Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. Discussion and analysis regarding our financial condition and results of operations for 2023 as compared to 2022 is included in Item 7 of our Annual Report for the year-ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 14, 2024. Information in this section is intended to assist the reader in obtaining an understanding of our Consolidated Financial Statements, the changes in certain key items in those financial statements from year-to-year, the primary factors that accounted for those changes, any known trends or uncertainties that we are aware of that may have a material effect on our future performance, as well as how certain accounting principles affect our Consolidated Financial Statements. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially from those forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Operational and Commercial Update
Sales volume for 2024 was approximately 103 thousand MT, consisting of LTA volume of 13 thousand MT and non-LTA volume of 90 thousand MT, representing an increase of 13% compared to 92 thousand MT in 2023, consisting of LTA volume of 29 thousand MT and non-LTA volume of 63 thousand MT.
In 2024, our weighted-average realized price from LTAs was approximately $8,100 per MT and our weighted-average realized price for non-LTA sales of graphite electrodes was approximately $4,200 per MT. Our weighted-average realized non-LTA price decreased 22% compared to 2023, with the decline reflecting the persistent competitive pressures in the regions in which we operate. In 2023, our weighted-average realized price from LTAs was approximately $8,800 per MT and our weighted-average realized price for non-LTA sales of graphite electrodes was approximately $5,400 per MT.
Production volume for 2024 was approximately 97 thousand MT, increasing 10% compared to 2023. We continue to proactively reduced our graphite electrode production volume to align with our evolving demand outlook and to manage our inventory levels to meet our requirements.
Capital Structure and Liquidity
As of December 31, 2024, we had liquidity of $464.2 million, consisting of $108.0 million of availability under our 2018 Revolving Credit Facility, $100.0 million of availability under our Initial First Lien Term Loan Facility (with respect to the Delayed Draw Commitments thereunder) and cash and cash equivalents of $256.2 million. As of December 31, 2024, we had total debt of approximately $1.1 billion.
Outlook
In 2024, steel industry production remained constrained by global economic and geopolitical uncertainty. As we enter 2025, industry analyst projections indicate a modest recovery in global steel demand is expected for the year. However, significant geopolitical uncertainty remains, including the potential impact of policymaking on the interest rate environment, global trade and decarbonization policies. As we closely monitor all of these developments and assess their potential impact on the commercial environment for graphite electrodes, our current outlook is that demand for graphite electrodes in the near term will remain relatively flat in the key regions in which we operate.
For GrafTech, despite the industry-wide headwinds, we anticipate a low double-digit percentage point year-over-year increase in our sales volume for 2025 on a full-year basis as we continue to regain market share. This reflects our compelling customer value proposition and our ongoing focus on delivering on the needs of our customers. Of our anticipated 2025 sales volume, to date, we have over 60% committed in our order book following the successful completion of the customer negotiations that occur in the fourth quarter of each year.
As it relates to price, challenging pricing dynamics have persisted in most regions and the pricing environment remains unsustainably low. As a result, we are taking further actions to accelerate our path to normalized levels of profitability and support our ability to invest in our business. These include initiatives to optimize our order book and actively shift the geographic mix of our business to regions where there is an opportunity to capture higher average selling prices. In addition, we have informed our customers of our intention to increase prices by 15% on volume that is not yet committed for 2025.
As it relates to costs, we will continue to execute our initiatives to improve our cost structure. Reflecting these actions and the benefit of the anticipated increase in our sales and production volume levels, we expect a mid-single digit percentage
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point decline in our cash cost of goods sold per MT for 2025 compared to 2024 and is expected to continue to trend toward our long-term expectation of approximately $3,700 per MT.
In addition, we will continue to closely manage our working capital levels and capital expenditures. For 2025, we expect the net impact of working capital will be favorable to our full year cash flow performance, although to a lesser extent than in each of the previous two years which reflected our efforts to align inventory levels with our view on demand. We anticipate our full year 2025 capital expenditures will be approximately $40 million.
Longer term, we remain confident that the steel industry’s efforts to decarbonize will lead to increased adoption of the electric arc furnace method of steelmaking, driving long-term demand growth for graphite electrodes. We also anticipate the demand for petroleum needle coke, the key raw material we use to produce graphite electrodes, to accelerate driven by its utilization in producing synthetic graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries for the growing electric vehicle market. We believe that the near-term actions we are taking, supported by an industry-leading position and our sustainable competitive advantages, including our substantial vertical integration into petroleum needle coke via our Seadrift facility, will optimally position GrafTech to benefit from that long-term growth.
Key metrics used by management to measure performance
In addition to measures of financial performance presented in our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"), we use certain other financial measures and operating metrics to analyze the performance of our Company. The “non‑GAAP” financial measures consist of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net (loss) income and adjusted (loss) earnings per share, which help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets, assess operational efficiencies and evaluate our overall financial performance. The key operating metrics consist of sales volume, production volume, production capacity and capacity utilization.
Key financial measures
Year ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per share amounts) 2024 2023
Net sales $ 538,782 $ 620,500
Net loss (131,165) (255,250)
Loss per share (1)
(0.51) (0.99)
EBITDA (2)
(11,411) (162,227)
Adjusted net loss (2)
(106,144) (100,752)
Adjusted loss (1)(2)
(0.41) (0.39)
Adjusted EBITDA (2)
1,632 20,484
(1) Loss per share represents diluted loss per share. Adjusted loss per share represents adjusted diluted loss per share.
(2) Non-GAAP financial measure; see below for information and reconciliations to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.
Key operating measures
In addition to measures of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP, we use certain operating metrics to analyze the performance of our company. The key operating metrics consist of sales volume, production volume, production capacity and capacity utilization. These metrics align with management's assessment of our revenue performance and profit margin, and will help investors understand the factors that drive our profitability.
Sales volume reflects the total volume of graphite electrodes sold for which revenue has been recognized during the period. For a discussion of our revenue recognition policy, see “—Critical accounting policies—Revenue recognition” in this section. Sales volume helps investors understand the factors that drive our net sales.
Production volume reflects graphite electrodes produced during the period. Production capacity reflects expected maximum production volume during the period depending on product mix and expected maintenance outage. Actual production
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may vary. Capacity utilization reflects production volume as a percentage of production capacity. Production volume, production capacity and capacity utilization help us understand the efficiency of our production and evaluate cost of goods sold.
Year ended December 31,
(in thousands, except percentages) 2024 2023
Sales volume (MT) 103.2 91.6
Production volume (MT) (1)
97.3 88.1
Production capacity(MT) (2)(3)
178.0 202.0
Capacity utilization (4)
55 % 44 %
(1) Production volume reflects graphite electrodes we produced during the period.
(2) Production capacity reflects expected maximum production volume during the period depending on product mix and expected maintenance outage. Actual production may vary.
(3) Includes graphite electrode facilities in Calais, France; Monterrey, Mexico; and Pamplona, Spain. While maintaining the capability to produce up to 28,000 MT of graphite electrodes and pins on an annual basis at our St. Marys, Pennsylvania facility, most production activities at St. Marys have been suspended. The wind down of these production activities was completed during the second quarter of 2024. Remaining activities at St. Marys are limited to machining graphite electrodes and pins sourced from our other plants.
