector 
diversification of the Group’s operations helps minimise the risk of 
serious business interruption or catastrophic damage to our reputation. 
While the Group remains exposed to the cyclicality of the markets in 
which it operates, it continues to have a balance sheet that provides 
capacity in which to operate. In addition, our ability to flex our cost 
base to reflect our existing markets – as evidenced by our recent cost 
reduction programmes – protects our viability in the face of the 
adverse economic conditions and/or additional risks highlighted.

In light of the financial modelling undertaken, it was determined that 
none of the risks would compromise the Group’s viability when taken 
individually. When taken in aggregate there are sufficient mitigating 
actions within the control of the Board and management to offset the 
impact of the stress-test such that the Group’s longer-term viability 
would not be adversely impacted. The mitigating actions considered 
in the process included, but were not limited to, further restructuring 
actions, reduction in capital expenditure and dividend payable, and 
disposal of assets.

As set out in the Audit Committee Report on page 92, the Audit 
Committee reviewed and challenged the process undertaken  
by management and also reviewed the results of the enhanced 
stress-testing, alongside the available mitigating actions and  
potential impact on debt headroom and covenant levels.

On the basis of this assessment, and in accordance with provision 
C.2.2 of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2014, the Directors 
confirm that they have a reasonable expectation that the Company 
will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall 
due over the period to 31 December 2018. The Directors' statement 
on going concern is presented in the Directors' Report on page 120.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

29

Strategic Report 

Operational Review
Weir Minerals

Adapting to a changing mining industry.
We delivered another resilient performance in 2015, 
adapting to reduced activity in mining and investing 
in our strategy to ensure we are ready to benefit 
from the long-term structural growth prospects  
in our end markets. 

RICARDO GARIB
Divisional Managing Director

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Revenue *

£1,034m 
-4%

Operating profit *

£198m
-9%

* 2013 and 2014 are restated at 2015 average exchange rates.

KEY PRIORITIES AND PROGRESS IN 2015

Execute comminution strategy 
through effective integration  
of Trio.

 – Integration of Trio successfully completed.
 – Globalisation of the product range well underway, 

helping to secure new projects.

 – Resources reallocated from traditional mining 

business to comminution.

Increase investment in research 
and development to position 
the division for future growth.

 – New R&D agreement in place with Imperial College 
London, initially focusing on Minerals applications.
 – R&D targeted on strategic focus areas of customer 

Strengthen our interface  
with our customers through 
enhanced service capability 
and greater on-site presence. 

Progress implementation of 
new divisional ERP system.

Increase efficiency and deliver 
the benefits of the global 
rationalisation programme.

digital experience, mining energy efficiency, 
transformational ore processing and advanced 
product design and supply.

 – Plans developed for new service centres in Chile, 

Mexico and Kazakhstan.

 – Flexible business options offered to customers, 

with positive early results. 

 – Key account management processes implemented 

to help develop further mutually beneficial 
relationships with customers.

 – Successful roll-out achieved in Europe; division-

wide roll-out proceeding. 

 – Results in faster and more automated decision-
making and more integrated supply chain and 
manufacturing.

 – Global view of opportunity management.

 – Cost savings realised from manufacturing 

consolidation in the USA, France and Australia.

 – Good progress in procurement initiatives.
 – Efficiency gains realised at Trio manufacturing 

facilities.

Market input breakdown

Market input by geography

  Minerals
  General Industrial
  Oil and Gas
  Sand and Aggregates
  Power
  Other

3%

2%

6%

6%

9%

  North America
  Latin America
  Middle East & Africa
  Australia
  Asia-Pacific
  Europe

30

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

74%

12%

15%

11%

23%

23%

16%

Comminution 
The process of crushing, 
screening and grinding material.

MARKET DRIVERS IN 2015
Price declines continued across a number of key 
commodities as markets adjusted to slowing demand in 
China and new lower-cost capacity coming on line. Iron 
ore spot prices fell by 40%, copper prices fell by 26% and 
gold prices fell 12%. Supply outstripped demand in iron 
ore and coal, while some operators reduced production  
in higher-cost areas with iron ore mine closures in North 
America and China. In Africa and the United States, 
higher cost copper mines were closed. 

Overall, in 2015, aftermarket demand was supported by 
the growth of global ore production which benefited from 
the start-up of several new low-cost mines in South 
America and the positive full year effect of mines 
commissioned in 2014, offset by maintenance delays and 
closures of higher-cost mines. Oil prices were down by 
around a third, significantly impacting oil sands capital 
expenditure although production volumes increased.

Mining sector capital expenditure fell by an estimated 
25% in 2015 with both greenfield and brownfield spend 
experiencing further significant reductions from 2014  
as customers deferred decisions on major projects.  
As ore production increased and ore grade declined, 
miners focused on optimising existing sites, resulting in 
brownfield opportunities for engineering solutions which 
clearly demonstrate efficiency improvements and short 
pay back timescales. 

“Aftermarket demand was supported by the growth  
of global ore production which benefited from the 
start-up of several new mines in South America.”

The recovery in African markets following industrial action 
in 2014 was affected by some reduction in production  
and concerns over further industrial action. In Asia Pacific, 
markets were relatively stable although weak iron ore  
and coal prices led to some production cuts in Australia, 
South East Asia and China. Similarly, lower commodity 
prices led to production reductions in North America. 
Political and economic instability in Eastern Europe 
contributed to subdued conditions.

In the second half of the year, some of the world’s largest 
mining companies reacted to falling commodity prices by 
announcing substantial restructuring plans which included 
the mothballing or closure of mines that fail to offer 
sufficient returns.

STRATEGIC PROGRESS
In the context of challenging market conditions, the 
division has continued to execute its strategy, including 

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

applying its materials expertise to new opportunities.  
We are aligning our resources with strategic growth 
arenas, namely sand and aggregates and the broader 
product portfolio offered by the 2014 acquisition of  
Trio Engineered Products, to help us capitalise on the 
long-term structural growth prospects of our end 
markets. We are prioritising R&D and introducing new 
products to lower our customers’ total cost of ownership. 
At the same time, we continue to improve efficiency  
in our own operations through a range of value chain 
excellence initiatives.

We advanced our innovation agenda through 
partnerships with leading academic institutions to 
undertake fundamental research, helping to develop  
our capability in areas like additive manufacturing and 
‘Internet of Things’ or ‘IoT’ technology which will  
allow the division to monitor and ultimately control the 
performance of our equipment using data analytics.  
New technology trials are under way, and new product 
launches continued including the MDC gravel pump and 
the Cavex 700 CVX Hydrocyclone (which reduces costs 
for our customers via increased throughput and 
efficiency). In addition, a new Trio crusher moved from 
development to commercialisation within 12 months.  
The division was also appointed as technical advisers  
to the world’s first electric power plant to base its energy 
on copper tailings: a project in Chile which aims to  
meet demand for more efficient energy production  
for mining operations. 

The October 2014 acquisition of Trio has accelerated  
our comminution (crushing, screening and grinding) 
strategy. Increased collaboration across the division  
for comminution products helped to deliver cross-selling 
benefits for Weir and an improved product range and 
support for our customers. 

The acquisition of Delta Valves in July 2015 enhanced our 
global capability, bringing an expanded valves product 
offering primarily for the oil sands and mining markets. 
The division also successfully integrated Trio Engineered 
Products and built a global sales and marketing team to 
globalize its products. Plans were also developed to open 
new service centres in Chile, Mexico and Kazakhstan.

The division’s value chain excellence projects remained 
on track during the year, notably the staged roll-out of  
a common Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool. The 
roll-out of the system to our European operations is now 
complete, with Latin America due next. The introduction 
of a Sales & Operating Process system in Africa has 
contributed to lead time reductions across over 2,500 parts, 
resulting in an average lead time improvement of three 
weeks and in some specific cases up to twelve weeks.

Revenue (£m)

£1,034m
-4%

Operating profit (£m)

£198m
-9%

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

1,130

1,077

1,034

2013

2014

2015

250

200

150

100

50

0

237

218

198

2013

2014

2015

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

31

Strategic Report 

Operational Review continued
Weir Minerals continued

We have taken steps to increase efficiency in  
response to market conditions by leveraging our best- 
cost manufacturing capability and consolidating smaller 
manufacturing sites into larger, more efficient centres.  
A reorganisation has been completed in North America, 
resulting in five manufacturing sites being consolidated 
into two, and we closed a small manufacturing facility 
in France with production transferred to sister sites. 
Consolidation of manufacturing activity has been 
completed in Australia, and workforce reductions have 
been implemented across Asia Pacific, Latin America  
and Africa.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Order input decreased by 4% to £1,033m (2014: £1,076m), 
with a 9% like-for-like decline partially offset by a full year 
contribution from Trio and a first contribution from Delta 
Industrial Valves. The division’s book-to-bill at 1.00 was 
stable year-on-year. Original equipment orders were 
down 6% year-on-year (19% lower like-for-like), reflecting 
declines in capital expenditure by miners and oil and gas 
customers. Contrary to overall trends, the division had a 
strong performance from the Geho product line, which 
captured a large share of available mining projects. 

Aftermarket orders decreased by 3% and represented 
70% of total input (2014: 69%). On a like-for-like basis 
aftermarket input was down 5% against a strong 
prior-year figure, primarily due to declines in power, oil 
and gas and industrial markets. Mining aftermarket orders 
were broadly stable as the impacts of mine closures and 
customers reducing safety stock levels and postponing 
scheduled maintenance was offset by the move to full 
production in a number of greenfield sites in South 
America, together with underlying ore production trends.

In total, mining end markets accounted for 74% of input 
(2014: 74%) with orders down 6% on a like-for-like basis 
due to original equipment declines. Sand and aggregates 
markets were stable while oil and gas sector orders fell 34%. 

Revenue was 4% lower at £1,034m on a constant 
currency basis (2014: £1,077m) and 9% lower like-for-like. 
Original equipment sales were 14% lower (25% lower on 
a like-for-like basis) and accounted for 29% (2014: 33%) 
of divisional revenue. Production-driven aftermarket 
revenues were relatively flat, up 1% over the prior year, 
but down 1% on a like-for-like basis. 

Strong aftermarket growth in South America and higher 
activity levels in the Middle East only partially offset 
reduced revenues in Australia, North America, Europe 
and Asia Pacific. At a product category level there was  
a reduction in revenues from larger, more discretionary 
products such as HPGRs, hoses and other wear resistant 
liners, as well as a significant reduction in demand for 
swellable packers used in North American oil and gas 
completions. There was a 4% increase in slurry pump 
spares’ revenues reflecting their critical importance  
to support increasing processing and their lower 
susceptibility to maintenance delays.

Reported revenues declined by 8%, reflecting  
a 5% foreign exchange headwind (2014: £1,128m).

32

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Operating profit decreased by 9% on a constant 
currency basis to £198m (2014: £218m), reflecting  
lower volumes, £5m (2014: £1m) of one-off acquisition 
integration costs and increased investment in product 
development. Reported operating profit fell by 13%  
after a 4% foreign exchange headwind (2014: £226m).

Operating margin declined, as anticipated, by 100bps  
to 19.2% (2014: 20.2%), and was 19.5% (2014: 20.3%) 
on a like-for-like basis. Gross margins (before 
manufacturing overhead under-recoveries) increased  
by 120bps on a like-for-like basis, as a result of a more 
favourable aftermarket mix and the benefits of 
procurement and restructuring initiatives, which more 
than outweighed pricing pressure. This was offset at  
an operating level by the effect of negative operating 
leverage and increased investment. 

Capital expenditure of £41m (2014: £45m) included 
investment in completing the restructuring and 
consolidation of the division’s regional manufacturing 
footprint announced in November 2014. The division  
also continued the roll-out of its standardised ERP system 
in Europe. 

Research and development spend increased to £13m 
(2014: £11m) and was focused on continuing to develop 
the division’s product portfolio, materials technology  
and IoT and additive manufacturing capabilities which  
are being developed on behalf of the whole Group.

2016 DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK
We expect further reductions in mining capital expenditure 
in 2016, marking the fourth successive year of reduced 
spend. Greenfield and brownfield capex is expected to 
fall, partly offset by a modest rise in sustaining capex.  
We anticipate slight growth in global ore production as 
increased capacity from low cost mines is largely offset 
by the full year impact of previously announced mine 
closures. Sand and aggregates end market prospects 
remain attractive, particularly in North America and South 
East Asia, helping to mitigate the impact of reduced 
mining original equipment revenues. 

Oil and gas markets will remain challenging, impacting 
capital expenditure in oil sands and upstream North 
American markets, although production levels in the  
oil sands are expected to remain resilient.

Overall, the division is expected to deliver slightly lower 
constant currency revenues with operating margins 
broadly stable as additional cost saving measures offset 
pricing pressure.

KEY PRIORITIES IN 2016
 – Actively respond to changing market conditions, 

ensuring ongoing competitiveness.

 – Leverage the division’s unrivalled service centre 
network to increase customer responsiveness  
in challenging market conditions to support  
financial performance.

 – Reallocate internal resources to facilitate Trio product 

line growth in mining and sand and aggregates  
end markets.

 – Align R&D spend with customer focus areas of 

efficiency, optimising ore recovery, data and control, 
reducing environmental impact and digital supply chain.

 – Drive the benefits of the Delta Industrial Valves 

acquisition and leverage enhanced product offering to 
expand presence in oil sands and global mining markets.
 – Utilise global resources to deliver value chain excellence 
including the continued consolidation of the division’s 
ERP systems.

Strategy in action
Collaboration

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Engineering

Efficiency

When the Group acquired Trio Engineered  
Products in 2014 it purchased a business with  
a strong reputation and operational footprint in 
China and North America. Trio also allowed Weir to 
further pursue its strategy of using its technology 
leadership in one market as a platform for entering 
new and adjacent markets. 

Trio comminution products for screening, crushing and 
grinding sit alongside established Weir products in the 
mining mill processing circuit. Trio’s presence in sand and 
aggregates markets also gave the opportunity to cross 
sell Weir products into this industry while Weir could 
globalise Trio’s product portfolio by selling its products 
through Weir’s worldwide network.

Teams from around the world worked together to fully 
integrate Trio into the Weir Group and develop the sales 
teams which would allow the Group to fully realise the 
benefits of the acquisition. Now, as an important part of 
the Weir Minerals division, Trio has a global sales team 
and new products – developed using Weir’s materials 
expertise – which are being marketed to customers all 
over the world.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

33

Strategic Report 

Operational Review continued
Weir Oil & Gas

The division responded quickly to challenging 
markets in 2015. We reduced costs significantly  
while continuing to invest in our strategic priorities.

PAUL COPPINGER
Oil & Gas Divisional Managing Director

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Revenue *

£582m
-45%

Operating profit *

£58m
-76%

* 2013 and 2014 are restated at 2015 average exchange rates.

KEY PRIORITIES AND PROGRESS IN 2015

Respond with agility to 
changing marketing dynamics 
and improve overall business 
performance through delivery 
of Value Chain Excellence 
improvement plans.

Continue to globalize 
leadership position in  
Pressure Pumping and 
progress towards a Tier 1 
offering in Pressure Control.

Enhance product offerings  
in Pressure Control &  
Pressure Pumping.

Expand capabilities of Weir Oil 
& Gas Services in the UAE, Iraq 
and Saudi Arabia, including  
the benefits of its new regional 
manufacturing hub in Dubai.

 – Rapid cost reduction programme implemented 

including the consolidation of one manufacturing 
and twelve service centres.

 – Workforce reduction from more than 4,000  

to approximately 3,000. 

 – Inventory was reduced by £64m or 24%.
 – 21% improved on-time-delivery on average  

across the division.

 – ERP systems reduced from nine to seven.

 – Pressure Control introduced bundled frack packages 
to further optimise drilling and well completion sites.

 – Pressure Pumping broadened manufacturing 
capabilities to the Middle East and China.
 – Pressure Pumping expanded its strategic 

partnership with Rolls Royce subsidiary MTU, 
agreeing to establish a joint venture.

 – SPM® QEM 3000 launched which will deliver the 
industry’s first continuous duty high horsepower 
hydraulic fracturing pump. 

 – SPM® RFID technology was launched to track  

the lifecycle of customer equipment. 

 – Mathena introduced the first stage of their 

‘Intelligent Sensor System’ for monitoring and 
control of key drilling equipment in the field.

 – Dubai facility represents the industry’s first 

wellhead manufacturer in the Middle East region.
 – The facility has received certification from Kuwait  
Oil Company (KOC) and BP entity ROO meaning  
it is now on their approved list of manufacturers.
 – Acquired new Iraq facility to support recent growth 

in the country.

Market input breakdown

Market input by geography

  Oil and Gas
  General Industrial
  Power

1%

2%

97%

  North America
  Latin America
  Middle East & Africa
  Europe
  Australia
  Asia-Pacific

7%

5%

1%

24%

1%

62%

34

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

MARKET DRIVERS
International oil benchmarks Brent crude and West Texas 
Intermediate crude (WTI) fell by around two thirds between 
their 2014 peak and the end of 2015 while natural gas prices 
fell by more than 60%, with a subsequent reduction in 
capital spending and activity by oil companies. Operators 
sought significant pricing discounts from suppliers as part  
of their focus on reducing expenditure.

In North America, the division’s biggest market, rig count  
fell by 61%. Oil-directed rigs fell 64% and gas-directed rigs 
reduced by 52%, both greater than market expectations  
at the start of the year. The number of wells drilled in North 
America fell 53% with the number of horizontal wells drilled 
down by around 40%, substantially reducing demand for 
pressure control equipment and services.

In pressure pumping markets, North American frack fleet 
utilisation fell from 87% in 2014 to below 50% in 2015. 
Pressure control markets also experienced sharp reductions 
in activity in line with rig count declines. With substantial 
additional equipment lying idle, there was an increase in 
destocking and component cannibalisation which reduced 
demand for both original equipment and aftermarket spares 
and maintenance services. In China, which has the largest 
frack fleet outside of North America, demand was subdued 
after strong growth in previous years.

In order to cut costs, many operators in North America 
negotiated pricing concessions which impacted the whole 
industry. USA oil production peaked in April and had fallen 
6% by January 2016. As a result of ongoing efficiency gains 
in the industry and higher production levels, the breakeven 
cost per well fell by around a quarter in 2015. 

In the Middle East, production increased, particularly in 
Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with the average rig count increasing 
2%, although projects were subject to delay and customers 
targeted cost reductions from suppliers in line with the 
global industry. In higher cost production regions such as 
the North Sea and the Caspian, market conditions were 
more challenging.

STRATEGIC PROGRESS
The dramatic change to oil and gas markets and the effect 
of substantially reduced activity across our main markets 
meant 2015 was a very challenging year. The division  
was quick to reshape, ensuring our capacity was closely 
aligned to customer demand with the consolidation of one 
manufacturing facility and 12 service centres. There was 
also a substantial reduction in the division’s workforce, 
principally in North America where headcount reduced by 
more than 40%. In addition, the division further reduced 

costs by insourcing production, reducing shift numbers 
and furloughing or suspending operations for short 
periods. These cost savings, which helped offset pricing 
pressure from customers during the year, have an annual 
run rate of £75m. These were achieved while continuing 
to make progress on the division’s strategic priorities.

Progress in innovation included the launch of the first 
high-horsepower frack pump designed for continuous 
duty pressure pumping. The SPM® QEM 3000 was 
developed after extensive customer consultation and 
meets demand for more intense engineering solutions  
to improve productivity and lower costs. The QEM 3000 
is estimated to lower customers’ total operating costs by 
around 20%. The division also introduced the Mathena 
Mud-Gas Separator (MGS) intelligent sensor technology 
to pressure control markets. It allows for the monitoring 
and control of mud levels within the MGS system 
allowing Weir and our customers to more reliably predict 
component performance. 

The division continued its collaboration with Rolls Royce 
subsidiary MTU and agreed to establish a joint venture to 
develop an integrated frack power system. Weir Seaboard 
established a cross-functional Product Development 
Team which is comprised of a majority of non-engineers. 
During the year, the team invited customers, Weir field 
service engineers, district sales and outside sales and 
production teams to participate in the development of 
new wellhead systems. The initiative has resulted in the 
development of five new wellhead systems; with the first 
due for delivery to a customer in 2016. 

The division’s value chain excellence (VCE) initiatives 
substantially reduced inventory levels through improved 
sales and planning procedures. They also significantly 
increased on-time delivery, particularly in Pressure 
Control, which benefited from recent restructuring. 
Initiatives across the division included multiple kaizen or 
continuous improvement projects and the implementation 
of Advanced Product Quality Planning to improve supplier 
quality, delivery and cost. At Mathena, optimal layouts 
were designed for each of its service centres increasing 
the effectiveness of floor design, improved equipment 
maintenance processes and a safer work environment  
for employees.

The division continued to extend its investment in its 
global capability. The new regional headquarters in 
Dubai, UAE, became fully operational in 2015 and is  
the first facility in the country to manufacture wellheads 
meeting demand for lower response times. 

Revenue (£m)

£582m
-45%

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

1,049

792

582

2013

2014

2015

Operating profit (£m)

£58m
-76%

250

200

150

100

50

0

239

181

58

2013

2014

2015

Internet of Things 
A network of devices which use 
computer chips and sensors to 
collect data and digitally transmit 
it through the internet. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

35

Strategic Report 

Operational Review continued
Weir Oil & Gas continued

The division also acquired a new service centre in Iraq  
to add to its existing regional facilities in Abu Dhabi, the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Azerbaijan. A new 
service centre was also opened in China to support oil 
and gas development there. 

A new manufacturing facility is under construction in Milan, 
Italy, which will bring operations currently undertaken 
across three buildings into one modern plant designed to 
optimise production and serve downstream oil and gas 
customers, principally in the Middle East.

Order input at £567m (2014: £1,088m) was 48%  
lower reflecting the reduction in activity as oil prices fell 
substantially over the year. Aftermarket input was down 
44% year-on-year, primarily as a result of significant 
declines in the upstream North American markets, with 
Services also down, and a slight decline in Downstream. 
On a sequential basis, aftermarket orders were relatively 
stable from the third to the fourth quarter, despite further 
declines in activity as a result of continued falling oil prices 
Aftermarket orders increased to 76% (2014: 71%) of 
divisional orders. Original equipment input was 57% lower, 
driven primarily by reduced demand for pressure pumping 
equipment and wellheads as frack fleet utilisation and the 
number of wells drilled fell substantially. 

Pressure Pumping input was down 59%, with order  
rates declining sequentially quarter-on-quarter and 
original equipment orders falling below lows experienced 
in the downturn of 2009. As expected, cannibalisation of 
idle frack fleet continued throughout the year in response 
to rig count reductions, which together with destocking, 
significantly reduced aftermarket demand for flow control 
and fluid end products. Service and maintenance input 
was more resilient. Customers remain focused on 
achieving efficiency improvements and are actively 
trialling the business’ broader technologically-
differentiated product portfolio.

Pressure Control input also fell significantly, although both 
Seaboard and Mathena maintained market share in a very 
challenging environment. Seaboard continued to see good 
interest in its zipper manifold product line as customers 
targeted further efficiency improvements. Mathena input 
was impacted by customers downgrading the range and 
specification of the equipment used during drilling.

Input from Services operations decreased year-on-year, 
primarily due to reduced activity levels in the North Sea 
and Caspian although the core Middle East business was 
relatively resilient. Downstream order input was also 
down on a strong prior year, as customers continued to 
delay project activity in subdued markets.

Revenue decreased by 45% to £582m on a constant 
currency basis (2014: £1,049m), reflecting order input 
trends, particularly in North America. Original equipment 
and aftermarket revenues decreased by 54% and 41% 
respectively, with aftermarket accounting for 77% of total 
revenues (2014: 72%). Reported revenues fell by 41%, 
after a 6% foreign exchange benefit (2014: £992m).

Pressure Pumping benefited from a positive opening 
order book in the first quarter before the reduction in 
North American upstream activity impacted revenue. 
Pressure Control revenues decreased in line with order 
trends. Services revenues were more resilient with 

36

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

growth in Iraq, partially offsetting declines in the North 
Sea and the Caspian. Downstream revenues fell slightly, 
with performance impacted by project delivery delays. 

Operating profit, including joint ventures, was 76%  
lower on a constant currency basis at £58m (2014: £239m).  
The decline was entirely attributable to North American 
upstream operations, despite c. £40m of cost savings  
and strong profit growth from Services and Downstream. 
Reported operating profit decreased by 74% after a 6% 
foreign exchange tailwind (2014: £225m). 

Operating margin was down 1280bps reflecting the 
impact of pricing pressure, lower volumes and negative 
operating leverage. Divisional gross margins (before 
manufacturing overhead under-recoveries) were down 
370bps year-on-year, with double-digit North American 
upstream pricing pressure partially offset by cost and 
operational efficiency measures. Pressure Pumping 
manufacturing overhead under-recoveries totalled £20m 
in the year.

Capital expenditure of £36m (2014: £50m) included  
a new manufacturing facility for Downstream in Milan  
and further expansion of Services facilities in the  
Middle East, including the acquisition of a service  
facility in southern Iraq. 

Total R&D expenditure of £10m (2014: £8m) was focused 
on expanding the division’s product offering and included 
the launch of the new SPM® QEM 3000 continuous duty 
frack pump.

2016 DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK
Having fallen materially at the start of the year, the market 
expects oil prices to remain low throughout much of 2016.

Many E&P and service companies have announced plans 
to further reduce their capital spending plans. As a result, 
market conditions are expected to remain challenging. 

So far in 2016, North American rig count and activity 
levels have continued to fall with a consequent impact  
on upstream revenues. Continued declines in activity  
will extend the period of destocking and cannibalisation  
in pressure pumping markets through the first half of  
the year with market rationalisation expected to continue. 
Conditions are also expected to be more challenging  
in international and downstream markets.

The division continues to reduce costs and increase 
efficiency and will take proactive action to support 
operational performance as appropriate. However, these 
measures will not fully offset market impacts, and 
consequently a further significant reduction in constant 
currency divisional revenues is expected. Operating margins 
will be impacted by additional negative operating leverage, 
with North American upstream businesses currently 
operating around breakeven, albeit still cash generative. 

KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2016
 – Proactively respond to challenging market conditions 

through continued commitment to value chain 
excellence improvement initiatives.

 – Leverage Weir’s global capability to strengthen current 
market share positions and penetrate new markets.

 – Enhance the division's relationships with key 

customers through innovative custom tailored 
products and solutions.

 – Support the transition of Gabbioneta to its new facility 
in Milan and its successful integration into the Flow 
Control division.

 
Strategy in action
Innovation

I: Strategic Report 
I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Delivering

continuous duty

Lower total  
cost of ownership

20%

O &

Engineers in our Oil & Gas division estimate Weir’s 
new generation frack pump could reduce customers’ 
total cost of ownership by around 20%. The SPM® 
QEM 3000 is also the first high-horse power frack 
pump designed for continuous-duty pressure 
pumping operation at 275,000-pound force rod load.

The Texas based team worked closely with customers  
to fully understand their needs and developed the  
product to meet demand for increased operating hours 
and rod loads. Given the increasing intensity of hydraulic 
fracturing operations, traditional frack pumps were 
reaching the limits of their design capabilities. The SPM® 
QEM 3000 delivers a pump with unrivalled durability and 
cost-efficiency which reduced expensive downtime and 
allows for continuous operation.

The pump includes a number of innovations which have 
met with positive customer feedback, even in challenging 
market conditions. These include: new lubrication 
solutions to address pump failure due to poor lubrication; 
using the largest frack pump bearing on the market to 
increase component life and reduce downtime; a new 
frame structure to reduce cracking due to vibration and 
utilising the latest SPM® DuralastTM Fluid End Technology 
which lasts up to five times as long as conventional  
fluid ends.

The SPM® QEM 3000 pump will be integrated into 
purpose-built hydraulic fracturing power systems which  
is being developed as part of the joint venture between 
Weir and Rolls Royce subsidiary MTU.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

37

Strategic Report 

Operational Review continued
Weir Power & Industrial

The division responded to market conditions  
by further streamlining its operations and  
improving operating margins.

JOHN HEASLEY
Power & Industrial Divisional  
Managing Director

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Revenue *

£302m
-5%

Operating profit *

£22m
+15%

* 2013 and 2014 are restated at 2015 average exchange rates.

KEY PRIORITIES AND PROGRESS IN 2015

Complete and deliver the 
benefits of the division’s 
restructuring programme.

 – Successfully completed restructuring programme 
delivering improved margins which increased from 
5.9% to 7.2% year-on-year.

 – In addition, increased on-time-delivery, improved cost 
competitiveness and customer satisfaction ratings. 

Expand low-cost sourcing and 
leverage VCE to deliver further 
operational efficiency benefits.

 – The division increases its use of the Group’s 
best-cost sourcing manufacturing facilities to 
improve competitiveness.

 – More than 20 VCE initiatives delivering substantial 

improvements to lead times.

Continue to grow valve 
aftermarket revenues.

 – Double digit increase in Valves aftermarket 

revenues as the division benefited from more 
intense use of assets by customers. 

Expand application and 
product range through  
new product development.

 – Prioritised Research & Development investment 
with new products aligned to strategic markets.
 – Sarasin-RSBDTM safety valve launched for Liquified 

Natural Gas (LNG) customers.

 – Roto-Jet® lightweight industrial pump developed 
and commericalised for hydrocarbon applications. 
 – Rapidly prototyped material tests for hydro runners in 
collaboration with the Weir Advanced Research Centre.

 – Additive manufacturing and ‘Internet of Things’ 

programmes made good progress.

Expand geographical reach.

 – Expanded Korean facility enabling a broader range 

of valves for regional customers. 

 – Continued to make progress with EPCs involved  
in the LNG market, particularly in Asia Pacific.

Market input breakdown

Market input by geography

  Minerals
  General Industrial
  Oil and Gas
  Power
  Other

1%

15%

14%

13%

  North America
  Latin America
  Middle East & Africa
  Australia
  Asia-Pacific
  Europe

35%

38%

38

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

57%

2%

19%

5%

1%

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

MARKET REVIEW
Uncertainty over the pace of global economic growth  
led to project delays in power and industrial markets, 
while activity in oil and gas was affected by the 
substantial reduction in prices that led to reduced  
capital and operational spending.

In conventional power markets, demand was subdued in 
Europe and the United States and there was a significant 
reduction in South Korean project activity. New build 
nuclear opportunities were concentrated in China with 
delays to planned investment in the United Kingdom. In 
the United States, hydro markets were stable. Reduced 
spending on new projects supported aftermarket demand 
as customers used their existing equipment more intensely.

STRATEGIC PROGRESS 
The division continued its innovation process through 
the launch of new products. The new Sarasin-RSBD™ 
safety valve for LNG customers and the Roto-Jet® 
lightweight industrial pump for hydrocarbon applications 
both add to the division’s growing product portfolio. 

Our engineers worked in collaboration with colleagues 
in other divisions as part of the Group-wide ‘Internet  
of Things’ and additive manufacturing programmes  
which saw good progress and delivered encouraging 
performance in terms of on-time-delivery, cost 
competitiveness and an enhancement to long-term 
servicing capabilities.

Researchers at the Weir Advanced Research Centre 
assisted with the development of materials testing 
technology for the hydro business which significantly 
reduced the design time and modelling process, enabling 
enhanced competitiveness and responsiveness for tenders.

We formed an alliance with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 
to jointly seek opportunities in new nuclear build projects, 
including examining opportunities in the United Kingdom 
as it looks to start the development of a new fleet of 
nuclear projects.

 “Reduced spending on new projects supported 
aftermarket demand as customers used their  
existing equipment more intensely.” 

The division continued to take advantage of the Group’s 
best-cost sourcing capability in China, Malaysia, India  
and Korea to support performance and competitiveness.  
It also undertook a number of other value chain 
excellence activities to further streamline operations  
and deliver improved on time delivery for customers.

Recognising the success of the Group’s cross-divisional 
downstream forum, which brought together businesses 
from all three divisions, it was announced in 2016 that 
Power & Industrial would become the Flow Control 
Division with a greater focus on power, oil and gas and 
other aftermarket-orientated industrial pumps and valves. 
As part of the restructure, the Gabbioneta and Floway 
businesses, which were previously part of the Oil & Gas 
and Minerals division respectively, will become part of  
the new Flow Control division.

WARC 
The Weir Advanced Research 
Centre at the University of 
Strathclyde brings leading 
academics together with Weir 
engineers to develop solutions 
which make our customers  
more efficient. 

Read more on p58.

Revenue (£m)

£302m
-5%

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

314

318

302

2013

2014

2015

Operating profit (£m)

£22m
+15%

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

29

22

19

2013

2014

2015

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

39

Strategic Report 

Operational Review continued
Weir Power & Industrial continued

The division’s global capability was enhanced by  
the completion of an expanded facility in Korea and  
an upgrade to the Group’s Malaysia facility which 
benefitted our valve manufacturing process.

Order input decreased by 11% to £277m (2014: £314m) 
primarily due to large hydro and steam turbine orders  
in 2014 which were not repeated in 2015. In addition, 
customer decisions to delay projects across the division’s 
power and industrial markets and oil price reductions 
impacted mid and downstream oil and gas activity levels. 
Excluding the impact of large one-off orders, input was 
down 8%. Original equipment orders were down 20%, 
driven by the timing of hydro orders, reduced Korean 
power orders and oil and gas project delays in Valves. 
Aftermarket input declined by 2%, with good Valves 
growth offset by lower Services input. Total Valves input 
was down 12% year-on-year.

“Power, oil and gas, and industrial markets are 
expected to remain subdued in 2016, with 
uncertainty across most process industries.” 

Operating profit was up 15% at £22m on a constant 
currency basis (2014: £19m), as the benefits of the cost 
reduction and operational improvement measures more 
than offset the impact of lower volumes. Reported 
operating profits increased 16% after a 1% foreign 
exchange tailwind (2014: £19m) and the benefits of an 
£8m year-on-year reduction in SG&A.

Operating margin was up 130bps to 7.2% (2014: 5.9%) 
against the prior year, which was impacted by strike 
action. Gross margins (before manufacturing overhead 
under-recoveries) increased by 140bps, reflecting the 
benefits of restructuring and low-cost sourcing. Cost 
reduction and efficiency measures broadly offset the 
impact of the negative operational leverage from the 
revenue decline. 

Capital expenditure of £5m (2014: £9m) was primarily 
focused on expanding the capacity of the division’s  
Valves facility in South Korea. Investment in research and 
development was stable at £2m (2014: £2m), with a new 
range of municipal pumps progressing to field trials.

2016 DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK
Power, oil and gas, and industrial markets are expected  
to remain subdued in 2016, with uncertainty across most 
process industries leading to customers delaying new 
investment decisions. Mid and downstream oil and gas 
markets will be affected the most, with existing projects 
subject to delays. 

Power markets represented 58% of orders (2014: 58%) and 
the proportion of orders from oil and gas markets decreased 
to 13% (2014: 14%). Emerging markets accounted for 26% 
of input (2014: 35%), with a fall in orders from Asia Pacific 
and the Middle East as a result of lower project activity and 
a subdued Korean domestic market.

The division, which enters 2016 with a lower order  
book but supported by the benefits of restructuring and 
strategic growth initiatives, expects broadly flat constant 
currency revenues. Operating margins are also expected 
to be broadly flat as the full year benefit of previous 
restructuring actions is offset by modest pricing impacts.

Revenue decreased by 5% on a constant currency basis 
to £302m (2014: £318m), with aftermarket revenues 
broadly flat on the prior year and original equipment 
revenues down 9% supported by the opening order book. 
Valves revenues were 5% lower year-on-year, with strong 
double-digit aftermarket growth offset by project delays 
for original equipment. Reported revenues fell by 5% and 
were not impacted by foreign exchange movements 
(2014: £318m).

KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2016
 – Successfully integrate industrial pump businesses  

into Flow Control division.

 – Enhanced profitability and operational improvements.
 – Grow aftermarket revenue.
 – Fast-track new products and expand customer  

digital experience.

 – Continue geographic expansion.

40

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
Strategy in action
Global Capability

I: Strategic Report 

II

III
III

Engineering

nuclear solutions in France 

Weir Power & Industrial France was awarded  
a multi-million Euro contract to replace pneumatic 
controls across 28 nuclear reactors.

The award means Weir will be responsible for the design, 
prototyping and testing, supply of 84 new items, as well 
as on-site installation, supervision and commissioning of 
the new equipment. 

The modification programme managed by a Marseille-
based subsidiary of EDF, EDF CIPN, will last seven years 
and will ensure future safety and integrity of flow control 
equipment throughout the enhanced operational lifetime 
of the EDF’s reactors. 

Weir’s innovative solution incorporates a forged block 
design for the panels and full integration with MSIVs  
on site, an approach which offers optimal reliability and 
equipment lifetime while enabling ease of maintenance. 

Weir’s flow control experience in nuclear includes  
the manufacture of isolation, safety and control valves, 
supporting a global installed base, as well as track record 
for outage and refurbishment works in power stations. 

Weir will work in collaboration with EDF Energy as well  
as alongside nuclear partner SPIE. Assembly and testing 
will be completed within Weir’s state of the art St Victoret 
facility, while the project will require up to 30 on-site 
engineers to manage the modernisation programme 
across seven simultaneous sites with an estimated  
8000 man hours to be delivered by a fully qualified team. 
The contract follows on from the Weir’s 5 year valve 
maintenance agreement which was signed in 2012.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

41

Strategic Report 

Financial Review

Stability

Focus on cash and cost in  
prolonged market downturn 
The Group has reacted strongly over 2015 in 
response to the severe conditions seen across  
all key end markets, through a keen focus on  
both cost and cash management. On a constant 
currency basis, operating profit (before exceptional 
items and intangibles amortisation) of £259m was 
down 42% year on year, a result underpinned by 
good strategic progress. 

Free cash flow

£132m
+68%

EBITDA/Cash conversion

123%
+41%

JON STANTON
Finance Director

42

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Order input at £1,877m decreased 24% on a constant 
currency basis. Original equipment orders were down 
across all markets driven by weak commodity prices  
and the resultant impact on customer activity levels. 
Aftermarket orders were down 22%, reflecting a 
significant decrease in Oil & Gas and representing 69%  
of total input (2014: 67%). Minerals order input was 
£1,033m, slightly down on 2014 with customers closing 
mines, cutting safety stocks and postponing scheduled 
maintenance. On a like for like basis, Minerals input was 
£968m, down 9%. Input in Oil & Gas of £567m was 48% 
down on the prior year reflecting a substantial reduction in 
upstream activity as oil prices collapsed during 2015. Input 
in Power & Industrial was down 11% to £277m reflecting a 
reduction of 20% in original equipment input against a prior 
year which included large hydro and steam turbine orders.

Revenue of £1,918m was 22% down on a constant 
currency basis. The aftermarket accounted for 69% of 
revenues, a 3 percentage point increase over the prior 
year. Minerals revenues were down 4% at £1,034m 
(2014: £1,077m) on a constant currency basis, and down 
9% like for like (excluding Trio and Delta acquisition). This 
result reflects the challenging original equipment markets, 
although aftermarket revenues performed resiliently, 
down only 1% year on year. The 2015 full year revenue 
impact of the Trio and Delta acquisitions was £63m. Oil  
& Gas revenues decreased by 45% to £582m reflecting 
order input trends, particularly in North America. Power  
& Industrial revenues decreased by 5% to £302m in 
2015. On a reported basis Group revenue was down  
21% on the prior year.

Operating profit from continuing operations (before 
exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) decreased 
by 42% to £259m on a reported basis. Restructuring 
related cost savings of £65m and procurement savings  
of £37m were realised during the year, an element of  
the latter passed on to customers to secure available 
volumes. One-off costs incurred in the period, excluding 
exceptional items, were £5m (2014: £2m) and related 
solely to acquisition and integration costs. The contribution 
from current and prior year acquisitions in 2015 was £8m, 
after charging integration costs. Unallocated costs were 
£19m (2014: £20m), reflecting our continued investment 
in innovation and strategic initiatives, offset by cost 
reduction measures implemented centrally.

Operating margin from continuing operations (before 
exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) was 
13.5%, a decrease of 490 basis points on a reported  
basis on the prior year (2014: 18.4%; 18.6% on a constant 
currency basis). Minerals reported an operating margin, 
on a constant currency basis, of 19.2% (2014: 20.2%)  
for the full year demonstrating the division’s resilience  
to the downturn in commodity prices and the benefits  
of a significant installed base. The like for like Minerals 
operating margin was 19.5% (2014: 20.3%). The Oil & 
Gas full year operating margin at 10.0% (2014: 22.8% 

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

constant currency) reflects the substantial volume 
decline, negative operating leverage and pricing pressure 
seen across the division's North American upstream 
businesses. The operating margin in Power & Industrial 
was 7.2% (2014: 5.9% constant currency) and reflects 
the benefits from cost reduction and operational 
improvement measures taken at the end of 2014,  
which more than offset the impact of lower volumes. 

EARNINGS BEFORE INTEREST, TAX,  
DEPRECIATION AND AMORTISATION (EBITDA)
Depreciation of property, plant & equipment in the period 
was £63m (2014: £61m) resulting in EBITDA of £322m 
(2014: £511m).

The cash flow forecasts underpinning the impairment 
testing reflect current oil price projections with depressed 
activity levels expected to endure for the next two years 
followed by a gradual pick up in year three and measured 
return to more normal levels thereafter, albeit not 
anticipating a return to the recent highs of 2012 for this 
business. With regard to impairment testing of the 
Pressure Pumping CGU, this business is more mature than 
Pressure Control and has significant levels of headroom 
between net asset value and value in use remaining, 
despite the current prolonged market downturn. Applying 
the same market assumptions as the Pressure Control 
financial modelling resulted in no impairment being 
assessed in respect of Pressure Pumping. 

An impairment of £26m has also been recognised in 
relation to the goodwill of two other CGUs in Power & 
Industrial reflecting the planned disposal of non-core 
assets following the creation of the Weir Flow Control 
division. No impairment has been identified in relation  
to any of the other CGUs. Further detail is presented  
in note 14. 

Other exceptional items in the period include the £2m 
unwind of inventory fair value adjustments in respect  
of Trio, offset by a gain of £2m (2014: charge of £1m)  
in relation to the fair value adjustment of contingent 
consideration liabilities and the release of a warranty 
indemnity provision of £4m which lapsed during  
the period. 

Amortisation increased to £53m from £45m in the prior 
year, primarily as a result of the full year impact of Trio, 
and the Delta acquisition in 2015.

EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS AND  
INTANGIBLES AMORTISATION
An operating exceptional charge of £365m (2014: £212m) 
and intangibles amortisation of £53m (2014: £45m) 
resulted in a total Group operating loss for the year of 
£158m (2014: profit of £193m). The primary components 
of the exceptional items in the current year were the oil 
and gas downturn actions of £92m implemented to 
mitigate current market conditions, and the impairment 
charge against intangible assets of £251m. In addition, 
the final charges in respect of the Group-wide efficiency 
review announced in November 2014 were recorded  
in the first half of the year (charge of £8m (2014: £49m)) 
and other restructuring actions taken by the Minerals  
and Power & Industrial divisions, by way of continued 
response to market conditions, resulted in further charges 
of £16m (2014: £nil). 

The oil and gas downturn actions included a range of 
activities designed to counteract the significant impact of 
the oil price collapse over the year, including consolidation 
of manufacturing facilities and service centres, combined 
with reductions in headcount. In addition the decision was 
taken to rationalise product lines and discontinue support 
for certain older product lines which have been superseded 
in the market by new technologies, as well as reassess 
actual and expected utilisation of rental assets based on 
the “lower for longer” outlook for the market. The total 
charge in relation to these actions comprised an anticipated 
cash cost of £31m, of which £7m was reflected in the 
current year cash flow statement, and an impairment of 
assets of £61m. Of the total asset impairment, £28m 
related to the write-down of inventory with the balance  
of £33m relating to property, plant & equipment.

The prolonged downturn facing oil and gas markets, and 
the resultant impact on the North American rig count and 
related activity levels, resulted in an impairment charge of 
£225m being recognised at the end of the year in relation 
to the intangible assets held in the Pressure Control cash 
generating unit (CGU). This has been allocated £193m 
against goodwill and £32m against other intangible assets 
and is further to the goodwill impairment of £160m that 
was recognised in 2014.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

43

 
Strategic Report 

Financial Review continued

NET FINANCE COSTS
Total net finance costs, including exceptional items,  
were £41m (2014: £43m). There were four components 
of this net charge, the most significant being the interest 
cost of £41m (2014: £44m) on the Group’s borrowings 
(including amounts in relation to derivative financial 
instruments). The other elements were finance income  
of £5m (2014: £6m), a charge of £3m (2014: £3m) in 
relation to the Group’s defined benefit pension plans and 
an exceptional cost of £2m (2014: £2m) being the unwind 
of the discount on contingent consideration liabilities.

EARNINGS PER SHARE
Earnings per share from continuing operations  
(before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) 
decreased by 45% to 78.4p (2014: 141.3p). Reported  
loss per share including exceptional items, intangibles 
amortisation and profit from discontinued operations was 
83.6p (2014: earnings per share of 34.3p). The weighted 
average number of shares in issue increased to 213.7m 
(2014: 213.3m) following the issue of 593,934 shares  
as partial consideration for the acquisition of Delta Valves  
in July.

Net finance costs (excluding retirement benefit  
related amounts and exceptional items) were covered  
7.2 times by operating profit from continuing operations, 
before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation 
(2014: 11.7 times).

Profit before tax from continuing operations (before 
exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) decreased 
by 46% to £220m (2014: £409m). The reported loss 
before tax from continuing operations of £200m 
compares to a profit before tax of £149m in 2014. 

CASH FLOWS
Cash generated from operations before working capital 
movements was £309m (2014: £503m). Cash generated 
from operations decreased by 6% from £421m to £396m 
but represents an improved EBITDA to cash conversion 
ratio of 123% (2014: 82%). Working capital cash inflows  
of £87m (2014: outflow of £82m) were driven by excellent 
cash collections of receivables, particularly in Oil & Gas. 
Exceptional items in the period resulted in total cash 
outflows of £33m across all restructuring activities  
(2014: £11m).

The tax charge for the year of £53m (2014: £106m)  
on profit before tax from continuing operations (before 
exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) of £220m 
(2014: £409m) represents an underlying effective tax  
rate (ETR) of 23.9% (2014: 25.8%). Our ETR is principally 
driven by the geographical mix of profits arising in our 
business and, to a lesser extent, by the impact of group 
financing arrangements. In the same way that the recent 
drop in US business activity has contributed to a reduction 
in ETR, any disproportionate recovery in the US will yield 
upward pressure on our ETR. Cyclical market conditions 
and anticipated changes in the international tax rules also 
mean that our ability to sustain current intra-group 
financing arrangements may be reduced in future periods. 
The Group’s policy with regard to tax matters is discussed 
later in this report.

Net capital expenditure decreased from £101m in 2014  
to £88m in the current year, reflecting the Group’s focus 
on cash management while maintaining investment in  
key strategic arenas including operational efficiency, R&D 
and Group-wide Information Systems. The settlement  
of financing derivatives resulted in a net cash outflow  
of £2m (2014: £3m) and additional pension contributions  
of £3m (2014: £11m) were paid in the year in respect  
of agreed deficit recovery contributions. The reduction  
in the pension contributions is the result of a pension 
funding partnership agreement reached between the 
company and the Trustees of the main UK defined benefit 
plan, which reduced cash contributions payable in 2015 
and, under which the agreed annual cash contributions 
going forward (over a period of up to the next 15 years) 
will be £2m in 2016; £3m in 2017 and £4m thereafter. 

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
There has been no impact of discontinued operations  
in the current year, with income in the prior year of  
£1m representing the release of unutilised provisions  
in relation to previous disposals, on expiration of the  
tax warranty periods. 

Free cash flow from continuing operations, before  
cash exceptional items and after dividends of £94m 
(2014: £103m), was £132m (2014: £79m). Outflows in 
respect of the acquisition of subsidiaries of £15m resulted 
in a closing net debt of £825m (2014: £861m), which 
includes an adverse foreign exchange movement of 
£48m. On a lender covenant basis, the ratio of net debt  
to EBITDA was 2.5 times and on a reported basis was  
2.6 times, compared to a covenant level of 3.5 times.

44

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Strategy in action
Value Chain Excellence

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Weir Cloud –  
Innovation and Collaboration

anywhere

Cloud computing has changed the way organisations 
deliver and consume IT services, benefitting 
companies both large and small. During 2014 and 
2015, Weir worked closely with technology leaders 
Dell Corporation and Microsoft Corporation to 
design a cloud-based solution for IT infrastructure 
that would meet the complex needs of a workforce 
distributed over some 70 countries.

Focused on delivering “best value”, the resultant 
approach uses a blend of public and private cloud 
services to provide Weir employees access to high  
quality IT services wherever they work, in the most 
secure and cost-effective way possible. The approach 
provides Weir with an agile platform, capable of taking 
advantage of new opportunities as they emerge in this 
rapidly changing space.

The roll-out of Weir Cloud will extend to the majority  
of employees during 2016.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

45

Strategic Report 

Financial Review continued

RETURN ON CAPITAL EMPLOYED (ROCE)
The Group’s ROCE of 10.0% for 2015 (on a like for like 
basis, excluding Trio and Delta) was lower than the prior 
year (2014: 18.2%), reflecting current market conditions.

DIVIDENDS
The Board is recommending a final dividend of 29.0p 
resulting in a total dividend of 44.0p for the year, aligned 
with 2014. Dividend cover (being the ratio of earnings per 
share from continuing operations before exceptional items 
and intangibles amortisation, to dividend per share) is  
1.8 times. If approved at the Annual General Meeting, the 
final dividend will be paid on 27 May 2016 to shareholders 
on the register on 29 April 2016 with a scrip dividend 
alternative being offered. 

ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSALS
On 8 July 2015, the Group completed the acquisition of 
100% of the voting shares of Delta Industrial Valves Inc., 
(Delta Valves) for a total consideration of £26m, represented 
by £14m in cash including settlement of external debt, 
£9m in new equity of the Company and contingent 
consideration of £3m. Delta Valves is a US-based 
manufacturer of knife gate valves for the mining,  
oil sands and other industrial markets. 

In March 2015, the Group completed the acquisition  
of the remaining 49% of Trio Chile a minor joint venture 
acquired as part of the Trio acquisition in 2014, for  
a consideration of £0.4m. 

TAX POLICY
The Group’s strategic tax objectives are to:
 – comply with all applicable tax laws and regulations, 
including the timely submission of all tax returns  
and tax payments; and

 – develop and maintain strong working relationships 
with local tax authorities and undertake all dealings 
with them in a professional and timely manner.

We take a conservative approach to all tax planning with 
the overarching aim of paying the right amount of tax at 
the right time in each tax jurisdiction in which we operate. 

We operate in a complex global environment doing business 
in and between many countries. This complexity and the 
variability of our tax obligations, across a range of different 
tax jurisdictions, present risks which require to be managed. 
A principal tax risk faced by the Group arises as a result  
of uncertainty regarding the acceptance of the Group’s 
intragroup transaction pricing policies by tax authorities 
around the world. This risk is mitigated by management 
through (i) ensuring compliance with local transfer pricing 
legislation in each relevant jurisdiction; (ii) proactive liaison 
with tax authorities; and (iii) the involvement of external tax 
advisers in the identification and management of pricing 
policies and related documentation. 

Another principal risk arises from the uncertainty created 
by the changing international tax landscape which may 
impact our financing arrangements going forward. While 
anticipated changes to the tax environment are not yet 
finalised, we continue to actively monitor this as part of 
our tax risk management. Our decisions in relation to tax 
are governed by the Group’s risk appetite statement which 
sets out the risk assertions and the parameters within 
which we operate. We also face the inherent risk that we 
fail to meet our compliance obligations given the size and 
diversity of the Group. The Group mitigates the risk of 
failure to meet our tax obligations through the application 
of a series of policies and procedures, defined roles and 
responsibilities and delegated authority matrices. 

The risk that the application of management judgements 
and estimates in tax provisioning in the financial 
statements fails to present a true and fair view of the tax 
position is a risk which receives significant focus from 
management, tax advisers and auditors. Actions to 
mitigate include the following:
 – local reporting entities prepare tax provisions and 

balances in accordance with Group Accounting Policy;

 – procedures are in place to escalate issues to Group 
level and the Group tax team is involved in the 
progression and completion of tax audits;

 – tax data in the financial statements, is reviewed 
quarterly in alignment with the broader quarterly 
financial reporting process. Variances against forecast 
are measured to ensure that movements in the ETR 
are explained;

 – external tax advisers either prepare or review the 

annual tax provisions and balances;

 – tax is a significant financial reporting matter regularly 

reviewed by the Audit Committee; and

 – the external auditor reviews the tax figures in the 
interim statement and audits the tax figures and 
disclosures in the Annual Report and Accounts. 

In terms of cash tax, the Group paid income tax of £50m 
in 2015 across all of its jurisdictions compared to £94m  
in 2014, the reduction driven by lower profits. Net cash 
tax paid in the UK in 2015 across corporation tax, VAT and 
payroll taxes was approximately £26m (2014: £41m).

TREASURY MANAGEMENT
The Group is financed through a combination of bank 
debt, fixed rate private placement notes, commercial 
paper and equity. The capital structure is managed 
centrally with the objectives of optimising capital 
efficiency, diversifying the investor base, achieving  
an orderly maturity of funding, yet maintaining a good 
degree of financial headroom.

The principal financial risks faced by the Group are those 
relating to liquidity, foreign currency and credit risk. 

46

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III

The Group’s treasury policies and procedures, which are 
reviewed and updated on a regular basis, seek to reduce 
these financial risks. Within this framework, the Group 
uses financial assets and liabilities including derivatives  
to hedge certain foreign exchange and interest rate risks.

FUNDING AND LIQUIDITY
The Group’s objective is to maintain a balance between 
continuity of funding and flexibility, through the use of 
bank overdrafts, bank loans, commercial paper and long 
term fixed rate notes. The Group held net cash balances 
of £179m at the end of 2015 (2014: £167m) representing 
operating balances held by the Group’s subsidiaries. 

On 12 January 2015, the Group repaid US$90m US dollar 
fixed rate notes and £12m sterling fixed rate notes as they 
fell due, using existing facilities including the US$800m 
multi-currency revolving credit facility and certain 
uncommitted sterling borrowing facilities.

On 1 April 2015 the Group commenced a US$1bn commercial 
paper programme, under which £166m was outstanding  
at the end of the year. All maturities are less than one year.

INTEREST RATE RISK MANAGEMENT
The Group’s debt is in a combination of fixed and variable 
rates of interest. It is our policy to maintain a proportion of 
debt at fixed rates of interest subject to the future outlook 
for the level of interest rates. At the end of 2015, the 
proportion of the Group’s debt at fixed rates was 76% 
compared to 78% as at the end of 2014.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE
The Group is exposed to movements in exchange rates  
for transactions undertaken in non-functional currencies  
of the operating companies concerned, and the translation 
of foreign currency denominated net assets and profit and 
loss items.

All material transactional currency exposures are hedged, 
usually by means of forward contracts thereby ensuring 
certainty over revenue and costs. Subject to local exchange 
controls, foreign exchange transactions are executed by the 
central treasury function. No speculative transactions are 
undertaken. Although hedging is carried out for all material 
economic exposures, only four subsidiaries applied cash 
flow hedge accounting under IAS 39 during the period.

In September 2014, the Group amended the US$800m 
multi-currency revolving credit facility, which was previously 
refinanced in July 2013 and due to mature in July 2018. The 
amendment extended the maturity date to July 2019, with 
the option of two one-year extensions. In July 2015, the 
option to extend the maturity to July 2020 was exercised. 
At 1 January 2016, US$70m (2014: US$210m) was drawn. 
Total unamortised issue costs at 1 January 2016 were  
£4m (2014: £5m).

In respect of translational risk, the Group has a policy  
to partially hedge United States dollar (US$), Australian 
dollar (AUD), Euro (EUR) and South African rand (ZAR) net 
asset exposures. This is achieved through designating an 
element of foreign currency borrowings, forward foreign 
currency contracts and cross currency swaps as net 
investment hedges against the Group’s investments. The 
Group does not hedge the foreign currency translational 
exposure arising from profit and loss items. 

All covenants were met at 1 January 2016 with headroom 
under each financial ratio.

The Group has additional committed and uncommitted 
bonding facilities under which guarantees are issued in 
support of commercial activities. 

CREDIT MANAGEMENT
The Group’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its  
trade receivables with risk spread over a large number  
of countries and customers. There is no significant 
concentration of credit risk. Credit worthiness checks  
are undertaken before entering into contracts with new 
customers and credit limits are set as appropriate. We 
also use trade finance instruments such as letters of 
credit and insurance to mitigate any specific identified 
risk. The Group’s exposure to the credit risk of financial 
institutions is limited by the adherence to counterparty 
limits and by only trading with counterparties who have  
a strong credit standing based on ratings provided by  
the major credit rating agencies.

The weakening of Sterling relative to 2014, primarily 
against the US dollar resulted in a net loss on translation 
of net assets of £30m, including the effect of the balance 
sheet hedging programme. 

Net retirement benefit plan deficit (£m)

£82m
-13%

100

80

60

40

20

0

94

82

70

2013

2014

2015

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

47

Strategic Report 

Financial Review continued

Further information on financial risk management 
objectives and policies can be found in note 30 to the 
Group financial statements.

RETIREMENT BENEFITS
The Group has four defined benefit pension plans, the 
largest of which are the two UK plans. The Group has 
sought to pro-actively manage its exposure to its pension 
plans with more than half of the liabilities of the main  
UK defined benefit plan (the “Main Plan”) hedged using 
insurance policies, which provide significant protection 
against changes in market conditions. During the period 
to 3 January 2014, agreement was reached with the 
Trustees of the Main Plan to close the plan to future 
accrual of benefits with effect from 30 June 2015 and 
accordingly a curtailment gain of £3m was recorded  
as an exceptional item in the 2013 Income Statement. 
This was reassessed in 2015 with no adjustment 
required. During 2015 the Group entered into a pension 
funding partnership arrangement, under which it will 
contribute interest in a Scottish Limited Partnership to  
the Main Plan, details of which are included in note 24.

With regard to the key assumptions underpinning the  
IAS 19 (Revised) valuation, these have been updated  
to reflect market conditions at the end of the year with 
the only change being to the discount rate applied to  
the pension liabilities; this increased from 3.5% to 3.7%. 
Actuarial gains on the liability side due to changes in 
financial and demographic assumptions, coupled with  
a loss due to other experience, are partially offset by 
actuarial losses on the asset side. Combined these have 
led to a decrease in the net deficit in the Group’s total net 
retirement benefit obligations from £94m to £82m over 
the year.

NET ASSETS
Net assets at the end of 2015 were £1,198m, a decrease of 
£284m on the prior year (2014: £1,482m). This decrease is 
driven by the total net comprehensive expense for the year 
of £197m and dividends paid of £94m.

LITIGATION
The Company and certain subsidiaries are, from time  
to time, parties to legal proceedings and claims which 
arise in the normal course of business. To the extent  
not already provided for, the Directors do not anticipate 
that the outcome of these proceedings or claims, either 
individually or in aggregate, will have a material adverse 
effect on the Group’s financial position. All actions are 
robustly defended.

A claim made in the prior year by Philippines Gold 
Processing & Refining Corporation against Weir Services 
Australia Pty Limited (WSA), a subsidiary of the Company, 
was successfully defended at an arbitration, with the 
judgement issued in favour of WSA in January 2016. 
During the arbitration process, the Group entered into  
a cap and collar agreement with the claimant, which 
limited the potential exposure for the Group to  
a de minimus amount. 

Asbestos-related claims
Certain of the Group’s US-based subsidiaries are 
co-defendants in lawsuits pending in the United States  
in which plaintiffs are claiming damages arising from 
alleged exposure to products previously manufactured 
which contained asbestos. At the end of 2015, there  
were 1,263 asbestos-related claims outstanding in the  
US (2014: 1,503). The Group has comprehensive 
insurance cover for these cases and since the inception  
of the litigations in 2002 all claims have been directly 
managed by the Group’s insurers who have, in the 
intervening period, made settlements totalling 
approximately £12m as well as meeting all associated 
defence costs. The insurers and their legal advisers agree 
and execute the defence strategy between them and 
there are no related cash flows to or from the Group. We 
expect this to continue for the foreseeable future as long 
as the litigation arises. Full details of the provision, and 
related insurance receivable, are provided in note 22.

In the UK, there are 21 (2014: 26) outstanding asbestos-
related claims which are not the subject of insurance 
cover. The expected settlement costs of these and 
anticipated future claims in the UK are fully provided  
for within ‘employee related provisions’ in note 22.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with IFRS and the material accounting 
policies are set out on pages 135 to 141 of this Annual 
Report. There have been no significant changes to the 
accounting policies adopted in 2015.

In the process of applying the Group’s accounting 
policies, management has applied certain judgements, 
assumptions and estimates. These estimates and 
assumptions are based on historical experience, 
information available at the time and other factors 
considered relevant. Those with the most significant 
effect on the amounts recognised in the financial 
statements are set out below. Further judgements, 
assumptions and estimates are set out on page 136.

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Acquisition accounting
On the acquisition of a business, management assess:  
(i) the Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) in order to attribute 
fair values to separately identifiable intangible assets 
providing they meet the recognition criteria; (ii) the  
fair values of other assets and liabilities; and (iii) 
compliance with the disclosure requirements of IFRS 3, 
‘Business Combinations’.

The fair values of these intangible assets are dependent  
on estimates of attributable future revenues, margins  
and cash flows, as well as appropriate discount rates. In 
addition, the allocation of useful lives to acquired intangible 
assets requires the application of judgement based on 
available information and management expectations at the 
time of recognition. The valuation of other tangible assets 
and liabilities involves aligning accounting policies with 
those of the Group, reflecting appropriate external market 
valuations for property, plant & equipment, assessing 
recoverability of receivables and inventory, and exposures 
to unrecorded liabilities. In deriving appropriate fair values 
the process will inevitably involve the use of estimates and 
the application of management judgement. The disclosure 
in relation to the acquisition of Delta Valves in the current 
year is provided in note 13. 

Impairment
IFRS requires companies to carry out impairment testing 
on any assets that show indications of impairment, as 
well as annually for goodwill and other intangible assets 
with indefinite lives and so not subject to amortisation. 
This testing includes exercising management judgement 
about future cash flows and other events which are,  
by their nature, uncertain. During 2015, we completed 
impairment testing over the Group’s cash generating 
units (CGUs) and the details and results of this exercise 
are discussed above and reported in note 14.

Retirement benefits
The assumptions underlying the valuation of retirement 
benefit assets and liabilities are important and based on 
actuarial advice. Changes in these assumptions could 
have a material impact on the measurement of the 
Group’s retirement benefit obligations. Sensitivities to 
changes in key assumptions are provided in note 24.

Provisions
Provisions are recognised where the Group has an 
obligation, as a result of a past event, that can be 
measured reliably and where an outflow of economic 
benefits is considered probable. Management judgement 
is used to determine the amount of such provisions  
taking into account the commercial drivers which gave 
rise to them, the Group’s previous experience of similar 
obligations and the progress of any associated legal 
proceedings. Provisions for inventory and trade 
receivables are assessed along with those provisions  
set out in note 22. With regard to inventory provisioning, 
historical usage as well as anticipated future demand  
is considered (note 16). Where changes to these  
factors occur during the period this may impact on the 
assumption integral to management’s assessment of  
the provision and the overall valuation. Any changes  
are recognised in the income statement in the period.

Taxation
Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation  
of complex tax regulations and the amount and timing  
of future taxable income. Given the wide range of 
international business relationships and the long  
term nature and complexity of existing contractual 
arrangements, differences arising between the actual 
results and the assumptions made or future changes  
to such assumptions could result in future adjustments  
to tax income and expense already recorded. Provisions 
are established based on reasonable estimates for 
possible consequences of audits by the tax authorities  
of the respective countries in which the Group operates. 
Management judgement is used to determine the amount 
of such provisions taking into account that differences  
of interpretation may arise on a wide variety of issues 
depending on the conditions prevailing in the respective 
Group company’s domicile. Detailed tax disclosures are 
provided in notes 7 and 23.

JON STANTON
Finance Director
24 February 2016

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

49

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review

Responsible During 2015, the formal materiality assessment 

Corporate sustainability underpins our strategic 
priorities and is intrinsic to the Group’s purpose 
and values. We believe that acting in a sustainable 
way protects and creates long-term value, not just 
for our shareholders, but for all our stakeholders 
and the long-term future of our business.

Sustainability is a broad topic and it is important  
that we understand our key priorities so that we can 
allocate time, resources and investment accordingly. 
For several years our sustainability approach has 
focused on six priorities that balance the broad 
environmental and societal benefits of our business 
with potential impacts arising from our operations. 

undertaken in 2014 to identify and prioritise material 
sustainability issues for the Group was completed. The 
assessment, conducted in line with the Global Reporting 
Initiative G4 guidelines, identified and prioritised the 
sustainability issues that have a direct or indirect impact 
on our business. We took the opportunity to also review 
our existing sustainability priorities and examine their 
continued relevance for our business. The review found 
that our six key priorities continue to encompass the most 
significant material issues for our business and 
stakeholders and, as a consequence, our sustainability 
strategy remains appropriate to our evolving business, 
that of our critical suppliers and key customers, and the 
changing global climate in which we operate. 

These priorities are important to us as we are aware  
that we have the opportunity to effectively manage our 
impacts and create and influence positive outcomes.  
By integrating these priorities into our business strategy, 
daily activities and operations, we will ensure that, 
wherever we operate, we are doing so fairly, ethically  
and responsibly. The following sections present the six 
priorities, our performance in each of these areas over  
the past year and the policies and practices currently used 
to monitor and manage our performance and deliver on 
our commitments. We will continue to review the balance 
and content of our reporting so that it reflects the 
development of our current and future programmes.

Our sustainability priorities

Health and safety
Protecting the 
health and safety 
of our people, 
supply chains and 
the broader 
communities in 
which we operate.

Environment
Creating 
opportunities to 
improve 
environmental 
performance of 
our operations 
and those of our 
customers.

Products and 
technology
Embedding 
innovation into 
product 
development to 
help our 
customers 
increase resource 
efficiency, operate 
more safely and 
become more 
resilient to the 
changing climate.

Our communities 
Working with, and 
adding value to, 
the communities 
in which we 
operate.

Our people
Respecting and 
valuing the people 
who work in and 
with our business: 
their motivation, 
development and 
security is 
imperative to our 
business success.

Ethics 
Doing business the 
right way to 
provide positive 
impacts: working 
at all times in an 
ethical and 
transparent 
manner and 
selecting supply 
chains and 
business partners 
that share our 
ethos.

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EHS ROADMAP
The refreshed EHS roadmap has 15 work streams which 
cover a range of areas from health and technical knowledge, 
to best practice in high risk areas such as work, pressure 
testing and material handling. Fundamental to the 
success of this approach is collaboration across the 
Group’s three divisions to deliver consistent standards 
and best practice across our global operations. 

WEIR EHS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 
The Weir EHS Management System not only provides 
context and guidance but also establishes a common  
set of EHS standards and expectations for addressing the 
risks that our operations face. Its purpose is to embed 
health and safety within our culture, behaviours and 
actions. The EHS standards cover nine primary areas  
of risk, from supply chain to field operations, and provide 
step-by-step guidance on the minimum requirements 
expected at all of Weir’s operations anywhere in the 
world. On an annual basis our internal auditors test each 
facility’s compliance with these standards. For the third 
consecutive year the Group’s average score has increased 
significantly with the vast majority of businesses 
improving by more than 10%. Four facilities recorded 
slightly lower scores than 2014 and action is being taken 
to redress this. The overall improvement is pleasing as  
the standards businesses must comply with have become 
steadily more stringent over the past three years. 

WEIR ZERO HARM BEHAVIOURAL SAFETY SYSTEM
Progress continued in the roll-out of the Behavioural 
Safety System, known as Weir Zero Harm. The Weir Zero 
Harm programme is focused on establishing demonstrable 
behavioural change across the entire Group. It consists  
of three major strands: i) Safe Start; ii) climate surveys; 
and iii) participant observations. In 2015, we completed 
training of all operational employees in Safe Start and 
made significant progress in climate surveys. In 2016,  
in line with the Roadmap, we will implement the third 
strand of the system: training employees in our 
participant observation programme.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

51

DEAN JENKINS
Chief Operating Officer

Health and Safety

The Weir Group is committed to a zero harm 
environment for our people, supply chains and 
broader communities in which we work. During  
2015 we have seen substantial progress as we  
aim to achieve our ambition of lowering our  
Total Incident Rate (TIR) to zero.

Leadership for this crucial part of the Group’s performance 
is direct from the Board with a clear recognition of the 
importance of safety among the entire Weir workforce.  
In 2015, there were no fatalities reported. The Group  
has a number of initiatives to keep our people safe and 
we measure progress towards our ambition through 
regular monitoring.

EHS EXCELLENCE COMMITTEE
The Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Excellence 
Committee has been tasked by the Board to set and 
assess rigorous standards to improve EHS performance 
across the Group. In 2015, the committee confirmed  
the successful implementation of The Weir Group EHS 
Roadmap 2012-2015 and developed the next phase of  
the roadmap which will operate up until 2018 and include 
new objectives to make Weir an even safer place to work. 

