UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

Form 10-K

 

 

 

001-32410

(Commission File Number)

 

 

 

 

CELANESE CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(972) 443-4000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act

 

 

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act

None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ      No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large Accelerated Filer þ     Accelerated filer o     Non-accelerated filer o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12-b2 of the Act).  Yes o     No þ

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2006 (the last business day of the registrants’ most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was $2,191,406,218.

 

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Series A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, as of February 12, 2007 was 158,668,666.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Certain portions of registrants’ Definitive Proxy Statement for 2007 are incorporated by reference into Part III.

 

 

CELANESE CORPORATION

Form 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Certain statements in this Annual Report are forward-looking in nature as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, and other written and oral forward-looking statements made by the Company from time to time, may relate to, among other things, such matters as planned and expected capacity increases and utilization; anticipated capital spending; environmental matters; legal proceedings; exposure to, and effects of hedging of, raw material and energy costs and foreign currencies; global and regional economic, political, and business conditions; expectations, strategies, and plans for individual assets and products, segments, as well as for the whole Company; cash requirements and uses of available cash; financing plans; pension expenses and funding; anticipated restructuring, divestiture, and consolidation activities; cost reduction and control efforts and targets and integration of acquired businesses. These plans and expectations are based upon certain underlying assumptions, and are in turn based upon internal estimates and analyses of current market conditions and trends, management plans and strategies, economic conditions, and other factors. Actual results could differ materially from expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements if one or more of the underlying assumptions and expectations proves to be inaccurate or is unrealized. Certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are included with such forward-looking statements and in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Forward-Looking Statements May Prove Inaccurate.”

 

Basis of Presentation

 

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the term “Celanese” refers to Celanese Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and not its subsidiaries. The terms the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Celanese and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The term “BCP Crystal” refers to our subsidiary, BCP Crystal US Holdings Corp., a Delaware corporation, and not its subsidiaries. The term “Purchaser” refers to our subsidiary, Celanese Europe Holding GmbH & Co. KG, formerly known as BCP Crystal Acquisition GmbH & Co. KG, a German limited partnership, and not its subsidiaries, except where otherwise indicated. The term “Original Shareholders” refers, collectively, to Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 1, Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 2, Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 3 and BA Capital Investors Sidecar Fund, L.P. The terms “Sponsor” and “Advisor” refer to certain affiliates of The Blackstone Group. For accounting purposes, Celanese and its consolidated subsidiaries are referred to as the “Successor.”

 

Celanese AG is incorporated as a stock corporation organized under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. As used in this document, the term “CAG” refers to (i) prior to the Organizational Restructuring (as defined in Note 2 of the consolidated financial statements), Celanese AG and Celanese Americas Corporation (“CAC”), their consolidated subsidiaries, their non-consolidated subsidiaries, ventures and other investments, and (ii) following the Organizational Restructuring, Celanese AG, its consolidated subsidiaries, its non-consolidated subsidiaries, ventures and other investments, except that with respect to shareholder and similar matters where the context indicates, “CAG” refers to Celanese AG. For accounting purposes, “Predecessor” refers to CAG and its subsidiaries.

 

Change in Ownership and Initial Public Offering

 

Pursuant to a voluntary tender offer commenced in February 2004, the Purchaser, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Celanese Corporation, on April 6, 2004, acquired approximately 84% of the ordinary shares of Celanese AG, excluding treasury shares, for a purchase price of $1,693 million, including direct acquisition costs of $69 million. During the year ended December 31, 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004, the Purchaser acquired additional CAG shares for $473 million and $33 million, respectively, including direct acquisition costs of $4 million and less than $1 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2006, our ownership percentage in CAG was approximately 98%. As a result of the effective registration of the Squeeze-Out (as defined in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements) in the commercial register in December 2006, we acquired the remaining 2% of CAG in January 2007.

On November 3, 2004, Blackstone Crystal Holdings Capital Partners (Cayman) IV Ltd., reorganized as a Delaware corporation and changed its name to Celanese Corporation. Additionally, BCP Crystal Holdings Ltd. 2, a subsidiary of Celanese Corporation, was reorganized as a Delaware limited liability company and changed its name to Celanese Holdings LLC.

 

In January 2005, we completed an initial public offering of 50,000,000 shares of Series A common stock and received net proceeds of $752 million after deducting underwriters’ discounts and offering expenses of $48 million. Concurrently, we received net proceeds of $233 million from the offering of our convertible perpetual preferred stock. A portion of the proceeds of the share offerings were used to redeem $188 million of our senior discount notes and $521 million of our senior subordinated notes, excluding early redemption premiums of $19 million and $51 million, respectively. See Notes 2 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

Overview

 

We are an integrated global hybrid producer of value-added industrial chemicals. We are the world’s largest producer of acetyl products, including acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (“VAM”), polyacetal products (“POM”), as well as a leading global producer of high-performance engineered polymers used in consumer and industrial products and designed to meet highly technical customer requirements. We believe that approximately 95% of our differentiated intermediate and specialty products hold first or second market positions globally. Our operations are located primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. We believe we are one of the lowest-cost producers of key building block chemicals in the acetyls chain, such as acetic acid and VAM, due to our economies of scale, operating and purchasing efficiencies and proprietary production technologies. In addition, we have a significant portfolio of strategic investments, including a number of ventures in North America, Europe and Asia. Collectively, these strategic investments create value for the Company and contribute significantly to sales, earnings and cash flow.

 

Our large and diverse global customer base primarily consists of major companies in a broad array of industries. For the year ended December 31, 2006, approximately 33% of our net sales were to customers located in North America, 42% to customers in Europe and Africa and 25% to customers in Asia and the rest of the world.

 

Market Industry

 

This document includes industry data and forecasts that we have prepared based, in part, upon industry data and forecasts obtained from industry publications and surveys and internal company surveys. Third-party industry publications and surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. The statements regarding Celanese’s market position in this document are based on information derived from the 2006 Stanford Research Institute International Chemical Economics Handbook, CMAI 2004 World Methanol Analysis and Tecnon Orbichem Acetic Acid and Vinyl Acetate World Survey third quarter 2006 report.

 

Segment Overview

 

We operate principally through four business segments: Chemical Products, Technical Polymers Ticona (“Ticona”), Acetate Products and Performance Products. The table below illustrates each segment’s net sales to external customers for the year ended December 31, 2006, as well as each segment’s major products and end use markets.

 

 

 

 

Trademarks

 

AO Plus^tm, BuyTiconaDirect^tm, Celanex^®, Celcon^®, Celstran^®, Celvol^®, Celvolit^®, Compel^®, Erkol^®, GUR^®, Hostaform^®, Impet^®, Impet-HI^®, Mowilith^®, Nutrinova^®, Riteflex^®, Sunett^®, Vandar^®, VAntage^tm, Vectra^®, Vectran^®, Vinamul^®, Elite^®, Duroset^® and certain other products and services named in this document are registered trademarks and service marks of the Company. Acetex^® is a registered trademark of Acetex Corporation, a subsidiary of the Company. Fortron^® is a registered trademark of Fortron Industries LLC, a venture of Celanese. Vectran is a registered trademark of Kuraray Co., Ltd.

 

Chemical Products

 

Our Chemical Products segment produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, acetate esters, VAM, polyvinyl alcohol and emulsions. We are a leading global producer of acetic acid and the world’s largest producer of VAM. We are also the largest polyvinyl alcohol producer in North America. These products are generally used as building blocks for value-added products or in intermediate chemicals used in the paints, coatings, inks, adhesives, films, textiles and building products industries. Other chemicals produced in this segment are

organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural and chemical products. For the year ended December 31, 2006, net sales to external customers of acetyls were $2,168 million, acetyl derivatives and polyols were $1,083 million and all other business lines combined were $1,357 million.

 

Technical Polymers Ticona

 

Our Ticona segment develops, produces and supplies a broad portfolio of high performance technical polymers for application in automotive and electronics products and in other consumer and industrial applications, often replacing metal or glass. Together with our strategic affiliates, we are a leading participant in the global technical polymers business. The primary products of Ticona are POM, polybutylene terephthalate (“PBT”) and GUR, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. POM and PBT are used in a broad range of products including automotive components, electronics and appliances. GUR is used in battery separators, conveyor belts, filtration equipment, coatings and medical devices.

 

Acetate Products

 

Our Acetate Products segment primarily produces and supplies acetate tow and acetate flake, used in the production of filter products. Including the production of our long-standing ventures in China, we are one of the world’s leading producers of acetate tow and well-positioned globally. At the end of 2006, we had completed the majority of our planned restructuring activities to consolidate our acetate flake and tow manufacturing. This restructuring is being implemented to increase efficiency, reduce over-capacities in certain manufacturing areas and to focus on products and markets that provide long-term value. These restructuring activities are on track to be complete by early 2007.

 

Performance Products

 

The Performance Products segment operates under the trade name of Nutrinova and produces and sells Sunett^® high intensity sweetener and food protection ingredients, such as sorbates, for the food, beverage and pharmaceuticals industries.

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We benefit from a number of competitive strengths, including the following:

 

Leading Market Positions

 

We believe we have the first or second market positions globally in approximately 95% of our differentiated intermediate and specialty products that make up a majority of our sales. We also believe we are a leading global producer of acetic acid and the world’s largest producer of VAM. Ticona and our ventures, Polyplastics and Korea Engineering Plastics Co., Ltd. (“KEPCO”), are leading suppliers of POM and other engineering resins in North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. Our leadership positions are based on our large share of global production capacity, operating efficiencies, proprietary technology and competitive cost structures in our major products.

 

Proprietary Production Technology and Operating Expertise

 

Our production of acetyl products employs industry leading proprietary and licensed technologies, including our proprietary AO Plus acid-optimization technology for the production of acetic acid and VAntage and VAntage Plus vinyl acetate monomer technology. AO Plus enables plant capacity to be increased with minimal investment, while VAntage and VAntage Plus enables significant increases in production efficiencies, lower operating costs and increases in capacity at ten to fifteen percent of the cost of building a new plant.

