Lumax Industries Limited ($517206)

Earnings Call Transcript · June 1, 2026

BSE IN Consumer Discretionary Automobile Components Earnings Calls 43 min

Highlights from the call

In Q4 FY '26, Lumax Industries Limited reported strong financial results, with total operating revenue reaching INR 1,200 crores, a 30% increase year-on-year. For the full fiscal year, revenue grew 23% to INR 4,184 crores, with EBITDA margins improving to 9.8%. Management expressed optimism for FY '27, maintaining guidance for revenue growth at least double the industry average, supported by a robust order book of INR 2,200 crores, predominantly in LED lighting.

Main topics

  • Record Financial Performance: Lumax achieved its highest ever annual revenue and profitability in FY '26, with revenue of INR 4,184 crores and EBITDA of INR 412.1 crores, reflecting a 42.8% increase. Management noted, "This performance was driven by strong growth in the auto industry, increasing premiumization across vehicle segments and continued shift towards LED lighting."
  • Strong Order Book: The company reported a healthy order book of INR 2,200 crores, with 88% of it related to LED lighting. Management highlighted, "We have secured multiple new orders from leading OEMs across segments," indicating strong future revenue visibility.
  • CapEx Guidance: Management guided for FY '27 CapEx of INR 100 to 150 crores, with ongoing expansions at their Bengaluru and Chakan facilities. The focus remains on supporting new model launches and increasing capacity, which is crucial for future growth.
  • Margin Improvement Despite Challenges: Q4 EBITDA margins improved to 10.4%, despite a ForEx impact of 90 bps. Management stated, "We still remain quite optimistic to get the double-digit margins maintained anywhere between probably 10.5% to 11% for the full year," indicating resilience in profitability.
  • LED Penetration Growth: LED lighting now constitutes over 61% of Lumax's revenue, up from 58% last year. Management noted, "We expect this share to further increase going forward as nearly 88% of our current order book is LED based," signaling a strong industry trend.

Key metrics mentioned

  • Total Revenue Q4: INR 1,200 crores (vs INR 923 crores, +30% YoY)
  • Total Revenue FY '26: INR 4,184 crores (vs INR 3,400 crores, +23% YoY)
  • EBITDA Q4: INR 124.9 crores (vs INR 85.2 crores, +46.6% YoY)
  • EBITDA Margin Q4: 10.4% (vs 9.0% last year)
  • EBITDA FY '26: INR 412.1 crores (up 42.8% YoY)
  • PAT FY '26: INR 172.5 crores (up 23.3% YoY)

Lumax Industries Limited's strong performance in FY '26, driven by robust revenue growth and margin improvements, positions the company favorably for FY '27. However, rising costs and geopolitical risks present challenges. Investors should monitor the company's ability to manage these pressures and capitalize on its strong order book and LED growth trajectory.

Earnings Call Speaker Segments

Operator

Operator
#1

Ladies and gentlemen, good day, and welcome to the Lumax Industries Limited Q4 and FY '26 Earnings Conference Call. This conference call may contain forward-looking statements about the company, which are based on the beliefs, opinions and expectations of the company as on date of this call. These statements do not guarantee the future performance of the company, and it may involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this conference is being recorded. I now hand the conference over to Mr. Deepak Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Lumax Industries Limited. Thank you, and over to you, sir.