(4) Capacity utilization reflects production volume as a percentage of production capacity.
As of December 31, 2023, our stated production capacity was approximately 202 thousand MT through our primary manufacturing facilities in Calais, Pamplona and Monterrey. On February 14, 2024, the Company announced a cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan, in response to persistent softness in the commercial environment. This included an indefinite suspension of production activities at our St. Marys facility, with the exception of graphite electrode and pin machining. We also indefinitely idled certain assets within our remaining graphite electrode manufacturing footprint. As a result of these initiatives, our stated production capacity was reduced from approximately 202 thousand MT in 2023 to approximately 178 thousand MT in 2024.
Non-GAAP financial measures
In addition to providing results that are determined in accordance with GAAP, we have provided certain financial measures that are not in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net loss, adjusted loss per share, free cash flow, adjusted free cash flow and cash cost of goods sold per MT are non-GAAP financial measures.
We define EBITDA, a non‑GAAP financial measure, as net loss plus interest expense, minus interest income, plus income taxes and depreciation and amortization. We define adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, as EBITDA adjusted by any pension and other post-employment benefit (“OPEB”) expenses, rationalization and rationalization-related expenses, non‑cash gains or losses from foreign currency remeasurement of non‑operating assets and liabilities in our foreign subsidiaries where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar, stock-based compensation expense, proxy contest expenses, Tax Receivable Agreement adjustments and goodwill impairment charges. Adjusted EBITDA is the primary metric used by our management and our Board of Directors to establish budgets and operational goals for managing our business and evaluating our performance.
We monitor adjusted EBITDA as a supplement to our GAAP measures, and believe it is useful to present to investors, because we believe that it facilitates evaluation of our period‑to‑period operating performance by eliminating items that are not operational in nature, allowing comparison of our recurring core business operating results over multiple periods unaffected by differences in capital structure, capital investment cycles and fixed asset base. In addition, we believe adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts, ratings agencies, and other parties in evaluating companies in our industry as a measure of financial performance and debt‑service capabilities.
Our use of adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures for capital equipment or other contractual commitments, including any capital expenditure requirements to augment or replace our capital assets;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our indebtedness;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments or the income tax benefit that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
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• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect expenses relating to our pension and OPEB plans;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect rationalization or rationalization-related expenses;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the non‑cash gains or losses from foreign currency remeasurement of non‑operating assets and liabilities in our foreign subsidiaries where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect stock-based compensation expense;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect proxy contest expenses;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect Tax Receivable Agreement adjustments;
• adjusted EBITDA does not reflect goodwill impairment charges; and
• other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure.
We define adjusted net loss, a non‑GAAP financial measure, as net loss, excluding the items used to calculate adjusted EBITDA and further excluding debt modification costs, less the tax effect of those adjustments. We define adjusted loss per share, a non‑GAAP financial measure, as adjusted net loss divided by the weighted average diluted common shares outstanding during the period. We believe adjusted net loss and adjusted loss per share are useful to present to investors because we believe that they assist investors’ understanding of the underlying operational profitability of the Company.
We define free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. We define adjusted free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, as free cash flow adjusted by payments made or received from the settlement of interest rate swap contracts and payments made for debt modification costs. We use free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow as critical measures in the evaluation of liquidity in conjunction with related GAAP amounts. We also use these measures when considering available cash, including for decision-making purposes related to dividends, debt servicing and discretionary investments. Further, these measures help management, the Board of Directors, and investors evaluate the Company's ability to generate liquidity from operating activities.
We define cash cost of goods sold per MT, a non-GAAP financial measure, as cost of goods sold less depreciation and amortization less cost of goods sold associated with the portion of our sales that consists of deliveries of by-products of the manufacturing processes and less rationalization-related expenses, with this total divided by our sales volume measured in MT. We believe this is an important measure as it is used by our management and Board of Directors to evaluate our costs on a per MT basis.
In evaluating these non-GAAP financial measures, you should be aware that in the future, we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in the reconciliations presented below. Our presentations of these non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as suggesting that our future results will be unaffected by these expenses or any unusual or non‑recurring items. When evaluating our performance, you should consider these non-GAAP financial measures alongside other measures of financial performance and liquidity, including our net loss, loss per share, cash flow from operating activities, cost of goods sold and other GAAP measures.
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The following tables reconcile our non-GAAP key financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures:
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted Net Loss Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Net loss $ (131,165) $ (255,250)
Diluted loss per common share:
Net loss per share $ (0.51) $ (0.99)
Weighted average common shares outstanding 257,667,125 257,042,843
Net loss $ (131,165) $ (255,250)
Adjustments, pre-tax:
Pension and OPEB expenses (1)
2,270 6,309
Rationalization expenses (2)
3,156 —
Rationalization-related expenses (3)
2,655 —
Non‑cash (gains) losses on foreign currency remeasurement (4)
(1,949) 603
Stock-based compensation expense (5)
6,035 4,433
Proxy contest expenses (6)
752 —
Tax Receivable Agreement adjustment (7)
124 249
Debt modification costs (8)
18,369 —
Goodwill impairment charges (9)
— 171,117
Total non-GAAP adjustments pre-tax $ 31,412 $ 182,711
Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments (10)
6,391 28,213
Adjusted net loss $ (106,144) $ (100,752)
(1) Net periodic benefit cost for our pension and OPEB plans, including a mark-to-market adjustment, representing actuarial gains and losses that result from the remeasurement of plan assets and obligations due to changes in assumptions or experience. We recognize the actuarial gains and losses in connection with the annual remeasurement in earnings in the fourth quarter of each year.
(2) Severance and contract termination costs associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(3) Other non-cash costs, primarily inventory and fixed asset write-offs, associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(4) Non-cash (gains) losses from foreign currency remeasurement of non-operating assets and liabilities of our non-U.S. subsidiaries where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar.
(5) Non-cash expense for stock-based compensation awards.
(6) Expenses associated with our proxy contest.
(7) Non-cash expense adjustment for future payment to our sole pre-IPO stockholder for tax assets that have been utilized.
(8) Debt modification costs related to the December 2024 debt transactions, which are recognized in interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(9) Non-cash goodwill impairment charges.
(10) The tax impact on the non-GAAP adjustments is affected by their tax deductibility and the applicable jurisdictional tax rates.
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Reconciliation of Loss Per Share to Adjusted Loss Per Share
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
Loss per share $ (0.51) $ (0.99)
Adjustments per share:
Pension and OPEB expenses (1)
0.01 0.02
Rationalization expenses (2)
0.01 —
Rationalization-related expenses (3)
0.01 —
Non‑cash (gains) losses on foreign currency remeasurement (4)
— —
Stock-based compensation expense (5)
0.02 0.02
Proxy contest expenses (6)
— —
Tax Receivable Agreement adjustment (7)
— —
Debt modification costs (8)
0.07 —
Goodwill impairment charges (9)
— 0.67
Total non-GAAP adjustments pre-tax per share 0.12 0.71
Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments per share (10)
0.02 0.11
Adjusted Loss per share $ (0.41) $ (0.39)
(1) Net periodic benefit cost for our pension and OPEB plans, including a mark-to-market adjustment, representing actuarial gains and losses that result from the remeasurement of plan assets and obligations due to changes in assumptions or experience. We recognize the actuarial gains and losses in connection with the annual remeasurement in earnings in the fourth quarter of each year.