 

Low Cost Producer

 

Our competitive cost structures are based on economies of scale, vertical integration, technical know-how and the use of advanced technologies.

 

Global Reach

 

We operate thirty-five production facilities throughout the world. The ventures in which we participate operate ten additional facilities. Our infrastructure of manufacturing plants, terminals, and sales offices provides us with a competitive advantage in anticipating and meeting the needs of our global and local customers in well-established and growing markets, while our geographic diversity reduces the potential impact of volatility in any individual country or region. We have a strong, growing presence in Asia, particularly in China, and we have defined a strategy to continue this growth. Our strategy will help us to meet customer demand in this fast growing region. For more information regarding our financial information with respect to our geographic areas, see Note 27 to our consolidated financial statements.

 

Strategic Investments

 

Our strategic investments, including our ventures, have enabled us to gain access, minimize costs and accelerate growth in new markets, while also generating significant cash flow and earnings. Our equity investments and cost investments represent an important component of our growth strategy. See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements and “Investments” commencing on page 16 of Item 1 for additional information on our equity and cost investments.

 

Diversified Products and End-Use Markets

 

We offer our customers a broad range of products in a wide variety of end-use markets. For example, Ticona offers customers a broad range of high-quality engineering plastics to meet the needs of customers in numerous end-use markets, such as automotive, electrical/electronics, appliance and medical. Chemical Products has leading market positions in an integrated chain of basic and performance-based acetyl products that are sold into diverse industrial applications. This product and market diversity helps us to reduce the potential impact of volatility in any individual market segment.

 

Business Strategies

 

We are focused on increasing operating cash flows, profitability, return on investment and shareholder value, which we believe can be achieved through the following business strategies:

 

Execution and Productivity

 

We continually seek ways to reduce our production and raw material costs. We have established an operational excellence culture which has enabled us to make productivity improvements. Most significantly, Six Sigma is a pervasive and important tool being used in both operations and administration for achieving greater productivity and growth. We continue to pursue opportunities and process technology improvements focused on energy reduction. We will also continue using best practices to reduce costs and increase equipment reliability in maintenance and project engineering. Global operational excellence is an integral part of our strategy to maintain our cost advantage and productivity leadership.

 

Focused Portfolio

 

We continue to further optimize our business portfolio through divestitures, acquisitions and strategic investments that enable us to focus on businesses in which we can achieve market, cost and technology leadership over the long term. In addition, we intend to expand our product mix into higher value-added products.

 

Growth

 

We are investing strategically in growth areas and adding new production capacity, when appropriate, to extend our global market leadership position. Historically, our strong market position has enabled us to initiate capacity growth to take advantage of projected demand growth. For example, we are building a 600,000 metric ton per year world-scale acetic acid plant in China, the world’s fastest growing market for acetic acid and its derivatives. The plant is scheduled for commercial sales in 2007. As part of our growth strategy, we also continue to develop new

products and industry-leading production technologies that deliver value-added solutions for our customers. For example, Ticona has worked closely with fuel system suppliers to develop an acetal copolymer with the chemical and impact resistance necessary to withstand exposure to hot diesel fuels. In our emulsions business, we pioneered a technological solution that leads the industry in product offerings for ecologically friendly emulsions for solvent-free interior paints. We believe that our customers value our expertise, and we will continue to work with them to enhance the quality of their products.

 

Business Segments

 

For more information with respect to the financial results and conditions of our business segments, see Note 27 to our consolidated financial statements.

 

Chemical Products

 

The Chemical Products segment consists of six business lines: Acetyls, Acetyl Derivatives and Polyols, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Emulsions, Specialties, and other chemical activities. All business lines in this segment conduct business mainly using the “Celanese” trade name, except Polyvinyl Alcohol, which uses the trademarks Celvol and Erkol, Emulsions, which uses the trademarks Mowilith and Celvolit, Vinamul, Elite and Duroset. See Item 1. Business — Segment Overview for discussion of key products and major end-use markets.

 

Business Lines

 

Acetyls.  The acetyls business line produces:

 

 

Acetic acid, methanol and VAM, our basic products, are directly impacted by the global supply/demand balance for each of the products and can be described as cyclical in nature. The principal raw materials in these products are natural gas and ethylene, which we purchase from numerous sources; carbon monoxide, which we both manufacture and purchase under long-term contracts; methanol, which we both manufacture and purchase under long-term and short-term contracts; and butane, which we purchase from one supplier and can also obtain from other sources. All these raw materials, except carbon monoxide, are commodities and are available from a wide variety of sources.

 

Our production of acetyl products employs leading proprietary and licensed technologies, including our proprietary AO Plus acid-optimization technology for the production of acetic acid and VAntage and VAntage Plus vinyl acetate monomer technology.

 

Acetyl Derivatives and Polyols.  The acetyl derivatives and polyols business line produces a variety of solvents, polyols, formaldehyde and other chemicals, which in turn are used in the manufacture of paints, coatings, adhesives and other products.

 

Many acetyl derivatives products are derived from our production of acetic acid and oxo alcohols. Primary products are:

 

 

Polyols and formaldehyde products are derivatives of methanol and are made up of the following products:

 

 

Oxo alcohols and intermediates are produced from propylene and ethylene and include:

 

 

Acetyl derivatives and polyols are commodity products characterized by cyclicality in pricing. The principal raw materials used in the acetyl derivatives business line are acetic acid, various alcohols, methanol, acetaldehyde, propylene, ethylene and synthesis gas. We manufacture many of these raw materials for our own use as well as for sales to third parties, including our competitors in the acetyl derivatives business. We purchase propylene and ethylene from a variety of sources. We manufacture acetaldehyde for our European production, but we purchase all acetaldehyde requirements for our North American operations from third parties. Acetaldehyde is also available from other sources.

 

Polyvinyl Alcohol.  Polyvinyl alcohol (“PVOH”) is a performance chemical engineered to satisfy particular customer requirements. It is used in adhesives, building products, paper coatings, films and textiles. The primary raw material to produce PVOH is VAM, while acetic acid is produced as a by-product. Prices vary depending on industry segment and end use application. Products are sold on a global basis, and competition is from all regions of the world. Therefore, regional economies and supply and demand balances affect the level of competition in other regions. According to industry sources on PVOH, we are the largest North American producer of PVOH and the third largest producer in the world.

 

Emulsions.  The products in our emulsions business include conventional emulsions and high-pressure vinyl acetate ethylene emulsions. Emulsions are made from VAM, acrylate esters and styrene. They are a key component of water-based quality surface coatings, adhesives, non-woven textiles and other applications.

 

Specialties.  The specialties business line produces:

 

 

 

The prices for these products are relatively stable due to long-term contracts with customers whose industries are not generally subject to the cyclical trends of commodity chemicals.

 

The primary raw materials for these products are olefins and ammonia, which are purchased from world market suppliers based on international prices.

 

In December 2006, we announced plans to sell the oxo products and derivatives businesses as part of our strategy to optimize our portfolio and divest non-core businesses. See Note 32 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

During the third quarter of 2006, we discontinued our Pentaerythritol (“PE”) operations.

 

Facilities

 

Chemical Products has production sites in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Germany. The emulsions business line also has tolling arrangements in France. We also participate in a venture in Saudi Arabia that produces methanol and Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (“MTBE”). Over the last few years, we have continued to shift our production capacity to lower cost production facilities while expanding in growth markets, such as China. As a result, we shut down our formaldehyde unit in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in mid-2004 and announced in August 2005 that we intend to close this facility in 2007.

 

Markets

 

The following table illustrates net sales by destination of the Chemical Products segment by geographic region of the Successor for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and for the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and of the Predecessor for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

 

Net Sales to External Customers by Destination — Chemical Products

 

 

Chemical Products markets its products both directly to customers and through distributors. It also utilizes a number of “e-channels”, including its website at www.chemvip.com, as well as system-to-system linking through its industry portal, Elemica.

 

Acetic acid and VAM are global businesses which have several large customers. Generally, we supply these global customers under multi-year contracts. The customers of acetic acid and VAM produce polymers used in water-based paints, adhesives, paper coatings, polyesters, film modifiers and textiles. We have long-standing relationships with most of these customers.

 

PVOH is sold to a diverse group of regional and multinational customers mainly under single year contracts. The customers of the PVOH business line are primarily engaged in the production of adhesives, paper, films, building products, and textiles.

 

Emulsions are sold to a diverse group of regional and multinational customers. Customers for emulsions are manufacturers of water-based quality surface coatings, adhesives and non-woven textiles.

 

Acetyl derivatives and polyols are sold to a diverse group of regional and multinational customers both under multi-year contracts and on the basis of long-standing relationships. The customers of acetyl derivatives are primarily engaged in the production of paints, coatings and adhesives. In addition to our own demand for acetyl derivatives to produce cellulose acetate, we sell acetyl derivatives to other participants in the cellulose acetate industry. We manufacture formaldehyde for our own use as well as for sale to a few regional customers that include manufacturers in the wood products and chemical derivatives industries. The sale of formaldehyde is based on both long and short term agreements. Polyols are sold globally to a wide variety of customers, primarily in the coatings and resins and the specialty products industries. Oxo products are sold to a wide variety of customers, primarily in the construction and automotive industries and are used internally to produce acetyl derivatives. The oxo market is characterized by oversupply and numerous competitors. The specialties business line primarily serves global markets in the synthetic lubricant, agrochemical, rubber processing and other specialty chemical areas.

 

Competition

 

Our principal competitors in the Chemical Products segment include Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Atofina S.A., BASF AG (“BASF”), Borden Chemical, Inc., BP p.l.c., Chang Chun Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. (“Daicel”), The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”), Eastman Chemical Corporation (“Eastman”), E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company (”DuPont”), Methanex Corporation, Lyondell Chemical Company, Nippon Gohsei, Perstorp Inc., Rohm & Haas Company, Jiangsu Sopo Corporation (Group) Ltd., Showa Denko K.K., and Kuraray Co. Ltd.