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

Case study 

MEASURING PROGRESS
These efforts contributed to a reduction in the Group’s 
TIR which measures lost time and recordable incidents 
divided by 200,000 hours worked. The results for 2015 
show that our incident rate reduced by 25% compared  
to the previous year. 

TIR performance

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

1.0

0.8

0.6

2013

2014

2015

KEEPING OUR PEOPLE SAFE AND HEALTHY
During the year, we appointed a Group Head of Security 
to a newly created role designed to improve the ways in 
which potential concerns regarding security (as detailed 
on page 25) are addressed and mitigated. 

Across the Group, businesses engage in a range of 
individual initiatives to keep our people safe and healthy. 
These include hazard hunts to try to identify potential 
issues and, more generally, health assessments including 
fitness tests and annual hearing and pulmonary 
preventative tests.

Award winning 
Award winning   
EHS promotion
EHS promotion

Throughout 2015 Weir Power  
& Industrial India took part  
in a range of initiatives to 
further embed the culture  
of continuous improvement  
in EHS performance.

These included regular campaigns 
and training aimed at making  
staff aware of moderating their 
behaviours to reduce the 
likelihood of incidents occurring.

Every employee was tasked  
with identifying a minimum of 
one safety risk every month.  
In March, during India’s ‘National 
Safety Week’, the business 
maintained momentum  
through safety quizzes and 
employee’s sketches. 

Among the priorities were hand 
and finger protection and fire 
safety training. The intense and 
creative approach to promoting 
EHS improvement over 2015 
helped to increase the business’ 
EHS audit scores and was 
recognised with awards including: 
the Confederation of Indian 
Industry; Frost & Sullivan India 
Industrial Technologies Awards 
2014; Asian Workplace, Health, 
Safety & Environment Leadership 
Award; and a 1st Prize at the 
Karnataka State Level Safety 
Awards, organised by the 
Government of Karnataka. 

Weir Power & Industrial India EHS audit scores

100

80

60

40

20

82

63

36

2013

2014

2015

52

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

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III

The new construction will meet the LEED Silver  
Standard for Commercial Interiors (Leadership in Energy 
and Environmental Design). Disposal of old materials,  
new construction materials, fixtures and furniture,  
and arrangements for operations must meet strict 
environmental standards in order to achieve the  
LEED certification. Through this project, NETE will be 
eliminating the remainder of its heating, ventilating and  
air conditioning systems that contain ozone depleting 
substances (ODS) and will be implementing an energy 
efficient heating and lighting system. Whilst the project  
is funded and managed by the Canadian Department of 
National Defence, Weir Marine Engineering is providing 
support as the operator of NETE.

IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL RISKS AND IMPACTS
Our risk management policy defines how we expect risks 
to be identified, assessed, and managed throughout the 
organisation. Risks, including environmental factors, are 
assessed in terms of impact and likelihood of occurrence 
before, and after, mitigation. The Group’s key business 
risks are detailed on pages 24 to 29. 

To ensure we continue to focus on the right priorities,  
a materiality assessment was undertaken during 2014  
in line with principles of the Global Reporting Initiative 
(GRI) G4 guidelines. This was completed in 2015 and  
the assessment identified the environmental, social and 
governance issues with greatest potential to impact our 
business strategy over the next five-year period. The 
report reviewed Group-level management systems and 
controls, and disclosures made within our Annual Report 
and Financial Statements and via our corporate website. 
Recommended updates from this review will be 
prioritised for action, starting in 2016, to ensure our 
sustainability programme and risk management process 
remain relevant and robust. 

The Weir businesses design and implement their own 
programmes to engage employees and communicate 
their individual obligations, along with those of the 
Company, to identify and manage potential environmental 
risks. For example, during 2015 Weir SPM in Aberdeen 
introduced a new Environmental Awareness training 
session to raise staff awareness of potential environmental 
risks and impacts. The training is a half day training 
session covering a wide range of environmental topics 
such as ISO 14001 requirements, compliant waste 
disposal and the control of hazardous substances. The 
training has been completed by all operational staff and 
will subsequently be rolled-out to office staff. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

53

Environment

The Group operates on a global scale, supporting 
customers through a network of more than 200 
manufacturing and service facilities around the 
world. By integrating environmental issues into 
long-term strategic plans and decisions as well as 
our daily operational activities, we continually work 
hard to improve environmental performance of our 
operations and those of our customers.

The Group’s strategy for environmental management  
is three-fold: 
1.  identify and quantify key potential risks within and 

facing the business;

2.  manage and minimise potentially adverse impacts; and
3.  monitor and report on the most significant  

potential impacts. 

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Mana g e  
Manna g e
Q u a
and mini m i s
and mmini m i s
t h e   n

Where we acquire or open new sites, we assess the 
means by which potential environmental risks can be 
minimised and look to recognised good practice as well 
as new technologies to help achieve this. We also strive 
to innovate and enhance the positive benefit of our 
products and services. 

Weir Canada’s Marine Engineering Division manages the 
Naval Engineering Test Establishment (NETE) in Montreal 
on behalf of the Government of Canada. The NETE facility 
is currently undergoing a major renovation, scheduled to 
be completed in January 2017, during which two existing 
wings are being demolished and rebuilt. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS)  
Management System
Identifying and managing environmental risks is a key 
component of Weir’s internal control framework. The Weir 
EHS Management System sets out 11 key elements for 
assessing and measuring potential environmental impacts 
and the required control measures. These include, for 
instance, the use of registers to support compliance with 
permit and authorisation requirements, adherence to 
storage, containment and handling criteria to mitigate 
potential soil and groundwater impact, and assessment  
of environmental noise for all operations. Together, such 
measures are designed to enable conformance with all 
applicable legislation.

ISO 14001: Environmental Management System
ISO 14001 is an internationally-recognised standard  
which sets out a framework for effective environmental 
management systems. Certification to ISO 14001 also 
helps to demonstrate our ongoing environmental 
performance in terms of legal and environmental policy 
requirements. All our continuing operations are required 
to maintain ISO 14001 accreditation. As part of the 
integration process, new acquisitions are expected to 
implement an environmental management system and 
seek external ISO 14001 accreditation.

Extreme weather events
As a business with global reach we can be exposed  
to a wide range of extreme weather events in different 
geographic locations. Due to the variety of our operations, 
the length of, and any impact from, environmental 
incidents can vary. External insurance audits consider 
climatic event risks and inform crisis management plans 
for our operating sites, to reduce both the risk of harm  
to our people and to minimise disruption to operations 
and customers. We also review our management plans 
following key extreme weather events to ensure our 
management strategies are appropriate and our assets 
remain resilient. 

MONITORING PERFORMANCE 
The Group operates an EHS audit programme which 
assesses compliance against a set of globally applicable 
EHS standards. A minimum standard has been prescribed 
against each of the criteria within the 76 EHS standards 
and ensures that there is both a leading EHS indicator  
of performance and an assurance process for all relevant 
stakeholders that EHS risks are adequately controlled 
across our operations. The 2015 audit programme gave 
an average 10.4% increase across our subsidiaries. 
Further details can be found on page 51. 

Environmental incidents and fines
No significant environmental incidents were reported at 
sites under the operational control of the Group during 
the 52 weeks to 1 January 2016. 

54

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

During the financial year, one Weir business settled an 
environmental fine of $7,000 with the Utah Department 
of Environmental Quality for a minor infringement of 
environmental legislation which occurred during 2014. 

Extreme weather events
Six incidences of adverse business impacts due to 
extreme climatic events were reported during 2015. 
These were as follows:
1.  Extreme snow and ice created transportation issues 

for Weir Valve & Controls USA employees and 
impacted the site in Ipswich. The estimated financial 
impact was $25,000 in snow clearance and almost 
$100,000 in lost labour. 

2.  Weir Minerals Chile was impacted by flooding when 

slurry and water affected Copiapó city and operations 
were stopped due to absenteeism. Weir customers 
were supported from an alternative technical centre 
and the company provided support to those 
employees whose houses were affected.

3.  In April 2015, Weir Minerals Australia suffered minor 
water ingress at the Beresfield service centre due to 
storm events. Whilst there was no significant property 
damage, it resulted in four days downtime due to  
a power outage. Measures are in place to minimise  
any potential disruption in the event of a long-term 
power outage. 

4.  Drought has resulted in the Weir Minerals foundry  

in Isando, South Africa, facing possible water 
restrictions. Mitigation measures have included  
the temporary use of water from back-up storage 
tanks. The Alrode facility already harvests rainwater 
for use on-site.

5.  Weir India employees in Chennai were affected by 
flooding as a result of a cyclone in December. The 
sales office situated there was closed for over a week.

6.  Flooding in the North of England in December 2015 
impacted two Weir sites: the Weir Minerals Europe 
site in Todmorden and a Weir Valves & Controls UK 
storage facility at Sowerby Bridge. Existing flood 
elevation defences were in place at Todmorden but a 
small amount of localised flooding occurred requiring 
subsequent clean-up to the Distribution Centre. Plans 
are now in place to prevent a reoccurrence. Water 
ingress resulted in structural damage to the Pattern 
Store at Sowerby Bridge with some loss of content. 
Alternative premises have now been identified.

Greenhouse gas emissions
As an energy and carbon intensive business, operating 
seven foundries worldwide, the Group recognises the 
importance of measuring and minimising the greenhouse 
gas (GHG) emissions from operations over which it  
has control. 

The Group’s total annual GHG emissions in tCO2e for  
the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 was 127,633 tCO2e  
(2014: 156,236 tCO2e). We are continuing to see a 
reduction in absolute GHG emissions across the Group. 

TOTAL ANNUAL GHG EMISSIONS

Scope 1 emission sources2

Scope 2 emission sources3

Total

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Total annual GHG emissions  
(tCO2e)

2015

2014

20131

36,012

46,640

53,316

91,621

109,596

107,581

127,633

156,236

160,897

Emissions intensity  
(tCO2e per £m revenue)

2015

18.8

47.8

66.6

2014

19.1

45.0

64.1

2013

21.9

44.3

66.2

TOTAL ANNUAL GHG EMISSIONS FROM ALL FOUNDRIES

Scope 1 emission sources2

Scope 2 emission sources3

Total

Annual GHG emissions  
(tCO2e)

2015

2014

20131

10,858

42,683

14,213

16,738

46,196

48,705

53,541

60,409

65,443

Proportion of total global  
annual GHG emissions

GHG emissions intensity  
(tCO2e per tonne of metal poured)

2015

8.5%

33.4%

41.9%

2014

9.1%

29.6%

38.7%

2013

10.4%

30.3%

40.7%

2015

0.3

1.3

1.6

2014

0.4

1.4

1.8

2013

0.5

1.4

1.9

Notes
1.  The restated 2013 emissions figures comprise the baseline against which year-on-year performance is measured. 
2.  Scope 1 (direct emissions) sources are from activities owned or controlled by the Group that release emissions straight into the atmosphere, such as combustion of fuel for the 

operation of our facilities.

3.  Scope 2 (indirect emissions) sources comprise those emissions for which the Group is indirectly responsible, such as from the electricity and heat we purchase to use in our operations 

or equipment. 

4.  We do not currently measure or report on Scope 3 emissions, which relate to sources not within our direct control, such as third-party warehouses and transport in vehicles not owned 

by the Group.

Whilst such a trend can be encouraging to see, decreased 
levels of production during the year are likely to have made 
a large contribution to this reduction. When the GHG 
emissions are normalised by annual revenue an increase  
in overall carbon intensity for the business since 2014 can 
be seen.

The Group now operates seven foundries, which accounted 
for almost 42% of our total GHG emissions in 2015. As the 
most energy intensive areas of the business, monitoring 
foundry performance is particularly important for driving 
onward performance. Our foundries emitted a total of 
53,541 tCO2e during 2015 (2014: 60,409 tCO2e). When this 
is analysed per tonne of cast weight poured, a decrease in 
the carbon intensity of foundry production since 2014 can 
be seen. 

The decrease in emissions intensity for foundry production 
indicates that certain foundries were able to operate more 
efficiently during 2015, despite a decrease in production. 
However, the overall increase in emissions intensity for the 
business as a whole by annual turnover suggests that other 
operational facilities were more energy intensive during  
the past year. We continue to actively seek improvements 
in energy efficiency to reverse this trend, examples are 
provided on page 56.

Annual emissions figures for 2013 and 2014 have been 
restated to correct a data processing error common to both 
years, which had resulted in an overstatement and was 
identified during our standard review process. Following  
a full review of our existing internal calculation processes,  
we have instigated specific improvements to prevent  
a similar error occurring in the future.

Our calculation methodology remains aligned with the 
requirements of the UK Government for ‘Mandatory 
Carbon Reporting’ and with the principles of the  
WBCSD/WRI’s ‘Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate 
Accounting and Reporting Standard’. Full details of  
our methodology and approach are available on the 
Company’s website at www.sustainability.weir.

MINIMISING POTENTIAL IMPACTS
Product stewardship and innovation 
The most important component of our long-term strategy 
that has been influenced by climate change is innovation; 
developing new products and technologies to provide 
ourselves and our customers with competitive advantage. 
Our products and services aim to meet customer demands 
and their corporate sustainability goals, for instance, 
through reducing energy consumption, water usage and 
waste generation. Our Engineering Excellence Committee 
supports product design which delivers improved energy 
efficiency during manufacturing and product use. Further 
details on our products and technology are detailed on 
pages 58 and 59. 

An example of this can be found at Weir Minerals China 
where one of its customers operates a Warman MCR 550 
pump in their mine in Northern China. The pump utilises  
a relatively smaller power unit and its efficiency has 
resulted in an estimated financial saving of 1 million  
RMB (approximately £100,000) per year to the customer 
through reduced energy costs compared to the use of  
an equivalent pump on the market. 

During 2015, Weir Minerals Netherlands have utilised 
technology for the safe disposal of waste materials in 
mining and minerals processing, which has traditionally 
focused around minimising costs for the operational lifetime 
of the facility. These waste materials, or tailings, need  
to be mixed with water to allow for their transportation. 
Unsurprisingly, the cost of water and the ongoing surge in 
tariffs for energy remain key drivers in the choice of tailings 
storage facilities. Long-term sustainability is increasingly  
an essential consideration as mineral processors look to 
create long-term environmentally sound tailings facilities.

Water scarcity and the location and operation of large 
tailings dams present real challenges to mine owners, 
driving a requirement for high density tailings solutions, 
minimising both the use of water and energy. Weir 
Minerals is a market leader in this area with the GEHO 
suite of High Concentrate Slurry Deposit (HCSD) 
technology. By pumping tailings slurries at a solid content 
in excess of 65%, users are able to save millions of litres 
of water annually and benefit from a high integrity disposal 
area, a dry and safe deposit without the need for a dam 
and land that can be reclaimed. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

55

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

Energy and carbon reduction measures 
One of our sustainability improvement priorities is to  
reduce our energy use and in relative terms associated 
GHG emissions. Our focus to date has been to set and 
manage targets at an operating company level. We have 
aspirations to define carbon and potentially broader 
sustainability performance goals across the business  
to supplement the site level process. Any future plans  
will take into consideration the findings of the recent 
sustainability materiality assessment.

We continue to have operations in the hydro, wind  
and nuclear energy industries which contribute to the 
production of cleaner, low-carbon energy.

Details of some of the improvement measures 
undertaken and targets set during 2015 are: 
 – As part of a systematic approach towards a more 

sustainable business, Weir Minerals Netherlands aims 
to reduce its total business carbon footprint by 20%  
by 2020.

 – Weir Minerals Australia set a target to reduce energy usage 
per tonne of product manufactured at the Artarmon facility 
by 5% during 2015. Whilst this was not achieved by year 
end, the company met its other target of a 5% reduction  
in total scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions during 
the same period. This was achieved through a combination 
of a reduction in absolute electricity consumption and  
an improvement in the carbon intensity of the New 
South Wales electricity grid. Reductions in electricity 
consumption from a major lighting retrofit conducted 
at the end of 2014 were realised during the year.
 – Weir Power & Industrial India have replaced the use  
of light diesel oil with bio-diesel in boilers, resulting  
in them meeting their target of 40% reduction in 
carbon emission against a baseline year of 2013. 
 – Weir Specialty Pumps, USA, completed an energy 
reduction project which included, among other 
improvements, the installation of LED lighting to the 
exterior of the building, as well as stairwells and the foyer 
area, with an estimated annual saving of 35,000-40,000 
kWh of electricity and 17-20 tCO2 emissions.
 – WESCO Abu Dhabi, as part of a five year project  

to improve energy efficiency at its facility, has been 
installing additional skylights in various workshop 
areas to improve ambient light sufficient for safe 
working without the need for powered lighting. It is 
estimated that this will result in an annual saving of 
150,000 kWh of electricity and 100 tCO2 emissions.

Resource efficiency
As part of our environmental sustainability strategy, our 
businesses also focus on improving resource efficiency; 
for instance, increasing the proportion of waste materials 
that are recycled and reducing the total quantity of waste 
going to landfill. 12,600 tonnes of metal were reused 
internally in our foundry operations in 2015 (2014: 13,000 
tonnes) and 39% of all metal poured in the foundries in 
2015 was reused internally (2014: 39%).

Foundry recycling (’000 tonnes)

15

12

9

6

3

12.9

12.6

11.9

2013

2014

2015

3.1

3.2

2.6

4.5

4.1

3.6

Foundry metal
reused 
internally
Tonnes

Foundry scrap 
metal purchased 
from customer 
Tonnes

Foundry metal  
recycled to 
third party 
Tonnes

0.6

0.7

0.5

Foundry timber  
recycled 
Tonnes

In 2015, Weir Minerals China introduced a power station 
customer to its ceramic reshaping technology. The 
Tancang power plant was upgrading its flue-gas 
desulphurisation (FGD) unit and replaced the four pumps 
they had been operating since 2007 with new ceramic 
lined pumps from Weir China. In an effort to recycle as 
much of the old equipment as possible, Weir inspected the 
old pumps and reused the impellers in the new ceramic 
lined pumps. Given the wear that was evident on the 
impellers following extended operations Weir ‘reshaped’ 
the impellers using the ceramic technology to build back 
the missing material, creating an impeller that was in 
compliance with all specifications. The reshaping of the 
impeller increased the efficiency of the pump to ‘as new’ 
levels whilst at the same time reusing a part that still was 
substantially operable. It is anticipated that this reshaping 
service offered by Weir China will be of increased interest 
to other customers who wish to extend the life of the 
impeller and improve the efficiency of the pump. 

Weir Minerals Brasil, as part of ISO 14000, offers the 
option to some customers to return worn parts to the 
company. This results in a positive environmental impact 
through their reuse in the foundry as well as providing  
a disposal solution for customers who considered the  
parts as scrap. The service also helps promote stronger 
relationships with our key customers.

The Group continues to make use of telepresence 
video-conferencing facilities at its major sites worldwide. 
There are now 16 sites in nine countries with dedicated 
telepresence conference rooms. These allow meetings to 
be held throughout the Group as though attendees were  
in the same location. During 2015, these facilities were 
used for a total of 6,740 hours. The facilities were used for 
both Board and Group Executive meetings as well as 
budget review meetings during the year, and their use 
continues to result in a notable avoidance in air travel  
and related GHG emissions. We estimate that the use  
of telepresence for these meetings alone has saved  
1,300 tCO2e during 2015 (2014: 1,300 tCO2e).

Weir Minerals Australia is a member of the New South 
Wales (NSW) Government Sustainability Advantage 
programme. The purpose of the programme is to improve 
resource efficiency and environmental risk control in NSW 
businesses through workshops and sponsored consulting. 
During 2015, Weir Minerals Australia actively participated 
in a Waste Wise Forum and Circular Economy Forum  
as part of the programme. The forums comprised 
presentations from consultants and industry leaders on 
waste reduction initiatives and circular business models 
along with networking sessions where participants could 
share ideas. Information from the forums has been used as 
part of strategy development at Weir Minerals Australia.

56

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Weir Minerals Mexico have introduced a waste 
management initiative that, through the optimisation  
of the reuse of wood packaging from import pallets and 
export crates, has successfully reduced waste wood  
by 20% during 2015. The company has now extended  
their target to achieve a further 10% reduction by the  
end of 2016.

REPORTING ON PERFORMANCE
CDP Climate Change Initiative 
The CDP scheme (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure 
Project) is a global, voluntary initiative for major companies 
to measure, disclose and share information about 
sustainability performance and associated risk management 
and performance with transparency and accountability.

In 2015, we achieved a disclosure score of 92 out of a 
possible 100 and a ‘C’ rating for our carbon management 
performance relative to that of other participants. This 
continues our year-on-year improvement in our results 
since we started participating in the programme in 2011, 
reflecting our ongoing commitment to continued 
improvement in all aspects of sustainability.

CDP disclosure score

92
+2%

100

80

60

40

20

0

90

92

77

40

41

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

A full copy of our 2015 CDP submission is available to 
download from our website at www.sustainability.weir.

UK Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme
Following a regulatory review in 2014, it was determined 
that the Group would be required to participate in Phase 1 
of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) 
Regulations 2014. ESOS forms part of the UK Government’s 
implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive 
2012, which requires member states to introduce a 
framework of measures for promoting energy efficiency. 
Companies who qualify under ESOS are required to 
measure and record energy consumption from all 
buildings, transport and industrial processes to determine 
their significant areas of energy consumption. Audits from 
a representative sample are then undertaken to identify 
cost effective energy saving measures.

The Group has engaged an external adviser to assist  
with the oversight and review of the energy audits and to 
ensure full compliance. In order to identify the audit sites, 
a GAP analysis of the total UK business energy and fuel 
consumption was undertaken. A sampling approach was 
adopted and out of our 20 UK sites, we conducted energy 
audits at our sites in Todmorden, Yateley and Alloa during 
2015 to identify energy efficiency recommendations. Any 
energy conservation or carbon saving measures identified 
will be reviewed by the businesses in 2016. 

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Case study

Intelligent 
Intelligent   
performance   
performance 
monitoring system
monitoring system

Mathena, based in Oklahoma, 
USA, has introduced an 
intelligent performance 
monitoring system (IS) to its 
range of Mud-Gas Separator 
(MGS) products, providing 
real-time information to 
contractors and rig operators 
during the most critical stages 
of well-drilling operations.

The MGS-IS can be used to 
actively control MGS performance 
and better manage unexpected 
pressure spikes when smaller 
reserves of gas are encountered 
while drilling for larger oil or gas 
reservoirs. The MGS-IS helps the 
operator control the unexpected 
pressure spike quickly and safely, 
separating the mud from the gas 
and providing real-time information 
on MGS internal pressures and 
fluid levels. Trial data indicates that 
due to its pioneering intelligent 
monitoring system, the system is 
capable of handling vent gas 
spikes twenty-times more severe 
than the handling capability of 
current passive MGS units.

The environmental benefits of  
the MGS-IS include a reduction  
in potential spills due to the MGS 
overfilling. The potential benefits  
of this to the customer are 
fourfold: reduced regulatory 
reporting and fines for uncontrolled 
discharge of MGS overfill; reduced 
drilling mud losses; reduced 
operational interruptions and shut 
downs; and eliminated clean-up 
costs for MGS overfill scenarios.

Improved mud-gas separation 
efficiency also reduces total 
drilling mud volumes and provides 
greater mud recycling capability.  
In addition, the product helps 
maximise the percentage of  
vent gas which is flared instead  
of simply vented into the 
atmosphere. Flaring converts 
volatile compounds like methane 
and ethane to water and carbon 
dioxide. One other important 
feature is the reduction in vent gas 
emissions due to uncontrolled 
vent gas discharge, which has 
important safety benefits by 
reducing the risk of the gas 
igniting and potentially causing  
a fire or explosion.

The MGS-IS product was installed 
at a customer site in 2015 and 
performed continuously without 
failure. With further performance 
and reliability testing complete, 
the product will be launched in 
2016 and is set to provide 
customers with better visibility 
and monitoring information. The 
system allows the Weir Mathena 
team to improve safety and 
efficiency on customer sites. Weir 
plans to use data gathered from 
operating the product in the field 
to inform the development of 
future “intelligent” system 
performance alarms and alerts, 
further enhancing the information 
available to customers and 
improving safety, reliability  
and efficiency. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

57

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

Products and 
Technology

Our technology innovation focuses on producing 
equipment and services for our customers that 
improve resource efficiency and emissions 
performance, contributes positively to workplace 
safety and enables lower overall operating costs.  
Our product development and sustainability goals 
are closely aligned, with new products designed  
to operate safely and with greater efficiency.

Weir’s network of academic partners continued to grow 
during 2015, with new research projects initiated with  
a number of institutions, including Imperial College 
London, Manchester University and Sheffield University 
in the UK; the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology  
in Australia; and Aachen University in Germany. 

In 2015, Weir launched the world’s first continuous  
duty hydraulic fracturing pump, which meets customer 
requirements for 24/7 production. Full details on the 
SPM® QEM 3000 can be found on page 37. 

Field trials on oil and gas and mining customer sites  
were initiated using the new Weir Synertrex™ technology 
platform (smart connected products) during 2015.  
An agreement was signed with Microsoft Corporation 
to develop Internet of Things technology for minerals, oil 
and gas, and power customers. This shows our continuing 
commitment to provide leading edge solutions for optimal 
performance in potentially adverse operating conditions.

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE COMMITTEE
Weir’s Engineering Excellence Committee comprises 
senior engineering and technology leaders from around 
the business, including the Group Head of Technology, 
technology directors from each of the Group’s three 
divisions, the business head of EnSci (Weir’s dedicated 
engineering services team), and the director and project 
manager of the Weir Advanced Research Centre. Its role 
is to ensure that Weir is sharing and implementing  
best practices across all of our engineering teams and, 
specifically, to push each of the Group’s businesses to 

Innovate UK 
is the UK’s innovation agency, 
an executive non-departmental 
public body sponsored by the 
Department for Business, 
Innovation & Skills (BIS). 

deliver leading-edge technology and innovation. During 
2015, the Committee focused on driving the development 
of Synertrex™ smart connected products platform and 
additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. 

DESIGN AND INNOVATION
The Group spent £29.0m (2014: £24.8m) on research  
and development during the financial year. Weir continues 
to increase its expenditure on fundamental research  
and development in line with the corporate strategy of 
growing through innovation and technology development. 
Focus continues to be on fast-moving data acquisition, 
storage and analysis, as this activity is critical in 
continuing to improve the product operating performance, 
reducing environmental impact and lowering our 
customers’ total cost of ownership.

The Weir Advanced Research Centre (WARC) is Weir’s 
central research and development (R&D) hub, supporting 
each of the three divisions. The Group has links with over 
20 universities around the globe. Weir’s international 
academic partners carry out fundamental and applied 
research in the following areas: materials and surface 
treatments, advanced manufacturing processes, fluid 
flow and wear mechanisms. During 2015, the Group 
initiated research at Cambridge University, Imperial 
College London and Manchester University in the UK. 
Technology developed at WARC has continued to support 
the launch of innovative new products into the market 
place for the benefit of Weir customers. 

WARC moved into the University of Strathclyde’s 
Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) in Glasgow in 
September 2015 following its official opening by Her 
Majesty the Queen. The aim of the TIC is to transform 
the way that academia partners with industry and the 
public sector. The WARC team includes 11 PhD students, 
three Research Associates, three members of the Open 
Innovation team and four other staff members.

WARC, either independently or in collaboration with  
the University of Strathclyde and other strategic partners, 
has been successful with a number of applications for 
both UK and European research funding. These include 
the following:
 – Five new PhD projects funded by the European Union 

Horizon 2020 scheme. 

 – A programme to introduce the sourcing of new ideas 

from outside of the Company, known as ‘Open 
Innovation’ is being supported by Scottish Enterprise 
for a two-year period.

 – Innovate UK is supporting a one-year leading edge 

material development programme. 

58

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Case study

Designed for efficiency
Designed for efficiency

In 2015, Weir Minerals  
launched the Cavex® 700CVX 
hydrocyclone. A hydrocyclone, 
or cyclone, is a device to 
classify and separate particles 
in mining operations.

The Cavex® can achieve up  
to 50% higher throughput in 
comparison with any other 
competitor cyclones in the  
26-inch diameter range due  
to its larger inlet and vortex  
finder configuration: delivering 
substantial productivity and  
cost benefits to customers.

Cavex® hydrocyclones have been 
highly-regarded for their proven 
efficiency and high capacity 
performance for decades. The 
CVX hydrocyclones are designed 
to withstand severe abrasion 
caused by the rotational flow of 
solids and slurry. The unique 
shape of the Cavex® hydrocyclone 
range features a laminar spiral inlet 
geometry that allows the slurry  
to follow a natural path without 
encountering any shelves, edges 

or corners. This reduces 
turbulence inside the hydrocyclone 
which helps maximise separation 
efficiency, hydraulic capacity  
and wear life, while minimising 
localised wear in the feed 
chamber and vortex finder.

The hydraulic design of the  
Cavex® 700CVX inlet head, with 
its smooth spiral laminar shape, 
reduces turbulence, which when 
coupled with the largest inlet open 
area, and largest maximum vortex 
finder available, results in a 
product providing substantial 
efficiency gains. 

In addition to new installations,  
the Cavex® 700CVX hydrocyclone 
has also been designed to fit into 
existing cyclone clusters for easy 
retrofitting. This enables existing 
customers to benefit from its 
increased productivity with 
minimum impact to their operations. 

During 2015, Weir continued to investigate the benefits  
of Near Net Shape Manufacturing. An assessment of  
our Control Valve range highlighted an opportunity to 
switch our manufacturing process from machining to 
centrifugal casting. By eliminating the need to machine 
large amounts of material from the component core,  
in the case of components above 250mm in diameter,  
we were able to reduce our machining hours by 35 man 
days, reduce scrap material by 12.25 tonnes and reduce 
the average component cost by almost 30% with an 
expected saving of around £50,000 at one facility. Plans 
are now being made to consider the wider implication 
across other valve products within the Company’s 
portfolio. This was made possible through collaboration 
between WARC and our engineering and procurement 
leaders at our UK Valves business in Elland.

Recognising the need to improve collaboration and 
innovation, Weir Seaboard, based in Houston, Texas, 
established a new cross-functional Product Development 
Team in 2015. The team, the majority of whose members 
consist of people outside of the engineering department, 
was set up to gain a deeper understanding of customer 
needs and create solutions to meet those needs.

During the year, the team has invited customers, Weir field 
service technicians, district managers, outside sales  
and production team members to participate in the 
development of new wellhead systems. Since March 
2015, five new wellhead systems have been developed 
under this arrangement.

TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD
During 2015, Weir established a Technology Advisory 
Board under the chairmanship of Sir Jim McDonald,  
one of the UK’s leading engineering academics and a 
Non-Executive Director of the Weir Group. The board 
includes highly regarded experts from a variety of 
disciplines, both academic and industrial, and is designed 
to ensure that Weir continues to be at the leading edge  
of technology development in our chosen industries.  
The main focus of the board’s work is ensuring that the 
best technological ideas, wherever they may come from, 
are available to our engineers and customers.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

59

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

OUR VALUES
The Weir Group believes in doing business in an ethical 
and transparent manner at all times. Our core values 
underpin this belief, as follows:
 – we value, support and care for our colleagues working 

towards a common purpose;

 – we act with integrity and are accountable to ourselves 

and others;

 – we strive to make our customers successful;
 – we explore ideas and possibilities to deliver innovative 

solutions; and

 – we are committed to quality in all that we do.

Since refreshing our values, we have continued to make 
progress in embedding them across the organisation. 
Values posters and cards are displayed prominently in 
English and local languages across each of our major 
facilities and offices. In addition, our internal blog ‘Talking 
Weir’ has been redesigned to ensure that articles are 
themed around our values. 

However, displaying our values in isolation is not enough. 
We must continue to ensure that our employees follow our 
values as examples of the standards we expect, regardless 
of geography. That is one of the reasons why our values 
continue to be embedded within our personal development 
planning process through regular employee appraisals and 
within all of our personal development programmes.

The Weir Group is among a growing list of organisations 
which have signed the UK Government’s Armed Forces 
Covenant. The document is a written and publicised 
voluntary pledge from businesses and charitable 
organisations which wish to demonstrate their concrete 
support for the armed forces community. The covenant 
commits Weir to supporting the armed forces and its 
alumni by employing veterans, offering flexibility to 
employees who are reservists and supporting local cadet 
units. While the document has been produced by the  
UK Armed Forces community, the Group aims to adopt 
these principles, where possible, in every region in which  
it operates.

ENSURING A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
We believe all accidents are preventable and as such we 
work to create a zero harm workplace in which all of our 
employees can return home safely to their families. We 
invest in the safety of our employees across the world 
and each of our employees is empowered to stop any 
work which they believe is unsafe. You can read more 
about our targets and performance in this area alongside 
our approach to safety on pages 51 and 52.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
We continue to make substantial investments in the 
personal development of our employees across the 
world. We do this because it makes good business 
sense. Our personal development programmes help  
to develop the skills and qualities necessary to run  
a successful organisation now and in the future.  

PAULINE LAFFERTY
Director of Human Resources

Our People

Motivated, skilled and effective people are 
imperative to our business. In a year in which 
challenging markets have resulted in a substantial 
reduction to our workforce in some parts of the 
world, this philosophy is even more critical.

Having the right people in the right place at the right time 
is at the heart of our business; it is this approach that lets 
us serve our customers quickly and, in the process, helps 
them become more efficient. In doing so, we seek to: 
 – ensure no form of prejudice stands in the way of 

recruitment, development or promotion opportunities;

 – encourage, invest in and support our employees to 

achieve their full potential;

 – identify the training and development needs of 

employees and find ways to fulfil those requirements;
 – use the Weir Group Personal Development Plan (PDP) 
to address how we can support the development of 
our employees;

 – employ and retain people who share our values and 

behaviours and actively discourage those who do not;

 – work to maintain a business environment where 

individuals feel valued and respected; and

 – provide development opportunities to internationally 

mobile employees by encouraging overseas 
appointments wherever possible.

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I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Case study

Weir University 
Weir University   
continues to evolve
continues to evolve

For nearly five years, Weir 
University has given employees 
easy access to training and 
development courses which 
increase their skills, knowledge 
and capability. Weir University 
is an online learning platform 
created in 2011 and available to 
all employees using a computer, 
mobile or tablet device.

There are a range of courses 
available, from mandatory 
modules on ethical behaviour,  
the Weir Code of Conduct and 
information security to advanced 
modules in project management, 
leadership and managing 
communications in a global 
environment. In addition, 
language courses are available to 
assist our employees learn a new 
language due to a new job role or 
relocation to a new country.

Since its creation, the application 
has continuously grown and the 
increasing number of modules 
available has helped to support 
Weir’s drivers of growth: 
innovation, collaboration, value 
chain excellence and global 
capability. There are currently 
over 24,000 learning resources, 
including books videos and 
modules. These are continually 
available online for employees  
to work through, helping them 
develop their career at the  
Weir Group.

One such module is the Weir 
First Line Leadership Programme 
which can be completed by 
managers across the organisation 
in a timeframe which allows  
them to balance their personal 
development with the needs of 
the role. This was launched in 
June 2014, and by the end of 
2015, 781 first line leaders had 
accessed the programme. More 
information on the Weir First Line 
Leadership Programme can be 
found earlier in this section.

Throughout 2015, Weir University 
proved to be one of the most 
popular areas of the Group’s 
Global Intranet with over 9,400 
hours of training completed  
online during the year. Since its 
inception, employees have 
completed over 16,600 hours  
of training.

Training undertaken on  
Weir University (hours)

9,490

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

1,890

2,430

0

2013

2014

2015

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

61

It is for this reason that we make a broad range of 
personal development opportunities available to our 
employees, regardless of level of skill or experience. 

Weir Leadership Programme
The Weir Leadership Programme aims to deliver a 
sustainable step change in Weir leadership capability, 
specifically addressing our drivers of growth, known  
as our four pillars: innovation, collaboration, value chain 
excellence and global capability.

The nine month programme consists of residential events 
and monthly virtual conferences. Participants are asked to 
bring with them a strategic business objective to progress 
along with a set of learning goals for the programme. 
Pre-work includes completion of a 360 degree Weir Leader 
Feedback Survey, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and 
pre-reading. The Group Executive and members of the Weir 
leadership team are involved in delivering elements of the 
programme and in actively supporting the learning process.

In 2015, 24 senior managers completed the second 
residential event; with a total of 275 managers taking  
part since the programme was launched in 2011.

Weir Business Management Programme
The Weir Business Management Programme, run in 
conjunction with the University of Strathclyde Business 
School, puts in place a contextualised executive education 
programme that provides our leaders with the required 
management skills and knowledge to succeed within  
the Group. 

Participants work towards the completion of a post-
graduate certificate in management studies through 
modules including operations management, commercial 
law and innovation. As well as the academic benefits,  
the programme promotes greater networking and global 
collaboration by bringing together a team of people from  
a mix of divisions, regions and functional backgrounds, 
who complete the programme together.

In 2015, 17 managers took part in the programme, with  
a total of 158 managers taking part since the programme 
was launched in 2012.

Weir MBA Programme
Participants of the Weir Business Management 
Programme have the opportunity to obtain a full Masters 
in Business Administration (MBA) qualification. There  
are currently 20 managers undertaking their Weir MBA 
journey and we look forward to their graduation in 
November 2016. 

Weir First Line Leadership Programme 
The Weir First Line Leadership Programme was developed 
and rolled out across the Group in 2014, targeted at 
employees who are stepping up to their first line 
management role, or who are preparing to do so shortly. 

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

This programme has added to our management and 
leadership development framework and is a key building 
block in developing future managers and leaders to ensure 
the ongoing success of our business. Since its launch in 
2014, 781 first line leaders had accessed the programme 
via the Weir University, as featured on page 61. 

The programme offers a solution that is built around  
12 key Weir leadership attributes including safety, 
innovation and planning. Its online accessibility makes  
it a flexible development resource that first time 
managers can fit round the demands of their job.  
During 2015, 5,571 learning assets were completed  
and over 2,817 training hours recorded.

Developing our graduates
Our graduate development programme was established  
in 2011 and is designed to provide people joining Weir  
as a graduate with greater leadership understanding and 
experience. It prepares our graduates to take on more 
demanding roles as their career within the Group develops. 

As part of the programme, 18 graduates from across the 
Group attended a week-long residential development 
programme in Scotland during 2015. In preparation, 
graduates complete pre-work including a learning style 
questionnaire and associated reading materials. 

The programme includes the following elements: business 
overview presentations from each of the divisions; various 
briefings from the Weir Group Head Office team, including 
a breakfast talk from the Weir Group Chief Executive,  
Keith Cochrane; a visit to a Weir facility in the UK; various 
team building projects; an innovation challenge set by one 
of the divisions; and personal development which covers 
leadership styles, team building, communications and the 
creation of action plans to take forward after the event. 

CSCLeaders
CSCLeaders is a specialist global leadership development 
conference run by Common Purpose which “assembles 
exceptional senior people from across the Commonwealth 
to tackle challenges that businesses, governments and 
society face today”, with the aim of building global 
relationships for the future. In 2015, another two of our 
senior leaders participated in the CSC programme.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We seek to recruit and develop people regardless  
of background or personal circumstance. All of our 
businesses operate in compliance with the inclusion  
and diversity laws and regulations in their respective 
countries. In addition, there is a Group Diversity and 
Inclusion Policy which applies to all our employees. 
This provides guidance on the importance of diversity  
and inclusion for Weir and the responsibilities of all  
Weir employees in achieving our diversity and inclusion 
mission, which is to engender an inclusive environment 
where individuals are valued for their diversity and 
empowered to reach their full potential.

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On 1 January 2016, we employed 14,720 people across 
the Group (2014: 16,347), a decrease of 10% since last 
year. This decrease is a result of the challenging markets 
that the Group has been operating in over the last year. 
Of our total employees, 12,847 are male (2014: 14,317) 
and 1,873 are female (2014: 2,030). There are ten 
Directors of The Weir Group PLC: eight males and two 
females. The Company has a Board Diversity Policy, 
details of which are contained in the Nomination 
Committee Report on page 87.

The Senior Management Group is made up of 271 people 
(2014: 302), 240 of which are male (2014: 269) and 31  
are female (2014: 33). In addition, there are 83 individuals 
who are directors of subsidiary companies of The Weir 
Group PLC (2014: 99), who are not part of our Senior 
Management Group. Of these, 73 are male (2014: 90)  
and ten are female (2014: 9).

A joint cross-business group is in place to drive best 
practice in embracing diversity and inclusion across the 
organisation and our Group Finance Director, Jon Stanton, 
is the executive sponsor for diversity and inclusion.  
In 2015, the team built the platform for our diversity  
and inclusion strategy. The broad-ranging programme 
includes the use of management support tools such  
as self-assessment diagnostics, maturity models, 
standardised metrics and measures and education 
content. This all-encompassing approach, which has been 
endorsed by the Group Executive, provides our operating 
companies with the requisite resources to create a more 
inclusive workplace. In addition, we are in the early  
phases of working with specialist providers of talent  
with Autism Spectrum Disorder and a pilot programme  
is being conducted in the Australian business in 2016.

We are a member of Race for Opportunity, the race 
campaign from Business in the Community, and 
Opportunity Now, the women at work campaign from 
Business in the Community. Race for Opportunity is 
committed to improving employment opportunities  
for ethnic minorities across the UK. Opportunity Now 
empowers employers to accelerate change for women  
in the workplace.

SUCCESSION PLANNING
Over 140 years of knowledge and expertise has enabled 
Weir to become the global engineering solutions provider 
that it is today. We recognise the absolute importance  
of strong succession planning to identify our engineers 
and leaders of the future. As such, we have developed  
a robust management and leadership development 
framework which supports the succession planning 
process across each of our businesses.

We recognise the importance of balance in developing 
talent from within the Group, as well as bringing in 
external expertise in order to successfully compete  
in the competitive markets of the future. 

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Case study 

World record 
World record 
cycle challenge
cycle challenge

During 2015, the Weir Group 
supported the record breaking 
round-the-world cyclist and 
ultra-endurance adventurer 
Mark Beaumont as he cycled 
alone from the top to the 
bottom of Africa. 

Mark undertook the 10,000km 
challenge starting in Cairo and 
arrived in Cape Town 42 days 
later, setting a new world record. 
He arrived at the finish line 
escorted by a group of fellow 
cyclists which included Weir 
employees. He reached Mouille 
Point, Cape Town eight days 
ahead of schedule, averaging 
238km per day in his 10,000km 
challenge. As he completed  
his world record breaking ride 
through Africa, more Weir 
employees gathered to cheer  
him on.

The British TV presenter’s 
adventure helped raise funds  
and awareness for Orkidstudio,  
a humanitarian design organisation 
whose focus is to benefit children 
and communities worldwide 
through innovative architecture 
and construction. With Weir’s 
well-known expertise in engineering 
excellence and innovation and our 
charitable focus on healthcare and 
education, supporting the charity 
made perfect sense.

Through Weir’s charitable giving 
programme, we are providing 
£10,000 of sponsorship funding 
to the charity, in support of 
Mark’s bike ride, for its project 
with the Sachibondu Health 
Centre in rural Zambia. As the 
only health centre within 300km, 
most patients travel long 
distances to reach the Centre, 
from within Zambia and over the 
neighbouring borders with Angola 
and the Democrative Republic  
of Congo.

The Centre provides a wide range 
of general health care including 
tuberculosis, malaria and HIV 
clinics, and also works hard to 
increase awareness, testing and 
education in order to reduce the 
numbers of new infections. 
Lessons in food nutrition and 
cookery are also provided to help 
families overcome malnutrition 
and improve childcare standards. 
Orkidstudio’s aim is to work 
alongside the Sachibondu staff, 
patients and local community  
to develop new and renovated 
infrastructure which will enhance 
the medical environment  
through innovative approaches  
to ventilation, light and  
sourcing water.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

63

Initiatives at a local level seek to ensure knowledge  
is retained within the business. In various parts of our 
business, we pair high potential employees with mentors 
who are nearing retirement. This programme actively 
supports succession planning and knowledge transition 
from our highly-skilled workforce.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
We believe strong employee engagement is an important 
attribute of a successful and innovative organisation.  
Over the past 12 months, the development of our 
employee engagement channels has focused on a greater 
amount of newsworthy content being made available 
across the organisation.

At our offices, factories, workshops and service centres 
across the globe, our employees take part in regular 
meetings known as ‘Town Halls’. These sessions  
typically last 60 minutes and are designed to educate, 
inform and share knowledge and understanding of best 
practice and occasionally include external speakers. 
Topics regularly featured include safety, conduct and 
operational performance.

An internal employee blog called ‘Talking Weir’ was 
introduced in late 2013 and is consistently one of the 
most popular areas of our Global Intranet. In 2015, a 
significant number of blogs and news items have been 
published covering a range of topics. A series of blogs 
have been published in support of work under way to 
improve Value Chain Excellence across the organisation. 
This has included sharing case studies and videos to 
provide greater context and understanding at all levels 
within the Group. Stories have also focused on safety, 
health and well-being with the aim of increasing 
awareness of these important subjects. In total, 85 blogs 
were published during 2015 (2014: 83).

Members of the Group Executive meet monthly to 
discuss operational issues and Group strategy. Group 
Executive members take turns to write a blog after each 
meeting to highlight what is discussed and demonstrate 
openness and transparency at the most senior level.  
This trend began in 2014 and continued during 2015.

The Group also publishes an online newsletter, available  
to employees, which was recently integrated into  
the organisation’s website with the addition of  
a ‘Newsroom’ area.

Employee engagement is measured throughout the year 
using a combination of methods, including Net Promoter® 
scoring which assesses and evaluates employee satisfaction. 

Further information on our employment policies and 
employee involvement and feedback initiatives is contained 
in the Directors’ Report on page 119.

As a 145 year old engineering company, we are also 
particularly keen to develop engineering excellence. Weir 
was the first company in Scotland to set up an apprentice 
school and our commitment to training is as strong in the 
21st century as it was in the 19th. Today, we are a founding 
member of the Institute of Primary and Secondary 
Engineers, an institution which seeks to promote science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics subjects to 
school children of all ages in the UK.

CHARITABLE GIVING
In 2015, the total amount of charitable donations made  
by Group companies was £477,800 (2014: £597,700).  
We do not make any political donations. This includes cash 
and non-cash items such as services, materials, employee 
time and use of corporate facilities. The Group continues  
to work in partnership with AMAR International Charitable 
Foundation (AMAR), a British not-for-profit organisation.  
In 2013, we made a commitment to support AMAR 
financially to improve health, education and training in 
Basra, Iraq, where Weir has operations. In 2015, the Group 
contributed almost £150,000 to AMAR, which has been 
used to support two education and training centres and  
a community health education programme.

Charitable donations

  Community
  Education
  Health

12%

31%

57%

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

Our Communities

The Weir Group operates in over 70 countries around 
the world. We support those communities through 
the payment of taxes, employment and philanthropy 
and strive to make a positive impact.

We have clear expectations for how each of our 
businesses interacts and engages with people and 
organisations around the world. Wherever we operate, 
we aim to:
 – be safe and responsible employers and neighbours;
 – respect the communities we operate in;
 – seek to enhance the local community by running our 

operations ethically and responsibly; and 

 – invest in the communities for the long-term mutual 

benefit of the community and Weir.

We firmly believe that the best people to look after the 
interests of the communities near to our operational  
sites are those who live and work there. Like any good 
neighbour, we build close relationships by keeping local 
people informed about projects which might affect them. 
When issues do arise, we listen and do our best to help 
find a solution. Our Ethics Helpline is available for any 
individual to use if they wish to raise concerns about 
ethical and compliance related conduct involving any  
Weir Group company. More details on the Ethics Hotline 
can be found on page 71.

In addition to approaching community relations in an  
open and transparent manner, we seek to support 
charitable organisations through monetary donations  
and volunteering. The interaction of our businesses  
is far reaching but is governed by our desire to support 
and improve the communities in which we work. 

We recognise that as an organisation with a global reach, 
our influence is not insignificant, particularly in developing 
countries. As such, our charitable and philanthropic work 
centres around the key priority of improving the health and 
education of both our employees and the local community. 
Our experience demonstrates that contributing to these 
two areas can have an enduring effect on the local area.

As well as directly supporting charitable organisations, 
Weir supports local communities by being a source of 
employment, education and training, through the payment 
of taxes and, in many instances, the contribution to local 
supply chains. Such benefits are often not overt but can 
make a substantial positive contribution to the communities 
in which we operate.

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

EDUCATION
Our businesses provide experience and training to 
develop the next generation of engineers. Whilst our 
focus may be on engineering, we also provide work 
placements and internships across all sectors. Our 
placement projects allow school children and young 
people from around the world to see the opportunities 
available to them by working for a global business.

In 2015, the Group provided £20,000 to Primary Engineer, 
a not-for-profit organisation which aims to encourage 
young people to consider careers in science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics (STEM) related professions 
by offering primary schools a way to deliver practical 
mathematics and science to design and make activities. 
The class projects are aimed at each year group, mapped 
to the curriculum and designed to engage and inspire. 
Programmes include teacher training, interactive and 
paper-based resources, and regional and national 
competitions. All projects are linked to practicing 
engineers to provide a real-world context. 

In 2015, Weir Minerals Europe in Todmorden, England, 
was approached by a local primary school, Sacred Heart 
Catholic Voluntary Academy, who were requesting 
support with a project to improve its current facilities. 
Working with the school, based in Sowerby Bridge, 
Halifax, the manufacturing team at Weir Minerals Europe 
came up with an innovative solution to assist with the 
project by improving the external facilities through 
recycling waste pallets and cable drums into tables and 
chairs that could be used as outdoor furniture in the 
school playground. The initial design was created by 
William Mannion, Operations Director, with the chairs 
painted Weir blue and the seats covered with Linatex 
rubber. The finished products were delivered to the 
school in November 2015 and the school is now looking 
to work with the Todmorden team to introduce site tours 
of the Weir Minerals Europe facility as part of their 
science and technology curriculum in the future.

“I’d really like to thank Weir for giving us this fantastic 
opportunity to participate in the Micro-Tyco challenge. 
It has allowed us to gain some extremely valuable 
skills that I have no doubt we will all take forward  
and put into practice.” 
Ruth Bryce, Micro-Tyco participant

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

The Group continues to support The Arkwright 
Scholarships Trust following initial engagement in 2012. 
Partnering with organisations in industry and professional 
engineering institutions, the programme identifies and 
nurtures high-potential students in UK schools, encouraging 
them to pursue engineering or technical design at university 
or through a higher-level apprenticeship. In 2015, the two 
scholars who were recruited in 2014 undertook a ten day 
summer placement in our main manufacturing facility in 
Santiago, Chile. We were delighted to welcome another 
two scholars onto the programme at an awards ceremony 
in Glasgow in October 2015. One of the scholars was  
a former winner of the Weir Group Engineering in Schools 
competition. During 2015, we have been exploring how 
we can work in collaboration with Arkwright to take the 
scholarship programme into other countries where we 
operate. This has resulted in the programme being 
launched in Chile for 2016. 

In 2015, the Weir Group have been piloting the creation  
of a Weir Ambassador network consisting of individuals 
who have engaged with Weir in the recent past through  
a number of our early career initiatives in the UK. To 
launch this, we partnered with WildHearts, a charity 
which in the UK and North America aims to stimulate 
entrepreneurship, deliver enterprise education and create 
employment opportunities for young people via, among 
other things, their Micro-Tyco programme. Micro-Tyco  
is a month long competition that enables participants to 
practice and learn fundamental business principles. Teams 
from schools, universities or businesses have one month 
to turn £1 seed capital into as much money as possible 
and a group of ten Weir ambassadors participated in the 
programme in November 2015. 

All money created by the Micro-Tycos is invested  
by WildHearts in micro-loans for disadvantaged 
entrepreneurs in the developing world. During 2015, the 
Weir teams managed to raise just over £600. This will be 
used to fund three microloans, which in turn will be 
recycled three times a year as the average loan repayment 
timeframe is four months. WildHearts estimates that each 
loan impacts on an average of seven people which means 
that the money raised by the teams will help transform 
approximately 63 lives on average every year.

Other examples of the education initiatives undertaken  
by our businesses internationally include Weir Minerals 
Floway, which formed a partnership with the ITT Technical 
Institute, a higher learning institution in the United States 
offering career-related educational programmes to 
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education 
students. During 2015, two interns attended the facility 
under the programme. They were teamed with 
experienced employees to learn about the business,  
with a focus on manufacturing and quality assurance.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

65

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

In March 2015, Weir Minerals Brasil hosted a group of  
35 MBA students from Wisconsin School of Business in 
Madison, USA. One of the students, Richard Rindy, is also 
an employee of Weir Minerals North America in Madison. 
The students received a presentation about the mining 
market in Brazil and undertook a tour of the facility to learn 
about the products and processes involved.

Weir India has partnered with a local not-for-profit 
organisation, Mahila Vidya Peetha, to offer Hospital 
Oriented Nursing Aide Training, a one-year vocational 
course which, on completion, qualifies the students as 
Auxiliary Nurse Midwives. A total of 20 female students 
from the local community, who in some instances were 
also relatives of Weir employees, were trained and placed 
for employment as part of the programme in 2015.

For a number of years now, Weir Minerals Netherlands 
has sponsored the Venloop, a popular athletic event held 
annually in Venlo. The 2015 Venloop marked the event’s 
ten year anniversary and consisted of multiple walking 
and running races over two days. The focus of the event 
was participation with 26,000 entrants, of which 180 
were Weir employees from the local Venlo facility.

During the year, the Group also sponsored humanitarian 
design organisation, Orkidstudio, on the redevelopment 
of Sachibondu Health Centre in Zambia to provide 
significantly increased healthcare facilities for the 
increasing numbers of people in the local community  
who rely upon this vital service. More information can  
be found on page 63.

The 2015 Weir Venloop once again demonstrated  
that it is an event for the whole community, for all 
ages and abilities. Weir Minerals Netherlands is proud 
to be the main sponsor of such a prestigious and 
successful event.

Weir Minerals Africa offers bursaries to third and fourth 
year engineering students from the University of the 
Witwatersrand (WITS) and the University of Pretoria in 
Johannesburg. These students are eligible to join the 
company’s graduate development programme upon 
graduation, and upon completion of the programme they 
may be offered permanent employment if a position 
becomes available.

HEALTH
Being a truly global company, health can play a key issue 
in the communities in which we operate. The Group 
supports the health of its employees, their families and 
communities through various programmes and initiatives, 
which are often run in partnership with local service 
providers. A small selection of the activities undertaken 
by Weir companies is outlined below.

Weir Minerals Andean delivered a training programme  
to relatives of employees and the local community during 
the year with a focus on first aid and food. The objective  
of the programme was to generate new options of 
employment for those that attend, for instance working in 
the food industry or as a carer for people with special needs.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which was first 
reported in March 2014, rapidly became one of the 
deadliest occurrences of the disease since its discovery 
in 1976, with more than 28,000 suspected cases 
subsequently being reported. During this time, the Weir 
Group supported aid efforts to transport much needed 
medical supplies to the region. In addition, the Weir 
Minerals Ghana offices in Accra supported the immediate 
community and employees with the provision of basic 
foodstuffs, water, latex gloves and other supplies.

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I: Strategic Report 

II

III

Case study 

An elephant 
An elephant   
for Glasgow
for Glasgow

In 2015, the Weir Group 
worked with Scottish artist 
Kenny Hunter and House for an 
Art Lover, an art gallery and 
visitor attraction in Glasgow, 
Scotland, to create a life-size 
Asian elephant which has been 
installed on the site of the 
famous 1938 Empire Exhibition 
in the city’s Bellahouston Park, 
where House for an Art Lover 
is also based. 

A year in the making, the 11 tonne 
elephant formed part of the Legacy 
2014 project and commemorates 
the city’s hosting of the 
Commonwealth Games in the 
summer of 2014. It was cast in 
iron at Weir’s Todmorden foundry 
in Yorkshire using now redundant 
and scrap locomotive parts made 
in the shipyards of Govan, 
Glasgow and exported to the 
Commonwealth. The elephant 
casting needed to be hollow 
otherwise it would have weighed 
closer to 50 tonnes, so it was 
very much a test of the business’ 
engineering skills. The team used 
computer modelling to ensure  
the structure’s appearance was 
maintained in the process.

William Mannion, Operations 
Director of Weir Minerals Europe, 
Todmorden, and responsible for 
the project said, “Weir exhibited 
at the Empire Exhibition in  
1938 and as a Glasgow-based 
global engineering business,  
we have operations in many 
Commonwealth countries. We 
were therefore delighted to help 
turn Kenny Hunter’s and House 
for An Art Lover’s exciting 
concept into reality. As engineers, 
we always like a challenge and 
creating a life-sized Asian 
elephant is one of the more 
unusual requests we’ve had,  
but we are delighted it has been 
such a success.”

The elephant was unveiled at 
House for an Art Lover during  
a ceremony attended by Weir 
engineers and delegates in 
September. At the ceremony, 
Garry Sanderson, CEO of House 
for an Art Lover said, “We are 
thrilled to be unveiling the 
elephant and hope that it will 
become a new landmark for  
the south side. It’s a celebration 
of our city’s strength and 
contribution to industrial and 
cultural developments across  
the Commonwealth and a 
reminder of the very successful 
Commonwealth Games the  
city hosted in 2014.”

EMPLOYEE ACTIVITIES
The Group is very proud of the charitable work that our 
people undertake. Our businesses operate their own 
policies for supporting these, whether by matching 
donations, providing support or equipment or by allowing 
employees to participate in charitable activities during 
working hours.

A small selection of the numerous projects undertaken  
by our employees in 2015 is highlighted below:
 – Employees at Pressure Pumping in Fort Worth, Texas, 
spent a day building a home as part of Habitat for 
Humanity and 29 employees participated in a 'Color 
Me Rad' 5k run raising funds for Ronald McDonald 
Houses, a not-for-profit organisation which provides 
free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for 
families with children in hospital.

 – In 2015, Weir India employees donated 226 units  
of blood for the community and 33 employees  
signed up to the Indian Stem Cell Registry to help 
blood cancer patients looking for a matched unrelated 
stem cell donor.

 – Weir Minerals Floway employees in Fresno, California, 
participate in Toys for Tots, a not-for-profit organisation 
in America, where toys are collected and donated  
to local children whose parents cannot afford to buy 
them gifts for Christmas. The company typically 
matches the contributions made by employees.
 – During the year, Weir SPM Canada employees in 

Edmonton, Alberta, donated non-perishable items  
to a food bank for the less fortunate in the community; 
provided Christmas holiday hampers containing food 
and gifts to five families in the local community and 
collected winter clothing for the homeless.

 – Employees of Weir India in Hubli volunteered to 

educate local school children regarding road safety, 
hygiene, health and AIDs awareness. They undertook 
a two hour presentation and donated small hygiene 
kits to approximately 300 pupils. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

67

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

CODE OF CONDUCT
All our employees operate under a Code of Conduct, 
which provides a clear framework for decision-making in 
line with our values and behaviours. The Code promotes 
compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and 
regulations and provides details on how we expect our 
people to conduct themselves on a day-to-day basis. It 
requires prompt internal reporting of any breaches, which 
can be carried out without fear of retribution. Following 
its introduction in 2011, the Code was revised in 2014 and 
is available to download from our website.

Supporting the second edition of the Code of Conduct is  
a mandatory e-learning programme. Training is targeted at 
employees who are deemed to have a potentially higher 
risk of exposure to bribery and corruption as a consequence 
of their decision-making responsibilities with regard to third 
parties, including customers, suppliers and sales agents. 
This includes the Senior Management Group, as well as 
sales and marketing, purchasing and finance employees 
within certain sectors of the Company’s operations.

Since the launch of the second edition of the Code of 
Conduct in 2014, in excess of 4,000 employees have 
undertaken the anti-bribery and corruption online 
compliance training which accompanies it. All new 
employees who are deemed to fall into the higher risk 
category must also undertake the training as part of their 
induction. After completion of the training, all participants 
are asked to complete a compliance statement to confirm 
that they have read, understood and comply with the  
Code of Conduct in their work for Weir.

The Code of Conduct is also reinforced through various 
means of communications with our employees, such as 
Town Hall meetings, conferences, training courses and our 
100 day integration plan for new acquisitions. During 2015, 
face to face training was undertaken by the Weir Legal 
team with employees of various operating companies 
worldwide including, Weir Minerals Mongolia, Trio USA, 
Weir Minerals West Africa and Weir Solutions Dubai. The 
Code applies to everyone who is employed by the Weir 
Group and compliance is of the utmost importance. As a 
company, we not only stress the importance of complying 
with the Code but also encourage our employees to report 
any concerns or apparent breaches they may have. Anyone 
found in breach of the Code may be liable to disciplinary 
action, up to and including termination of employment or 
cancellation of contract.

Information on the Code of Conduct and its application  
in the Company’s supply chain can be found under the 
Suppliers and third parties section below.

ANDREW NEILSON
Director of Corporate Affairs & Strategy and Company Secretary

Ethics

As a company we are committed to business 
integrity and high ethical standards. We operate 
under a Code of Conduct which promotes honest 
and ethical behaviour and our aim is to ensure that 
our customers, suppliers, investors, employees  
and the communities where we operate have the 
confidence to trust us and our business.

Business Integrity Forum Member

The Weir Group is a member of FTSE4Good, 
an equity index series that is designed to 
facilitate investment in companies that meet 
globally recognised corporate responsibility 
standards. Companies in the FTSE4Good 
Index Series have met stringent 
environmental, social and governance 
criteria.

The Company is a member of Transparency 
International UK’s Business Integrity Forum, 
the UK’s leading anti-corruption forum for 
businesses in all sectors. All members sign 
up to a set of principles and are dedicated to 
ensuring their operations and business 
dealings are corruption free. 

68

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

ANTI-BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION
In 2015, the Company introduced a new conflicts of 
interest policy. This was produced to provide clear 
guidance to all employees of the Company with regards 
to the mandatory requirements for the identification, 
reporting and management of actual or potential conflicts 
of interest. In particular, it outlines what may constitute  
a conflict and the correct process for disclosing any 
perceived conflict to management. 

As part of our commitment to continually monitoring and 
improving anti-bribery and corruption practices within  
the Company, our Internal Audit department undertake 
anti-bribery and corruption reviews. They maintain  
a cyclical, risk-based plan with 14 specific anti-bribery  
and corruption reviews undertaken during 2015, in addition 
to our standard internal audit programme of both full and 
limited scope reviews. From this work there were no 
indicators of any bribery or corruption found. 

During 2015, the Weir Group scored 93.6% on a Corporate 
Anti-Corruption Benchmark report produced by Transparency 
International. 11 Business Integrity Forum members 
participated in the report, comprising some of the largest 
companies with the most robust compliance systems  
in the UK. Weir’s score ranked fourth in the sample.

COMPETITION LAW
Following a comprehensive review of the Company’s 
competition law (anti-trust) policies and procedures in 
2014, the Weir Group Competition Law Manual was 
produced and is accessible to all employees via the  
Weir Global Intranet. Training to accompany the manual 
continues to be administered on competition law, 
focusing in particular on employees in roles which have 
been identified as potentially high risk. This is delivered 
both face to face and through e-learning. 

The manual is being translated into different languages  
to reflect the Company’s global footprint, with the latest 
version published in Russian. This was rolled out during 
2015 in conjunction with targeted training to an increased 
sales team located in Russia. 

During 2015, targeted training was also administered to 
40 employees in Brazil on Brazil’s Clean Company Act 
2014. The introduction of this legislation prohibits, among 
other actions, bid rigging and fraud in public procurement 
and direct or indirect acts of bribery or attempted bribery 
of Brazilian public officials and foreign public officials.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE MODERN SLAVERY ACT
As part of its human rights policy, which can be found on 
the Company’s website at www.corporategovernance.weir, 
the Company has adopted a series of human rights 
principles across all of its businesses. These principles 
relate to: anti-discriminatory attitudes and respect for 
ethical values; employee rights, which include health and 
safety, living wages, working hours, freedom of 
association and the right to collective bargaining; and 
prohibition of child labour.

By promoting sound ethical values and human rights 
principles, Weir aims to be a business with which people 
are proud to be involved. The Weir Group Human Rights 
Policy expresses the organisation’s commitment to 
promoting and upholding the “common standard of 
achievement for all people and all nations”, as endorsed 
by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Other 
guiding principles include those of the Conventions of the 
International Labour Organisation and the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of the Child. These manifest 
themselves in Weir’s anti-discriminatory attitudes and 
respect for ethical values, providing our people with a 
safe and healthy working environment and fairness in 
employment terms. For example, national living wage  
is applied and working hours determined in accordance 
with applicable laws, as well as the recognition and 
non-discrimination of rights of association in collective 
bargaining. In addition, the Company has a zero tolerance  
of the employment of children in any of its businesses 
and no forced, bonded or involuntary prison labour  
is permitted.

We will not exploit anyone, wherever in the world we  
are working. We will respect the human rights of all  
those working for or with us, and of the people in  
the communities where we operate. We will not do 
business with companies, organisations or individuals 
that we believe are not working to acceptable human 
rights standards. 

We expect employees to maintain the highest standards 
of conformity with these principles and their adoption, 
and adherence is contained within Weir’s Code of 
Conduct. There were no human rights violations reported 
through the Ethics Helpline during 2015.

In October 2015, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 came  
into force and as a result the Company will need to make 
a statement on its website in 2017 detailing what steps,  
if any, we are taking to ensure that slavery and human 
trafficking is not taking place in any of our supply chains 
or in any part of the business. In preparation for this 
requirement coming into effect next year, we are 
undertaking a review of our current policies and practices 
in light of the new legislation. As a consequence we have 
updated our Human Rights Policy to specifically refer to 
the Modern Slavery Act. Weir already has a number of 
measures in place to protect human rights including the 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

69

Strategic Report 

Sustainability Review continued

Case study

Lawyers 
Lawyers   
in Schools
in Schools

In January 2015, the Newlands 
Junior College opened in 
Cathcart, Glasgow, on the site 
of the former Weir headquarters 
and factory. This is a newly 
established vocational school 
providing career opportunities 
to young people who may have 
become disengaged with the 
traditional educational system 
and yet have the potential to 
excel in their field.

Each year, the school aims  
to recruit 30 pupils from local 
schools and put them through  
an alternative approach to their 
education in their third and fourth 
year of Secondary School, when 
pupils are approximately 15 and 
16 years old. This, in addition  
to academic subjects, combines 
vocational training and motivational 
training with sports, nutrition and 
outdoor activities.

As part of the sustainable 
partnership that Weir has 
developed with the college,  
the Weir Group Legal team  
has participated in a Lawyers  
in Schools project. This is run 
through the not-for-profit 
Citizenship Foundation,  

which supports schools and 
colleges to deliver empowering 
citizenship education. Lawyers  
in Schools is a skills-based 
employee volunteering 
programme designed to raise 
young people’s awareness and 
understanding of the law and day 
to day legal issues. Whilst the 
programme has been established 
since 1999, Lawyers in Schools 
was only launched in Scotland in 
2015 and the Weir Group is proud 
to be one of the first Scottish 
companies to participate in it.

During 2015, three members  
of the Group’s legal department 
visited Newlands Junior College 
on four separate occasions to 
work with the pupils and debate 
issues including human rights, 
social media and the law. The 
programme will continue into 
2016, when it will address 
consumer law, youth justice  
and discrimination.

Andrew Neilson, Director of 
Corporate Affairs & Strategy  
and a member of the Group 
Executive, is also a Trustee  
of the College.

Code of Conduct, Weir Supply Chain Policy, Weir EHS 
Standards and a programme of supplier audits and 
reviews. In 2016 we will be reviewing these to confirm 
that they adequately deal with modern slavery. A training 
programme will also be developed for Procurement to 
increase awareness of the Modern Slavery Act and 
Weir's responsibilities.

SUPPLIERS AND THIRD PARTIES
We source raw materials, components and services 
across the globe. Our suppliers play a critical role in our 
business and our relationships with them are based on 
achieving best performance, product, delivery, service 
and total cost in an ethical and sustainable manner. 
Embracing a closer relationship with our key suppliers  
is fundamental to our Value Chain Excellence initiative.  
In 2015, we have expanded our supplier business review 
programme designed to fully engage our key suppliers in 
performance reviews and mutually agreed improvement 
programmes. The introduction of a global supplier 
performance scorecard provides insightful information  
to identify and support such joint improvement activity. 

The Group recognises that its responsibilities extend to 
our supply chain. We have a Supply Chain Policy which 
sets out the minimum standards we expect our suppliers 
to abide by with respect to:
 – how they treat their workforce;
 – legal and regulatory compliance;
 – health and safety;
 – business ethics; and
 – environmental standards.

During 2015, the Group has continued to work on increasing 
the level of contractual agreements in place with our supply 
base. These now equate to over 50% of our total spend. Weir 
is also a member of the UK Government sponsored Prompt 
Payment Code, which is a scheme designed to support on 
time payment to small and medium sized suppliers (SMEs). 

In addition, our Code of Conduct is issued to our key 
suppliers. Assessments are undertaken with regard to 
compliance with Group standards as part of the vetting 
process for new suppliers. We also audit our key 
suppliers regularly to assess ongoing compliance with the 
Supply Chain Policy and other relevant Group standards. 
Wherever possible, we work with our suppliers to 
support them to address weaknesses identified. 