(2) Severance and contract termination costs associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(3) Other non-cash costs, primarily inventory and fixed asset write-offs, associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(4) Non-cash (gains) losses from foreign currency remeasurement of non-operating assets and liabilities of our non-U.S. subsidiaries where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar.
(5) Non-cash expense for stock-based compensation awards.
(6) Expenses associated with our proxy contest.
(7) Non-cash expense adjustment for future payment to our sole pre-IPO stockholder for tax assets that have been utilized.
(8) Debt modification costs related to the December 2024 debt transactions, which are recognized in interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(9) Non-cash goodwill impairment charges.
(10) The tax impact on the non-GAAP adjustments is affected by their tax deductibility and the applicable jurisdictional tax rates.
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Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Net loss $ (131,165) $ (255,250)
Add:
Depreciation and amortization 62,245 56,889
Interest expense 85,313 58,087
Interest income (5,701) (3,439)
Income taxes (22,103) (18,514)
EBITDA (11,411) (162,227)
Adjustments:
Pension and OPEB expenses (1)
2,270 6,309
Rationalization expenses (2)
3,156 —
Rationalization-related expenses (3)
2,655 —
Non‑cash (gains) losses on foreign currency remeasurement (4)
(1,949) 603
Stock-based compensation expense (5)
6,035 4,433
Proxy contest expenses (6)
752 —
Tax Receivable Agreement adjustment (7)
124 249
Goodwill impairment charges (8)
— 171,117
Adjusted EBITDA $ 1,632 $ 20,484
(1) Net periodic benefit cost for our pension and OPEB plans, including a mark-to-market adjustment, representing actuarial gains and losses that result from the remeasurement of plan assets and obligations due to changes in assumptions or experience. We recognize the actuarial gains and losses in connection with the annual remeasurement in earnings in the fourth quarter of each year.
(2) Severance and contract termination costs associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(3) Other non-cash costs, primarily inventory and fixed asset write-offs, associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
(4) Non-cash (gains) losses from foreign currency remeasurement of non-operating assets and liabilities of our non-U.S. subsidiaries where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar.
(5) Non-cash expense for stock-based compensation awards.
(6) Expenses associated with our proxy contest.
(7) Non-cash expense adjustment for future payment to our sole pre-IPO stockholder for tax assets that have been utilized.
(8) Non-cash goodwill impairment charges.
Reconciliation of Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities $ (40,093) $ 76,561
Capital expenditures (34,309) (54,040)
Free cash flow (74,402) 22,521
Debt modification costs (1)
18,249 —
Interest rate swap settlements (2)
— 27,453
Adjusted free cash flow $ (56,153) $ 49,974
(1) Cash payments of debt modification costs related to the December 2024 debt transactions, which are recognized in interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and recognized in net cash (used in) provided by operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
(2) Receipt of cash related to the monthly settlement of our interest rate swap contracts prior to their termination in the second quarter of 2023, as well as receipt of cash related to the termination of the interest rate swap contracts.
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Reconciliation of Cost of Goods Sold to Cash Cost of Goods Sold per MT
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Cost of goods sold $ 533,757 $ 571,857
Less:
Depreciation and amortization (1)
55,602 50,124
Cost of goods sold - by-products and other (2)
32,801 14,500
Rationalization-related expenses (3)
2,655 —
Cash cost of goods sold 442,699 507,233
Sales volume (in thousands of MT) 103.2 91.6
Cash cost of goods sold per MT $ 4,290 $ 5,537
(1) Reflects the portion of depreciation and amortization that is recognized in cost of goods sold.
(2) Primarily reflects cost of goods sold associated with the portion of our sales that consists of deliveries of by-products of the manufacturing processes.
(3) Other non-cash costs, primarily inventory and fixed asset write-offs, associated with the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024.
Results of Operations
Results of operations for 2024 as compared to 2023
The tables presented in our period-over-period comparisons summarize our Consolidated Statements of Operations and illustrate key financial indicators used to assess the consolidated financial results. Throughout our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A"), insignificant changes may be deemed not meaningful and are generally excluded from the discussion.
Year Ended December 31, Increase/ Decrease % Change
(in thousands) 2024 2023
Net sales $ 538,782 $ 620,500 $ (81,718) (13) %
Cost of goods sold 533,757 571,857 (38,100) (7) %
Lower of cost or market inventory valuation adjustment 24,878 12,431 12,447 100 %
Gross (loss) profit (19,853) 36,212 (56,065) (155) %
Research and development 5,706 5,520 186 3 %
Selling and administrative expenses 46,510 74,012 (27,502) (37) %
Rationalization expenses 3,156 — 3,156 NM
Goodwill impairment charges — 171,117 (171,117) NM
Operating loss (75,225) (214,437) 139,212 (65) %
Other (income) expense, net (1,569) 4,679 (6,248) (134) %
Interest expense 85,313 58,087 27,226 47 %
Interest income (5,701) (3,439) (2,262) (66) %
Loss before income taxes (153,268) (273,764) 120,496 (44) %
Income tax benefit (22,103) (18,514) (3,589) 19 %
Net loss $ (131,165) $ (255,250) $ 124,085 (49) %
NM = Not Meaningful.
Net sales decreased $81.7 million, or 13%, compared to 2023. The decline primarily reflected a decrease in the weighted-average realized price for volume derived from non-LTAs and a shift in the mix of our business from volume derived
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from LTAs to volume derived from non-LTAs. These factors were partially offset by a 13% increase in total sales volume in 2024, compared to 2023.
Cost of goods sold decreased $38.1 million, or 7%, in 2024 compared to 2023, primarily due to decreased costs as a result of our cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024. In addition, we experienced a $40.3 million reduction of fixed manufacturing costs recorded in 2024, compared to 2023, that would have otherwise been inventoried. Also, the lower of cost or market (“LCM”) inventory valuation adjustments recorded in 2024 and 2023 generated a $19.7 million favorable impact to cost of goods sold in 2024. These decreases were partially offset by the impact of increased volume.
LCM inventory valuation adjustment represents a write-down of inventory recorded in 2024 and 2023. The net realizable value of certain of our inventories fell below their carrying amounts as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and as a result, we recorded LCM inventory valuation adjustments of $24.9 million and $12.4 million, respectively, in order to state our inventories at market.
Selling and administrative expenses decreased $27.5 million, or 37%, in 2024 compared to 2023, primarily due to the $9.2 million reimbursement of legal fees in connection with the favorable outcome of an arbitration (See Note 12, “Commitments and Contingencies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion), decreased employee-related expenses driven by our cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024, as well as decreased variable compensation expenses.
Rationalization expenses represent severance and contract termination costs related to the cost rationalization and footprint optimization plan announced in February 2024. See Note 17, “Rationalization Expenses” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.
Goodwill impairment charges includes non-recurring charges relating to goodwill. Refer to Note 6, “Other Intangible Assets and Goodwill,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion.