 

Technical Polymers Ticona

 

The Ticona segment develops, produces and supplies a broad portfolio of high performance technical polymers. See Item 1. Business — Segment Overview for discussion of key products and major end-use markets.

 

Ticona technical polymers have chemical and physical properties enabling them, among other things, to withstand high temperatures, resist chemical reactions with solvents and resist fracturing or stretching. These products are used in a wide range of performance-demanding applications in the automotive and electronics sectors and in other consumer and industrial goods, often replacing metal or glass. Demand for high performance polymers is expected to grow approximately 5% to 6% per year.

 

Ticona works in concert with its customers to enable innovations and develop new or enhanced products. Ticona focuses its efforts on developing new markets and applications for its product lines, often developing custom formulations to satisfy the technical and processing requirements of a customer’s applications. For example, Ticona has worked closely with fuel system suppliers to develop an acetal copolymer with the chemical and impact resistance necessary to withstand exposure to hot diesel fuels in the new generation of common rail diesel engines. The product can also be used in automotive fuel sender units where it remains stable at the high operating temperatures present in direct-injection diesel engines or meet the requirements of the new generation of bio fuels.

 

Ticona’s customer base consists primarily of a large number of plastic molders and component suppliers, which are often the primary suppliers to original equipment manufacturers (“OEM”). Ticona works with these molders and component suppliers as well as directly with the OEMs to develop and improve specialized applications and systems.

 

Prices for most of these products, particularly specialized product grades for targeted applications, generally reflect the value added in complex polymer chemistry, precision formulation and compounding, and the extensive application development services provided. The specialized product lines are not particularly susceptible to cyclical swings in pricing.

 

Business Lines

 

POM is sold under the trademark Hostaform in all regions but North America, where it is sold under the trademark Celcon. Polyplastics and KEPCO are leading suppliers of POM and other engineering resins in the Asia/Pacific region. POM is used for mechanical parts, including door locks and seat belt mechanisms, in automotive applications and in electrical, consumer and medical applications such as drug delivery systems and gears for large appliances.

 

The primary raw material for POM is formaldehyde, which is manufactured from methanol. Ticona currently purchases formaldehyde in the United States from our Chemical Products segment and, in Europe, manufactures formaldehyde from purchased methanol.

 

GUR, an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMW-PE”), is an engineered material used in heavy-duty automotive and industrial applications such as car battery separator panels and industrial conveyor belts, as well as in specialty medical and consumer applications, such as sports equipment and prostheses. GUR micro powder grades are used for high performance filters, membranes, diagnostic devices, coatings and additives for thermoplastics & elastomers. GUR fibers are also used in protective ballistic applications.

 

Celstran and Compel are long fiber reinforced thermoplastics, which impart extra strength and stiffness, making them more suitable for larger parts than conventional thermoplastics.

 

Polyesters such as Celanex PBT, Vandar, a series of PBT-polyester blends and Riteflex, a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, are used in a wide variety of automotive, electrical and consumer applications, including ignition system parts, radiator grilles, electrical switches, appliance housings, sensor housings, LEDs and technical fibers. Raw materials for polyesters vary. Base monomers, such as dimethyl terephthalate and PTA, are widely available with pricing dependent on broader polyester fiber and packaging resins market conditions. Smaller volume specialty co-monomers for these products are typically supplied by a few companies.

 

Liquid crystal polymers (“LCP”), such as Vectra, are used in electrical and electronics applications and for precision parts with thin walls and complex shapes or on high heat cookware application.

 

Fortron, a polyphenylene sulfide (“PPS”) product, is used in a wide variety of automotive and other applications, especially those requiring heat and/or chemical resistance, including fuel system parts, radiator pipes and halogen lamp housings, and often replaces metal in these demanding applications. Other possible application fields include non-woven filtration devices such as coal fired power plants. Fortron is manufactured by Fortron Industries LLC, Ticona’s 50-50 venture with Kureha Corporation (“KCI”) of Japan.

 

In December 2004, we approved a plan to dispose of our Cyclo-olefine Copolymer (“COC”) business. The sale of the COC business was completed in December 2005.

 

Facilities

 

Ticona has polymerization, compounding and research and technology centers in Germany, Brazil and the United States. Ticona’s Kelsterbach, Germany production site is located in close proximity to one of the sites being considered for a new runway under the Frankfurt airport’s expansion plans. In November 2006, we announced a settlement with the Frankfurt Airport (“Fraport”) to relocate the Kelsterbach, Germany operations. The terms of the settlement, which is intended to be cost and tax neutral for Celanese, should allow Ticona adequate time and resources to select a site, build new production facilities and transition business activities within Germany to a new location by mid-2011. See Note 31 to the consolidated financial statements for further information.

 

Markets

 

The following table illustrates the destination of the net sales of the Ticona segment by geographic region of the Successor for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and of the Predecessor for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

 

Net Sales to External Customers by Destination — Technical Polymers Ticona

 

 

Ticona’s sales in the Asian market are made mainly through its ventures, Polyplastics, KEPCO and Fortron Industries, which are accounted for under the equity method and therefore not included in Ticona’s consolidated net sales. If Ticona’s portion of the sales made by these ventures were included in the chart above, the percentage of sales sold in Asia/Australia would be substantially higher. A number of Ticona’s POM customers, particularly in the appliance, electrical components, toys and certain sections of the electronics/telecommunications fields, have moved tooling and molding operations to Asia, particularly southern China. To meet the expected increased demand in this region, we, along with Polyplastics, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc., and KEPCO agreed on a venture which operates a world-scale 60,000 metric ton POM facility in Nantong, China. Through our investment in the aforementioned companies, we indirectly own an approximate 38% interest in this venture. The new plant commenced operations in 2005.

 

Ticona’s principal customers are consumer product manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industries. These customers primarily produce engineered products, and Ticona works closely with its customers to assist them to develop and improve specialized applications and systems. Ticona has long-standing relationships with most of its major customers, but it also uses distributors for most of its major products, as well as a number of electronic channels, such as its BuyTiconaDirect on-line ordering system, and other electronic marketplaces to reach a larger customer base. For most of Ticona’s product lines, contracts with customers typically have a term of one to two years. A significant swing in the economic conditions of the end markets of Ticona’s principal customers could significantly affect the demand for Ticona’s products.

 

Competition

 

Ticona’s principal competitors include BASF, DuPont, DSM N.V., General Electric Company and Solvay S.A. Smaller regional competitors include Asahi Kasei Corporation, Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals, Inc., Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, L.P., Braskem S.A., Lanxess AG, Teijin, Sumitomo, Inc. and Toray Industries Inc.

 

Acetate Products

 

The Acetate Products segment consists of acetate filter products or acetate tow and acetate flake, which uses the “Celanese” brand to market its products. The acetate tow market continues to be characterized by stability and expected global growth of between 1% and 2% per year. The segment’s acetate filament business line was discontinued in the fourth quarter of 2005. See Item 1. Business — Segment Overview for discussion of key products and major end-use markets.

 

Business Lines

 

Acetate tow is used primarily in cigarette filters. According to the 2006 Stanford Research Institute International Chemical Economics Handbook, we are the world’s leading producer of acetate tow, including production of our ventures in Asia.

 

We produce acetate flake by processing wood pulp with acetic anhydride. We purchase wood pulp that is made from reforested trees from major suppliers and produce acetic anhydride internally. The acetate flake is then further processed into acetate fiber in the form of a tow band.

 

We have an approximate 30% interest in three manufacturing ventures in China that produce cellulose acetate flake and tow. Our partner in each of the ventures is a Chinese state-owned tobacco entity. In addition, 12% of our 2006 acetate tow sales were sold directly to China, the largest single market for acetate tow in the world. Two of the ventures completed tow expansions in January 2005, and the third venture completed its tow expansion in June 2005. Flake expansion is expected to be completed in 2007. Although our direct tow sales into China have decreased as a result of the venture expansions, the future dividends that we expect to receive from these ventures are projected to increase.

 

Acetate Products is continuing its productivity and operations improvement efforts. These efforts are directed toward reducing costs while achieving higher productivity of employees and equipment. In addition to our operating sites’ restructuring activities previously undertaken, we closed our Charlotte, North Carolina administrative and research and development facility. In July 2005, we relocated our Rock Hill, South Carolina administrative functions to our Dallas corporate headquarters. In December 2005, we sold our Rock Hill and Charlotte sites.

 

Facilities

 

Acetate Products has production sites in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Belgium, and participates in three manufacturing ventures in China. In October 2004, we announced plans to discontinue our filament business, with operations at our Narrows, Virginia and Ocotlan, Mexico sites, which occurred in the fourth quarter of 2005. Additionally, we announced our intentions to shutdown our high cost operations at our Rock Hill, South Carolina flake production site and our Edmonton, Alberta, Canada flake and tow production site. We shutdown our Rock Hill flake and Edmonton tow operations in the second quarter of 2005 and will shutdown our Edmonton flake facility in early 2007. In addition to the above closures, we re-commissioned our flake operations at Ocotlan in the first quarter of 2005.

 

Markets

 

The following table illustrates the destination of the net sales of Acetate Products by geographic region of the Successor for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and of the Predecessor for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

 

Net Sales to External Customers by Destination — Acetate Products

 

Sales in the acetate tow industry were principally to the major tobacco companies that account for a majority of worldwide cigarette production. Our contracts with most of our customers are entered into on an annual basis. In recent years, the cigarette industry has experienced consolidation.

 

Competition

 

Principal competitors in the Acetate Products segment include Daicel, Eastman and Rhodia S.A.

 

In January 2007, we acquired Acetate Products Ltd., a manufacturer of cellulose acetate flake, tow and film, located in the United Kingdom.