The Group is committed to working only with third 
parties, including customers, sub-contractors, suppliers 
and joint venture and strategic alliance partners, whose 
business ethics and behaviours are consistent with our 
own Code of Conduct.

During 2016, we will be increasing our focus in this area 
through the introduction of a web based compliance tool, 
designed to assess our key suppliers’ compliance with 
our Code of Conduct.

70

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

I: Strategic Report 

II

III

EXTERNAL SALES AGENTS
The Group engages a number of external sales agents 
across the globe to act on its behalf in locations where it 
does not have a permanent sales presence, or in regard 
to specific projects. The Group has a Commercial Agents’ 
Manual which sets out the Group requirements with 
regard to appointing and reappointing agents, as well as 
the ongoing monitoring requirements. Due diligence is 
performed prior to all appointments and reappointments 
and overseen by the legal department. The standard Weir 
contract must be used unless the legal department has 
agreed modifications, but the terms of the agreements 
always include a stipulation that agents must comply with 
the Code of Conduct. The agents are required to confirm 
in writing their compliance with the Code of Conduct.

the helpline are free and lines are open 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week. Reports can be made in a wide range 
of languages, reflecting our global footprint. Online 
reporting remains the most common form of reporting 
matters, with 85% of reports being made in this way.

During 2015, 58 reports were submitted via the Weir 
Ethics Hotline with each report being fully investigated. 
Details of the geographic location of the reports and their 
respective resolutions can be seen below. Whilst the 
majority of reports were from employees, the service 
was also utilised by persons connected to employees  
and our suppliers. 

Weir Ethics Hotline reports by country

In 2015, the Weir Group became a member of TRACE 
International. TRACE International is a non-profit business 
association that pools resources to provide members 
with anti-bribery compliance support. During the year we 
have begun to utilise these tools to undertake additional 
due diligence and compliance checks on our overseas 
external sales agents.

  Australia
  China

Indonesia

  Peru
  South Africa
  USA
  Zimbabwe

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

18%

37%

GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY
Although in some markets gifts and hospitality are a 
prevalent and fundamental part of business transactions, 
such practices can also leave an organisation vulnerable 
to accusations of bribery or corruption. To ensure that  
all of our employees operate ethically, the Group has  
a Gifts Policy and a Hospitality Policy. Both of these  
were updated during 2015 to address the use of gift 
certificates, the giving of Christmas or national holiday 
gifts and to provide greater clarity on the difference 
between gifts and sponsorship. The revised policies 
received Group Executive approval in January 2016 and 
were subsequently circulated throughout the Company.

Employees should only give or receive gifts or hospitality 
for business if they are reasonable and not if they could 
influence a business decision improperly. All gifts and 
hospitality above a minimum threshold detailed in the 
policies must be pre-approved using an online gifts and 
hospitality register. Our Internal Audit team assess 
compliance with the Group’s gifts and hospitality policies 
during audit visits and desktop reviews. Summary reports 
of the register are shared with senior management on  
a monthly basis. 

REPORTING ISSUES
The Group encourages our people to discuss any ethical 
concerns they may have with local management or the 
legal department. In addition, the Weir Ethics Hotline,  
an independent and confidential telephone helpline and 
online reporting system, is available for our employees, 
partners and third parties to call or email with any concerns 
that they have concerning unethical behaviour. Calls to 

Weir Ethics Hotline case resolutions

  Added training
 Allegations 
unsubstantiated
  Helping dialogue
Investigation

  Other

 Response, no 
immediate action
 Targeted  
communication

  Termination

2%

8%

16%

12%

6%

6%

10%

40%

The Strategic Report, covering pages 1 to 71 of the 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015, has been 
approved by the Board of Directors in accordance with 
The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ 
Report) Regulations 2013.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

ANDREW NEILSON
Company Secretary
24 February 2016

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

71

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate Governance

Board of Directors

CHARLES  
BERRY 
Chairman (63) 

Nationality

British

KEITH  
COCHRANE 
Chief Executive (51)

ALAN  
FERGUSON 
Non-Executive  
Director (58)

MELANIE  
GEE 
Non-Executive  
Director (54) 

British

British

British

MARY JO  
JACOBI
Non-Executive  
Director (64)

Dual American and  
British citizenship

DEAN  

JENKINS  

Chief Operating  

Officer (44) 

PROFESSOR SIR  

JIM MCDONALD 

Non-Executive  

Director (58) 

RICHARD (RICK) 

MENELL 

Non-Executive  

Director (60) 

JOHN  

MOGFORD 

Non-Executive  

Director (61) 

JON  

STANTON 

Finance Director (48) 

Australian

British

South African

British

British

Date of appointment

Non-Executive Director since 
March 2013 and Chairman since 
January 2014.

Joined the Group as Finance 
Director in July 2006 and 
appointed Chief Executive  
in November 2009.

Committee Membership

Chairman of the  
Nomination Committee.

Member of the  
Nomination Committee.

Expertise

Charles was an Executive Director 
of Scottish Power plc from 1999 
to 2005 and Chief Executive of  
its UK operations between 2000 
and 2005. Prior to joining Scottish 
Power, he was Group Development 
Director of Norwest Holst,  
a subsidiary of Compagnie 
Générale des Eaux and held 
management positions within 
subsidiaries of Pilkington plc. 

He is a former Non-Executive 
Director and Chairman of Eaga 
plc, Drax Group plc and Thus 
Group plc, and a former 
Non-Executive Director of Impax 
Environmental Markets PLC and 
Securities Trust of Scotland plc.

Following a number of years  
with Arthur Andersen, Keith 
joined Stagecoach Group plc  
in 1993. He was appointed 
Finance Director in 1996 and 
Group Chief Executive in 2000.  
He joined ScottishPower plc  
in 2003 where he became 
Director of Group Finance.

He is a chartered accountant and  
a member of the Institute of 
Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Keith is Chairman of the selection 
group for CSCLeaders, a senior 
leadership programme for leaders 
from across the Commonwealth.

Key external appointments

Non-Executive Chairman of 
Senior plc.

Senior Independent Non- 
Executive Director of Carillion Plc.

Lead Non-Executive Director for 
the Scotland Office and the Office 
of the Advocate General.

72

December 2011.

May 2011.

January 2014.

January 2016.

January 2015.

April 2009.

June 2008.

April 2010.

Senior Independent Director since 

February 2015.

Chairman of the Audit 
Committee and member of the 
Remuneration Committee.

Chairman of the
Remuneration Committee and
member of the Audit and 
Nomination Committees.

Alan was Chief Financial Officer 
and a Director of Lonmin plc, one 
of the world’s largest producers 
of platinum group metals, from 
2007 until 2010. Prior to his role 
with Lonmin, he held the position 
of Group Finance Director with 
the BOC Group plc. Before this, 
he spent 22 years working for 
Inchcape plc in a variety of roles, 
including six years as Group 
Finance Director.

Melanie is a Senior Adviser at 
Lazard & Co. Limited, having 
worked for them since 2008. 
Formerly, she spent a number  
of years with S.G. Warburg (now 
part of UBS) and was appointed  
a Managing Director of UBS in 
1999. Her executive career has 
involved providing corporate 
finance advice to a broad range  
of clients in both the UK  
and overseas.

Alan is a member of the Institute 
of Chartered Accountants of 
Scotland and sits on their 
Business Policy Committee.

She was an alternate member of 
The Takeover Panel – LIBA (CFC) 
between 2006 and 2013.

Melanie was reappointed as a 
Council member and Trustee of 
Fauna & Flora International in 
2013, having previously served 
from 2008 until 2010.

Member of the  
Remuneration Committee.

None.

Member of the  

Audit Committee.

Member of the Nomination and 

Member of the Audit and 

None.

Remuneration Committees. 

Nomination Committees.

Mary Jo is Managing Director  
of her own consultancy, a board 
mentor with CriticalEye and  
on the faculty of the Gerson 
Lehrman Group. She is also a 
member of the Advisory Committee 
on Business Appointments and 
the Leadership Council. 

She was formerly a Senior 
Executive of Royal Dutch Shell 
plc, BP America Inc., Lehman 
Brothers Inc., HSBC Holdings plc 
and Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. 
She was a Non-Executive Director 
of Tate & Lyle plc between 1999 
and 2004.

She served in the administrations 
of Presidents Reagan and  
George H.W. Bush and was one 
of Her Majesty’s Civil Service 
Commissioners from 2005 to 
2010. From 2010 to 2015 she was 
a visiting Fellow of the University 
of Oxford.

2011 and Minerals Divisional 

Managing Director in August 

2012. He was appointed to the 

in January 2016. 

Dean joined the Group in 

November 2010, becoming  

Power & Industrial Divisional 

Sir Jim McDonald has been 

Rick worked as an investment 

John was formerly a Managing 

Jon was formerly a partner  

Principal and Vice Chancellor  

banker before joining Anglovaal 

Director for First Reserve, a large 

with Ernst & Young, having joined 

of the University of Strathclyde 

Group in 1992. He was appointed 

global energy-focused private 

as a graduate trainee in their 

Managing Director in January 

since March 2009 and has held 

Chief Executive of Anglovaal 

equity firm, and sat on several 

Birmingham office in 1988.  

the Rolls-Royce Chair in Electrical 

Mining in 1996, then Executive 

boards as part of this role.

Power Systems since 1993. 

Chairman in 2002. In 2005, he  

He was appointed as a partner  

in their London office in 2001  

left to become President and 

He was formerly an Executive 

with lead responsibility for the 

role of Chief Operating Officer  

Sir Jim is Chairman of both  

Chief Executive of TEAL 

Vice President of BP plc, having 

audit of a number of FTSE 100 

the Institute for Energy and 

Environment, the largest 

Exploration & Mining Inc. He  

been with BP for over 30 years, 

multinational clients.

was formerly Chairman of Avgold 

initially in their exploration  

Dean previously worked for 

engineering and energy systems 

Ltd (1996-2004) and Bateman 

division and progressively rising 

He is a chartered accountant  

Qantas Airlines and the Australian 

research group internationally,  

Engineering BV (2005-2009)  

to Executive Vice President  

and a member of the Institute of 

listed infrastructure services 

and the Rolls-Royce University 

and Director of Mutual & Federal 

(Chief Operating Officer US 

Chartered Accountants in England 

company UGL Ltd, most recently 

Technology Centre.

Insurance Company Ltd 

Downstream & Head of Refining). 

and Wales.

as Chief Executive of the latter’s 

(1996-2010) and Standard Bank 

He held numerous positions in 

Rail Division.

He is a member of the Innovate 

Group Ltd (1997-2011). 

every area of operations from gas 

and renewables to upstream and 

UK Energy Catalyst Board,  

the Emerging Technologies 

Rick is a Senior Advisor to  

downstream oil.

Strategy Board and sits on the 

Credit Suisse and Chairman  

Scottish Enterprise Technology 

of Credit Suisse Securities 

He was formerly Chairman of 

Advisory Group.

(Johannesburg) (Pty) Limited.

Amromco Energy LLC in Romania 

He serves as a Director on a 

and White Rose Energy Ventures 

He co-chairs (with the First 

number of unlisted companies 

LLP in the UK, and a Non-

Minister of Scotland) the Energy 

and non-profit organisations.

Advisory Board in Scotland. He is 

Executive Director of Deep Gulf 

Energy LP in America and CHC 

a fellow of the Royal Academy  

He is a fellow of the Geological 

Helicopters SA in Luxembourg.

of Engineering, the Royal Society 

Society (London), and both  

of Edinburgh, the Institution of 

the Australasian and South 

He is a fellow of the Institution  

Engineering and Technology,  

African Institutes of Mining  

of Mechanical Engineers.

the Institute of Physics and the 

and Metallurgy. 

Institute of Energy.

Non-Executive Director  
of Drax Group plc.

Non-Executive Director  
of Standard Life plc.

Senior Independent  
Non-Executive Director and  
Audit Committee Chairman  
of Johnson Matthey plc.

Non-Executive Director and  
Audit Committee Chairman  
of Croda International plc.

Senior Independent  
Non-Executive Director and  
Audit Committee Chairman  
of Marshall Motor Holdings plc.

Non-Executive Director  
of Mulvaney Capital  
Management Limited.

Member, UK Government 
Advisory Committee on  
Business Appointments.

Advisory Board co-chair, George 
Washington University Institute 
for Corporate Responsibility.

None.

Non-Executive Director of 

Scottish Power Limited.

Non-Executive Director of Gold 

Non-Executive Director of DOF 

None.

Fields Ltd and Sibanye Gold 

Limited, both South African 

Subsea AS in Norway and 

Midstates Petroleum Company, 

Non-Executive Director of UK 

companies listed on the 

Inc. in America. 

Offshore Renewable Energy 

Johannesburg Stock Exchange 

Catapult Board.

and the New York Stock 

Non-Executive Director of ERM 

Exchange.

Worldwide Group Limited. 

Non-Executive Director of 

National Physical Laboratory.

Non-Executive Director of 

Non-Executive Director of 

Glasgow Science Centre 

Charitable Trust.

Rockwell Diamonds Inc., a South 

African company listed on both 

the Johannesburg Stock 

Exchange and the Toronto Stock 

Exchange.

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

KEITH  

COCHRANE 

Chief Executive (51)

ALAN  

FERGUSON 

Non-Executive  

Director (58)

MELANIE  

GEE 

Non-Executive  

Director (54) 

DEAN  
JENKINS  
Chief Operating  
Officer (44) 

PROFESSOR SIR  
JIM MCDONALD 
Non-Executive  
Director (58) 

RICHARD (RICK) 
MENELL 
Non-Executive  
Director (60) 

JOHN  
MOGFORD 
Non-Executive  
Director (61) 

JON  
STANTON 
Finance Director (48) 

British

British

British

Australian

British

South African

British

British

MARY JO  

JACOBI

Non-Executive  

Director (64)

Dual American and  

British citizenship

Non-Executive Director since 

Joined the Group as Finance 

December 2011.

May 2011.

January 2014.

January 2016.

January 2015.

April 2009.
Senior Independent Director since 
February 2015.

June 2008.

April 2010.

March 2013 and Chairman since 

Director in July 2006 and 

January 2014.

appointed Chief Executive  

in November 2009.

Member of the  

Chairman of the Audit 

Chairman of the

Member of the  

Nomination Committee.

Committee and member of the 

Remuneration Committee and

Remuneration Committee.

None.

Member of the  
Audit Committee.

Member of the Nomination and 
Remuneration Committees. 

Member of the Audit and 
Nomination Committees.

None.

Remuneration Committee.

member of the Audit and 

Nomination Committees.

CHARLES  

BERRY 

Chairman (63) 

Nationality

British

Date of appointment

Committee Membership

Chairman of the  

Nomination Committee.

Expertise

Charles was an Executive Director 

Following a number of years  

Alan was Chief Financial Officer 

Melanie is a Senior Adviser at 

Mary Jo is Managing Director  

of Scottish Power plc from 1999 

with Arthur Andersen, Keith 

and a Director of Lonmin plc, one 

Lazard & Co. Limited, having 

of her own consultancy, a board 

to 2005 and Chief Executive of  

joined Stagecoach Group plc  

of the world’s largest producers 

worked for them since 2008. 

mentor with CriticalEye and  

its UK operations between 2000 

in 1993. He was appointed 

of platinum group metals, from 

Formerly, she spent a number  

on the faculty of the Gerson 

and 2005. Prior to joining Scottish 

Finance Director in 1996 and 

2007 until 2010. Prior to his role 

of years with S.G. Warburg (now 

Lehrman Group. She is also a 

Power, he was Group Development 

Group Chief Executive in 2000.  

with Lonmin, he held the position 

part of UBS) and was appointed  

member of the Advisory Committee 

Director of Norwest Holst,  

a subsidiary of Compagnie 

Générale des Eaux and held 

management positions within 

He joined ScottishPower plc  

of Group Finance Director with 

a Managing Director of UBS in 

on Business Appointments and 

in 2003 where he became 

Director of Group Finance.

the BOC Group plc. Before this, 

1999. Her executive career has 

the Leadership Council. 

he spent 22 years working for 

involved providing corporate 

Inchcape plc in a variety of roles, 

finance advice to a broad range  

She was formerly a Senior 

subsidiaries of Pilkington plc. 

He is a chartered accountant and  

including six years as Group 

of clients in both the UK  

a member of the Institute of 

Finance Director.

and overseas.

He is a former Non-Executive 

Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Executive of Royal Dutch Shell 

plc, BP America Inc., Lehman 

Brothers Inc., HSBC Holdings plc 

Director and Chairman of Eaga 

Alan is a member of the Institute 

She was an alternate member of 

and Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. 

plc, Drax Group plc and Thus 

Keith is Chairman of the selection 

of Chartered Accountants of 

The Takeover Panel – LIBA (CFC) 

She was a Non-Executive Director 

Group plc, and a former 

group for CSCLeaders, a senior 

Scotland and sits on their 

between 2006 and 2013.

of Tate & Lyle plc between 1999 

Non-Executive Director of Impax 

leadership programme for leaders 

Business Policy Committee.

and 2004.

Environmental Markets PLC and 

from across the Commonwealth.

Melanie was reappointed as a 

Securities Trust of Scotland plc.

Dean joined the Group in 
November 2010, becoming  
Power & Industrial Divisional 
Managing Director in January 
2011 and Minerals Divisional 
Managing Director in August 
2012. He was appointed to the 
role of Chief Operating Officer  
in January 2016. 

Dean previously worked for 
Qantas Airlines and the Australian 
listed infrastructure services 
company UGL Ltd, most recently 
as Chief Executive of the latter’s 
Rail Division.

Council member and Trustee of 

She served in the administrations 

Fauna & Flora International in 

of Presidents Reagan and  

2013, having previously served 

George H.W. Bush and was one 

from 2008 until 2010.

of Her Majesty’s Civil Service 

Commissioners from 2005 to 

2010. From 2010 to 2015 she was 

a visiting Fellow of the University 

of Oxford.

Key external appointments

Non-Executive Chairman of 

Senior Independent Non- 

Senior Independent  

Non-Executive Director  

Senior plc.

Executive Director of Carillion Plc.

Non-Executive Director and  

of Drax Group plc.

None.

Lead Non-Executive Director for 

of Johnson Matthey plc.

Audit Committee Chairman  

the Scotland Office and the Office 

of the Advocate General.

Non-Executive Director  

of Standard Life plc.

Non-Executive Director and  

Audit Committee Chairman  

of Croda International plc.

Senior Independent  

Non-Executive Director and  

Audit Committee Chairman  

of Marshall Motor Holdings plc.

Non-Executive Director  

of Mulvaney Capital  

Management Limited.

Member, UK Government 

Advisory Committee on  

Business Appointments.

Advisory Board co-chair, George 

Washington University Institute 

for Corporate Responsibility.

Sir Jim McDonald has been 
Principal and Vice Chancellor  
of the University of Strathclyde 
since March 2009 and has held 
the Rolls-Royce Chair in Electrical 
Power Systems since 1993. 

Sir Jim is Chairman of both  
the Institute for Energy and 
Environment, the largest 
engineering and energy systems 
research group internationally,  
and the Rolls-Royce University 
Technology Centre.

He is a member of the Innovate 
UK Energy Catalyst Board,  
the Emerging Technologies 
Strategy Board and sits on the 
Scottish Enterprise Technology 
Advisory Group.

He co-chairs (with the First 
Minister of Scotland) the Energy 
Advisory Board in Scotland. He is 
a fellow of the Royal Academy  
of Engineering, the Royal Society 
of Edinburgh, the Institution of 
Engineering and Technology,  
the Institute of Physics and the 
Institute of Energy.

Non-Executive Director of 
Scottish Power Limited.

Non-Executive Director of UK 
Offshore Renewable Energy 
Catapult Board.

Non-Executive Director of 
National Physical Laboratory.

Non-Executive Director of 
Glasgow Science Centre 
Charitable Trust.

Rick worked as an investment 
banker before joining Anglovaal 
Group in 1992. He was appointed 
Chief Executive of Anglovaal 
Mining in 1996, then Executive 
Chairman in 2002. In 2005, he  
left to become President and 
Chief Executive of TEAL 
Exploration & Mining Inc. He  
was formerly Chairman of Avgold 
Ltd (1996-2004) and Bateman 
Engineering BV (2005-2009)  
and Director of Mutual & Federal 
Insurance Company Ltd 
(1996-2010) and Standard Bank 
Group Ltd (1997-2011). 

Rick is a Senior Advisor to  
Credit Suisse and Chairman  
of Credit Suisse Securities 
(Johannesburg) (Pty) Limited.
He serves as a Director on a 
number of unlisted companies 
and non-profit organisations.

He is a fellow of the Geological 
Society (London), and both  
the Australasian and South 
African Institutes of Mining  
and Metallurgy. 

Non-Executive Director of Gold 
Fields Ltd and Sibanye Gold 
Limited, both South African 
companies listed on the 
Johannesburg Stock Exchange 
and the New York Stock 
Exchange.

Non-Executive Director of 
Rockwell Diamonds Inc., a South 
African company listed on both 
the Johannesburg Stock 
Exchange and the Toronto Stock 
Exchange.

Jon was formerly a partner  
with Ernst & Young, having joined 
as a graduate trainee in their 
Birmingham office in 1988.  
He was appointed as a partner  
in their London office in 2001  
with lead responsibility for the 
audit of a number of FTSE 100 
multinational clients.

He is a chartered accountant  
and a member of the Institute of 
Chartered Accountants in England 
and Wales.

John was formerly a Managing 
Director for First Reserve, a large 
global energy-focused private 
equity firm, and sat on several 
boards as part of this role.

He was formerly an Executive 
Vice President of BP plc, having 
been with BP for over 30 years, 
initially in their exploration  
division and progressively rising 
to Executive Vice President  
(Chief Operating Officer US 
Downstream & Head of Refining). 
He held numerous positions in 
every area of operations from gas 
and renewables to upstream and 
downstream oil.

He was formerly Chairman of 
Amromco Energy LLC in Romania 
and White Rose Energy Ventures 
LLP in the UK, and a Non-
Executive Director of Deep Gulf 
Energy LP in America and CHC 
Helicopters SA in Luxembourg.

He is a fellow of the Institution  
of Mechanical Engineers.

Non-Executive Director of DOF 
Subsea AS in Norway and 
Midstates Petroleum Company, 
Inc. in America. 

None.

Non-Executive Director of ERM 
Worldwide Group Limited. 

73

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Group Executive

Name and title

Biography

Name and title

Biography

PAUL COPPINGER 
Oil & Gas Divisional 
Managing Director (54)

RICARDO GARIB 
Minerals Divisional 
Managing Director (61)

JOHN HEASLEY 
Power & Industrial 
Divisional Managing 
Director (41)

Paul is the Divisional Managing 
Director for Weir Oil & Gas, based 
in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. He 
has held this position since 
January 2015. Prior to this, he 
held the position of President of 
the Pressure Pumping business 
within the Oil & Gas division. He 
joined Weir in 2011 as President 
of SPM. Prior to joining Weir, Paul 
was the President of the Energy 
Group for ten years at Circor 
International, Inc., a diversified 
manufacturer of valves and 
related products. He is a director 
and former Chairman of the 
Petroleum Equipment & Services 
Association. 

Ricardo joined the Group 
Executive in January 2016 as the 
Divisional Managing Director for 
Weir Minerals. He joined Baker 
Hughes in 1980 and became the 
Managing Director of Weir Chile 
following the purchase of Baker 
Hughes’ Minerals division in 1994 
by the Weir Group. In 2001  
he was promoted to Regional 
Managing Director of Weir 
Minerals Latin America. Ricardo  
is Vice President of the Mining 
Suppliers Association and an 
elected council member of the 
Board of the Chilean Federation  
of Industry. He holds an MBA and 
is a Civil Mechanical Engineer.

John joined the Group Executive 
in January 2014 as Divisional 
Managing Director for Weir Power 
& Industrial. He is based at the 
divisional headquarters in East 
Kilbride, Scotland. A chartered 
accountant, he has held a number 
of senior financial, commercial 
and operational roles. At PwC,  
he worked in mergers and 
acquisitions before joining 
Scottish Power in business 
development and financial posts. 
John joined Weir in 2008 as Group 
Financial Controller before 
becoming Valves Managing Director 
in the Power & Industrial division.
John is a Non-Executive Director 
of Royal Scottish National 
Orchestra Society Limited.

PAULINE LAFFERTY 
Director of Human 
Resources (50) 

ANDREW NEILSON 
Director of Strategy & 
Corporate Affairs and 
Company Secretary (40)

Pauline is the Director of Human 
Resources, based at the Group’s 
Head Office in Glasgow. She 
joined the Group in 2011. Pauline 
was previously in executive 
search with Miles Partnership  
and Russell Reynolds Associates 
in the UK and Australia. Prior to 
this, she held business planning 
and operational roles for 11 years 
with Motorola and Digital 
Equipment Corporation (DEC)  
in Scotland, Australia and Hong 
Kong, ultimately becoming Asia 
Pacific Director of Supply for 
DEC. Pauline is a Non-Executive 
Director of Scottish Exhibition 
Centre Limited.

Andrew joined the Group 
Executive in January 2014 as 
Director of Strategy & Corporate 
Affairs and was appointed as 
Company Secretary in December 
2015. He is based at the Group’s 
Head Office in Glasgow. Andrew 
holds a Masters degree in 
engineering from the University 
of Strathclyde and is a qualified 
accountant. Before joining Weir  
in 2010, he held a variety of senior 
roles with banking, energy and 
professional services companies, 
including HSBC, HBOS, Scottish 
Power and KPMG. Andrew is a 
member of CBI Scotland Council. 

Keith Cochrane,Jon Stanton and Dean Jenkins are also members of the Group Executive Committee. Their biographical information can be 
found on the previous pages.

Keith Ruddock held the position of General Counsel & Company Secretary and was a member of the Group Executive until 31 December 2015.

Gavin Nicol held the position of Director of Operations, Support & Development and was a member of the Group Executive until 31 December 2015.

74

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015Corporate Governance Report
Chairman’s Introduction

CHARLES BERRY
Chairman

The Board is committed to the highest standards  
of corporate governance. Under my Chairmanship, 
the Board is responsible for ensuring that these 
high standards and the Company’s values and 
behaviours are consistently applied throughout the 
Group. These elements are critical to the integrity 
of our business and we strive to continually evolve 
best practice and procedures to deliver long-term 
sustainable shareholder value.

The following Corporate Governance Report, including the Committee  
Reports and the Directors’ Report, set out how we apply these governance 
standards in practice and demonstrate our compliance with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code.

UK CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
In September 2014, the Financial Reporting Council published a revised  
UK Corporate Governance Code (the ‘Code’), as well as guidance on Risk 
Management, Internal Control and Related Financial and Business Reporting. 
Key changes included disclosures with regards to longer-term viability, risk 
management and internal controls, as well as Directors’ remuneration. Both the 
Audit and Remuneration Committees, along with the Board, undertook reviews 
of current practices to ensure that the Company effectively managed the 
required changes to our governance arrangements and now operate with 
regard to these additional disclosures. 

This is the first year that we have been required to report under the revised 
Code, and I am pleased to report that the Company has complied fully with all 
the principles of the Code for the 52 weeks to 1 January 2016, and from that 
date to the date of approval of this Annual Report, with the exception of one 
part of a provision which is detailed on page 76.

II: Corporate Governance

CHANGES TO THE BOARD
Board and Committee changes during 2015 and early 
2016 were as follows:
 – Lord Robertson retired as a Non-Executive Director 
with effect from 31 January 2015. He therefore  
also ceased to be Senior Independent Director, and  
a member of the Remuneration and Nomination 
Committees, on that date.

 – Rick Menell was appointed Senior Independent 

Director on 1 February 2015. 

 – Alan Ferguson was appointed to the Remuneration 

Committee on 1 February 2015. 

 – Melanie Gee was appointed to the Nomination 

Committee on 18 June 2015.

 – Dean Jenkins was appointed as an Executive Director 

on 1 January 2016.

 – Keith Ruddock retired as Company Secretary on 
18 December 2015 and Andrew Neilson was 
appointed to this role on the same date.

Changes in the membership of the Board enable fresh 
perspectives to be brought to different aspects of the 
Group’s governance framework. We continue to review 
the Board composition and have spent time on 
succession planning to ensure that we continue to evolve 
as a Board, enabling us to further enhance our leadership 
of the Group. 

During 2015, as part of the review of the current 
composition of the Board, it was determined that to 
enhance the balance of skills and experience at Board 
level, it would be advantageous to create a new role  
of Chief Operating Officer. As a result, Dean Jenkins,  
a former Divisional Managing Director and Member of the 
Group Executive, was appointed in January 2016. Further 
details are contained in the Nomination Committee 
Report on page 87.

BOARD INDUCTIONS
The induction of our new Directors and Committee 
members remains an important focus, and we continue 
to work hard towards providing a comprehensive 
programme which allows new members to contribute 
most effectively. The induction programme is tailored 
according to the background and knowledge of each  
new Board member.

During 2015 and the start of 2016, Sir Jim McDonald  
and Dean Jenkins both received inductions following  
their appointments to the Board. Full details can be  
found on page 83.

The most significant change to this year’s Annual Report as a result of the 
updated Code is the inclusion of a new viability statement. This is a statement 
based on the Board’s assessment of the Company’s current position as well  
as its assessment of the principal risks facing the Company and their potential 
impact on its future development and prospects. This new disclosure is contained 
in the How We Manage Risk section of the Annual Report on page 29.

CHARLES BERRY
Chairman
24 February 2016

75

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Corporate Governance Report continued

GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

Leadership
The Board sets the tone 
of the Company with 
regards to corporate 
governance and 
ensures the application 
of the Company’s 
values and behaviours.  
It demonstrates the 
clear division of 
responsibilities  
and the constructive 
challenge and 
development  
of strategy.

Read more on p76

Effectiveness
The Board operates 
effectively for the 
long-term success  
of the Company.  
The Board members 
demonstrate the 
correct balance  
of skills, experience, 
independence and 
knowledge and are able 
to commit sufficient 
time to undertake  
the duties and 
responsibilities 
appropriately.

Read more on p81

Accountability
The Board  
maintains sound  
risk management  
and internal control 
systems and has  
well established 
committees to assist  
it in the undertaking  
of its duties.

Read more on p84

Remuneration
The Board ensures an 
open and transparent 
remuneration policy  
for the effective 
recruitment and 
retention of Board 
members and Company 
employees.

Read more on p85

Relations with 
shareholders
The Board maintains  
an open dialogue with 
shareholders and Board 
members attend 
investor events globally.

Read more on p85

THE UK CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
The UK Corporate Governance Code is published by the Financial Reporting Council and sets out standards of good practice in relation  
to issues such as Board composition and effectiveness, the role of Board committees, risk management, remuneration and relations with 
shareholders. Paper and downloadable versions can be obtained from the Financial Reporting Council via its website at frc.org.uk. 

As a listed company, we must detail how we have complied with the Code and provide an explanation of instances where we have not. This 
report, in addition to the Nomination, Audit and Remuneration Committee Reports, details how the Company has applied the main principles  
of the Code. For the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and from that date to the date of approval of this Annual Report, except in the instance of 
one part of a provision detailed below, the Board considers that the Company has complied fully with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2014 
(the ‘Code’). 

Code provision E.1.1 states that the Senior Independent Director should attend sufficient meetings with a range of major shareholders to listen to 
their views in order to help develop a balanced understanding of the issues and concerns of major shareholders. During 2015, Lord Robertson and 
Rick Menell undertook engagement with various stakeholders but neither attended meetings with a range of major shareholders in their role as 
Senior Independent Director. It is considered that the Company has a robust Investor Relations department who oversee such meetings and that 
there are sufficient processes in place for the issues and concerns of major shareholders to be communicated to all members of the Board, and  
in particular, if necessary, to the Chairman, such that it is not necessary for the Senior Independent Director to attend these meetings. They were 
willing to attend such meetings had the need arisen. The Board does not feel that this in any way impeded its good corporate governance and 
believes that the practice was in compliance with the main and supporting principles under section E of the Code regarding dialogue with 
shareholders. Further details of the Company’s relations with its shareholders can be found on page 85.

Leadership
BOARD COMPOSITION
During 2015, the Board comprised two Executive Directors, the Chairman and six Non-Executive Directors. In January 2016, the number  
of Executive Directors rose to three on the appointment of Dean Jenkins as Chief Operating Officer. 

Lord Robertson retired as Senior Independent Director and as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 31 January 2015. Lord Robertson  
was succeeded by Rick Menell as Senior Independent Director. 

The current Directors of the Company as at the date of this report are as follows:

Table of the Board of Directors

Name

Charles Berry
Keith Cochrane
Alan Ferguson
Melanie Gee
Mary Jo Jacobi
Dean Jenkins
Sir Jim McDonald
Rick Menell
John Mogford
Jon Stanton

76

Designation

Date of Appointment 

Date of most recent re-election

Chairman
Chief Executive
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Chief Operating Officer
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Finance Director

1 March 2013
3 July 2006
13 December 2011
4 May 2011
1 January 2014
1 January 2016
1 January 2015
1 April 2009
1 June 2008
19 April 2010

29 April 2015
29 April 2015
29 April 2015
29 April 2015
29 April 2015
–
29 April 2015
29 April 2015
29 April 2015
29 April 2015

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

Biographical information on the Board of Directors, including their relevant experience and significant appointments, can be found on pages 72 
and 73. 

Andrew Neilson was appointed as Company Secretary on 18 December 2015 following the retirement of Keith Ruddock, who held the position 
since May 2012. Andrew Neilson is Secretary to the Board of Directors and to the Nomination Committee. He is also Director of Strategy and 
Corporate Affairs and a member of the Group Executive. His biography is set out on page 74. 

BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
The Board of Directors has a collective duty to promote the long-term success of the Company for its shareholders. The Board provides 
leadership of the Company and sets the Group’s strategic aims. It ensures that the necessary resources are in place to achieve the agreed 
strategic priorities and provides guidance to senior management. In determining the long-term strategy and objectives of the Group, the Board 
is mindful of its duties and responsibilities not just to shareholders but also to customers, employees and other stakeholders. The Board 
reviews management and financial performance and monitors the delivery of strategy and the achievement of business objectives. At all times, 
it works within a robust framework of internal controls and risk management. The Board both develops and promotes the collective vision of 
the Group’s purpose, culture, values and behaviours.

Each Director brings different skills, experience and knowledge to the Company, with the Non-Executive Directors bringing additional 
independent thought and judgment. The roles of the Chairman and Chief Executive are separate, with each having clearly defined duties  
and responsibilities set out in writing and approved by the Board. The roles and responsibilities of the Senior Independent Director are  
also set out in writing and both documents are available to view on the Company’s website at www.corporategovernance.weir.

The key responsibilities of Board members are set out below.

Senior 
Independent 
Director 

Supporting the 
Chairman in his duties 
where necessary.

Leading the annual 
review of the 
performance of the 
Chairman.

Being available  
to Directors and 
shareholders with 
concerns that cannot  
be addressed through 
the normal channels.

Non-Executive 
Directors, 
including  
the Chairman
Contributing 
independent challenge 
and rigour.

Assisting in the 
development of the 
Company’s strategy.

Ensuring the integrity  
of the financial 
information, controls 
and risk management 
processes.

Monitoring the 
performance of the 
Executive Directors 
against agreed goals 
and objectives.

Advising senior 
management.

Company 
Secretary 

Advising the Board on 
governance, legislation 
and regulatory 
requirements.

Ensuring the 
presentation of 
high-quality information 
to the Board and its 
committees.

Ensuring best practice 
in Board procedures.

Facilitating inductions 
and development 
programmes.

Facilitating the Board 
review process.

Chairman  
of the Board 

Group Chief 
Executive 

Planning the Group 
objectives and strategy 
for Board approval.

Ensuring the effective 
delivery of Group 
strategy.

Providing leadership  
to the Group and 
communicating  
the Company’s  
culture, values  
and behaviours.

Day-to-day 
management of  
the Company.

Leading the Board in  
an ethical manner and 
promoting effective 
Board relationships.

Building a well-balanced 
Board, considering 
succession planning 
and its composition.

Ensuring the 
effectiveness of the 
Board and individual 
Directors.

Overseeing the Board 
evaluation and acting  
on its results.

Ensuring appropriate 
induction and 
development 
programmes.

Setting the Board 
agenda and chairing  
the Board meetings.

Ensuring effective 
communication with 
shareholders and other 
stakeholders.

77

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIII 
 
 
Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance Report continued

Leadership continued
BOARD MEETINGS
The Board’s scheduled meetings are held in person or by telepresence videoconferencing. During 2015, there were eight scheduled meetings, 
six additional unscheduled Board meetings held by telephone and one by telepresence. In September 2015, the Board meeting was held in 
Alberta, Canada and full details can be found on page 82. In addition to the formal Board meetings, the Board maintains an open dialogue 
throughout the year and contact by telephone occurs whenever necessary. As encouraged by the Code, the Non-Executive Directors, including 
the Chairman, met twice during the year without Executive Directors present, once at a dinner held in February and once whilst on their 
overseas site visit to Canada.

The table below details the attendance at Board meetings of each of the Directors during their term of office for the 52 weeks to 1 January 2016. 

Name

Charles Berry
Keith Cochrane
Alan Ferguson
Melanie Gee
Mary Jo Jacobi 
Dean Jenkins1
Sir Jim McDonald
Rick Menell
John Mogford
Lord Robertson2
Jon Stanton

Maximum number of possible meetings 

Scheduled

Short notice

Number of meetings attended

Percentage of meetings attended

8
8
8
8
8
–
8
8
8
1
8

7
7
7
7
7
–
7
7
7
–
7

15
15
15
15
15
–
15
15
15
1
15

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
–
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Notes
1.  Dean Jenkins joined the Board on the last day of this financial period and his attendance will be included in next year’s Annual Report.
2.  Lord Robertson retired from the Board on 31 January 2015.

The annual timetable is discussed at least 18 months prior to its commencement allowing the Directors to plan their time accordingly. The 2017 
annual timetable was discussed at the Board meeting in April 2015 and circulated as soon as it was finalised. The 2016 timetable had been 
reviewed during 2014. This process ensures that the Chairman can be comfortable that each Director is able to devote the time and resources 
required to act as a Director during that period. The system for establishing agenda items means both the Chairman and the Board have the 
confidence that all required items are included at the most appropriate time of the year and there is sufficient time allocated for discussion by 
the Board, allowing the Directors to discharge their duties effectively.

Board and Group Executive meeting locations for 2010-2015

Board

Group Executive

78

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

MATTERS RESERVED FOR THE BOARD
The Board recognises that to ensure the long-term success of the Company, certain specific matters should be reserved for the consideration and 
decision of the Board alone. Other matters may be delegated by the Board to its Committees or executive management. Decisions specifically 
reserved for approval by the Board are formally recorded in a document entitled Matters Reserved to the Board for Approval which can be found 
on the Company’s website at www.corporategovernance.weir. The matters reserved to the Board for approval are reviewed by the Board on an 
annual basis to ensure they remain appropriate and adhered to.

BOARD ACTIVITIES DURING 2015
During the year, the Chairman, supported by the Chief Executive and Company Secretary, continued the practice of maintaining a rolling 12 month 
agenda for Board and Committee meetings. At each meeting, the Board receives reports from the Chief Executive and other members of the 
Group Executive, including information on safety, strategy, human resources, finance and legal matters. The Board also receives updates from 
each Committee Chairman on items from the most recent committee meeting as well as periodic updates as required. Other standing items 
include reviewing the Risk Dashboard and internal controls, safety, strategy and succession planning. 

In order to undertake their duties appropriately, the Non-Executive Directors meet regularly with senior management and make periodic site 
visits. The Board receives presentations by members of the Weir Group senior management team and external advisers as required. The Board 
receives annual reviews on the following: asbestos, insurance and risk management, the Ethics Hotline, Value Chain Excellence, HR/talent,  
tax, treasury and agents.

The Board’s time during 2015 can be grouped into six key areas as outlined below. A portion of their time is also spent on administrative matters. 

Strategy
Setting strategy 
targets.

Risk
Risk Appetite 
Statement.

Reviewing potential 
mergers and 
acquisitions.

Group’s risk and 
internal control 
framework.

Governance
Legal updates and 
new disclosure 
requirements.

The UK Corporate 
Governance Code.

Product development  
and innovation.

Crisis management.

Board review.

Succession planning.

Finance
Oversight of the 
preparation and 
management  
of the financial 
statements.

Dividend policy.

Pensions.

Tax and treasury.

Stakeholder 
engagement 
AGM and other 
shareholder feedback.

Investor calls, 
meetings and 
roadshows.

Oversight of 
remuneration 
consultation process.

Safety 
EHS Standards  
and Management 
System.

EHS Audit System.

BOARD COMMITTEES
The Board has established a number of committees to assist in the discharge of its responsibilities. The principal committees are the Nomination 
Committee, the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee. The responsibilities of these Board committees are set out in the individual 
Terms of Reference of each committee, which are available on the Company’s website at www.corporategovernance.weir. The roles and 
responsibilities of the committees, along with the activities undertaken during the period, are outlined in each of their respective reports found 
on pages 86 to 117. The Company Secretary acts as Secretary to the Nomination Committee; the Acting General Counsel acts as Secretary to 
the Audit Committee, having taking over this role from the Company Secretary in February 2015; and the Deputy Company Secretary acts as 
Secretary to the Remuneration Committee, having taking over this role from the Company Secretary in October 2015. 

Only committee members are entitled to attend meetings. However, other Board members may attend at any time, while professional advisers 
and members of the senior management team may attend when invited to do so.

When the need arises, separate ad hoc committees may be set up by the Board to consider specific issues.

General Administration Committee
The General Administration Committee is a sub-committee of the Board which comprises any two Board members of the Company, at least 
one of whom must be an Executive Director. The Committee is responsible to the Board as a whole and meets as required. The principal 
duties of the Committee include attending to administrative and procedural matters in relation to existing bank and finance facilities and the 
issue and allotment of shares under Group share plans. It also attends to other matters of a routine manner relating to the Company’s share 
capital, including the administration of unclaimed dividends and the Company’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan. The Committee has written 
Terms of Reference which are periodically reviewed, most recently in January 2016, to ensure their continuing appropriateness. Minutes of 
meetings of the General Administration Committee are made available to all Directors.

79

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Corporate Governance Report continued

Leadership continued

Board and committee structure

Board of Directors

Board 
Committees

Audit Committee

Remuneration Committee

Nomination Committee

General Administration 
Committee

Chief Executive

Management 
Committees

Group Executive Committee

Risk 
Committee

Finance 
Excellence 
Committee

Engineering 
Excellence 
Committee

Value Chain 
Excellence 
Committee

EHS 
Excellence 
Committee

Group Information 
Services Excellence 
Committee

HR 
Excellence 
Committee

Lean 
Enterprise  
Excellence 
Committee

Purchasing 
Excellence 
Committee

Planning 
Excellence 
Committee

GROUP EXECUTIVE
The Group Executive comprises the Chief Executive, the Finance Director, the Chief Operating Officer, the three Divisional Managing Directors, 
the Director of Strategy & Corporate Affairs and the Director of Human Resources. Biographical details of the members of the Group Executive 
can be found on page 74. The Group General Counsel & Company Secretary and the Director of Operations, Support & Development were 
both members during 2015 but retired as employees of the Company and members of the Group Executive in December 2015. The Group 
Executive is chaired by the Chief Executive, Keith Cochrane.

In the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016, the Group Executive met 12 times. The Group Executive is responsible for ensuring that each of the 
Group’s businesses is managed effectively and that the key performance indicators of the Group, as approved by the Board, are achieved.  
The Group Executive’s role includes the preparation of the Group budget for approval by the Board, management of business performance  
to achieve the Group budget, establishing and maintaining reporting systems which provide clear and consistent information on all aspects of 
business performance, managing and minimising corporate risk and ensuring that the necessary mechanisms are in place to achieve effective 
inter-divisional coordination in areas such as purchasing, branding and career development planning. It also approves major items of capital 
expenditure within limits authorised by the Board.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES
In addition to the Board committees detailed above, there exist several management committees, known as Excellence Committees. These have 
been created to deal with specific areas and under their clearly defined remits they work across the Group promoting best practice and information 
sharing. The Executive Directors and members of the Group Executive are able to delegate their responsibilities to these committees and utilise the 
areas of expertise contained within them. The Excellence Committees report to the Group Executive and to the Board as required. 

The composition of the various committees along with their accompanying terms of reference, the matters reserved for approval by the Board, 
and delegated authority matrices combine to create a clear authority matrix across the Group for timely and effective decision-making. This 
structure provides the Board with confidence that the appropriate decisions are being taken at the appropriate levels, and information flows 
both up and down reporting lines.

80

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Effectiveness
BOARD SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

Skills and experience

Charles Berry1

Keith Cochrane

Alan Ferguson

Melanie Gee

Mary Jo Jacobi

Dean Jenkins

Sir Jim McDonald

Rick Menell

John Mogford

Jon Stanton

Independence

Banking & 
finance

Governance

International

Leadership

Engineering

Mining

Oil and gas

Power

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Note
1.  Charles Berry was considered independent on his appointment as Chairman in January 2014.

The Board considers that it has the right combination of skills, experience, independence and knowledge to be useful and effective in meeting 
the needs of the business. More than half of the Board are independent Non-Executive Directors. All the Non-Executive Directors are 
considered by the Board to be independent in character and judgement. 

During the year, the Board approved a decision to create a new Executive Director role of Chief Operating Officer. Full details on this are 
contained in the Nomination Committee Report on page 86.

This combination of individuals and skills ensures that the Board is sufficiently balanced such that no individual or group of individuals can 
dominate decision-making and allows for an effective division of responsibilities within the Board and its Committees. The positions of 
Chairman and Chief Executive are held separately. Each Director devotes sufficient time and attention as is necessary in order to perform  
their duties.

The Board is supplied in a timely manner with the appropriate information to enable it to discharge its duties and any further back-up papers 
and information are readily available to all Directors on request to the Company Secretary. The Chairman ensures that Non-Executive Directors 
are properly briefed on any issues arising at Board meetings and Non-Executive Directors have access to the Chairman at any time.

APPOINTMENT AND TENURE

Length of tenure at 1 January 2016

Name

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

7 years

8 years

9 years

10 years

Charles Berry

Keith Cochrane

Alan Ferguson

Melanie Gee

Mary Jo Jacobi

Dean Jenkins

Sir Jim McDonald

Rick Menell

John Mogford

Jon Stanton

Date of  
next election  
or re-election

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

28 April 2016

The Executive Directors have contracts of service with one year’s notice, whilst Non-Executive Directors’ appointments can be terminated  
at any time with six months’ notice. The letters of appointment of the Chairman and the Non-Executive Directors, which are available for 
inspection at the Company’s registered office, set out the required commitment to the Company. Further details can also be found in the 
Directors’ Remuneration Report.

In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association and good practice, Dean Jenkins will offer himself for election at the Company’s 
AGM on 28 April 2016. All other Directors on the Board at 1 January 2016 will seek re-election at the Company’s AGM in compliance with  
the Code.

81

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Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance Report continued

Case study

Board site visit  
to Edmonton

IN SEPTEMBER 2015, THE BOARD  
OF DIRECTORS VISITED WEIR’S  
OIL & GAS CANADIAN FACILITIES 
AND MET WITH WEIR’S SENIOR 
CANADIAN MANAGEMENT TEAM  
IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA. 

Weir has a long and important association 
with Canada, dating back more than 100 
years. Today, Weir’s Canadian operations 
form a substantial part of the Group’s 
worldwide reach and as such, especially 
given the significance of oil sands to 
Weir’s future growth potential, the Weir 
Board chose Canada, and in particular 
Alberta, for this year’s annual site visit.

In Canada, all three of Weir’s divisions  
are significantly present. The Power & 
Industrial division is represented with 
state-of-the-art Rotating Equipment repair 
services in its new 100,000 ft2 facility 
located in Montreal and services the 
power, mining, pulp and paper industries. 
A second component of this division is 
the Naval Engineering Test Establishment 
(NETE), also located in Montreal, 
providing complex engineering and 
testing services for the Department of 
National Defense. The Weir Minerals 
division has facilities from coast to coast 
supplying and servicing pumps, barges 
and a wide array of mining equipment  
to assist in extraction for coal, iron ore, 
precious metals and the Fort McMurray 
oil sands in Alberta. The Oil & Gas 
division is located exclusively in Western 

Canada with the majority of its 
employees based in Edmonton, Alberta. 
This group has two major operating units: 
Pressure Pumping and Pressure Control. 
Pressure Pumping focuses on the 
manufacture and sales of well service 
pumps and high pressure flow control 
equipment to the Hydraulic Fracturing 
market while Pressure Control provides 
and installs wellhead and production tree 
equipment directly at the well site to oil 
and gas producing companies.

The Board’s visit centred on the Weir 
sites in Alberta. On their first day, the 
Board held its scheduled Board meeting 
followed by a presentation on NETE by 
Serge Lamirande, President & General 
Manager. During the presentation the role 
held by NETE of servicing the needs of 
the Royal Canadian Navy and other allied 
navies was explained. In the evening, the 
Board had dinner with senior Weir North 
American employees and Justin Reimer, 
an Assistant Deputy Minister in the newly 
elected Alberta Provincial government.

The next day, Paul Coppinger, Oil & Gas 
Divisional Managing Director, presented 
the division’s strategy to the Board. This 
was followed by specific presentations  
on the Pressure Pumping and Pressure 
Control Canadian businesses led 
respectively by Ian Dundee, Regional 
Managing Director, and Cam Smith, 
General Manager. After the presentations 
the Board attended an employee 

prepared barbeque with the Edmonton 
based staff at the Pressure Pumping 
Manufacturing and Service Centre. 
Charles Berry gave a speech that 
commented on how impressed and 
appreciative he was with the significant 
tenure and contribution that many of the 
assembled employees had made to 
Weir’s success. 

In the afternoon, the Board toured two 
facilities. Pressure Pumping showcased 
the breadth of its capabilities in both 
manufacturing and service and Pressure 
Control presented its new Rod Guide 
manufacturing facility which had just 
opened the previous May. The day 
finished with a Canadian Minerals 
presentation by Aaron Ravenscroft, 
Regional Managing Director, Richard 
Stephenson, Managing Director, Ricky 
Nolan, General Manager and Russ 
Mackie, Sales Manager. The discussion 
centered around the current state of the 
business, including the expansion of the 
R Wales rubber products group in the 
Vancouver area and future growth 
opportunities in oil sands.

A dinner was held in the evening for the 
Non-Executive members of the Board.  
In line with the UK Corporate Governance 
Code, this provided the opportunity for 
them to meet without the Executive 
Directors being present and for them to 
discuss matters of the Company before 
returning home the following day.

82

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Effectiveness continued
INDUCTION AND ONGOING TRAINING
When a new Director joins the Company, he or she is provided with information on the Group’s structure, operations, policies and other relevant 
documentation. The induction process for Sir Jim McDonald during 2015 included introductory meetings with senior executives in the Company 
and planned visits to the Company’s facilities in Todmorden in the UK and Fort Worth in the USA, in addition to a formal briefing on legal and 
governance matters from the Company Secretary. 

In early 2016, an induction programme was provided for Dean Jenkins following his appointment as Chief Operating Officer. As Dean was an 
existing member of the Group Executive he did not receive the full induction programme or one-to-one meetings with management as would 
normally be provided. As part of his induction he attended a briefing session with Herbert Smith Freehills on Director’s Duties and had a meeting 
with Non-Executive Director, Sir Jim McDonald. Dean was provided with an electronic version of all relevant materials and met with the Acting 
General Counsel, Deputy Company Secretary and Insurance Risk and Control Manager. 

Directors are informed of relevant material changes to laws and regulations affecting the Group’s business and their duties as Directors.  
The Company Secretary advises the Board on governance matters and is available to all Directors for advice as required. In addition,  
the Board meets once a year or more at one of the Group’s operational sites, which includes presentations from key senior employees  
and the opportunity to meet employees across the global operations. 

The Chairman regularly reviews and agrees with each Director their training and development needs, and additional induction and training  
is also available to new committee members as required.

DIRECTORS AND THEIR OTHER INTERESTS
Under the Companies Act 2006, a Director of a company must avoid a situation in which he or she has, or can have, a direct or indirect interest 
that conflicts, or may possibly conflict, with the interests of the company. The Company has a formal procedure in place to manage the disclosure, 
consideration and, if appropriate, the authorisation of any such possible conflict. Each Director is aware of the requirement to notify the Board,  
via the Company Secretary, as soon as they become aware of any possible future conflict or a material change to an existing authorisation. Upon 
receipt of any such notification, the Board, in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, will consider the situation before deciding 
whether to approve the perceived conflict. At the outset of every Board meeting, the Chairman also checks that no new conflicts have arisen. 
Only Directors who have no interest in the matter being considered are able to take the relevant decision and Directors are able to impose limits  
or conditions when giving authorisation if they think this is appropriate. The Director in question will then be notified of the outcome. Overall,  
the Board is satisfied that there are appropriate procedures in place to deal with conflicts of interest and that they have operated effectively.

None of the Non-Executive Directors has any material business or other relationship with the Company or its management. Although Sir Jim 
McDonald is the Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, he has no direct involvement on a day-to-day basis in relation  
to the Weir Advanced Research Centre (WARC) which is operated by the Company in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde. 
Nevertheless, he will offer to recuse himself from any discussions in relation to the relationship between the Group and the University  
of Strathclyde, whether in relation to WARC or otherwise.

Details of the Directors’ service contracts, emoluments, the interests of the Directors in the share capital of the Company and options  
to subscribe for shares in the Company are disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

BOARD EVALUATION 
An external review of the Board and its Committees was undertaken by Independent Audit Limited in 2014. Following the outcome of the 
review, actions were taken during 2015 based on its recommendations. This has resulted in there now being enhanced management system 
linkage between risk management at Board level and the internal control policies already in place across the Group. In addition, the Board has 
spent significantly more time during 2015 on wider ranging strategic matters. Individual Non-Executive Directors have also made more informal 
site visits to Group locations worldwide and increased resources have been made available for the Board Secretariat to provide a more focused 
level of support to the Board.

Building on the external Board evaluation in 2014, this year’s evaluation of the Board and its Committees was carried out internally in December 
2015, with assistance from Independent Audit Limited, by way of a confidential on-line questionnaire. The questionnaire had quantitative ratings 
and also sought comments on each of the following areas: strategy and risk taking, leadership and accountability, how the Board works, Board 
culture, line of sight, risk management, support and progress. 

The findings of the evaluation were discussed by the Board as a whole at its meeting in January 2016. The evaluation confirmed that the Board 
and Committees continued to function well and had made significant progress and improvements against the prior year’s recommendations.  
No specific new areas for improvement were identified and it was the Board’s desire to see continued progress in the same areas through 2016.

As is customary, Rick Menell, as Senior Independent Director, oversaw the review of the Chairman.

83

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Corporate Governance Report continued

Accountability
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AND AUDITORS
Details on the roles and responsibilities of the Audit Committee, and its members can be found in the Audit Committee Report on pages 88  
to 94. Information on the Company’s external auditors is also contained within this section.

INTERNAL CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT 
In accordance with the 2014 UK Corporate Governance Code and the accompanying Guidance on Risk Management and Internal Controls, the 
Group has an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating and managing the significant risks through an internal control framework. This process 
has been in place throughout 2015. The Audit Committee conducted a review of the effectiveness of the Group’s systems of internal control 
and risk management during 2015, as detailed on page 92, and more information can be found on risk management on pages 20 to 29.

Our internal control framework has four key layers:

t

E

h i c a l

  a n d   c ultural environment
A s s u r a nce activities

r i n g   a n d oversight co
M o nit o
ctio n a l  a n d  front lin

e c

o

n

t

r

n

t

r

o
l

s

Risks

o

l

s

n
u
F

Functional and front line controls
This includes a wide spectrum of controls as seen in most organisations, including, for example, standard operating procedures and policies;  
a comprehensive financial planning and reporting system, including quarterly forecasting; regular performance appraisals and training for 
employees; restricted access to financial systems and data; delegated authority matrices for review and approval of key transactions; protective 
clothing and equipment to protect our people from harm; IT and data security controls; business continuity planning; and assessment 
procedures for potential new recruits.

Monitoring and oversight controls
There is a clearly defined organisational structure within which roles and responsibilities are articulated. There are monitoring controls at 
operating company, regional, divisional and Group level, including standard key performance indicators, with action plans to address 
underperforming areas.

A compliance scorecard self-assessment is completed and reported by all operating companies twice per annum. The scorecard assesses 
compliance with Group policies and procedures.

Financial monitoring includes comparing actual results with the forecast and prior year position on a monthly and year-to-date basis. Significant 
variances are highlighted to Directors on a timely basis, allowing appropriate action to be taken.

Assurance activities
We obtain a wide range of assurance to provide comfort to management and the Board that our controls are providing adequate protection 
from risk and are operating as we would expect. Following the Board and Committee structure set out on page 80, various internal and 
external sources of assurance report to the Board and management. These are principally external audit, internal audit, EHS audits, intellectual 
property audits, engineering audits, procurement audits, IT audits, legal audits and production system lean audits. 

The various audit teams plan their activities on a risk basis, ensuring resources are directed at the areas of greatest need. Issues and 
recommendations to enhance controls are reported to management to ensure timely action can be taken, with oversight provided from the 
relevant governance committees, including the Audit Committee and the Excellence Committees.

Ethical and cultural environment
We are committed to doing business at all times in an ethical and transparent manner. This is supported by the Weir values which are the core 
behaviours we expect our people to live by in their working lives. The Weir Code of Conduct also contributes to our culture, providing a high 
benchmark by which we expect our business to be conducted. Any examples of unethical behaviour are dealt with robustly and promptly.  
The Ethics section within the Sustainability Review on page 68 provides more details on the Group’s activities to promote ethical behaviour.

The Group’s internal control procedures described on page 92 of the Audit Committee Report do not cover joint venture interests. We have 
Board representation on each of our joint venture companies where separate, albeit similar, internal control frameworks have been adopted.

84

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

Remuneration
Details of the Company’s Remuneration Committee, including its roles, responsibilities and members are contained within the Remuneration 
Report on pages 95 to 117. The Remuneration Report also details the Company’s remuneration policy and the remuneration received by 
Directors in 2015.

Relations with shareholders
The Board recognises the importance of establishing and maintaining good relationships with all of the Company’s shareholders. The Company’s 
investor relations programme includes formal presentations of full year and interim results and meetings with individual investors. Through this 
programme, the Company has directly engaged with 422 investors in 2015 either face-to-face or via telephone or video-conferencing. Other 
areas where the Company engages with shareholders include attendance at investor conferences held by the financial community and 
roadshows and Investor Relations events held by the Company, of which there were 25 during the year held in Canada, France, Germany, 
Sweden, the UK and the USA.

The Company holds an annual capital markets day, which in 2015 was held in London in June. This event allows shareholders to meet the 
broader management team and to gain a more in-depth understanding of one business or one aspect of the business. The capital markets  
day this year focused on progress in Weir’s Oil & Gas division.

During the period under review, the Chief Executive, Finance Director, Chairman and Remuneration Committee Chairman have met or had 
contact with analysts and institutional shareholders to keep them informed of significant developments and report to the Board accordingly  
on the views of these stakeholders. Each of the other Non-Executive Directors is also offered the opportunity to attend meetings with major 
shareholders and would do so if requested by any major shareholder.

Our brokers, Goldman Sachs International and UBS, and public relation advisers undertake investor roadshow feedback which is shared with 
the Board. The Company Secretary is also charged with bringing to the attention of the Board any material matters of concern raised by the 
Company’s shareholders.

The primary means of communicating with the Company’s shareholders are the Weir Group’s Annual Report and Financial Statements and the 
Interim Report. Both are available on the Company’s website and the Annual Report is posted out to all shareholders who elect to receive it. 
Copies are available upon request to the Company Secretary.

The Board recognises the importance of the internet as a means of communicating widely, quickly and cost-effectively and a Group website  
is maintained to facilitate communications with shareholders. As well as the Interim and Annual Report, the website contains information on 
the business of the Company and corporate governance, all Group press releases and Company news, key dates in the financial calendar and 
other important shareholder information. The terms of reference for the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees can also be found 
on the website.

The Board is committed to the constructive use of the Annual General Meeting as a forum to meet with shareholders and to hear their views 
and answer their questions about the Group and its business. The 2016 AGM is to be held on Thursday 28 April 2016. Together with the rest  
of the Board, the Chairmen of the Remuneration, Nomination and Audit Committees will be available to answer questions relevant to the work 
of the Board and the Committees. It is the Company’s practice to propose separate resolutions on each substantive issue at the AGM. Details 
on proxy voting will be contained in the proxy form and the Notice of Meeting sent to shareholders. Electronic proxy voting is available and 
details of this are also included in the Notice of Meeting.

ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS DURING 2015
We recognise the value of engaging our stakeholders – their opinion and perspective enhances our approach to both managing risk and 
identifying opportunities for business growth.

Engaging with stakeholders

Employees

Investors

Communities

Suppliers and customers

Code of Conduct
Global intranet
Formalised staff meetings  
(‘Town Halls’)
Net Promoter® surveys
Personal Development Plans
Training programmes
Weir University  
(e-learning facility)
Social media

Calls and face-to-face meetings
AGM
Reports and announcements
Website
Roadshows
Capital Markets Day
Investor Relations app  
for mobile devices
Social media 

Fundraising events
Sponsorship
Partnerships with educational 
institutes
Trainee and mentorship 
programmes
Volunteering
Armed Forces Covenant
Social media

Face-to-face meetings
Weir customer experience 
programme
Global supplier scorecard for 
strategic suppliers
Code of Conduct
ISO 14001 certification
Trade shows and industry events
Social media

Government  
and regulators

Consultation responses
Commissioning of reports
Face-to-face meetings
Visits to sites
Briefing papers
Industry events

85

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Nomination Committee Report

CHARLES BERRY
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

CURRENT MEMBERS:
Charles Berry
Keith Cochrane
Melanie Gee
Rick Menell
John Mogford

ROLE OF NOMINATION COMMITTEE
The Committee has responsibility for considering the size, structure and composition of the Board of the Company, for reviewing Director  
and senior management succession plans, retirements and appointments of additional and replacement Directors and making appropriate 
recommendations so as to maintain an appropriate balance of skills and experience on the Board. 

TERMS OF REFERENCE 
The terms of reference of the Committee are reviewed annually by the Committee and then by the Board. The terms of reference are available 
on the Company’s website at www.corporategovernance.weir.

The Committee was evaluated as part of the 2015 Board evaluation process, which was undertaken internally, and it was concluded that  
the Nomination Committee continues to operate effectively in line with good corporate governance. There were no specific areas for 
improvement highlighted. 

MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE
The Nomination Committee is currently made up of three independent Non-Executive Directors in addition to the Chief Executive and myself 
as Chairman. Senior members of management and advisers are invited to attend meetings as appropriate. Lord Robertson retired from the 
Committee in January 2015 when he retired as a Non-Executive Director of the Company. Melanie Gee was appointed to the Committee in 
June 2015.

There were five scheduled meetings held during the year. Details of the attendance of the members of the Committee for the 52 weeks to 
1 January 2016 are contained in the table below.

Members

Member since

Maximum number of meetings

Number of meetings attended

Percentage of meetings attended

Charles Berry (Chairman)
Keith Cochrane
Melanie Gee
Rick Menell
John Mogford
Lord Robertson1

1 January 2014
2 November 2009
18 June 2015
14 June 2012
21 January 2014
1 February 2004

5
5
3
5
5
–

5
5
3
5
5
–

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
–

Note
1.  Lord Robertson retired from the Committee on 31 January 2015 and there were no Committee meetings held between 3 January 2015 and this date.

I do not chair Committee meetings when the matters under consideration relate to me or my position. Similarly, should a matter under 
discussion relate to any of the other Committee members, they would excuse themselves from the meeting. 

MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE DURING 2015
Succession planning
During the year, the Committee continued to give significant meeting time and focus to succession planning at both Board and Group 
Executive level. During the year, the Director of Human Resources presented her annual review on succession planning within the Group.  
As part of this, she provided details of senior executive succession planning, containing information on ongoing or proposed talent 
development, the methods for identifying and cultivating potential internal candidates, and the balance of internal and external recruiting  
for the most senior positions. 

86

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015 
II: Corporate Governance

Board appointments
The Committee has established a process for Board appointments that it considers to be formal, rigorous and transparent and involves the use 
of external executive recruitment agencies. This process includes drawing up a description of the role and capabilities required for the particular 
appointment, together with a review of the skills, knowledge and experience of the existing Directors. The existing balance of the Board and 
the time commitment required are also taken into consideration when assessing candidates.

During the year a review of the current composition of the Board was undertaken and it was recommended that a new Executive Director 
position of Chief Operating Officer be created. The Committee supported the establishment of this new role and the Board approved the 
establishment of the Chief Operating Officer position and the appointment of Dean Jenkins to it in July 2015. 

During the year, the Committee reviewed each of the members of the Board, taking into account the findings of the 2015 Annual Board 
Evaluation exercise which had been considered by the Board at its January 2016 meeting. The Committee confirmed its support for  
the election of Dean Jenkins, and for the re-election of all other members of the Board, at the Company’s forthcoming 2016 Annual  
General Meeting. 

A formal search process was also undertaken in 2015 to recruit a new General Counsel and Company Secretary to succeed Keith Ruddock, 
who retired from the Company in December 2015. The Company engaged an external search consultancy, Spencer Stuart, to identify  
a successor. Spencer Stuart has no other connection with the Company. At present the search for a successor is ongoing. In the interim,  
Andrew Neilson, Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs, was appointed Company Secretary and Christopher Morgan, Deputy General 
Counsel, was appointed Acting General Counsel.

Committee appointments
When considering appointments to Board Committees, the Nomination Committee reviews the composition of the Committee to ensure  
its continuing compliance with the recommendations made in the UK Corporate Governance Code. We recommended two Committee 
appointments during the year. 

Alan Ferguson was appointed as a member of the Remuneration Committee with effect from 1 February 2015 replacing Lord Robertson  
who had retired as a Non-Executive Director. This resulted in the Committee maintaining its membership of four Non-Executive Directors.  
In addition, following the retirement of Lord Robertson and his subsequent resignation from the Nomination Committee, Melanie Gee was 
appointed to the Committee in June 2015 to maintain the level of members at five. 

INDEPENDENCE
The Nomination Committee reviewed and confirmed the independence of all Non-Executive Directors. The continued service as Directors  
for both Rick Menell and John Mogford was specifically reviewed, in light of their respective lengths of service, as noted in the Corporate 
Governance Report on page 81. It was concluded that the Board still considered all of its Non-Executive Directors to be independent in 
character and judgement. 

Processes are in place to identify any business relationships held by Non-Executive Directors or additional directorships or significant links with 
other Directors through involvement in other companies or bodies which may be of relevance in determining the independence of a Non-Executive 
Director. The Nomination Committee is satisfied that all Non-Executive Directors continue to be independent in character and judgement and that 
there are no relationships or circumstances which are likely to affect, or could appear to affect, the Directors’ judgement.

BOARD DIVERSITY
The considerations to be taken into account in each appointment to the Board are stipulated in the terms of reference of the Nomination 
Committee. Specifically, the Nomination Committee must consider candidates on merit and against objective criteria, and with due regard  
for the benefits of diversity on the Board, including gender, in identifying and recommending candidates. The Nomination Committee 
recommends appointments to the Board based on the existing balance of skills, knowledge and experience on the Board, on the merits  
and capabilities of the nominee and on the time they are able to devote to the role in order to promote the success of the Company. 

The Board acknowledges the benefits a diverse pool of talent can bring to a boardroom. Among other things, a diverse board encompasses 
diversity of experience, social background, education and training, life skills and personal attributes, as well as differences in age, nationality, 
race and gender. The Board approved a policy with respect to Board diversity at its meeting in January 2014 and the Nomination Committee 
has operated under and reported against this policy from this date. 

The recent focus on Board diversity has centred on gender and the Board aspires to maintain a significant level of female representation on the 
Board. At the end of the financial year, two of the ten Board members of the Company were female (20%). The Board will continue to consider 
its policy with respect to Board diversity on future appointments but will not place a higher regard for one form of diversity over any other.  
The appropriate composition of the Board as a whole with regard to the size and activity of the Company will be taken into account at all times.

CHARLES BERRY
On behalf of the Nomination Committee
24 February 2016

87

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIII 
Corporate Governance

Audit Committee Report

ALAN FERGUSON
Chairman of the Audit Committee

CURRENT MEMBERS:
Alan Ferguson 
Melanie Gee
Sir Jim McDonald
John Mogford

INTRODUCTION
As Chairman of the Audit Committee, I am pleased to present our report to shareholders in accordance with the 2014 UK Corporate Governance 
Code (the ‘2014 Code’). The 2014 Code was issued by the Financial Reporting Council in September 2014 and became effective this year. 
Through this report, I hope we will demonstrate how we have responded to the new requirements, as well as our commitment, as an Audit 
Committee, to our responsibilities under the Code and how we have discharged them effectively during the year. 