Other (income) expense, net was income of $1.6 million in 2024, compared to expense of $4.7 million in 2023. 2024 included $1.9 million of foreign currency remeasurement gains, while $0.7 million of foreign currency remeasurement losses were recognized in 2023. In addition, in 2024, we recognized mark-to-market losses of $0.7 million on our pension and OPEB plans compared to $3.0 million in 2023.
Interest expense increased $27.2 million, or 47%, in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase was due to $18.4 million of debt modification costs recognized in 2024 related to our financing transactions completed in 2024, as well as the effect of full year interest incurred in 2024 on debt associated with our Existing 9.875% Notes issued in June 2023. See Note 7, "Interest Expense," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details.
Income Tax Benefit . The following table summarizes the income tax benefit in 2024 and 2023:
Year Ended December 31, 2024 Year Ended December 31, 2023
Income tax benefit $ (22,103) $ (18,514)
Loss before income taxes $ (153,268) $ (273,764)
Effective income tax rate 14.4 % 6.8 %
The difference in effective income tax rate from 2024 to 2023 is primarily due to the jurisdictional mix of worldwide earnings taxed at different rates and the impact of a 2023 goodwill impairment charge that was not-tax deductible.
Currency Translation and Transactions
We translate the assets and liabilities of our non‑U.S. subsidiaries into U.S. dollars for consolidation and reporting purposes in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 830 , Foreign Currency Matters . Foreign currency translation adjustments are generally recorded as part of stockholders’ (deficit) equity and identified as part of accumulated other comprehensive loss on the Consolidated Balance Sheets until such time as their operations are sold or substantially or completely liquidated.
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We account for our Russian, Swiss, Luxembourg, United Kingdom and Mexican subsidiaries using the U.S. dollar as the functional currency, as sales and purchases are predominantly U.S. dollar‑denominated. Our remaining subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency.
We also record foreign currency transaction gains and losses from non‑permanent intercompany loan balances as part of cost of goods sold.
Significant changes in currency exchange rates impacting us are described under “—Effects of Changes in Currency Exchange Rates” and “—Results of Operations” in this section.
Effects of Changes in Currency Exchange Rates
When the currencies of non‑U.S. countries in which we have a manufacturing facility decline (or increase) in value relative to the U.S. dollar, this has the effect of reducing (or increasing) the U.S. dollar equivalent cost of goods sold and other expenses with respect to those facilities. In certain countries in which we have manufacturing facilities, and in certain export markets, we sell in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, when these currencies increase (or decline) in value relative to the U.S. dollar, this has the effect of increasing (or reducing) net sales. The result of these effects is to increase (or decrease) operating and net loss.
Many of the non-U.S. countries in which we have a manufacturing facility have been subject to significant economic and political changes, which have significantly impacted currency exchange rates. We cannot predict changes in currency exchange rates in the future or whether those changes will have net positive or negative impacts on our net sales, cost of goods sold or net (loss) income.
The impact of these changes in the average exchange rates of other currencies against the U.S. dollar on our net sales was a decrease of $1.1 million in 2024, an increase of $1.5 million in 2023 and a decrease of $11.7 million in 2022.
The impact of these changes in the average exchange rates of other currencies against the U.S. dollar on our cost of goods sold was a decrease of $8.5 million in 2024, an increase of $12.4 million in 2023 and a decrease of $20.6 million in 2022.
As part of our cash management, we also have intercompany loans between our subsidiaries. These loans are deemed to be temporary and, as a result, remeasurement gains and losses on these loans are recorded as currency gains or losses in cost of goods sold on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We have in the past and may in the future use various financial instruments to manage certain exposures to risks caused by currency exchange rate changes, as described under “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk."
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our sources of funds have consisted principally of cash flow from oper ations and debt, including our credit facilities (subject to continued compliance with the financial covenants and representations). Our uses of those funds (other than for operations) have consisted principally of capital expenditure s, debt repayment, dividends, share repurchases and other general purposes. On an ongoing basis, we expect to evaluate and consider strategic transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, debt issuances, refinancing of our existing debt or repurchases of our outstanding debt obligations in open market or privately negotiated transactions, as well as other strategic transactions. These transactions may require cash expenditures, which may be funded through a combination of cash on hand, proceeds from the issuance of debt or from equity offerings. Disruptions in the U.S. and international financial markets could adversely affect our liquidity and the cost and availability of financing to us in the future.
We believe that we have adequate liquidity to meet our needs for at least the next twelve months. As of December 31, 2024, we had liquidity of $464.2 million, consisting of $108.0 million of availability under our 2018 Revolving Credit Facility (after giving effect to $7.4 million of letters of credit), $100.0 million of availability under our Initial First Lien Term Loan Facility (with respect to the Delayed Draw Commitments thereunder) and cash and cash equivalents of $256.2 million. As any borrowings under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility remain subject to compliance with the financial covenant thereunder (see below and Note 5, “Debt and Liquidity”), our operating performance as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 resulted in a reduction of the availability under the facility. We had gross long-term debt of $1.1 billion as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, we had liquidity of $289.3 million, consisting of $112.4 million available under our 2018 Revolving Credit Facility, after giving effect to $3.1 million of letters of credit, and cash and cash equivalents of $176.9 million. We had gross long-term debt of $950.0 million and short-term debt of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $60.0 million and $77.6 million, respectively, of our cash and cash equivalents were located outside of the U.S. We repatriate funds from our foreign subsidiaries through intercompany dividends. All of our
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subsidiaries face the customary statutory limitation that distributed dividends may not exceed the amount of accumulated earnings. Upon repatriation to the United States, the foreign source portion of dividends we receive from our foreign subsidiaries is not subject to U.S. federal income tax because the amounts were either previously taxed or are exempted from tax by Section 245A of the Internal Revenue Service Code (the "Code").
Cash flow and plans to manage liquidity. Our cash flow typically fluctuates significantly between quarters due to various factors. These factors include customer order patterns, fluctuations in working capital requirements, timing of tax and interest payments and other factors. During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company consummated a series of financing transactions to extend the maturities on its outstanding debt and help to manage its liquidity. These transactions are described under “--Financing transactions” in this section.
Uses of Liquidity
In July 2019, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $100.0 million of our outstanding common stock. In November 2021, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $150.0 million of stock repurchases under this program. We may purchase shares from time to time on the open market, including under Rule 10b5-1 and/or Rule 10b-18 plans. The amount and timing of repurchases are subject to a variety of factors including liquidity, stock price, applicable legal requirements, other business objectives and market conditions. In 2024, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2024, we had $99.0 million remaining under our stock repurchase authorization. Our ability to repurchase shares is restricted by certain covenants in our debt instruments.
In the first and second quarters of 2023 , we paid a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share. On August 2, 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors elected to suspend the quarterly cash dividend of $0.01 per share. There can be no assurance that we will resume paying dividends in the future in these amounts or at all. Our Board of Directors may change the timing and amount of any future dividend payments, if reinstated, or eliminate the payment of future dividends in its sole discretion, without any prior notice to our stockholders. Our ability to pay dividends will depend upon many factors, including our financial position and liquidity, results of operations, legal requirements, restrictions that may be imposed by the terms of our current and future credit facilities and other debt obligations and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.