 

Performance Products

 

The Performance Products segment consists of the food ingredients business conducted by Nutrinova. This business uses its own trade names to conduct business. See Item 1. Business — Segment Overview for discussion of key products and major end-use markets.

 

Business Lines

 

Nutrinova’s food ingredients business consists of the production and sale of high intensity sweeteners and food protection ingredients, such as sorbic acid and sorbates worldwide, as well as the resale of other food ingredients mainly in Japan, Australia and Mexico.

 

Acesulfame potassium, a high intensity sweetener marketed under the trademark Sunett^®, is used in a variety of beverages, confections and dairy products throughout the world. Sunett^® pricing for targeted applications reflects the value added by Nutrinova, such as technical services provided and consistency of product quality. Nutrinova’s strategy is to be the most reliable and highest quality producer of this product, to develop new applications for the product and to expand into new markets. Nutrinova maintains a strict patent enforcement strategy, which has resulted in favorable outcomes in a number of patent infringement matters in Europe and the United States. Nutrinova’s European and U.S. primary production patents for making Sunett^® expired at the end of the first quarter of 2005.

 

Nutrinova’s food protection ingredients are mainly used in foods, beverages and personal care products. The primary raw materials for these products are ketene and crotonaldehyde. Sorbates pricing is extremely sensitive to demand and industry capacity and is not necessarily dependent on the prices of raw materials.

 

Diketene and ketene are both derivatives of acetic acid, one of the primary products of the Chemical Products segment.

 

Facilities

 

Nutrinova has production facilities in Germany, as well as sales and distribution facilities in all major world markets.

 

Markets

 

The following table illustrates the destination of the net sales of Performance Products by geographic region of the Successor for years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and of the Predecessor for the three months ended March 31, 2004.

 

Net Sales to External Customers by Destination — Performance Products

 

 

Nutrinova directly markets Sunett^® primarily to a limited number of large multinational and regional customers in the beverage and food industry under long-term and annual contracts. Nutrinova markets food protection ingredients primarily through regional distributors to small and medium sized customers and directly through regional sales offices to large multinational customers in the food industry.

 

Competition

 

The principal competitors for Nutrinova’s Sunett^® sweetener are Holland Sweetener Company, The NutraSweet Company, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Tate & Lyle plc and several Chinese manufacturers. In sorbates, Nutrinova competes with Nantong AA, Daicel, Yu Yao/Ningbo, Yancheng AmeriPac and other Chinese manufacturers of sorbates.

 

Other Activities

 

Other Activities includes revenues mainly from the captive insurance companies, Pemeas GmbH (“Pemeas”) until December 2005 and, since July 2005, AT Plastics. Pemeas develops high temperature membrane assemblies (“MEA”) for fuel cells. We contributed our MEA activity to Pemeas in April 2004. In December 2005, we sold our common stock interest back to Pemeas Corporation. In December 2006, we sold our preferred interest in Pemeas Corporation to BASF. Other Activities also includes corporate activities, several service companies and other ancillary businesses, which do not have significant sales.

 

Our two wholly-owned captive insurance companies are a key component of our global risk management program, as well as a form of self insurance for our property, liability and workers compensation risks. The captive insurance companies issue insurance policies to our subsidiaries to provide consistent coverage amid fluctuating costs in the insurance market and to lower long-term insurance costs by avoiding or reducing commercial carrier overhead and regulatory fees. The captive insurance companies issue insurance policies and coordinate claims handling services with third party service providers. They retain risk at levels approved by our board of directors and obtain reinsurance coverage from third parties to limit the net risk retained. One of the captive insurance companies also insures certain third party risks.

 

Investments

 

We have a significant portfolio of strategic investments, including a number of ventures, in Asia, North America and Europe. In aggregate, these strategic investments enjoy significant sales, earnings and cash flow. We have entered into these strategic investments in order to gain access to local markets, minimize costs and accelerate

growth in areas we believe have significant future business potential. See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

The table below represents our significant ventures:

 

 

Major Equity Investments

 

European Oxo GmbH.  European Oxo GmbH (“EOXO”) is our 50/50 venture with Degussa for propylene-based oxo chemicals and has production facilities in Oberhausen and Marl, Germany. On August 28, 2006, we entered into an agreement with Degussa pursuant to which Degussa granted us an option to purchase Degussa’s interest in EOXO. In connection with the sale of our oxo products and derivatives businesses discussed herein, we anticipate giving notice to Degussa that we will exercise our option, subject to certain conditions, to purchase their 50% interest, which will be subsequently sold to Advent International. See Notes 6 and 32 to the consolidated financial statements for further information.

 

Korea Engineering Plastics Co. Ltd.  Founded in 1987, KEPCO is the leading producer of polyacetal in South Korea. Mitsubishi owns the remaining 50% of KEPCO. KEPCO operates a 55,000-ton annual capacity POM plant in Ulsan, South Korea and participates in the facility in China mentioned under Polyplastics below.

 

Polyplastics Co., Ltd.  Polyplastics is a leading supplier of engineering plastics in the Asia-Pacific region. Polyplastics’ principal production facilities are located in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and together with KEPCO and Mitsubishi, China. We believe Polyplastics is the largest producer and marketer of POM in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Fortron Industries LLC.  Fortron Industries LLC is a venture between us and KCI for PPS. Production facilities are located in Wilmington, North Carolina. We believe Fortron has the leading technology in linear polymer applications.

 

Other Equity Investments

 

InfraServs.  We hold ownership interests in several InfraServ groups located in Germany. InfraServs own and develop industrial parks and provide on-site general and administrative support to tenants.

 

Major Cost Investments

 

National Methanol Co. (Ibn Sina).  With production facilities in Saudi Arabia, National Methanol Co. represents 2% of the world’s methanol production capacity and is the world’s eighth largest producer of MTBE. Methanol and MTBE are key global commodity chemical products. We indirectly own a 25% interest in National

Methanol Co., with the remainder held by SABIC (50%) and Texas Eastern Arabian Corporation Ltd. (25%). SABIC has responsibility for all product marketing.

 

China Acetate Products Ventures.  We hold approximately 30% ownership interests (50% board representation) in three separate Acetate Products production entities in China: the Nantong, Kunming and Zhuhai Cellulose Fiber Companies. In each instance, Chinese state-owned entities control the remainder. The ventures fund investments using operating cash flows.

 

Certain cost investments where we own greater than a 20% ownership interest are accounted for under the cost method of accounting because we cannot exercise significant influence, are not involved in the day-to-day operations and are unable to obtain timely U.S. GAAP financial information from these entities.

 

Raw Materials and Energy

 

We purchase a variety of raw materials from sources in many countries for use in our production processes. We have a policy of maintaining, when available, multiple sources of supply for materials. However, some of our individual plants may have single sources of supply for some of their raw materials, such as carbon monoxide, steam and acetaldehyde. Although we have been able to obtain sufficient supplies of raw materials, there can be no assurance that unforeseen developments will not affect our raw material supply. Even if we have multiple sources of supply for a raw material, there can be no assurance that these sources can make up for the loss of a major supplier. There cannot be any guarantee that profitability will not be affected should we be required to qualify additional sources of supply in the event of the loss of a sole supplier. In addition, the price of raw materials varies, often substantially, from year to year.

 

A substantial portion of our products and raw materials are commodities whose prices fluctuate as market supply/demand fundamentals change. Our production facilities rely largely on coal, fuel oil, natural gas and electricity for energy. Most of the raw materials for our European operations are centrally purchased by our subsidiary, which also buys raw materials on behalf of third parties. We manage our exposure through the use of derivative instruments and forward purchase contracts for commodity price hedging, entering into long-term supply agreements and multi-year purchasing and sales agreements. See Notes 4 and 24 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

We also currently lease supplies of various precious metals, such as rhodium, used as catalysts for the manufacture of chemical products. With growing demand for these precious metals, most notably in the automotive industry, the cost to purchase or lease these precious metals has increased, caused by a shortage in supply. For precious metals, the leases are distributed between a minimum of three lessors per product and are divided into several contracts. Although we seek to offset increases in raw material prices with corresponding increases in the prices of our products, we may not be able to do so, and there may be periods when such product price increases lag behind raw material cost increases.

 

Research and Development

 

All of our businesses conduct research and development activities to increase competitiveness. Our businesses are innovation-oriented and conduct research and development activities to develop new, and optimize existing, production technologies, as well as to develop commercially viable new products and applications. We consider the amount spent during each of the last three fiscal years on research and development activities to be adequate to drive our growth program.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We attach great importance to patents, trademarks, copyrights and product designs in order to protect our investment in research and development, manufacturing and marketing. Our policy is to seek the widest possible protection for significant product and process developments in our major markets. Patents may cover products, processes, intermediate products and product uses. We also seek to register trademarks extensively as a means of protecting the brand names of our products, which brand names become more important once the corresponding

patents have expired. We protect our trademarks vigorously against infringement and also seek to register design protection where appropriate.

 

In most industrial countries, patent protection exists for new substances and formulations, as well as for unique applications and production processes. However, we do business in regions of the world where intellectual property protection may be limited and difficult to enforce. We maintain strict information security policies and procedures wherever we do business. Such information security policies and procedures include data encryption, controls over the disclosure and safekeeping of confidential information, as well as employee awareness training. Moreover, we monitor our competitors and vigorously challenge patent and trademark infringement. For example, Chemical Products maintains a strict patent enforcement strategy, which has resulted in favorable outcomes in a number of patent infringement matters in Europe, Asia and the United States. We are currently pursuing a number of matters relating to the infringement of our acetic acid patents. Some of our earlier acetic acid patents will expire in 2007; other patent applications covering acetic acid are presently pending.

 

Neither our business as a whole nor any particular segment is materially dependent upon any one particular patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret.