KEY OBJECTIVE
Our key objective is to provide effective governance over the appropriateness of the Group’s financial reporting. We do this by focusing on, 
amongst other things:
 – the adequacy of accounting policies, practices and disclosures;
 – the performance of both the internal audit function and the external auditor; and
 – oversight of the Group’s systems of internal control, framework for identification and management of business risks and related  

assurance activities. 

MEMBERSHIP
I chair the Committee with the current members being Melanie Gee, Sir Jim McDonald and John Mogford, all of whom are independent 
Non-Executive Directors and have been members of the Committee for the full year and to the date of this report.

The Committee members have, through their other business activities, significant experience in financial matters. They have been selected 
with the aim of providing the wide range of financial and commercial expertise necessary to fulfil our responsibilities and in doing so we meet 
the Code requirement that at least one member has recent and relevant financial experience. Summary biographies have been presented on 
pages 72 and 73.

RESPONSIBILITIES
As a Committee, we are responsible for:
 – reviewing the announcements of the Group’s financial results, including the Interim Report and Annual Report and Financial Statements, 

and monitoring compliance with relevant statutory and Listing Rules requirements;

 – reporting to the Board on the appropriateness of the Group’s accounting policies and practices, including critical accounting policies and 

those judgements and estimates with the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements;

 – advising the Board on whether the Committee believes that the processes underlying the compilation of the Annual Report and Financial 
Statements are robust and supportive of the assertion reached by the Board that the document, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s performance, business model and strategy;

 – advising the Board on the appropriateness of adoption of the going concern basis of accounting and consideration of any material 

uncertainties which might impact the Group’s ability to continue to do so over a period of at least 12 months from the date of approval  
of the financial statements;

 – reviewing the process and financial modelling underpinning the Board’s Viability Statement, including linkage to the principal risks identified 
by the Board as having the greatest impact on longer-term viability, key assumptions and debt facility and covenant headroom calculations 
under stress-test scenarios;

 – overseeing the relationship with the external auditor, covering their appointment, assessment of audit quality, effectiveness and 

independence, as well as the negotiation and agreement of fees;

 – reviewing and approving the remit of the Internal Audit function, ensuring its independence and that there are the necessary resources and 

access to information available in order for it to fulfil its mandate; 

 – reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s systems for financial control, financial reporting and risk management, incorporating a review  

of reports on any significant frauds, misappropriation of assets or unethical behaviour;

 – oversight of the Anti-Bribery & Corruption (AB&C) programme and providing input to the Board on ethics compliance; and
 – reviewing treasury policy including foreign exchange exposure.

The terms of reference can be found on the Group’s website, www.corporategovernance.weir.

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COMMITTEE EVALUATION
The Committee was subject to an internal self evaluation process in 2015, via the completion of a detailed survey by each Committee member. 
This follows the triennial process conducted externally by Independent Board Review during 2014. The evaluation concluded that the Committee 
was performing well and it receives well-presented papers and good reports from management and internal audit. No significant areas of concern 
were noted. As an area of focus it was noted that each year we should look at our plan of activity in light of the changes to our business or risk 
environment in that period. 

MEETINGS
We met six times during the period. Each Committee meeting takes place prior to a Board meeting, during which I provide a report on  
our activities. 

There is at least one meeting each year when we meet with each of the Head of Internal Audit and the external auditors separately, without 
any executive management present. This provides us with the opportunity for any issues of concern to be raised by, or with, the auditors. 

We have the ability to call on Group employees to assist in our work and to obtain any information required from Executive Directors in order  
to carry out our roles and duties. We are also able to obtain outside legal or independent professional advice if required. 

The table below details the Board members and members of senior management who were invited to attend meetings as appropriate during 
the calendar year. In addition, Ernst & Young LLP (EY) attended the meetings as auditors to the Group by invitation.

Audit Committee attendees

Charles Berry

Keith Cochrane

Jon Stanton

Rick Menell (Jan 15 only)

Keith Ruddock (to Feb 15)

Chairman

Chief Executive

Finance Director

Non-Executive Director

Attends by invitation

Attends by invitation

Attends by invitation

Attended by invitation

Group General Counsel & Company Secretary 

Attended as Secretary to the Committee

Christopher Morgan (from Feb 15)

Acting General Counsel

Attends as Secretary to the Committee

Lindsay Dixon

Brian Gibson (to Nov 15)

David Kyles (from Dec 15)

Group Financial Controller

Head of Internal Audit

Head of Internal Audit

Attends by invitation

Attended by invitation

Attends by invitation

The Committee members’ attendance at the meetings held during the calendar year is summarised in the table below.

Members

Member since

Maximum number of meetings

Number of meetings attended

Percentage of meetings attended

Alan Ferguson (Chairman)
Melanie Gee
Sir Jim McDonald
John Mogford

13 December 2011
4 May 2011
1 January 2015
1 August 2008

6
6
6
6

6
6
6
6

100%
100%
100%
100%

MAIN ACTIVITIES 
Over the course of the period since the last Annual Report, our work was focused in the following areas:
(i)  financial reporting;
(ii)  internal control and risk management; 
(iii) internal audit; and
(iv) external audit.

The following sections provide more detail on our specific items of focus under each of these headings, explaining the work we, as a Committee, 
have undertaken and the results of that work.

(i)  Financial reporting
Our principal responsibility in this area is the review and challenge, where necessary, of the actions and judgements of management in relation 
to the half year and annual financial statements before submission to the Board, paying particular attention to:
 – critical accounting policies and practices, and any changes therein;
 – decisions requiring significant judgements and estimates, or where there has been discussion with the external auditor;
 – the existence of any adjustments resulting from the audit;
 – the clarity of the disclosures and compliance with accounting standards and relevant financial and governance reporting requirements, 
including an assessment of adoption of the going concern basis of accounting, extended in the current year to include a review of the 
process and financial modelling underpinning the Group’s Viability Statement; and

 – the processes surrounding the compilation of the Annual Report and Financial Statements with regard to fair, balanced and understandable.

We received formal reports from the Finance Director and the external auditor, summarising the main discussion points for both the half year 
and full year reporting and explored these in detail at our meetings in January, February and July.

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Audit Committee Report continued

MAIN ACTIVITIES CONTINUED
(i)  Financial reporting continued
The significant financial reporting issues discussed in the current year are summarised below.

Current period matters
(1) Exceptional items – restructuring costs – note 5
The Committee’s work in respect of restructuring costs has covered the different components of the charge in relation to (i) Group-wide 
efficiency review; (ii) Oil & Gas downturn actions; and (iii) other Group restructuring activities. 

Full discussion of these restructuring programmes, related charges and cash flows can be found in the Financial Review on page 43.

The members of the Audit Committee are party to discussions at Board level in relation to major restructuring activities but we have also 
received detailed reporting from the Finance Director covering the following aspects: (i) costs by initiative, by division; (ii) accounting treatment 
adopted in relation to recognition of provisions and impairments; and (iii) disclosure of the amounts and related narrative reporting. Work of  
a similar nature to that performed in 2014 has been completed, which focused on probing management to understand and confirm that the 
requirements of IAS 37 ‘Provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets’ have been met. Specific consideration was given to the asset 
utilisations used in the calculation of PPE impairments, the nature of inventory being impaired and the components of cash restructuring costs. 
We have also received reporting from EY that confirms management’s treatment as appropriate. Furthermore, we considered the nature of 
these costs in light of the Group’s accounting policy for exceptional items. The Committee agrees with the accounting treatment and 
disclosure of these items in the 2015 Annual Report.

(2) Exceptional items – impairment of intangible assets – notes 5 and 14
At least once every year, as required, management undertakes a detailed, formal impairment review of goodwill and other intangible assets 
and reports to the Audit Committee. The most significant judgements are in setting the assumptions underpinning the calculation of the value 
in use of the cash generating units (CGUs), specifically the achievability of the long-term business plan and macroeconomic assumptions 
underlying the valuation process. In the current year, and as a direct result of the prolonged downturn facing oil and gas markets, specific focus 
has been given to the basis of the assumptions underpinning the business plans of the Pressure Control and Pressure Pumping CGUs, as well 
as supplementary analysis comparing forecasts for future years to historic actuals as a basis for determining the extent of market recovery 
embedded in the projections. In addition, consideration has been given to the long-term growth rates and discount rates used in the cash  
flow models for all the CGUs. Business plans and budgets were Board approved and underpin the cash flow forecasts.

Specifically in relation to Pressure Control, we have discussed the cash flow forecasts underpinning the impairment test with management  
to understand the main assumptions around macroeconomic factors, volume/price effect and any strategic initiatives. We agreed that the 
assumption of an average oil price of around US$45 a barrel, and consequent activity levels, enduring for the next two years with a gradual pick 
up in year three and measured return to more ‘normal’ levels thereafter is the most appropriate one given what we know today. Consideration 
was given to the definition of ‘normal’ in this context and it was agreed reasonable to assume that the peaks for this business seen most 
recently in 2012 do not recur. On that basis, we agree with the best estimate impairment charge of £225m of the Pressure Control CGU and 
concur with its allocation against goodwill, reducing that to nil, with the balance allocated on a pro-rata basis across other intangible assets. 

With regard to Pressure Pumping, this business is more mature and had significant levels of headroom between net asset value and discounted 
cash flows going into the current market downturn and at the end of the prior year. Management have included in their reporting to us the stress 
test scenarios that have been applied and we agreed, following a detailed review, that no impairment charge is required. Although the Weir 
Gabbioneta CGU is an Oil & Gas business, its focus is on downstream operations and so it is not being as adversely impacted by the current 
market downturn. However a sensitivity analysis has been undertaken by management and we agreed that no impairment charge is required.

We also challenged management on the key assumptions underpinning the calculation of the assessed impairment of £26m recorded against 
goodwill held in two of the ‘Other CGUs’ and agreed with their conclusion.

Finally, we have reviewed the disclosures in the financial statements and agree with the reporting of the impairment charge as an exceptional 
item and the related narrative provided in note 14. 

(3) Accounting for the acquisition of Delta Industrial Valves Inc. (Delta Valves) – note 13
The specific items we have discussed and reviewed with management and the external auditors in relation to the acquisition of Delta Valves 
(for an enterprise value of US$46m) were: (a) the Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) exercise to attribute provisional fair values to separately 
identifiable intangible assets and the related accounting for deferred tax; (b) the assessment of provisional acquisition fair values of other 
assets and liabilities; and (c) compliance of the disclosures in the financial statements with IFRS 3, ‘Business Combinations’.

In line with the Group’s policy, which is based on the value of acquisition consideration, management completed the PPA exercise internally and 
reported a summary of the underpinning assumptions and related results to us. We reviewed that summary and also compared the assumptions 
used to those for other recent acquisitions where appropriate. The accounting for deferred tax has included technical input from the Group Head 
of Tax. We examined the nature and extent of provisional fair value adjustments to other assets and liabilities noting a rigorous process was 
being undertaken and would be finalised, as required by IFRS 3, in 2016. Finally, we challenged management on the completeness of the related 
disclosures and satisfied ourselves that they were complete, accurate, understandable and compliant with IFRS 3.

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Recurring agenda items
(1) Accounting for pensions – note 24
We have examined these disclosures and we are satisfied they are complete and accurate. In reaching this conclusion, we have challenged 
management on the key assumptions underpinning the valuation, taking assurance from the fact that external advice is taken by them. During 
the current year, we gave specific consideration to the additional disclosure provided by management summarising the implementation of an 
Asset Backed Funding (ABF) arrangement in respect of the main UK plan. We consider that these disclosures enable users of the financial 
statements to better understand the risk and impact of the agreed future contributions on the Group.

(2) Tax charge and provisioning – note 7
The Audit Committee receives a detailed report from the Finance Director every six months, which covers the following key areas: (i) status of on-going 
enquiries and tax audits with local tax authorities; (ii) the Group’s effective tax rate for the current year; and (iii) the level of provisioning for known and potential 
liabilities, including significant movements on the prior period. In addition, the Committee takes comfort from the presentation to the main Board on tax 
strategy and risk, given by the Group Head of Tax, every year. A summary of the Group’s tax policy is provided in the Financial Review on page 46. In light of 
the continued focus on tax transparency, we have specifically considered the disclosures in the Financial Review and in note 7, in particular the narrative 
in respect of the reconciliation of tax, sustainability of the effective tax rate and the processes in place, designed to manage tax risk and uncertain tax positions. 
Based on the work we have undertaken, we are satisfied that the position presented in these financial statements is appropriate and understandable. 

(3) Accounting for provisions – note 22
Total provisions on the Group Balance Sheet are £117m (2014: £113m) at the end of the period with the breakdown by category presented  
in note 22. The focus of the Audit Committee was on the restructuring provision, and the linkage to the exceptional charges recorded in the 
Income Statement, and the employee-related provision, specifically the element relating to US asbestos-related claims.

The Committee’s work in relation to the exceptional items is discussed in a previous section of this report. With regard to the US asbestos-related 
provision, our review and challenge was centred on gaining an understanding of: (i) the claims and settlement assumptions that underpin the 
discounted cash flow model and their relation to recent historic experience; (ii) the position with regard to insurance cover available; and (iii) the 
adequacy and transparency of the disclosures in note 22.

As explained in the Financial Review on page 48, the actual experience over the year has been broadly in line with the assumptions underpinning 
the liability assessment such that no change in the basis of provisioning is required. Furthermore, the liability and matching receivable in respect 
of insurance proceeds remain supportable and appropriate at the balance sheet date. 

We have challenged management on the assumptions underpinning the liability assessment and agree that, given the inherent uncertainty 
associated with estimating future costs in respect of asbestos-related diseases, the current approach is appropriate. Given the insurance 
position, it was also appropriate to record a matching receivable. 

With regard to provisions in overall terms, we have examined the other key movements between the opening and closing provision balances 
and challenged management on the commercial drivers which caused them. We have also examined, through discussion and updates provided 
by the Group General Counsel (where it is relevant to do so based on the nature of the provision), the appropriateness of the closing positions. 
Nothing arose from our work that gave the Committee any concern.

(4) Valuation of inventory – note 16
Given the continued challenges facing oil and gas markets, the Committee has retained ‘valuation of inventory’ as a critical judgment area for 
its specific consideration. Reporting has been received from management for the Committee’s review and challenge, which focused on the 
business drivers behind movements in both the gross inventory and slow moving and absolute inventory provision balances on the prior year. 
As in the prior year, specific consideration was given to inventory holdings in Oil & Gas, covering matters which included the efficiency of 
inventory reduction initiatives and the extent of forward purchase commitments. Based on the information provided, we concluded that 
management action had been effective and that the level of provisioning was appropriate. 

In our 2014 report to shareholders, we reported on our work in relation to the contingent liability associated with the claim made by Philippines 
Gold Processing & Refining Corporation. The case has been settled in the Group’s favour and brief narrative disclosure included in the financial 
statements to that effect. On that basis, the Committee did not undertake specific work on this item in the current year, relying solely on Board 
reporting from the Group General Counsel.

Fair, balanced and understandable
The Audit Committee has reviewed the contents of this year’s Annual Report and Financial Statements and the process that has been followed 
in the preparation of the document. With regard to the latter, the Committee received a report from management summarising the detailed 
approach that had been taken which covered, but was not limited to, the following:
 – involvement of a cross section of management across the organisation, including the Group Executive, Group Communications, Group 

Finance (including Group Tax and Group Treasury) and Company Secretariat;

 – input and advice from appropriate external advisers, including the Company’s brokers and PR agency;
 – use of available disclosure checklists for both Corporate Governance and financial statement reporting;
 – regular research to identify emerging practice and guidance from relevant regulatory bodies;
 – regular weekly meetings of the Disclosure Committee (from December to February inclusive), which comprises the key contributors  

to the document, during which specific consideration was given to the fair, balanced and understandable assertion; and

 – use of two cold readers: one an employee and member of the Senior Management Group, and the other an external, independent proofreader.

During the current year, specific focus was given to the new requirements of the 2014 Code and the related reporting across the entire Annual 
Report and Accounts. The successful completion of this work has been reported to the Board.

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Audit Committee Report continued

MAIN ACTIVITIES CONTINUED
Viability Statement
In the current year, the remit of the Committee was extended to include a review of the work undertaken by management to underpin the Group’s 
Viability Statement. The ultimate responsibility for the determination of the period of assessment, and for the review and approval of the principal 
risks taken into consideration in assessing the Group’s viability rests with the Board. Our remit, as delegated by the Board, was to review the 
underlying processes and key assumptions and report to the Board accordingly. 

We fulfilled our responsibilities in this area through the review and discussion of reporting received from management, which covered the 
following areas:
 – summary of the underlying principles as agreed by the Board;
 – overview of the construct of the financial model and base case data underpinning the sensitivity and stress-test scenarios;
 – results of financial modelling which reflected the crystallisation of those principal risks identified by the Board as having the greatest 
potential impact on the Group’s viability, both individually and when taken together in a severe but plausible stress-test scenario;

 – extent of mitigating actions included in the financial modelling, relative to the population of such actions that had been identified as within 

the control of management and the Board;

 – covenant calculations and assessment of facility headroom in each of the downside and stress-test scenarios; and
 – rationale in support of the long-term viability of the Group.

The successful completion of this work has been reported to the Board. The Group’s Viability Statement is reported on page 29, within the 
section on Principal risks and uncertainties.

(ii) Internal control and risk management
Our role with regard to risk management has been delegated by the Board and is to review the effectiveness of the Group’s risk and internal 
control frameworks. Overall responsibility for the Group’s risk management and internal control frameworks, and strategic decisions within the 
Group, rests with the Board.

During the year, we reviewed the process by which the Group evaluated its internal control environment. Our work in this area was supported 
by reporting from the Head of Internal Audit on the results of the programme of audit visits undertaken; the overall assessment of the internal 
control environment; and in addition, reporting, either verbal or written, from senior management covering any investigations into known or 
suspected fraudulent activities, including assertions of such via the Group’s whistleblowing arrangements, is reviewed. 

The Committee also receives regular reporting on the Group’s compliance related activities from the Group General Counsel and Company 
Secretary and Head of Internal Audit. 

Since the last Annual Report and Financial Statements, there have been presentations from each of the three Divisional Finance Directors 
(DFDs), which included a review of the divisional risk dashboards, the significant findings from the internal audit visits and the Compliance 
Scorecard process over the last 12 months, as well as an overview of their divisional finance teams. Focus is given to the strength and depth  
of the finance team’s capability, the quality and efficiency of responses to findings of Internal Audit visits including whether learning has been 
shared more widely across the Group to mitigate the risk of recurrence and share good practices and the quality of the discussion around 
divisional risk dashboards. 

The Compliance Scorecard is a control mechanism whereby each operating company undertakes a self-assessment every six months of their 
compliance with Group policies and procedures, including key internal controls across a range of categories including finance, Anti-Bribery & 
Corruption, tax, treasury, Trade & Customs, HR, IT and legal. As far as the elements relating to finance are concerned, these cover (but are not 
limited to) management accounts and financial reporting, balance sheet controls, employee costs and other financial policies. 

The approach to Compliance Scorecard reporting was refreshed during the year with management being required to score their submissions 
using stricter criteria than previously, with reference to specific guidance provided by Internal Audit and on the basis of more robust relevant 
testing. The outcome of this refreshed approach has been a more consistent methodology underpinning testing and scoring which should 
provide a clearer benchmark against which to compare businesses and measure improvement actions going forward. Furthermore, to improve 
assurance activities around cyber risk, amongst other objectives, management were requested to self assess against a Maturity Model 
provided by the Group IS Excellence Committee in 2015. The purpose of this was to develop an improved view of the Group’s cyber security 
risk landscape and allow the prioritisation of risk areas for review and remediation. 

Operating companies are required to retain evidence of their testing in support of their self-assessment responses. Internal Audit then has 
responsibility for confirming the self-assessment during planned visits. Any significant variances are reported to local, divisional and Group 
management. Any companies reporting lower levels of compliance are required to prepare improvement plans to demonstrate how they will 
improve over a reasonable period of time. The overall compliance scores (in percent) are tracked over time and reported to the Audit Committee 
twice a year with the Committee paying particular attention to the variances between self-assessed and Internal Audit assessed scores as well 
as trends and the performance of newly acquired companies. 

(iii)  Internal audit
One of the main duties of the Committee is to review the annual Internal Audit programme and ensure that the internal audit function is adequately 
resourced, effective (which includes assessing the independence of the function) and has appropriate standing within the Company. As far as 
the scope of the Internal Audit programme is concerned, the aim is to carry out visits to each operating company in the Group on a periodic, 
rotational basis. A risk-based approach is taken when deciding which businesses to audit and the scope of each audit. The factors considered 
are, amongst other things, the volatility of end markets, critical system or senior management changes in the period, financial results, the timing 
of the most recent Internal Audit visit and any other assurance reviews undertaken, and whether the business is a recent acquisition. In addition, 

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The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

the emergence of any common themes or trends in the findings of recent internal audits or Compliance Scorecard submissions (see previous 
section) is taken into consideration. As part of the annual plan, Anti-Bribery & Corruption reviews are undertaken, focusing on areas such as 
relationships with agents, accounting for employee expenses and corporate hospitality/gifts.

The Internal Audit Plan is reviewed in detail and approved by the Committee each year. Twice annually the Head of Internal Audit reports on 
audit activities, progress against the plan and the results of audit visits with particular focus on high priority findings and the action plans, 
including management responses, to address these areas. 

Private discussions between myself and the Head of Internal Audit are held during the year and once a year with the full Committee. I also 
receive copies of all internal audit reports issued during the year.

In November 2015 the Head of Internal Audit transitioned to a Finance Director role within the business and his replacement, who I interviewed 
as part of my role in the recruitment process, has been appointed and commenced work at the start of December 2015.

(iv)  External audit
Auditor choice, tenure, tendering and reappointment
The Committee considers the reappointment of the external auditor, including rotation of the audit partner, each year. The external auditor is 
required to rotate the audit partner responsible for the Group audit every five years and the current lead audit partner has been in place for four 
years, including 2015. EY, or its predecessor firms, has been the Company’s external auditor since prior to its stock market listing in 1946. 

We had previously decided that we would undertake a tender, at the latest for the 2017 year end audit. Following a discussion on the pros  
and cons of undertaking a tender during 2015/16 or 2016/17, we announced in our interim report in July 2015 that we had commenced a tender 
process to select a new external auditor, with the intention of making an appointment effective for the 2016 audit. A Tender Panel has been 
established, which consists of all members of the Audit Committee as well as the Group Finance Director and Group Financial Controller.  
The process, and ultimate appointment, of a new external auditor is being conducted in accordance with guidance provided by the European 
Commission and the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), and is viewed by the Committee as being in the best interests of shareholders. 
There are no contractual obligations restricting the Group’s choice of external auditor.

The tender process has been a particular focus of the Committee over the second half of 2015 and to the date of this report, the following 
aspects of which have been completed:

 – preliminary discussions with a number of firms to determine those to be invited to an initial, pre-qualification phase;
 – completion of the pre-qualification phase during which the focus was on identification of the Group audit partner teams and of any matters 
to be addressed to ensure auditor independence, in line with current regulations. The outcome of this phase was the decision as to which 
of the firms would continue to the final stages;

 – issuance of formal ‘Invitations to Tender’ to the remaining firms and finalisation of the planning to process completion; and
 – meetings with key overseas/divisional audit partners from firms.

The process is on schedule to complete at the start of April with an appointment being announced at the Company’s AGM on 28 April 2016. 
The final stages of the process will be the submission of formal proposals from the participating firms with each then formally presenting their 
proposition to the Tender Panel. Following the presentations, and based on a number of decision-making criteria including (i) audit quality and 
approach to communication with the business and the Committee; (ii) proposed service levels; (iii) the capability and competence of the audit 
partners, both at Head Office and at Divisional level; (iv) the audit approach of the firm and its focus on internal quality control procedures; and 
(v) value for money, the Tender Panel will make a decision regarding appointment of the successful firm for recommendation to the Board.

A resolution to appoint the new external auditors as the Company’s auditor will be put to the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Auditor effectiveness
The effectiveness of the external audit process is dependent on appropriate audit risk identification at the start of the audit cycle. EY present 
their detailed audit plan to us each year identifying their assessment of these key risks. For the current period, the significant risks identified 
were the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets, valuation of inventory, adequacy of liability provisioning, including provisions for  
legal obligations, exceptional items, the exposure to significant tax risks and revenue recognition due to the inherent management judgement 
required in all these areas. Revenue recognition was selected by EY as part of their work considering the risk of fraud or management override 
of internal controls. In respect of this area, the Audit Committee took comfort from the work of the auditors, where they have confirmed that 
there was nothing that had to be brought to our attention. In addition, the Committee derived assurance from the work of Internal Audit and  
the Compliance Scorecard process. Our work in each of the other risk areas identified by EY has been covered in detail earlier in this report.

Our assessment of the effectiveness and quality of the audit process in addressing these matters is formed by, amongst other things,  
a review of the reporting from the auditors to the Committee and also by seeking feedback from management on the effectiveness of the  
audit process. During the first half of the year, management issued a detailed questionnaire to every Finance Manager/Director and Divisional 
Finance Director to collect feedback on the 2014 audit process. This covered resource and expertise of the audit teams, quality of planning, 
execution and deliverables as well as an assessment of overall performance. Resultant themes and findings were discussed between 
ourselves, management and EY with both management and the auditors reporting to us on the actions being implemented in response.  
In addition, on a periodic basis, the Group Finance Director and Group Financial Controller meet with the overseas external audit teams.  
Overall management were satisfied that there had been appropriate focus and challenge on the primary areas of audit risk, although there  
are always some areas where improvements could be made, and assessed the quality of the audit process to be satisfactory. 

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Audit Committee Report continued

MAIN ACTIVITIES CONTINUED
(iv)  External audit continued
Auditor effectiveness continued
During the period, the FRC’s Audit Quality Review (AQR) team reviewed EY’s audit of the Group’s 2014 financial statements. We have 
discussed with EY the two principle findings, including discussion at our January 2016 meeting of the planned remedial actions and a follow  
up in February to confirm that those actions had been successfully completed.

The Committee holds private meetings with the external auditor each year to provide additional opportunity for open dialogue and feedback 
from the Committee and the auditor without management being present. Matters typically discussed include the auditor’s assessment of 
business risks and management activity thereon, the transparency and openness of interactions with management, confirmation that there  
has been no restriction in scope placed on them by management and how they have exercised professional scepticism. I also meet with the 
lead audit partner outside the formal committee process as necessary throughout the year.

Based on the input from management and discussions we have had with EY and key finance individuals and EY’s responsiveness to the AQR 
team’s findings, we are of the view that the quality of the audit process is satisfactory. 

Independence policy and non-audit services
The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment and role of the auditor. This includes keeping under review the auditor’s independence 
by issuing guidelines on any non-audit services that are to be provided by them. In addition, a formal policy exists which ensures that the 
nature of the advice to be provided could not impair the objectivity of the auditor’s opinion on the Group’s financial statements. All non-audit 
services require the approval of management and, where the expected cost of the service is in excess of £75,000, the approval of the Audit 
Committee. No changes have been made to the policy in the current year. The auditors confirm their independence at least annually.

Fees payable to EY in respect of audit and assurance services for 2015 of £1.8m (2014: £2.0m) were approved by the Committee after a review  
of the level and nature of work to be performed, including the impact of acquisitions, and after being satisfied by EY that the fees were appropriate 
for the scope of the work required.

Non-audit fee work conducted by EY over the past year for assurance services amounted to £0.1m, which represented 5% of the total fees, 
including audit fees, and were incurred primarily in relation to other assurance services. We are of the view that the level and nature of non-audit 
work does not compromise the independence of the external auditors.

Having considered the relationship with the existing independent auditor, their qualifications, expertise, resources and effectiveness,  
the Committee concluded that the existing external auditors remained independent and effective for the purposes of the 2015 year end. 

OUR FOCUS FOR 2015
In last year’s report we said that, in addition to our routine business we would increase our focus on risk assurance and progress audit tender 
plans. We have made good progress on risk assurance with increased activity by internal audit in this area being an indicator. As noted above, 
following a decision to tender the audit we have moved from the planning stage through to execution.

OUR FOCUS FOR 2016
A key focus for 2016 will be the successful completion of the external audit tender process and handover to the appointed firm. In addition,  
we will look to respond to the changes to the UK Corporate Governance Code and Guidance on Audit Committee’s which will come into effect 
in 2016 and I will spend time with the new Head of Internal Audit, to help ensure there is a seamless transition from his predecessor. 

ALAN FERGUSON
On behalf of the Audit Committee
24 February 2016

94

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015Remuneration Committee Report

MELANIE GEE
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

II: Corporate Governance

CURRENT MEMBERS:
Melanie Gee
Alan Ferguson
Mary Jo Jacobi
Rick Menell

DEAR SHAREHOLDER
As Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, I am pleased to present this 2015 Remuneration Report, incorporating our proposed Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy. 

In my introductory letter to the 2014 Directors’ Remuneration Report I highlighted the difficulties the Remuneration Committee experienced  
in setting challenging, yet motivating, targets for both the 2015 annual bonus and, in particular, our 2015 performance share awards, given the 
unprecedented end market environment for both our Oil & Gas and Minerals divisions. The challenges and predictability of our end markets 
have not improved during the course of the year. As a result, the Committee has conducted a detailed review of our Executive Director and 
senior management remuneration policy as we have questioned the effectiveness of our current remuneration arrangements from 
incentivisation, retention and alignment perspectives.

This letter sets out the changes we propose to our current remuneration policy for adoption at our 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 
order to seek to address the issues highlighted above. In summary, for all of our senior executives including Executive Directors, approximately 
260 individuals, we wish to have a cohesive team remuneration structure that comprises primarily annual bonus and restricted stock awards. 
Since 2014, this is the approach that we have used for about 75 of our US based executives. For Executive Directors and our most senior 
executives we will retain an element of performance share awards, but at a much lower level of grant. 

Shareholders will be invited to approve the proposed Directors’ Remuneration Policy at the Company’s AGM on 28 April 2016.

2015 REMUNERATION OUTCOMES
The salaries of the Chief Executive and the Finance Director increased by 3.4% on 1 April 2015, as previously disclosed. However, as part of 
the Group-wide cost cutting programme that followed in 2015, the Executive Directors and a large number of other individuals at Head Office 
waived 5% of their salaries from 1 August through to the year end.

The 2015 annual bonus had three performance metrics – 60% was based on the achievement of Normalised Profit Before Tax and Amortisation 
(NPBTA), 20% cash flow and 20% personal performance targets. Given the challenging market environment, the NPBTA and cash flow 
elements of the annual bonus have not paid out. The Committee reviewed personal performance of each of the Chief Executive and Finance 
Director against their respective individual performance objectives, which were set at the beginning of the year. All individual performance 
objectives were measurable and the Committee concluded that this 20% element has been satisfied in full. 

No performance or matching shares will vest in March 2016 under the 2013 LTIP awards, as the performance conditions required were not 
met. Awards were based on relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) and growth in Earnings per Share (EPS) performance conditions over the 
three year period to 31 December 2015. The Company’s TSR performance over the period was below median relative to the comparator group, 
this being the threshold vesting level, and EPS growth was also below the threshold level of 5% per annum.

In summary, this means that the total remuneration for the Chief Executive and Finance Director for 2015 was 27% and 23% less than in  
2014 respectively.

REMUNERATION STRUCTURE FOR 2016
During the year, the Committee has reviewed the remuneration policy for our top executives (approximately 260 individuals) including the 
Executive Directors. The objective of the review was to enhance the policy so that it could better respond to the uncertainty in our end 
markets, address retention concerns, incentivise executives and promote alignment to shareholders through exposure to equity.

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

The proposed remuneration policy for the Executive Directors in 2016 is summarised in the following chart:

Element

Annual Bonus

Restricted Share Awards

Performance Share Awards

Performance 
measures

Time horizon

NPBTA (40%)

Cash Flow (20%)

Order Input (20%)

Personal (20%)

70% paid 
after 
year end

None

EPS (33.3%)

ROCE (33.3%)

TSR (33.3%)

CEO

FD/
COO

Maximum 
opportunity

How it meets
objectives

30% deferred and released  
in thirds over 3 years

One-third vesting over years 3, 4 and 5

3 year vesting

2 year 
holding 
period

150% of salary (2015: 150%)

90% of salary (2015: 0%)

75% (2015: 250%)

125% of salary (2015: 125%)

80% of salary (2015: 0%)

45% (2015: 200%)

 –

 –

 Incentivises through use of  
annual targets
30% payment in shares gives alignment

 –
Promotes long-term alignment
 – Addresses retention concerns

 –

Incentives through longer-term 
performance

 – Alignment in requiring superior  

financial performance

This same structure will apply to members of the Group Executive, except that for the Group Executive, restricted share awards will cliff vest 
after three years, and performance share awards will not have a two year holding period as is in place for the Executive Directors.

For the management below the Group Executive, the structure cascades down with the following differences:
1.  Annual bonus – business and divisional measures will be used and there will be no deferral in shares;
2.  Restricted share awards – will vest pro rata over three years with no holding period replicating the payment schedule of the Executive 

Directors’ and the Group Executive’s deferred bonuses; and

3.  Performance share awards – will not typically be used for these individuals.

We will control fixed pay during 2016, but not at the risk of losing key management. Although the Executive Directors will not receive a salary 
increase on 1 April 2016, there will be a budget to award salary increases to other executives. Further, we are keeping to the principle that the 
pension provision for Executive Directors will remain the same as for other senior employees (at a maximum of 12% of salary).

Finally, we are seeking shareholder approval for an all employee Sharesave scheme so that our staff can also choose to have an exposure to 
the Company’s shares.

SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Committee welcomes the views of shareholders on remuneration on an ongoing basis. In 2015, the Committee consulted extensively with 
our largest shareholders on changes to our remuneration policy. We are grateful for the constructive input from a number of our shareholders 
and their representative bodies during the consultation. Within the UK market the Investment Association is leading a working group on the 
simplification of executive pay, which has not yet published its initial report. A consequence is that during our consultation we received a wide 
range of views both on simplification and the structure of long-term incentives and our proposals reflect a middle course based on the feedback 
received, whilst ensuring that the remuneration policy meets our objectives. It is therefore more complex than the views expressed by a number 
of our shareholders and we also recognise that we are one of the first companies to seek shareholder support for a restricted stock programme 
that applies to all executives. We support the drive for simplification and will keep our policy under review so that it responds to market and 
best practice developments as these emerge. 

We continue to value all shareholders’ views on our remuneration arrangements and I can be contacted via the Company Secretary. We look 
forward to receiving your support for our new proposals at our AGM.

MELANIE GEE
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

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Directors’ Remuneration Policy
DIRECTORS’ POLICY TABLE
The Group’s overarching remuneration policy is designed to ensure that remuneration supports the Group’s strategy and business objectives. 
The policy and practice have been developed to support the creation of value for shareholders, drive appropriate behaviours and incentivise 
outperformance, while being clearly linked to both individual and corporate performance. The Committee is mindful of a broad range of 
stakeholders in setting this policy and has considered best practice guidelines from shareholders and representative bodies. The Committee 
has adopted a set of principles that are used as the basis against which remuneration arrangements have been established.

The Group’s remuneration principles are that reward should enable the Group to:
 – attract, motivate and retain senior executives with the necessary abilities to manage and develop the Group’s activities successfully for the 

benefit of shareholders;

 – clearly align remuneration outcomes with the long-term interests of the Group and its shareholders;
 – drive appropriate behaviours that are in line with the culture of the Group and focus senior executives on the critical business objectives  

by rewarding them against challenging performance criteria; and

 – provide a significant part of potential reward through performance based incentive plans.

Subject to approval at the AGM, this policy is expected to apply for three years from 1 January 2016.

BASE SALARY

How the element supports our remuneration principles
The provision of a competitive base salary as part of an overall 
compensation package enables the Group to attract and retain 
talented leaders.

Maximum limit
It is expected that salary increases for Executive Directors will be made 
broadly in line with salary increases applied to UK employees or the 
relevant jurisdiction if an Executive Director is based outside the UK.

Operation
Reviewed annually with effect from 1 April. Set by reference to 
market practice for a similar role in a peer group of global companies 
of a similar size and complexity; personal performance; the wider 
employee context; and economic and labour market conditions.

Higher increases may apply if there is a change in role or responsibility, 
the individual is relatively new in role, or there is significant variance  
to the market. Any significant salary increases will be appropriately 
explained. The maximum salary level for each Executive Director  
is set by reference to a peer group of FTSE 51-150 companies and 
appropriate overseas comparators of similar size and complexity.

The Remuneration Committee has the discretion to change the  
peer group during the life of this policy if it is no longer  
considered appropriate.

Performance measures 
Not applicable.

Maximum limit
The value of relevant benefits will be determined by the cost of the 
provision of insured products. As the cost of providing such insurance 
benefits varies according to premium rates and the cost of other 
benefits is dependent on market rates and other factors, there is no 
formal maximum monetary value. Car allowance will normally be no 
greater than £20,000 per annum.

Executive Directors are eligible for a contribution into the pension plan 
or a cash allowance of up to 12% of salary per annum.

Performance measures
Not applicable.

BENEFITS AND PENSION 

How the element supports our remuneration principles
Executive Directors are given the same pension and benefit packages 
as other senior executives thus promoting the team ethos.

Operation 
Benefits include, but are not limited to: Group health care; car 
allowance; travel allowance; and death in service insurance.

The Company may also meet certain mobility costs and pay  
additional tax arising due to an international assignment, and may  
also provide for long term disability benefits. Additional benefits  
(and any associated tax) may be provided where required by 
legislation or to align the package with market practice where  
these are not significant in value.

Directors’ and Officers’ Liability insurance will also be provided.

Pension policy is aligned to senior individuals within the wider workforce.

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Directors’ Remuneration Policy continued
DIRECTORS’ POLICY TABLE CONTINUED
ANNUAL BONUS 

How the element supports our remuneration principles
To reward the achievement of stretching Group performance for the 
current year, supporting our strategy of delivering sustainable growth 
in our key markets.

Maximum limit
The maximum annual bonus is 150% of salary. Presently, the Chief 
Executive is eligible for this and for the other Executive Directors the 
maximum is 125% of salary.

Operation 
The annual bonus is based on annual performance against financial, 
personal and strategic goals.

All bonus metrics are calibrated with payment on a straight line basis 
between threshold (20% of maximum bonus payable) and stretch. 

Targets are set at the beginning of the performance year which runs 
from the start to the end of each financial period.

30% of any bonus is payable in shares subject to a restriction on sale, 
one third of which are released each year over a three year period. 
Executive Directors are entitled to vote such shares and to any 
dividends arising from the date of receipt. 

Malus and clawback applies under circumstances as set out in the 
notes to the policy table. 

LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN 2014 (LTIP)

How the element supports our remuneration principles
The restricted share element addresses our retention goals and aligns 
executives to shareholders through long term share ownership.

The performance share element incentivises executives to achieve 
growth through long term financial performance measures which are 
critical to delivering our strategy.

Operation 
Two types of awards can be granted under the LTIP:
1.  restricted share awards; and
2.  performance share awards.

For Executive Directors, the performance share awards vest after 
three years and are then subject to a two year holding period, and  
the restricted share awards vest one third in each of years three,  
four and five. 

Participants are entitled to dividend equivalents between award and 
vesting, paid at vesting in respect of awards that vest.

For both types of award, the Remuneration Committee may exercise 
a discretion to reduce the number of shares subject to an award (to 
nil, if appropriate) in circumstances where (a) the corporate financial 
performance was at such a poor level due to under-performance of 
the management team such that no dividend could be declared; or (b) 
under any of the circumstances where the Committee invokes its 
malus and clawback powers against that individual.

Malus and clawback applies under circumstances as set out in the 
notes to the policy table. 

98

Performance measures 
The measures, as well as the weightings of these measures, will 
depend on the strategic focus of the Company in any given year. 
For 2016, the financial metrics are Group Normalised Profit before  
Tax and Amortisation (NPBTA), cash flow and order input.

No more than 20% of the annual bonus will be based on personal 
performance targets, which can include safety and environmental 
measures.

The Committee has discretion in exceptional circumstances to alter  
the measures and/or targets during the performance period if it 
believes the original measures and/or targets are no longer appropriate. 
The Committee also has discretion in exceptional circumstances to 
alter the payout levels of an award at the end of the performance 
period if it believes this will better reflect the underlying performance 
of the Company but in no circumstances will exceed the maximum 
bonus potential.

Maximum limit
The approved LTIP rules contain a maximum combined limit of awards 
of 300% of salary in exceptional circumstances. This is supported by  
a normal maximum limit in the rules of 250% of salary.

In light of the Committee’s desire to use restricted share awards for all 
executives, it has decided that over the intended three year life of this 
approved remuneration policy, in the normal course of events, it will not 
grant restricted share awards or performance share awards greater 
than 100% of salary each to any Executive Director each year.

In 2016, and subject to shareholder approval of the remuneration policy 
at the AGM, it is intended that the following grants will be made shortly 
after the AGM:
 – Chief Executive: 90% of salary restricted share award and 75% of 

salary performance share award.

 – Other Executive Directors: 80% of salary restricted share award and 

45% of salary performance share award.

Performance measures
For performance share awards, the three year performance measures 
will be equally weighted between:
 – earnings per share (EPS) growth;
 – return on capital employed (ROCE) in excess of the Company’s 

Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC); and

 – relative total shareholder return (TSR).

For each measure, 25% of the corresponding element vests at  
threshold and 100% at maximum, with vesting calculated on a straight 
line basis. If events happen which cause the Committee to determine 
that the performance measures and targets would no longer achieve 
their original purpose, then the Committee has discretion to substitute 
or vary these measures and targets. The Committee will only take  
such a course of action where it considers it to be in the best interests 
of the shareholders. 

Restricted share awards do not have performance conditions.

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

ALL EMPLOYEE SHARESAVE SCHEME

How the element supports our remuneration principles
To enable all employees, including Executive Directors, to build an 
interest in Weir shares.

Maximum limit
The maximum monthly limit for the Sharesave scheme is currently  
£500 per month.

Operation
Subject to approval at the 2016 AGM, Executive Directors may 
participate in the new Sharesave scheme.

Performance measures
None.

Executive Directors will participate on exactly the same terms  
as other employees.

SHAREHOLDING GUIDELINES

How the element supports our remuneration principles
To ensure the interests of the Executive Directors remain in line with 
those of shareholders.

The Committee reviews share ownership levels annually and has the 
flexibility in the application of this policy to take into account particular 
individual circumstances.

Operation
Executive Directors are required to build up a shareholding in the 
Company over a five year period. 

It is intended that this is met by Executive Directors retaining  
50% of deferred bonus shares, restricted shares and performance 
shares received, after the deduction of applicable taxes, until the 
requirement is met.

All shares beneficially owned by an executive and shares subject  
to a restriction on sale count towards achieving these guidelines.

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS’ FEES

How the element supports our remuneration principles
To attract and retain experienced and skilled Non-Executive Directors.

Operation
Fees will be reviewed annually by reference to companies of similar 
size and complexity, economic and labour market conditions as well 
as time commitment and responsibilities.

Expected level of share ownership
The shareholding guideline is as follows:
 – Chief Executive: 200% of base salary.
 – Other Executive Directors: 150% of base salary.

Maximum limit
Increases are effective in April and any planned increases in fees  
will take into account general increases across the Group along with 
market practice.

The maximum limit of Non-Executive Director fees is prescribed in the 
Articles of Association and is set at £750,000 in aggregate. 

Additional allowances are made available to Non-Executive Directors, 
where appropriate, to reflect any additional time commitment  
or duties.

Performance measures
The fees paid to the Chairman and the Non-Executive Directors are not 
performance related.

The Company may also provide medical insurance and may reimburse 
Non-Executive Directors for expenses and any associated tax.

NOTES TO THE POLICY TABLE
1. Annual bonus
 – The performance targets are determined annually by the Committee. The performance targets for the financial element of the annual bonus 

are set in the context of consensus forecasts and the internal budget.

 – The Committee is of the view that the performance targets are commercially sensitive and that it would be detrimental to the interests of 

the Company to disclose these targets on a prospective basis. 

 – The performance targets will normally be retrospectively disclosed after the end of the relevant financial period in the Annual Report  

on Remuneration.

 – There may be cases where the Committee is of the view that some of the performance targets for the individual element are commercially 
sensitive and disclosure is not in the interests of shareholders. If applicable, this will be explained in the Annual Report on Remuneration.
 – From 2017, bonus shares will be released one third each year over a three year period, rather than being released in one tranche after three 

years, in order to support retention of executives.

2. LTIP 
 – The Committee has selected the performance measures on the performance share awards to reward long term growth.
 – The EPS measure used for the LTIP is based on the adjusted earnings per fully paid ordinary share in the capital of the Company calculated 

on such basis as the Committee may specify. 

 – The ROCE measure used for the LTIP is based on earnings before interest and tax divided by capital employed.
 – The performance targets are determined annually by the Committee. In setting targets the Committee considers the Company’s operating 

environment and internal and external growth forecasts.

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Directors’ Remuneration Policy continued
NOTES TO THE POLICY TABLE CONTINUED
2. LTIP continued
 – The calibration of the performance measures on performance share awards will be disclosed prospectively in the Annual Report on 

Remuneration for the relevant year.

 – Restricted shares do not have performance measures.
 – Although it is a feature of the LTIP, the grant of restricted shares to the Executive Directors is a change to the previously approved policy. 
There is a corresponding reduction in the performance shares opportunity level. This change is being made to support retention and 
alignment of executives with shareholders.

 – The ROCE target for the performance shares is now framed in terms of outperformance of weighted average cost of capital rather than 

improvement on prior year, to ensure positive returns are being generated for shareholders.

3. All employee Sharesave scheme 
 – It is proposed that a new all employee Sharesave scheme will be adopted for all employees, including Executive Directors, in 2016. This 

element is being introduced to enhance alignment of employees with shareholders.

4.  Malus and clawback 
 – Malus and clawback operate in respect of bonus shares subject to restriction on sale, performance share awards and restricted share 
awards. These enable the Company to reduce unvested awards, to not release shares subject to restriction on sale, and to clawback  
the relevant value of the vested or released shares for a period of up to three years after the date of vesting or release. 

 – Malus or clawback may be applied in certain circumstances where there is found to be a material misstatement in the audited accounts  

of the Group or a Group company accounts, where the executive’s action or conduct amounts to gross misconduct, where there is a significant 
detrimental reputational impact on the Company for which the executive is responsible, or where there has been a miscalculation in the 
number of shares that should have vested.

DIFFERENCES IN REMUNERATION POLICY FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
The Company seeks to operate a locally driven approach to pay and benefits in all its locations, but within a consistent and cascading framework.

The remuneration structure for Executive Directors will also apply to other members of the Group Executive, except that for the Group Executive, 
restricted share awards will cliff vest after three years, and performance share awards will not have a two year holding period as is in place for 
the Executive Directors.

For the management below the Group Executive, the structure cascades down with the following changes: 
1. annual bonus – business and divisional measures will be used and there will be no deferral in shares;
2.  restricted share awards – will vest pro rata over three years with no holding period replicating the payment schedule of the Executive 

Directors’ deferred bonus; and

3. performance share awards – will not typically be used for these individuals.

ELEMENTS OF OLD POLICY TO CONTINUE TO APPLY
Legacy bonus shares subject to restriction on sale, deferred bonus, matching shares and other LTIP shares from historical awards made prior 
to the adoption of this policy will continue to pay out in accordance with the Directors’ Remuneration Policy approved by shareholders at the 
2014 AGM and the respective rules and guidelines for each award.

APPROACH TO RECRUITMENT REMUNERATION
The following table sets out the various components which would be considered for inclusion in the remuneration package for the appointment  
of an Executive Director and the approach to be adopted by the Committee in respect of each component. On the appointment of a new 
Executive Director through an internal promotion, the Company will honour existing remuneration arrangements made prior to and not in 
contemplation of promotion, and these will continue to pay out in accordance with the respective rules and guidelines for each element of 
remuneration as originally set, notwithstanding that this may be inconsistent with the policy for existing Executive Directors.

Area

Approach

Service contracts

Policy and operation

 – The Committee’s approach when considering the overall remuneration arrangements in the recruitment  
of an Executive Director externally is to take account of the individual’s remuneration package in their role 
prior to joining the Weir Group; the market positioning of the remuneration package against the local market; 
and not to pay more than necessary to facilitate the recruitment of the individual in question.

 – To recruit the best executives, the Committee may in the future agree a contractual notice period with the 
Executive Director which initially exceeds the standard 12 months, particularly if it is necessary to attract 
executives who will be required to relocate their families. This will reduce to a 12 month rolling notice period 
once the individual is 12 months from the end of their initial notice period.

Remuneration

 – The salary level, benefits, pension, annual bonus and LTIP participation will be in line with the policy  

table above.

 – The maximum limits as described in the policy table will apply, subject to the grant of any  

replacement awards.

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Replacement awards

 – The Committee will consider what replacement awards (if any) are reasonably necessary to facilitate  
the recruitment of an Executive Director. This includes an assessment of the awards and any other 
compensation and benefit items that would be forfeited on leaving their current employer.

 – The Committee will seek to structure any replacement awards in shares and such that overall they are  

no more generous in terms of quantum or vesting period than the awards due to be forfeited.

Other

 – The Committee may agree that the Company will meet certain mobility or relocation costs, including but  

not limited to, temporary living and transportation expenses, in line with the Company’s prevailing mobility 
policy for senior executives. The Committee may also agree that the Company meets the cost of relevant 
professional fees.

 – The Company shall reimburse the Executive Director for all reasonable expenses incurred as part of  

their recruitment.

 – Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance will also be provided in line with the policy for Executive Directors.

SERVICE CONTRACTS AND POLICY ON PAYMENT FOR LOSS OF OFFICE
The Board’s policy on Directors’ service contracts, letters of appointment and termination arrangements is set out below. This includes  
a description of any obligation on the Company contained or proposed to be in all Directors’ service contracts or letters of appointment.  
The Directors’ service contracts and letters of appointment are available for inspection at the Company’s registered office.

Executive Directors’ service contracts
As an overriding principle, it is the Board’s policy that there should be no element of reward for failure. The Committee’s approach when 
considering payments in the event of termination is to take account of the individual circumstances including the reason for termination, 
contractual obligations of both parties as well as share plan and pension scheme rules.

In the event that the Company terminates an Executive Director’s service contract other than in accordance with its terms, the Committee, when 
determining what compensation, if any, should properly be paid by the Company to the departing Executive Director, will give full consideration  
to the obligation of that Executive Director to mitigate any loss which they may suffer as a result of the termination of their contract.

All the Executive Directors who served during the year have service contracts with the Company. The table below sets out the Company’s 
policy and, except where noted, these terms also apply to existing service contracts.

Contract  
commencement  
date

Executive Director  
Keith Cochrane 
Dean Jenkins 
Jon Stanton 

Contract commencement date
2 November 2009
1 January 2016 
19 April 2010

Unexpired term

 – The unexpired term of all Executive Directors’ service contracts is 12 months. It is the Company’s policy that 

Executive Directors have rolling service contracts.

Notice period

 – The Executive Directors who served during the year have service contracts with the Company that provide for  

a minimum period of notice of:
 – 12 months by Keith Cochrane and Dean Jenkins;
 – 6 months by Jon Stanton; and 
 – 12 months by the Company.

 – The Company’s policy on the setting of contractual notice periods for Executive Directors is to set a notice  
period of 12 months for both parties, although the Committee may in the future agree contractual notice  
periods which initially exceed 12 months in the circumstances described above in the Company’s approach  
to recruitment remuneration.

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Directors’ Remuneration Policy continued
SERVICE CONTRACTS AND POLICY ON PAYMENT FOR LOSS OF OFFICE CONTINUED

Contractual 
payments

Policy for future service contracts
 – Executive Directors’ contracts allow for termination with contractual notice from the Company or termination by 
way of payment in lieu of notice (PILON) at the Company’s discretion. Neither notice nor a PILON will be given  
in the event of gross misconduct.

 – Employment contracts may include PILON clauses potentially including up to 12 months’ base salary and the cash 

equivalent of 12 months’ contractual benefits. There would be no contractual entitlement to receive bonus awards in 
respect of the notice period – any award would be at the Committee’s absolute discretion and performance-related.
 – PILONs would be made where circumstances dictate that the Executive Directors’ services are not required for the 
full 12 months of their notice period. Contracts would also allow for phased payments on termination, which allows 
for further reduction in payments if the individual finds alternative employment outside of the Group during the 
notice period.

Policy for existing service contracts
 – The employment contracts for Keith Cochrane and Jon Stanton were agreed before 27 June 2012 and contain 

certain provisions which it is not proposed to include in the contracts of future Directors. The Committee reviewed 
the provisions in existing contracts and are comfortable that no amendments have been made to the contracts and 
therefore the grandfathering provisions for contracts in place prior to June 2012 apply.

 – The Company may make a PILON equal to 12 months’ salary and the cost to the Company of providing all other 
benefits for that period, or a sum equivalent to 10% of the individual’s annual salary in respect of other benefits. 
PILON will exclude pension, bonus and share related incentives. The Company may make the PILON in instalments, 
subject to reduction where the individual commences alternative employment. In addition, the Company may pay  
a bonus of up to 12 months subject to performance, as determined by the Remuneration Committee. The amount 
payable would be consistent with any performance determination made for other employees of broadly similar 
status or seniority. If the departing Executive Director commences alternative employment, the Committee may 
reduce that payment to take account of any performance related bonus that the individual receives from the 
alternative employment for that period.

 – If the Group terminates an Executive Director’s service contract other than in accordance with its terms, the Company 

shall make a payment calculated in the same way as if it had made a PILON.

Additional policy for future and existing service contracts
 – In the event of a compromise or settlement agreement, the Committee may make payments it considers 

reasonable in settlement of potential legal claims, e.g. unfair dismissal or where agreed under a compromise or 
settlement agreement. This may include an entitlement to compensation in respect of their statutory rights under 
employment protection legislation in the UK or in other jurisdictions. It may include in such payments reasonable 
reimbursement of fees for legal and/or tax advice in connection with such agreements.

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Annual bonus 

 – If the Executive Director is dismissed for gross misconduct then all entitlements will be forfeited, including any prior 

LTIP 2014 
(performance share 
awards and 
restricted share 
awards) 

bonus that has been converted into shares to which the restriction on sale applies. 

 – In all other departure cases, the existing rights are retained and in respect of any bonus delivered in shares, the 
restriction on sale will continue to apply unless the Committee determines otherwise. Malus and clawback 
provisions will continue to apply.

 – An Executive Director will only be eligible to earn a bonus if he or she is an employee of the Group at the time that 
the Company approves the bonus outcome although at the discretion of the Committee, a pro-rated payment may 
be earned by an Executive Director who has retired subject to assessment of the bonus targets. 

 – Where cessation occurs during the normal three month option exercise period, options will continue to be 

exercisable during that period.

 – The treatment of unvested awards for Executive Directors ceasing to be employees of the Group will depend on 
whether or not they are a “good leaver”. Good leaver reasons include retirement, ill-health, injury or disability, 
redundancy, the sale of the individual’s employing company or business, or in other circumstances that the 
Committee determines. 

 – Where an Executive Director ceases to be an employee for a “good leaver” reason before the end of the vesting 

period, unvested awards will normally continue and vest on the normal vesting date, assessed against any applicable 
performance conditions over the normal performance period and pro-rated for time, unless the Committee in its 
discretion decides otherwise. Performance shares will also normally continue to be subject to the holding period. 
 – Where an Executive Director ceases to be an employee for any reason after the end of the vesting period but before 

the end of the holding period, performance shares will normally continue to be subject to the holding period. 

 – The Committee may instead exercise its discretion to release shares before the end of the vesting period or before 
the end of any holding period, and if it permits this to take place during the normal vesting period, performance 
(where relevant) is measured over a shortened period and time pro-rated, unless the Committee in its discretion 
decides otherwise. 

 – On death, the award vests at the date of death and can be exercised for a period of 12 months by the  

deceased’s estate. 

 – Where an Executive Director’s employment is terminated for a reason other than a “good leaver” reason, his 

unvested performance share awards and restricted share awards will lapse.

 – The power of the Committee to exercise a discretion to reduce the number of shares subject to an award (to nil,  
if appropriate) in circumstances where (a) the corporate financial performance was at such a poor level due to 
under-performance of the management team such that no dividend could be declared; or (b) under any of the 
circumstances where the Committee invokes its malus and clawback powers against that individual will continue  
to apply.

 – Awards remain subject to the operation of malus or clawback.

Sharesave scheme

 – In the event of a termination of employment or change of control (or similar) situation, the rules of the Sharesave 

scheme will apply.

Change in control

 – No Executive Director has provisions in his or her service contract that relate to a change of control of the Company.
 – Any right to a bonus would normally be determined by the Committee up to the expected date of change of control 

taking into account both performance and the period of the elapsed financial year.

 – The no-sale restriction applying to any bonus payable in shares will be lifted.
 – Awards granted under the LTIP may vest on a change of control and certain other corporate events. The vesting 

condition applying to performance share awards will be assessed (unless the Committee in its discretion otherwise 
decides) and time pro-rating shall apply to all awards in accordance with the rules of the LTIP unless the Committee 
determines otherwise.

 – The Committee has discretion to allow payment of fees incurred by Executive Directors to take legal and/or tax 

advice on the effect of corporate restructurings or transactions on their service agreements.

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Directors’ Remuneration Policy continued
Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
The Chairman and each of the Non-Executive Directors have letters of appointment. The letters of appointment do not contain any  
contractual entitlement to a termination payment and the Non-Executive Directors can be removed in accordance with the Company’s  
Articles of Association.

The details, including notice periods, contained in the letters of appointment in relation to the Non-Executive Directors who served during the 
year are set out in the table below. Directors are required to retire at each Annual General Meeting and seek re-election by shareholders.

With the exception of the Chairman, the Company policy for notice periods for future Non-Executive Directors is for no notice period by the 
individual and a notice period of six months by the Company. This is in line with the details in the table for Non-Executive Directors appointed 
since 2011.

None of the Chairman or the Non-Executive Directors have provisions in their letters of appointment that relate to a change of control of  
the Company.

Non-Executive Director

Contract commencement date

Expiry of current term

Notice period by the individual

Notice period by the Company

Charles Berry

Alan Ferguson

Melanie Gee

Mary Jo Jacobi

Sir Jim McDonald 

Rick Menell

John Mogford

1 January 2014

13 December 2011

4 May 2011

1 January 2014

1 January 2016

1 April 2009

1 June 2008

April 2016

April 2016

April 2016

April 2016

April 2016

April 2016

April 2016

6 months

–

–

–

–

6 months

6 months 

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

EXTERNAL APPOINTMENTS
The Executive Directors are permitted, with Board agreement, to take up Non-Executive appointments provided they hold only one 
appointment with a listed company at any one time, there is no conflict of interest and that the time spent would not impinge on their work  
for the Group. It is the Company’s policy that remuneration earned from such appointments may be kept by the individual Executive Director.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF APPLICATION OF REMUNERATION POLICY
A key element of the Company’s remuneration policy is to provide a significant part of potential reward through performance based incentive 
plans. Set out below is the reward mix for the Executive Directors at minimum performance, on-target performance and maximum 
performance as proposed under the future policy table. This section has been audited.

The package is structured so that for maximum performance around 50% of the overall package is delivered through variable pay. While part of 
fixed pay in the charts below, restricted shares align Executive Directors with future share price. As such, the aggregate level of remuneration 
received by the Executive Directors demonstrates a clear relationship between reward and performance.

Keith Cochrane  
Illustration of package value (£’000s)

Keith Cochrane  
Illustration of package composition (%)

4,000

2,000

563

1,125

338
675

1,538
0
0

1,538

1,538

100

100.0
0
0

50

13.2

26.5

60.3

17.4

34.9

47.7

0

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

0

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

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The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

Jon Stanton  
Illustration of package value (£’000s)

Jon Stanton  
Illustration of package composition (%)

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

137
341

894

894
0
0

228

569

894

100%

100.0
0
0

50%

10.0

24.8

65.2

13.4

33.7

52.9

0

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

0%

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

Dean Jenkins  
Illustration of package value (£’000s)

Dean Jenkins  
Illustration of package composition (%)

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

137
341

885

885
0
0

228

569

885

100%

100.0
0
0

50%

10.0

25.1

64.9

13.5

33.8

52.7

0

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

0%

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

Fixed
element

Short-term
incentive

Long-term
incentive

Notes
1.  The scenarios presented above demonstrate the amount of each remuneration element at minimum, on-target and maximum performance.
2.  Salary is shown based on 2016 salary.
3.  Benefits are shown based on 2015 benefits received as per the single total figure of remuneration. Dean Jenkins was not an Executive Director in 2015 and so was not included in  
the single total figure of remuneration. Benefits shown for Dean Jenkins are based on benefits received in 2015 for Jon Stanton who has a similar remuneration package structure.

4.  Pension is shown based on the 2016 employer contribution or cash allowance rates.
5. 

In each scenario, fixed pay includes the proposed restricted share awards as set out in the future policy table. This explains why the minimum illustration is higher than the sum of 
salary, benefits and pension. 

6.  Short term incentive consists of the opportunity for the bonus that could be earned in the year. Minimum performance assumes none of the bonus has been earned. Target 

performance assumes 60% of the bonus has been earned. Maximum performance assumes 100% of the bonus has been earned.

7.  Long term incentive consists of performance share awards based on opportunity levels as set out in the future policy table. Minimum performance assumes no vesting; target 

performance assumes 60% vesting; and maximum performance assumes 100% vesting.

STAKEHOLDER CONSIDERATIONS 
Material factors taken into account when setting the remuneration policy
The Committee is mindful of a broad range of stakeholders in the business and is keen to engage where appropriate on key areas of policy 
setting and implementation. The Committee has considered the following in developing the policy:

i.  Shareholder engagement
The Committee is committed to ongoing dialogue with the Company’s shareholder base. This can take a variety of forms, such as:
 – meetings with major shareholders to consider significant potential changes to policy or specific issues of interest to particular  

shareholder groups;

 – other dialogue to update shareholders and take their feedback on planned refinements to arrangements; and
 – the annual votes on the Directors’ Remuneration Policy and the Annual Report on Remuneration.

The high level of support as seen by the results of the advisory vote at the 2015 AGM for the 2014 Directors’ Remuneration Report (99.6% 
votes For) and the vote for the previous two years (2014: 99.8% For, 2013: 96.8% For) indicates strong shareholder support for the Directors’ 
Remuneration Reports. The Directors’ Remuneration Policy received a vote of 99.6% For at the 2014 AGM. 

During 2015, the Chair of the Committee consulted the Company’s largest shareholders and their representative bodies on this proposed 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy to be implemented from 2016.

ii.  The wider employee context
The Committee is kept regularly updated on pay and conditions across the Group, although when setting the Directors’ Remuneration Policy, 
the wider employee group is not consulted. In determining the adjustments to the Executive Directors and Group Executive salaries, the 
Committee considers the increases to pay levels across the broader employee population.

At the AGM, we will be seeking approval for a Sharesave scheme that will enable employees to choose to have a direct interest in the 
Company’s shares.

105

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration
Note: certain sections of the report have been audited, which are identified either in text or with the ‘#’ symbol. 

STATEMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION POLICY IN 2016
As explained in the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee’s Statement, we are seeking shareholder approval to a new Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy at the AGM on 28 April 2016. As a result, we will have five separate remuneration-related resolutions, namely:

Resolution 4 – approval of the new remuneration policy as it applies to Executive Directors;
Resolution 5 – the annual advisory vote on the implementation of our present remuneration policy in 2015;
Resolution 17 – proposed amendments to the LTIP in order to implement the new remuneration policy for the Executive Directors;
Resolution 18 – proposed amendments to the LTIP so that we can use it more effectively for below Group Executive employees; and
Resolution 19 – approval of an all employee Sharesave scheme. 

Detailed information on these resolutions is given in the Notice of Meeting.

If Resolution 4 does not receive shareholder consent then the existing Directors’ Remuneration Policy as approved at the 2014 AGM will 
continue to apply in 2016.

Executive Directors
In the following description of how we wish to implement our remuneration policy in 2016 for Executive Directors, we have described it on the 
basis that shareholders do approve all of the above resolutions. The implementation of our policy in 2016 is summarised in the following table 
with full details provided below.

Element

Base salary

A competitive base salary to attract and 
retain talented leaders.

Operation of the element

Maximum potential value

Performance metrics used

Benefits and pension

A market aligned benefits package.
A contribution into the pension or a 
cash allowance.

Annual bonus

Bonus shares

Restricted shares

Performance shares

Bonus based on in-year performance 
against financial and personal (including 
strategic) goals. 

Bonus converted into shares with a 
restriction on sale. One third released 
each year over a three year period.

Grant of restricted shares with one 
third vesting over years three, four  
and five.

£750,000 (no increase) – CEO
£455,000 (no increase) – FD & 
COO

Value of benefits determined by 
the cost of insured products.
12% of salary – CEO & FD
10% of salary – COO

150% of salary – CEO
125% of salary – FD & COO

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

NPBTA (40%)
Cash flow (20%)
Order input (20%)
Personal performance (20%)

30% of bonus.

Not applicable.

90% of salary – CEO 
80% of salary – FD & COO

Not applicable.

Grant of performance shares subject to 
a three year performance period 
followed by a two year holding period. 

75% of salary – CEO 
45% of salary – FD & COO

Shareholding requirements

Requirement to build up a shareholding 
in the Company over a five year period.

200% CEO requirement.  
150% FD & COO requirement.

Fixed elements – Base salary
The Committee has made the following 2016 base salary decisions:

Keith Cochrane
Dean Jenkins
Jon Stanton

EPS (33.3%)  
ROCE (33.3%)  
TSR (33.3%)

Not applicable.

2016 salary 
£

2015 salary 
£

Percentage 
change

750,000
455,000
455,000

750,000
–
455,000

0%
–
0%

Salaries are effective from 1 April each year. The Committee has considered the broader employee context and economic factors in determining 
salaries. In 2016, the increase in base salaries for UK employees will be up to 4%.

Fixed elements – Retirement and other benefits
There is no change in the implementation of our policy in relation to pension and benefits. 

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II: Corporate Governance

Short term incentives – Annual bonus
The annual bonus is based on in-year performance against targets. The performance measures are: 40% Group Normalised Profit before Tax 
and Amortisation (NPBTA) measured over the financial period, 20% cash flow, 20% order input and 20% personal performance targets.

The performance targets are determined annually by the Remuneration Committee and approved at the beginning of the performance year.  
As set out in the Directors’ Remuneration Policy, the Company will disclose the NPBTA, cash flow and order input targets and the main 
groupings of individual performance measures retrospectively in the Annual Report on Remuneration. Performance targets will not be 
disclosed prospectively for commercial reasons, but in light of the continued uncertainty in our end markets we can confirm that we have  
set a wider range of NPBTA targets than compared to 2015.

The profit performance measure of NPBTA is adjusted subject to Remuneration Committee approval to exclude items that are one off in 
nature, to match the actual foreign exchange rates during the financial period, and is also increased or decreased to reflect the impact of any 
acquisitions or disposals made in the year that are of a size requiring Board approval. 

The cash flow measure is defined as cash generated from operations, including additional pension contributions paid and excluding the  
impact of derivative financial instruments on working capital cash flows. The performance target of cash flow is adjusted to match the actual 
foreign exchange rates during the financial period and is also increased or decreased to reflect the impact of any acquisitions or disposals  
made in the year that are of a size requiring Board approval. Exceptional items or extraordinary items as agreed by the Remuneration 
Committee are excluded. 

The order input measure is defined, per the Group Finance manual, as orders received from customers where there is an expressed contractual 
commitment to fulfil an obligation. The performance target of order input is adjusted to match the actual foreign exchange rates during the 
financial period. Adjustments will be made for any prior year orders which have been cancelled on the following basis:
1.  any cancellations made up to the end of January 2017 will be deducted from the 2016 order input actual number; and
2.  any prior year orders cancelled after the end of January 2017 will be treated as a negative order in the calculation of 2017 bonuses based  

on 2017 order input.

30% of bonus payable will be converted into shares with a restriction on sale under the LTIP. There are no performance conditions on the 
bonus shares.

Long term incentives – Restricted and performance shares
The Committee has determined that the following awards will be made for 2016: 

Restricted shares
Awards will vest one third on each of the third, fourth and fifth anniversaries of the date of grant. 

Award type

Basis on which award made

Face value of award 
(% of 2016 salary)

Overall  

vesting period

Keith Cochrane

Restricted shares

Dean Jenkins

Restricted shares

Jon Stanton

Restricted shares

A grant of shares will be made based on 
policy opportunity levels, the salary of 
the individual, and the share price on 
the three days prior to grant.

90% Five years from 
the date of 
grant after the 
2016 AGM 

80%

80%

Performance shares
Awards vest after three years, subject to performance conditions. Awards for Executive Directors are then subject to a two year holding period.

Award type

Basis on which award made

Face value of award 
at threshold vesting 
(% of 2016 salary)

Face value of award 
at maximum vesting 
(% of 2016 salary)

Performance period

Keith Cochrane

Performance shares

Dean Jenkins

Performance shares

Jon Stanton

Performance shares

A grant of shares will be made based on 
policy opportunity levels, the salary of 
the individual, and the share price on 
the three days prior to grant.

