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Published on November 30, 2009
November 30, 2009
VIA FACSIMILE AND EDGAR
Mr. Jay E. Ingram
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
RE: |
Novelis Inc. Registration Statement on Form S-4 Amendment No. 2 Filed on November 9, 2009 File No.: 333-161892 |
Dear Mr. Ingram:
This letter sets forth the responses of Novelis Inc. (the Company) to the comments of the
staff (the Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) with regard to
Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the Registration Statement) filed on
November 9, 2009. The Staffs comments were provided to the Company in a letter dated November 20,
2009. For your convenience, the Company will provide the Staff with six courtesy copies of this
response letter. The Company has listed the responses in the same order as the comments were
presented and has repeated each comment prior to the response.
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, page
49
Metal Price Ceilings, page 54
Staffs Comment 1: We note your disclosure in the second paragraph of your discussion. Please
tell us what consideration you have given to filing the new agreement which becomes effective on
January 1, 2010 as an exhibit to the registration statement.
Response: The Company advises the Staff that it provided disclosure concerning the new
customer supply agreement (the Agreement) referenced in the Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations solely to update its historical disclosure concerning metal
price ceilings. Once the Agreement becomes effective on January 1, 2010 the Company will no longer have sales
contracts which contain a ceiling over which metal prices cannot be contractually passed through to
customers. The Company has considered the necessity
Novelis Inc.
November 30, 2009
Page 2
November 30, 2009
Page 2
of filing the Agreement as an exhibit to the Registration Statement under Item 601(b)(10) of
Regulation S-K and has determined that the Agreement is not a material contract.
Item 601(b)(10)(i)
provides that every contract not made in the ordinary course of business which is material to the
registrant is considered to be a material contract. Item 601(b)(10)(ii)(B) provides that even
ordinary course contracts are material contracts if the registrants business is substantially
dependent on the agreement, as in the case of continuing contracts to sell the major part of
registrants products or services or to purchase the major part of registrants requirements of
goods, services or raw materials....
The Company has concluded that the Agreement was made in the ordinary course of business. A
substantial portion of the Companys revenues are derived from the sale of aluminum can sheet.
Most of that can sheet is sold to customers through direct contracts with beverage can
manufacturers, including the Agreement. In fact, over half of the Companys sales are currently to
customers in the beverage can market. Furthermore, the Agreement reflects pricing terms consistent
with market pricing, which the Company believes suggests that the agreement was made in the
ordinary course of business.
In addition, the Company has concluded that, while the customer covered by the Agreement (the
Customer) is one of the Companys largest customers, its business is not substantially dependent
on the Customer or the Agreement. The average revenue under the existing contract with the
Customer since the Companys acquisition by Hindalco in May 2007 has accounted for less than 10% of
the Companys total revenues. As disclosed, volume under the new Agreement is expected to be
similar to volume under the existing contract. Therefore, the Company does not believe its business is substantially dependent on the
Agreement because the sales do not represent the major part of the Companys sales.
In addition, the Company considered a number of other factors in concluding that its business
is not otherwise substantially dependent on the Agreement. The aluminum can sheet market is (1)
highly concentrated with only four major producers of aluminum can sheet and only four major
consumers of aluminum can sheet and (2) mature, which limits incentives for new competitors to
enter the market or for current market manufacturers to make substantial capital expenditures to
increase capacity. Furthermore, each of the four major producers in the market is currently
operating near current production capacity. If the Agreement were cancelled, the Company believes
the other three aluminum can sheet producers could generally only fulfill supply requirements by
reducing the supply they provide to their current customers, which the Company believes would
create substantial opportunities for the Company to replace the sales associated with the supply
agreement at market prices. On that basis, the Company believes that cancellation of the Agreement
would not result in a significant decrease in the Companys revenue or otherwise materially harm
the Companys operating results or financial condition. Therefore, the Company has concluded that
it is not substantially dependent on the Agreement.
Exhibit 10.13 Employment Agreement of Antonio Tadeu Coelho Nardocci
Novelis Inc.
November 30, 2009
Page 3
November 30, 2009
Page 3
Staffs Comment 2: We note Exhibit 10.2 of the quarterly report for the period ended
September 30, 2009, which reflects a new employment agreement with Mr. Nardocci. Please file Mr.
Nardoccis new employment agreement with your next amendment.
Response: The Company directs the Staffs attention to Exhibit 10.48 to the Registration
Statement, which incorporates by reference the new employment agreement with Mr. Nardocci.
* * *
Please contact the undersigned at (404) 814-4200 with any questions concerning this letter.
Sincerely,
/s/ Leslie J. Parrette Jr.
Leslie J. Parrette Jr.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer
cc: Mr. John J. Kelley III King & Spalding LLP Mr. Keith M. Townsend King & Spalding LLP |