 

Environmental and Other Regulation

 

Matters pertaining to the environment are discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Notes 18 and 25 to the consolidated financial statements

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2006, we had approximately 8,900 employees worldwide from continuing operations, compared to 9,300 as of December 31, 2005. This represents a decrease of approximately 4%. The following table sets forth the approximate number of employees on a continuing basis as of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

 

 

Many of our employees are unionized, particularly in Germany, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium and France. However, in the United States, less than one quarter of our employees are unionized. Moreover, in Germany and France, wages and general working conditions are often the subject of centrally negotiated collective bargaining agreements. Within the limits established by these agreements, our various subsidiaries negotiate directly with the unions and other labor organizations, such as workers’ councils, representing the employees. Collective bargaining agreements between the German chemical employers associations and unions relating to remuneration typically have a term of one year, while in the United States a three year term for collective bargaining agreements is typical. We offer comprehensive benefit plans for employees and their families and believe our relations with employees are satisfactory.

 

Backlog

 

We do not consider backlog to be a significant indicator of the level of future sales activity. In general, we do not manufacture our products against a backlog of orders. Production and inventory levels are based on the level of incoming orders as well as projections of future demand. Therefore, we believe that backlog information is not material to understanding our overall business and should not be considered a reliable indicator of our ability to achieve any particular level of revenue or financial performance.

 

Available Information — Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Filings and Corporate Governance Materials

 

We make available free of charge, through our Internet website (www.celanese.com), our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with, or furnishing it to, the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including Celanese Corporation, that electronically file with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

 

We also make available free of charge, through our internet website, our Corporate Governance Guidelines of our Board of Directors and the charters of each of the committees of the board. Such materials are also available in print upon the written request of any shareholder to Celanese Corporation, 1601 West LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas, 75234-6034, Attention: Investor Relations.

 

Many factors could have an effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. We are subject to various risks resulting from changing economic, environmental, political, industry, business and financial conditions. The factors described below represent our principal risks.

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

We are an international company and are exposed to general economic, political and regulatory conditions and risks in the countries in which we have significant operations.

 

We operate in the global market and have customers in many countries. We have major facilities located in North America, Europe and Asia, hold interests in ventures that operate in Germany, China, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Our principal customers are similarly global in scope, and the prices of our most significant products are typically world market prices. Consequently, our business and financial results are affected directly and indirectly by world economic, political and regulatory conditions.

 

Conditions such as the uncertainties associated with war, terrorist activities, epidemics, pandemics or political instability in any of the countries in which we operate could affect us by causing delays or losses in the supply or delivery of raw materials and products as well as increasing security costs, insurance premiums and other expenses. These conditions could also result in or lengthen economic recession in the United States, Europe, Asia or elsewhere. Moreover, changes in laws or regulations, such as unexpected changes in regulatory requirements (including import or export licensing requirements), or changes in the reporting requirements of the United States, German or European Union governmental agencies, could increase the cost of doing business in these regions. Any of these conditions may have an effect on our business and financial results as a whole and may result in volatile current and future prices for our securities, including our stock.

 

The industries of many of our customers, particularly the automotive, electrical, construction and textile industries are cyclical in nature and sensitive to changes in economic conditions. A downturn in one or more of these industries may result in a reduction in our operating margins or in operating losses.

 

Some of the markets in which our customers participate, such as the automotive, electrical, construction and textile industries, are cyclical in nature, thus posing a risk to us which is beyond our control. These markets are

highly competitive, to a large extent driven by end-use markets, and may experience overcapacity, all of which may affect demand for and pricing of our products.

 

We are subject to risks associated with the increased volatility in the prices and availability of key raw materials and energy.

 

We purchase significant amounts of natural gas, ethylene, butane, methanol and propylene from third parties for use in our production of basic chemicals in the Chemical Products segment, principally formaldehyde, acetic acid and VAM. We use a portion of our output of these chemicals, in turn, as inputs in the production of further products in all our segments. We also purchase significant amounts of cellulose or wood pulp for use in our production of cellulose acetate in the Acetate Products segment. We purchase significant amounts of natural gas, electricity, coal and fuel oil to supply the energy required in our production processes. Prices of natural gas, oil and other hydrocarbons and energy increased dramatically in 2006 and 2005.

 

We own or lease supplies of various precious metals, such as rhodium, used as catalysts for the production of these chemicals. With growing demand for these precious metals, most notably in the automotive industry, the cost to purchase or lease these precious metals has increased, caused by a shortage in supply.

 

We are exposed to any volatility in the prices of our raw materials and energy. Although we have agreements providing for the supply of natural gas, ethylene, propylene, wood pulp, electricity, coal and fuel oil, the contractual prices for these raw materials and energy vary with market conditions and may be highly volatile. Factors which have caused volatility in our raw material prices in the past and which may do so in the future include:

 

 

If we are not able to fully offset the effects of higher energy and raw material costs, or if such commodities were unavailable, it could have a significant adverse effect on our financial results.

 

Failure to develop new products and production technologies or to implement productivity and cost reduction initiatives successfully may harm our competitive position.

 

Our operating results, especially in our Performance Products and Ticona segments, depend significantly on the development of commercially viable new products, product grades and applications, as well as production technologies. If we are unsuccessful in developing new products, applications and production processes in the future, our competitive position and operating results may be negatively affected. Likewise, we have undertaken and are continuing to undertake initiatives in all segments to improve productivity and performance and to generate cost savings. These initiatives may not be completed or beneficial or the estimated cost savings from such activities may not be realized.

 

Environmental regulations and other obligations relating to environmental matters could subject us to liability for fines, clean-ups and other damages, require us to incur significant costs to modify our operations and increase our manufacturing and delivery costs.

 

Costs related to our compliance with environmental laws and regulations, and potential obligations with respect to contaminated sites may have a significant negative impact on our operating results. These include obligations related to sites currently or formerly owned or operated by us, or where waste from our operations was disposed. We also have obligations related to the indemnity agreement contained in the demerger and transfer agreement between CAG and Hoechst, also referred to as the demerger agreement, for environmental matters arising out of certain divestitures that took place prior to the demerger. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates — Environmental Liabilities” and Notes 18 and 25 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Our operations are subject to extensive international, national, state, local, and other supranational laws and regulations that govern environmental and health and safety matters. We incur substantial capital and other costs to comply with these requirements. If we violate them, we can be held liable for substantial fines and other sanctions, including limitations on our operations as a result of changes to or revocations of environmental permits involved. Stricter environmental, safety and health laws, regulations and enforcement policies could result in substantial costs and liabilities to us or limitations on our operations and could subject our handling, manufacture, use, reuse or disposal of substances or pollutants to more rigorous scrutiny than at present. Consequently, compliance with these laws and regulations could result in significant capital expenditures as well as other costs and liabilities, which could cause our business and operating results to be less favorable than expected.

 

We are also involved in several claims, lawsuits and administrative proceedings relating to environmental matters. An adverse outcome in any of them may negatively affect our earnings and cash flows in a particular reporting period.

 

Changes in environmental, health and safety regulatory requirements could lead to a decrease in demand for our products.

 

New or revised governmental regulations relating to health, safety and the environment may also affect demand for our products.

 

Pursuant to the European Union regulation on Risk Assessment of Existing Chemicals, the European Chemicals Bureau of the European Commission has been conducting risk assessments on approximately 140 major chemicals. Some of the chemicals initially being evaluated include VAM, which we produce. These risk assessments entail a multi-stage process to determine to what extent the European Commission should classify the chemical as a carcinogen and, if so, whether this classification and related labeling requirements should apply only to finished products that contain specified threshold concentrations of a particular chemical. In the case of VAM, we currently do not expect a final ruling until the end of 2007. We and other VAM producers are participating in this process with detailed scientific analyses supporting the industry’s position that VAM is not a probable human carcinogen and that labeling of final products should not be required. We cannot predict the outcome or effect of any final ruling.

 

Several recent studies have investigated possible links between formaldehyde exposure and various end points including leukemia. The International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC recently reclassified formaldehyde from Group 2A (probable human carcinogen) to Group 1 (known human carcinogen) based on studies linking formaldehyde exposure to nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare cancer in humans. IARC also concluded that there is insufficient evidence for a causal association between leukemia and occupational exposure to formaldehyde, although it also characterized evidence for such an association as strong. The results of IARC’s review will be examined by government agencies with responsibility for setting worker and environmental exposure standards and labeling requirements. We are a producer of formaldehyde and plastics derived from formaldehyde. We are participating together with other producers and users in the evaluations of these findings. We cannot predict the final effect of IARC’s reclassification.

 

Other recent initiatives will potentially require toxicological testing and risk assessments of a wide variety of chemicals, including chemicals used or produced by us. These initiatives include the Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program and High Production Volume Chemical Initiative in the United States, as well as various European Commission programs, such as the new European Environment and Health Strategy, commonly known as SCALE, as well as the Proposal for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals or REACH. REACH, which the European Commission proposed in October 2003, will establish a system to register and evaluate chemicals manufactured in, or imported to, the European Union. Additional testing, documentation and risk assessments will occur for the chemical industry. This will affect European producers of chemicals as well as all chemical companies worldwide that export to member states of the European Union.

 

The above-mentioned assessments in the United States and Europe may result in heightened concerns about the chemicals involved and additional requirements being placed on the production, handling, labeling or use of the subject chemicals. Such concerns and additional requirements could increase the cost incurred by our customers to

use our chemical products and otherwise limit the use of these products, which could lead to a decrease in demand for these products. Such a decrease in demand would likely have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

 

Our production facilities handle the processing of some volatile and hazardous materials that subject us to operating risks that could have a negative effect on our operating results.

 

Our operations are subject to operating risks associated with chemical manufacturing, including the related storage and transportation of raw materials, products and waste. These risks include, among other things pipeline and storage tank leaks and ruptures, explosions and fires and discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances.

 

These operating risks can cause personal injury, property damage and environmental contamination, and may result in the shutdown of affected facilities and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. The occurrence of any of these events may disrupt production and have a negative effect on the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility and our operating results and cash flows.