Potential uses of our liquidity (other than operations) include capital expenditures, debt repayments, dividends, share repurchases and other general purposes. Any such potential uses of our liquidity may be funded by existing available liquidity, the incurrence of new secured or unsecured loans, capital market issuances, divestitures, joint ventures or equity investments. An improving economy, while resulting in improved results of operations, could increase our cash requirements to purchase inventories, make capital expenditures and fund payables and other obligations until increased accounts receivable are converted into cash. A downturn, including any recession, could significantly and negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows, which, coupled with increased borrowings, could negatively impact our credit ratings, our ability to comply with debt covenants, our ability to secure additional financing and the cost and availability of such financing.
In order to seek to minimize our credit risks, we may reduce our sales of, or refuse to sell (except for prepayment, cash on delivery or under letters of credit or parent guarantees), our products to some customers and potential customers. Our unrecovered trade receivables worldwide have not been material during the last two years individually or in the aggregate.
In the event that operating cash flows fail to provide sufficient liquidity to meet our business needs, including capital expenditures, any such shortfall would be expected to be made up by borrowings under our delayed draw term loan and 2018 Revolving Credit Facility, to the extent available, or other liquidity options described above. The Company also maintains access to credit and capital markets and may incur additional debt or issue equity securities from time to time, which may provide an additional source of liquidity. However, there can be no guarantee that we would be able to access the credit or capital markets on commercially satisfactory terms or at all.
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Cash flows
The following table summarizes our cash flow activities:
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Cash flow (used in) provided by:
Operating activities $ (40,093) $ 76,561
Investing activities (34,209) (53,820)
Financing activities 155,718 18,713
Net change in cash and cash equivalents $ 81,416 $ 41,454
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities represented a $40.1 million use of cash in 2024 versus a $76.6 million source of cash in the prior year. The decrease in operating cash flow was primarily due to reduced cash provided by working capital $67.3 million in 2024 compared to 2023. Cash flow provided by inventories decreased $39.0 million, compared to 2023, primarily driven by actively managing our inventory levels to meet demand. Cash flow provided by accounts receivable decreased $41.2 million, compared to 2023, primarily due to reduced sales in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Cash flow used for income taxes decreased $25.6 million in 2024 compared to 2023 due to reduced federal income tax payments made in 2024. Cash flow used for accounts payable and accruals increased $15.6 million in 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to the timing of payments.
Net cash used in investing activities was $34.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $53.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily driven by reduced capital expenditures.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $155.7 million in 2024 compared to $18.7 million in 2023. The increase was primarily due to the issuance of $175.0 million of our First Lien Term Loans and the absence of $5.1 million of dividend payments in 2024, partially offset by $27.5 million of cash received from interest rate swaps in 2023, as well as a $10.8 million increase in deferred financing fees, in 2024 compared to 2023, related to debt issuance.
Financing transactions
On December 23, 2024 (the “Settlement Date”), the Company consummated offers by GrafTech Finance Inc. (“GrafTech Finance”) and GrafTech Global Enterprises Inc. (“GrafTech Global” and, together with GrafTech Finance, the “Issuers”), each a subsidiary of the Company, to exchange (each an “Exchange Offer” and, together, the “Exchange Offers”) any and all of (i) GrafTech Finance’s 4.625% senior secured notes due 2028 (the “Existing 4.625% Notes”) and (ii) GrafTech Global’s 9.875% senior secured notes due 2028 (the “Existing 9.875% Notes” and, together with the Existing 4.625% Notes, the “Existing Notes”), for the New 4.625% Notes and the New 9.875% Notes, respectively.
The Company and the Issuers also consummated the solicitation of consents (with respect to each series of Existing Notes, a “Consent Solicitation” and, collectively, the “Consent Solicitations”), on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in a confidential exchange offer memorandum and consent solicitation statement (the “Offering Memorandum”) from certain eligible holders of each series of the Existing Notes (the “Existing Noteholders”) (with respect to each series of Existing Notes, a “Consent” and, collectively, the “Consents”) pursuant to which amendments were entered into to the indenture governing the Existing 4.625% Notes (as amended, the “Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture”), and the indenture governing the Existing 9.875% Notes (as amended, the “Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture” and, together with the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture, the “Existing Notes Indentures”), that (i) eliminated substantially all of the restrictive covenants as well as certain events of default and related provisions and definitions in the Existing Notes Indentures and (ii) released all of the collateral securing the Existing Notes.
Issuance of New Notes due 2029
On December 23, 2024, GrafTech Finance issued New 4.625% Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $498.2 million and GrafTech Global issued New 9.875% Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $446.2 million in exchange for $498.2 million of GrafTech Finance’s Existing 4.625% Notes and $446.2 million of GrafTech Global’s Existing 9.875% Notes, respectively, validly tendered and accepted in connection with the Exchange Offers. The New Notes are the Issuers’ second lien obligations.
The New 4.625% Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of the Settlement Date (the “New 4.625% Notes Indenture”), by and among GrafTech Finance, the Company, each subsidiary guarantor from time to time party thereto
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(collectively, the “Subsidiary Guarantors,” and, together with the Company, the “Guarantors”), and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “New Trustee”) and collateral agent (the “New Notes Collateral Agent”). The New 4.625% Notes will pay interest of 4.625% semiannually per annum.
The New 9.875% Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of the Settlement Date (the “New 9.875% Notes Indenture” and, together with the New 4.625% Notes Indenture, the “New Notes Indentures”), by and among GrafTech Global, the Guarantors, GrafTech Finance, the New Trustee and the New Notes Collateral Agent. The New 9.875% Notes will pay interest of 9.875% semiannually per annum.
GrafTech Finance may redeem some or all of the New 4.625% Notes at the redemption prices and on the terms specified in the New 4.625% Notes Indenture. If, at any time prior to December 23, 2026, all or a portion of the outstanding principal amount of the New 4.625% Notes are prepaid, repaid, redeemed or accelerated (or deemed accelerated), including as a result of GrafTech Finance filing for bankruptcy or becoming subject to any other insolvency proceeding, GrafTech Finance will be required to pay the applicable New 4.625% Notes Redemption Price (as defined in the New 4.625% Notes Indenture). If the Company or GrafTech Finance experiences specific kinds of changes in control or the Company or any of the restricted subsidiaries sells certain of its assets, then GrafTech Finance must offer to repurchase the New 4.625% Notes on the terms set forth in the New 4.625% Notes Indenture.
On and after December 23, 2026, GrafTech Global may redeem some or all of the New 9.875% Notes at the redemption prices and on the terms specified in the New 9.875% Notes Indenture. At any time prior to December 23, 2026, GrafTech Global may also at its option and on one or more occasions redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the notes issued with the proceeds from certain equity offerings, at a redemption price of 109.875% of the aggregate principal amount of the notes, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date of redemption. In addition, at any time prior to December 23, 2026, GrafTech Global may at its option on one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the notes, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes redeemed, plus a “make-whole” premium, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date of redemption. If, at any time prior to December 23, 2028, all or a portion of the outstanding principal amount of the New 9.875% Notes are prepaid, repaid, redeemed or accelerated (or deemed accelerated), including as a result of GrafTech Global filing for bankruptcy or becoming subject to any other insolvency proceeding, GrafTech Global will be required to pay the applicable New 9.875% Notes Redemption Price or the Applicable Premium (each as defined in the New 9.875% Notes Indenture), as applicable. If the Company or GrafTech Global experiences specific kinds of changes in control or the Company or any of the restricted subsidiaries sells certain of its assets, then GrafTech Global must offer to repurchase the New 9.875% Notes on the terms set forth in the New 9.875% Notes Indenture.