18.75%

11.25%

11.25%

75%

45%

45%

1 Jan 2016 – 
31 Dec 2018

1 Jan 2016 – 
31 Dec 2018

1 Jan 2016 – 
31 Dec 2018

Note 
The performance period for each LTIP award is based on calendar years. The TSR performance measure is calculated over three calendar years. The EPS and ROCE measures are 
calculated over the relevant financial periods.

In all cases, awards will only vest subject to the achievement of the performance conditions and if the Committee determines that the 
underlying performance of the Company is sufficient to justify the vesting of the awards.

107

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration continued
STATEMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION POLICY IN 2016 CONTINUED
Long term incentives – Restricted and performance shares continued
The performances measures for the 2016 award apply in equal weighting and their performance targets are:

TSR

EPS

ROCE

Relative TSR growth against 
comparator group

Percentage of TSR  
proportion vesting

EPS growth  
per annum

Percentage of EPS  
proportion vesting

2018 ROCE 
above WACC

Percentage of ROCE 
proportion vesting

Upper quintile
Median
Below median

100%
25%
0%

7.5%
2%
Less than 2%

100%
25%
0%

3.75%
1.75%
Less than 1.75%

100%
25%
0%

The TSR performance measure for the 2016 LTIP grant is based on two separate comparator groups, which are focused primarily on our two 
major end markets, each having a 50% weighting. 

Mining comparator group:
Atlas Copco ‘A’, Bradken, Caterpillar Inc., Fenner PLC, FLSmidth & Co. A/S ‘B’, Joy Global Inc., Komatsu, Metso Corporation, Outotec Oyj, and 
Sandvik AB.

Oil and gas comparator group:
Amec Foster Wheeler, Flowserve Corporation, FMC Technologies, Inc., Forum Energy Technologies Inc., Hunting plc, John Wood Group PLC, 
National Oilwell Varco, Petrofac, Rotork PLC and Sulzer Ltd.

The base 2015 EPS used for the purposes of the 2016 performance share award is 78.4 pence per share.

The WACC to be used for the 2016 performance share award is 8.75%. Although the preferred approach of the Committee is to measure 
ROCE on an average basis over the three year performance period, this is not considered appropriate for the 2016 performance share awards 
because of the expected ROCE profile. Accordingly, the ROCE target has been set on the basis that 2018’s ROCE will determine the ultimate 
level of vesting.

2018 EPS and ROCE figures will be calculated on a consistent basis, in accordance with the Directors’ Remuneration Policy.

Non-Executive Directors
Annual fees for 2016
The implementation of the Non-Executive Director remuneration is in line with the approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy. The fees per 
annum for Non-Executive Directors are set out in the table below. 

Chairman’s fee for all responsibilities
Non-Executive Directors’ base fee
Additional fee for Senior Independent Director
Additional fee for Audit Committee Chairman
Additional fee for Remuneration Committee Chairman
Additional fee for Technology Advisory Board Chairman1

Note
1.  The Technology Advisory Board was established in October 2015. Further details can be found on page 59.

Fees are effective from 1 April each year.

2016 fees
£

Percentage 
change

2015 fees 
£

290,000
58,000
12,000
15,000
15,000
15,000

0% 290,000
58,000
0%
12,000
0%
15,000
0%
15,000
0%
–
–

SINGLE TOTAL FIGURE OF REMUNERATION FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Details of the remuneration for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 received by the Executive 
Directors who served on the Board during the 2015 financial period are set out in the table below. The summary table comprises a number of 
key components which are set out in further detail in the relevant sections that follow. The table and accompanying notes have been audited.

Fixed elements

Short-term incentives

Long-term incentives

Pension

Base salary (i)

Benefits (ii)

Annual bonus (iii)

LTIP – performance shares 
and matching shares (iv)

Retirement benefits (v)

Total

Total

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014
£

Keith Cochrane 728,125  725,000 
441,771 440,000 
Jon Stanton

22,994
20,356

22,781 225,000 665,564
18,804 113,750 336,607

–
–

–
–

89,250
54,150

43,500 1,065,369 1,456,845
821,811
26,400
630,027

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II: Corporate Governance

Notes to the single figure of remuneration for Executive Directors table
Dean Jenkins was appointed an Executive Director on 1 January 2016 and did not receive any remuneration for this role during 2015.

i) Base salary
Corresponds to the amounts received during the 2015 financial year.
Salary is paid monthly to Executive Directors. Salaries were last increased in April 2015 when Keith Cochrane’s salary was increased  
from £725,000 to £750,000 and Jon Stanton’s salary was increased from £440,000 to £455,000. From August until the end of the year,  
the Executive Directors waived 5% of their salaries.

ii) Benefits
Corresponds to the taxable value of all benefits paid in respect of the 2015 financial year.

Life insurance cover 
Car allowance 
Group healthcare
Other benefits
Total

Keith 
Cochrane 
2015 
£

4,143
17,015 
1,479 
357
22,994

Jon 
Stanton 
2015 
£

4,907 
13,970
1,479 
–
20,356

iii) Short-term incentives
Corresponds to the total bonus earned under the annual bonus in respect of 2015 performance and includes both the cash element 
(70%) and the bonus to be converted into shares with a restriction on sale (30%).

The 2015 annual bonus was based on achievement of Group Normalised Profit before Tax and Amortisation (NPBTA) (60%), cash flow (20%) 
and personal performance targets (20%). Executive Directors’ 2015 performance was assessed relative to both the financial targets and other 
performance considerations further outlined below.

2015 performance measures for Executive Directors 

NPBTA

Based on the achievement of  
NPBTA targets measured over the 
financial period.

Cash flow 

Based on the achievement of cash  
flow targets measured over the  
financial period.

Individual performance objectives

Robustly set and customised for each 
individual, all objectives are measurable  
and are objectively determined. 

2015 performance
required 

Actual
performance 

Payout as a 
percentage of 
maximum

Weighting as
percentage 
of total bonus 
opportunity

Contribution to 
payout as 
percentage of 
maximum bonus 
opportunity

Threshold 

£273.8m

£219.8m

0% 

60%

0%

Target 

Stretch 

£318.9m

£363.9m

Threshold 

£471.9m

£390.9m

0%

20%

0%

Target 

Stretch 

£545.4m

£618.9m

Keith Cochrane:
Objectives included areas such as 
employee engagement and well-
being, progressing innovation and 
further improvement in operating 
excellence.

Jon Stanton:
Objectives included areas such 
as enhancing capability and talent 
in the finance function, improving 
IT infrastructure and systems and 
delivering cost savings and cash 
generation. 

Fully met

100%

20%

20%

Fully met

100%

20%

20%

109

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIII 
 
 
Corporate Governance

Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration continued
SINGLE TOTAL FIGURE OF REMUNERATION FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS CONTINUED
2015 short-term incentive awards
Based on the outcome of 2015 performance as outlined above, the Committee approved the following annual bonus awards under the 
Executive Bonus Scheme to Executive Directors:

Executive Director

Keith Cochrane
Jon Stanton

Notes
1. 
Includes 30% conversion into shares with restriction on sale over three years.
2.  Bonus award is based on salary as at 31 December in the relevant financial year.
3.  Bonus to be paid in March 2016.

Payout as 
percentage 
of maximum 
bonus 
opportunity

Payout as 
percentage 
of salary

Payout
£

20%
20%

30% 225,000
25% 113,750

iv) Long-term incentives
The value represents an estimate of the market value of the 2013 Performance and Matching Share awards at year end.

LTIP awards vesting in 2016
In accordance with The Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (the ‘Regulations’), 
the single total remuneration figure for 2015 includes the vesting value of the performance and matching shares made under the 2013 LTIP 
Award, with a performance period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015. 

The 2013 performance share and matching share awards for Keith Cochrane and Jon Stanton were due to vest on 11 March 2016. The table 
below sets out a summary of the performance conditions, performance against these conditions as well as the resulting gross vesting value 
using the share price over the fourth quarter of 2015 in accordance with the Regulations.

The Committee reserves the right to make adjustments to the performance conditions to reflect significant one-off items which occur during 
the performance period. No discretion was exercised in respect of the awards.

2013 performance 
share awards

Performance conditions 
and targets set

Maximum potential value

Maximum number 
of shares granted

Performance metrics,
weighting and period 
and method of determining 
performance

Keith Cochrane 

Performance 
conditions set out  
on page 113.

Shares with value of
100% of salary on 
the date of grant.

Jon Stanton

2013 matching 
share awards

Keith Cochrane

Jon Stanton

Performance  
period of three  
years ended on  
31 December 2015 
due to vest on  
11 March 2016.

Performance 
conditions set out  
on page 113.

Performance  
period of three  
years ended on  
31 December 2015  
due to vest on  
11 March 2016.

Shares with value of 
200% of compulsory and 
voluntary deferred annual 
bonus on the date of 
grant, subject to continued 
employment and retention 
of compulsory investment 
shares and voluntary 
investment shares where 
applicable.

30,133 Overall level of vesting 

0%.

50% of award is based on 
EPS growth. Actual EPS 
growth was -18.79% p.a., 
resulting in 0% vesting.1

18,288

50% of award is based 
on TSR growth. Actual 
TSR growth was -34%, 
corresponding to below 
median performance 
relative to peers between 
January 2013 and 
December 2015, resulting 
in 0% vesting.

Dividend equivalents are 
paid on vested shares 
based on dividend 
payments over the 
performance period. 
Dividend equivalents to be 
delivered in shares.

14,180

5,672

Resulting
vesting
£

–

–

Resulting
vesting
£

–

–

Note
1.  The EPS outcome has been adjusted to remove the impact of IAS 19R on the 2015 result to ensure a consistent measurement basis across the performance period.

110

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II: Corporate Governance

Note that compulsory and voluntary investment shares will be released in 2016 to individuals. The number of shares expected to be released  
in 2016 is 7,090 for Keith Cochrane and 2,836 for Jon Stanton. The compulsory investment shares also have the right to receive dividend 
equivalents in the form of shares to the value of 131.0p per share at the date of vesting. The value of these shares does not form part of the 
single total figure table as they have not been subject to performance measures since they were granted.

v) Retirement benefits
Represents the value of the cash allowance towards retirement benefit provision 
In July 2014, the Company introduced an auto-enrolment provision for Executive Directors to receive a contribution to the pension plan  
or a cash allowance of 12% of salary. Both the Chief Executive and the Finance Director have chosen to take the cash allowance.

The Group made no additional provisions for Executive Director pensions in 2015. 

EXTERNAL APPOINTMENTS
It is the Board’s policy to allow the Executive Directors to accept directorships of other companies. Any such directorships must be formally 
approved by the Chairman of the Board. Details of external directorships held by Executive Directors, together with fees retained during the 
year are as follows:

Executive Director

Keith Cochrane

Keith Cochrane

External company

Carillion plc

The Scotland Office and the Office of the 
Advocate General

Roles held

Non-Executive Director and Senior 
Independent Non-Executive Director

Lead Non-Executive Director

2015 fees 
£

28,400

–

Notes
1.  Keith Cochrane was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Carillion plc in July 2015 and became Senior Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2015.
2.  Keith Cochrane is entitled to claim £300 per meeting attended in his role of Lead Non-Executive Director of the Scotland Office and the Office of the Advocate General.

PAYMENTS FOR LOSS OF OFFICE#
No payments were made for loss of office during the year.

PAYMENTS TO PAST DIRECTORS#
No payments were made to past Directors during the year. 

SINGLE TOTAL FIGURE OF REMUNERATION FOR NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND THE CHAIRMAN
Details of the remuneration for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 received by the Non-Executive 
Directors and the Chairman who served on the Board during the 2015 financial period are set out in the table below. The table and 
accompanying notes have been audited.

Charles Berry
Alan Ferguson
Melanie Gee
Mary Jo Jacobi
Sir Jim McDonald1
Rick Menell
John Mogford
Lord Robertson2

Basic fee

SID/Committee Chair fees

Taxable benefits3

Total

2015 
£

2014 
£

2015 
£

2014 
£

2015 
£

2014
£

2015 
£

2014 
£

286,250
57,250
57,250
57,250
57,250
57,250
57,250
4,584

275,000
55,000
55,000
55,000
–
55,000
55,000
55,000

–
13,750
13,750
–
–
10,667
–
833

–
10,000
10,000
–
–
–
–
10,000

1,471
1,257
1,584
36,639
–
12,392
661
448

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

287,721
72,257
72,584
93,889
57,250
80,309
57,911
5,865

275,000
65,000
65,000
55,000
–
55,000
55,000
65,000

Notes
1.  Sir Jim McDonald joined the Board as a Director on 1 January 2015 and did not receive any remuneration during 2014.
2.  Lord Robertson retired from the Board as a Director on 31 January 2015.
3.  This is the initial publication of taxable benefits and includes the taxable benefit of travel (including international travel from America and South Africa) to attend Board meetings in the UK.

111

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Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration continued
SCHEME INTERESTS AWARDED DURING 2015
The following table sets out the interests of the Executive Directors in the Company’s share schemes, comprising awards of performance 
shares under the LTIP, which were awarded during the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016. The closing market price of the Company’s  
ordinary shares at 1 January 2016 was £10.00 and the range during the year was £9.30 to £20.24. The table and accompanying notes  
have been audited.

2015 LTIP awards

Award type

Keith Cochrane Performance

Jon Stanton

shares 
Performance 
shares

Type of 
interest 
awarded

Nil cost 
options
Nil cost 
options

Date of 
award

Grant 
share 
price

Basis of award

Face value 
of award at
threshold 
vesting 
£

Face value 
of award at 
maximum 
vesting
£

Number 
of shares 
awarded

Date of 
vesting

Performance 
period

12 Mar 15

£18.46

250% salary

101,570

468,746 1,874,982 12 Mar 18

12 Mar 15

£18.46

200% salary

49,295

227,496

909,986 12 Mar 18

1 Jan 15 
– 31 Dec 17
1 Jan 15 
– 31 Dec 17

Notes
1.  The figures shown for performance share awards are maximum entitlements and the actual number of shares (if any) which vest will depend on the performance conditions being 

achieved as set out on page 113. Threshold vesting equals 25% vesting. Maximum vesting equals 100% vesting. No performance shares will vest for below threshold performance.
2.  The performance period for each LTIP award is based on calendar years. The TSR performance measure is calculated over calendar years. The EPS and ROCE measures are calculated 

over financial periods.

3.  The face value of the award is based on the share price at grant, which is calculated as the average of the closing share price for the three days prior to the date of grant. The exercise 

price for performance shares is zero.

4.  No additional shares were granted other than at the date of award set out above.

112

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS FOR THE LTIP

2013

50%

2014

33.3%

2015

33.3%

Relative TSR 
Growth against 
comparator 
group

Percentage of the 
TSR portion  
of the award  
that vests

Relative TSR 
Growth against 
comparator 
group

Percentage of the 
TSR portion of 
the award that 
vests

Relative TSR 
Growth against 
comparator 
group

Percentage of the 
TSR portion  
of the award  
that vests

Upper quintile

100%

Upper quintile

100%

Upper quintile

100%

Median

25%

Median

25%

Median

Below median

0%

Below median

0%

Below median

25%

0%

Amec Foster Wheeler2, Cameron, 
Crane, Dover, Fenner, FLSmidth, 
Flowserve, FMC, Forum Energy3, 
Halma, IMI, Joy Global, Meggitt, 
Melrose, Metso, Outotec, Rotork, 
Sandvik4, Smiths Group, Spirax Sarco, 
SPX, Sulzer, Vesuvius, Wood Group

Amec Foster Wheeler2, Atlas Copco, 
Cameron, Crane, Dover, Fenner, 
FLSmidth, Flowserve, FMC, Forum 
Energy4, IMI, ITT, Joy Global, Melrose, 
Metso, Outotec, Rotork, Sandvik, 
Smiths Group, Spirax Sarco, SPX Flow5, 
Sulzer, Vesuvius, Wood Group

Amec Foster Wheeler, Atlas Copco, 
Cameron, Crane, Dover, Fenner, 
FLSmidth, Flowserve, FMC, Forum 
Energy, IMI, ITT, Joy Global, Melrose, 
Metso, Outotec, Rotork, Sandvik, 
Smiths Group, Spirax Sarco, SPX Flow5, 
Sulzer, Vesuvius, Wood Group

50%

EPS Growth
per annum

11% 

5% 

Percentage of  
EPS portion  
of the award  
that vests

100%

25%

33.3%

EPS Growth 
per annum

11%

5%

Percentage of  
EPS portion  
of the award  
that vests

100%

25%

33.3%

EPS Growth  
per annum

Percentage of  
EPS portion  
of the award  
that vests

7.5%

2.5%

Less than 5% 

0%

Less than 5%

0% Less than 2.5%

0%

33.3%

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Improvement in 
average ROCE 
per annum

Percentage of 
ROCE portion  
of the award  
that vests

33.3%

2017 ROCE

Percentage of 
ROCE portion  
of the award  
that vests

100%

24.8%

100%

4%

0.5%

25%

18.8%

Less than 0.5%

0% Less than 18.8%

100%

25%

0%

25%

0%

TSR

Weighting

Target structure

Maximum 
performance

Threshold 
performance

Below threshold 
performance

Comparator group

EPS1

Weighting

Target structure

Maximum 
performance

Threshold 
performance

Below threshold 
performance

ROCE1

Weighting

Target structure

Maximum 
performance

Threshold 
performance

Below threshold 
performance

Performance 
periods

Single three year performance period  
for both elements

Single three year performance period  
for both elements

Single three year performance period  
for all elements

Notes
1.  EPS and ROCE are subject to adjustments in line with policy.
2.  AMEC has been renamed to Amec Foster Wheeler following its acquisition of Foster Wheeler in 2014. 
3.  Gardner Denver was acquired and delisted in 2013. It was replaced by Forum Energy Technologies in the 2013 comparator group.
4.  Dresser Rand was acquired and delisted in 2015. It was replaced by Sandvik in the 2013 comparator group and Forum Energy Technologies in the 2014 comparator group.
5.  SPX Corporation demerged in September 2015 into SPX Flow and SPX. SPX Flow will succeed SPX Corporation in the 2014 and 2015 comparator groups.
6.  Lufkin was acquired during 2013 and has been removed from the 2013 comparator group.

113

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration continued
STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ SHAREHOLDINGS AND SHARE INTERESTS
The Committee believes that employee share ownership is an important means to support long-term commitment to the Company and the 
alignment of employee interests with those of shareholders.

The interests of the Executive Directors and other senior executives are closely aligned with those of shareholders in this regard through the 
operation of the Company’s LTIP and the conversion into shares with restriction on sale of 30% of the annual bonus award for a period of three 
years. These elements constitute a significant proportion of individual remuneration packages.

Following shareholder approval at the 2014 AGM, the shareholding guidelines outlined in the policy table on page 99 apply to all Executive 
Directors. All shares beneficially owned by an Executive Director count towards achieving these guidelines. There is no shareholding 
requirement for Non-Executive Directors.

Current shareholding levels for Directors are set out in the table below.

Summary of total number of interests in shares in the Company and scheme interests as at 1 January 2016
The table and accompanying notes have been audited.

Interests in shares in  
the Company as at  
1 January 2016

Scheme interests as at 
1 January 2016

Scheme interests vested  
and exercised in 2015  
(2012 grant)1

Total 
performance 
shares and 
matching 
shares 
(options with 
performance 
conditions)2

Total 
compulsory 
investment 
shares 
(options 
without 
performance 
conditions)

Total 
performance 
shares and 
matching 
shares 
(options with 
performance 
conditions)

Total 
compulsory 
investment 
shares 
(options 
without 
performance 
conditions)

Total 
shares 
contributing to 
shareholding 
target  
(% of 2015 
salary)

Shareholding 
guidelines  
(% of 2015 
salary)

Total shares 
(% of 2015 
salary)

400% 216,372
38%
89,389
81% 107,478
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

7,090
1,855
2,836
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

16,017
4,006
6,573
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

400%
38%
81%
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

200%
150%
150%
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Security 
type

Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares
Shares

Total shares

299,971
17,367
36,935
2,000
2,730
2,500
2,000
–
1,000
12,031

Keith Cochrane
Dean Jenkins
Jon Stanton
Charles Berry
Alan Ferguson
Melanie Gee
Mary Jo Jacobi10
Sir Jim McDonald
Richard Menell
John Mogford

Notes
1.  On 9 March 2015, the 2012 Award under the LTIP for Keith Cochrane, Dean Jenkins and Jon Stanton vested. The performance conditions were not met so the performance share and 
matching share awards lapsed in full. On 12, 16 and 25 March 2015, they respectively exercised 100% of their compulsory shares as set out in the table above. Keith Cochrane sold 
7,578 shares and Jon Stanton 3,156 shares to pay the relevant tax and National Insurance, retaining the balance. The market price at date of exercise on 12 March 2015 was £18.27;  
on 16 March 2015 was £17.81; and on 25 March 2015 was £17.68. Options exercised in 2015 had a zero exercise price.

2.  Awards under the LTIP take the form of nil cost options or conditional awards and have no performance retesting facility.
3.  The share awards have a right to receive dividend equivalents in the form of shares payable at vesting. The awards exercised by the Executive Directors include dividend equivalents  

of 120.8p per share, being the dividends paid between the date of award and the date of exercise. This equated to 994 shares for Keith Cochrane, 250 shares for Dean Jenkins and 410 
shares for Jon Stanton. 

4.  No Director had, during or at the end of the year, any material interest in any contract of any significance in relation to the Group’s business, in any debenture stocks of the Company,  

or in the share capital or debenture or loan stocks of any subsidiary.

5.  Due to the vesting outcome of the 2012 LTIP, 83,526 shares under Keith Cochrane’s grant, 28,294 shares under Dean Jenkins’ grant, and 33,899 shares under Jon Stanton’s  

grant lapsed.

6.  There are no unexercised vested options held by Executive Directors.
7.  All scheme interests outstanding or vesting in the year were share options rather than shares. 
8.  Total shares as a percentage of salary is based on salary as of 31 December in the relevant financial year and on the market price of the Company’s ordinary shares at the financial 

period end. For 2015, the closing market price at 1 January 2016 was £10.00.

9.  There have been no changes to Directors’ interests between 1 January 2016 and 24 February 2016.
10.  Mary Jo Jacobi’s interest in 2,000 shares shown above is through her holding of 4,000 of the Group’s unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), one ADR being equivalent  

to 0.5 shares.

11.  Prior to 2014, Executive Directors had the opportunity to defer up to an additional 20% of the Group element of their bonus into shares. As a result, Dean Jenkins received 424 shares 

in March 2013. These shares are shown in the interests in shares column above.

12.  Since 2014, 30% of the annual bonus is converted into shares with a restriction on sale. This resulted in Keith Cochrane receiving 653 shares in May 2014 and 5,743 in March 2015; 

Dean Jenkins receiving 414 shares in May 2014 and 1,567 shares in March 2015; and Jon Stanton receiving 264 shares in May 2014 and 2,904 shares in March 2015. These shares are 
shown in the interests in shares column above.

114

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

PERFORMANCE GRAPH AND TABLE FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The graph below shows the total shareholder return (TSR) for The Weir Group PLC and the FTSE 350 Index over the seven year period ending 
31 December 2015. This is set out with the total vested and received remuneration for the Chief Executive over the same period, which is set 
out numerically below the chart. 

The Committee considers the FTSE 350 to be the most relevant index for a comparison of TSR. The TSR chart shown in the 2014 Annual Report 
on Remuneration showed the Weir Group’s TSR performance against that of the FTSE 100 and the 2014 LTIP comparator group. The Weir 
Group has since moved out of the FTSE 100 index and are no longer comparing TSR against a single comparator group for future LTIP grants. 

£’000

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

TSR Index

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

LTIP performance & matching shares 

The Weir Group PLC TSR

Bonus

Fixed elements

FTSE 350 Index TSR

REMUNERATION HISTORY FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE BETWEEN 2009 AND 2015

Fixed elements
Bonus (percentage of maximum)
Performance shares and matching 
shares (percentage of maximum)

Mark Selway

Keith Cochrane

20091

20092

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

£662,077
83.7%

£95,384
83.7%

£572,146
100.0%

£646,645
100.0%

£710,501
54.0%

£740,406
10.0%

£791,281
61.2%

£840,369
20.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

42.8%

0%

0%

Total remuneration

£2,237,201

£217,746 £2,913,022 £4,728,338 £3,363,555 £1,787,327 £1,456,845 £1,065,369

Notes
1.  2009 remuneration relates to the ten months Mark Selway was Chief Executive until his resignation in November 2009.
2.  2009 remuneration relates to the two months Keith Cochrane was Chief Executive from November 2009.

Total remuneration is calculated on the same basis as the 2015 remuneration summary in the single total figure of remuneration for Executive 
Directors table on page 108. 

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN CHIEF EXECUTIVE REMUNERATION
The percentage change in elements of remuneration for the Chief Executive between the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 and the 52 weeks 
ended 1 January 2016 is detailed below. The change in remuneration for UK employees for the same period is also provided.

Salary and fees
Taxable benefits
Bonus

Chief 
Executive 
percentage 
change

UK 
employees 
percentage 
change

0.4%
0.9%
-66.2%

0.5%
-15.8%
-73.7%

For the purposes of this section, remuneration has been calculated in accordance with the Regulations to include salary, fees, taxable benefits 
(including emoluments) and certain performance-related pay for the relevant financial year (primarily bonuses but excluding long term incentives). 
Pension and retirement benefits are not included.

115

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIII 
 
Corporate Governance

Remuneration Committee Report continued

Annual Report on Remuneration continued
PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN CHIEF EXECUTIVE REMUNERATION CONTINUED
The decrease in bonus for the Chief Executive reflects the figures in the single total figure table in 2014 and 2015. The UK employee population has 
been selected as it reflects a broad sample of employees which includes Head Office employees and other individuals located in the same country as 
the Chief Executive. The figures shown for UK employees are impacted by a reduction in the UK employee headcount of approximately 9%. The 2015 
budget for salary increases for UK employees was around 3%. There has been no change to the taxable benefits policy for UK employees in 2015. 

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SPEND ON PAY
The table below shows the expenditure of the Company on employee remuneration costs in the 2015 financial year and 2014 financial year.  
In addition, it details the disbursements from profit made by way of dividend payments during the same periods.

Profit distributed by way of dividend
Overall spend on pay for employees

2015 
£m

94.0
552.0

2014 
£m

Percentage 
change

102.7
630.7

-8.5%
-12.5%

Details of the dividends declared and paid during the periods are contained in note 10 to the Financial Statements on page 150. Dividend cash 
outflows reduced as a result of the rephasing of dividend payments in 2014. The final dividend payment now represents approximately two 
thirds, as opposed to three quarters, of the total dividend. Details of the overall spend on pay for employees can be found in note 4 to the 
Financial Statements on page 145. Employees include Executive Directors but not Non-Executive Directors. The Company considers employee 
remuneration costs in the context of the general financial performance and position of the Company, including when determining the salary 
increase budget, annual bonus funding, long term incentive grant budget and pension levels.

CONSIDERATION BY THE DIRECTORS OF MATTERS RELATING TO DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION
Terms of Reference and Evaluation
To ensure reward arrangements support the Company’s philosophy, strategy and culture, the Committee reviews compensation and benefit 
plans for the Executive Directors, senior leadership, and the broader employee population. In December 2015, the Committee reviewed and 
updated its Terms of Reference. The Remuneration Committee was evaluated as part of the 2015 Board evaluation process, and it was 
concluded that the Committee continued to function strongly in accordance with good corporate governance. The report highlighted that  
in a busy year involving the formulation of the proposed new remuneration policy, there had been a cohesive approach and in particular  
a significant amount of good work undertaken on shareholder consultation. The Committee identified a number of potential improvements  
for implementation in 2016.

More details of the Board evaluation can be found on page 83. The Terms of Reference of the Committee are available on the Company’s 
website at www.corporategovernance.weir.

MEETINGS
The table below details the Board members and members of senior management who were invited to attend meetings as appropriate during 
the calendar year.

Remuneration Committee attendees

Charles Berry
Keith Cochrane
Keith Ruddock
Gillian Kyle
Pauline Lafferty
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC)

Group Chairman
Chief Executive
Group General Counsel & Company Secretary Attended as former Secretary to the Committee
Deputy Company Secretary
Director of Human Resources

Attends by invitation
Attends by invitation

Attends as Secretary to the Committee
Attends by invitation
Attends as adviser to the Committee

There were six meetings held during the 52 weeks to 1 January 2016, and the attendance of the individual members of the Committee during 
that period is detailed in the table below. Calls with members of the Remuneration Committee were also held by telephone in relation to the 
shareholder consultation on the proposed Directors’ Remuneration Policy. All members of the Committee are considered to be independent 
Non-Executive Directors and no Director plays a part in the determination of their own remuneration. Executive Directors and senior 
management attend committee meetings at the invitation of the Committee Chairman. No member of the Committee has any personal 
financial interest, other than as a shareholder, in the matters decided by the Committee.

Members

Melanie Gee (Chairman)
Alan Ferguson
Mary Jo Jacobi
Richard Menell
Lord Robertson1 

Member since

9 May 2012
1 February 2015
21 January 2014
29 July 2011
9 December 2008 

Note
1.  Lord Robertson retired from the Committee on 31 January 2015.

116

Maximum number  

of possible meetings

Number of meetings attended

Percentage of meetings attended

6
5
6
6
1

6
5
6
6
1

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015 
II: Corporate Governance

In 2015, the Committee discussed the key agenda items set out in the following table:

Date

January

February

July

September

October

December

Agenda items

Approval of salaries and 2015 annual bonus targets for Executive Directors and Group Executive; approval of Chairman fee; 
review of draft 2014 Remuneration Report; Group Executive shareholding levels noted; and update on 2014 bonus and 2012 
LTIP outcomes. 

Approval of 2014 bonus payments for Executive Directors and Group Executive; approval of total remuneration for 
Executive Directors; note payment of 2014 bonuses to senior managers; approval of vesting of conditional share grants 
for 2012 LTIP; approval of performance conditions for 2015 annual bonus and LTIP; finalisation of 2014 Remuneration 
Report; review of independence of and fees paid to PwC as advisers to the Committee; feedback on Committee 
effectiveness review; corporate governance update; and approval of vesting of 2012 Deferred Bonus Plan.

Review of bonus and LTIP targets versus current projections; one-off retention award for senior managers noted; 
consideration of strategic review of remuneration; approval of LTIP grants for new joiners; and remuneration review for 
new COO role.

Review of bonus and LTIP targets versus current projections; strategic remuneration review update; and approval of 
remuneration for new Group Executive appointment.

Review of bonus and LTIP targets versus current projections; consideration of new remuneration policy objectives and 
proposals; and approval of the commencement of a shareholder consultation.

Review of bonus and LTIP targets versus current projections; review of initial proposals for 2016 salaries of Executive 
Directors and the wider Group; reviewed and discussed a PwC update on market trends and best practice on all aspects 
of remuneration; consideration of investor feedback from consultation and discussion on alternatives to address the 
feedback received; review of the Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference; and review of the 2016 calendar for  
the Remuneration Committee.

ADVISERS TO THE COMMITTEE
In discharging its responsibilities in 2015, the Committee was materially assisted by the Director of Human Resources and the Company Secretary.

PwC was appointed following a review of providers by the Committee in 2011. During 2015, the Committee undertook a review of the fees paid  
to PwC and considered the role and parameters of PwC as advisers to the Committee in light of the external auditor review being undertaken by  
the Company. Fees paid to PwC in relation to remuneration services provided to the Committee in 2015 totalled £96,428. This included advice  
on remuneration policy and practice, as well as guidance to the Committee on corporate governance trends and best practice. PwC is a signatory  
to the Remuneration Consultants’ Group Voluntary Code of Conduct.

The Committee recognises the need to obtain independent advice and given that PwC provides additional services to the Group, the Remuneration 
Committee Chairman has discussed this with PwC and management. The Committee is confident that any potential conflicts are managed 
appropriately by the Company and PwC. For information, the additional services provided by PwC include advice on pension schemes, IT project 
assurance, global mobility services including taxation advice, internal audit services, share plan taxation and due diligence in relation to acquisitions. 

STATEMENT OF VOTING AT GENERAL MEETING
The Company is committed to maintaining an open shareholder dialogue and takes an active interest in voting outcomes. In the event of a substantial 
vote against the Directors’ Remuneration Report, the Company would explain when announcing the results of voting what actions would be 
taken to understand the reasons for any such vote and would also set out in the following Annual Report actions implemented in response. 

At the Company’s last Annual General Meeting on 29 April 2015, the resolution to approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report (excluding the 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy) as contained in the Annual Report and Financial Statements 2014 was supported as follows:

Voting outcome

Votes for

Percentage Votes against

Percentage

Votes total

Votes 
withheld

2014 Directors’ Remuneration Report 
(excluding the Directors’ Remuneration Policy)

153,306,119

99.56% 677,994

0.44% 153,984,113 1,575,878

MELANIE GEE
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
Signed and approved for and on behalf of the Board
24 February 2016

117

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Directors’ Report

The Directors present their report for the year ending 1 January 2016.

The Directors’ Report includes the Corporate Governance reports from page 72 to 117, together with the sections of the Annual Report 
incorporated by reference.

The Company has chosen to disclose the following information in the Strategic Report on pages 1 to 71:
 – Particulars of any important events, if any, affecting the Company which have occurred since the end of the financial year.
 – An indication of likely future developments in the business of the Company.
 – An indication of the activities of the Company in the field of research and development.
 – Details of employee policy and involvement (Our People, pages 60 to 63). 
 – Information on greenhouse gas emissions (Environment, pages 53 to 57).
 – Principal risks and uncertainties (pages 24 to 29).

The Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report constitute the management report as required under the Disclosure and Transparency Rule 4.1.5R.

Information to be disclosed under the Listing Rule 9.8.4 is set out in the table below.

Subject matter

Waiver of directors’ emoluments (LR 9.8.4(5)

Allotment of shares for cash (LR 9.8.4(7))

Waiver of dividends (LR 9.8.4(12))

Page reference

109

119

119 

Paragraphs (1), (2), (4), (6), (8), (9), (10), (11), (13) and (14) of Listing Rule 9.8.4 are not applicable. 

This Annual Report has been prepared for, and only for, the members of the Company, as a body, and no other persons. The Company, its Directors, 
employees, agents and advisers, do not accept or assume responsibility to any other person to whom this document is shown or into whose 
hands it may come, and any such responsibility or liability is expressly disclaimed. This Annual Report may contain statements which are not 
based on current or historical fact and/or which are forward looking in nature. Please refer to the cautionary statement on page 208.

COMPANY NUMBER
The Weir Group PLC is registered in Scotland under company number SC002934.

2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 28 April 2016. The Notice of Meeting, along with an explanation of the proposed 
resolutions, are set out in a separate circular to shareholders which accompanies this Annual Report and can be downloaded from the 
Company’s website. The Company conducts the vote at the AGM by poll and the result of the votes, including proxies, is published on  
the Company’s website after the meeting.

DIVIDEND
The Directors have recommended a final dividend of 29.0p per share for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016. Payment of this dividend  
is subject to shareholder approval at the 2016 AGM.

SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS
The Company has been notified in accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules that the 
following held, or were beneficially interested in, 3% or more of the Company’s issued share capital at 1 January 2016 and at the date of 
approval of this Annual Report.

Shareholder

Deutsche Bank AG
Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd
BlackRock, Inc.
AXA
Norges Bank
TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC & Teachers Advisers, Inc
Citadel GP LLC and Citadel Advisers Holdings II LLP
Mackenzie Financial Corporation

1 January 2016

24 February 2016

Number  
of shares

Percentage

Number  
of shares

10,866,904
10,797,589
10,729,487
10,637,959
8,503,919
6,440,696
–
–

5.08%
5.07%
5.01%
4.99%
3.99%
3.01%
–
–

–
10,797,589
10,729,487
10,637,959
8,503,919
6,343,957
10,763,105
6,431,936

Percentage

Below 3%
5.07%
5.01%
4.99%
3.99%
Below 3%
5.03%
3.00%

Since these dates, the interest of any shareholder listed above may have increased or decreased. Information provided to the Company 
pursuant to the relevant Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules is publicly available via the regulatory information services. No requirement 
to notify the Company of any increase or decrease would have arisen unless the holding moved up or down through a whole number 
percentage level. The percentage level may increase (if the Company cancelled shares pursuant to the power to purchase its own shares)  
or decrease (on the issue of new shares).

118

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015II: Corporate Governance

EMPLOYMENT POLICY AND INVOLVEMENT
The average number of employees in the Group during the period is given in note 4 to the Group financial statements on page 145.

Group companies operate within a framework of HR policies, practices and regulations appropriate to their market sector and country of 
operation. Policies and procedures for recruitment, training and career development promote equality of opportunity regardless of gender, 
sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, race, religion or other beliefs and ethnic or national origin. The aim is to encourage a culture in 
which all employees have the opportunity to develop fully according to their individual abilities and the needs of the Group. The Group remains 
committed to the fair treatment of people with disabilities regarding applications, training, promotion and career development.

Employee involvement and feedback is actively encouraged. Further details of the Group’s employment policies and involvement are detailed 
in the Our People section of the Sustainability Review on pages 60 to 63.

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The information required in respect of financial instruments as required by Schedule 7 of The Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups 
(Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 is given in note 30 to the Group financial statements on pages 174 to 181.

SHARE CAPITAL AND RIGHTS ATTACHING TO THE COMPANY’S SHARES
Details of the issued share capital of the Company, which comprises a single class of ordinary shares of 12.5p each are set out in note 25 to 
the Group financial statements on page 169. The rights attaching to the shares are set out in the Company’s Articles of Association. There are 
no special control rights in relation to the Company’s shares and the Company is not aware of any agreements between shareholders that may 
result in restrictions on the transfer of securities and/or voting rights.

During the period a total of 595,058 ordinary shares with an aggregate nominal value of £74,382.25 were issued and allotted. 593,934 ordinary 
shares were issued on 8 July 2015, at a closing share price of £15.99, to Vidacos Nominee Limited in acquisition of Delta Industrial Valves, Inc., 
and 1,124 ordinary shares were issued on 18 August 2015, at a closing share price of £14.25, to Franck Degueure as part of a one-off 
conditional award.

The Weir Group has two employee benefit trusts: one with the trustees Kleinwort Benson (Guernsey) Trustees Limited (the ‘Kleinwort EBT’) 
and one with the trustees Appleby Trust (Jersey) Limited (the ‘Appleby EBT’).

During the period, the 2012 LTIP award vested and the trustees of the Kleinwort EBT transferred 33,951 ordinary shares to employees to 
satisfy the Compulsory Investment Share awards under the LTIP using ordinary shares purchased by the Kleinwort EBT in the market. 
During the period, the 2012 Deferred Bonus Plan (DBP) vested and the trustees of the Appleby EBT transferred 75,986 ordinary shares to 
employees to satisfy the DBP awards using ordinary shares purchased by the Appleby EBT in the market.

Both EBTs have agreed to waive any right to all dividend payments on shares held by them, with the exception of shares held in respect of 
awards which have a dividend entitlement. Details of the shares held by the EBTs are set out in note 25 to the Group financial statements on 
page 169. The 32,753 shares held in the Appleby EBT for the deferred element are the shares in respect of which dividends have not been 
waived. The Kleinwort EBT holds, through its account nominee K.B. (CI) Nominees Limited, 0.01% of the issued share capital of the Company, 
as at 1 January 2016, in trust for the benefit of certain Executive Directors and senior executives of the Group. The Appleby EBT holds, through 
account nominee CGWL Nominees Ltd, 0.06% of the issued share capital of the Company as at 1 January 2016. 0.02% of this is held in trust 
for the benefit of certain senior executives of the Group, and 0.04% is held in trust on behalf of the Company for satisfaction of any future 
vesting of the Weir Group Deferred Bonus Plan. With the exception of the shares held for the benefit of certain senior executives, the voting 
rights in relation to these shares are exercised by the trustees. The EBTs may vote or abstain from voting with the shares or accept or reject 
any offer relating to shares, in any way they see fit, without incurring any liability and without being required to give reasons for their decision.

REPURCHASE OF SHARES
At the 2015 Annual General Meeting, shareholders renewed the Company’s authority to make market purchases of up to 21.3m ordinary 
shares (representing approximately 10% of the issued share capital excluding treasury shares). No shares were purchased under this authority 
during the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, the Board will again seek shareholder approval  
to renew the annual authority for the Company to make market purchases at the same level.

VOTING RIGHTS
The Company’s Articles of Association provide that on a show of hands at a general meeting of the Company, every holder of ordinary shares 
present in person and by proxy and entitled to vote shall have one vote and on a poll, every member present in person or by proxy and entitled 
to vote shall have one vote for every ordinary share held. The Notice of the AGM specifies deadlines for exercising voting rights and appointing 
a proxy or proxies to vote in relation to resolutions to be passed at the AGM. The Company conducts the vote at the AGM by poll and the result 
of the poll will be released to the London Stock Exchange and posted on the Company’s website as soon as practicable after the meeting. 

The Articles of Association may only be amended by a special resolution passed at a general meeting of shareholders.

TRANSFER OF SHARES
There are no restrictions on the transfer of ordinary shares in the Company, other than as contained in the Articles of Association:
 – The Directors may refuse to register any transfer of any certificated share which is not fully paid up, provided that this power will not be 

exercised so as to disturb the market in the Company’s shares.

 – The Directors may also refuse to register the transfer of a certificated share unless it is delivered to the Registrar’s office, or such other 

place as the Directors have specified, accompanied by a certificate for the shares to be transferred and such other evidence as the Directors 
may reasonably require to prove title of the intending transferor.

119

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIICorporate Governance

Directors’ Report continued

Certain restrictions may from time to time be imposed by laws and regulations, for example, insider trading laws, in relation to the transfer  
of shares.

APPOINTMENT AND REPLACEMENT OF DIRECTORS
The provisions about the appointment and re-election of Directors of the Company are contained in the Articles of Association.

POWERS OF DIRECTORS
The business of the Company is managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company, subject to the provisions of the 
Company’s Articles of Association, any special resolution of the Company and any relevant legislation.

DIRECTORS’ INDEMNITIES
The Company has granted indemnities to each of its Directors in respect of all losses arising out of or in connection with the execution  
of their powers, duties and responsibilities as Directors to the extent permitted by the Companies Act 2006 and the Company’s Articles  
of Association. In addition, Directors and Officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and trustees of its pension schemes are covered  
by Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance.

PENSION SCHEME INDEMNITIES
The Group operates two defined benefit pension schemes in the UK which provide retirement and death benefits for employees and former 
employees of the Group. The corporate trustees of the pension schemes are The Weir Group Pension Trust Limited, a subsidiary of The Weir 
Group PLC, and The Weir Group Senior Executives Pension Trust Limited. Qualifying pension scheme indemnity provisions, as defined in 
section 235 of the Companies Act 2006, were in force for the financial year ended 1 January 2016 and remain in force for the benefit of each  
of the directors of the corporate trustees of the pension schemes. These indemnity provisions cover, to the extent permitted by law, certain 
losses or liabilities incurred as a director or officer of the corporate trustees of the pension schemes. 

CHANGE OF CONTROL – SIGNIFICANT AGREEMENTS
The following significant agreements contain provisions entitling the counterparties to require prior approval, exercise termination, alteration  
or similar rights in the event of a change of control of the Company.

The Group has in place a five year US$800m multi-currency revolving credit facility with a syndicate of 11 banks due to mature in September 
2019. Under the terms of this agreement, if there is a change of control of the Company, any lender may request, by not less than 30 days’ notice 
to the Company, that its commitment be cancelled and all outstanding amounts be repaid to that lender at the expiry of such notice period.

The Company has in issue fixed rate private placement notes with a range of maturities: US$70m at an interest rate of 5.03% due on 
11 January 2018, £43m at an interest rate of 5.36% due on 11 January 2018, US$210m at an interest rate of 3.69% due on 18 February 2019, 
US$590m at an interest rate of 4.27% due on 16 February 2022 and US$200m at an interest rate of 4.34% due on 16 February 2023.  
Under the terms of the applicable note purchase agreements, if there is a change of control of the Company, the notes must be offered  
for prepayment by the Company within seven days of the change of control. 

There are no agreements between the Company and its Directors or employees providing for compensation for loss of office or employment 
(whether through resignation, purported redundancy or otherwise) that occurs because of a takeover bid.

CONFIRMATIONS
So far as each of the Directors is aware, there is no relevant audit information (as defined by section 481 of the Companies Act 2006) of which 
the Company’s auditors are unaware.

Each of the Directors has taken all of the steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Director to make themselves aware of any relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Company’s auditors are aware of that information.

GOING CONCERN
The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue to operate for the foreseeable future. For this 
reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. In forming this view, the Directors have reviewed 
the Group’s budgets, plans and cash flow forecasts, including market downturn sensitivities. In addition, the Directors have considered the 
potential impact of credit risk and liquidity risk detailed in note 30 to the Group financial statements on pages 174 to 181. Each of these items 
has been considered in relation to the Group’s banking facilities described in note 20 on pages 160 and 161.

The Directors’ Report has been approved by the Board of Directors in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

ANDREW NEILSON
Company Secretary
24 February 2016

120

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

II: Corporate Governance

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual 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 prepared the 
Group financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union and the 
Company financial statements in accordance with UK Accounting Standards and applicable law.

In preparing those financial statements, the Directors are required to:
 – Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
 – Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
 – State that the Group financial statements have complied with IFRS as adopted by the European Union, subject to any material departures 

being disclosed and explained.

 – State for the Company financial statements whether the applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material 

departures being disclosed and explained.

The Directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position 
of the Group and enable them to ensure that the Group financial statements comply with the 2006 Act and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. 
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group 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 Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the 
preparation and dissemination of accounts may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The Directors confirm that they have complied with the above requirements in preparing the financial statements.

The Directors consider that the Annual Report and Financial Statements, taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and understandable and provide 
the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s performance, business model and strategy.

Each of the Directors, as at the date of this report, confirms to the best of their knowledge that:
 – The financial statements, prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, 

liabilities, financial position and profit of the Group.

 – The Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report include a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position 

of the Group, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

CHARLES BERRY 
Chairman
24 February 2016

KEITH COCHRANE 
Chief Executive
24 February 2016

121

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIIFinancial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of The Weir Group PLC

OUR OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In our opinion:
 – The Weir Group PLC’s Group financial statements and Parent company financial statements (the “financial statements”) give a true  
and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the Parent company’s affairs as at 1 January 2016 and of the Group’s profit for the  
52 weeks then ended;

 – the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union; 
 – the Parent company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 

Practice including FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”; and

 – the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, and, as regards the Group 

financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

WHAT WE HAVE AUDITED
The Weir Group PLC’s financial statements comprise:

Group

Parent company

Consolidated balance sheet as at 1 January 2016

Balance sheet as at 1 January 2016

Consolidated income statement for the 52 week period then ended

Statement of changes in equity for the 52 week period then ended

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the  
52 week period then ended

Consolidated statement of changes in equity for the  
52 week period then ended

Consolidated cash flow statement for the 52 week period then ended

Related notes 1 to 32 to the financial statements

Related notes 1 to 18 to the financial statements

The financial reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of the Group financial statements is applicable law and International 
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in the 
preparation of the Parent company financial statements is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom 
Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”. 

OVERVIEW OF OUR AUDIT APPROACH

Risks of material misstatement

Audit scope

Materiality

 – Exceptional Items: Group-wide efficiency review and Oil & Gas downturn actions. 
 – Carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets. 
 – Valuation of inventory. 
 – Adequacy of the Group’s liability provisioning. 
 – Exposure to significant tax risks. 
 – Risk of fraud and management override of internal controls, particularly in relation to sales 

cut-off around the period end. 

 – We performed an audit of the financial information of five components and audit 

procedures on specific balances for a further seventeen components. 

 – The components where we performed full or specific audit procedures accounted for  

91% of adjusted profit before tax from continuing operations, 76% of Revenue and 80%  
of Total assets.

 – Overall Group materiality is £8.3m which represents 5% of adjusted profit before tax from 
continuing operations. Adjusted profit before tax from continuing operations excludes 
non-recurring exceptional items.

OUR ASSESSMENT OF THE RISKS OF MATERIAL MISSTATEMENT 
We identified the risks of material misstatement described below as those that had the greatest effect on our overall audit strategy, the 
allocation of resources in the audit and the direction of the efforts of the audit team. In addressing these risks, we have performed the 
procedures below which were designed in the context of the financial statements as a whole and, consequently, we do not express any 
opinion on these individual areas.

122

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015Risk

Our response to the risk

Exceptional Items: Group-wide efficiency  
review and Oil & Gas downturn actions  
(£367.8m, 2014: £209.4m)

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 90); 
Financial review (page 43), Accounting policies  
(pages 135 to 136); and Note 5 of the Group  
Financial Statements (page 146).

The recognition, consistency and presentation of 
costs and income within exceptional items is a key 
determinant in the assessment of the quality of the 
Group’s underlying earnings.

We obtained and assessed managements’ summary 
of charges incurred under the Group-wide efficiency 
review and Oil & Gas down turn actions and other 
Group restructuring, split by division and principal 
business unit. 

We obtained an understanding from management  
of the rationale behind each of the charges. We 
obtained an analysis of the charges and supporting 
source documentation, rationale behind key 
assumptions and the estimation process undertaken 
to confirm the appropriateness of charges recognised.

Given the significance and judgemental nature of the 
exceptional items, we have assessed this as a risk of 
material misstatement.

We assessed whether the changes were in line  
with the Group’s accounting policy for exceptional 
items, and the Financial Reporting Council’s reminder 
on consistency and clarity of presentation.

The primary components of the exceptional items 
in the current year – and therefore the focus of our 
audit – were the Group-wide efficiency review £7.6m, 
Oil & Gas downturn actions £92.5m, other Group 
restructuring £16.3m, and the intangibles impairment 
of £251.4m. 

An impairment charge of £225.5m was recognised  
in relation to the Pressure Control CGU and £25.9m  
in relation to two other CGUs at the year end. We 
have considered the risk relating to the impairment  
of goodwill and intangible assets immediately below. 

Carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets 
(£2,102.1m, 2014: £2,016m)

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 90); 
Financial Review (page 43); Accounting policies 
(pages 137 to 138); and Note 5 and Note 14 of the 
Group Financial Statements (pages 155 to 157).

The key assumptions used in the assessment of the 
carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets are 
discount rate, long term growth rate, revenue growth 
and EBIT margins, and these involve significant 
judgement. Therefore, this gives rise to inherent 
subjectivity in the carrying value of these assets 
recorded in the financial statements.

In particular, the Pressure Control and Pressure 
Pumping CGUs are noted as requiring specific focus 
as a direct result of the prolonged downturn facing  
oil and gas markets those CGUs operate in.

An impairment charge of £193.4m was recognised 
against Goodwill in the Pressure Control CGU with 
the remainder of £32.1m allocated against other 
intangible assets. A further £26.2m impairment 
charge was recognised in relation to the Goodwill  
in American Hydro and YESS at the year end.

We read the disclosure in Note 5 and related narrative 
reporting to assess whether these are consistent with 
the conclusions of our audit work and meet the disclosure 
requirements of relevant accounting standards. 

We obtained management’s impairment assessment 
and testing, examining the calculation methodology, 
sources for key assumptions and sensitivities applied.
In addition to management’s assessment, we performed 
audit procedures to identify any additional indicators  
of impairment for each CGU with associated intangible 
assets, focusing on those businesses experiencing 
particularly challenging market conditions and subject  
to restructuring. 

Where there was no impairment charge, we obtained 
management’s sensitivity analysis showing the impact of 
a reasonably possible change in impairment assumptions 
as disclosed in Note 14. With the assistance of our 
specialists we evaluated these to determine whether an 
impairment charge was required. 

We corroborated the key assumptions behind the 
impairment model, being discount rate, long term 
growth rate, revenue growth and EBIT margins; utilising 
our valuations specialists to assist. The significant 
assumptions and their rationale are disclosed in Note 14 
to the financial statements.

For the Pressure Control and Pressure Pumping CGUs, 
given the prolonged downturn, we focused on the 
projected cash flows for these businesses under a range 
of oil price assumptions in the short and long terms 
and resultant impact on rig count, including scenarios 
generated from external analyst reports and internal EY 
economic projections.

We have read the impairment and sensitivity analysis 
disclosures to confirm these are in line with the 
requirements of IAS 36, “Impairment of Assets.”

III: Financial Statements

What we concluded  
to the Audit Committee

We concluded that the 
material charges made are 
exceptional in nature and have 
been presented appropriately.

We concluded that the  
charge recognised is  
within our overall range  
of acceptable outcomes. 

123

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIFinancial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of The Weir Group PLC continued

What we concluded  
to the Audit Committee

We concluded that 
management’s judgements 
in relation to the valuation 
and level of provisioning of 
inventory appropriately reflects 
the reductions in demand 
currently being experienced 
and forecast in the near future.

Risk

Our response to the risk

Valuation of inventory (£478.7m, 2014: £550.0m)

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 91); 
Accounting policies (page 138); and Note 16 of  
the Group Financial Statements (page 158).

The continued challenges facing oil and gas  
markets has lead to reduced customer activity  
across these sectors. 

This reduction in activity has increased the risk 
associated with the valuation of inventory,  
particularly within the Oil & Gas division. 

For those components that have an in-scope inventory 
balance and take a controls based approach, we 
tested controls. Where a controls based approach 
was not possible, we performed additional detailed 
substantive testing. 

We obtained an aged analysis of the inventory from 
management. We compared specific inventory lines 
against utilisation rates and expected market activity 
based on rig count, as well as current and forecast 
sales, to identify excess or obsolete inventory 
exposures. We made further inquiries of management 
to challenge and verify the assumptions made and 
determine their appropriateness. 

For full and specific scope business units within the 
Oil & Gas division, we made inquiries of management 
in relation to valuation judgements made as part of the 
Oil & Gas downturn restructuring noted above. 

We also performed audit procedures on the 
application of the inventory provisioning accounting 
policy. We verified the rationale applied to supporting 
documentation. 

124

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015III: Financial Statements

What we concluded  
to the Audit Committee

We concluded that 
management’s estimates 
in relation to the adequacy 
of the Group’s liability 
provisioning are reasonable, 
given the uncertainties 
involved.

Risk

Our response to the risk

Adequacy of the Group’s liability provisioning

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 91); 
Financial Review (page 49); Accounting policies  
(page 139); and Note 22 of the Group Financial 
Statements (pages 162 to 163).

We evaluated and challenged the assumptions and 
methodologies applied behind specific employee 
related provision calculations, and compared against 
our expectations. Where applicable, we have agreed 
projected costs against historical cost experience or 
supporting external evidence.

The recognition and valuation of the expected 
outcome of employee related or other legal claims 
and exposures across the Group requires the  
exercise of management judgement in assessing  
the amounts recorded and the disclosures made  
in the financial statements.

We have discussed the status of current litigation 
and regulatory issues with Group Legal Counsel. 
We have written to external lawyers throughout our 
audit process and considered their responses. We 
have reviewed correspondence with third parties and 
related contractual agreements.

For those exposures where provision is made, the 
use of estimates within those provisions gives rise  
to inherent subjectivity in the amounts recorded in  
the financial statements.

For those exposures where no provision has  
been made, the obligation to disclose the nature  
and estimate of its financial impact gives rise to 
further judgement in the disclosure within the 
financial statements.

We examined the judgements in relation to the 
Philippines Gold case, as disclosed in Note 27. 

For US asbestos-related claims, a provision of £28m 
with an equivalent receivable for insurance proceeds 
has been recorded. Significant inputs into the liability 
estimate include number of open claims, estimated 
cost per claim and projected claims. In addition, there 
are assumptions including the discount rate within the 
analysis to determine the fair value of the estimated 
liability. We engaged EY actuarial specialists to 
assess the appropriateness of the methodology 
followed and to evaluate the significant assumptions 
utilised in the valuation of the estimated liability.  
We also considered alternative assumptions to 
challenge the sensitivities and uncertainties relating 
to the liabilities.

We have also obtained management’s assessment 
of the adequacy of the Group’s related insurance 
policies to corroborate their assessment of insurance 
cover over these US estimated asbestos liabilities. 

For UK asbestos-related claims there are outstanding 
asbestos related claims which are not the subject 
of insurance cover. We obtained management’s 
assessment of the likely costs given past experience 
of the volume and cost of similar claims brought 
against the Group. With the assistance of EY 
specialists we examined the calculation behind 
management’s best estimate of the future liability and 
considered alternative assumptions to challenge the 
sensitivities and uncertainties relating to the liability. 

We read the disclosure in Note 22 to confirm  
these are in line with the requirements of  
IAS 37, “Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and 
Contingent Assets.”

Exposure to significant tax risks 

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 91); 
Financial Review (page 46); Accounting policies  
(page 141); and Note 7 of the Group Financial 
Statements (pages 147 to 148).

The value of the tax provisions recorded in respect 
of a number of uncertain tax positions which require 
judgements in respect of the likely outcome of 
negotiations with and enquiries from various  
tax authorities.

We have utilised internal national and appropriate 
international taxation specialists to assist the 
Group team in the evaluation and challenge of the 
assumptions and estimates in relation to the level  
of provisions recognised for significant tax risks.

We concluded that the amount 
provided by management 
is appropriate and within an 
acceptable range.

We have corroborated the movements in these 
provisions during the period, and the closing balances 
against our expectations. We also considered any 
penalty regimes that could apply should any of the tax 
positions be successfully challenged.

125

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIFinancial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of The Weir Group PLC continued

What we concluded  
to the Audit Committee

We concluded that revenue 
recognised in the year is 
materially correct on the basis 
of our procedures performed 
and our audit procedures  
did not identify any evidence  
of management override  
of internal controls.

Risk

Our response to the risk

Risk of fraud and management override  
of internal controls, particularly in relation  
to sales cut-off around the period end

Refer to the Accounting policies (page 137);  
and Note 3 of the Group Financial Statements  
(pages 142 to 144).

Auditing standards require that we consider the risk 
of fraud or management override of internal controls 
in revenue recognition.

Given the continued decline in key markets,  
we have evaluated that the key risk of misstatement 
due to management override, fraud and error 
specifically relates to sales cut-off around the  
period end. The downturn in activity has increased 
the risk of a material cut-off error through incorrect 
revenue recognition. 

In relation to sales cut-off, for those components that 
have an in scope revenue balance and take a controls 
based approach, we tested controls with a focus on 
those related to sales cut-off. Where a controls based 
approach was not possible, we performed additional 
detailed substantive testing. 

We performed cut-off testing on third party shipping 
documentation and customer acceptance around 
the period end to ensure the risks and rewards have 
been transferred to the customer, and performed 
analytical review procedures to compare revenue with 
management’s forecast and past experience. 

We tested reconciliation and manual journal entry 
authorisation controls at those full scope and specific 
scope components where we deemed there to be 
a higher country, control or management risk. In our 
testing of revenue recognition at those components, 
we tested the validity of manual journal entries 
posted around the period end.

In the prior year, our auditor’s report included a risk of fraud and management override in relation to revenue and profit recognition on construction 
contracts and manual journal adjustments to revenues made as a result of overriding existing processes or controls. In the current year, given the 
continued decline in key markets, we have increased our focus on the assessment of the risk of fraud and management override to cover all 
material revenue streams, with a focus on sales cut-off around the period end.

THE SCOPE OF OUR AUDIT 
Tailoring the scope
Our assessment of audit risk, our evaluation of materiality and our allocation of performance materiality determine our audit scope for each 
entity within the Group. Taken together, this enables us to form an opinion on the Group financial statements. We take into account size, risk 
profile, the organisation of the Group and effectiveness of Group-wide controls, changes in the business environment and other factors such  
as recent internal audit results when assessing the level of work to be performed at each entity.

In assessing the risk of material misstatement to the Group financial statements, and to ensure we had adequate quantitative coverage  
of significant accounts in the financial statements, we selected twenty two components covering entities within Australia, United States  
of America, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Dubai, Brazil, Chile, Peru, France, South Korea and the United Kingdom, which 
represent the principal business units within the Group.

Of the twenty two components selected, we performed an audit of the financial information of five components (‘full scope components’) 
which were selected based on their size or risk characteristics. For the remaining seventeen components (‘specific scope components’),  
we performed audit procedures on specific accounts within that component that we considered had the potential for the greatest impact  
on the significant accounts in the financial statements either because of the size of these accounts or their risk profile. 

The reporting components where we performed audit procedures accounted for 91% (2014: 78%) of the Group’s adjusted Profit before tax 
from continuing operations, 76% (2014: 74%) of the Group’s Revenue and 80% (2014: 78%) of the Group’s Total assets. 

The full scope components contributed 44% (2014: 43%) of the Group’s adjusted Profit before tax from continuing operations, 33% (2014: 30%) 
of the Group’s Revenue and 39% (2014: 35%) of the Group’s Total assets. 

The specific scope components contributed 47% (2014: 35%) of the Group’s adjusted Profit before tax from continuing operations, 43% (2014: 44%) 
of the Group’s Revenue and 41% (2014: 43%) of the Group’s Total assets. The audit scope of the specific scope components may not have 
included testing of all significant accounts of the component but will have contributed to the coverage of significant accounts tested for the 
Group. We also instructed all locations to perform specified procedures over the risks of misstatement, as described in the Risk section above. 

Of the remaining components that together represent 9% of the Group’s adjusted Profit before tax from continuing operations, none are 
individually greater than 4% of the Group’s adjusted Profit before tax from continuing operations. Certain central reporting entities and Group 
functions including those covering treasury, taxation, pensions and the Parent Company were subject to a full scope audit. For those remaining 
components not subject to a full or specific scope audit, we performed other procedures, including analytical procedures, testing of consolidation 
journals and intercompany eliminations, testing of balances greater than performance materiality and review of internal audit reports to respond 
to any potential risks of material misstatement to the Group financial statements.

126

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015III: Financial Statements

We have obtained an understanding of the entity-level controls of the Group and the internal audit programme to assist us in identifying and 
assessing risks of material misstatement due to fraud or error, as well as assisting us in determining the most appropriate audit strategy.  
We reviewed the results of procedures performed by Internal Audit and tested a number of the Group’s entity-level controls. 

The charts below illustrate the coverage obtained from the work performed by our audit teams. 

Revenue

Adjusted profit before tax

  Full scope components
  Specific scope components
  Other procedures

24%

33%

  Full scope components
  Specific scope components
  Other procedures

9%

44%

47%

Total assets

  Full scope components
  Specific scope components
  Other procedures

43%

20%

41%

39%

Changes from the prior year 
Two components were raised from specific to full scope and one component was raised from residual to specific scope. One component was 
reduced from specific to other scope. 

Involvement with component teams 
In establishing our overall approach to the Group audit, we determined the type of audit procedures that needed to be undertaken at each of  
the components by us, as the primary audit engagement team, or by component auditors from other EY global network firms operating under 
our instruction. Of the five full scope components, audit procedures were performed on all of these by the component audit teams. For the 
seventeen specific scope components, the work was performed by component auditors. We determined the involvement that we as the 
primary team needed to have with each component auditor to enable us to determine that sufficient audit evidence had been obtained as  
a basis for our opinion on the Group as a whole. The primary team continued to follow a programme of planned visits, video conferencing and 
teleconferencing that has been designed to ensure that the Senior Statutory Auditor or his designate visits those components with the greatest 
exposure to the risks of material misstatements noted above. 

During the current year’s audit cycle, visits were undertaken by the primary audit team to the component teams in the United Kingdom, Chile, 
the Netherlands and certain component teams in America. These visits involved discussing the audit approach with the component team and 
any issues arising from their work, meeting with local management, and reviewing key audit working papers on significant risk areas. 

The primary team interacted regularly with all component teams through video conferencing and teleconferencing where appropriate during 
various stages of the audit, reviewed key working papers and were responsible for the scope and direction of the audit process. This, together 
with the additional procedures performed at Group level, gave us appropriate evidence for our opinion on the Group financial statements.

127

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015III 
Financial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of The Weir Group PLC continued

OUR APPLICATION OF MATERIALITY 
We apply the concept of materiality in planning and performing the audit, in evaluating the effect of identified misstatements on the audit and 
in forming our audit opinion. 

Materiality
The magnitude of an omission or misstatement that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of the users of the financial statements. Materiality provides a basis for determining the nature and extent of our audit procedures.

We determined materiality for the Group to be £8.3m (2014: £18.0m), which is 5% (2014: 5%) of adjusted Profit before tax from continuing 
operations. We believe that adjusted Profit before tax from continuing operations provides a consistent measure of underlying performance  
as it excludes non-recurring exceptional items. This adjusted measure is used by the market and analysts as a key metric and therefore a focus 
for shareholders.

Starting basis:

(Loss)/profit before tax from continuing operations

(£199.8m) (2014: £149.1m)

Adjustments:

Exceptional items* – increase basis by 

£366.4m (2014: £209.4m)

Materiality:

Adjusted profit before tax from continuing operations 

£166.6m (2014: £358.5m)

Materiality 5%

£8.3m (2014: £18.0m)

*    For 2015 these non-recurring exceptional items related to intangibles impairment £251.4m, Group-wide efficiency review £7.6m, Oil & Gas downturn actions £92.5m, other Group 

restructuring £16.3m, charging of fair value uplift £2.4m and release of expired indemnity provisions for LGE process disposal (£3.8m). 

During the course of our audit, we reassessed initial materiality and reduced it to reflect lower results of the Group as a result of the market 
challenges faced in 2015. 

Performance materiality
The application of materiality at the individual account or balance level. It is set at an amount to reduce to an appropriately low level the 
probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected misstatements exceeds materiality.

On the basis of our risk assessments, together with our assessment of the Group’s overall control environment, our judgement was that 
performance materiality was 75% (2014: 75%) of our planning materiality, namely £6.2m (2014: £13.5m). We have set performance materiality  
at this percentage due to historical experience with the Group demonstrating an effective control environment and low history of misstatements.

Audit work at component locations for the purpose of obtaining audit coverage over significant financial statement accounts is undertaken 
based on a percentage of total performance materiality. The performance materiality set for each component is based on the relative scale  
and risk of the component to the Group as a whole and our assessment of the risk of misstatement at that component. In the current year,  
the range of performance materiality allocated to components was £0.9m to £2.5m (2014: £1.4m to £5.1m). 

Reporting threshold
An amount below which identified misstatements is considered as being clearly trivial.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them all uncorrected audit differences which affect the Income Statement  
in excess of £0.4m (2014: £0.5m), or any Balance Sheet reclassification adjustments in excess of £2.0m (2014: £2.0m). 

We evaluate any uncorrected misstatements against both the quantitative measures of materiality discussed above and in light of other 
relevant qualitative considerations in forming our opinion.

SCOPE OF THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that  
the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the 
accounting policies are appropriate to the Group’s and the Parent company’s circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately 
disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the Directors; and the overall presentation of the financial statements.  
In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the Annual Report and Financial Statements to identify material inconsistencies 
with the audited financial statements and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, 
the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies 
we consider the implications for our report.

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIRECTORS AND AUDITOR
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 121, 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 Ethical Standards for Auditors.

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. 

128

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015III: Financial Statements

OPINION ON OTHER MATTERS PRESCRIBED BY THE COMPANIES ACT 2006
In our opinion:
 – the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006; and
 – based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: 

 – the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are 

prepared is consistent with the financial statements.

 – the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have identified no 
material misstatements in the Strategic Report or Directors’ Report.

MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT BY EXCEPTION

ISAs (UK and 
Ireland) reporting

We are required to report to you if, in our opinion, financial and non-financial information  
in the annual report is: 
 – materially inconsistent with the information in the audited financial statements; or 
 – apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, our knowledge  

of the Group acquired in the course of performing our audit; or 

 – otherwise misleading. 

We have no 
exceptions to report.

Companies  
Act 2006 reporting

In particular, we are required to report whether we have identified any inconsistencies 
between our knowledge acquired in the course of performing the audit and the Directors’ 
statement that they consider the annual report and accounts taken as a whole is fair, balanced 
and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess 
the entity’s performance, business model and strategy; and whether the annual report 
appropriately addresses those matters that we communicated to the audit committee that 
we consider should have been disclosed.

We are required to report to you if, in our opinion:
 – adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Parent company, or returns 
adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
 – the Parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report to be audited are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

 – certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
 – we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

We have no 
exceptions to report.

Listing Rules review 
requirements

We are required to review:
 – the Directors’ statement in relation to going concern, set out on page 120, and  

We have no 
exceptions to report.

longer-term viability, set out on page 29; and

 – the part of the Corporate Governance Statement relating to the company’s compliance 
with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review.

STATEMENT ON THE DIRECTORS’ ASSESSMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL RISKS THAT WOULD THREATEN THE SOLVENCY OR 
LIQUIDITY OF THE ENTITY

ISAs (UK and 
Ireland) reporting

We are required to give a statement as to whether we have anything material to add or to 
draw attention to in relation to:
 – the Directors’ confirmation in the annual report that they have carried out a robust 

We have nothing 
material to add or to 
draw attention to.

assessment of the principal risks facing the entity, including those that would threaten  
its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity;

 – the disclosures in the annual report that describe those risks and explain how they are 

being managed or mitigated;

 – the Directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether they considered it 

appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing them, and their 
identification of any material uncertainties to the entity’s ability to continue to do so over a 
period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements; and
 – the Directors’ explanation in the annual report as to how they have assessed the prospects 
of the entity, over what period they have done so and why they consider that period to be 
appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that 
the entity will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over 
the period of their assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any 
necessary qualifications or assumptions.