 

Recently proposed federal legislation aimed at increasing security at certain chemical production plants and similar legislation that may be proposed in the future could, if passed into law, require us to relocate certain manufacturing activities and require us to alter or discontinue our production of certain chemical products, thereby increasing our operating costs and causing an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Legislation is currently pending in Congress which is aimed at decreasing the risk, and effects, of potential terrorist attacks on chemical plants located within the United States. Pursuant to proposed legislation, these goals would be accomplished in part through the requirement that certain high-priority facilities develop a prevention, preparedness, and response plan after conducting a vulnerability assessment. In addition, companies may be required to evaluate the possibility of using less dangerous chemicals and technologies as part of their vulnerability assessments and prevention plans and implementing feasible safer technologies in order to minimize potential damage to their facilities from a terrorist attack. Pending legislation will likely be revised further, and additional legislation may be proposed in the future on this topic. It is possible that such future legislation could contain terms that are more restrictive than what has recently been proposed and which would be more costly to us. We cannot predict the final form of currently pending legislation, or other related legislation that may be passed and can provide no assurance that such legislation will not have an adverse effect on our results of operations in a future reporting period.

 

Our significant non-U.S. operations expose us to global exchange rate fluctuations that could adversely impact our profitability.

 

We are exposed to market risk through commercial and financial operations. Our market risk consists principally of exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange and interest rates. As we conduct a significant portion of our operations outside the United States, fluctuations in currencies of other countries, especially the euro, may materially affect our operating results. For example, changes in currency exchange rates may decrease our profits in comparison to the profits of our competitors on the same products sold in the same markets and increase the cost of items required in our operations.

 

A substantial portion of our net sales is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In our consolidated financial statements, we translate our local currency financial results into U.S. dollars based on average exchange rates prevailing during a reporting period or the exchange rate at the end of that period. During times of a strengthening U.S. dollar, at a constant level of business, our reported international sales, earnings, assets and liabilities will be reduced because the local currency will translate into fewer U.S. dollars.

 

In addition to currency translation risks, we incur a currency transaction risk whenever one of our operating subsidiaries enters into either a purchase or a sales transaction using a currency different from the operating subsidiary’s functional currency. Given the volatility of exchange rates, we may not be able to manage our currency transaction and translation risks effectively, and volatility in currency exchange rates may expose our financial

condition or results of operations to a significant additional risk. Since a portion of our indebtedness is and will be denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars, a weakening of the U.S. dollar could make it more difficult for us to repay our indebtedness.

 

We use financial instruments to hedge our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, but we cannot guarantee that our hedging strategies will be effective.

 

Failure to effectively manage these risks could have an adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows

 

Significant changes in pension fund investment performance or assumptions relating to pension costs may have a material effect on the valuation of pension obligations, the funded status of pension plans, and our pension cost.

 

Our funding policy for pension plans is to accumulate plan assets that, over the long run, will approximate the present value of projected benefit obligations. Our pension cost is materially affected by the discount rate used to measure pension obligations, the level of plan assets available to fund those obligations at the measurement date and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. Significant changes in investment performance or a change in the portfolio mix of invested assets can result in corresponding increases and decreases in the valuation of plan assets, particularly equity securities, or in a change of the expected rate of return on plan assets. A change in the discount rate would result in a significant increase or decrease in the valuation of pension obligations, affecting the reported funded status of our pension plans as well as the net periodic pension cost in the following fiscal years. Similarly, changes in the expected return on plan assets can result in significant changes in the net periodic pension cost for subsequent fiscal years.

 

CAG may be required to make payments to Hoechst.

 

Under its 1999 demerger agreement with Hoechst, CAG agreed to indemnify Hoechst for environmental liabilities that Hoechst may incur with respect to CAG’s German production sites, which were transferred from Hoechst to CAG in connection with the demerger. CAG also has an obligation to indemnify Hoechst against liabilities for environmental damages or contamination arising under certain divestiture agreements entered into by Hoechst prior to the demerger. As the indemnification obligations depend on the occurrence of unpredictable future events, the costs associated with them are not yet determinable and may materially affect operating results.

 

CAG’s obligation to indemnify Hoechst against liabilities for environmental contamination in connection with the divestiture agreements is subject to the following thresholds:

 

 

CAG has made total cumulative payments through December 31, 2006 of $44 million for environmental contamination liabilities in connection with the divestiture agreements, and may be required to make additional payments in the future. As of December 31, 2006, we have reserves of approximately $33 million for this contingency, and may be required to record additional reserves in the future.

 

Also, CAG has undertaken in the demerger agreement to indemnify Hoechst to the extent that Hoechst is required to discharge liabilities, including tax liabilities, in relation to assets included in the demerger, where such liabilities have not been demerged due to transfer or other restrictions. CAG did not make any payments to Hoechst during the year ended December 31, 2006, 2005 or 2004 in connection with this indemnity.

 

Under the demerger agreement, CAG will also be responsible, directly or indirectly, for all of Hoechst’s obligations to past employees of businesses that were demerged to CAG. Under the demerger agreement, Hoechst agreed to indemnify CAG from liabilities (other than liabilities for environmental contamination) stemming from the agreements governing the divestiture of Hoechst’s polyester businesses, which were demerged to CAG, insofar as such liabilities relate to the European part of that business. Hoechst has also agreed to bear 80% of the financial

obligations arising in connection with the government investigation and litigation associated with the sorbates industry for price fixing described in Note 25 to the consolidated financial statements, and CAG has agreed to bear the remaining 20%.

 

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly and affect our operating results.

 

Certain of our borrowings, primarily borrowings under the amended and restated senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates were to increase, our debt service obligations on our variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same. As of December 31, 2006, we had approximately $1.9 billion of variable rate debt, of which $0.3 billion is hedged with an interest rate swap, which leaves us approximately $1.6 billion of variable rate debt subject to interest rate exposure. Accordingly, a 1% increase in interest rates would increase annual interest expense by approximately $16 million. There can be no assurance that interest rates will not rise significantly in the future. Such an increase could have an adverse impact on our future results of operations and cash flows.

 

The disposition by the Original Shareholders of at least 90% of their equity interest will satisfy a vesting condition under our deferred compensation plan.

 

In December 2004, we approved, among other incentive and retention programs, a deferred compensation plan for executive officers and key employees. The programs were intended to align management performance with the creation of shareholder value. The deferred compensation plan has an aggregate maximum amount payable of $196 million over five years ending in 2009. The initial component of the deferred compensation plan vested in 2004 and was paid in the first quarter of 2005. The remaining aggregate maximum amount payable of $142 million is subject to downward adjustment if the price of our Series A common stock falls below the initial public offering price of $16 per share and vests subject to both (i) continued employment or the achievement of certain performance criteria and (2) the disposition by three of the four Original Shareholders of at least 90% of their equity interest in the Company with at least a 25% cash internal rate of return on their equity interest. The Original Shareholders have an equity interest of approximately 14.09%. Upon the occurrence of a qualifying sale, as defined, the amount vested and payable under the plan as of December 31, 2006 would be approximately $75 million, exclusive of $19 million accrued in 2006 and payable in 2007 due to the accelerated vesting of certain plan participants.

 

Our future success will depend in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights. Our inability to enforce these rights could reduce our ability to maintain our market position and our profit margins.

 

We attach great importance to patents, trademarks, copyrights and product designs in order to protect our investment in research and development, manufacturing and marketing. Our policy is to seek the widest possible protection for significant product and process developments in our major markets. Patents may cover products, processes, intermediate products and product uses. Protection for individual products extends for varying periods in accordance with the date of patent application filing and the legal life of patents in the various countries. The protection afforded, which may also vary from country to country, depends upon the type of patent and its scope of coverage. As patents expire, the products and processes described and claimed in those patents become generally available for use by the public. Our continued growth strategy may bring us to regions of the world where intellectual property protection may be limited and difficult to enforce.

 

We also seek to register trademarks extensively as a means of protecting the brand names of our products, which brand names become more important once the corresponding patents have expired. If we are not successful in protecting our trademark or patent rights, our revenues, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.

 

Provisions in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as any shareholders’ rights plan, may discourage a takeover attempt.

 

Provisions contained in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our shareholders. Provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws impose various procedural and other requirements, which could make it more difficult for shareholders to effect certain corporate actions. For example, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of unissued series of preferred stock, without any vote or action by our shareholders. Thus, our board of directors can authorize and issue shares of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting or other rights of holders of our Series A common stock. These rights may have the effect of delaying or deterring a change of control of our company. In addition, a change of control of our company may be delayed or deterred as a result of our having three classes of directors (each class elected for a three year term) or as a result of any shareholders’ rights plan that our board of directors may adopt. These provisions could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Series A common stock.

 

Risks Related to the Acquisition of CAG

 

The amounts of the fair cash compensation and of the guaranteed annual payment offered under the domination and profit and loss transfer agreement (“Domination Agreement”) may be increased, which may further reduce the funds the Purchaser can otherwise make available to us.

 

Several minority shareholders of CAG have initiated special award proceedings seeking the court’s review of the amounts of the fair cash compensation and of the guaranteed annual payment offered under the Domination Agreement. On March 14, 2005, the Frankfurt District Court dismissed on grounds of inadmissibility the motions of all minority shareholders regarding the initiation of these special award proceedings. In January 2006, the Frankfurt Higher District Court ruled that the appeals were admissible, and the proceedings will therefore continue. On December 12, 2006, the Frankfurt District Court appointed an expert to help determine the value of CAG. As a result of these proceedings, the amounts of the fair cash compensation and of the guaranteed annual payment could be increased by the court, and the Purchaser would be required to make such payments within two months after the publication of the court’s ruling. Any such increase may be substantial. All minority shareholders including those who have already received the fair cash compensation would be entitled to claim the respective higher amounts. This may reduce the funds the Purchaser can make available to us and, accordingly, diminish our ability to make payments on our indebtedness. See Notes 2 and 25 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

 

The Purchaser may be required to compensate CAG for annual losses, which may reduce the funds the Purchaser can otherwise make available to us.