The New Notes Indentures contain certain covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability, and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries, to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, pay distributions on, redeem or repurchase capital stock or redeem or repurchase subordinated debt, incur or suffer to exist liens securing indebtedness, make certain investments, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, consummate certain asset sales and effect a consolidation or merger, or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all assets. Pursuant to the New Notes Indentures, if our pro forma consolidated total net leverage ratio is no greater than 2.50 to 1.00, we can make restricted payments so long as no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing. If our pro forma consolidated total net leverage ratio is greater than 2.50 to 1.00, we can make restricted payments pursuant to certain baskets. We were in compliance with all of our debt covenants in the New Notes Indentures as of December 31, 2024.
The New 4.625% Notes are guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured second-priority basis by the domestic Guarantors (the “U.S. Guarantors”) that guarantee the Existing 4.625% Notes and certain other foreign subsidiary Guarantors of the Company (the “Foreign Guarantors”). The New 9.875% Notes are guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured second-priority basis by the U.S. Guarantors that guarantee the Existing 9.875% Notes and the Foreign Guarantors. In accordance with the terms of the New Notes Indentures, the New Trustee is obligated to first enforce the guarantees of the U.S. Guarantors prior to any guarantees of the Foreign Guarantors, subject to certain terms described therein. The New Notes are secured by a perfected second-priority security interest in all of the assets and property of the Issuers and the Guarantors that currently secure the Existing Notes, and certain other assets and property of the Foreign Guarantors as set forth in the New Notes Indentures (the “Collateral”).
The New Notes and each guarantee constitute: senior obligations that rank pari passu in right of payment with all of our and the Guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness, including the First Lien Term Loans (as defined below) and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility; provided, that the First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility are senior in right of payment to the New Notes with respect to proceeds of the Foreign Guarantor facility located in Calais, France (the “Calais Facility”) solely to the extent that such facility does not constitute Collateral; secured on a second-priority basis, subject to certain exceptions and permitted liens, on the Collateral that secures the First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility on a first-priority basis; effectively junior to all of our and the Guarantors’ obligations under the First Lien Term
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Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility (and other indebtedness secured on a first-priority basis on the Collateral pari passu with the liens securing the First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility) to the extent of the value of the Collateral securing the First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility (and such other indebtedness secured on a first-priority basis on the Collateral); effectively senior to all of our and the Guarantors’ future debt that is secured by liens on the Collateral securing the New Notes that are junior to those securing the New Notes and to any of our and the Guarantors’ unsecured indebtedness, in each case, to the extent of the value of the Collateral securing the New Notes and the guarantees; and structurally subordinated to all of our existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, of each of our subsidiaries that do not issue or guarantee the New Notes.
Existing 4.625% Notes due 2028
In December 2020, GrafTech Finance issued $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of Existing 4.625% Notes in a private offering. All of the net proceeds from the Existing 4.625% Notes were used to partially repay borrowings under our 2018 Term Loan Facility.
GrafTech Finance may redeem some or all of the Existing 4.625% Notes at the redemption prices and on the terms specified in the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture. Prior to the Settlement Date, if the Company or GrafTech Finance experienced specific kinds of changes in control or the Company or any of its restricted subsidiaries sold certain of its assets, then GrafTech Finance was required to offer to repurchase the Existing 4.625% Notes on the terms set forth in the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture.
Prior to the Settlement Date, the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture contained certain covenants that, among other things, limited the Company’s ability, and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries, to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, pay distributions on, redeem or repurchase capital stock or redeem or repurchase subordinated debt, incur or suffer to exist liens securing indebtedness, make certain investments, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, consummate certain asset sales and effect a consolidation or merger, or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all assets. Pursuant to the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture, prior to the Settlement Date, if our pro forma consolidated first lien net leverage ratio was no greater than 2.00 to 1.00, we could make restricted payments so long as no default or event of default had occurred and was continuing. Prior to the Settlement Date, if our pro forma consolidated first lien net leverage ratio was greater than 2.00 to 1.00, we could make restricted payments pursuant to certain baskets. In connection with the consummation of the Consent Solicitations, substantially all of the restrictive covenants and related provisions and definitions in the Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture were removed, effective as the Settlement Date.
The Existing 4.625% Notes Indenture contains certain events of default customary for agreements of its type (with customary grace periods, as applicable) and provides that, upon the occurrence of an event of default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Company or GrafTech Finance, all outstanding Existing 4.625% Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other type of event of default occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of at least 30% in principal amount of the then outstanding Existing 4.625% Notes may declare all of the Existing 4.625% Senior Notes to be due and payable immediately. We were in compliance with all of our debt covenants as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Following the Exchange Offer, approximately $1.8 million aggregate principal amount of Existing 4.625% Notes remain outstanding.
Existing 9.875% Notes due 2028
In June 2023, GrafTech Global issued $450 million aggregate principal amount of Existing 9.875% Notes, including $11.4 million of original issue discount. The Existing 9.875% Notes were issued at an issue price of 97.456% of the principal amount thereof in a private offering. The net proceeds from the Existing 9.875% Notes were used to repay borrowings under our 2018 Term Loan Facility.
GrafTech Global may redeem some or all of the Existing 9.875% Notes at the redemption prices and on the terms specified in the Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture. Prior to the Settlement Date, if the Company or GrafTech Global experienced specific kinds of changes in control or the Company or any of its restricted subsidiaries sold certain of its assets, then GrafTech Global was required to offer to repurchase the Existing 9.875% Notes on the terms set forth in the Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture.
Prior to the Settlement Date, the Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture contained certain covenants that, among other things, limited the Company’s ability, and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries, to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, pay distributions on, redeem or repurchase capital stock or redeem or repurchase subordinated debt, incur or suffer to exist liens securing indebtedness, make certain investments, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, consummate certain asset sales and effect a consolidation or merger, or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all assets. Pursuant to the Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture, prior to the Settlement Date, if our pro forma
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consolidated first lien net leverage ratio was no greater than 2.00 to 1.00, we could make restricted payments so long as no default or event of default had occurred and was continuing. Prior to the Settlement Date, if our pro forma consolidated first lien net leverage ratio was greater than 2.00 to 1.00, we could make restricted payments pursuant to certain baskets. In connection with the consummation of the Consent Solicitations, substantially all of the restrictive covenants and related provisions and definitions in the Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture were removed, effective as the Settlement Date.
The Existing 9.875% Notes Indenture contains certain events of default customary for agreements of its type (with customary grace periods, as applicable) and provides that, upon the occurrence of an event of default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Company or GrafTech Global, all outstanding Existing 9.875% Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other type of event of default occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of at least 30% in principal amount of the then outstanding Existing 9.875% Notes may declare all of the Existing 9.875% Notes to be due and payable immediately. We were in compliance with all of our debt covenants as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Following the Exchange Offer, approximately $3.8 million aggregate principal amount of Existing 9.875% Notes remains outstanding.
