NAPERVILLE, Ill., Nov. 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nalco Holding Company (NYSE:NLC), providing essential expertise for water, energy, and air, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nalco Company, is calling for redemption of the remainder of its U.S. dollar-denominated 7.75% Senior Notes due in November of 2011. The redemption is being done at the par value of $190 million utilizing cash on hand, and is effective Dec. 28, 2009.
"We have generated record Free Cash Flow this year, and retiring this debt early is consistent with the company's stated intentions of reducing its leverage," said Bradley J. Bell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "This action will save almost $15 million in annual interest expense and is more attractive than retiring the lower interest rate $167-million Term Loan B maturity of November 2010. We expect that future cash flow and other resources will be sufficient to satisfy that obligation on schedule, further de-levering our balance sheet," added Bell.
Addressing the higher cost debt first in this manner was made possible through a recently arranged set of amendments to Nalco's credit agreements. Among other features, those amendments also permit additional secured debt to be issued to call the Euro 200 million tranche of Nalco's 7.75% Senior Notes, otherwise due 2011, which could be expected to provide additional savings in interest expense.
About Nalco
Nalco is the world's leading water treatment and process improvement company, delivering significant environmental, social and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. More than 11,500 Nalco employees operate in 130 countries supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2008, Nalco achieved sales of more than $4.2 billion. For more information visit www.nalco.com.
The Nalco Company logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1135
This news release includes forward-looking statements, reflecting current analysis and expectations, based on what are believed to be reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected, stated or implied, depending on many factors, including, without limitation: ability to generate cash, ability to raise capital, ability to refinance, the result of the pursuit of strategic alternatives, ability to execute work process redesign and reduce costs, ability to execute price increases, business climate, business performance, economic and competitive uncertainties, higher manufacturing costs, reduced level of customer orders, changes in strategies, risks in developing new products and technologies, environmental and safety regulations and clean-up costs, foreign exchange rates, the impact of changes in the regulation or value of pension fund assets and liabilities, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, adverse legal and regulatory developments, including increases in the number or financial exposures of claims, lawsuits, settlements or judgments, or the inability to eliminate or reduce such financial exposures by collecting indemnity payments from insurers, the impact of increased accruals and reserves for such exposures, weather-related factors, and adverse changes in economic and political climates around the world, including terrorism and international hostilities, and other risk factors identified by the Company. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Company will meet future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. This paragraph is included to provide safe harbor for forward-looking statements, which are not generally required to be publicly revised as circumstances change, and which the Company does not intend to update.