 

Under the Domination Agreement, the Purchaser is required, among other things, to compensate CAG for any annual loss incurred, determined in accordance with German accounting requirements, by CAG at the end of the fiscal year in which the loss was incurred. This obligation to compensate CAG for annual losses will apply during the entire term of the Domination Agreement. If CAG incurs losses during any period of the operative term of the Domination Agreement and if such losses lead to an annual loss of CAG at the end of any given fiscal year during the term of the Domination Agreement, the Purchaser will be obligated to make a corresponding cash payment to CAG to the extent that the respective annual loss is not fully compensated for by the dissolution of profit reserves accrued at the level of CAG during the term of the Domination Agreement. The Purchaser may be able to reduce or avoid cash payments to CAG by off-setting against such loss compensation claims by CAG any valuable counterclaims against CAG that the Purchaser may have. If the Purchaser is obligated to make cash payments to CAG to cover an annual loss, we may not have sufficient funds to make payments on our indebtedness when due and, unless the Purchaser is able to obtain funds from a source other than annual profits of CAG, the Purchaser may not be able to satisfy its obligation to fund such shortfall. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

We and two of our subsidiaries have taken on certain obligations with respect to the Purchaser’s obligation under the Domination Agreement and intercompany indebtedness to CAG, which may diminish our ability to make payments on our indebtedness.

 

Our subsidiaries, Celanese Caylux and BCP Crystal, have each agreed to provide the Purchaser with financing so that the Purchaser is at all times in a position to completely meet its obligations under, or in connection with, the Domination Agreement. In addition, Celanese has guaranteed (i) that the Purchaser will meet its obligation under the Domination Agreement to compensate CAG for any annual loss incurred by CAG during the term of the Domination Agreement; and (ii) the repayment of all existing intercompany indebtedness of Celanese’s subsidiaries to CAG. Further, under the terms of Celanese’s guarantee, in certain limited circumstances CAG may be entitled to require the immediate repayment of some or all of the intercompany indebtedness owed by Celanese’s subsidiaries to CAG. If Celanese, Celanese Caylux and/or BCP Crystal are obligated to make payments under their obligations to the Purchaser or CAG, as the case may be, or if the intercompany indebtedness owed to CAG is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds for payments on our indebtedness when due or other expenditures.

 

The price paid by the Purchaser for the acquisition of the remaining outstanding CAG shares may be challenged in court.

 

The price could increase if the amount of fair cash compensation is successfully challenged in court. See Note 25 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

 

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

 

Our high level of indebtedness could diminish our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or the chemicals industry and prevent us from meeting obligations under our indebtedness.

 

We are highly leveraged. Our total indebtedness is approximately $3.5 billion as of December 31, 2006 (excluding $134 million of future accretion on the senior discount notes).

 

Our substantial debt could have important consequences, including:

 

 

Despite our current high leverage, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantially more debt. This could further exacerbate the risks of our high leverage.

 

We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of our existing debt do not fully prohibit us from doing so. If new debt, including amounts available under our amended and restated senior credit facilities, is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Liquidity — Contractual Obligations.”

 

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

 

Our ability to satisfy our cash needs depends on cash on hand, receipt of additional capital, including possible additional borrowings, and receipt of cash from our subsidiaries by way of distributions, advances or cash payments. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Liquidity — Contractual Obligations.”

 

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on the financial condition and operating performance of our subsidiaries, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.

 

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. The amended and restated senior credit facilities and the indentures governing our indebtedness restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

 

Restrictive covenants in our debt instruments may limit our ability to engage in certain transactions and may diminish our ability to make payments on our indebtedness.

 

The amended and restated senior credit facilities and the indentures governing our indebtedness contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. The covenants contained in the indentures limit the ability of Crystal LLC, BCP Crystal and their restricted subsidiaries to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, pay dividends on or make other distributions on or repurchase their capital stock or make other restricted payments, make investments, and sell certain assets.

 

In addition, the amended and restated senior credit facilities contain covenants that require Celanese Holdings to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy other financial condition tests. Celanese Holdings’ ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond its control, and it may not be able to meet those tests at all. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the amended and restated senior credit facilities. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the amended and restated senior credit facilities, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under the amended and restated senior credit facilities to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If Celanese Holdings were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under the amended and restated senior credit facilities could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. Our subsidiaries have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under the amended and restated senior credit facilities. If the lenders under the amended and restated senior credit facilities accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay amounts borrowed under the amended and restated senior credit facilities as well as their other indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on the value of our stock.

 

The terms of our amended and restated senior credit facilities limit the ability of BCP Crystal and its subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise transfer their assets to us.

 

Our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries and our ability to pay dividends is dependent on the earnings and the distribution of funds from our subsidiaries. However, the terms of our amended and restated senior credit facilities limit the ability of BCP Crystal and its subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise transfer their assets to us. Accordingly, our ability to pay dividends on our stock is similarly limited.

 

None

 

Description of Property

 

As of December 31, 2006, we had numerous production and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. We also own or lease other properties, including office buildings, warehouses, pipelines, research and development facilities and sales offices. We continuously review and evaluate our facilities as a part of our strategy to optimize our business portfolio. The following table sets forth a list of our principal production and other facilities throughout the world as of December 31, 2006.

 

 

 

 

Polyplastics has its principal production facilities in Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia. KEPCO has its principal production facilities in South Korea. Our Chemical Products segment has ventures with manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia and Germany and our Acetate Products segment has three ventures with production facilities in China.

 

We believe that our current facilities and those of our consolidated subsidiaries are adequate to meet the requirements of our present and foreseeable future operations. We continue to review our capacity requirements as part of our strategy to maximize our global manufacturing efficiency.

 

For information on environmental issues associated with our properties, see “Business — Environmental and Other Regulation” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Environmental Matters.” Additional information with respect to our property, plant and equipment, and leases is contained in Notes 11 and 23 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

We are involved in a number of legal proceedings, lawsuits and claims incidental to the normal conduct of our business, relating to such matters as product liability, antitrust, past waste disposal practices and release of chemicals into the environment. While it is impossible at this time to determine with certainty the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, lawsuits and claims, we believe, based on the advice of legal counsel, that adequate provisions have been made and that the ultimate outcomes will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, but may have a material adverse effect on the results of operations or cash flows in any given accounting period. See Note 25 (“commitments and contingencies”) to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of legal proceedings.

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2006.

 

Market Information

 

Our Series A common stock has traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CE” since January 21, 2005. The closing sale price of our Series A common stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, on February 12, 2007 was $28.53. The following table sets forth the high and low intraday sales prices per share of our common stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, for the periods indicated.

 

 

Holders

 

No shares of Celanese’s Series B common stock are issued and outstanding. As of February 12, 2007, there were 118 holders of record of our Series A common stock, and one holder of record of our perpetual preferred stock. By including persons holding shares in broker accounts under street names, however, we estimate our shareholder base to be approximately 46,300 as of February 12, 2007.

 

Dividend Policy

 

In July 2005, our board of directors adopted a policy of declaring, subject to legally available funds, a quarterly cash dividend on each share of our Series A common stock at an annual rate of $0.16 per share unless our board of directors, in its sole discretion, determines otherwise. Pursuant to this policy, we paid quarterly dividends of $0.04 per share on February 1, 2006, May 1, 2006, August 1, 2006, November 1, 2006 and February 1, 2007. Based on the number of outstanding shares of our Series A common stock, the anticipated annual cash dividend is approximately $26 million. However, there is no assurance that sufficient cash will be available in the future to pay such dividend. Further, such dividends payable to holders of our Series A common stock cannot be declared or paid nor can any funds be set aside for the payment thereof, unless we have paid or set aside funds for the payment of all accumulated and unpaid dividends with respect to the shares of our preferred stock, as described below.

 

Our board of directors may, at any time, modify or revoke our dividend policy on our Series A common stock.

 

We are required under the terms of the preferred stock to pay scheduled quarterly dividends, subject to legally available funds. For so long as the preferred stock remains outstanding, (1) we will not declare, pay or set apart funds for the payment of any dividend or other distribution with respect to any junior stock or parity stock and (2) neither we, nor any of our subsidiaries, will, subject to certain exceptions, redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration junior stock or parity stock through a sinking fund or otherwise, in each case unless we have paid or set apart funds for the payment of all accumulated and unpaid dividends with respect to the shares of preferred stock and any parity stock for all preceding dividend periods. Pursuant to this policy, we paid quarterly dividends of $0.265625 on our 4.25% convertible perpetual preferred stock on February 1, 2006, May 1, 2006, August 1, 2006, November 1, 2006 and February 1, 2007. The anticipated annual cash dividend is approximately $10 million.

 

The amount available to us to pay cash dividends is restricted by our subsidiaries’ debt agreements. The indentures governing the senior subordinated notes and the senior discount notes also limit, but do not prohibit, the ability of BCP Crystal, Crystal LLC and their respective subsidiaries to pay dividends. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

 

Under Delaware law, our board of directors may declare dividends only to the extent of our “surplus” (which is defined as total assets at fair market value minus total liabilities, minus statutory capital), or if there is no surplus, out of our net profits for the then current and/or immediately preceding fiscal years. The value of a corporation’s assets can be measured in a number of ways and may not necessarily equal their book value. The value of our capital may be adjusted from time to time by our board of directors but in no event will be less than the aggregate par value of our issued stock. Our board of directors may base this determination on our financial statements, a fair valuation of our assets or another reasonable method. Our board of directors will seek to assure itself that the statutory requirements will be met before actually declaring dividends. In future periods, our board of directors may seek opinions from outside valuation firms to the effect that our solvency or assets are sufficient to allow payment of dividends, and such opinions may not be forthcoming. If we sought and were not able to obtain such an opinion, we likely would not be able to pay dividends. In addition, pursuant to the terms of our preferred stock, we are prohibited from paying a dividend on our Series A common stock unless all payments due and payable under the preferred stock have been made.

