Graham Corporation Awarded $4.3 Million in Contracts; Appoints Robert A. Platt, PE, as Vice President of Sales

  • Ethylene production facility in Asia requires two surface condensers
  • Vacuum system and steam surface condenser to be designed and built for a U.S. oil refinery and a U.S. biomass power plant, respectively
  • New officer position of Vice President of Sales to support growth efforts established

BATAVIA, N.Y.--()--Graham Corporation (NYSE Amex: GHM), a global designer and manufacturer of critical equipment for the oil refining, petrochemical and power industries, including the supply of components and raw materials to nuclear power plants, today announced that it has been awarded three new orders with a combined value of $4.3 million. All three orders are expected to ship in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013 (“fiscal 2013”).

An order for an ethylene production facility in Asia, which is expanding production capacity, requires two of Graham’s custom-engineered surface condensers. These condensers are currently planned for shipment in the third quarter of fiscal 2013, which ends December 2012.

The additional two orders are for U.S. installations. A Graham vacuum ejector system will be installed in an oil refinery that is being revamped to expand its capacity and provide the capability of processing Bakken crude oil from North Dakota shale formations. It is expected to be shipped in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, which ends June 2012. Finally, Graham will supply a steam surface condenser in the second quarter of fiscal 2013, which ends September 2012, for a 40 MW biomass power plant. This is the seventh biomass power project order Graham has secured over the last year.

James R. Lines, Graham’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Our global pipeline of opportunities continues to improve in quality, with order development and margins improving over the last nine months compared with the year-ago period. We believe that these wins are among the signals which indicate to us that our markets, as a whole, are improving. Petrochemical markets are expanding in Asia and, in the U.S., there is renewed activity in the refining markets along with continued advancement of alternative energy projects. Moreover, we have identified significant opportunities at existing nuclear power facilities, as well as new build nuclear power facilities that are currently under construction.”

Robert A. Platt, PE, Appointed Vice President of Sales

Graham announced that Robert A. Platt, PE, was appointed Vice President of Sales, effective October 27, 2011. Mr. Platt brings to Graham significant industry experience in sales and general management. Prior to joining Graham, Mr. Platt was most recently President of API Basco, a heat transfer company. Previously, he has held leadership positions at Maag Systems, Carver Pump Company, Ingersoll Dresser Pumps and Bornemann Pumps. A registered professional engineer, he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Mr. Lines noted, “We are pleased to add Bob and his extensive experience to our team as we continue to expand our addressable opportunities in the markets we serve while we also increase our market penetration in various geographic regions and industries to broaden our diversification. We believe that well beyond the current market improvement, Graham can expand its presence and reach further into the energy markets we serve. We are building our team to achieve that goal.”

ABOUT GRAHAM CORPORATION

With world-renowned engineering expertise in vacuum and heat transfer technology, Graham Corporation is a global designer, manufacturer and supplier of custom-engineered ejectors, pumps, condensers, vacuum systems and heat exchangers. For 75 years, Graham has built a reputation for top quality, reliable products and high-standards of customer service. Sold either as components or complete system solutions, the principal markets for Graham’s equipment are energy, including oil and gas refining and nuclear and other power generation, chemical/petrochemical and other process industries. In addition, Graham's equipment can be found in diverse applications, such as metal refining, pulp and paper processing, shipbuilding, water heating, refrigeration, desalination, food processing, pharmaceutical, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, and in nuclear power installations, both inside the reactor vessel and outside the containment vessel.

Graham Corporation’s subsidiary Energy Steel & Supply Co. is a leading code fabrication and specialty machining company dedicated exclusively to the nuclear power industry.

Graham Corporation’s reach spans the globe. Its equipment is installed in facilities from North and South America to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Graham routinely posts news and other important information on its website, www.graham-mfg.com, where additional comprehensive information on Graham Corporation and its subsidiaries can be found.

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” and other similar words. All statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that Graham Corporation expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including but not limited to, statements relating to Graham’s acquisition of Energy Steel & Supply Co. (including but not limited to, the integration of the acquisition of Energy Steel, revenue, backlog and expected performance of Energy Steel, and expected expansion and growth opportunities within the domestic and international nuclear power generation market), anticipated revenue, the timing of conversion of backlog to sales, market presence, profit margins, foreign sales operations, its ability to improve cost competitiveness, customer preferences, changes in market conditions in the industries in which it operates, changes in general economic conditions and customer behavior, forecasts regarding the timing and scope of the economic recovery in its markets, and its acquisition strategy are forward-looking statements. Because they are forward-looking, they should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Graham Corporation's most recent Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading entitled “Risk Factors.”

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Graham Corporation's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those currently anticipated. In addition, undue reliance should not be placed on Graham Corporation's forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Graham Corporation disclaims any obligation to update or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Contacts

Graham Corporation
Jeffrey Glajch, 585-343-2216
Vice President Finance and CFO
jglajch@graham-mfg.com
or
Kei Advisors LLC
Deborah K. Pawlowski, 716-843-3908
dpawlowski@keiadvisors.com

Contacts

Graham Corporation
Jeffrey Glajch, 585-343-2216
Vice President Finance and CFO
jglajch@graham-mfg.com
or
Kei Advisors LLC
Deborah K. Pawlowski, 716-843-3908
dpawlowski@keiadvisors.com