"MAINTAINING FOCUS" IS THE OVERALL THEME FOR THIS ANNUAL REPORT. BY CONCENTRATING ON SPECIFIC STRATEGIES, AECI WAS ABLE TO DELIVER A PROFITABLE PERFORMANCE IN A YEAR WHEN THE EFFECTS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS HAD A SERIOUS IMPACT ON TRADING ACTIVITIES. A FURTHER RESULT OF MAINTAINING FOCUS THROUGH THE CRISIS IS THAT THE GROUP IS WELL PLACED TO GAIN MAXIMUM ADVANTAGE FROM ANY IMPROVEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN, AFRICAN AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS IN 2010 AND BEYOND.
1.OVERVIEW
AECI'S CHAIRMAN, IN HIS LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS IN THE 2008 ANNUAL REPORT, NOTED THAT "2009 WILL BE A CHALLENGING YEAR WITH MUCH UNCERTAINTY AND, THEREFORE, THE PRESERVATION OF CASH WILL BE A PRIORITY." THE BOARD REQUESTED THAT AECI'S MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATE ON FOUR KEY AREAS TO STEER THE COMPANY THROUGH THE ECONOMIC CRISIS. STRATEGIES IN THIS REGARD, SUMMARIES ON HOW THEY WERE APPLIED, AND THE RESULTS THEREOF, ARE PROVIDED ON PAGES 29, 43, 73 AND 93.
CHAIRMAN'S LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS
I am pleased to report that, after a very challenging year, the AECI Group as a whole achieved satisfactory financial results in 2009. Our customers in the core business sectors...read more
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