 

Celanese Purchases of its Equity Securities

 

None.

Performance Graph

 

The following Performance Graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such filing.

 

Cumulative Total Return to Stockholders Celanese Corporation, S&P 500 Composite
Index, S&P 500 Chemicals Index and S&P 500 Specialty Chemicals Index % Return
to Shareholders, January 21, 2005 to December 31, 2006

 

 

This comparison is based on a return assuming $100 invested January 21, 2005 in Celanese Corporation Common Stock and the S&P 500 Composite Index, the S&P 500 Chemicals Index and the S&P Specialty Chemicals Index, assuming the reinvestment of all dividends. January 21, 2005 is the date the Company’s Common Stock commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

Equity Compensation Plans

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

The following information is provided as of December 31, 2006 with respect to equity compensation plans:

 

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

None.

 

The balance sheet data shown below as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, and the statements of operations and cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and the three months ended March 31, 2004, all of which are set forth below, are derived from the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this document and should be read in conjunction with those financial statements and the notes thereto. The balance sheet data shown below as of December 31, 2004 was derived from our 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2006, adjusted for applicable discontinued operations. The statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2003 and 2002 (in the case of the December 31, 2002 only, unaudited), all of which are set forth below, have been derived from, and translated into U.S. dollars based on, CAG’s historical euro audited financial statements and the underlying accounting records. This document presents the financial information relating to the Predecessor and the Successor. Accordingly, financial and other information of CAG is presented in this document for periods through March 31, 2004 and our financial and other information is presented as of and for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and as of and for the nine months ended December 31, 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During 2006, we declared and paid dividends to holders of our Series A common shares of $26 million, or $0.04 per share per quarter. During 2005, we declared and paid dividends to holders of our Series A common shares of $13 million, or $0.04 per share per quarter.

Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the term “Celanese” refers to Celanese Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and not its subsidiaries. The terms the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and Successor refer to Celanese and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The term “BCP Crystal” refers to our subsidiary, BCP Crystal US Holdings Corp., a Delaware corporation, and not its subsidiaries. The term “Purchaser” refers to our subsidiary, Celanese Europe Holding GmbH & Co. KG, formerly known as BCP Crystal Acquisition GmbH & Co. KG, a German limited partnership, and not its subsidiaries, except where otherwise indicated. The term “Original Shareholders” refers, collectively, to Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 1, Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 2, Blackstone Capital Partners (Cayman) Ltd. 3 and BA Capital Investors Sidecar Fund, L.P. The terms “Sponsor” and “Advisor” refer to certain affiliates of The Blackstone Group.

 

You should read the following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and the results of operations together with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements, which were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”).

 

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations covers periods prior and subsequent to the acquisition of CAG and its subsidiaries (collectively “CAG” or the “Predecessor”). Accordingly, the discussion and analysis of historical periods prior to the acquisition do not reflect the significant impact that the acquisition of CAG has had and will have on the Successor, including increased leverage and liquidity requirements as well as purchase accounting adjustments. Furthermore, the Successor and the Predecessor have different accounting policies with respect to certain matters (see Note 4 to the notes to consolidated financial statements). Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements contained in this section involve both risk and uncertainty. Several important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these statements. Many of these statements are macroeconomic in nature and are, therefore, beyond the control of management. See “Forward-Looking Information” located below.

 

The results for the nine months ended December 31, 2005 and the three months ended March 31, 2005 have not been audited and should not be taken as an indication of the results of operations to be reported for any subsequent period or for the full fiscal year.

 

Reconciliation of Non-U.S. GAAP Measures: We believe that using non-U.S. GAAP financial measures to supplement U.S. GAAP results is useful to investors because such use provides a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business other than disclosing U.S. GAAP results alone. In this regard, we disclose net debt, which is a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure. Net debt is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. We use net debt to evaluate the capital structure. Net debt is not a substitute for any U.S. GAAP financial measure. In addition, calculations of net debt contained in this report may not be consistent with that of other companies. The most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP in our financial statements for net debt is total debt. For a reconciliation of net debt to total debt, see “Financial Highlights” below. For a reconciliation of trade working capital to working capital components, see “Selected Financial Data.”

 

Forward-Looking Statements May Prove Inaccurate

 

This Annual Report contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to us that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, us. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our strategies, plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, expenditures, and assumptions and other statements contained in this Annual Report that are not historical facts. When used in this document, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” ”estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan” and “project” and similar expressions, as they relate to us are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate.

 

See the Risk Factors section under Part 1, Item 1A for a description of risk factors that could significantly affect our financial results. In addition, the following factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those

results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things:

 

 

Many of these factors are macroeconomic in nature and are, therefore, beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those described in this Annual Report as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, planned or projected. We neither intend nor assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The Successor period represents our audited consolidated financial position as of December 31, 2006 and 2005 and our audited consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004 and its unaudited interim consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the nine months ended December 31, 2005 and the three months ended March 31, 2005. These consolidated financial statements reflect the application of purchase accounting relating to the original acquisition of CAG and purchase price accounting adjustments relating to the acquisitions of Vinamul, Acetex and additional CAG shares acquired during the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

The Predecessor period represents CAG’s audited interim consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2004. These consolidated financial statements relate to periods prior to the acquisition of CAG and present CAG’s historical basis of accounting without the application of purchase accounting.

 

The results of the Successor are not comparable to the results of the Predecessor due to the difference in the basis of presentation of purchase accounting as compared to historical cost. Furthermore, the Successor and the Predecessor have different accounting policies with respect to certain matters.

 

Change in Ownership and Initial Public Offering

 

Pursuant to a voluntary tender offer commenced in February 2004, the Purchaser, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Celanese Corporation, on April 6, 2004, acquired approximately 84% of the ordinary shares of Celanese AG, excluding treasury shares, for a purchase price of $1,693 million, including direct acquisition costs of $69 million (the “Acquisition”). During the year ended December 31, 2005 and the nine months ended December 31, 2004, the Purchaser acquired additional CAG shares for $473 million and $33 million, respectively, including direct acquisition costs of $4 million and less than $1 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2006, our ownership percentage in CAG was approximately 98%. As a result of the effective registration of the Squeeze-Out (as defined in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements) in the commercial register in December 2006, we acquired the remaining 2% of CAG in January 2007.

 

On November 3, 2004, Blackstone Crystal Holdings Capital Partners (Cayman) IV Ltd., reorganized as a Delaware corporation and changed its name to Celanese Corporation. Additionally, BCP Crystal Holdings Ltd. 2, a subsidiary of Celanese Corporation, was reorganized as a Delaware limited liability company and changed its name to Celanese Holdings LLC.

 

In January 2005, we completed an initial public offering of 50,000,000 shares of Series A common stock and received net proceeds of $752 million after deducting underwriters’ discounts and offering expenses of $48 million. Concurrently, we received net proceeds of $233 million from the offering of our convertible perpetual preferred stock. A portion of the proceeds of the share offerings were used to redeem $188 million of our senior discount notes and $521 million of our senior subordinated notes, excluding early redemption premiums of $19 million and $51 million, respectively. See Notes 2 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

Overview

 

We are an integrated global hybrid producer of value-added industrial chemicals. We are the world’s largest producer of acetyl products, including acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (“VAM”), polyacetal products (“POM”), as well as a leading global producer of high-performance engineered polymers used in consumer and industrial products and designed to meet highly technical customer requirements. We believe that approximately 95% of our differentiated intermediate and specialty products hold first or second market positions globally. Our operations are located primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. We believe we are one of the lowest-cost producers of key building block chemicals in the acetyls chain, such as acetic acid and VAM, due to our economies of scale, operating and purchasing efficiencies and proprietary production technologies. In addition, we have a significant portfolio of strategic investments, including a number of ventures in North America, Europe and Asia. Collectively, these strategic investments create value for the Company and contribute significantly to sales, earnings and cash flow. These investments play an integral role in our strategy for growth and expansion of our global reach. We have entered into these strategic investments in order to gain access to local markets, minimize costs and accelerate growth in areas we believe have significant future business potential.

 

We operate principally through four business segments: Chemical Products, Technical Polymers Ticona (“Ticona”), Acetate Products and Performance Products. For further detail on the business segments, see below “Summary by Business Segment” in the “Results of Operations” section of MD&A.

 

Sale of Oxo Products and Derivatives businesses

 

On December 13, 2006, we signed a definitive agreement to sell our oxo products and derivatives businesses, including European Oxo GmbH (“EOXO”), a joint venture between CAG and Degussa AG (“Degussa”), to Advent International, for a purchase price of €480 million subject to final agreement adjustments and successful exercise of our option to purchase Degussa’s interest. We anticipate the sale to be completed in the first quarter of 2007. During the year ended December 31, 2006, we recorded approximately $8 million of expense to Gain (loss) on disposition of assets, net for incremental costs associated with this pending divestiture.

 

Relocation of Ticona Plant in Kelsterbach

 

On November 29, 2006, we reached a settlement with the Frankfurt, Germany, Airport (“Fraport”) to relocate our Kelsterbach, Germany, business, resolving several years of legal disputes related to the planned Frankfurt airport expansion. As a result of the settlement, we will transition our administration and operations from Kelsterbach to another location in Germany by mid-2011. Over a five-year period, Fraport will pay us a total of €650 million to offset the costs associated with the transition of the business from its current location and the closure of the Kelsterbach plant. As of December 31, 2006, Fraport has paid us a total of €20 million ($26 million) towards the transition. The amount has been accounted for as deferred income, is included in Other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2006 and is reflected as an investing activity in the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Financial Reporting Changes

 

See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for information regarding financial reporting changes and recent accounting pronouncements.

 

Major Events In 2006

 

 

Major Events In 2005

 

 

 

Major Events In 2004

 

 

Financial Highlights