James Nisbet (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of Ernst & Young LLP, Statutory Auditor
Glasgow
24 February 2016

129

The Weir Group PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015IIIFinancial Statements

Consolidated Income Statement
for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Continuing operations

Revenue

Continuing operations

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015

Before 
exceptional 
items & 
intangibles 
amortisation 
£m

Exceptional 
items & 
intangibles 
amortisation 
(note 5) 
£m

Notes

Before 
exceptional 
items & 
intangibles 
amortisation 
£m

Exceptional 
items & 
intangibles 
amortisation 
(note 5) 
£m

Total 
£m

Total 
£m

3

1,917.7

–

1,917.7

2,438.2

–

2,438.2

Operating profit (loss) before share of results of joint 
ventures

250.6

(417.2)

(166.6)

439.8

(257.3)

Share of results of joint ventures

15

8.3

–

8.3

10.0

–

182.5

10.0

Operating profit (loss)

258.9

(417.2)

(158.3)

449.8

(257.3)

192.5

(2.4)

(42.9)

(44.5)

(2.1)

(46.6)

(40.5)

4.7

(3.3)

219.8

(52.5)

167.3

–

–

–

4.7

(3.3)

6.0

(2.8)

–

–

(419.6)

(199.8)

408.5

(259.4)

73.3

20.8

(105.5)

30.1

(346.3)

(179.0)

303.0

(229.3)

–

–

–

1.0

167.3

(346.3)

(179.0)

303.0

(228.3)

167.6

(346.3)

(178.7)

301.4

(228.3)

(0.3)

–

(0.3)

1.6

–

167.3

(346.3)

(179.0)

303.0

(228.3)

78.4p

(83.6p)

141.3p

(83.6p)

78.4p

(83.6p)

140.9p

(83.6p)

6.0

(2.8)

149.1

(75.4)

73.7

1.0

74.7

73.1

1.6

74.7

34.3p

33.8p

34.2p

33.7p

Finance costs

Finance income

Other finance costs – retirement benefits

Profit (loss) before tax from continuing operations

Tax (expense) credit

Profit (loss) for the period from continuing operations

Profit for the period from discontinued operations

Profit (loss) for the period

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interests

Earnings (loss) per share

Basic – total operations

Basic – continuing operations

Diluted – total operations

Diluted – continuing operations

6

6

24

7

8

9

130

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income
for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

(Loss) profit for the period

Other comprehensive income 

Losses taken to equity on cash flow hedges

Exchange (losses) gains on translation of foreign operations

Exchange losses on net investment hedges

Reclassification adjustments on cash flow hedges 

Tax relating to other comprehensive (expense) income to be reclassified in subsequent periods

Items that are or may be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods

Remeasurements on defined benefit plans

Tax relating to other comprehensive income (expense) that will not be reclassified in subsequent periods

Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods

Net other comprehensive (expense) income

Total net comprehensive (expense) income for the period

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interests

III: Financial Statements

52 weeks
ended
1 January 
2016
£m

52 weeks 
ended
2 January 
2015
£m

(179.0)

74.7

Notes

7

24

7

(2.8)

(13.0)

(16.5)

1.6

1.2

(29.5)

13.5

(2.1)

11.4

(4.0)

61.3

(16.1)

0.9

0.3

42.4

(31.1)

6.8

(24.3)

(18.1)

18.1

(197.1)

92.8

(196.5)

(0.6)

(197.1)

90.7

2.1

92.8

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

131

IIIFinancial Statements

Consolidated Balance Sheet
at 1 January 2016

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Property, plant & equipment

Intangible assets

Investments in joint ventures

Deferred tax assets

Other receivables

Retirement benefit plan assets

Derivative financial instruments

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade & other receivables

Construction contracts

Derivative financial instruments

Income tax receivable

Cash & short-term deposits

Total current assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Trade & other payables

Construction contracts

Derivative financial instruments

Income tax payable

Provisions

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Other payables

Derivative financial instruments

Provisions

Deferred tax liabilities

Retirement benefit plan deficits

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

NET ASSETS

CAPITAL & RESERVES

Share capital

Share premium

Merger reserve

Treasury shares

Capital redemption reserve

Foreign currency translation reserve

Hedge accounting reserve

Retained earnings

Shareholders’ equity

Non-controlling interests

TOTAL EQUITY

Approved by the Board of Directors on 24 February 2016

Keith Cochrane 
Director 

Jon Stanton
Director

132

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

1 January 
2016  
£m

Notes

Restated 
(note 2) 
2 January 
2015  
£m

11

12

15

23

17

24

30

16

17

18

30

19

20

21

18

30

22

20

21

30

22

23

24

25

388.3

435.0

1,411.6

1,640.8

33.4

20.2

22.3

8.2

8.5

33.7

24.5

22.3

4.1

3.5

1,892.5

2,163.9

478.7

444.7

28.5

14.2

29.1

184.0

1,179.2

3,071.7

195.6

459.6

8.9

14.1

31.6

70.3

550.0

623.0

31.3

10.5

5.8

178.7

1,399.3

3,563.2

166.1

582.0

13.8

11.3

32.1

65.4

780.1

870.7

813.4

873.3

22.6

5.8

46.7

115.3

90.0

25.6

3.1

47.4

162.5

98.4

1,093.8

1,873.9

1,197.8

1,210.3

2,081.0

1,482.2

26.8

38.0

9.4

(5.8)

0.5

(41.8)

(2.0)

26.8

38.0

–

(5.8)

0.5

(12.6)

(2.0)

1,166.5

1,191.6

6.2

1,430.5

1,475.4

6.8

1,197.8

1,482.2

 
 
 
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement
for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Continuing operations

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash generated from operations

Additional pension contributions paid

Exceptional cash items

Income tax paid

Net cash generated from operating activities

Continuing operations

Cash flows from investing activities

Acquisitions of subsidiaries 

Purchases of property, plant & equipment and intangible assets

Other proceeds from sale of property, plant & equipment and intangible assets

Interest received

Dividends received from joint ventures

Net cash used in investing activities

Continuing operations

Cash flows from financing activities

Purchase of shares for equity settled share-based incentives

Proceeds from borrowings

Repayments of borrowings

Settlement of external debt of subsidiary on acquisition

Settlement of derivative financial instruments

Interest paid

Proceeds from increase in non-controlling interests

Dividends paid to equity holders of the Company

Net cash (used in) generated from financing activities

Net increase in cash & cash equivalents from continuing operations

Cash & cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

Foreign currency translation differences

Cash & cash equivalents at the end of the period

III: Financial Statements

Notes

26

52 weeks 
ended
1 January 
2016 
£m

52 weeks 
ended
2 January 
2015 
£m

396.5

421.3

(2.6)

(33.4)

(50.4)

(10.6)

(10.6)

(94.1)

310.1

306.0

26

15

26

(14.1)

(92.1)

4.4

3.9

10.0

(137.7)

(108.0)

6.7

6.2

6.0

(87.9)

(226.8)

–

(0.2)

541.9

404.0

(591.2)

(237.5)

(1.2)

(1.7)

(41.8)

–

–

(3.1)

(42.7)

0.2

10

(94.0)

(102.7)

(188.0)

18.0

34.2

166.6

(21.5)

97.2

68.6

0.8

19

179.3

166.6

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

133

IIINon- 
controlling 
interests 
£m

Total 
equity 
£m

4.5

1.6

1,486.7

74.7

(4.0)

–

(4.0)

60.8

0.5

61.3

(16.1)

(31.1)

(31.1)

–

6.8

0.9

7.1

–

–

–

–

(16.1)

(31.1)

0.9

7.1

Financial Statements

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity
for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Share 
capital 
£m

Share 
premium 
£m

Merger 
reserve
£m

Treasury 
shares 
£m

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
reserve 
£m

Hedge 
accounting 
reserve 
£m

Attributable 
to equity 
holders of 
the 
Company 
£m

Retained 
earnings 
£m

(5.8)

0.5

(57.3)

0.8

1,479.3

1,482.2

–

73.1

73.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

At 3 January 2014

26.7

38.0

Profit for the period

Losses taken to equity 
on cash flow hedges

Exchange gains on 
translation of foreign 
operations

Exchange losses on 
net investment hedges

Remeasurements on 
defined benefit plans

Reclassification 
adjustments on cash 
flow hedges 

Tax relating to other 
comprehensive income

Total net 
comprehensive 
income for the period

Proceeds from 
increase in non-
controlling interests

Cost of share-based 
payments inclusive  
of tax charge

Dividends

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Exercise of LTIP awards

0.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

At 2 January 2015

26.8

38.0

Loss for the period

Losses taken to equity 
on cash flow hedges

Exchange losses on 
translation of foreign 
operations

Exchange losses on 
net investment hedges

Remeasurements on 
defined benefit plans

Reclassification 
adjustments on cash 
flow hedges 

Tax relating to other 
comprehensive income

Total net 
comprehensive 
expense for the 
period

Issue of shares (note 13)

Share-based payments 
credit inclusive of tax 
charge

Dividends

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

9.4

–

–

–

–

60.8

(16.1)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(12.7)

(16.5)

–

–

–

(29.2)

–

–

–

(4.0)

–

–

–

0.9

0.3

(2.8)

–

–

–

1.6

1.2

–

–

–

–

44.7

(2.8)

48.8

90.7

2.1

92.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.2

0.2

5.2

5.2

(102.7)

(102.7)

(0.1)

–

–

–

–

5.2

(102.7)

–

(5.8)

0.5

(12.6)

(2.0)

1,430.5

1,475.4

6.8

1,482.2

–

(178.7)

(178.7)

(0.3)

(179.0)

(2.8)

–

(2.8)

(12.7)

(0.3)

(13.0)

(16.5)

13.5

13.5

–

1.6

(2.1)

(0.9)

–

–

–

–

(16.5)

13.5

1.6

(0.9)

(167.3)

(196.5)

(0.6)

(197.1)

–

9.4

(2.7)

(94.0)

(2.7)

(94.0)

–

–

–

9.4

(2.7)

(94.0)

At 1 January 2016

26.8

38.0

9.4

(5.8)

0.5

(41.8)

(2.0)

1,166.5

1,191.6

6.2

1,197.8

134

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements

1.  AUTHORISATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE
The consolidated financial statements of The Weir Group PLC (the ‘Company’) and its subsidiaries (together, the ‘Group’) for the 52 weeks  
ended 1 January 2016 (‘2015’) were approved and authorised for issue in accordance with a resolution of the Directors on 24 February 2016. The 
comparative information is presented for the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 (‘2014’). For the 52 week period ended 1 January 2016 and previous 
periods, the Group has reported its financial statements to the week ending closest to the Company reference date of 31 December. For practical 
purposes, a decision has been made to alter the reporting basis to reflect a calendar year, with the next annual reporting date being 31 December 
2016 and the interim financial period end being 30 June 2016. This is not expected to significantly impact the reported results in 2016. 

The Weir Group PLC is a limited company incorporated in Scotland and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The consolidated financial statements of The Weir Group PLC have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union and applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

The principal activities of the Group are described in note 3.

2.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparation
These financial statements are presented in Sterling. All values are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million pounds (£m) except where 
otherwise indicated.

The accounting policies which follow are consistent with those of the previous period except for the adoption of the Annual Improvements to 
IFRSs 2011-2013 Cycle, which was implemented effective from 1 January 2015. This covered minor clarifications and amendments to various 
IFRSs and did not have a material impact on the Group’s financial statements.

There are no other standards and amendments which apply for the first time in 2015 and impact the Group financial statements.

Business combinations – update to provisional fair values
During the year, the provisional fair values attributed to the 2014 acquisitions (being Trio and Metra) were finalised. In accordance with IFRS 3 
“Business Combinations”, the net impact of the adjustments to the provisional fair values has been recognised by means of an increase to 
goodwill and the adjustments to the provisional amounts have been recognised as if the accounting for the business combinations had been 
completed at the relevant acquisition dates. As such, all affected balances and amounts have been restated in the financial statements. 

The table below reflects the adjustments made to finalise the Trio Engineered Products (Weir Trio) fair values.

Inventories

Trade & other receivables

Trade & other payables

Provisions

Deferred tax

Goodwill arising on acquisition

Impact on net assets

Provisional 
fair values 
2 January 
2015 
£m

Final fair 
values 
2 January 
2015 
£m

Adjustments 
to fair values 
£m

20.9

15.6

(20.0)

(10.9)

(1.0)

75.7

19.9

13.6

(20.6)

(11.2)

0.7

77.9

(1.0)

(2.0)

(0.6)

(0.3)

1.7

2.2

–

The Metra Equipment Inc. (Weir Metra) provisional fair values were also finalised during the period, the impact being a decrease to the 
inventory fair value of £0.3m, with a corresponding increase in goodwill.

The Consolidated Balance Sheet and affected notes present restated comparative information as at 2 January 2015. There was no material 
impact on the Consolidated Income Statement or Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income as a result of the finalisation of the 
provisional fair values.

Exceptional items
In order to provide the users of the financial statements with a more relevant presentation of the Group’s underlying performance, profit for 
each financial period has been analysed between:
i)  profit before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation; and
ii)  the effect of exceptional items and intangibles amortisation.

Exceptional items are items of income and expense which, because of the nature, size and/or infrequency of the events giving rise to them,  
merit separate presentation to allow a better understanding of the elements of the Group’s financial performance for the period and are presented 
on the face of the income statement to facilitate comparisons with prior periods and assessment of trends in financial performance. Exceptional 
items may include but are not restricted to: profits or losses arising on disposal or closure of businesses; the cost of significant business 
restructuring; significant impairments of intangible or tangible assets; adjustments to the fair value of acquisition related items such as contingent 
consideration and inventory; other items deemed exceptional due to their significance, size or nature; and the related exceptional taxation.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

135

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

2.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
Exceptional items continued
Intangibles amortisation has been shown separately to provide visibility over the impact of increased acquisition activity on intangible assets.

Further analysis of the items included in the column ‘Exceptional items & intangibles amortisation’ is provided in note 5 to the financial statements.

Use of estimates & judgements
The Group’s significant accounting policies are set out below. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements, in conformity with 
IFRS, requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the 
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expense.

Management base these judgements, estimates and assumptions on a combination of past experience, professional expert advice and other 
evidence that is relevant to each individual circumstance. Actual results may differ from these estimates, judgements and assumptions, which 
are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and in any 
future periods affected.

The areas where management consider the more complex estimates, judgements and assumptions are required are those in respect of acquired 
assets and liabilities – business combinations (note 13), exceptional items (above and note 5), retirement benefits (note 24), taxation (note 7), 
valuation of inventory (note 16), provisions (note 22), impairment of non-current assets (note 14) and legal claims (note 27).

Further commentary on areas of estimation uncertainty and critical judgements made in applying accounting policies that have the most 
significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements is provided in the Financial Review on pages 48 to 49.

Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the results, cash flows and assets and liabilities of The Weir Group PLC and its subsidiaries, and 
the Group’s share of results of its joint ventures. The financial statements of subsidiaries and joint ventures are prepared for the same reporting 
period as the Company using consistent accounting policies.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the Company, where control is achieved when the Group is exposed, or has 
rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the investee. 
The results of a subsidiary acquired during the period are included in the Group’s results from the effective date on which control is transferred 
to the Group. The results of a subsidiary sold during the period are included in the Group’s results up to the effective date on which control is 
transferred out of the Group. All intragroup transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation.

Non-controlling interests represent the portion of profit or loss and net assets in subsidiaries that are not held by the Group and are presented 
within equity in the Consolidated Balance Sheet, separately from the Company shareholders’ equity.

A full list of the Company’s subsidiary undertakings can be found on pages 201 to 204. 

Joint ventures
The Group has a number of long-term contractual arrangements with other parties which represent joint ventures. A joint venture is a type  
of joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the net assets of the joint venture. Joint 
control is the contractually agreed sharing of control of an arrangement, which exists only when decisions about the relevant activities require 
unanimous consent of the parties sharing control. The Group’s interests in the results and assets and liabilities of its joint ventures are 
accounted for using the equity method.

These investments are carried in the balance sheet at cost plus post-acquisition changes in the Group’s share of net assets less any 
impairment in value. The income statement reflects the share of results of operations of these investments after tax. Where there has been  
a change recognised directly in the investee’s equity, the Group recognises its share of any changes and discloses this when applicable in the 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Any goodwill arising on the acquisition of a joint venture, representing the excess of the cost of the investment over the Group’s share of the 
net fair value of the joint venture’s identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities, is included in the carrying amount of the joint venture 
and is not amortised. To the extent that the net fair value of the joint venture’s identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities is greater 
than the cost of the investment, a gain is recognised and added to the Group’s share of the joint venture’s profit or loss in the period in which 
the investment is acquired.

Foreign currency translation
The financial statements for each of the Group’s subsidiaries and joint ventures are prepared using their functional currency. The functional 
currency is the currency of the primary economic environment in which an entity operates.

At entity level, transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into the entity’s functional currency at the exchange rate ruling on 
the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the exchange rate ruling on the 
balance sheet date. Currency translation differences are recognised in the income statement except when hedge accounting is applied and for 
differences on monetary assets and liabilities that form part of the Group’s net investment in a foreign operation. These are recognised in other 
comprehensive income until the disposal of the net investment, at which time they are recognised in profit or loss.

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

On consolidation, the results of foreign operations are translated into Sterling at the average exchange rate for the period and their assets and 
liabilities are translated into Sterling at the exchange rate ruling on the balance sheet date. Currency translation differences, including those  
on monetary items that form part of a net investment in a foreign operation, are recognised in the foreign currency translation reserve.

In the event that a foreign operation is sold, the gain or loss on disposal recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement is determined after 
taking into account the cumulative currency translation differences that are attributable to the operation. As permitted by IFRS 1, the Group 
elected to deem cumulative currency translation differences to be £nil as at 27 December 2003. Accordingly, the gain or loss on disposal of  
a foreign operation does not include currency translation differences arising before that date.

In the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement, the cash flows of foreign operations are translated into Sterling at the average exchange rate for the period.

Revenue recognition
Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, and to the extent that it is probable that the economic 
benefits will flow to the Group and the revenue can be reliably measured. Revenue is shown net of sales taxes, discounts and after eliminating 
sales within the Group. 

i. Sale of goods
Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised in the income statement when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred 
to the buyer, usually on despatch of goods, and reliable measurement is possible. No revenue is recognised where recovery of the consideration 
is not probable or there are significant uncertainties regarding associated costs, or the possible return of goods. Transfers of risks and rewards 
vary depending on the nature of the products sold and the individual terms of the contract of sale. Where the sale of product requires customer 
inspection, revenue is not recognised until the inspection has been completed and approved by the customer.

This policy is applicable to the sale of both original equipment and spare parts, whether sold individually, in bulk or as part of a cross-selling 
marketing strategy.

ii. Provision of services
Revenue from the rendering of services is generally recognised on completion if the service contract is short-term in nature. Where this is not 
the case, revenue from services is recognised in proportion to the stage of completion of the service at the balance sheet date. The stage of 
completion is assessed by reference to the contractual agreement with each separate customer and the costs incurred on the contract to date 
in comparison to the total forecast costs of the contract. Revenue recognition commences only when the outcome of the contract can be 
reliably measured, by reference to individual terms and conditions within each service contract, and it is probable that the economic benefits 
associated with the contract will flow to the Group. Otherwise it is recognised to the extent costs are incurred.

iii. Construction contracts
Construction contracts usually contain discrete elements separately transferring risks and rewards to the customer. The stage of completion  
of a contract is determined either by reference to the proportion that contract costs incurred for work performed to date bear to the estimated 
total contract costs, or by reference to the completion of a physical proportion of the contract work. The basis used is dependent upon the 
nature of the underlying contract and takes into account the degree to which the physical proportion of the work is subject to formal customer 
acceptance procedures. Losses on contracts are recognised in the period when such losses become probable. Construction contracts are 
primarily entered into by the Group’s ‘Engineer to Order’ businesses.

Property, plant & equipment
The Group elected to use previous UK GAAP revaluations of land and buildings, amounting to £10.5m, prior to 27 December 2003 as deemed 
cost at the date of the transition to IFRS.

Property, plant & equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any recognised impairment losses. Cost includes borrowing 
costs for qualifying assets for which the commencement date for capitalisation is on or after 1 January 2009. Prior to this date, the Group 
recognised all borrowing costs as an expense immediately. Freehold land and assets under construction are not depreciated.

Depreciation of property, plant & equipment, other than freehold land and assets under construction, is provided on a straight-line basis so as 
to charge the cost less residual value, based on prices prevailing at the balance sheet date, to the income statement over the expected useful 
life of the asset concerned, and is in the following ranges:

Freehold buildings, long leasehold land & buildings
Short leasehold land & buildings
Plant & equipment

10 – 40 years
duration of lease
3 – 20 years

Goodwill
Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method.

Goodwill arises on the acquisition of subsidiaries and represents any excess of the cost of the acquired entity over the Group’s interest in  
the fair value of the entity’s identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities determined at the date of acquisition. Acquisition costs  
are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. Goodwill in respect of an acquired subsidiary is recognised as an intangible asset. 
Goodwill is tested at least annually for impairment and carried at cost less any recognised impairment losses.

Where the fair value of the interest acquired in an entity’s assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities exceeds the consideration paid, the excess 
is recognised immediately as a gain in the income statement.

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

137

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

2.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
Goodwill continued
Goodwill recognised as an asset as at 27 December 2003 is recorded at its carrying amount at that date and is not amortised. The carrying 
amount of goodwill allocated to a cash generating unit is taken into account when determining the gain or loss on disposal of the unit. Goodwill 
that was written off directly to reserves under UK GAAP is not taken into account in determining the gain or loss on disposal of acquired 
businesses on or after 27 December 2003.

Any contingent consideration is recognised at the date of acquisition. Subsequent changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration  
are adjusted against the cost of acquisition where they qualify as measurement period adjustments (see below). All other subsequent changes 
in the fair value of contingent consideration classified as a liability are accounted for in accordance with the relevant IFRS.

The measurement period is the period from the date of acquisition to the date the Group obtains complete information about facts and 
circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date, and is subject to a maximum of one year.

Other intangible assets
Other intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation and any recognised impairment losses.

Intangible assets acquired separately are measured at cost on initial recognition. An intangible resource acquired in a business combination  
is recognised as an intangible asset if it is separable from the acquired business or arises from contractual or legal rights, is expected to 
generate future economic benefits and its fair value can be measured reliably. An intangible asset with a finite life is amortised on a straight-line 
basis so as to charge its cost, which in respect of an acquired intangible asset represents its fair value at the acquisition date, to the income 
statement over its expected useful life. An intangible asset with an indefinite life is not amortised but is tested at least annually for impairment 
and carried at cost less any recognised impairment losses.

Computer software that is not integral to an item of property, plant & equipment is recognised separately as an intangible asset. Amortisation 
is provided on a straight-line basis so as to charge the cost of the software to the income statement over its expected useful life, not exceeding 
eight years.

The expected useful lives of acquired intangible assets are as follows:

Brand names
Customer & distributor relationships
Purchased software
Intellectual property & trade marks
Other

Indefinite life
5 – 25 years
4 – 8 years
6 – 15 years
up to 6 years

Research & development costs
All research expenditure is charged to the income statement in the period in which it is incurred.

Development expenditure is charged to the income statement in the period in which it is incurred unless it relates to the development of a new 
product or technology and it is incurred after the technical feasibility and commercial viability of the product has been proven, the development 
costs can be measured reliably, future economic benefits are probable and the Group intends, and has sufficient resources, to complete the 
development and to use or sell the asset. Any such capitalised development expenditure is amortised on a straight-line basis so that it is 
charged to the income statement over the expected life of the resulting product or technology.

Impairment of non-current assets
All non-current assets are tested for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that their carrying values might be impaired. 
Additionally, goodwill, intangible assets with an indefinite life and any capitalised development expenditure are subject to an annual impairment test.

An impairment loss is recognised to the extent that an asset’s carrying value exceeds its recoverable amount, which represents the higher  
of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. An asset’s value in use represents the present value of the future cash flows 
expected to be derived from the asset. Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the impairment test 
is conducted for the cash generating unit to which it belongs. Similarly, the recoverable amount of goodwill is determined by reference to the 
discounted future cash flows of the cash generating units to which it is allocated.

Impairment losses are recognised in the income statement. Impairment losses recognised in previous periods for an asset other than goodwill 
are reversed if there has been a change in the estimates used to determine the asset’s recoverable amount. The carrying amount of an asset 
shall not be increased above the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in 
prior periods. Impairment losses recognised in respect of goodwill are not reversed.

Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, with due allowance for any obsolete or slow moving items. Cost represents 
the expenditure incurred in bringing inventories to their existing location and condition and comprises the cost of raw materials, direct labour 
costs, other direct costs and related production overheads. Raw material cost is generally determined on a first in, first out basis. Net realisable 
value is the estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell.

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The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Financial assets & liabilities
The Group’s principal financial assets and liabilities, other than derivatives, comprise bank overdrafts, short-term borrowings, loans and fixed 
rate notes, commercial paper, cash and short-term deposits. The Group also has other financial assets and liabilities such as trade receivables 
and trade payables which arise directly from its operations, and contingent consideration in relation to acquisitions.

A financial asset is generally derecognised when the contract that gives rise to it is settled, sold, cancelled or expires.

A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the liability is discharged, cancelled or expires. Where an existing financial liability 
is replaced by another from the same lender on substantially different terms, or the terms of an existing liability are substantially modified, such 
an exchange or modification is treated as a derecognition of the original liability and the recognition of a new liability, such that the difference  
in the respective carrying amounts together with any costs or fees incurred are recognised in profit or loss.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables, which are generally of a short-term nature, are recognised and carried at original invoice amount less an allowance for estimated 
irrecoverable amounts. Provision is made when there is objective evidence that the Group will not be able to recover balances in full. Balances 
are written off when the probability of recovery is assessed as being remote.

Cash & cash equivalents
Cash & cash equivalents comprise cash in hand, deposits available on demand and other short-term highly liquid investments with a maturity 
on acquisition of three months or less and bank overdrafts and short-term borrowings with a maturity on acquisition of three months or less. 
Bank overdrafts are presented as current liabilities to the extent that there is no right of offset with cash balances.

Trade payables
Trade payables are recognised and carried at original invoice amount.

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings
Obligations for loans and borrowings are recognised when the Group becomes party to the related contracts and are measured initially at fair 
value less directly attributable transaction costs. After initial recognition, interest-bearing loans and borrowings are subsequently measured  
at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account any issue costs and any discount or 
premium on settlement. Borrowings are classified as current liabilities unless the Group has an unconditional right to settle the liability at least 
12 months after the balance sheet date.

Provisions
A provision is recognised in the balance sheet when the Group has a legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event, the obligation 
can be estimated reliably and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. If the effect is 
material, provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments  
of the time value of money and, where appropriate, the risks specific to the liability.

Derivative financial instruments & hedge accounting
The Group uses derivative financial instruments, principally forward foreign currency contracts and cross currency swaps, to reduce its 
exposure to exchange rate movements. The Group also uses foreign currency borrowings as a hedge of its exposure to foreign exchange risk 
on its investments in foreign subsidiaries. Additionally, the Group uses interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to interest rate risk. The 
Group does not hold or issue derivatives for speculative or trading purposes.

Derivative financial instruments are recognised as assets and liabilities measured at their fair values at the balance sheet date. The fair value  
of forward foreign currency contracts is calculated as the present value of the estimated future cash flows based on spot and forward foreign 
exchange rates and counterparty and the Group’s own credit risk. The fair value of interest rate swaps and cross currency swaps is calculated 
as the present value of the estimated future cash flows based on interest rate curves, spot foreign exchange rates and counterparty and own 
credit risk. Changes in their fair values have been recognised in the income statement, except where hedge accounting is used, provided the 
conditions specified by IAS 39 are met. Hedge accounting is applied in respect of hedge relationships where it is both permissible under IAS 
39 and practical to do so. When hedge accounting is used, the relevant hedging relationships are classified as fair value hedges, cash flow 
hedges or net investment hedges, as appropriate.

Where the hedging relationship is classified as a fair value hedge, the carrying amount of the hedged asset or liability will be adjusted by the 
increase or decrease in its fair value attributable to the hedged risk and the resulting gain or loss will be recognised in the income statement 
where, to the extent that the hedge is effective, it will be offset by the change in the fair value of the hedging instrument.

Where the hedging relationship is classified as a cash flow or net investment hedge, to the extent that the hedge is effective, changes in the fair 
value of the hedging instrument will be recognised directly in other comprehensive income rather than in the income statement. When the hedged 
item is recognised in the financial statements, the accumulated gains and losses recognised in other comprehensive income will be either recycled 
to the income statement or, if the hedged item results in a non-financial asset, will be recognised as adjustments to its initial carrying amount.

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated or exercised, or no longer qualifies for hedge 
accounting. At that point in time, any cumulative gain or loss on the hedging instrument recognised in other comprehensive income is kept in 
other comprehensive income until the forecasted transaction occurs. If a hedged transaction is no longer expected to occur, the net cumulative 
gain or loss recognised in other comprehensive income is transferred to net profit or loss for the period.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

139

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

2.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
Derivative financial instruments & hedge accounting continued
Derivatives embedded in non-derivative host contracts are recognised separately as derivative financial instruments when their risks and 
characteristics are not closely related to those of the host contract and the host contract is not stated at its fair value with changes in its fair 
value recognised in the income statement.

Share-based payments
Equity settled share-based incentives are provided to employees under the Group’s Long Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) and as a consequence  
of occasional one-off conditional awards made to senior executives. The last equity settled grant under the Executive Bonus Scheme (‘EBS’) 
was during 2013.

The fair value of the LTIP at the date of the grant is calculated using appropriate option pricing models and the cost is recognised on a  
straight-line basis over the vesting period. Adjustments are made to reflect expected and actual forfeitures during the vesting period due  
to failure to satisfy service or performance conditions. The changes to the LTIP which took effect in 2014 are summarised in the Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy which can be found on the Company’s website, www.corporategovernance.weir.

The previously granted equity settled incentives under the EBS were determined as a percentage of the annual bonus and were matched by 
the Group with a share award that would vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, provided the individual continued to hold the original 
bonus shares awarded and continued to be employed by the Company at the date of vesting. In addition the EBS included a strategic bonus 
shares element for a limited number of senior employees. The fair value of the matching and strategic elements of the EBS was determined at 
the date of grant of the bonus and the cost is recognised on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Group recognises a compensation 
cost in respect of this plan that is based on the fair value of the awards granted. The fair value was determined at the date of grant and is not 
subsequently re-measured unless the conditions on which the award was granted are modified.

Treasury shares
The Weir Group PLC shares held by the Company are classified in shareholders’ equity as treasury shares and are recognised at cost. 
Consideration received for the sale of such shares is also recognised in equity, with any difference between the proceeds from sale and the 
original cost being taken directly to revenue reserves. No gain or loss is recognised in total comprehensive income on the purchase, sale, issue 
or cancellation of equity shares.

Post-employment benefits
Post-employment benefits comprise pension benefits provided to certain current and former employees in the UK, US and Canada and 
post-retirement healthcare benefits provided to certain employees in the US.

For defined benefit pension and post-retirement healthcare plans, the annual service cost is calculated using the projected unit credit method 
and is recognised over the future service lives of participating employees, in accordance with the advice of qualified actuaries. Current service 
cost and administration expenses are recognised in operating costs and net interest on net pension liability is recognised in finance costs.

The finance cost recognised in the income statement in the period reflects the net interest on the net pension liability. This represents the 
change in the net pension liability resulting from the passage of time, and is determined by applying the discount rate to the opening net 
liability, taking into account employer contributions paid into the plan, and hence reducing the net liability, during the period.

Past service costs resulting from enhanced benefits are recognised immediately in the income statement. Actuarial gains and losses,  
which represent differences between interest on the plan assets, experience on the benefit obligation and the effect of changes in actuarial 
assumptions, are recognised in full in other comprehensive income in the period in which they occur.

The defined benefit liability or asset recognised in the balance sheet comprises the net total for each plan of the present value of the benefit 
obligation, using a discount rate based on yields at the balance sheet date on appropriate high quality corporate bonds that have maturity  
dates approximating the terms of the Group’s obligations and are denominated in the currency in which the benefits are expected to be paid, 
minus the fair value of the plan assets, if any, at the balance sheet date. The balance sheet amount recognised is limited to the present value  
of economic benefits which the Group expects to recover by way of refunds or a reduction in future contributions. In order to calculate the 
present value of economic benefits, consideration is also given to any minimum funding requirements.

For defined contribution plans, the cost represents the Group’s contributions to the plans and these are charged to the income statement in the 
period in which they fall due.

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Leases
Leases which transfer to the Group substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased asset are classified as finance leases. 
All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are included within property, plant & equipment, initially measured at their fair value or, if lower, the present 
value of the minimum lease payments, and a corresponding liability is recognised within obligations under finance leases. Subsequently,  
the assets are depreciated on a basis consistent with similar owned assets or the lease term if shorter. At the inception of the lease, the  
lease rentals are apportioned between an interest element and a capital element so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the 
outstanding liability. Subsequently, the interest element is recognised as a charge to the income statement while the capital element is applied 
to reduce the outstanding liability.

Operating lease rentals and any incentives receivable are recognised in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

Taxation
Current tax is the amount of tax payable or recoverable in respect of the taxable profit or loss for the period.

Deferred tax is recognised on temporary differences between the carrying amount of an asset or liability in the balance sheet and its tax base 
with the following exceptions:
i)  Deferred tax arising from the initial recognition of goodwill, or of an asset or liability in a transaction that is not a business combination, that, 

at the time of the transaction, affects neither accounting nor taxable profit or loss, is not recognised;

ii)  Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and joint ventures, except where the timing of the 
reversal of the temporary difference can be controlled and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable 
future; and

iii)  A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the asset 

can be utilised.

Deferred tax liabilities represent tax payable in future periods in respect of taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets represent tax 
recoverable in future periods in respect of deductible temporary differences, the carry forward of unutilised tax losses and the carry forward  
of unused tax credits. Deferred tax is measured on an undiscounted basis using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted at the balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the deferred tax asset is realised or the deferred tax liability is settled.

Current and deferred tax is recognised in the income statement except if it relates to an item recognised directly in equity, in which case it is 
recognised directly in equity.

New standards & interpretations
The International Accounting Standards Board and International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee have issued the following 
standards and interpretations, which are considered relevant to the Group, with an effective date after the date of these financial statements.

International Accounting Standards (IAS/IFRS)

Defined Benefit Plans: Employee Contributions (Amendments to IAS 19)

Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2010-2012 Cycle

Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2012-2014 Cycle

Amendment to IAS 1: Disclosure Initiative

Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28: Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor  
and its Associate or Joint Venture

Amendments to IAS 27: Equity Method in Separate Financial Statements

Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38: Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation

Amendments to IFRS 11: Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests in Joint Operations

Amendments to IAS 12: Recognition of Deferred Tax Assets for Unrealised Losses

Amendments to IAS 7: Disclosure Initiative

IFRS 15: Revenue from Contracts with Customers

IFRS 9: Financial Instruments

IFRS 16: Leases

*  Not yet adopted for use in the European Union.

Effective date for  
periods commencing

1 February 2015

1 February 2015

1 January 2016

1 January 2016

1 January 2016*

1 January 2016

1 January 2016

1 January 2016

1 January 2017*

1 January 2017*

1 January 2018*

1 January 2018*

1 January 2019*

The above standards and interpretations will be adopted in accordance with their effective dates and have not been adopted in these financial 
statements. There is not expected to be a significant impact on the 2016 financial statements as a result of the standards effective from 
1 January 2016. Planning has commenced for an assessment of the impact of the standards applicable in 2017 and 2018.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

141

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

3.  SEGMENT INFORMATION
For management purposes, the Group is organised into three operating divisions: Minerals, Oil & Gas and Power & Industrial. These three 
divisions are organised and managed separately based on the key markets served and each is treated as an operating and a reportable 
segment under IFRS 8. The operating and reportable segments were determined based on the reports reviewed by the Chief Executive  
which are used to make operational decisions.

The Minerals segment is the global leader in the provision of slurry handling equipment and associated aftermarket support for abrasive high 
wear applications used in the mining and oil sands markets. The Oil & Gas segment provides products and service solutions to upstream, 
production, transportation, refining and related industries. The Power & Industrial segment designs and manufactures valves, pumps and 
turbines as well as providing specialist support services to the global power generation, industrial and oil and gas sectors.

The Chief Executive assesses the performance of the operating segments based on operating profit from continuing operations before 
exceptional items (including impairments) and intangibles amortisation (‘segment result’). Finance income and expenditure and associated 
interest-bearing liabilities and derivative financial instruments are not allocated to segments as all treasury activity is managed centrally by  
the Group treasury function. The amounts provided to the Chief Executive with respect to assets and liabilities are measured in a manner 
consistent with that of the financial statements. The assets are allocated based on the operations of the segment and the physical location  
of the asset. The liabilities are allocated based on the operations of the segment.

Transfer prices between business segments are set on an arm’s length basis, in a manner similar to transactions with third parties.

The segment information for the reportable segments for 2015 and 2014 is disclosed below.

Revenue

Sales to external customers

Inter-segment sales

Segment revenue

Eliminations

Minerals

Oil & Gas

Power & Industrial

Total continuing operations

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

1,034.3

1,127.9

4.4

3.9

581.9

14.7

992.1

14.6

301.5

318.2

1,917.7

2,438.2

7.9

8.5

27.0

27.0

1,038.7

1,131.8

596.6

1,006.7

309.4

326.7

1,944.7

2,465.2

(27.0)

(27.0)

1,917.7

2,438.2

Sales to external customers – 2014 at 2015 average exchange rates

Sales to external customers

1,034.3

1,076.8

581.9

1,048.8

301.5

318.5

1,917.7

2,444.1

Segment result

Segment result before share of results of joint 
ventures

Share of results of joint ventures

Segment result 

Unallocated expenses

198.1

226.4

–

–

198.1

226.4

49.7

8.3

58.0

214.9

10.0

224.9

21.6

–

21.6

Operating profit before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation

Total exceptional items & intangibles amortisation

Net finance costs before exceptional items

Other finance costs – retirement benefits

(Loss) profit before tax from continuing operations

Segment result – 2014 at 2015 average exchange rates

Segment result before share of results of joint 
ventures

Share of results of joint ventures

Segment result 

Unallocated expenses

198.1

217.5

–

–

198.1

217.5

49.7

8.3

58.0

228.7

10.7

239.4

21.6

–

21.6

Operating profit before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation

There are no material revenues derived from a single external customer.

1,917.7

2,444.1

18.6

269.4

–

18.6

8.3

277.7

(18.8)

459.9

10.0

469.9

(20.1)

258.9

449.8

(419.6)

(259.4)

(35.8)

(3.3)

(38.5)

(2.8)

(199.8)

149.1

18.8

269.4

–

18.8

8.3

277.7

(18.8)

465.0

10.7

475.7

(20.2)

258.9

455.5

142

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Minerals

Oil & Gas

Power & Industrial

Total continuing operations

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

Assets & liabilities (restated note 2)

Intangible assets

Property, plant & equipment

Working capital assets

555.8

195.3

434.2

539.1

214.6

501.6

843.2

137.5

350.9

991.6

167.0

532.1

1,185.3

1,255.3

1,331.6

1,690.7

Investments in joint ventures

–

–

33.4

33.7

72.6

50.9

168.3

291.8

–

102.0

1,471.6

1,632.7

52.3

178.4

383.7

953.4

433.9

1,212.1

332.7

2,808.7

3,278.7

–

33.4

33.7

1,185.3

1,255.3

1,365.0

1,724.4

291.8

332.7

2,842.1

3,312.4

229.6

250.8

3,071.7

3,563.2

259.8

286.6

172.0

242.8

131.6

113.8

563.4

643.2

Segment assets

Unallocated assets

Total assets

Working capital liabilities

Unallocated liabilities

Total liabilities

Other segment information

Segment additions to non-current assets

36.7

56.9

36.2

50.6

6.8

8.9

Unallocated additions to non-current assets

Total additions to non-current assets

Segment depreciation & amortisation

Impairment of property, plant & equipment

Impairment of intangible assets

43.4

2.8

–

37.7

4.0

58.7

33.4

54.7

5.2

–

225.5

160.0

10.8

–

25.9

10.6

–

–

Unallocated depreciation & amortisation

Total depreciation, amortisation & impairment

1,310.5

1,437.8

1,873.9

2,081.0

79.7

10.2

89.9

112.9

36.2

251.4

3.0

116.4

3.7

120.1

103.0

9.2

160.0

3.0

403.5

275.2

Unallocated assets primarily comprise cash and short-term deposits, derivative financial instruments, income tax receivable, deferred tax 
assets and retirement benefit surpluses as well as those assets which are used for general head office purposes. Unallocated liabilities 
primarily comprise interest-bearing loans and borrowings, derivative financial instruments, income tax payable, provisions, deferred tax 
liabilities and retirement benefit deficits as well as liabilities relating to general head office activities. Segment additions to non-current assets 
do not include those additions which have arisen from business combinations (note 13).

Geographical information
Geographical information in respect of revenue and non-current assets for 2015 and 2014 is disclosed below. Revenues are allocated based  
on the location to which the product is shipped. Assets are allocated based on the location of the assets and operations. Non-current assets 
consist of property, plant & equipment, intangible assets and investments in joint ventures.

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Revenue from continuing 
operations

Sales to external customers

Non-current assets

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015

Revenue from continuing 
operations

UK
£m

USA
£m

Canada
£m

Europe & 
FSU
£m

Asia Pacific
£m

Australia
£m

South 
America
£m

Middle East 
& Africa
£m

Total
£m

93.5

178.8

557.3

895.6

194.8

48.5

UK
£m

USA
£m

Canada
£m

142.6

135.0

Europe & 
FSU
£m

247.2

269.9

146.6

155.2

247.7

44.6

288.0

1,917.7

105.7

1,833.3

Asia Pacific
£m

Australia
£m

South 
America
£m

Middle East 
& Africa
£m

Total
£m

Sales to external customers

113.0

875.9

246.0

180.9

252.4

220.3

261.6

288.1

2,438.2

Non-current assets (restated  
note 2)

144.7

1,133.0

59.0

144.6

304.6

163.0

49.5

111.1

2,109.5

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

143

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

3.  SEGMENT INFORMATION CONTINUED
The following disclosures are given in relation to continuing operations.

An analysis of the Group’s revenue is as follows

Original equipment

Aftermarket parts

Sales of goods

Aftermarket services

Revenue from construction contracts

Revenue

Finance income

Total revenue

2015
£m

2014
£m

526.6

939.4

748.7

1,145.3

1,466.0

1,894.0

380.1

71.6

470.5

73.7

1,917.7

2,438.2

4.7

6.0

1,922.4

2,444.2

4.  REVENUES & EXPENSES
The following disclosures are given in relation to total continuing operations and include exceptional items & intangibles amortisation.

A reconciliation of revenue to operating (loss) profit is as follows

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Other operating income

Selling & distribution costs

Administrative expenses 

Intangibles impairment

Share of results of joint ventures

Operating (loss) profit 

2015
£m

2014
£m

1,917.7

2,438.2

(1,372.0)

(1,632.2)

545.7

14.9

806.0

4.1

(218.9)

(213.5)

(256.9)

(254.1)

(251.4)

(160.0)

8.3

10.0

(158.3)

192.5

Exceptional items are included in the line items above as follows: cost of sales £87.5m (2014: £39.0m); other operating income £5.9m (2014: £nil); 
selling & distribution costs £4.2m (2014: £3.7m); and administrative expenses £27.5m (2014: £9.6m).

Operating (loss) profit is stated after charging (crediting)

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense

Depreciation of property, plant & equipment (note 11)

Amortisation of intangible assets (note 12)

Acquisition transaction costs

Acquisition integration costs

Other exceptional items*

Net foreign exchange losses 

Net impairment of trade receivables excluding additional restructuring action amounts (note 17)

*  Details of the other exceptional items are provided in note 5.

2015
£m

2014
£m

1,372.0

1,632.2

63.4

52.5

0.3

4.5

113.3

4.5

4.9

61.1

44.9

0.9

1.1

52.4

1.4

(0.6)

144

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

The following disclosures are given in relation to total operations.

Auditors remuneration

The total fees payable by the Group to Ernst & Young LLP and their associates for work performed in respect of the 
audit and other services provided to the Company and its subsidiary companies during the period are disclosed below

Fees payable to the Company’s auditor for the audit of the Company & Group financial statements

Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates for other services

The audit of the Company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation

Other assurance services

Fees payable in respect of the Group’s pension schemes

Audit

2015
£m

2014
£m

0.4

1.3

0.1

0.1

0.4

1.5

0.1

0.1

Research & development costs
Research & development costs amount to £29.0m (2014: £24.8m) of which £27.0m (2014: £22.4m) was charged directly to cost of sales in the 
income statement and £2.0m (2014: £2.4m) was capitalised (note 12).

Operating leases
Minimum lease payments under operating leases recognised as an expense in the period were £44.3m (2014: £42.7m).

Employee benefits expense

Wages & salaries

Social security costs

Pension costs

Defined benefit plans (note 24)

Defined contribution plans

Share-based payments – equity settled transactions

The average monthly number of people employed by the Company and its subsidiaries is as follows

Minerals

Oil & Gas

Power & Industrial

Group companies

2015
£m

2014
£m

485.8

48.6

552.5

52.2

1.7

18.2

(2.3)

2.1

19.5

4.4

552.0

630.7

2015
Number

2014
Number

8,583

3,244

2,914

97

8,271

3,923

3,015

79

14,838

15,288

At 1 January 2016, the number of people employed by the Group including those under temporary contracts was 14,720 (2014: 16,347).

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

145

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

5.  EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS & INTANGIBLES AMORTISATION

Recognised in arriving at operating (loss) profit from continuing operations

Intangibles amortisation (note 12)

Exceptional item – Intangibles impairment (note 12)

Exceptional item – Group-wide efficiency review

Exceptional item – Oil & Gas downturn actions

Exceptional item – Other Group restructuring

Exceptional item – charging of fair value inventory uplift

Exceptional item – release of expired indemnity provisions for LGE Process disposal

Exceptional item – Metso aborted acquisition costs

Exceptional item – fair value adjustment to contingent consideration liability

2015
£m

2014
£m

(52.5)

(44.9)

(251.4)

(160.0)

(7.6)

(49.4)

(92.5)

(16.3)

(2.4)

3.8

–

1.7

–

–

–

–

(2.4)

(0.6)

(417.2)

(257.3)

Recognised in finance costs

Exceptional item – unwind in respect of contingent consideration liability

(2.4)

(2.1)

Recognised in arriving at profit for the period from discontinued operations

Exceptional item (note 8)

–

1.0

The Group-wide efficiency review, which commenced during the fourth quarter of 2014 with the closure of a number of small manufacturing 
facilities and workforce reductions, continued into the first half of 2015 with the final headcount reductions and restructuring actions 
implemented. Exceptional costs totalling £7.6m have been recognised in the income statement, represented by £5.9m in cash restructuring 
costs and impairment charges of £1.7m. The charge is in line with that disclosed in the Interim accounts. The charge recorded in the 52 weeks 
ended 2 January 2015 was £49.4m, which comprised £30.1m in restructuring costs and impairment charges of £19.3m. The total cash outflow 
in the period in relation to the Group-wide efficiency review was £20.3m, of which £14.4m related to the cost provided for in 2014 and the 
balance in respect of the 2015 charge. 

The Group has taken a number of actions to mitigate the impact of the prolonged downturn in oil and gas markets, including headcount 
reductions and the closure of certain service centres. The Group has also taken the decision to rationalise product lines and discontinue 
support for certain older product lines which have been superseded in the market by new technologies, as well as reassess actual and 
expected utilisation of rental assets based on the “lower for longer” outlook for the market. Exceptional costs totalling £92.5m have been 
recognised in the income statement in relation to these actions, comprising £31.2m in cash restructuring costs (of which £0.5m relates  
to the close out of commodity hedges) and impairment charges of £61.3m. The impairment charge includes £33.2m in relation to property,  
plant & equipment (predominantly rental assets) and £28.1m on inventory. Of the cash restructuring charge, a cash outflow of £7.1m has  
been recorded in the period. 

Additional restructuring actions have been implemented by the other Divisions in the second half of the year by way of continued response  
to end market conditions across minerals and power. Exceptional costs totalling £16.3m have been recognised in the income statement, 
represented by £11.0m cash restructuring costs and impairment charges of £5.3m. The impairment charge includes £1.0m in relation to 
property, plant & equipment and £3.2m and £1.1m against inventory and receivables respectively. Of the cash restructuring charge, a cash 
outflow of £6.0m has been recorded in the period. 

The termination costs in the period total £16.7m in relation to the above actions (2014: £15.6m). 

An impairment of £225.5m has been recognised in the period in relation to goodwill and brand names held in Pressure Control and a charge  
of £25.9m to goodwill held in certain of the Other CGUs. Further details are provided in note 14. 

Other exceptional items in the period include the unwind of both contingent consideration liabilities and inventory fair value adjustments 
relating to Weir Trio. Offsetting these amounts is an adjustment to the fair value of the contingent consideration liability and a release of 
expired warranty indemnity provisions. 

146

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

6.  FINANCE (COSTS) INCOME
Finance costs

Interest payable on bank loans, fixed rate notes & overdrafts

Losses on financial assets & liabilities at fair value through profit & loss

Finance charges related to committed loan facilities

Unwind of discount in respect of contingent consideration – exceptional item (note 5)

Finance income

Interest receivable on financial assets

Gains on financial assets & liabilities at fair value through profit & loss

7.  TAX EXPENSE
Income tax expense

Consolidated Income Statement

Current income tax

UK corporation tax – continuing operations 

Adjustments in respect of previous years

UK corporation tax

Foreign tax – continuing operations 

Adjustments in respect of previous years

Total current income tax

Deferred income tax

Origination & reversal of temporary differences – continuing operations

Adjustment to estimated recoverable deferred tax assets

Effect of changes in tax rates

Adjustments in respect of previous years

Total deferred tax*

III: Financial Statements

2015
£m

2014
£m

(35.8)

(36.2)

(2.8)

(1.9)

(40.5)

(2.4)

(42.9)

2015
£m

3.4

1.3

4.7

(6.2)

(2.1)

(44.5)

(2.1)

(46.6)

2014
£m

1.1

4.9

6.0

2015
£m

2014
£m

(2.3)

0.5

(1.8)

(3.1)

4.6

1.5

(32.1)

(89.2)

5.1

1.8

(28.8)

(85.9)

52.3

2.0

0.2

(4.9)

49.6

12.6

1.2

(0.2)

(3.1)

10.5

Total income tax credit (expense) in the Consolidated Income Statement

20.8

(75.4)

*  

Includes £54.3m of deferred tax credit relating to foreign tax (2014: £12.1m credit).

The total income tax credit (expense) is disclosed in the Consolidated Income Statement as follows.

Tax expense – continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation

– exceptional items

– intangibles amortisation and impairment

Total income tax credit (expense) in the Consolidated Income Statement

The total deferred tax included in the income tax expense is detailed in note 23.

2015
£m

2014
£m

(52.5)

(105.5)

32.2

41.1

20.8

16.0

14.1

(75.4)

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

147

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

7.  TAX EXPENSE CONTINUED
Tax relating to items charged or credited to equity

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Current tax on pension contributions

Deferred tax – origination & reversal of temporary differences

Deferred tax – effect of change in tax rates

Tax (charge) credit on actuarial (gains) losses on retirement benefits 

Current tax credit on hedge losses

Deferred tax credit on hedge losses

Tax (charge) credit in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

Deferred tax on share-based payments

Tax (charge) credit in the Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

2015
£m

2014
£m

0.2

(2.5)

0.2

(2.1)

1.2

–

(0.9)

(0.3)

(0.3)

1.7

5.1

–

6.8

–

0.3

7.1

0.9

0.9

Reconciliation of the total tax charge
The tax credit (2014: expense) in the Consolidated Income Statement for the period is lower (2014: higher) than the weighted average of standard 
rates of corporation tax across the Group of 42.0% (2014: 22.9%). The differences are reconciled below.

(Loss) profit before tax from continuing operations 

Profit before tax from discontinued operations 

Accounting (loss) profit before tax

2015
£m

2014
£m

(199.8)

149.1

–

1.0

(199.8)

150.1

At the weighted average of standard rates of corporation tax across the Group of 42.0% (2014: 22.9%)

(84.0)

34.3

Adjustments in respect of previous years – current tax

– deferred tax

Joint ventures

Unrecognised deferred tax assets

Overseas tax on unremitted earnings

Permanent differences

Tax effect of funding overseas operations

Effect of changes in tax rates

Exceptional items ineligible for tax

At effective tax rate of 10.4% (2014: 50.2%)

(5.6)

4.9

(1.6)

2.0

4.1

7.5

(20.8)

0.2

72.5

(20.8)

(6.4)

3.1

(3.1)

1.2

4.3

(2.7)

(19.1)

(0.2)

64.0

75.4

The increase in permanent differences from a £2.7m deduction in 2014 to a £7.5m addition in 2015 arises due to an increased level of 
disallowable expenditure together with a £3.7m reduction in manufacturing tax incentives as a result of the downturn in US activity and  
a £2.4m increase attributable to movements in non-taxable exchange gains/losses across various jurisdictions.

Finance arrangements are in place to fund the acquisition of business operations in overseas territories. This finance is provided primarily  
to US operations through intra group loans which provide a benefit to the Group effective tax rate. In addition the Group claims a partial 
exemption under the UK Controlled Foreign Companies legislation for profits from ‘qualifying loan relationships’. 

148

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

8.  DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
There were no disposals of core businesses during the current or prior period. As disclosed in note 5 an exceptional gain of £1.0m was 
recognised in 2014 in relation to the release of unutilised tax warranty provisions relating to previous disposals. There have been no gains  
and losses in relation to discontinued operations in the current period.

Earnings per share from discontinued operations were as follows.

Basic

Diluted

2015
pence

–

–

2014
pence

0.5

0.5

These earnings per share figures were derived by dividing the net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company from discontinued 
operations by the weighted average number of ordinary shares, for both basic and diluted amounts, shown in note 9.

9.  EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing net profit for the period attributable to equity holders of the Company by the 
weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing the net profit 
attributable to equity holders of the Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period (adjusted for 
the effect of dilutive share awards).

The following reflects the earnings and share data used in the calculation of earnings per share.

(Loss) profit attributable to equity holders of the Company

Total operations* (£m)

Continuing operations* (£m)

Continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation* (£m)

Weighted average share capital

Basic earnings per share (number of shares, million)

Diluted earnings per share (number of shares, million)

2015

2014

(178.7)

(178.7)

73.1

72.1

167.6

301.4

213.7

213.7

213.3

213.9

The difference between the weighted average share capital for the purposes of the basic and the diluted earnings per share calculations  
is analysed as follows.

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for basic earnings per share

Effect of dilution: LTIP and deferred bonus awards

Adjusted weighted average number of ordinary shares for diluted earnings per share

2015
Shares
Million

213.7

–

2014
Shares
Million

213.3

0.6

213.7

213.9

The LTIP and deferred bonus are anti-dilutive in the current period and are therefore disregarded in arriving at the adjusted weighted average 
number of ordinary shares.

The profit attributable to equity holders of the Company used in the calculation of both basic and diluted earnings per share from continuing 
operations before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation is calculated as follows.

Net (loss) profit attributable to equity holders from continuing operations*

Exceptional items & intangibles amortisation net of tax

Net profit attributable to equity holders from continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation*

*   Adjusted for a loss of £0.3m (2014: profit of £1.6m) in respect of non-controlling interests.

2015
£m

(178.7)

346.3

167.6

2014
£m

72.1

229.3

301.4

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

149

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

9.  EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE CONTINUED

Basic earnings (loss) per share:

Total operations*

Continuing operations*

Continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation*

Diluted earnings (loss) per share:

Total operations*

Continuing operations*

Continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation*

*   Adjusted for a loss of £0.3m (2014: profit of £1.6m) in respect of non-controlling interests.

2015
pence

2014
pence

(83.6)

(83.6)

78.4

34.3

33.8

141.3

(83.6)

(83.6)

78.4

34.2

33.7

140.9

There have been no share options (2014: nil) exercised between the reporting date and the date of signing of these financial statements.

10.   DIVIDENDS PAID & PROPOSED

Declared & paid during the period

Equity dividends on ordinary shares

Final dividend for 2014: 29.0p (2013: 33.2p)

Interim dividend for 2015: 15.0p (2014: 15.0p)

Proposed for approval by shareholders at the annual general meeting

Final dividend for 2015: 29.0p (2014: 29.0p)

2015
£m

2014
£m

61.9

32.1

94.0

70.7

32.0

102.7

62.1

61.9

The dividend was re-phased in 2014 such that the final payment now represents approximately two thirds, as opposed to three quarters, of the 
total dividend.

The proposed dividend is based on the number of shares in issue, excluding treasury shares held, at the date the financial statements were 
approved and authorised for issue.

The final dividend may differ due to increases or decreases in the number of shares in issue between the date of approval of this annual report 
and financial statements and the record date for the final dividend.

150

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

11.   PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT

Cost

At 3 January 2014

Additions

Acquisitions

Disposals

Reclassifications to intangible assets (note 12)

Reclassifications to inventory

Reclassifications

Exchange adjustment

At 2 January 2015

Additions

Acquisitions

Disposals

Reclassifications to intangible assets (note 12)

Reclassifications to inventory

Reclassifications 

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

Accumulated depreciation & impairment

At 3 January 2014

Depreciation charge for the period

Impairment

Disposals

Reclassifications to intangible assets (note 12)

Reclassifications to inventory

Reclassifications

Exchange adjustment

At 2 January 2015

Depreciation charge for the period

Impairment

Disposals

Reclassifications to intangible assets (note 12)

Reclassifications to inventory

Reclassifications 

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

Net book value at 3 January 2014

Net book value at 2 January 2015

Net book value at 1 January 2016

III: Financial Statements

Land & 
buildings
£m

Plant & 
equipment
£m

Total 
property, 
plant & 
equipment
£m

159.6

480.1

639.7

23.9

5.2

(3.2)

–

–

0.6

4.0

72.1

5.7

96.0

10.9

(19.9)

(23.1)

(0.4)

(2.2)

(0.6)

5.8

(0.4)

(2.2)

–

9.8

190.1

540.6

730.7

13.1

0.2

(2.5)

–

–

4.2

(8.8)

58.6

0.3

71.7

0.5

(21.3)

(23.8)

(0.7)

(0.5)

(4.2)

(0.7)

(0.5)

–

(20.1)

(28.9)

196.3

552.7

749.0

37.9

6.0

1.6

203.1

241.0

55.1

7.6

61.1

9.2

(2.3)

(16.4)

(18.7)

–

–

0.2

0.6

(0.1)

(0.6)

(0.2)

3.2

(0.1)

(0.6)

–

3.8

44.0

251.7

295.7

6.4

2.7

57.0

33.5

63.4

36.2

(2.6)

(19.2)

(21.8)

–

–

0.6

(1.3)

49.8

(0.4)

(0.5)

(0.6)

(10.6)

310.9

(0.4)

(0.5)

–

(11.9)

360.7

121.7

277.0

398.7

146.1

288.9

435.0

146.5

241.8

388.3

The carrying value of buildings held under finance leases is £0.8m (2014: £1.0m). The carrying value of plant & equipment held under finance 
leases is £0.4m (2014: £0.4m). Leased assets are pledged as security for the related finance lease liabilities. The carrying amount of assets 
under construction included in plant & equipment is £47.3m (2014: £36.6m). The impairment charges in the year are primarily related to actions 
undertaken as a result of the Oil & Gas downturn actions and other Group restructuring actions as outlined in note 5. Other non-exceptional 
impairment charges total £0.3m.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

151

IIICustomer 
and 
distributor 
relationships
£m

Brand 
names
£m

Purchased 
software
£m

Intellectual 
property & 
trade marks
£m

Development 
costs
£m

Goodwill
£m

Financial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

12.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Cost

At 3 January 2014

Additions

Acquisitions (restated note 2)

Disposals

Reclassifications from property,  
plant & equipment (note 11)

Reclassifications

Exchange adjustment

971.8

175.2

502.1

–

79.6

–

–

–

42.4

–

14.7

–

–

–

0.1

21.9

–

–

–

11.5

201.4

29.3

553.4

At 2 January 2015 (restated note 2)

1,093.8

Additions

Acquisitions

Disposals

Reclassifications from property,  
plant & equipment (note 11)

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

Accumulated amortisation  
& impairment

At 3 January 2014

Amortisation charge for the period

Impairment during period

Disposals

Reclassifications from property,  
plant & equipment (note 11)

Exchange adjustment

At 2 January 2015

Amortisation charge for the period

Impairment

Disposals

Reclassifications from property,  
plant & equipment (note 11)

Reclassifications

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

–

15.2

–

–

–

2.7

–

–

–

4.7

–

–

22.0

1,131.0

7.4

211.5

15.7

573.8

–

–

160.0

–

–

–

160.0

–

219.3

–

–

–

6.8

386.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

6.7

–

–

–

0.3

7.0

102.4

30.6

–

–

–

6.3

139.3

34.8

25.1

–

–

–

4.5

203.7

35.4

20.7

0.1

(1.1)

0.4

0.2

(0.1)

55.6

14.0

–

(0.8)

0.4

(2.1)

67.1

20.6

6.0

–

(1.1)

0.1

0.2

25.8

6.8

0.3

(0.8)

0.4

0.1

(0.8)

31.8

66.9

0.8

7.2

–

–

(0.2)

3.6

78.3

0.6

–

–

–

2.4

81.3

23.6

6.1

–

–

–

1.5

31.2

5.1

–

–

–

–

1.0

37.3

Other
£m

Total
£m

17.0

1,776.8

0.1

4.8

–

–

–

1.0

22.9

1.6

1.0

–

0.3

(0.2)

24.1

128.3

(1.1)

0.4

–

87.5

2,016.0

18.2

23.6

(0.8)

0.7

44.4

25.6

2,102.1

15.0

1.4

–

–

–

0.9

17.3

4.7

–

–

–

–

0.1

22.1

162.3

44.9

160.0

(1.1)

0.1

9.0

375.2

52.5

251.4

(0.8)

0.4

–

11.8

690.5

2.0

1,614.5

5.6

1,640.8

3.5

1,411.6

8.4

2.4

–

–

–

–

(0.2)

10.6

2.0

–

–

–

(0.8)

11.8

0.7

0.8

–

–

–

0.1

1.6

1.1

–

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

2.5

7.7

9.0

9.3

Net book value at 3 January 2014

971.8

175.2

399.7

14.8

43.3

Net book value at 2 January 2015  
(restated note 2)

933.8

201.4

414.1

Net book value at 1 January 2016

744.9

204.5

370.1

29.8

35.3

47.1

44.0

The impairment charge recorded in the period relates to the write down of intangible assets in the Pressure Control and certain of the Other 
CGUs (note 14).

152

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

The increase in goodwill of £15.2m during 2015 is primarily represented by the current year acquisition of Delta Valves (note 13).

Brand names have been assigned an indefinite useful life and as such are not amortised. The carrying value is tested annually for impairment 
(note 14), with an impairment charge in the year of £6.7m recognised in relation to the brand names in the Pressure Control CGU. This resulted 
in a carrying value at the period end of £204.5m (2014: £201.4m). 

The brand name value includes the brands of Linatex, BDK, Warman, SPM, Gabbioneta, Multiflo, Novatech, Mathena and Wales all of which 
are considered to be market leaders in their respective markets. The allocation of significant brand names is as follows.

Gabbioneta

Linatex

Mathena

Seaboard

SPM

Trio

Warman

Other

Brand names

2015 
£m

5.0

38.7

8.1

26.3

32.2

16.2

56.3

21.7

2014 
£m

5.3

37.1

7.7

31.9

30.9

15.3

54.0

19.2

204.5

201.4

An impairment charge of £25.1m has been recognised in the year in relation to customer and distributor relationships in the Pressure Control 
CGU. The allocation of the remaining customer and distributor relationships, and the amortisation period of these assets, is as follows.

Remaining amortisation 
period

Customer and distributor 
relationships

Mathena

Novatech

Seaboard

SPM

Trio

Other

The amortisation charge for the period is included in the income statement as follows.

Cost of sales

Selling & distribution costs

Administrative expenses

Amortisation charge for the period

2015
Years

2014
Years

10

10

12

16

9

11

11

13

17

10

Up to 15

Up to 16

2015
£m

93.4

40.4

98.3

78.2

8.3

51.5

2014
£m

97.8

43.0

129.3

78.5

22.4

43.1

370.1

414.1

2015
£m

5.5

5.4

41.6

52.5

2014
£m

3.5

1.0

40.4

44.9

13.   BUSINESS COMBINATIONS
On 8 July 2015, the Group completed the acquisition of 100% of the voting shares of Delta Industrial Valves Inc, (Delta Valves) for a consideration 
of up to US$46m. Delta Valves is a US-based manufacturer of knife gate valves for the mining, oil sands and other industrial markets. The 
acquisition extends Weir Minerals’ leading presence in mining and oil sands markets by expanding the division’s portfolio of valve products, 
particularly knife gate valves, for use in the transportation of slurry. Initial consideration of US$36m was paid on completion; US$21m in cash, 
funded from existing bank facilities, and US$15m in new equity. The new equity represents 593,934 ordinary shares with a fair value representing 
the closing share price on the date of acquisition. Up to a further US$10m in cash is payable over the 18 months from acquisition, contingent 
upon meeting certain profit growth targets. The provisional fair value of the net assets has been assessed as £11.8m, giving rise to goodwill  
on acquisition of £14.8m. The goodwill recognised includes certain intangible assets that cannot be individually separated and reliably measured 
due to their nature, including anticipated business growth, synergies and an assembled workforce. The provisional fair values are subject to 
change following completion of the fair value exercise during the first half of 2016. 

In March 2015, the Group completed the acquisition of the remaining 49% of Trio Chile, a minor joint venture acquired as part of the Weir Trio 
acquisition in 2014. The cash consideration paid of £0.4m was offset by cash and cash equivalents acquired. The fair value of the assets and 
liabilities of the entity was £nil, resulting in £0.4m goodwill being recognised. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

153

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

13.   BUSINESS COMBINATIONS CONTINUED

Provisional fair values

Property, plant & equipment

Inventories

Intangible assets

– customer and distributor relationships

– brand name

– order backlog

Trade & other receivables

Cash & cash equivalents

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Trade & other payables

Fair value of net assets

Goodwill arising on acquisition

Total consideration

Cash consideration

Equity consideration

Contingent consideration

Settlement of external debt of subsidiary on acquisition

Total consideration

The total net cash outflow on current year acquisitions was as follows.

Delta Valves

– cash paid

– cash & cash equivalents acquired

Weir Trio Chile

– cash paid

– cash & cash equivalents acquired

Total cash outflow (note 26)

Delta Valves 
2015
£m

0.5

3.5

4.7

2.7

1.0

2.6

1.1

(1.2)

(3.1)

11.8

14.8

26.6

15.2

9.4

3.2

(1.2)

26.6

(15.2)

1.1

(0.4)

0.4

(14.1)

The gross amount and fair value of the Delta Valves trade receivables amounts to £2.6m. It is expected that virtually all the contractual 
amounts will be collected.

Delta Valves contributed £10.3m to revenue and £1.1m to operating profit (including exceptional items and intangibles amortisation) in the 
period from acquisition to 1 January 2016. 

If the acquisitions had occurred at the start of 2015 the revenue and profit for the period from acquired operations after exceptional items  
and intangibles amortisation, would not have been materially different from the results disclosed in the Consolidated Income Statement. 

The fair values for Weir Trio were finalised during the year. The cash flows in relation to this acquisition are disclosed in note 26.

Contingent consideration
The acquisition of Delta Valves included a potential earn out of US$10m based on EBITDA targets in 2015 and 2016. Based on forecast 
information available at the date of acquisition, a liability of US$5m (£3.2m) was recognised as contingent consideration. There has been no 
change in this view since the date of acquisition. While the contingent consideration liability for Delta Valves is due for final assessment in 
2017, the period over which amounts recorded are expected to fall due is within one year from the balance sheet date, and as a result the 
provision has not been discounted.

The purchase price of Weir Trio included US$14.7m in respect of contingent consideration payable on the recovery of certain working capital 
balances and the achievement of agreed management goals over the 2 years following the acquisition. Expectations at the date of acquisition 
were that the full amount would be payable and a discounted liability of £8.2m was recognised. There has been no change in this view since 
the acquisition, with the unwind of the discount being recognised in the income statement in the period. The discount rate applied in the fair 
value calculation for Weir Trio was 13.2%. The contingent consideration liability for Weir Trio is due for final measurement in 2016. As a result 
an increase (decrease) in the discount rate would only have a marginal impact on the fair value of the liability. 