Initial First Lien Term Loan Facility; Delayed Draw First Lien Term Loan Facility
Concurrent with the settlement of the Exchange Offers, on the Settlement Date, Barclays Bank plc (the “Fronting Lender”), agreed to provide GrafTech Global $175 million of new senior secured first lien term loans (the “Initial First Lien Term Loans”) and provided commitments (the “Delayed Draw Commitments”) with respect to $100 million of new senior secured first lien delayed draw term loans (together with the Initial First Lien Term Loans, the “First Lien Term Loans”). The First Lien Term Loans are governed by a new credit agreement, dated as of the Settlement Date, by and among GrafTech, as holdings, GrafTech Global, as borrower, GLAS USA LLC, as administrative agent, GLAS Americas LLC, as collateral agent, and the lenders from time to time party thereto (the “First Lien Term Loan Credit Agreement”). The Initial First Lien Term Loans were drawn in a single drawing on the Settlement Date. The Delayed Draw Commitments are available to the Company until July 23, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions precedent thereto.
The First Lien Term Loans will mature on December 23, 2029, and are guaranteed by the Guarantors. The First Lien Term Loans are pari passu in right of payment with the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and the New Notes, but the First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility are senior in right of payment to the New Notes with respect to the proceeds of the Calais Facility. The First Lien Term Loans and the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility are secured on a pari passu basis by perfected first-priority security interests in the Collateral.
The First Lien Term Loans bear interest at the option of GrafTech Global, at a rate equal to (i) Term SOFR (as defined in the First Lien Term Loan Credit Agreement) (subject to a 2.00% floor) plus 6.00% per annum or (ii) the ABR (as defined in the First Lien Term Loan Credit Agreement) plus 5.00% per annum.
The Company will pay a ticking fee with respect to undrawn Delayed Draw Commitments in an amount equal to 3.75% per annum of the amount of such undrawn and outstanding commitments. The First Lien Term Loans are prepayable in whole or in part at the option of the Company (i) prior to the 24-month anniversary of the Settlement Date, subject to payment of a customary “make-whole” premium (which includes a 2.00% prepayment premium), (ii) on or after the 24-month anniversary of the Settlement Date through, but excluding, the 36-month anniversary of the Settlement Date, subject to a 2.00% prepayment premium, and (iii) on or after the 36-month anniversary of the Settlement Date, without a prepayment premium. If the Company sells certain of its assets, then GrafTech Global may be required to offer to prepay the First Lien Term Loans and/or other indebtedness of GrafTech Global and/or its subsidiaries.
The First Lien Term Credit Agreement contains certain covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, pay distributions on, redeem or repurchase capital stock or redeem or repurchase certain debt, incur or suffer to exist certain liens, make certain investments, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, consummate certain asset sales and effect certain fundamental changes. The First Lien Term Loan Credit Agreement also contains certain events of default (with grace periods, as applicable) that permit the agent to accelerate the First Lien Term Loans, and provide that, upon the occurrence of certain events of default arising from bankruptcy or insolvency, all First Lien Term Loans will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice.
2018 Term Loan and 2018 Revolving Credit Facility
In February 2018, the Company entered into a credit agreement (as amended, the “2018 Credit Agreement”), which provided for (i) a $2,250 million senior secured term facility (the “2018 Term Loan Facility”) after giving effect to the June 2018 amendment (the “First Amendment”) that increased the aggregate principal amount of the 2018 Term Loan Facility from
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$1,500 million to $2,250 million and (ii) a $330 million senior secured revolving credit facility after giving effect to the May 2022 amendment that increased the revolving commitments under the 2018 Credit Agreement by $80 million from $250 million (the “2018 Revolving Credit Facility”). GrafTech Finance Inc. (“GrafTech Finance”) was the sole borrower under the 2018 Term Loan Facility while GrafTech Finance, GrafTech Switzerland SA (“Swissco”) and GrafTech Luxembourg II S.à.r.l. (“Luxembourg Holdco” and, together with GrafTech Finance and Swissco, the “Co-Borrowers”) were co-borrowers under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility. In December 2024, the 2018 Credit Agreement was further amended to provide for a $225 million senior secured first lien revolving credit facility, reducing the revolving commitments under the 2018 Credit Agreement by $105 million. On June 26, 2023, GrafTech repaid the term loans under the 2018 Term Loan Facility with proceeds from the Existing 9.875% Notes issuance. As of December 31, 2024, there are no outstanding term loans under the 2018 Term Loan Facility.
Until at least $275 million of First Lien Term Loans have been borrowed by the Company, the Company is not permitted to have more than $15 million in aggregate principal amount of revolving loans outstanding at any time under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility. The Company’s ability to borrow under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility is subject to certain customary conditions precedent, including that the Company must not have more than $100 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents after giving effect to the applicable borrowing.
The 2018 Revolving Credit Facility matures on November 30, 2028, subject to a springing maturity date 91 days prior to the maturity date of certain other reference indebtedness. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the availability under our 2018 Revolving Credit Facility was $108.0 million and $112.4 million, respectively. As any borrowings under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility remain subject to compliance with the financial covenant thereunder, our operating performance as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 resulted in our inability to access the full amount of commitments under the facility. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding on the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and there was $7.4 million and $3.1 million of letters of credit drawn against the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility as of each date, respectively.
Borrowings under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility bear interest (i) with respect to new revolving loans denominated in U.S. dollars, at the option of GrafTech Finance, Adjusted Term SOFR plus 3.50% per annum or ABR (as defined in the 2018 Revolving Credit Agreement) plus 2.50% per annum and (ii) with respect to new revolving loans denominated in euros, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate (as defined in the 2018 Revolving Credit Agreement) plus 3.50% per annum. Undrawn commitments under the New Revolving Credit Facility bear a commitment fee of 0.25% per annum. Lenders holding all of the Company’s existing revolving commitments who agreed to provide commitments under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility were paid a customary extension fee, in connection with the December 2024 amendment.
The 2018 Revolving Credit Facility has customary negative covenants and events of default and is required to be prepaid in the case of certain mandatory prepayments of the First Lien Term Loans. The 2018 Revolving Credit Facility also includes a financial covenant requiring that the Company have a Senior Secured First Lien Net Leverage Ratio of no more than 4.00 to 1.00, tested quarterly, to the extent outstanding revolving loans and letters of credit (subject to certain exclusions) exceed 51.3% of the amount of commitments then-existing under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility. We were in compliance with all of our debt covenants as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Material Cash Requirements. The following table summarizes our contractual and other material cash obligations as of December 31, 2024:
Payments Due by Year Ending December 31,
Total 2025 2026-2027 2028-2029 2030+
(Dollars in Thousands)
Contractual and Other Obligations
Long-term debt (a) $ 1,125,000 $ — $ — $ 1,125,000 $ —
Interest on long-term debt (b) 434,864 90,199 173,668 170,997 —
Total contractual obligations 1,559,864 90,199 173,668 1,295,997 —
Pension plan contributions (c) 2,353 2,353 — — —
Committed purchase obligations (d) 9,750 9,750 — — —
Related party Tax Receivable Agreement (e) 5,824 2,022 — 3,802 —
Total contractual and other obligations (f) $ 1,577,791 $ 104,324 $ 173,668 $ 1,299,799 $ —
(a) Represents our total debt from our New and Existing 9.875% Notes, our New and Existing 4.625% Notes and our Initial First Lien Term Loans (see "--Financing transactions" in this section for full details of these obligations).
