OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2014. Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited ("Shanghai Petrochemical" or the "Company") (hkex:00338) SHI, +4.16% announced the unaudited operating results of the Company and its subsidiaries (the "Group") prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") for the six months ended 30 June, 2014 (the "Period").

According to IFRS, turnover for the Group for the Period reached RMB51,345 million, representing a decrease of 10.06% year-on-year. The Group recorded loss after income tax and non-controlling interests of RMB123.6 million (2013 interim: profit after tax and profit attributable to non-controlling interests of RMB473.2 million). Basic loss per share was RMB0.011 (2013 interim: basic earnings per share amounted to RMB0.044, based on a total number of 10.8 billion shares).

The Board of Directors did not recommend the distribution of 2014 interim dividend ()RMB0.50 (VAT inclusive) for every 10 shares to all shareholders). Mr. Wang Zhiqing, Chairman of Shanghai Petrochemical, said, "In the first half of 2014, the PRC economy gradually stabilised despite of a slowdown, maintaining stable growth within a reasonable range and signaling a further slowdown in economic growth. The PRC petrochemical market was impacted by weakened growth of market demand and a relatively rapid increase in production capacity. The petrochemical product market remained sluggish with further intensifying competition in the industry. Facing the challenging operating environment, the Group tackled the challenges head-on to maintain smooth operations of its plants. It thoroughly implemented system optimisation.

The Group also continued its efforts in technological advancement and digitisation of information, further strengthening internal corporate management and cutting its losses by optimising production efficiency." In the first half of 2014, the Group's net sales reached RMB46,690.8 million, representing a decrease of 10.49% year-on-year. Of this, net sales of synthetic fibres, resins and plastics, intermediate petrochemicals and petroleum products declined by 11.84%, 13.23%, 29.97% and 9.00% respectively. Net sales of trading of petrochemical products rose by 18.21%.

Under challenging economic conditions during the Period, the Group lowered crude oil processing volume in view of the market conditions, upstream and downstream material balance and plant maintenance, which reduced the total volume of goods produced by 12.84% year-on-year. During the Period, the Group processed 7,225,700 tons of crude oil (including 730,900 tons of crude oil processed on a sub-contract basis), representing a decrease of 6.25% year-on-year. Total production of refined oil products reached 4,251,200 tons, representing a decrease of 4.45% year-on-year. Of this, the output of gasoline was 1,514,700 tons, representing an increase of 9.63% year-on-year; output of diesel was 2,033,300 tons, representing a decrease of 19.15% year-on-year; and output of jet fuel was 703,200 tons, representing an increase of 27.16% year-on-year.

The Group produced 404,700 tons of ethylene and 364,600 tons of paraxylene, representing a decrease of 15.46% and 20.20% year-on-year respectively. The Group also produced 487,900 tons of synthetic resins and plastic (excluding polyesters and polyvinyl alcohol), representing a decrease of 11.31% year-on-year; 361,700 tons of synthetic fibre monomers, representing a decrease of 19.34% year-on-year; 204,700 tons of synthetic fibre polymers, representing a decrease 22.70% year-on-year; and 116,900 tons of synthetic fibres, representing a decrease of 8.39% year-on-year.

The Group's output-to-sales ratio and receivable recovery ratio were 100.54% and 100.00% respectively for the Period. In the first half of 2014, global crude oil maintained the balance between supply and demand. International crude oil prices were volatile in an upward trend mainly due to the impact of the geopolitical situation. The average unit cost of crude oil (for the Group's own account) was RMB4,866.94 per ton, representing an increase of 0.28% year-on-year. The Group's cost of crude oil accounted for 68.38% of the total cost of sales. During the Period, the Group continually enhanced its management of process technology for its plants while improving technical and economic indicators.

The first phase of production plant maintenance for the year, with a focus on residual oil hydrogenation plants, was completed. The Group continued to tighten its management of specialised equipment, key units and gear transmission equipment, as well as anti-corrosion for equipment and management of heaters.

The Group continued to leverage its competitive strengths in the integration of its refinery and petrochemical segments. Tapping fully on the high flexibility of its refinery plants, the Group increased the procurement and refining volume of low-grade crude oil and increased its focus on crude oil procurement, which contributed to lower crude oil cost. Refinery and petrochemical production were also optimised. The Group further strengthened refined oil product structure by lowering production of several lower-margin petrochemical products and boosting production of high-end gasoline.

The Group enhanced the contribution margin tracing of the plants, and suspended production at some plants in phases while prioritising the production of more profitable and marketable products in line with market conditions. Through various innovative financing methods, the Group successfully implemented various offshore financing measures such as overseas agency payments and risk participation, lowering its capital costs. During the Period, China Jinshan Associated Trading Corporation, the Group's holding subsidiary, has established the Shanghai Jinshan Trading Corporation. in the Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone to further expand the Group's trading segment, increase its trading volume, expand its financing channels, and lower financing costs.

Looking ahead, Mr. Wang Zhiqing said, "In the second half of 2014, the global economy is expected to be slightly improved over the first half. With reforms and policy adjustments, the PRC economy is expected to be relatively stable. Given the stable economy and the rebound in demand in the PRC, the petrochemical industry is expected to undergo steady and moderate growth. International oil prices are expected to continue to fluctuate at a prevailing high level. Facing a challenging market environment, we will focus on improving the quality and efficiency of our development, and will continue to focus on safety and environmental protection as well as stable production.

The Group will continue to consolidate its system optimisation, cost reductions and strict management, as it strives to seize the opportunities arising from the favorable market environment and to achieve a turnaround in its efficiency." Shanghai Petrochemical is one of the largest petrochemical companies in China in terms of sales revenue, and was one of the first Chinese companies to complete a global securities offering. Located in the Jinshan District in southwest Shanghai, the Group is a highly-integrated petrochemicals enterprise which processes crude oil into a broad range of products such as synthetic fibres, resins and plastics, intermediate petrochemicals and petroleum products. *** This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature.

These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates" and similar statements. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks such as the risk that the PRC economy may not grow at the same rate in future periods as it has in the last several years, or at all, due to the PRC government's implementation of macro-economic control measures to curb over-heating of the PRC economy; uncertainty as to global economic growth in future periods; the risk that prices of the Company's raw materials, particularly crude oil, will continue to increase, the Company may not be able to raise the prices of its products as appropriate, thus adversely affecting the Company's profitability; the risk that new marketing and sales strategies may not be effective; the risk that fluctuations in demand for the Company's products may cause the Company to either over-invest or under-invest in production capacity in one or more of its four major product categories; the risk that investments in new technologies and development cycles may not produce the benefits anticipated by the management; the risk that the trading price of the Company's shares may decrease for a variety of reasons, some of which may be beyond the control of the management; the risk of competition in the Company's existing and potential markets; and other risks outlined in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under applicable laws.