154

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
III: Financial Statements

The acquisition of Weir International in 2011 included an earn out based on EBITDA achieved in 2013 and 2014, with further EBITDA targets 
extending to 2019. In line with expectations, Weir International has met the 2013 and 2014 targets resulting in the settlement of contingent 
consideration, with a payment of £2.6m made in 2015. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration at the date of acquisition  
was £13.9m. Based on trading performance the liability was reassessed during 2012 and uplifted by £5.8m. During 2014 the fair value of the 
contingent consideration was uplifted by a further £0.6m following agreement with the minority shareholder over additional working capital 
targets applicable in 2019. The unwind of the discount has been recognised in the income statement in the period. 

A significant decrease in the EBITDA of Weir International would result in a lower fair value of the contingent consideration liability, while  
a significant increase (decrease) in the discount rate would result in a lower (higher) fair value of the liability. The discount rate applied in the  
fair value calculation for Weir International was 12.0%. The contingent consideration liability for Weir International is due for final measurement 
in 2019.

A reconciliation of fair value measurement of the contingent consideration liability is provided below.

Opening balance

Liability arising on business combinations

Fair value changes in profit or loss (note 5)

Contingent consideration paid (note 26)

Unwind of discount (note 5)

Exchange movements in the period

Closing balance

2015
£m

34.6

3.2

(1.7)

(2.8)

2.4

0.2

35.9

2014
£m

27.7

8.2

0.6

(5.0)

2.1

1.0

34.6

The contingent consideration in relation to other acquisitions included a write down in fair value of £1.7m in relation to the acquisition  
of YESS in 2010 and Aspir in 2013. The contingent consideration in relation to these acquisitions and others is considered to be immaterial  
for further disclosure. 

14.   IMPAIRMENT TESTING OF GOODWILL & INTANGIBLE ASSETS WITH INDEFINITE LIVES
Goodwill acquired through business combinations and intangible assets with indefinite lives have been allocated at acquisition to cash 
generating units (CGUs) that are expected to benefit from the business combination. 

The acquisition of Delta Valves during 2015, as described in note 13, has been allocated to the Minerals CGU. 

The carrying amounts of goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives have been allocated as per the table below.

Pressure Pumping

Pressure Control

Gabbioneta

Minerals

Other

Goodwill
2015
£m

Intangibles*
2015
£m

310.9

–

53.1

334.2

46.7

744.9

37.0

34.4

5.0

118.9

9.2

204.5

Goodwill
2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

298.5

186.1

56.3

320.3

72.6

933.8

Intangibles*
2014
£m

35.5

39.7

5.3

111.7

9.2

201.4

* 

Intangible assets with indefinite lives (brand names).

Impairment testing and sensitivity analysis
The precipitous fall in the oil price over 2015, and in particular the last quarter, combined with the “lower for longer” outlook for the next 2 to 3 
years have had a substantial impact on the short to medium term forecasts of our upstream Oil and Gas businesses. An impairment charge of 
£225.5m has been recognised at the year end in relation to the Pressure Control CGU resulting in a recoverable amount of £238.4m based on 
the value in use. Of the impairment £193.4m has been allocated against goodwill with the remainder of £32.1m allocated across other 
intangible assets on a pro rata basis.

With regard to the Pressure Pumping CGU, this business is more mature and has significant levels of headroom between net asset value and 
value in use remaining, despite the current prolonged market downturn. Discounted cash flow forecasts have been prepared using consistent 
market assumptions as with Pressure Control with no impairment assessed.

At the balance sheet date, the estimated recoverable amount of the Pressure Control CGU is equal to its carrying value. Consequently, any adverse 
change in key assumptions would, in isolation, cause a further impairment loss to be recognised.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

155

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

14.   IMPAIRMENT TESTING OF GOODWILL & INTANGIBLE ASSETS WITH INDEFINITE LIVES CONTINUED
The following table shows the changes to assumptions used in the Pressure Control impairment model that would, in isolation, lead to an 
(increase) decrease in the impairment loss recognised in 2015.

Discount rate

Real growth rate

Forecast revenue growth*

EBIT margin

Increase by 
50bps 
£m

Decrease by 
50 bps
£m

Increase by 
5%
£m

Decrease by 
5%
£m

(11.7)

9.7

n/a

7.4

12.9

(8.7)

n/a

(7.4)

n/a

n/a

31.1

n/a

n/a

n/a

(31.1)

n/a

*  Forecast revenue growth is expressed as the percentage increase (decrease) in each of the initial five years used in the impairment testing.

As explained in other sections of this Annual Report (but specifically in the Financial Review on page 43 and in note 5), the Group has already 
reacted to market conditions through the implementation of the Oil & Gas downturn actions and management continue to review the operational 
structure and business model to ensure we remain well placed to navigate through the current market conditions. 

The cash flow forecasts underpinning the impairment testing reflect the current oil price and depressed activity levels enduring for the next 
two years, with pressure on both volumes and pricing, with a marginal increase in year three and a measured return to more ‘normal’ levels 
thereafter, albeit not anticipating a return to the recent highs of 2012 for this business.

An impairment charge of £25.9m has also been recognised against goodwill held in two of the other CGUs relating to the reorganisation  
of the Power & Industrial Division into Weir Flow Control. The impairment reflects the expected future cash flows of the CGUs, taking into 
consideration the operational restructuring within the Division. 

Of this amount, £16.1m represents the impairment of goodwill in American Hydro and reflects the current cash flow forecasts of the business. 
This represents value in use and the discount rate applied to the cash flows was 13.2% (2014: 12.9%). The following table shows the changes 
to assumptions used in the impairment model that would, in isolation, lead to an (increase) decrease in the impairment loss recognised in 2015.

Discount rate

Real growth rate

Forecast revenue growth*

EBIT margin

Increase by 
50bps 
£m 

Decrease by 
50 bps 
£m

Increase by 
5% 
£m

Decrease by 
5% 
£m

(1.9)

1.6

n/a

2.1

2.1

(1.5)

n/a

(2.1)

n/a

n/a

4.6

n/a

n/a

n/a

(4.6)

n/a

*  Forecast revenue growth is expressed as the percentage increase (decrease) in each of the initial five years used in the impairment testing.

The remaining £9.8m reflects the impairment of goodwill within one of the other CGUs in light of the reorganisation of the Power & Industrial 
Division into Weir Flow Control and the decision to dispose of certain non-core renewable assets; the remaining book value of assets in that 
CGU are supported by the associated discounted cash flows. 

For Gabbioneta, Minerals, and the businesses within the Other CGUs (except for American Hydro), base case forecasts show significant 
headroom above carrying value. Sensitivity analysis has been undertaken for each of these CGUs to assess the impact of any reasonable possible 
change in key assumptions. There is no reasonably possible change that would cause the carrying values to exceed recoverable amounts. 

Description of CGUs
A description of each of the CGUs is provided below along with a summary of the key drivers of revenue growth and EBIT margin.

Pressure Pumping
Pressure Pumping includes the Weir SPM, Weir Novatech and Weir Mesa brands. Pressure Pumping is a supplier of oil and gas well service 
pumps, associated flow control equipment and services to the oil and gas production industry. Demand for Pressure Pumping products and 
services is closely related to the number of conventional and unconventional oil drilling rigs and gas well drilling rigs which is in turn dependent 
upon oil and natural gas prices and storage levels. Independent forecasts of North American oil and gas well drilling activity, which take into 
account forecast oil and natural gas prices and storage levels, have been used to derive revenue growth assumptions. These independent 
forecasts were updated during the first quarter of 2016 for the continued downturn in oil price.

Pressure Control
Pressure Control includes the Weir Seaboard, Weir Mathena and Weir Metra brands. Pressure Control is a supplier of oil and gas wellhead 
solutions and associated rental equipment to the oil and gas production industry. A large proportion of the business’ revenues are generated  
in North America with demand being closely related to the number of conventional oil drilling rigs and gas well drilling rigs in operation which  
is in turn dependent upon oil and natural gas prices and storage levels. Independent forecasts of North American oil and gas well drilling 
activity, which take into account forecast oil and natural gas prices and storage levels, have been used to derive revenue growth assumptions. 
These independent forecasts were updated during the first quarter of 2016 for the continued downturn in oil price. 

156

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Minerals
Minerals includes the Weir Warman, Weir Linatex, Weir Multiflo, Weir Wales, Weir Trio and Weir Delta brands. Minerals companies supply 
pumps and associated equipment and services to all global mining markets. The key drivers for revenues are (i) levels of mining capital 
expenditure which drives demand for original equipment and (ii) levels of actual mining activity which drives demand for spare parts and 
service. Independent forecasts of mining capital expenditure and activity have been used to derive revenue growth assumptions. These 
independent forecasts were prepared during the final quarter of 2015. Delta Valves was excluded from the Group impairment test as a fair 
value review of goodwill and intangible assets was performed during 2015 as part of the acquisition process. A breakdown of Delta Valves’ 
goodwill and intangible assets are disclosed in note 13. 

Gabbioneta
Gabbioneta is a supplier of heavy duty process applications to oil and gas refinery, petro-chemical and power generation industries. The key 
drivers for revenues are capital expenditure within oil refinery and petro-chemical industries. Independent forecasts of expenditure in these 
sectors have been used to derive revenue growth assumptions. These independent forecasts were prepared during the final quarter of 2015. 

Other 
The amounts included in Other relate to individual businesses which are not considered individually significant. 

Impairment testing assumptions
The Group tests goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives annually for impairment, or more frequently if there are indications that 
these might be impaired. The basis of the impairment tests for the four primary CGUs including key assumptions are set out in the table below.

CGU

Basis of  

valuation

Period of  
forecast

Discount rate1

Real growth2

Key assumptions

Source

Pressure Pumping

Value in use

5 years

13.2% (2014: 12.9%)

1.2% (2014: 1.5%)

Pressure Control

Value in use

5 years

13.2% (2014: 12.9%)

1.2% (2014: 1.5%)

Gabbioneta

Value in use

5 years

12.0% (2014: 11.8%)

1.2% (2014: 1.5%)

Minerals

Value in use

5 years

15.4% (2014: 13.7%)

1.2% (2014: 1.5%)

Revenue growth
EBIT margins

External forecast 
Historic experience

Revenue growth 
EBIT margins

External forecast 
Historic experience

Revenue growth 
EBIT margins

External forecast 
Historic experience

Revenue growth 
EBIT margins

External forecast 
Historic experience

1 Discount rate
The pre-tax nominal weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the basis for the discount rate, with adjustments made, as appropriate, for 
geographic risk. The WACC is the weighted average of the pre-tax cost of debt financing and the pre-tax cost of equity finance. During the year 
there have been changes in the corporate credit spreads and industry asset beta which has led to an increase in the overall discount rate for 
the majority of countries. 

2 Real growth
Real growth beyond the five year forecast period has been reduced to 1.2% (2014: 1.5%) in line with the more challenging economic environment.

EBIT margins
EBIT margins have been forecast based on historic levels taking cognisance of the likely impact of changing economic environments and 
competitive landscapes on volumes and revenues, and the impact of associated management actions.

15.   INVESTMENTS IN JOINT VENTURES
The investments in joint ventures are as follows.

At 3 January 2014

Disposals

Share of results

Share of dividends

Exchange adjustment

At 2 January 2015

Share of results

Share of dividends

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

£m

27.1

0.3

10.0

(6.0)

2.3

33.7

8.3

(10.0)

1.4

33.4

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

157

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

15.   INVESTMENTS IN JOINT VENTURES CONTINUED
Details of the Group’s share of the balance sheet, revenue and profit of each of its joint ventures are given below.

Share of joint ventures’ balance sheets

Goodwill

Current assets

Non-current assets

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Net assets

Share of joint ventures’ revenue & profits

Revenue

Cost of sales

Selling & distribution costs

Administrative expenses

Income tax expense

Profit after tax

The Group’s investments in joint ventures are listed on pages 201 to 204.

16.   INVENTORIES

Raw materials

Work in progress

Finished goods

2015
£m

2014
£m

13.2

26.1

4.6

(9.0)

(1.5)

33.4

47.7

(31.5)

(4.3)

(2.0)

(1.6)

8.3

12.7

33.4

4.3

(15.1)

(1.6)

33.7

56.2

(37.5)

(3.8)

(1.8)

(3.1)

10.0

2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

171.6

120.9

257.5

550.0

2015
£m

162.9

112.5

203.3

478.7

In 2015 the cost of inventories recognised as an expense within cost of sales amounted to £1,372.0m (2014: £1,632.2m). In 2015 the 
write-down of inventories to net realisable value amounted to £40.0m (2014: £13.8m), which included £31.3m (2014: £5.3m) in relation to  
the Oil & Gas downturn actions and other Group restructuring actions, as disclosed in note 5. Write-downs in both years relate to on-going 
assessments of inventory obsolescence, excess inventory holding and inventory resale values across all of the Group’s businesses.

17.   TRADE & OTHER RECEIVABLES
Other receivables presented as non-current on the face of the Consolidated Balance Sheet of £22.3m (2014: £22.3m) are in respect of 
insurance contracts relating to asbestos-related claims made in the US. Further detail is presented in note 22.

Current trade & other receivables are analysed in the following table.

Trade receivables

Allowance of doubtful debts

Other debtors

Sales tax receivable

Accrued income

Prepayments

2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

2015
£m

371.9

528.9

(18.3)

353.6

39.9

12.8

18.6

19.8

(17.9)

511.0

47.9

12.9

24.1

27.1

444.7

623.0

The average credit period on sales of goods is 67 days (2014: 77 days). Other debtors includes £2.4m (2014: £11.5m) in respect of amounts due 
from joint ventures, and £5.9m (2014: £5.9m) in respect of insurance contracts relating to asbestos-related claims made in the US (note 22).

158

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Analysis of trade receivables

Neither impaired nor past due

Past due but not impaired

Impaired

Ageing of past due but not impaired trade receivables

Up to 3 months

Between 3 & 6 months

More than 6 months

Movement in the allowance for doubtful debts

Balance at the beginning of the period

Impairment losses recognised on receivables

Amounts written off as uncollectable

Amounts recovered during the period

Impairment losses reversed

Exchange adjustment

Balance at the end of the period

III: Financial Statements

2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

344.9

166.1

17.9

528.9

2014
£m

114.6

24.5

27.0

166.1

2014
£m

(15.4)

(6.0)

1.4

0.3

1.8

–

2015
£m

254.2

99.4

18.3

371.9

2015
£m

67.2

15.1

17.1

99.4

2015
£m

(17.9)

(6.1)

4.7

0.3

0.1

0.6

(18.3)

(17.9)

Impairment losses recognised in 2015 include £1.1m as a result of Group restructuring actions (2014: £4.8m from the Group-wide efficiency 
review), as disclosed in note 5.

Ageing of impaired trade receivables

Up to 3 months

Between 3 & 6 months

More than 6 months

18.   CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS

Gross amount due from customers for contract work (included in current assets)

Gross amount due to customers for contract work (included in current liabilities)

Contract costs incurred plus recognised profits less recognised losses to date

Less: progress billings

2015
£m

0.5

1.3

16.5

18.3

2015
£m

28.5

(8.9)

19.6

78.1

(58.5)

19.6

2014
£m

1.9

1.5

14.5

17.9

2014
£m

31.3

(13.8)

17.5

99.4

(81.9)

17.5

The amount of retentions held by customers for contract work was £nil in both periods. The amount of advances received from customers for 
contract work was £2.8m (2014: £2.4m).

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

159

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

19.   CASH & SHORT-TERM DEPOSITS

Cash at bank & in hand

Short-term deposits

For the purposes of the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement, cash & cash equivalents comprise the following.

Cash & short-term deposits

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings (note 20)

2015
£m

174.2

9.8

184.0

2014
£m

160.4

18.3

178.7

184.0

(4.7)

178.7

(12.1)

179.3

166.6

Cash at bank & in hand earns interest at floating rates based on daily bank deposit rates. Short-term deposits are made for varying periods  
of between one day and three months depending on the immediate cash requirements of the Group and earn interest at the respective 
short-term deposit rates.

20.  INTEREST-BEARING LOANS & BORROWINGS

Current

Bank overdrafts

Short-term borrowings

Fixed rate notes

Bank loans

Commercial paper

Obligations under finance leases (note 27)

Non-current

Bank loans

Fixed rate notes

Obligations under finance leases (note 27)

Bank loans

Revolving credit facility

United States dollar variable rate loans

Sterling variable rate loans

Other

Uncommitted facility loan

United States dollar buyer credit facility

Argentinian peso fixed rate loan facility

South African rand loan facility

Less: current instalments due on bank loans

Uncommitted facility loan

United States dollar buyer credit facility

South African rand loan facility

Non-current bank loans

160

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2015
£m

4.1

0.6

4.7

–

24.4

166.4

0.1

2014
£m

10.7

1.4

12.1

70.6

83.3

–

0.1

195.6

166.1

45.5

767.7

0.2

135.2

737.9

0.2

813.4

873.3

2015
£m

45.4

–

2014
£m

42.8

91.0

23.0

83.2

–

0.1

1.4

0.1

–

1.4

69.9

218.5

(23.0)

(83.2)

–

(1.4)

45.5

(0.1)

–

135.2

Weighted average  
interest rate

2015
%

0.77

–

0.89

–

18.18

7.89

2014
%

0.51

0.85

0.89

2.11

–

7.03

Maturity

Interest basis

2019

2019

US$ LIBOR

£ LIBOR

2016

2016

2019

2016

£ LIBOR

US$ LIBOR

FIXED

ZAR JIBAR

2016

2015

2016

£ LIBOR

US$ LIBOR

ZAR JIBAR

III: Financial Statements

Weighted average  
interest rate

2014
%

2015
£m

2014
£m

Maturity

Interest basis

2016

2016

2016

£ LIBOR

US$ LIBOR

EUR LIBOR

2015
%

0.75

0.54

0.15

2016

2016

2016

£ LIBOR

US$ LIBOR

EUR LIBOR

–

–

–

Weighted average  
interest rate

2014
%

4.58

4.20

5.36

5.03

3.69

4.27

4.34

Maturity

Interest 
basis

2015
%

–

–

5.36

5.03

3.69

4.27

4.34

2015

2015

2018

2018

2019

2022

2023

FIXED

FIXED

FIXED

FIXED

FIXED

FIXED

FIXED

2015

2015

FIXED

FIXED

5.0

43.4

118.0

166.4

(5.0)

(43.4)

(118.0)

–

2015
£m

–

–

43.0

47.5

142.2

399.6

135.4

767.7

–

–

767.7

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

2014
£m

12.0

58.6

43.0

45.6

136.4

383.0

129.9

808.5

(12.0)

(58.6)

737.9

Commercial paper

Commercial paper

Sterling variable rate commercial paper

United States dollar variable rate commercial paper

Euro variable rate commercial paper

Less: current instalments due on commercial paper

Sterling variable rate commercial paper

United States dollar variable rate commercial paper

Euro variable rate commercial paper

Non-current commercial paper

Fixed rate notes

Private placement

Sterling fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

Sterling fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

Less: current instalments due on fixed rate notes

Sterling fixed rate notes

United States dollar fixed rate notes

Non-current fixed rate notes

The weighted average interest rates include an applicable margin over and above the interest basis. 

The disclosures above represent the interest profile and currency profile of financial liabilities before the impact of derivative financial instruments.

On 12 January 2015, the Group repaid US$90m US dollar fixed rate notes and £12m Sterling fixed rate notes as they fell due. These were refinanced 
using existing facilities, including the US$800m multi-currency revolving credit facility and various uncommitted Sterling borrowing facilities.

On 1 April 2015 the Group commenced a new US$1bn commercial paper programme. At 1 January 2016, a total of £166.4m (2014: £nil) was 
outstanding under the programme.

In September 2014, the Group amended the US$800m multi-currency revolving credit facility, which was previously refinanced in July 2013 
and due to mature in July 2018. The amendment extended the maturity date to July 2019, with the option of two one-year extensions. In July 
2015, the option to extend the maturity to July 2020 was exercised. At 1 January 2016, US$70.0m (2014: US$209.8m) was drawn under the 
revolving credit facility. Total unamortised issue costs at 1 January 2016 were £3.6m (2014: £4.6m).

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

161

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

21.   TRADE & OTHER PAYABLES

Current

Trade payables

Other creditors

Other taxes & social security costs

Accruals

Contingent consideration

Deferred income

Non-current

Contingent consideration

22.  PROVISIONS

At 2 January 2015 (restated note 2)

Additions

Utilised

Unutilised

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

Current 2015

Non-current 2015

At 1 January 2016

Current 2014 (restated note 2)

Non-current 2014

At 2 January 2015 (restated note 2)

2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

2015
£m

223.4

305.7

16.3

14.6

24.5

18.3

127.4

159.5

13.3

64.6

9.0

65.0

459.6

582.0

22.6

25.6

Other
£m

4.0

1.5

(2.5)

(0.4)

(0.1)

2.5

1.7

0.8

2.5

3.4

0.6

4.0

Total
£m

112.8

66.8

(54.1)

(8.2)

(0.3)

117.0

70.3

46.7

117.0

65.4

47.4

112.8

Warranties 
& onerous 
sales 
contracts
£m

Employee 
related
£m

Exceptional
rationalisation
£m

35.6

13.5

(13.8)

(7.7)

–

27.6

21.9

5.7

27.6

30.8

4.8

35.6

51.6

4.2

(4.4)

(0.1)

(0.7)

50.6

10.9

39.7

50.6

10.9

40.7

51.6

21.6

47.6

(33.4)

–

0.5

36.3

35.8

0.5

36.3

20.3

1.3

21.6

Warranties and onerous sales contracts
Provision has been made in respect of actual warranty and contract penalty claims on goods sold and services provided and allowance has 
been made for potential warranty claims based on past experience for goods and services sold with a warranty guarantee. It is expected that 
all costs related to such claims will have been incurred within five years of the balance sheet date.

Provision has been made in respect of sales contracts entered into for the sale of goods in the normal course of business where the unavoidable 
costs of meeting the obligations under the contracts exceed the economic benefits expected to be received from the contracts. Provision is 
made immediately when it becomes apparent that expected costs will exceed the expected benefits of the contract. It is expected that the 
majority of these costs will be incurred within one year of the balance sheet date.

Employee related
Employee related provisions arise from legal obligations, some of which are for asbestos-related claims.

Asbestos-related claims
Certain of the Group’s US-based subsidiaries are co-defendants in lawsuits pending in the United States in which plaintiffs are claiming 
damages arising from alleged exposure to products previously manufactured which contained asbestos. The Group has comprehensive 
insurance cover for these cases with all claims directly managed by the Group’s insurers who also meet all associated defence costs.  
The insurers and their legal advisers agree and execute the defence strategy between them and there are no related cash flows to or  
from the Group. We expect this to continue for the foreseeable future as long as the litigation arises. 

162

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

A review was completed in 2014, in conjunction with external advisers, to assess the adequacy of the Group’s insurance policies to meet 
future settlement and defence costs. As a result of this review a provision of £28m was recorded in 2014 with an equivalent receivable for 
insurance proceeds based on an estimate of settlement and defence costs for existing and projected claims received in the subsequent five 
year period. The cash flows associated with this claim profile have been assessed as extending to a period of 10 years from the balance sheet 
date and the modelling coincides with this period. In the current period costs have been charged against the provision however further charges 
have been made to reflect new claims. 

During the current period, the estimates underlying the provision have continued to be reassessed and refined. The period of claims history has 
been further analysed to improve understanding of key drivers, including the originating State of claims, average settlement and defence costs 
per State and the occurrence of one-off claims and/or settlements. This analysis, coupled with the further year of claims experience supports 
the estimates made in the prior year and therefore the same principles have been used consistently to form the basis of the financial modelling 
in 2015. A provision of £28m continues to represent the Directors’ best estimate of the future liability, although these estimates and the period 
over which they are assessed will continue to be refined as the claims history builds. An equivalent asset continues to be recognised for 
insurance proceeds.

Due to the inherent uncertainty associated with estimating future costs in respect of asbestos-related diseases, there can be no guarantee  
that the assumptions used to estimate the provision will result in an accurate prediction of the actual costs that may be incurred. However,  
we do not expect there to be a net financial exposure to the Group given the comprehensive insurance cover in place.

In the UK, there are outstanding asbestos-related claims which are not the subject of insurance cover. The Group provides for both based  
on management’s best estimate of the likely costs given past experience of the volume and cost of similar claims brought against the Group.  
It is expected that these costs will be incurred in the period up to 2025.

Exceptional rationalisation
As part of the Group-wide efficiency review announced in November 2014, the 2015 Oil & Gas downturn actions and other restructuring 
actions, the Group has provided an additional £47.6m during the period. The provision incorporates committed costs for the closure of small 
manufacturing facilities, consolidation of service centres and workforce reductions. The majority of the provision will be utilised in 2016.

Other
Other provisions relate to an environmental clean up programme in the United States for a company acquired in 1992, the discontinued 
operations and indemnity provision, and various other legal claims and exposures across the Group. The environmental provision is based on 
management’s current best estimate of the expected costs under the programme. It is expected that these costs will be incurred in the period 
up to 2019. 

23.  DEFERRED TAX

Deferred income tax assets

Post-employment benefits

Decelerated depreciation for tax purposes

Intangible assets

Untaxed reserves

Offset against liabilities

Deferred income tax assets

Deferred income tax liabilities

Accelerated depreciation for tax purposes

Overseas tax on unremitted earnings

Intangible assets

Other temporary differences

Offset against assets

Deferred income tax liabilities

Net deferred income tax liabilities

2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

21.4

10.2

5.4

62.5

(75.0)

24.5

2015
£m

18.6

11.0

10.9

94.7

(115.0)

20.2

(26.0)

(20.5)

(48.0)

(24.1)

(170.7)

(165.4)

(13.1)

115.0

–

75.0

(115.3)

(162.5)

(95.1)

(138.0)

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

163

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

23.  DEFERRED TAX CONTINUED
The movement in deferred income tax assets and liabilities during the period was as follows.

Post 
employment 
benefits
£m

Accelerated 
depreciation for 
tax purposes
£m

Overseas 
tax on 
unremitted 
earnings
£m

Intangible 
assets
£m

Untaxed 
reserves & 
other 
temporary 
differences
£m

At 3 January 2014

Prior year adjustments

Acquisitions (restated note 2)

Credited (charged) to the income statement (note 7)

Credited to equity

Exchange adjustment

At 2 January 2015 (restated note 2)

Prior year adjustments

(Charged) credited to the income statement (note 7)

Charged to equity

Exchange adjustment

At 1 January 2016

15.7

(35.5)

(24.3)

(147.9)

–

–

0.2

5.1

0.4

21.4

–

(1.9)

(2.3)

0.1

17.3

0.2

–

(1.6)

–

(0.9)

(37.8)

19.8

3.0

–

–

–

–

(0.2)

–

0.4

–

(11.3)

8.2

–

(9.0)

(24.1)

(160.0)

–

2.6

–

1.0

(20.2)

26.4

–

(6.0)

(15.0)

(20.5)

(159.8)

43.7

(0.2)

12.0

3.9

0.9

2.2

62.5

0.4

19.5

(0.3)

0.8

82.9

Total
£m

(148.3)

–

0.7

10.5

6.0

(6.9)

(138.0)

–

49.6

(2.6)

(4.1)

(95.1)

Untaxed reserves primarily relate to temporarily disallowed inventory/receivable provisions and accruals/provisions for liabilities where the tax 
allowance is deferred until the cash expense occurs. In relation to the increase of the untaxed reserves, £9.0m relates to carried forward 
interest deductions in the US. US tax rules allow surplus interest expenses to be carried forward indefinitely to be used against future earnings. 
Forecasts have been prepared which indicate that this interest will be able to be offset in 2017 and 2018 therefore it is considered appropriate 
to recognise a deferred tax asset in respect of this amount.

Deferred tax asset balances for unused tax losses of £7.3m (2014: £5.8m) have not been recognised on the grounds that there is insufficient 
evidence that these assets will be recoverable. These assets will be recovered when future tax charges are sufficient to absorb these tax 
benefits. Deferred tax asset balances for capital losses in the UK amounting to £4.4m (2014: £5.8m) have not been recognised but would be 
available in the event of future capital gains being incurred by the Group.

Temporary differences associated with Group investments
A deferred tax liability of £20.5m (2014: £24.1m) has been recognised in respect of taxes on the unremitted earnings of the South American 
and Canadian subsidiaries and the unremitted earnings of the UK and Canadian subsidiaries of the US subgroup. As at 2 January 2015, this is 
the only recognised deferred tax liability in respect of taxes on unremitted earnings as the Group does not foresee a distribution of unremitted 
earnings from other subsidiaries or joint ventures which would result in a reversal of deferred tax. The temporary differences associated  
with investments in subsidiaries and joint ventures, for which a deferred tax liability has not been recognised, aggregate to £1,515.8m  
(2014: £1,607.0m).

There are no income tax consequences attaching to the payment of dividends by the Company to its shareholders.

UK corporation tax rate changes
A number of changes which reduce future UK corporation tax rates were announced in the UK Summer Budget Statement of 8 July 2015. 
Following on from this, legislation was enacted on 26 October 2015 such that the main rate of UK corporation tax will be 19.0% from  
April 2017 and 18.0% from April 2020. Consequently UK deferred tax has been provided at the prevalent rates during the periods in which  
the UK temporary differences are expected to unwind. Consequently, deferred tax has been provided on UK temporary differences at 19.9% 
(2014: 20.0%).

24.  PENSIONS & OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PLANS
The Group has four main defined benefit pension plans in the UK and North America. All defined benefit plans are closed to new members. 
The most significant of the defined benefit plans are the two funded UK plans.

UK plans
The Group has two funded defined benefit plans (the Main Plan and the Executive Plan) and an unfunded retirement benefit plan for retired 
executive directors. The Group also operates a defined contribution plan, the contributions to which are in addition to those set out below, and 
are charged directly to the income statement. 

For the defined benefit plans, benefits are related to service and final salary. The Main Plan closed to future accrual of benefits effective from 
30 June 2015 and an exceptional curtailment gain of £2.7m was recognised in 2013. This was reassessed in 2015 and no adjustment was required.

The weighted average duration of the expected benefit payments from the Main Plan is around 16 years and from the Executive Plan is around 
12 years.

164

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

The current funding target for the UK plans is to maintain assets equal to the value of the accrued benefits. The Main Plan holds insurance 
policies in respect of a significant proportion of deferred and retired pensioners.

The regulatory framework in the UK requires the Trustees and Group to agree upon the assumptions underlying the funding target, and  
then to agree upon the necessary contributions required to recover any deficit at the valuation date. There is a risk to the Group that adverse 
experience could lead to a requirement for the Group to make considerable contributions to recover any deficit. This risk is significantly reduced 
for the Main Plan through the insurance policies held.

North American plans
The Group also sponsors two funded defined benefit pension plans in the United States and Canada and certain unfunded post-employment 
healthcare benefits for senior employees in the United States.

These plans combined make up 3% of the Group’s pension and other post-employment benefit plan commitments and 2% of the Group’s total 
associated assets. 

The weighted average duration of these plans is around 11 years.

Assumptions
The significant actuarial assumptions used for accounting purposes reflect prevailing market conditions in each of the relevant countries  
in which the Group operates and are as follows.

Significant actuarial assumptions:

Discount rate (% pa)

Retail Prices inflation assumption (% pa)

Post-retirement mortality (life expectancies in years):

Current pensioners at 65 – male

Current pensioners at 65 – female

Future pensioners at 65 – male

Future pensioners at 65 – female

Other related actuarial assumptions:

Rate of increases for pensions in payment (% pa)

Pre 6 April 2006 service

Post 5 April 2006 service

Consumer Prices inflation assumption (% pa)

Rate of increase in healthcare costs

UK  
pensions

North American  
pensions

North American 
post-retirement  
healthcare

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

3.7

3.0

22.4

24.5

24.1

26.4

2.9

2.0

2.0

n/a

3.5

3.0

22.1

24.6

23.9

26.5

2.9

2.0

2.0

n/a

4.2

n/a

21.2

23.2

22.9

24.9

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

3.9

n/a

21.7

23.9

23.3

25.5

n/a

n/a

1.9

n/a

4.2

n/a

21.2

23.2

22.9

24.9

n/a

n/a

n/a

**

3.9

n/a

21.7

23.9

23.4

25.6

n/a

n/a

2.0

*

*  7.7% per annum decreasing to 4.5% per annum and remaining static at that level from 2028 onwards.
**  7.2% per annum decreasing to 4.5% per annum and remaining static at that level from 2028 onwards.

The assumptions used to determine end-of-year benefit obligations are also used to calculate the following period’s cost. For North America, 
weighted average assumptions are shown where applicable.

The post-retirement mortality assumptions allow for expected increases in longevity. The “current” disclosures above relate to assumptions 
based on longevity (in years) following retirement at the balance sheet date, with “future” being that relating to a member retiring in 2036 (in 
20 years time).

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

165

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

24.  PENSIONS & OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PLANS CONTINUED
Assumptions continued
The assets and liabilities of the plans are as follows.

Plan assets at fair value

Equities (quoted)

Diversified Growth Funds (primarily quoted)

Corporate bonds (quoted)

Government bonds (quoted)

Insurance policies (unquoted)

Cash (quoted)

Fair value of plan assets

Present value of funded obligations

Net funded obligations

Present value of unfunded obligations

Net liability

Plan in surplus

Plan in deficit

Total

2015
£m

2014
£m

174.5

165.9

46.4

77.0

81.2

345.1

3.2

727.4

42.3

77.9

86.0

357.7

12.1

741.9

(801.4)

(827.0)

(74.0)

(7.8)

(81.8)

8.2

(85.1)

(9.2)

(94.3)

4.1

(90.0)

(98.4)

The government bonds held are primarily index-linked, with around only 7% of the total government bonds being fixed interest. The pension 
plans have not directly invested in any of the Group’s own financial instruments, or in properties or other assets used by the Group.

In the UK, where the majority of the Group’s pension assets are held, the investment strategy is to hold equities and other return seeking 
assets such as diversified growth funds and a mixture of bonds to meet the assessed value of the benefits promised for the non-insured 
deferred pensioners. For the remaining deferred pensioners and the bulk of pensioners currently receiving their benefit, the liabilities are 
backed by insurance policies and suitable bonds.

The change in net liabilities recognised in the balance sheet is comprised as follows.

Opening net liabilities

Expense charged to profit and loss

Amount recognised in statement of comprehensive income

Employer contributions

Currency adjustment

Closing net liabilities

2015
£m

(94.3)

(5.0)

13.5

4.3

(0.3)

(81.8)

2014
£m

(70.4)

(4.9)

(31.1)

13.0

(0.9)

(94.3)

166

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

The amounts recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement and in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the period 
are analysed as follows.

Recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement

Current service cost

Administrative expenses

Past service settlement credit

Past service curtailment gain

Included in operating profit

Interest on net pension liability

Total expense charged to profit & loss

Recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Actual return on plan assets

Less: interest on plan assets

Other actuarial gains (losses) due to

Changes in financial assumptions

Changes in demographic assumptions

Experience on benefit obligations

Actuarial gains (losses) recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

2015
£m

(1.1)

(0.6)

–

–

(1.7)

(3.3)

(5.0)

21.5

(25.4)

(3.9)

24.9

2.7

(10.2)

13.5

2014
£m

(2.1)

(0.7)

0.5

0.2

(2.1)

(2.8)

(4.9)

84.6

(29.6)

55.0

(79.1)

(5.8)

(1.2)

(31.1)

Current service cost and administration expenses are recognised in operating costs and net interest on net pension liability is recognised in 
other finance costs. Deficit reduction measures in two small North American plans resulted in a settlement credit of £0.5m and a curtailment 
gain of £0.2m in 2014.

Pension contributions are determined with the advice of independent qualified actuaries on the basis of regular valuations using the projected 
unit method. The Group made special contributions of £2.6m in 2015 (2014: £10.6m) in addition to the Group’s regular contributions. 

The most recent actuarial funding valuation of the Main Plan was as at 31 December 2014 when the funding shortfall was £65.0m. Under the 
recovery plan agreed with Trustees, the Group entered into a pension funding partnership structure under which it will contribute interests  
in a Scottish Limited Partnership (‘SLP’) for the Main Plan. The Main Plan’s interests in the SLP will reduce the deficit on a funding basis, 
although the agreement will not affect the position directly on an IAS 19 accounting basis as the investments held do not qualify as assets for 
IAS 19 purposes. As a partner in the SLP, the Main Plan is entitled to receive a share of the profits of the SLP once a year for 15 years, subject 
to conditions being met. The profits to be shared with the Plan will be reflected in the Group’s financial statements as a pension contribution. 
The first contribution of £2m will be made to the Plan in 2016, rising to £4m for 2018 and beyond. 

The Executive Plan actuarial valuation at 31 December 2013 included a funding shortfall of £10.6m with agreed recovery contributions of 
£2.4m per annum to 31 December 2017, subject to reassessment at future triennial valuations.

The Group has taken legal advice regarding its UK arrangements to confirm the accounting treatment under IFRIC 14 with regard to recognition 
of a current surplus and also recognition of a minimum funding requirement. This confirmed that there is no requirement to adjust the balance 
sheet and that recognition of a current surplus is appropriate on the basis that the Group has an unconditional right to a refund of a current (or 
projected future) surplus at some point in the future. For the same reason, there is no requirement for the Group to adjust the balance sheet to 
recognise the future agreed deficit recovery contributions. Having considered the position, taking account of the legal input received and noting 
that the Trustees of the UK arrangements do not have discretionary powers to unilaterally wind up the schemes without cause, the Directors of 
the Group have concluded that the Group has an unconditional right to a refund of any surplus. Amendments to the current version of IFRIC 14 
are currently being considered. The legal advice received by the Group has confirmed that the above accounting treatment will not be affected 
by the current exposure draft of the revised IFRIC 14.

The total Group contributions for 2016 (including those expected from the SLP in the UK) are expected to be £5.8m.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

167

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

24.  PENSIONS & OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PLANS CONTINUED
Sensitivity analysis
Changes in key assumptions can have a significant effect on the reported retirement benefit obligation and the income statement expense for 
2016. The effects of changes in those assumptions are set out in the table below.

Discount rate

Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1.0% change

Effect on net liability of a 1.0% change

RPI inflation (and associated assumptions)

Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1.0% change

Effect on net liability of a 1.0% change

Life expectancy

Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1 year change

Effect on net liability of a 1 year change

Increase
2015
£m

Decrease
2015
£m

Increase
2014
£m

Decrease
2014
£m

110.9

80.9

(132.7)

(99.5)

121.4

87.0

(147.0)

(108.6)

(69.7)

(47.6)

(24.7)

(12.0)

64.3

43.4

24.7

12.0

(77.4)

(54.4)

(22.9)

(12.2)

72.8

49.9

22.9

12.2

The impact on the net liability is significantly reduced as a result of the insurance policies held. In the absence of such policies, the impact  
on the net liability would be much closer to the significantly higher impact on the defined benefit obligation shown in the table.

These sensitivities have been calculated to show the movement in the defined benefit obligation and net liability in isolation and assume no 
other changes in market conditions at the accounting date. In practice, for example, a change in discount rate is unlikely to occur without any 
movement in the value of the invested (non-insurance policy) assets held by the plans.

Changes in the present value of the defined benefit obligations are analysed as follows.

Opening defined benefit obligations

Current service cost 

Past service curtailment gain

Interest on benefit obligations

Benefits paid

Actuarial gains (losses) due to

Changes in financial assumptions

Changes in demographic assumptions

Experience on benefit obligations

Gains on curtailments and settlements

Exchange rate adjustment

Closing defined benefit obligations

Changes in the fair value of plan assets are analysed as follows.

Opening plan assets

Interest on plan assets

Employer contributions

Administrative expenses

Benefits paid

Actuarial return on plan assets less interest on plan assets

Assets distributed on settlements

Exchange rate adjustment

Closing plan assets

168

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2015
£m

2014
£m

(836.2)

(751.4)

(1.1)

–

(28.7)

40.1

24.9

2.7

(10.2)

–

(0.7)

(2.1)

0.2

(32.4)

34.6

(79.1)

(5.8)

(1.2)

2.9

(1.9)

(809.2)

(836.2)

2015
£m

2014
£m

741.9

681.0

25.4

4.3

(0.6)

(40.1)

29.6

13.0

(0.7)

(34.6)

(3.9)  

55.0

–

0.4

(2.4)

1.0

727.4

741.9

25.  SHARE CAPITAL & RESERVES

Issued & fully paid share capital

At the beginning of the period

Issued during the period in respect of Delta Valves acquisition (note 13)

Issued during the period in respect of LTIP awards

At the end of the period

Treasury shares

Issued at the beginning and end of the period

III: Financial Statements

2015
Number 
Million

2014
Number 
Million

214.1

213.9

0.6

–

–

0.2

214.7

214.1

0.7

0.7

The Company has one class of ordinary share with a par value of 12.5p which carries no rights to fixed income.

As at 1 January 2016, 27,851 shares (2014: 68,590 shares) were held by the Kleinwort EBT with a market value of £0.3m (2014: £1.3m).

As at 1 January 2016, 93,666 shares (2014: 220,952 shares) were held by the Appleby EBT for the strategic and matching elements of the 
deferred bonus and 32,753 shares (2014: 83,850 shares) for the deferred element. These shares have a market value of £1.3m (2014: £5.7m).

As at 1 January 2016, 18,676 shares (2014: nil) were held by the Appleby EBT for the bonus shares awarded under the LTIP. These shares have 
a market value of £0.2m (2014: £nil).

Merger reserve
The merger reserve was created by the issue of new equity in relation to the acquisition of Delta Valves during the period.

Capital redemption reserve
The capital redemption reserve was created by a repurchase and cancellation of own shares during the 53 weeks ended 1 January 1999.

Foreign currency translation reserve
The foreign currency translation reserve is used to record exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of 
foreign operations and the Group’s hedge of its net investment in foreign operations. 

Hedge accounting reserve
This reserve records the portion of the gains or losses on hedging instruments used as cash flow hedges that are determined to be effective. 
Net gains (losses) transferred from equity during the period are included in the following line items in the Consolidated Income Statement and 
Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Revenue

Cost of sales

Administrative expenses

Inventory

2015
£m

0.6

(2.6)

0.3

0.1

(1.6)

2014
£m

–

(0.5)

–

(0.4)

(0.9)

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

169

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

26.  ADDITIONAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

Continuing operations

Net cash generated from operations

Operating (loss) profit 

Exceptional items – other

Exceptional impairment of intangible assets

Amortisation of intangible assets

Share of results of joint ventures 

Depreciation of property, plant & equipment

Impairment of property, plant & equipment

Gains on disposal of property, plant & equipment 

Funding of pension & post-retirement costs

Employee share schemes

Net foreign exchange including derivative financial instruments

Decrease in provisions

Cash generated from operations before working capital cash flows

Decrease (increase) in inventories

Decrease (increase) in trade & other receivables and construction contracts

(Decrease) increase in trade & other payables and construction contracts

Cash generated from operations

Additional pension contributions paid

Exceptional cash items

Income tax paid

2015
£m

2014
£m

(158.3)

113.3

251.4

52.5

(8.3)

63.4

0.3

(1.6)

–

(2.3)

4.5

(5.7)

309.2

25.2

189.3

(127.2)

396.5

(2.6)

(33.4)

(50.4)

192.5

52.4

160.0

44.9

(10.0)

61.1

–

(1.4)

(0.4)

4.4

1.4

(1.9)

503.0

(45.5)

(86.4)

50.2

421.3

(10.6)

(10.6)

(94.1)

Net cash generated from operating activities

310.1

306.0

Exceptional items are detailed in note 5. 

The employee related provision and associated insurance asset in relation to US asbestos-related claims disclosed in note 22 will not result  
in any cash flows either to or from the Group and therefore they have been excluded from the table above.

The following tables summarise the cash flows arising on acquisitions.

Acquisitions of subsidiaries 

Current period acquisitions (see below)

Prior period acquisitions contingent consideration paid

Prior period acquisitions completion adjustment

Acquisition of subsidiaries – cash paid

Cash & cash equivalents acquired

Acquisition of subsidiaries – current period acquisitions

Settlement of external debt of subsidiary on acquisition

Total cash outflow on current period acquisitions (note 13)

Prior period acquisitions contingent consideration paid

Prior period acquisitions completion adjustment

Total cash outflow relating to acquisitions

2015
£m

2014
£m

(12.9)

(132.7)

(2.8)

1.6

(5.0)

–

(14.1)

(137.7)

(14.4)

(140.7)

1.5

8.0

(12.9)

(132.7)

(1.2)

(14.1)

(2.8)

1.6

–

(132.7)

(5.0)

–

(15.3)

(137.7)

The settlement of the external debt of Delta Valves on acquisition has been classified as a financing cash flow in accordance with IAS 7.

170

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Reconciliation of net increase in cash & cash equivalents to movement in net debt

Net increase in cash & cash equivalents from continuing operations

Net decrease (increase) in debt

Change in net debt resulting from cash flows

Lease inceptions

Foreign currency translation differences

Change in net debt during the period

Net debt at the beginning of the period

Net debt at the end of the period

Net debt comprises the following

Cash & short-term deposits (note 19)

Current interest-bearing loans & borrowings (note 20)

Non-current interest-bearing loans & borrowings (note 20)

III: Financial Statements

2015
£m

2014
£m

34.2

49.4

83.6

(0.1)

(47.8)

35.7

97.2

(166.5)

(69.3)

(0.4)

(44.0)

(113.7)

(860.7)

(747.0)

(825.0)

(860.7)

184.0

178.7

(195.6)

(166.1)

(813.4)

(873.3)

(825.0)

(860.7)

27.   COMMITMENTS & LEGAL CLAIMS
Operating lease commitments
The Group has entered into commercial leases for land and buildings, motor vehicles and plant & equipment. Land and building leases have an 
average term of between two and ten years, motor vehicle leases have an average term of between two and four years and plant & equipment 
leases have an average term of between three and five years. Certain leases have terms of renewal, at the option of the lessee, but there  
are no purchase options or escalation clauses. Future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases are shown in the  
table below.

Less than one year

After one year but no more than five years

More than five years

2015
£m

29.6

71.3

43.6

2014
£m

32.0

70.6

39.1

144.5

141.7

Finance lease commitments
The Group has finance leases for buildings and plant & equipment. Future minimum lease payments under finance leases together with the 
present value of the net minimum lease payments are shown in the table below.

Less than one year

After one year but not more than five years

Total minimum lease payments

Less amounts representing finance charges

Present value of minimum lease payments

Minimum 
payments
2015
£m

Present 
value of 
payments
2015
£m

Minimum 
payments
2014
£m

Present value 
of payments
2014
£m

0.1

0.2

0.3

–

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

–

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

The weighted average outstanding lease term is 2.69 years (2014: 3.64 years). For the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016, the weighted average 
effective borrowing rate was 4.89% (2014: 4.60%).

All leases are on a fixed repayment basis and no arrangements have been entered into for contingent rental payments.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

171

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

27.   COMMITMENTS & LEGAL CLAIMS CONTINUED
Capital commitments

Outstanding capital commitments contracted but not provided for – property, plant & equipment

Outstanding capital commitments contracted but not provided for – intangible assets

The Group’s share of the capital commitments of its joint ventures amounted to £0.1m (2014: £0.4m).

2015
£m

20.1

8.9

2014
£m

19.6

3.5

Legal claims 
The Company and certain subsidiaries are, from time to time, parties to legal proceedings and claims which arise in the normal course  
of business.

A claim made by Philippines Gold Processing & Refining Corporation against Weir Services Australia Pty Limited (WSA), a subsidiary of  
the Company, was defended at arbitration, with the successful judgement issued in favour of WSA in January 2016. During the arbitration 
process, the Group entered into a cap and collar agreement with the claimant, which limited the potential exposure for the Group to  
a de minimus amount.

28.  EQUITY SETTLED SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS
LTIP
There are three types of award which may be made under the LTIP to senior executives: performance shares, matching shares and investment 
shares. Details of each award are outlined in the Remuneration Report on pages 95 to 117.

The following table illustrates the number and weighted average share prices (WASP) of shares awarded under the LTIP.

Outstanding at the beginning of the period

Awarded during the period

Exercised during the period

Forfeited during the period

Outstanding at the end of the period

2015
Number
Million

1.5

0.9

–

2015
WASP

£23.43

£17.85

–

(0.7)

£19.82

2014
Number
Million

1.5

0.6

(0.3)

(0.3)

2014
WASP

£15.44

£26.20

£16.13

£16.78

1.7

£21.84

1.5

£23.43

An amount of £0.5m has been credited (2014: £3.1m charged) to the Consolidated Income Statement in respect of the number of awards 
which are expected to be made at the end of the vesting period. This comprises a credit of £0.2m (2014: £1.5m charge) in respect of parent 
company employees and a credit of £0.3m (2014: £1.6m charge) in respect of employees of subsidiaries.

Certain subsidiary companies made a cash contribution to the parent company of £5.1m (2014: £4.9m) in the period in respect of their 
employees’ LTIP awards.

The remaining contractual lives of the outstanding LTIP awards at the end of the period are as follows.

Year of award

2012

2013

2014

2015

2015
Number 
Million

2015
Remaining 
contractual life

2014
Number 
Million

2014
Remaining 
contractual life

–

0.4

0.5

0.8

–

3 months

15 months

27 months

0.5

0.4

0.6

–

3 months

15 months

27 months

–

The fair value of the conditional awards under the LTIP have been estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation model. The following table gives 
the assumptions made during the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 in the calculation of the fair value 
of awards made in those years.

Weighted average expected volatility (%)

Weighted average expected life (years)

Weighted average risk free rate (%)

Weighted average share price (£)

Weighted average fair value (£)

172

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2015

28.93

2.96

0.83

17.85

14.73

2014

34.88

3.00

1.22

26.20

23.62

 
 
 
 
 
 
III: Financial Statements

The expected life of the awards is based on historical data and is not necessarily indicative of exercise patterns that may occur. The expected 
volatility reflects the assumption that the historical volatility is volatility indicative of future trends which may also not necessarily be the actual 
outcome. Market related performance conditions have been taken into account in the calculation of fair values.

Deferred Bonus Plan
There are three types of award which were made under the Deferred Bonus Plan: shares purchased on the employee’s behalf as part of the 
annual bonus, matching shares and strategic shares for senior executives.

The following table illustrates the number of shares awarded under the Deferred Bonus Plan.

Outstanding at the beginning of the period

Exercised during the period

Outstanding at the end of the period

2015
Number
Million

2014
Number
Million

0.2

(0.1)

0.1

0.2

–

0.2

An amount of £1.8m has been credited (2014: £1.3m charged) to the Consolidated Income Statement in respect of the number of awards 
which are expected to be made at the end of the vesting period.

29.  RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURE
The following table provides the total amount of significant transactions which have been entered into with related parties for the relevant 
financial year and outstanding balances at the period end.

Related party

Joint ventures

Group pension plans

Sales to 
related 
parties 
– goods
£m

Sales to 
related 
parties 
– services
£m

Purchases 
from related 
parties 
– goods
£m

Purchases 
from related 
parties 
– services
£m

Amounts 
owed to 
related 
parties
£m

2015

2014

2015

2014

18.4

26.7

–

–

0.4

0.5

–

–

1.4

8.2

–

–

0.8

0.5

–

–

–

–

2.1

1.8

Contributions to the Group pension plans are disclosed in note 24.

Terms & conditions of transactions with related parties
Sales to and from related parties are made at normal market prices. Outstanding balances at the period end are unsecured and settlement 
occurs in cash. There have been no guarantees provided or received for any related party balances. For 2015, the Group has not raised  
any provision for doubtful debts relating to amounts owed by related parties as the payment history has been excellent (2014: £nil).  
This assessment is undertaken each financial year through examining the financial position of the related party and the market in which  
the related party operates. 

Compensation of key management personnel

Short-term employee benefits

Share-based payments

Post-employment benefits

Emoluments paid to the Directors of The Weir Group PLC

Remuneration

Gains made on the exercise of Long Term Incentive Plan awards

2015
£m

4.9

0.5

0.3

5.7

2015
£m

2.4

0.4

2.8

2014
£m

6.3

4.0

0.2

10.5

2014
£m

2.9

1.9

4.8

Key management comprises the Board and the Group Executive. Further details of the Directors’ remuneration are disclosed in the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report on pages 95 to 117.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

173

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

30.  FINANCIAL ASSETS & LIABILITIES
Financial risk management objectives & policies
The principal financial risks to which the Group is exposed are those relating to foreign currency, liquidity and credit risk. Foreign currency 
transactional risk arises when operating subsidiaries enter into transactions denominated in currencies other than their functional currency. 
Translational risk arises on the translation of overseas earnings and investments into Sterling for consolidated reporting purposes. Credit risk  
is the risk that a customer or counterparty fails to meet an obligation under a contract, and liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will be  
unable to meet its liabilities as they fall due. In addition, the Group is subject to a degree of interest rate risk on its borrowings. The Group  
uses financial assets and liabilities, including derivatives, to hedge certain foreign exchange and interest rate risks as set out below.

Foreign exchange risk policy
Foreign currency transactional and translational risk could result in volatility in reported consolidated earnings and net assets.

In respect of transactional foreign currency risk, the Group maintains a policy that all operating units eliminate exposures on material committed 
transactions, usually by undertaking forward foreign currency contracts through the Group’s treasury function. In addition, it is Group policy 
that those companies where a significant concentration of foreign exchange risk has been identified may also apply hedge accounting in 
accordance with IAS 39. Therefore, some of the Group’s forward foreign currency contracts form part of an effective cash flow hedge. 
Exchange rate fluctuations in respect of the forward foreign currency contracts which form part of a cash flow hedge will have an impact on 
shareholders’ equity. Exchange rate fluctuations in respect of the other forward foreign currency contracts will have an impact on profit or loss. 
It is Group policy not to engage in any speculative transaction of any kind.

In respect of translational risk, the Group has a policy to partially hedge its net exposure to United States dollar (US$), Australian dollar (AUD), 
Euro (EUR) and South African rand (ZAR). This is achieved through designating an element of foreign currency borrowings, forward foreign 
currency contracts and cross currency swaps as net investment hedges against the Group’s investments. The Group does not hedge the 
translational exposure arising from profit and loss items.

Liquidity risk policy
Liquidity risk could impact negatively on the Group’s reputation, borrowing costs or ultimately its ability to continue as a going concern. Liquidity 
risk is managed by monitoring forecast and actual cash flows and ensuring that sufficient committed facilities are in place to meet possible 
downside scenarios. The Group’s objective is to maintain a balance between continuity of funding and flexibility through the use of fixed rate 
loan notes, bank loans, commercial paper and bank overdrafts. Further details of the Group’s borrowing facilities are disclosed in note 20.

Credit risk policy
Credit risk could have a negative impact on reported earnings and cash and consequently the liquidity of the Group.

The Group is exposed to credit risk to the extent of non-payment by either its customers or the counterparties of its financial instruments.  
The Group’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables with risk spread over a large number of countries and customers, with  
no significant concentration of risk. Where appropriate, the Group endeavours to minimise risk by the use of trade finance instruments such as 
letters of credit and insurance. Credit worthiness checks are also undertaken with external credit rating agencies before entering into contracts 
with new customers and credit limits are set as appropriate and enforced. As shown in note 17, the trade receivables presented in the balance 
sheet are net of allowance for doubtful debts. An allowance for impairment is made where there is an identifiable loss event which, based  
on previous experience, is evidence of a reduction in the recoverability of cash flows. The Group’s exposure to the credit risk of financial 
institutions is limited by the adherence to counterparty limits, and by only trading with counterparties that have an investment grade credit 
rating or better at contract inception, based upon ratings provided by the major agencies. Exposures to those counterparties are regularly 
reviewed and, when the market view of a counterparty’s credit quality changes, adjusted as considered appropriate. Accordingly in normal 
market conditions, the probability of material loss due to non-performance by counterparties is considered to be low.

Interest rate risk policy
The Group’s borrowings are in a combination of fixed and variable rates of interest. Interest rate risk is regularly monitored to ensure that the 
mix of variable and fixed rate borrowing is appropriate for the Group in the short to medium-term. Details of changes to the Group’s loans and 
facilities have been included in note 20.

Net investment in foreign operations
As at 1 January 2016, US dollar fixed rate notes of US$345.9m (2014: US$435.9m), US dollar variable rate loans of US$70.0m (2014: 
US$70.0m) and commercial paper of €70.0m (2014: €nil), all included in interest-bearing loans and borrowings, cross currency swaps of 
US$69.9m and AUD151.0m (2014: US$89.4m and AUD151.0m) and net forward foreign currency liability contracts of US$279.9m and 
ZAR345.0m (2014: US$170.4m and ZAR345.0m) have been designated as a hedge of the Group’s exposure to translational foreign exchange 
risk on its net investments in Weir SPM, Weir Warman, Weir Seaboard, Weir Novatech, Weir Mathena, Weir Minerals Australia, Weir Multiflo, 
Weir Minerals France, Weir Gabbioneta, Weir Heavy Bay Foundry and Weir Warman Africa. Gains or losses on the retranslation of the 
borrowings and contingent consideration and the fair value of the cross currency swaps and forward foreign currency contracts are transferred 
to equity to offset any gains or losses on translation of the net investments in these subsidiaries.

174

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Carrying amounts & fair values
Set out below is a comparison by category of carrying amounts and fair values of the Group’s financial instruments that are reported in the 
financial statements.

Financial assets

Derivative financial instruments recognised at fair value through profit or loss 

Derivative financial instruments in designated hedge accounting relationships

Trade & other receivables excluding statutory assets & prepayments*

Cash & short-term deposits*

Financial liabilities

Derivative financial instruments recognised at fair value through profit or loss 

Derivative financial instruments in designated hedge accounting relationships 

Contingent consideration

Amortised cost:

Fixed rate borrowings 

Floating rate borrowings

Obligations under finance leases

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings*

Carrying 
amount 
2015 
£m

Fair value
2015
£m

Fair Value measurement using

Level 1
Quoted 
prices in 
active 
markets
£m

Level 2
Significant 
observable 
inputs
£m

Level 3
Significant 
unobservable 
inputs
£m

13.2

9.5

434.4

184.0

641.1

8.3

11.6

35.9

767.7

236.3

0.3

4.7

13.2

9.5

434.4

184.0

641.1

8.3

11.6

35.9

745.2

236.3

0.3

4.7

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

13.2

9.5

8.3

11.6

–

745.2

236.3

0.3

–

–

–

–

35.9

–

–

–

Trade & other payables excluding statutory liabilities & deferred income*

367.1

367.1

Financial assets

Derivative financial instruments recognised at fair value through profit or loss 

Derivative financial instruments in designated hedge accounting relationships

Trade & other receivables excluding statutory assets & prepayments*

Cash & short-term deposits*

Financial liabilities

Derivative financial instruments recognised at fair value through profit or loss 

Derivative financial instruments in designated hedge accounting relationships 

Contingent consideration

Amortised cost:

Fixed rate borrowings

Floating rate borrowings

Obligations under finance leases

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings*

1,431.9

1,409.4

Fair Value measurement using

Carrying 
amount
2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

Fair value
2014
Restated
(note 2)
£m

Level 1
Quoted 
prices in 
active 
markets
£m

Level 2
Significant 
observable 
inputs
£m

Level 3 
Significant
unobservable 
inputs
£m

10.0

4.0

605.3

178.7

798.0

6.1

8.3

34.6

808.5

218.5

0.3

12.1

10.0

4.0

605.3

178.7

798.0

6.1

8.3

34.6

784.9

218.5

0.3

12.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

10.0

4.0

6.1

8.3

–

784.9

218.5

0.3

–

–

–

–

34.6

–

–

–

Trade & other payables excluding statutory liabilities & deferred income*

489.7

489.7

1,578.1

1,554.5

*  The fair value of cash and short-term deposits, trade and other receivables and trade and other payables approximates their carrying amount due to the short-term maturities of these 

instruments. As such disclosure of the fair value hierarchy for these items is not required.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

175

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

30.  FINANCIAL ASSETS & LIABILITIES CONTINUED
Carrying amounts & fair values continued
The Group enters into derivative financial instruments with various counterparties, principally financial institutions with investment grade credit 
ratings. The derivative financial instruments are valued using valuation techniques with market observable inputs including spot and forward 
foreign exchange rates, interest rate curves, counterparty and own credit risk. The fair value of cross currency swaps is calculated as the 
present value of the estimated future cash flows based on spot foreign exchange rates and counterparty and own credit risk. The fair value  
of forward foreign currency contracts is calculated as the present value of the estimated future cash flows based on spot and forward foreign 
exchange rates.

The Group uses the following hierarchy for determining and disclosing the fair value of financial instruments by valuation technique:

Level 1:  quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2: 

 other techniques for which all inputs that have a significant effect on the recorded fair value are observable, either directly 
or indirectly;
 techniques which use inputs that have a significant effect on the recorded fair value that are not based on observable  
market data. 

Level 3: 

At 1 January 2016 and 2 January 2015 the Group has classified contingent consideration as level 3. A reconciliation of the movements in the 
contingent consideration fair value has been included in note 13.

During the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 and 2 January 2015, there were no transfers between level 1 and level 2 fair value measurements 
and no transfers into or out of level 3 fair value measurements. 

The fair value of borrowings and obligations under finance leases is estimated by discounting future cash flows using rates currently available 
for debt on similar terms, credit risk and remaining maturities. The basis for the calculation of the fair value of contingent consideration is 
outlined in detail in note 13.

Derivative financial instruments
Set out in the table below is a summary of the types of derivative financial instruments included within each balance sheet category.

Included in non-current assets

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

Cross currency swaps designated as net investment hedges

Other forward foreign currency contracts 

Included in current assets

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges

Other forward foreign currency contracts 

Included in current liabilities

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges

Cross currency swaps designated as net investment hedges

Other forward foreign currency contracts 

Included in non-current liabilities

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

Cross currency swaps designated as net investment hedges

Other forward foreign currency contracts 

2015
£m

0.1

8.3

0.1

8.5

0.2

0.9

13.1

14.2

(1.5)

(4.4)

–

(8.2)

(14.1)

(0.9)

(4.8)

(0.1)

(5.8)

2014
£m

0.2

3.3

–

3.5

0.5

–

10.0

10.5

(2.3)

(2.4)

(0.7)

(5.9)

(11.3)

(0.2)

(2.7)

(0.2)

(3.1)

Net derivative financial assets (liabilities)

2.8

(0.4)

176

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Liquidity & credit risk
The maximum exposure to credit risk at the balance sheet date is represented by the carrying value of each financial asset, including derivative 
financial instruments. The liabilities which could impact liquidity risk are best represented by the carrying value and maturity profile of each 
financial liability, including derivative financial instruments. The following tables include the undiscounted cash flows of financial assets and 
liabilities based on the earliest date on which the Group can be required to receive or pay these financial assets or liabilities, and include both 
interest and principal cash flows. In respect of derivative financial instruments the net credit/liquidity risk is best represented by the net inflows 
(outflows) shown below together with the Group’s headroom under the borrowing facilities as disclosed in note 20.

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Trade & other receivables excluding statutory assets & prepayments

Cash & short-term deposits

Cashflows relating to non-derivative financial assets

Trade & other payables excluding statutory liabilities & deferred income

Obligations under finance leases

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings

Bank loans

Commercial paper

Fixed rate notes

Cashflows relating to non-derivative financial liabilities

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 (restated note 2)

Trade & other receivables excluding statutory assets & prepayments

Cash & short-term deposits

Cashflows relating to non-derivative financial assets

Trade & other payables excluding statutory liabilities & deferred income

Obligations under finance leases

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings

Bank loans

Fixed rate notes

Cashflows relating to non-derivative financial liabilities

Less than 1 
year
£m

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

More than 5 
years
£m

412.1

184.0

596.1

(380.4)

(0.1)

(4.7)

(24.8)

(166.5)

(33.4)

(609.9)

3.9

–

3.9

–

(0.1)

–

(0.8)

–

(33.4)

(34.3)

15.4

–

15.4

(22.6)

(0.1)

–

(47.1)

–

3.0

–

3.0

–

–

–

–

–

(308.8)

(567.3)

(942.9)

(378.6)

(567.3)

(1,590.1)

Less than 1 
year
£m

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

More than 5 
years
£m

583.0

178.7

761.7

(498.8)

(0.1)

(12.1)

(84.5)

(102.8)

(698.3)

4.0

–

4.0

(2.8)

(0.1)

–

13.1

–

13.1

(22.7)

(0.1)

–

(2.7)

(140.4)

7.1

–

7.1

–

–

–

–

(32.2)

(37.8)

(307.6)

(566.2)

(1,008.8)

(470.8)

(566.2)

(1,773.1)

Total
£m

434.4

184.0

618.4

(403.0)

(0.3)

(4.7)

(72.7)

(166.5)

Total
£m

607.2

178.7

785.9

(524.3)

(0.3)

(12.1)

(227.6)

Net cashflows relating to non-derivative financial assets (liabilities)

(13.8)

(30.4)

(363.2)

(564.3)

(971.7)

Net cashflows relating to non-derivative financial assets (liabilities)

63.4

(33.8)

(457.7)

(559.1)

(987.2)

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

177

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

30.  FINANCIAL ASSETS & LIABILITIES CONTINUED
Liquidity & credit risk continued

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Cross currency swaps – outflow

Cross currency swaps – inflow

Cross currency swaps – net (outflow) inflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – outflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – inflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – net outflow

Derivative financial instruments – net outflow 

Derivative financial instruments – net inflow

Derivative financial instruments – net (outflow) inflow

Effect of discounting

Net derivative financial assets

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015

Cross currency swaps – outflow

Cross currency swaps – inflow

Cross currency swaps – net outflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – outflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – inflow

Forward foreign currency contracts – net outflow

Derivative financial instruments – outflow 

Derivative financial instruments – inflow

Derivative financial instruments – net outflow

Effect of discounting

Net derivative financial liabilities

Less than 1 
year
£m

(6.9)

5.5

(1.4)

(891.3)

890.5

(0.8)

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

(81.6)

(50.0)

88.5

6.9

(8.2)

7.3

(0.9)

45.3

(4.7)

–

–

–

(898.2)

(89.8)

(50.0)

896.0

(2.2)

95.8

6.0

45.3

(4.7)

More than 5 
years
£m

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Less than 1 
year
£m

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

More than 5 
years
£m

(20.1)

17.8

(2.3)

(615.7)

615.6

(0.1)

(7.1)

5.5

(1.6)

(18.1)

17.9

(0.2)

(131.3)

131.1

(0.2)

(5.7)

5.7

–

(635.8)

(25.2)

(137.0)

633.4

(2.4)

23.4

(1.8)

136.8

(0.2)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total
£m

(138.5)

139.3

0.8

(899.5)

897.8

(1.7)

(1,038.0)

1,037.1

(0.9)

3.7

2.8

Total
£m

(158.5)

154.4

(4.1)

(639.5)

639.2

(0.3)

(798.0)

793.6

(4.4)

4.0

(0.4)

178

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Interest rate risk & maturity profile
The following tables set out the carrying amount, by maturity, of the Group’s financial instruments that are exposed to interest rate risk and the 
Group’s notional value of derivative financial instruments, by maturity, exposed to interest rate risk. 

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Fixed rate debt

Bank loans

Fixed rate notes

Obligations under finance leases

Fixed rate derivatives

Notional cross currency swaps US dollar leg

Notional cross currency swaps Australian dollar leg

Notional cross currency swaps Sterling leg

Less than 1 
year
£m

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

More than 5 
years
£m

Total
£m

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

–

–

–

–

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.1)

–

(0.1)

(232.7)

(535.0)

(767.7)

(0.1)

–

(0.3)

(232.9)

(535.0)

(768.1)

–

(47.4)

(74.7)

83.1

8.4

–

43.0

(4.4)

–

–

–

–

(47.4)

(74.7)

126.1

4.0

Net fixed rate financial instruments

(0.1)

8.3

(237.3)

(535.0)

(764.1)

Floating rate net debt

Cash & short-term deposits

Commercial paper

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings

Bank loans

Net floating rate financial instruments

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015

Fixed rate debt

Fixed rate notes

Obligations under finance leases

Fixed rate derivatives

Notional cross currency swaps US dollar leg

Notional cross currency swaps Australian dollar leg

Notional cross currency swaps Sterling leg

184.0

(166.4)

(4.7)

(24.4)

(11.5)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(45.4)

(45.4)

–

–

–

–

–

Less than 1 
year
£m

1 to 2 years
£m

2 to 5 years
£m

More than 5 
years
£m

184.0

(166.4)

(4.7)

(69.8)

(56.9)

Total
£m

(70.6)

(0.1)

(70.7)

(12.7)

–

12.0

(0.7)

–

(225.0)

(512.9)

(808.5)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.1)

–

(0.3)

(225.1)

(512.9)

(808.8)

–

–

–

–

(45.5)

(79.7)

126.1

0.9

–

–

–

–

(58.2)

(79.7)

138.1

0.2

Net fixed rate financial instruments

(71.4)

(0.1)

(224.2)

(512.9)

(808.6)

Floating rate net debt

Cash & short-term deposits

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings

Bank loans

178.7

(12.1)

(83.3)

–

–

–

–

(1.4)

(133.8)

Net floating rate financial instruments

83.3

(1.4)

(133.8)

–

–

–

–

178.7

(12.1)

(218.5)

(51.9)

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

179

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

30.  FINANCIAL ASSETS & LIABILITIES CONTINUED
Interest rate risk & maturity profile continued
Interest on financial instruments classified as fixed rate is fixed until the maturity of the instrument. Interest on financial instruments classified 
as floating rate is repriced at intervals of less than one year. The other financial instruments of the Group that are not included in the above 
tables are non-interest bearing and are therefore not subject to interest rate risk.