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(b) Represents estimated interest payments on the Existing 9.875% Notes and the Existing 4.625% Notes through December 15, 2028, interest payments on the New 9.875% Notes and the New 4.625% Notes through December 23, 2029, as well as estimated interest payments on our Initial First Lien and Delayed Draw Term Loans through 2029.
(c) Represents estimated contributions under our defined benefit pension plans. Contributions in future periods will be depend ent upon regulatory requirements, the plans' funded ratios, plan investment performance, discount rates, actuarial assumptions, plan amendments, our contribution objectives and other factors. We anticipate funding those contributions with cash on hand or cash generated from operations. It is not practical to estimate the required contributions beyond 2025 at the present time.
(d) Represents committed purchases of raw materials.
(e) Represents Brookfield's right to receive future payments from us for 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal income tax and Swiss tax that we and our subsidiaries realize as a result of the utilization of certain tax assets attributable to periods prior to our IPO, including certain federal NOLs, previously taxed income under Section 959 of the Code, foreign tax credits, and certain NOLs in Swissco. In addition, we will pay interest on the payments we will make to Brookfield with respect to the amount of these cash savings from the due date (without extensions) of our tax return where we realize these savings to the payment date at a rate equal to the one-month period SOFR plus 1.10% per annum. The term of the Tax Receivable Agreement commenced on April 23, 2018 and will continue until there is no potential for any future tax benefit payments.
(f) In addition, letters of credit of $7.4 million were issued under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2024.
Critical accounting policies
Critical accounting policies are those that require difficult, subjective or complex judgments by management, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. We use and rely on estimates in determining the economic useful lives of our assets, obligations under our employee benefit plans, provisions for doubtful accounts, provisions for restructuring charges and contingencies, tax valuation allowances, evaluation of other intangible assets, pension and OPEB and various other recorded or disclosed amounts, including inventory valuations. Estimates require us to use our judgment. While we believe that our estimates for these matters are reasonable, if the actual amount is significantly different than the estimated amount, our assets, liabilities or results of operations may be overstated or understated. The following accounting policies are deemed to be critical.
Impairment of long‑lived assets. We may record impairment losses on long‑lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the future undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those assets. Assets to be disposed are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less estimated costs to sell. Estimates of the future cash flows are subject to significant uncertainties and assumptions. If the actual value is significantly less than the estimated fair value, our assets may be overstated. Future events and circumstances, some of which are described below, may result in an impairment charge:
• new technological developments that provide significantly enhanced benefits over our current technology;
• significant negative economic or industry trends;
• changes in our business strategy that alter the expected usage of the related assets; and
• future economic results that are below our expectations used in the current assessments.
As of December 31, 2024, we tested our long-lived assets for impairment and determined that their carrying value was recoverable.
Accounting for income taxes. We are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we are subject to taxation. This process requires us to make the following assessments:
• estimate our actual current tax liability in each jurisdiction;
• estimate our temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes (which result in deferred tax assets (“DTAs”) and deferred tax liabilities (“DTLs”) that we include within the Consolidated Balance Sheets); and
• assess the likelihood that our DTAs will be recovered from future taxable income and, if we believe that recovery is not more likely than not, a valuation allowance is established.
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If our estimates are incorrect, our DTAs or DTLs may be overstated or understated.
As of December 31, 2024, we had a valuation allowance of $19.3 million against certain DTAs. Our losses in certain tax jurisdictions in recent periods represented sufficient negative evidence to require a full valuation allowance. We also have a partial valuation allowance related to certain U.S. state net operating losses where realizability is unlikely due to discontinued operations or the ability of our U.S. subsidiaries to generate capital gains to utilize capital loss carryforwards in these states. Until we determine that we will generate sufficient jurisdictional taxable income to realize our net operating losses and DTAs, we continue to maintain a valuation allowance.
As of December 31, 2024, we had DTAs of $52.4 milllion in the U.S. These DTAs consist of the previously mentioned state items with a valuation allowance and approximately $34.2 million in additional net DTAs recognized in 2024. These additional DTAs include approximately $30.0 million related to interest limitations and U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards that do not expire, and which may be used to offset taxable income in future periods to reduce our income taxes payable in these future periods. However, our U.S. losses in recent periods and the potential for U.S. losses in 2025 may lead to a cumulative U.S. loss and may represent sufficient negative evidence to require a full valuation allowance on U.S. DTAs, which would materially increase our expenses in the period the allowance is recognized and materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. If cumulative losses are realized, we will evaluate additional evidence such as our projections for growth and market recovery to determine if a valuation allowance is required, as well as other sources of future taxable income.
Related-party Tax Receivable Agreement. On April 23, 2018, the Company entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement, which provides Brookfield, as the sole pre-IPO stockholder, the right to receive future payments from us for 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal income tax and Swiss tax that we and our subsidiaries realize as a result of the utilization of certain tax assets attributable to periods prior to our IPO, including the pre-IPO Tax Assets. In addition, we will pay interest on the payments we will make to Brookfield with respect to the amount of these cash savings from the due date (without extensions) of our tax return where we realize these savings to the payment date at a rate equal to the one-month period SOFR plus 1.10%. The term of the Tax Receivable Agreement commenced on April 23, 2018 and will continue until there is no potential for any future tax benefit payments.
The calculation of the Tax Receivable Agreement liability requires significant judgment with regards to the assumptions underlying the forecast of future taxable income, in total and by jurisdiction, as well as their timing.
Revenue recognition. Revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods, in an amount that reflects the consideration which we expect to receive in exchange for those goods.
To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that we determine are within the scope of ASC 606, the following five steps are performed: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) we satisfy a performance obligation. We only apply the five‑step model to contracts when it is probable that we will collect the consideration we are entitled to in exchange for the goods or services we transfer to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, we assess the goods or services promised within each contract and determine those that are performance obligations, and assess whether each promised good or service is distinct. We then recognize as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.
Our revenue streams primarily consist of LTAs and short‑term purchase orders (deliveries within the year) directly with steel manufacturers. The promises of delivery of graphite electrodes represent the distinct performance obligations to which the contract consideration is allocated, based upon the electrode stand‑alone selling prices for the class of customers at the time the agreements are executed. The performance obligations are considered to be satisfied at a point in time when control of the electrodes has been transferred to the customer. The Company has elected to treat the transportation of the electrodes from our premises to the customer’s facilities as a fulfillment activity, and outbound freight cost is accrued when the graphite electrode performance obligation is satisfied. Any variable consideration is recognized up to its unconstrained amount (i.e., up to the amount for which it is probable that a significant reversal of the variable revenue will not happen).
Revenue recognition requires the estimation of the electrode stand-alone selling price, using a variety of inputs, from market observable information to internal pricing guidelines. The estimate of stand-alone selling price on the various classes of contracts is the basis for the allocation of revenue amongst periods for new and modified contracts. Historically the amount of contract assets and liabilities resulting from these estimates has been immaterial. See Note 2, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
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