The following table demonstrates the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in interest rates, with all other variables held constant, of the 
Group’s profit before tax and equity through the impact on floating rate borrowings and cross currency swaps in respect of each currency to 
which the Group has a significant exposure to interest rate risk.

2015

Canadian dollar

Euro

UK Sterling

US dollar

Australian dollar 

2014

Canadian dollar

Euro

UK Sterling

US dollar

Australian dollar 

Effect on 
profit 
before tax 
(loss) gain 
£m

Effect on 
equity (loss)
£m

Increase in
basis points

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

+ 100

0.4

(0.6)

(0.4)

(0.1)

0.2

0.5

0.1

(1.6)

–

0.1

–

(0.5)

–

(0.4)

(0.2)

–

–

–

(0.4)

(0.2)

A decrease of 100 basis points would have an equal and opposite effect.

Effect of hedge & derivative financial instruments included in the income statement & equity
The Group uses forward foreign currency contracts to hedge currency risk associated with expected future sales or purchases for which  
the Group has firm commitments and on its net investments in foreign operations. The terms of the forward foreign currency contracts are 
negotiated to match the terms of the commitments. During the period, four subsidiaries within the Group have applied cash flow hedge 
accounting to these forward foreign currency transactions. In addition the Group uses forward foreign currency contracts to hedge translation 
currency risk associated with its net investments in foreign operations. During the period the Group had eight relationships where net investment 
hedge accounting was applied to these forward foreign currency transactions. All other forward foreign currency contracts, while representing 
commercial hedges, are not subject to cash flow or net investment hedge accounting with all fair value movements being recognised in the 
income statement.

The net carrying amount, maturity dates and the amounts recognised for the period in profit or loss and equity for each derivative financial 
instrument are set out below.

52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

Net carrying 
amount
£m

Maturity dates

Gain (loss) 
recognised 
in profit or 
loss
£m

(Loss) gain 
recognised 
in equity
£m

Gain 
recognised 
in inventory
£m

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

(2.1) 2016 to 2017

(1.7)

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges

Cross currency swaps designated as net investment hedges

Other forward foreign currency contracts at fair value through profit or loss

2016

2017 to 2018

2016 to 2017

(3.5)

3.5

4.9

2.8

–

–

19.6

17.9

(1.2)

(3.2)

1.4

–

(3.0)

0.1

–

–

–

0.1

180

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

52 weeks ended 2 January 2015

Net carrying 
amount
£m

Maturity dates

Gain (loss) 
recognised in 
profit or loss
£m

Loss 
recognised in 
equity
£m

Loss 
recognised in 
inventory
£m

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges

(1.8) 2014 to 2017

(0.5)

Forward foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges

(2.4)

2014

Cross currency swaps designated as net investment hedges

(0.1) 2014 to 2018

Other forward foreign currency contracts at fair value through profit or loss

3.9

2014 to 2017

(0.4)

–

–

12.6

12.1

(3.2)

(6.1)

–

–

(0.4)

–

–

–

(9.3)

(0.4)

The net £nil (2014: £nil) recognised in profit or loss in respect of cross currency swaps and forward foreign currency contracts designated as 
net investment hedges reflects the benefit of the US dollar/Sterling interest rate differential. The Group’s forward foreign currency contracts 
subject to cash flow hedge accounting which were deemed to be ineffective during the period resulted in a net charge to the income 
statement of £nil (2014: £nil).

Foreign exchange risk
The Group considers the most significant foreign exchange risk relates to the Australian dollar, Euro and US dollar. The following table 
demonstrates the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in these foreign currency exchange rates with all other variables held constant. 
The sensitivity analysis shows the effect on profit or loss in respect of financial assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency, including 
payables, receivables, borrowings and forward foreign currency contracts but excluding all financial assets and liabilities qualifying as either 
cash flow or net investment hedges. The sensitivity analysis also shows the effect on equity in respect of financial assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currency qualifying as either cash flow or net investment hedges including forward foreign currency contracts, 
borrowings and cross currency swaps. The sensitivity analysis below has been presented to demonstrate the impact of a 25% strengthening 
of the relevant functional currency against the currencies shown below and therefore give an indication of the transactional foreign exposure 
that exists at a subsidiary level across the Group.

2015

Australian dollar

Euro

US dollar

2014

Australian dollar

Euro

US dollar

Increase in 
currency 
rate

Effect on 
profit gain 
(loss)
£m

Effect on 
equity (loss)
£m

+25%

+25%

+25%

+25%

+25%

+25%

0.8

1.5

14.9

6.7

(2.3)

101.2

0.4

2.6

(4.5)

15.9

0.6

99.7

As noted above, the Group does not hedge translational exposure arising from profit and loss items. The Group’s operating profit from 
continuing operations before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation was denominated in the following currencies.

US dollar

Australian dollar

Euro

Canadian dollar

United Arab Emirates dirham

Chilean peso

South African rand

Brazilian real

Russian rouble

UK Sterling

Other

2015
£m

2014
£m

114.4

262.3

31.6

21.6

31.1

21.6

30.6

1.3

4.3

3.8

(13.0)

11.6

41.1

26.5

42.3

16.6

27.8

2.0

6.8

10.6

(5.4)

19.2

Operating profit from continuing operations before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation

258.9

449.8

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

181

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Group Financial Statements continued

31.   CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
The primary objective of the Group’s capital management is to ensure that it maintains robust capital ratios in order to support its business and 
maximise shareholder value.

The Group manages its capital structure and makes adjustments to it in light of changes in economic conditions. To maintain or adjust the 
capital structure, the Group may adjust the dividend payment to shareholders, return capital to shareholders or issue new shares. The Group 
monitors capital using the following indicators.

Net debt to EBITDA cover
Net debt to EBITDA comprises net debt divided by operating profit from continuing operations before exceptional items, depreciation, 
intangibles amortisation and impairment. The Group considers that the ratio of net debt to EBITDA is the key metric from a capital 
management perspective and seeks to maintain the ratio below two times. Given the prolonged downturn currently in oil and gas markets,  
the metric has increased to 2.6 times but remains actively managed.

Net debt (£m)

Operating (loss) profit (£m)

Exceptional items included in operating profit (note 5) (£m)

Depreciation, intangibles amortisation & impairment (£m)

EBITDA (£m)

Net debt to EBITDA cover (ratio)

2015

825.0

(158.3)

113.3

367.3

322.3

2.6

2014

860.7

192.5

52.4

266.0

510.9

1.7

Interest cover
Interest cover comprises operating profit from continuing operations before exceptional items and intangibles amortisation divided by net 
finance costs (excluding exceptional items and other finance costs).

Operating profit before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation (£m)

Net finance costs (excluding exceptional items and other finance costs) (£m)

Interest cover (ratio)

2015

258.9

35.8

7.2

2014

449.8

38.5

11.7

Gearing ratio
Gearing comprises net debt divided by total equity. Net debt comprises cash and short-term deposits and interest-bearing loans and 
borrowings (note 26).

Net debt (£m)

Total equity (£m)

Gearing ratio (%)

2015

825.0

2014

860.7

1,197.8

1,482.2

68.9

58.1

The Group’s banking arrangements also require the calculation of net debt to EBITDA (not greater than 3.5) and interest cover (not less than 
3.5) as part of the bi-annual financial covenant certifications. For the purposes of the covenants required by the Group’s lenders, the net debt  
is to be converted at the exchange rate used in the preparation of the Group’s income statement and cash flows, i.e. average rate. In addition, 
profits of businesses acquired in the financial year have to be included as if the acquisitions occurred at the start of the financial year. The covenant 
calculations for the purposes of the Group’s lenders are shown below.

Net debt to EBITDA cover – lender covenants basis

Net debt at average exchange rates (£m)

Operating (loss) profit* (£m)

Exceptional item included in operating profit (note 5) (£m)

Depreciation, intangibles amortisation & impairment* (£m)

EBITDA* (£m)

Net debt to EBITDA cover (ratio)

182

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2015

796.5

(155.8)

113.3

367.3

324.8

2.5

2014

819.8

204.5

52.4

267.2

524.1

1.6

Interest cover – lender covenants basis

Operating profit before exceptional items & intangibles amortisation* (£m)

Net finance costs (excluding exceptional items and other finance costs) (£m)

Interest cover (ratio)

*  Adjusted for current year acquisitions.

32.  EXCHANGE RATES
The principal exchange rates applied in the preparation of these financial statements were as follows.

Average rate (per £)

US dollar

Australian dollar

Euro

Canadian dollar

United Arab Emirates dirham

Chilean peso

South African rand

Brazilian real

Russian rouble

Closing rate (per £)

US dollar

Australian dollar

Euro

Canadian dollar

United Arab Emirates dirham

Chilean peso

South African rand

Brazilian real

Russian rouble

III: Financial Statements

2015

261.4

35.8

7.3

2014

461.9

38.5

12.0

2015

2014

1.53

2.04

1.38

1.96

5.61

1.65

1.83

1.24

1.82

6.01

1,000.85

940.16

19.53

5.10

93.65

17.87

3.87

63.32

1.47

2.02

1.36

2.04

5.41

1.54

1.89

1.28

1.80

5.64

1,044.14

942.64

22.81

5.84

107.45

17.97

4.14

90.99

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

183

III1 January 
2016  
£m

Notes

Restated 
(note 1) 
2 January 
2015  
£m

3

4

5

13

6

10

11

6

11

7

11

8

11

9

13

10

12

4.1

0.1

0.3

0.1

2,681.1

2,689.4

12.3

40.5

8.2

9.3

16.1

–

4.1

3.7

2,755.6

2,713.7

138.8

23.5

58.3

220.6

122.8

19.2

22.9

164.9

2,976.2

2,878.6

1,052.3

18.7

983.7

18.7

1,071.0

1,002.4

1,182.7

1,177.6

5.8

1.1

5.1

76.3

1,271.0

2,342.0

634.2

3.1

1.1

–

84.2

1,266.0

2,268.4

610.2

26.8

38.0

9.4

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

26.8

38.0

–

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

563.5

634.2

548.9

610.2

Financial Statements

Company Balance Sheet
at 1 January 2016

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Property, plant & equipment

Intangible assets

Investments

Deferred tax asset

Other receivables

Retirement benefit plan assets

Derivative financial instruments

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Trade & other receivables

Derivative financial instruments

Cash & short-term deposits

Total current assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Trade & other payables

Derivative financial instruments

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Provisions 

Deferred tax liabilities

Retirement benefit plan deficits

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

NET ASSETS

CAPITAL & RESERVES

Share capital

Share premium 

Merger reserve

Treasury shares

Capital redemption reserve

Special reserve

Retained earnings

TOTAL EQUITY

Approved by the Board of Directors on 24 February 2016

Keith Cochrane 
Director 

Jon Stanton
Director

184

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
 
 
Merger 
reserve 
£m

Treasury 
shares 
£m

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m

Company Statement of Changes in Equity
for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016

At 3 January 2014 (restated note 18)

Profit for the period

Remeasurements on defined benefit plans

Tax relating to other comprehensive income

Total net comprehensive income for the period

Cost of share-based payments inclusive  
of tax charge

Dividends

Exercise of LTIP awards

At 2 January 2015 (restated note 18)

Profit for the period

Remeasurements on defined benefit plans

Tax relating to other comprehensive income

Total net comprehensive income  
for the period

Issue of shares

Cost of share-based payments inclusive of tax 
credit

Dividends

At 1 January 2016

Share 
capital 
£m

26.7

Share 
premium 
£m

38.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.1

26.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

38.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

26.8

38.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

9.4

–

–

9.4

III: Financial Statements

Special 
reserve 
£m

1.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(5.8)

0.5

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Retained 
earnings 
£m

418.4

249.5

Total  
equity 
£m

479.6

249.5

(26.7)

(26.7)

5.3

5.3

228.1

228.1

5.2

5.2

(102.7)

(102.7)

(0.1)

548.9

100.5

12.9

(2.1)

111.3

–

(2.7)

(94.0)

–

610.2

100.5

12.9

(2.1)

111.3

9.4

(2.7)

(94.0)

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

563.5

634.2

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

185

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements

1.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Authorisation of financial statements and statement of compliance
The Company financial statements of The Weir Group PLC (the ‘Company’) for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 (‘2015’) were approved 
and authorised for issue in accordance with a resolution of the Directors on 24 February 2016. The comparative information is presented for the 
52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 (‘2014’). For the 52 week period ended 1 January 2016 and previous periods, the Company has reported its 
financial statements to the week ending closest to the Company reference date of 31 December. For practical purposes, a decision has been 
made to alter the reporting basis to reflect a calendar year, with the next annual reporting date being 31 December 2016. This is not expected 
to significantly impact the reported results in 2016. 

The Weir Group PLC is a limited company incorporated in Scotland and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The company financial statements of The Weir Group PLC have been prepared in accordance with FRS 101 and applied in accordance with the 
provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

Change of GAAP
The Company transitioned from the previously extant UK GAAP to FRS 101 for both periods presented. Transition reconciliations showing all 
material adjustments and outlining all first-time adoption exemptions permitted under IFRS 1 are disclosed in note 18. The accounting policies 
which follow set out the policies that apply in preparing the financial statements for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016 (‘2015’) and the 
restated comparative information for the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015 (‘2014’). The Company has taken early adoption of (SI2015/980) for 
presentational purposes in order to align with the Group Consolidated Financial Statements.

Use of estimates & judgements
The Company’s significant accounting policies are set out below. The preparation of the company financial statements, in conformity with  
FRS 101, requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the 
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expense. 

Management base these judgements, estimates and assumptions on a combination of past experience, professional expert advice and other 
evidence that is relevant to each individual circumstance. Actual results may differ from these estimates, judgements and assumptions, which 
are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and in any 
future periods affected.

The areas where management consider the more complex estimates, judgements and assumptions are required are those in respect of 
provisions (note 9), retirement benefits (note 10) and deferred taxation (note 13).

Foreign currency translation
The presentational and functional currency of the Company is Sterling. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into  
the Company’s functional currency at the exchange rate ruling on the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated  
in foreign currencies are retranslated at the exchange rate ruling on the balance sheet date. Currency translation differences are recognised  
in the income statement. 

Property, plant & equipment
Depreciation of property, plant & equipment, other than assets under construction, is provided on a straight-line basis so as to charge the cost 
less residual value, based on prices prevailing at the balance sheet date, to the income statement over the expected useful life of the asset 
concerned, and is in the following ranges:

Long leasehold land & buildings
Plant & equipment 

20 years
3 – 10 years

Intangible assets
Intangible assets are stated at cost and amortised on a straight line basis over their estimated useful life.

The expected useful lives of acquired intangible assets are as follows:

Purchased software 

4 – 8 years

Investments
Investments in subsidiaries are held at historical cost less any provision for impairment.

186

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Post-employment benefits
Post-employment benefits comprise pension benefits provided to certain current and former employees in the UK.

For defined benefit pension plans, the annual service cost is calculated using the projected unit credit method and is recognised over the future 
service lives of participating employees, in accordance with the advice of qualified actuaries. Current service cost and administration expenses 
are recognised in operating costs and net interest on net pension liability is recognised in finance costs.

The finance cost recognised in the income statement in the period reflects the net interest on the net pension liability. This represents the 
change in the net pension liability resulting from the passage of time, and is determined by applying the discount rate to the opening net 
liability, taking into account employer contributions paid into the plan, and hence reducing the net liability, during the period.

Past service costs resulting from enhanced benefits are recognised immediately in the income statement. Actuarial gains and losses, which 
represent differences between interest on the plan assets, experience on the benefit obligation and the effect of changes in actuarial 
assumptions, are recognised in full in other comprehensive income in the period in which they occur.

The defined benefit liability or asset recognised in the balance sheet comprises the net total for each plan of the present value of the benefit 
obligation, using a discount rate based on yields at the balance sheet date on appropriate high quality corporate bonds that have maturity dates 
approximating the terms of the Company’s obligations and are denominated in the currency in which the benefits are expected to be paid, 
minus the fair value of the plan assets, if any, at the balance sheet date. The balance sheet amount recognised is limited to the present value  
of economic benefits which the Company expects to recover by way of refunds or a reduction in future contributions. In order to calculate the 
present value of economic benefits, consideration is also given to any minimum funding requirements.

For defined contribution plans, the cost represents the Company’s contributions to the plans and these are charged to the income statement  
in the period in which they fall due.

Share-based payments
Equity settled share-based incentives are provided to employees under the Group’s Long Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) and as a consequence  
of occasional one-off conditional awards made to senior executives. The last equity settled grant under the Executive Bonus Scheme (‘EBS’) 
was during 2013, with no award being made in the current year.

The fair value of the LTIP at the date of the grant is calculated using appropriate option pricing models and the cost is recognised on a straight-
line basis over the vesting period. Adjustments are made to reflect expected and actual forfeitures during the vesting period due to failure to 
satisfy service or performance conditions.

The previously granted equity settled incentives under the EBS were determined as a percentage of the annual bonus and were matched  
by the Company with a share award that would vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, provided the individual continued to hold the 
original bonus shares awarded and continued to be employed by the Company at the date of vesting. In addition the EBS included a strategic 
bonus shares element for a limited number of senior employees. The fair value of the matching and strategic elements of the EBS was 
determined at the date of grant of the bonus and the cost is recognised on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company 
recognises a compensation cost in respect of this plan that is based on the fair value of the awards granted. The fair value was determined  
at the date of grant and is not subsequently re-measured unless the conditions on which the award was granted are modified. 

Financial assets & liabilities
The Company’s principal financial assets and liabilities, other than derivatives, comprise bank overdrafts, short-term borrowings, loans and 
fixed rate notes, commercial paper, cash and short-term deposits.

A financial asset is generally derecognised when the contract that gives rise to it is settled, sold, cancelled or expires.

A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the liability is discharged or cancelled or expires. Where an existing financial 
liability is replaced by another from the same lender on substantially different terms, or the terms of an existing liability are substantially 
modified, such an exchange or modification is treated as a de-recognition of the original liability and the recognition of a new liability, such that 
the difference in the respective carrying amounts together with any costs or fees incurred are recognised in profit or loss.

Derivative financial instruments
The Company uses derivative financial instruments, principally forward foreign currency contracts, to reduce its exposure to exchange rate 
movements. The Company does not hold or issue derivatives for speculative or trading purposes.

Derivative financial instruments are recognised as assets or liabilities measured at their fair values at the balance sheet date. The fair value  
of forward foreign currency contracts is calculated as the present value of the estimated future cash flows based on spot and forward foreign 
exchange rates. The fair value of interest rate swaps and cross currency swaps is calculated as the present value of the estimated future cash 
flows based on interest rate curves and spot foreign exchange rates. Changes in their fair values have been recognised in the income statement.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

187

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

1.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
Treasury shares
The Weir Group PLC shares held by the Company are classified in shareholders’ equity as treasury shares and are recognised at cost. 
Consideration received for the sale of such shares is also recognised in equity, with any difference between the proceeds from sale and the 
original cost being taken directly to revenue reserves. No gain or loss is recognised in the financial statements on the purchase, sale, issue  
or cancellation of equity shares.

Taxation
Current tax is the amount of tax payable or recoverable in respect of the taxable profit or loss for the period.

Deferred tax is recognised on temporary differences between the carrying amount of an asset or liability in the balance sheet and its tax base 
with the following exceptions:

i)  Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and joint ventures, except where the timing of the 
reversal of the temporary difference can be controlled and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable 
future; and

ii)  A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the asset 

can be utilised.

Deferred tax liabilities represent tax payable in future periods in respect of taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets represent tax 
recoverable in future periods in respect of deductible temporary differences, the carry forward of unutilised tax losses and the carry forward  
of unused tax credits. Deferred tax is measured on an undiscounted basis using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted at the balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the deferred tax asset is realised or the deferred tax liability is settled.

Current and deferred tax is recognised in the income statement except if it relates to an item recognised directly in equity, in which case it is 
recognised directly in equity.

2.  PROFIT ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMPANY  
The profit dealt with in the accounts of the Company was £100.5m (2014 restated: £249.5m). In accordance with the concession granted 
under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the profit and loss account of the Company has not been separately presented in these 
financial statements.

Dividends paid & proposed

Declared & paid during the period

Equity dividends on ordinary shares

Final dividend for 2014: 29.0p (2013: 33.2p)

Interim dividend for 2015: 15.0p (2014: 15.0p)

Proposed for approval by shareholders at the annual general meeting

Final dividend for 2015: 29.0p (2014: 29.0p)

2015
£m

2014
£m

61.9

32.1

94.0

70.7

32.0

102.7

62.1

61.9

The proposed dividend is based on the number of shares in issue, excluding treasury shares held, at the date the financial statements were 
approved and authorised for issue. The final dividend may differ due to increases or decreases in the number of shares in issue between the 
date of approval of this annual report and financial statements and the record date for the final dividend.

The dividend was re-phased in 2014 such that the final payment now represents approximately two thirds, as opposed to three quarters, of the 
total dividend.

Directors  
Details of Directors’ remuneration, benefits and LTIP awards are included in the Remuneration Report on pages 95 to 117, and in note 29 to the 
Group financial statements.

Auditors remuneration 
The total fees payable by the Company to Ernst & Young LLP (EY) for work performed in respect of the audit of the Company were £15,000 
(2014: £15,000). Fees paid to EY for non-audit services to the Company itself are not disclosed in these accounts as the Group’s consolidated 
financial statements, in which the Company is included, are required to disclose such fees on a consolidated basis.

188

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT 

Cost

At 2 January 2015

Additions

At 1 January 2016

Aggregate depreciation

At 2 January 2015

Charge for year

At 1 January 2016

Net book value at 2 January 2015

Net book value at 1 January 2016

III: Financial Statements

Long 
leasehold 
land & 
buildings
£m

Office & 
computer 
equipment
£m

–

3.8

3.8

–

–

–

–

3.8

1.4

0.2

1.6

1.1

0.2

1.3

0.3

0.3

Total
£m

1.4

4.0

5.4

1.1

0.2

1.3

0.3

4.1

Outstanding capital commitments contracted but not provided for relating to property, plant & equipment amounted to £0.6m (2014: £nil).

4.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS 

Cost

At 2 January 2015

Additions

At 1 January 2016

Aggregate amortisation

At 2 January 2015

Charge for year

At 1 January 2016

Net book value at 2 January 2015

Net book value at 1 January 2016

Purchased 
software
£m

0.8

0.1

0.9

0.7

0.1

0.8

0.1

0.1

Outstanding capital commitments entered into on behalf of a subsidiary contracted but not provided for relating to intangible assets amounted 
to £7.9m (2014: £0.6m).

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

189

III 
 
 
Financial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

5.  FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS 

Cost

At 2 January 2015

Additions

Settlement

At 1 January 2016

Impairment

At 1 January 2016 and at 2 January 2015

Net book value at 2 January 2015

Net book value at 1 January 2016

Subsidiaries 
Shares  

£m

Loans 
£m

Total
£m

1,067.0

1,628.0

2,695.0

672.0

73.0

745.0

–

(753.3)

(753.3)

1,739.0

947.7

2,686.7

0.2

5.4

5.6

1,066.8

1,622.6

2,689.4

1,738.8

942.3

2,681.1

The subsidiaries and joint ventures of the Company are listed on pages 201 to 204.

6.  TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES 
Other receivables presented as non-current on the face of the Company balance sheet of £40.5m (2014: £nil) are in respect of a prepayment 
recognised as a result of the pension funding partnership structure established in the year. Further information pertaining to this arrangement 
can be found in note 10. 

2015
£m

2014
£m

131.8

116.7

–

1.0

4.6

1.4

1.9

–

3.6

0.6

138.8

122.8

2015
£m

414.4

577.2

32.5

–

1.8

6.4

20.0

1,052.3

2014
£m

288.0

609.7

53.2

5.5

1.4

3.2

22.7

983.7

Amounts recoverable within one year

Amounts owed by subsidiaries

Deferred tax recoverable (note 13)

Tax receivable

Other debtors

Prepayments & accrued income

7. TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES 

Bank overdrafts & short-term borrowings

Loans from subsidiaries

Amounts owed to subsidiaries

Tax payable

Other taxes & social security costs

Other creditors

Accruals & deferred income

190

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
 
 
 
 
 
8.  INTEREST-BEARING LOANS & BORROWINGS 

Amounts due are repayable as follows

Less than one year

– bank loans

– fixed rate notes

– commercial paper

– loans from subsidiaries

More than one year but not more than two years

– loans from subsidiaries

More than two years but not more than five years

– bank loans

– fixed rate notes

– loans from subsidiaries

More than five years

– fixed rate notes

– loans from subsidiaries

Less current instalments due on

– bank loans

– fixed rate notes

– commercial paper

– loans from subsidiaries

III: Financial Statements

2015
£m

2014
£m

23.0

–

166.4

577.2

83.3

70.6

–

609.7

–

20.1

45.4

233.0

278.4

535.4

90.5

135.2

224.3

284.4

513.6

–

1,949.3

1,941.2

(23.0)

–

(166.4)

(83.3)

(70.6)

–

(577.2)

(609.7)

1,182.7

1,177.6

The loans from subsidiaries with a maturity date greater than two years and less than five years are repayable in 2019 and have an interest rate 
of 6.58%. The loans from subsidiaries with a maturity date greater than five years are repayable in 2021 and have an interest rate of 4.9%. 
These loans are not secured. 

Details of the interest and repayment terms of the bank loans, fixed rate notes and commercial paper can be found in note 20 to the Group 
financial statements.

9.  PROVISIONS

At 1 January 2016 and 2 January 2015

Subsidiaries 
Shares
£m

1.1

Subsidiaries
As at 1 January 2016, a provision of £1.1m (2014: £1.1m) has been made against the deficiency of underlying net assets in certain subsidiaries.

10.   RETIREMENT BENEFITS
The Company has two funded defined benefit plans (the Main Plan and the Executive Plan) and an unfunded retirement benefit plan for retired 
directors. The Company also operates a defined contribution plan. Contributions to the defined contribution arrangements are in addition to 
those set out below and are charged directly to the income statement. 

For the defined benefit plans, benefits are related to service and final salary. The Main Plan closed to future accrual of benefits effective from 
30 June 2015.

The weighted average duration of the expected benefit payments from the Main Plan is around 16 years and from the Executive Plan it is 
around 12 years.

The current funding target for the UK plans is to maintain assets equal to the value of the accrued benefits. The Main Plan holds insurance 
policies in respect of a significant proportion of deferred and retired pensioners. 

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

191

III 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

10.   RETIREMENT BENEFITS CONTINUED
The regulatory framework in the UK requires the Trustees and Company to agree upon the assumptions underlying the funding target, and 
then to agree upon the necessary contributions required to recover any deficit at the valuation date. There is a risk to the Company that adverse 
experience could lead to a requirement for the Company to make considerable contributions to recover any deficit. This risk is significantly 
reduced for the Main Plan through the insurance policies held by the Plan.

Assumptions
The significant actuarial assumptions used for accounting purposes reflect prevailing market conditions and are as follows.

Significant actuarial assumptions:

Discount rate (% pa)

Retail Prices inflation assumption (% pa)

Post-retirement mortality (life expectancies in years):

  Current pensioners at 65 – male

  Current pensioners at 65 – female

  Future pensioners at 65 – male

  Future pensioners at 65 – female

Other related actuarial assumptions:

Rate of increases for pensions in payment (% pa)

  Pre 6 April 2006 service

  Post 5 April 2006 service

Consumer Prices inflation assumption (% pa)

2015

2014

3.7

3.0

22.4

24.5

24.1

26.4

2.9

2.0

2.0

3.5

3.0

22.1

24.6

23.9

26.5

2.9

2.0

2.0

The assumptions used to determine end-of-year benefit obligations are also used to calculate the following period’s cost. 

The post-retirement mortality assumptions allow for expected increases in longevity. The “current” disclosures above relate to assumptions 
based on longevity (in years) following retirement at the balance sheet date, with “future” being that relating to a member retiring in 2036  
(in 20 years time).

The assets and liabilities of the plans are as follows.

Plan assets at fair value

Equities (quoted)

Diversified Growth Funds (primarily quoted)

Corporate bonds (quoted)

Government bonds (quoted)

Insurance policies (unquoted)

Cash (quoted)

Fair value of plan assets

Present value of funded obligations

Net funded obligations

Present value of unfunded obligations

Net liability

Plan in surplus

Plan in deficit

192

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Total

2014
Restated
(note 18)
£m

2015
£m

168.6

157.7

46.4

71.0

81.2

345.1

2.8

715.1

42.3

70.9

86.0

357.7

11.7

726.3

(781.8)

(805.0)

(66.7)

(1.4)

(68.1)

8.2

(78.7)

(1.4)

(80.1)

4.1

(76.3)

(84.2)

III: Financial Statements

The government bonds held are primarily index-linked, with around only 7% of the total government bonds being fixed interest. The pension 
plans have not directly invested in any of the Company’s own financial instruments, or in properties or other assets used by the Company.

The investment strategy for the UK is to hold equities and other return seeking assets such as diversified growth funds and a mixture of bonds 
to meet the assessed value of the benefits promised for the non-insured deferred pensioners. For the remaining deferred pensioners and the 
bulk of pensioners currently receiving their benefit, the liabilities are backed by insurance policies and suitable bonds.

The change in net liabilities recognised in the balance sheet is comprised as follows.

Opening net liabilities

Expense charged to profit and loss

Amount recognised in statement of comprehensive income

Employer contributions

Closing net liabilities

2014
Restated
(note 18)
£m

(60.8)

(4.9)

(26.7)

12.3

(80.1)

2015
£m

(80.1)

(4.3)

12.9

3.4

(68.1)

The amounts recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement and in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the period 
are analysed as follows.

Recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement

Current service cost

Administrative expenses

Included in operating profit

Interest on net pension liability

Total expense charged to profit & loss

Recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Actual return on plan assets

Less: interest on plan assets

Other actuarial losses due to

  Changes in financial assumptions

  Changes in demographic assumptions

  Experience on benefit obligations

Actuarial gains (losses) recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

2014
Restated
(note 18)
£m

(2.1)

(0.4)

(2.5)

(2.4)

(4.9)

83.6

(28.8)

54.8

(76.7)

(3.6)

(1.2)

(26.7)

2015
£m

(1.2)

(0.3)

(1.5)

(2.8)

(4.3)

23.2

(24.8)

(1.6)

24.3

2.1

(11.9)

12.9

Current service cost and administration expenses are recognised in operating costs and net interest on net pension liability is recognised  
in other finance costs.

Pension contributions are determined with the advice of independent qualified actuaries on the basis of regular valuations using the projected 
unit method. The Company made special contributions of £2.4m in 2015 (2014: £10.4m) in addition to the Company’s regular contributions. 

The most recent actuarial funding valuation of the Main Plan was as at 31 December 2014 when the funding shortfall was £65.0m. Under the 
recovery plan agreed with Trustees, the Company entered into a pension funding partnership structure under which it contributed interests  
in a Scottish Limited Partnership (‘SLP’) for the Main Plan. The Main Plan’s interests in the SLP will reduce the deficit on a funding basis, 
although the agreement will not affect the position directly on a FRS 101 basis as the investments held do not qualify as assets for FRS 101 
purposes. As a partner in the SLP, the Main Plan is entitled to receive a share of the profits of the SLP once a year for 15 years. The profits to 
be shared with the Plan will be reflected in the Company’s financial statements as a pension contribution. The first contribution of £2.0m will 
be made to the Plan in 2016. 

The Executive Plan actuarial valuation at 31 December 2013 included a funding shortfall of £10.6m with agreed recovery contributions of 
£2.4m per annum to 31 December 2017, subject to reassessment at future triennial valuations.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

193

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

10.   RETIREMENT BENEFITS CONTINUED
Assumptions continued
The Company has taken legal advice regarding its UK arrangements to confirm the accounting treatment under IFRIC 14 with regard to 
recognition of a current surplus and also recognition of a minimum funding requirement. This confirmed that there is no requirement to adjust 
the balance sheet and that recognition of a current surplus is appropriate on the basis that the Company has an unconditional right to a refund 
of a current (or projected future) surplus at some point in the future. For the same reason, there is no requirement for the Company to adjust 
the balance sheet to recognise the future agreed deficit recovery contributions. Having considered the position, taking account of the legal 
input received and noting that the Trustees of the UK arrangements do not have discretionary powers to unilaterally wind up the schemes 
without cause, the Directors of the Company have concluded that the Company has an unconditional right to a refund of any surplus. 
Amendments to the current version of IFRIC 14 are currently being considered. The legal advice received by the Company has confirmed  
that the above accounting treatment will not be affected by the current exposure draft of the revised IFRIC 14.

The total Company contributions for 2016 (including those expected from the SLP) are expected to be £4.5m.

Sensitivity analysis
Changes in key assumptions can have a significant effect on the reported net retirement benefit obligation and the income statement expense 
for 2016. The effects of changes in those assumptions are set out in the table below.

Discount rate

  Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1.0% change

  Effect on net liability of a 1.0% change

RPI inflation (and associated assumptions)

  Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1.0% change

  Effect on net liability of a 1.0% change

Life expectancy

  Effect on defined benefit obligation of a 1 year change

  Effect on net liability of a 1 year change

Increase 
2015 
£m

Decrease 
2015 
£m

Increase 
2014 
Restated 
(note 18) 
£m

Decrease 
2014 
Restated 
(note 18) 
£m

108.3

78.3

(129.8)

(96.6)

118.2

83.7

(143.4)

(104.9)

(69.7)

(47.6)

(23.4)

(10.7)

64.3

43.4

23.4

10.7

(77.4)

(54.4)

(21.6)

(10.9)

72.8

49.9

21.6

10.9

The impact on the net liability is significantly reduced as a result of the insurance policies held. In the absence of such policies, the impact on 
the net liability would be much closer to the significantly higher impact on the defined benefit obligation shown in the table.

These sensitivities have been calculated to show the movement in the defined benefit obligation and net liability in isolation and assume no 
other changes in market conditions at the accounting date. In practice, for example, a change in discount rate is unlikely to occur without any 
movement in the value of the invested (non-insurance policy) assets held by the plans.

Changes in the present value of the defined benefit obligations are analysed as follows.

Opening defined benefit obligations

Current service cost 

Interest on benefit obligations

Benefits paid

Actuarial gains (losses) due to

  Changes in financial assumptions

  Changes in demographic assumptions

  Experience on benefit obligations

Closing defined benefit obligations

194

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

2014 
Restated 
(note 18) 
£m

2015 
£m

(806.4)

(724.9)

(1.2)

(27.6)

37.5

24.3

2.1

(11.9)

(2.1)

(31.2)

33.3

(76.7)

(3.6)

(1.2)

(783.2)

(806.4)

Changes in the fair value of plan assets are analysed as follows.

Opening plan assets

Interest on plan assets

Employer contributions

Administrative expenses

Benefits paid

Actuarial return on plan assets less interest on plan assets

Closing plan assets

11.   DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS 

Non-current assets

Cross currency swaps

Forward foreign currency contracts

Current assets

Forward foreign currency contracts

Current liabilities

Cross currency swaps

Forward foreign currency contracts

Non-current liabilities

Cross currency swaps

Forward foreign currency contracts

III: Financial Statements

2014 
Restated 
(note 18) 
£m

2015 
£m

726.3

664.1

24.8

3.4

(0.3)

(37.5)

(1.6)

715.1

28.8

12.3

(0.4)

(33.3)

54.8

726.3

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

8.3

1.0

9.3

23.5

23.5

–

18.7

18.7

4.8

1.0

5.8

3.3

0.4

3.7

19.2

19.2

0.7

18.0

18.7

2.7

0.4

3.1

The figures in the above table are inclusive of derivative financial instruments where the counterparty is a subsidiary of The Weir Group PLC.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

195

III 
 
Financial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

12.  SHARE CAPITAL 

Allotted, called up & fully paid

Ordinary shares of 12.5p each

Shares allotted

Issued during the period in respect of Delta Valves acquisition

Issued during the period in respect of LTIP awards

Treasury shares

At the beginning and end of the period

Equity settled share-based payments

LTIP awards outstanding at the end of the period 

2015 
£m

2014 
£m

26.8

26.8

2015
Number 
Million

2014 
Number 
Million

0.6

–

–

0.2

0.7

0.7

1.7

1.5

Further details of the equity settled share-based payments and the associated cost for the period can be found in note 28 to the Group  
financial statements.

13.   DEFERRED TAX 

Deferred income tax assets

Included in trade & other receivables (note 6)

Retirement benefits

Deferred income tax assets

Deferred income tax liabilities

Other timing differences

Retirement benefits

2014 
Restated 
(note 18) 
£m

1.9

16.1

18.0

2015 
£m

–

12.3

12.3

(5.1)

–

(5.1)

12.3

7.2

1.9

16.1

18.0

14.   OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS
The Company has entered into a commercial lease for a building which has a lease term of twenty years. Future minimum rentals payable 
under non-cancellable operating leases are shown in the table below.

2015  
£m

1.6

10.8

12.4

2014  
£m

–

–

–

After one year but no more than five years

More than five years

196

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

 
 
 
III: Financial Statements

15.   CONTINGENT LIABILITIES & LEGAL CLAIMS
Guarantees
The Company has given guarantees in relation to the bank and other borrowings of certain subsidiary companies. The net funds of the 
companies party to these facilities as at 1 January 2016 amounted to £213.9m (2014: £203.0m).

Legal claims
The Company and certain subsidiaries are, from time to time, parties to legal proceedings and claims which arise in the normal course  
of business.

A claim made by Philippines Gold Processing & Refining Corporation against Weir Services Australia Pty Limited (WSA), a subsidiary of the 
Company, was defended at arbitration, with the successful judgement issued in favour of WSA in January 2016. During the arbitration process, 
the Group entered into a cap and collar agreement with the claimant, which limited the potential exposure for the Group to a de minimus amount.

16.   RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
The Company has taken advantage of the exemption under paragraph 8(k) of FRS 101 not to disclose transactions with related parties that are 
wholly owned by a subsidiary of The Weir Group PLC. The following table provides the total amount of transactions which have been entered 
into with non-wholly owned related parties for the relevant financial year and outstanding balances at the period end.

Related party

Weir ABF LP

Weir Minerals (India) Private Ltd

Ynfiniti Engineering Services SL

Weir International Co. Ltd

Vulco SA

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

Management 
charge 
£m

Amounts 
due by 
£m

–

–

0.2

–

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.1

–

0.1

52.5

–

0.2

–

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.1

–

0.1

17.   FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
The description of the Group’s financial risk management objectives and policies is provided in note 30 to the Group financial statements.

These financial risk management objectives and policies also apply to the Company.

18.   CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES
For all periods up to and including the year ended 2 January 2015, the Company prepared its financial statements in accordance with previously 
extant United Kingdom generally accepted accounting practice (UK GAAP). These financial statements, for the year ended 1 January 2016, are 
the first the Company has prepared in accordance with FRS 101.

Accordingly, the Company has prepared individual financial statements which comply with FRS 101 applicable for periods beginning on or after 
4 January 2014 and the significant accounting policies meeting those requirements are described in note 1.

In preparing the financial statements, the Company has started from an opening balance sheet as at 4 January 2014, the Company’s date of 
transition to FRS 101, and made those changes in accounting policies and other restatements required for the first-time adoption of FRS 101. 
As such, this note shows the principal adjustments made by the Company in restating its balance sheet as at 4 January 2014 prepared under 
extant UK GAAP and its previously published UK GAAP financial statements for the year ended 2 January 2015. Only pension related 
adjustments were required and are described below.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

197

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

18.   CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework” (Previously FRS 17 “Retirement Benefits”)
Under the previous FRS 17 standard, the Company accounted for its contributions to the two funded UK post-employment benefit plans as if 
they were defined contribution plans. 

With the introduction of FRS 101 for the period ending 1 January 2016 onwards, the Company has recognised the full balance sheet liability for 
the two funded UK post-employment benefit plans as well as the unfunded retirement benefit plan for retired executive directors. The financial 
statements for the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2015, have been restated to reflect these changes. 

The net charge to the income statement reduced by £7.4m for 2014, as a result of the pensions cost in respect of the funded plans being less 
than the contributions paid over the period which were previously charged directly to the income statement. Operating costs for 2014 
decreased by £9.8m, while other finance costs increased by £2.4m. 

The impact on the net charge for 2015 was an increase of £0.9m. Operating costs for 2015 decreased by £1.9m, while other finance costs 
increased by £2.8m. The total net defined benefit obligation recognised on the balance sheet increased by £79.0m at 2 January 2015 and 
increased by £67.0m at 1 January 2016, and the total losses recognised outside of the income statement in other comprehensive income 
increased by £26.7m for 2014 and decreased by £12.9m for 2015. The deferred tax is calculated at a rate of 20% in 2014 and 18% in 2015,  
the impact of this change is shown in note 13.

Exemptions
The following disclosure exemptions from the requirements of IFRS have been applied in the preparation of these financial statements,  
in accordance with FRS 101:

i)  Disclosures required by paragraphs 45(b) and 46-52 of IFRS 2 ‘Share-based payment’ can be found in note 28 to the Group financial 

statements;

ii)  IFRS 7 ‘Financial Instruments: Disclosures’ exemption has been taken as a result of the disclosures in note 30 to the Group financial 

statements;

iii)  IAS 7 ‘Statement of cash flows’;
iv)  Paragraph 38 of IAS 1 ‘Presentation of financial statements’ comparative information requirements in respect of paragraph 79(a)(iv) of IAS 1; 

paragraph 73(e) of IAS 16 ‘Property, plant & equipment’ and paragraph 118(e) of IAS 38 ‘Intangible assets’;

v)  Disclosure of key management compensation as required by paragraph 17 of IAS 24 ‘Related party disclosures’; 
vi)  Disclosure of related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries as required by IAS 24 ‘Related party disclosures’; and
vii) Paragraph 10(d), paragraph 10(f), and paragraphs 134-136, of IAS 1 ‘Presentation of financial statements’.

198

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Reconciliation of equity

At 4 January 2014

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Property, plant & equipment

Intangible assets

Investments

Deferred tax asset

Retirement benefit pension asset

Derivative financial instruments

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Trade and other receivables

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and short-term deposits

Total current assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Derivative financial instruments

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Provisions

Retirement benefit plan liabilities

Total non-current liablilities

Total liabilities

NET ASSETS

CAPITAL & RESERVES

Share capital

Share premium

Treasury shares

Capital redemption reserve

Special reserve

Retained earnings

TOTAL EQUITY

III: Financial Statements

UK GAAP 
£m

FRS 101 
adjustments 
£m

FRS 101 
£m

1.8

3.8

2,239.7

–

–

1.2

–

–

–

12.2

1.4

–

1.8

3.8

2,239.7

12.2

1.4

1.2

2,246.5

13.6

2,260.1

95.8

13.4

12.8

122.0

–

–

–

–

95.8

13.4

12.8

122.0

2,368.5

13.6

2,382.1

726.5

16.7

743.2

1,093.6

1.4

2.1

1.1

1,098.2

1,841.4

–

–

–

–

–

–

61.1

61.1

61.1

726.5

16.7

743.2

1,093.6

1.4

2.1

62.2

1,159.3

1,902.5

527.1

(47.5)

479.6

26.7

38.0

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

465.9

527.1

–

–

–

–

–

26.7

38.0

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

(47.5)

(47.5)

418.4

479.6

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

199

IIIFinancial Statements

Notes to the Company Financial Statements continued

18.   CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED
Reconciliation of equity continued

At 2 January 2015

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Property, plant & equipment

Intangible assets

Investments

Deferred tax asset

Retirement benefit plan assets

Derivative financial instruments

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Trade and other receivables

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and short-term deposits

Total current assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Derivative financial instruments

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans & borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Provisions

Retirement benefit plan liabilities

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

NET ASSETS

CAPITAL & RESERVES

Share capital

Share premium

Treasury shares

Capital redemption reserve

Special reserve

Retained earnings

TOTAL EQUITY

200

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

UK GAAP 
£m

FRS 101 
adjustments 
£m

FRS 101 
£m

0.3

0.1

2,689.4

–

–

3.7

–

–

–

16.1

4.1

–

0.3

0.1

2,689.4

16.1

4.1

3.7

2,693.5

20.2

2,713.7

122.8

19.2

22.9

164.9

–

–

–

–

122.8

19.2

22.9

164.9

2,858.4

20.2

2,878.6

983.7

18.7

1,002.4

1,177.6

3.1

1.1

1.1

1,182.9

2,185.3

–

–

–

–

–

–

83.1

83.1

83.1

983.7

18.7

1,002.4

1,177.6

3.1

1.1

84.2

1,266.0

2,268.4

673.1

(62.9)

610.2

26.8

38.0

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

611.8

673.1

–

–

–

–

–

26.8

38.0

(5.8)

0.5

1.8

(62.9)

(62.9)

548.9

610.2

Subsidiaries

The Weir Group PLC owned, directly or indirectly, the following related undertakings as at 1 January 2016:

III: Financial Statements

Country of incorporation

Class of shares

Ownership Percentage held

Name

American Hydro Corporation

Aspir Pty Ltd

Autotork Controls Limited

Batley Valve Company Limited (The)

Blakeborough Valves Limited

Capstead Systems Limited

CH Warman Asia Limited

Comercializadora TEP Limitada

Cunnington and Cooper Limited

Delta Industrial Valves, Inc.

Downhole Oiltools Limited

Duhn Oil Tool, Inc.

Energy Products LLC

EnviroTech (Pty) Limited

EnviroTech Pumpsystems, Inc.

Fabrica de Aisladores Sismicos Ltda

Fundición Vulco Ltda

G. & J. Weir, Limited

Hopkinsons Limited

Hurricane Investments, Inc.

Inversiones Linatex Chile (Holdings) Limitada

JF (Jiangsu) Machinery Co. Ltd

Linatex (H.K.) Limited

Linatex Africa (Pty) Limited

Linatex Asset Holdings Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Linatex Australia Pty Limited

Linatex Chile Limitada

USA

Australia

England and Wales

England and Wales

Scotland

England and Wales

Malta

Chile

England and Wales

USA

Scotland

USA

USA

Republic of South Africa

USA

Chile

Chile

England and Wales

Scotland

USA

Chile

China

Hong Kong

Republic of South Africa

Malaysia

Australia

Chile

Linatex Consolidated Holdings Limited

British Virgin Islands

Linatex Limited

Linatex Rubber Limited

Linatex Rubber Products Sdn. Bhd.

Linatex Chile SPA

Linatex UK Holding Limited

Mathena Inc.

Mekaster Engineering Pvt Ltd

Mesa Manufacturing, Inc.

Metalúrgica Vulco Ltda

Metra Equipment Inc.

Multiflo Pumps Pty Limited

Nuchem – Weir Limited (India)

Novatech Holdings Corp.

Novatech, LLC

PSL International Limited

PT Weir Minerals Contract Services Indonesia

PT Weir Minerals Indonesia

PT Weir Oil & Gas Indonesia

Seaboard Canada Ltd.

Seaboard Holdings, Inc.

Seaboard International Holding Company (Hong Kong) Limited

Seaboard International Inc.

Seaboard Real Estate, LLC

Servicios y Montajes Industriales S.A.

Shanghai JF Engineering Equipment Co. Ltd

Shanghai JF Industries Co. Ltd

Shanghai JF Machinery Co. Ltd

Shanghai Vortex Engineering Machinery Co. Ltd

Shengli Oilfield Weir Highland Pump Company Limited

Slurry Holdings Limited

Specialised Petroleum Manufacturing Limited

England and Wales

England and Wales

Malaysia

Chile

England and Wales

USA

India

USA

Chile

Canada

Australia

India

USA

USA

England and Wales

Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia

Canada

USA

Hong Kong

USA

USA

Peru

China

China

China

China

China

Malta

Scotland

Common 

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary

Common 

Units

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary A,B

Ordinary

Ordinary 
Series 1, 2 Preference

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Ordinary

Common

Equity

Common

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary

Equity

Common

Units

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common

Common

Ordinary

Common

Units

Nominative

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect 

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

49%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

99%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

99%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

3%

100%

100%

100%

100%

33%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

95%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

60%

100%

100%

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

201

IIISubsidiaries continued

Name

Country of incorporation

Class of shares

Ownership Percentage held

SPM Flow Control de México, S. de R.L. de C.V.

SPM Flow Control Ltd.

SPM Flow Control, Inc.

SPM UK Limited

The Weir Group International S.A. 

The Weir Group Pension Trust Limited 

Trio Engineered Products (Hong Kong) Limited

Trio Engineered Products, Inc.

TWG Canada Holdings Limited

TWG Cayman Limited

TWG Drilling Limited

TWG Engineering (No.1) Limited

TWG Engineering (No.2) Limited

TWG Engineering (No.3) Limited

TWG Engineering (No.4) Limited

TWG Engineering (No.5) Limited

TWG Engineering (No.7) Limited

TWG Finance, Inc.

TWG Investments (No.3) Limited

TWG Investments (No.4) Limited

TWG Investments (No.6) Limited

TWG Investments (No.7) Limited

TWG Investments (No.8) Limited

TWG Investments (No.10) Limited

TWG Overseas Finance S.à.r.l

TWG South America Holdings Limited

TWG UK Forex Limited

TWG UK Holdings Limited

TWG US Forex Limited

TWG US Holdings LLC

TWG Young Limited

Vulco Peru SA

Vulco SA

W Luff Limited

Warman Pumps Limited

Waterloo West Limited

Weir ABF LP

Weir Arabian Metals Company Limited

Weir BV

Weir Canada, Inc.

Weir Canadian Investments, Inc.

Weir Control Valves (Suzhou) Co., Ltd

Weir do Brasil Ltda

Weir Drilling Services Limited

Weir Engineering Products (Shanghai) Co., Ltd

Weir Engineering Services Limited

Weir Flow Control (Hong Kong) Limited

Weir Floway, Inc.

Weir France SA

Weir Gabbioneta Poland Sp Z.O.O.

Weir Gabbioneta S.r.l.

Weir Group (Australian Holdings) Pty Limited

Weir Group (Overseas Holdings) Limited

Weir Group African IP Limited

Weir Group Engineering Hong Kong Limited

Weir Group General Partner Limited

Weir Group Holdings Limited

Weir Group Inc.

202

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Mexico

Canada

USA

Cayman Islands

Switzerland

Scotland

Hong Kong

USA

Scotland

 Common

A, B,C ,D Common 
E, F Preferred

Common

Ordinary

Bearer

Ordinary Limited by 
Guarantee

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary

Cayman Islands

Ordinary, Preference

Scotland

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

USA

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common

Ordinary, Preference

Ordinary, Preference

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Luxembourg

Ordinary, Preference

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

USA

Scotland

Peru

Chile

England and Wales

Australia

England and Wales

Scotland

Saudi Arabia

The Netherlands

Ordinary, Preference

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Units

Ordinary

Nominative

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary 

Ordinary

Partnership

N/A

Ordinary

Canada

Canada

China

Brazil

Common, Preference

Common

N/A

Nominative

England and Wales

Ordinary A, B, C

China

Scotland

Hong Kong

USA

France

Poland

Italy

Australia

Scotland

Scotland

Hong Kong

Scotland

Scotland

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common 

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Direct

USA

Common, Preferred

Indirect

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

99%

100%

100%

100%

100%

49%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

III: Financial Statements

Name

Country of incorporation

Class of shares

Ownership Percentage held

Weir Group Insurance Company Limited (The)

Weir Group Investments Limited

Weir Group IP Limited

Weir Group Management Services Limited

Weir Group Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Weir Group Trading Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Weir HBF (Pty) Ltd

Weir Heat Exchange Limited

Weir Holdings BV

Weir India Private Limited

Weir International Co. Ltd

Weir Investments One Limited

Weir Investments Two Limited

Weir Investments Three Limited

Weir Investments Four Limited

Weir Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Weir Minerals Africa (Proprietary) Limited

Weir Minerals Australia Limited

Weir Minerals Botswana (Pty) Limited

Weir Minerals Central Africa Limited

Weir Minerals Central Africa SPRL

Weir Minerals China Co., Limited

Weir Minerals Colombia SAS

Weir Minerals East Africa Limited

Weir Minerals Europe Limited

Weir Minerals Finland OY

Weir Minerals France SAS

Weir Minerals GEHO China Co. Ltd

Weir Minerals Germany GmbH

Weir Minerals Hungary Kft

Weir Minerals (India) Private Limited

Weir Minerals Italy Srl

Weir Minerals Kazakhstan LLP

Weir Minerals Mexico Servicios, S.A. de C.V.

Weir Minerals Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Weir Minerals Mongolia LLC

Weir Minerals Mozambique Ltd

Weir Minerals Netherlands B.V.

Weir Minerals North Africa SARL

Weir Minerals Poland Sp. z.o.o.

Weir Minerals Pump & Mining Solutions Namibia (Pty) Ltd

Weir Minerals RFW OOO

Weir Minerals Sweden AB

Weir Minerals Taiwan Corp. Ltd

Weir Minerals Ukraine LLC

Weir Minerals West Africa Limited

Weir Oil & Gas Australia Pty Limited

Weir Oil & Gas Technical Service (Tianjin) Limited

Weir Power & Industrial France SAS

Weir Pumps Limited

Weir Services Australia Pty Ltd

Weir Slurry Group Inc.

Weir Solutions Caspian LLC

Weir Solutions FZE

Weir Solutions LLC

Weir SOS Limited

Weir SPM do Brasil

Weir SPM Singapore Pte Limited

Weir Sudamerica SA

Isle of Man

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

China

Mexico

Republic of South Africa

Scotland

The Netherlands

India

South Korea

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Common

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Common

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Scotland

Malaysia

Ordinary, Preference

Ordinary, Preference

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary, Preference

Republic of South Africa

Australia

Botswana

Republic of Zambia

Democratic Republic of Congo

China

Colombia

Tanzania

England

Finland

France

China

Germany

Hungary

India

Italy

Kazakhstan

Mexico

Mexico

Mongolia

Mozambique

The Netherlands

Morocco

Poland

Namibia

Russia

Sweden

Taiwan

Ukraine

Ghana

Australia

China

France

Scotland

Australia

Indirect

Direct

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

60%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

97%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

90%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Common

Common

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Class A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary 

USA

Common, Preferred 

Azerbaijan

United Arab Emirates

Oman

The Bahamas

Brazil

Republic of Singapore

Chile

N/A

Ordinary

Common

Common

N/A

Ordinary

Ordinary

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

203

Weir Power & Industrial Singapore Private Limited

Republic of Singapore

IIISubsidiaries continued

Name

Weir Support Services Limited

Weir Turkey Mineralleri Limited Sirketi

Weir US Holdings Inc.

Weir USA Holdings, LLC

Weir Valves & Controls (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Weir Valves & Controls UK Limited

Weir Valves & Controls USA Inc.

Weir Vulco Argentina S.A.

Weir Vulco Venezuela S.A.

Weir Warman (UK) Limited

Weir YES Africa (Pty) Ltd

Weir YES Uruguay

WHW Group, Inc.

Wesco LLC

Wilkinmark Limited

Wokingham Finance Company Limited

WPR Marks Limited

Wuxi Weir Minerals Equipments Co. Limited

YES International Brasil – Energias, Ltda

YES International Portugal, Unipessoal, Ltda

Ynfiniti Engineering Services International S.r.l

Ynfiniti Engineering Services SL

Ynfiniti Engineering Services USA, LLC

Country of incorporation

Class of shares

Ownership Percentage held

Scotland

Turkey

USA

USA

China

England and Wales

Ordinary

Bearer

Common

Units

N/A

Ordinary

USA

Common, Preferred 

Argentina

Venezuela

England and Wales

Republic of South Africa

Uruguay

USA

United Arab Emirates

England and Wales

England and Wales

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Bearer

Common

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

England and Wales

Ordinary, Ordinary B 

China

Brazil

Portugal

Italy

Spain

USA

N/A

Nominative

Nominative

Ordinary

Ordinary

Units

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

49%

100%

100%

100%

100%

60%

100%

100%

77%

100%

The Group has an interest in a partnership, the Weir ABF LP, which is fully consolidated into these statements. The Group has taken advantage 
of the exemption conferred by Regulation 7 of the Partnerships (Accounts) Regulations 2008 and has, therefore, not appended the accounts  
of this qualifying partnership to these financial statements. Separate accounts for the partnership are not required to be, and have not been, 
filed at Companies House in the UK.

204

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

III: Financial Statements

Shareholder Information

SHAREHOLDER ENQUIRIES
The Company’s Registrars are: 
Computershare Investor Services PLC 
The Pavilions
Bridgwater Road 
Bristol, BS99 6ZZ
Website: www.investorcentre.co.uk 
Telephone: 0370 707 1402

Shareholder enquiries relating to shareholding, dividend payments, change of address, loss of share certificate, etc. should be addressed to Computershare.

INVESTOR CENTRE
Investor Centre is a free, secure share management website provided by Computershare. This service allows you to view your share portfolio 
and see the latest market price of your shares, check your dividend payment, change your address, update payment instructions and receive 
your shareholder communications online. To take advantage of this service, please log in at www.investorcentre.co.uk and enter the name  
of the company in which you hold shares, your Shareholder Reference Number (SRN), your postcode (or country if outside the UK or Channel 
Islands) and security code (provided on screen). For security purposes, Computershare will send a unique activation code to your registered 
address. Your SRN can be found on your share certificate or dividend documentation.

DIVIDENDS
2015 final dividend
The Directors have recommended a final dividend of 29.0 pence per share, for the 52 weeks ended 1 January 2016. Payment of this dividend 
is subject to approval at the 2016 Annual General Meeting. Key dates relating to this dividend are given below.

Annual General Meeting
Ex-dividend date
Record date
Final day for receipt of scrip elections
Payment date

28 April 2016
28 April 2016
29 April 2016
25 May 2016 
6 June 2016

Dividend payments
You can choose to receive your dividend in a number of ways. Dividends will automatically be paid to you by cheque and sent to your registered 
address unless you have chosen one of the options below.

Direct payment to your bank
Cash dividends can be paid directly to a UK bank or building society account. This is more convenient and helps reduce the risk of cheques 
becoming lost or delayed in the post. To switch to this method of payment you can apply online or download a Dividend Mandate Form by 
selecting Downloadable Forms at www.investorcentre.co.uk. The form can also be accessed via the FAQ section on the Company’s website  
at www.global.weir. Alternatively, you can contact Computershare, who will also be able to assist with any questions you may have. An Annual 
Dividend Confirmation detailing all payments made throughout the tax year will then be sent to you once a year either electronically or to your 
registered address. In 2016, the Dividend Confirmation will be dispatched with the November 2016 dividend payment and contain the tax and 
payment information for dividends paid during the 2016/2017 tax year.

Scrip Dividend Programme
The Company plans to introduce a Scrip Dividend Programme and are seeking shareholder approval at the Company’s Annual General Meeting 
on 28 April 2016. The scrip is intended to replace the current Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP).

Global Payment Service
If you live overseas, Computershare offers a Global Payment Service which is available in certain countries. This may make it possible to 
receive dividends direct into your bank account in your local currency. Please note that the fees applied for this service will be automatically 
deducted from the proceeds before it is paid to you. For further details go to www.investorcentre.co.uk/faq and select the ‘Dividends and 
Payments’ tab followed by ‘Global Payment Service’.

Dividend tax allowance 
From April 2016 dividend tax credits will be replaced by an annual £5,000 tax-free allowance on dividend income across an individual’s entire 
share portfolio. Above this amount, individuals will pay tax on their dividend income at a rate dependent on their income tax bracket and personal 
circumstances. The Company will continue to provide registered shareholders with a confirmation of the dividends paid by The Weir Group 
PLC and this should be included with any other dividend income received when calculating and reporting total dividend income received. It is 
the shareholder’s responsibility to include all dividend income when calculating any tax liability. This change was announced by the Chancellor, 
as part of the UK government Budget, in July 2015. If you have any tax queries, please contact a Financial Adviser.

CAPITAL GAINS TAX
For the purpose of capital gains tax, the market value of an ordinary share of The Weir Group PLC as at 31 March 1982 was 29.75p. This market 
value has been adjusted to take account of the sub-division of the share capital whereby each ordinary share of 25p was sub-divided into two 
ordinary shares of 12.5p each on 28 June 1993. Rights issues of ordinary shares took place in April 1987 at 157p per share on the basis of one 
new ordinary share for every seven ordinary shares held, in July 1990 at 250p per share on the basis of one new ordinary share for every five 
ordinary shares held and in September 1994 at 252p per share on the basis of one new ordinary share for every four ordinary shares held.

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

205

IIIShareholder Information continued

COMMUNICATIONS
Annual and Interim Reports
The Weir Group publishes an Annual and Interim Report every year. The Annual Report is sent to all shareholders who have elected to receive 
a hard copy through the post as a printed document unless the shareholder has chosen to receive e-communications (see below). The Interim 
Report is published on the Company’s website and a printed copy is available from the Company Secretary on request.

E-communications
The Company offers shareholders the opportunity to access shareholder documents, such as the Annual Report and Notice of Meeting, via 
e-communications rather than receiving printed documents in the post. To sign up for e-communications, please register at www.investorcentre.co.uk. 
In order to do this, you will need your SRN which can be found on your share certificate or on your dividend documentation. Once registered, 
you will need to change your mailing preference to e-communications and provide your email address. We will then be able to notify you by 
email as soon as shareholder documents are available on the Company’s website.

Company website
Shareholders are encouraged to visit the Company’s corporate website (www.global.weir), which contains a wealth of information about the 
Weir Group. The website includes information about the markets in which we operate, our strategy and business performance, recent news 
from the Group and product information. The Investor section is a key source of information for shareholders, containing details on the share 
price, our financial results, shareholder meetings and dividends, as well as a ‘Shareholders’ FAQ’ section. Current and past Annual and Interim 
Reports are also available to view and download.

SHARE DEALING SERVICES
Computershare provides Weir Group shareholders with a quick and easy way to buy or sell Weir Group shares (subject to availability) on  
the London Stock Exchange. Internet share dealing commission is 1% of the value of each sale or purchase of shares, subject to a minimum 
charge of £30. In addition, stamp duty, currently 0.5%, is payable on purchases. There is no need to open a trading account in order to  
deal. Real time dealing is available during market hours (08:00 to 16:30 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays). In addition, there is  
a convenient facility to place your order outside of market hours. Up to 90 day limit orders are available for sales. To access the service, go to 
www.investorcentre.co.uk and select the ‘Share Activities’ tab followed by ‘Share Dealing’. Shareholders should have their SRN available.  
The SRN appears on share certificates and dividend documentation. Please note that, at present, this service is only available to shareholders 
in certain jurisdictions. Please refer to the Computershare website for an up-to-date list of these countries.

Telephone share dealing commission is 1% of the value of each sale or purchase of shares, plus £35. In addition, stamp duty, currently 0.5%,  
is payable on purchases. You can contact Computershare on 0370 703 0084. Shareholders should have their SRN ready when making the call. 
The SRN appears on share certificates and dividend documentation. Detailed terms and conditions are available at www.investorcentre.co.uk 
or by contacting Computershare. Please note this service is, at present, only available to shareholders resident in certain jurisdictions. Please 
refer to the Computershare website for an up-to-date list of these countries.

These services are offered on an execution only basis and subject to the applicable terms and conditions. Computershare Investor Services PLC 
is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold shares in The Weir Group PLC. Shareholders who are unsure of what action to take should obtain 
independent financial advice. Share values may go down as well as up which may result in a shareholder receiving less than he/she originally invested.

VOTING
Information on how you can vote electronically can be obtained through our Registrars by visiting www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy.

SHAREHOLDER ALERTS
Unsolicited investment advice and fraud
Many companies have become aware that their shareholders have received unsolicited phone calls or correspondence concerning investment 
matters. Share scams are often run from ‘boiler rooms’ where fraudsters cold-call investors offering them worthless, overpriced or even 
non-existent shares.

These callers can be very persistent and extremely persuasive and their activities have resulted in considerable losses for some investors. Whilst 
usually by telephone, the high-pressure sales tactics can also come by email, post, word of mouth or at a seminar. Shareholders are advised to 
be very wary of any unsolicited advice, offers to buy shares at a discount, sell your shares at a premium or offers of free company reports.

If you receive any unsolicited investment advice:
 – Make sure you get the correct name of the person and organisation and take a note of any other details they provide, such as a telephone 

number or address.

 – Check that the caller is properly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) by visiting www.fca.org.uk.
 – Report any approach from such organisations to the FCA using the share fraud reporting form at www.fca.org.uk/scams, where you can 

also find out about the latest investment scams. You can also call the Consumer Helpline on 0800 111 6768.

 – If calls persist, hang up.

Please note that if you deal with an unauthorised firm, you will not be eligible to receive payment under the Financial Services  
Compensation Scheme.

206

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Glossary

III: Financial Statements

The process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data (3D printing)
Annual General Meeting
Employee benefit trust (Appleby Trust (Jersey) Ltd)
The Board of Directors of The Weir Group PLC
Basis points
A term used to describe current and expanding mine sites
Capital expenditure
Cash generating unit
Crushing, screening and grinding of materials in mining and sand and aggregates markets
The Weir Group PLC
A Director of The Weir Group PLC
Earnings before interest and tax
Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
Environment, health and safety
An elastic polymer used in pump linings
Asia-Pacific, South America, Africa and the Middle East
Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management companies
Earnings per share

Additive manufacturing
AGM
Appleby EBT
Board
bps
Brownfield
capex
CGU
Comminution
Company
Director
EBIT
EBITA
EBITDA
EHS
elastomer
emerging markets
EPCMs
EPS
Excellence Committees Weir Group Management Committees ensuring best practice
External auditors
free cash flow

Greenfield
Group
HR
IAS
IFRS
Input
Internet of Things (IoT)

ISO
KPI
Kleinwort EBT 
Like-for-like
LTIP
mill circuit
NPBTA
operating margin
ordinary shares
PBTA
PILON
Registrar
R&D
ROCE (like-for-like)

RPI
SME
subsidiary
tCO2e
Tight oil

TIR
TSR

UK GAAP
WACC
WTI

Ernst & Young LLP
Net cash flow generated from continuing operations excluding the cash impact in relation to exceptional items, 
acquisitions, disposals and net proceeds from/repayments of borrowings
A term used to describe new mine developments
The Company together with its subsidiaries
Human resources
International Accounting Standards
International Financial Reporting Standards
Orders received from customers
The network of physical objects (devices, vehicles, buildings and other items) that are embedded with electronics, 
software, sensors and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data
International Organisation for Standardisation
Key performance indicator
Employee benefit trust (Kleinwort Benson (Guernsey) Trustees Ltd)
On a consistent basis, excluding the impact of acquisitions
Long Term Incentive Plan
The various stages of extracting and processing ore
Normalised profit before tax and amortisation
Operating profit including our share of results of joint ventures divided by revenue
The ordinary shares in the capital of the Company of 12.5p each
Profit before tax and amortisation
Payment in lieu of notice
Computershare Investor Services plc
Research and development
Continuing operations EBIT (excluding Trio Engineered Products and Delta Industrial Valves EBIT and exceptional 
items) divided by average net assets excluding net debt, pension deficit (net of deferred tax asset) and Trio 
Engineered Valves and Delta Industrial Valves net assets
UK Retail Prices Index
Small and medium-sized enterprises
An entity that is controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the Company
Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
Oil produced from petroleum-bearing formations with low permeability and other formations that must be 
hydraulically fractured to produce oil at commercial rates. Shale oil is a subset of tight oil.
Total Incident Rate (medical treatment of any kind required by employees divided by 200,000 hours worked)
Total Shareholder Return comprising dividends paid on ordinary shares and the increase or decrease in the 
market price of ordinary shares
United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
Weighted average cost of capital
West Texas Intermediate

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

207

IIIFinancial Calendar

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
28 April 2016

EX-DIVIDEND DATE FOR FINAL DIVIDEND
28 April 2016

RECORD DATE FOR FINAL DIVIDEND
29 April 2016
Shareholders on the register at this date will receive the dividend.

FINAL DAY FOR RECEIPT OF SCRIP ELECTIONS
25 May 2016

FINAL DIVIDEND PAID
6 June 2016

Cautionary Statement
This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, operations and performance  
of the Group. By their nature, these statements involve uncertainty since future events and circumstances can cause results  
and developments to differ materially from those anticipated. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information  
available at the date of preparation of this Annual Report and the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking 
statements. Nothing in this Annual Report should be construed as a profit forecast.

Registered Office and Company Number
1 West Regent Street
Glasgow G2 1RW
Scotland
Registered in Scotland
Company Number SC002934

208

The Weir Group PLC 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015

Printed on an FSC-recognised paper, produced from well-managed 
forests. This publication was printed with vegetable oil-based inks by 
an FSC-recognised printer that holds an ISO 14001 certification.

The Weir Group PLC
1 West Regent Street
Glasgow G2 1RW, Scotland

T: +44 (0)141 637 7111
E: investor-relations@weir.co.uk

www.annualreport.weir