Deepak Jain

Executives
#2

A very good morning, everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Along with me, there is on this call today, Mr. Anmol Jain, the Managing Director of the company; Mr. Raju Ketkale, the CEO; Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Lumax Group CFO; and Ravi Teltia, Lumax Industries CFO; and Ms. Surabhi Chandna, the Group Head of Investor Relations and Value Creation. We have updated our financial results and earnings presentation on stock exchange at the company's website. I hope everybody has had an opportunity to go through the same. I will be briefly touching upon the economy, followed by the automotive industry performance and company updates. The global economic environment remains uncertain due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions and evolving take trade policies across major economies. We remain cautiously optimistic about the outlook for FY '27. Income tax reforms announced last year expected to improve disposable incomes and support consumption across sectors, which could positively benefit demand across the economy. Continued focus on infrastructure development, manufacturing growth and capital expenditure is also expected to support industrial and automotive activity. However, uncertainties arising from the ongoing West Asia conflict needs to be closely monitored as prolonged disruption could impact production, commodity prices, fuel costs, freight rates and overall economic sentiment. Coming to the performance of the automotive industry, FY '26 witnessed a contrasting trend across the 2 halves of the year. H1 FY '26 started at a relatively subdued note with the industry witnessing slower demand, rising costs and supply chain challenges, which overall impacted the market sentiment. However, H2 of FY '26 saw a very strong recovery following the GST 2.0 related reforms, low interest rates and improvement in consumer sentiment, which also supported by the festive season. Overall, in the Indian auto industry posted its strongest fiscal year in 7 years since FY '19 with a production of 34.71 million units, up 11.8% year-on-year and robust performance across segments. According to SIAM, the passenger vehicle production units had basically 5.5 million in FY '26, registering a growth of 9%, supported by sustained demand for utility vehicles, premiumization trends and healthy export momentum. The 2-wheeler production units stood at 26.7 million in FY '26, registering a strong growth of 12%. 3-wheeler production stood at 1.3 million units, registering a growth of 24% and the commercial vehicle production stood at 1.2 million units, registering a growth of 13%. More recently, in the fourth quarter, the industry witnessed strong production growth across vehicle segments driven by a recovery in demand momentum, along with improved supply chain and higher capacity utilization across OEMs. The Q4 total production figure grew 19% year-on-year. The passenger vehicle grew 11%, 2-wheeler production grew 21%, 3-wheeler production registered a growth of 32% and the CVs registered a growth of 20% year-on-year. In line with this, we are proud to report a record performance in the history of operations with the highest ever annual revenue, EBITDA and profits achieved in FY '26. Revenue for the year grew by 23% to INR 4,184 crores while profitability also improved with EBITDA margins increasing to 9.8% in FY '26, an increase of 130 bps over the previous year. This performance was driven by strong growth in the auto industry, increasing premiumization across vehicle segments and continued shift towards LED lighting leading to a higher content per vehicle. The company also has benefited from [ key ] model wins and increased business from existing customers during the year. Now coming to key updates for the company during the quarter. Our order book remains healthy at INR 2,200 crores with LED lighting composition of 88%. We have secured multiple new orders from leading OEMs across segments. In the passenger vehicle segment, we have won orders from Mahindra XUV 7XO, where we are supplying the front fog lamp, cornering lamp, map reading, sun visor and roof lamp. We have also received orders from Skoda for the Kushaq facelift where we'll be supplying all tail lamps. Another order win is from Toyota Kirloskar for urban cruiser Ebella for headlamp and small turn indicator lamps, and tail lamp and lid lamp. In the 2-wheeler segment, we have won a prestigious order from Suzuki Motorcycles for the Access for the supply of front turning signal lamps and headlamps. Also, we are proud to inform that we have been awarded several recognitions in the recent supplier conference with the most notable being recognition for the superior performance in the area of sustainability for the year '25-'26 in Maruti Suzuki Supplier Conference and special appreciation award in the Mahindra Supplier Conference for XUV 7XO and for Indo Electric 3-wheeler. These recognitions reaffirm the strength of our partnerships and our commitment to operational excellence. On the CapEx front, our Bengaluru plant expansion to support Maruti and Toyota's upcoming models is progressing as planned and is expected to be commissioned from Q4 FY '27. We recently commenced operations for Phase 2 of our Chakan facility, which will primarily cater to the requirements of Skoda and Volkswagen, further strengthening our presence in the Western region. I now hand over to our CFO, Mr. Ravi Teltia for updates on operational and financial performance.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#3

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. I'll take you through the key operational and financial highlights for the quarter and financial year ended 31st March 2026. As our Chairman and Managing Director highlighted earlier, FY '26 has been a landmark year for the company with the highest ever performance across all key financial and operational parameters. Starting with the quarter ended 31st March 2026. Total operating revenue for the quarter stood at INR 1,200 crores, registering a strong year-on-year growth of 30%. This growth was primarily driven by robust performance in our manufacturing business where the revenue growth was 33% year-on-year to INR 1,163 crores. EBITDA for the quarter came in at INR 124.9 crores as against INR 85.2 crores in Q4 FY reflecting a strong growth of 46.6%. EBITDA margins improved 10.4% despite ForEx impact of 90 bps in quarter 4 FY '26. Importantly, this marks the second consecutive quarter of double-digit EBITDA margin supported by a richer LED product mix and improving operational efficiencies at our plant. Profit after tax, including share of associates stood at INR 54.1 crores, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 23% with PAT margins at 4.5%. Now moving to the full year performance for FY '26, total operating revenue stood at INR 4,184 crores, reflecting a healthy growth of 23% year-on-year. EBITDA for the year was INR 412.1 crores up 42.8% compared to last year with EBITDA margins improving to 9.8 % despite ForEx impact of 40 bps on full year basis demonstrating sustained improvement in profitability and operating leverage benefit .Profit after tax for the year stood at INR 172.5 crores representing a growth of 23.3% year-on-year with PAT margin at 4.1%. I would also like to highlight that FY '26 profitability included a onetime impact of INR 17.8 crores on account of the new labor code notification, which impacted PAT growth during the year. Let me now move to the operational highlights. With rising LED penetration across the automotive industry, our revenue mix continues to reflect the structural transition. LED lighting now contributes over 61% of our revenue compared to 58% in the corresponding last year. We expect this share to further increase going forward as nearly 88% of our current order book is LED based, providing strong visibility for future growth and reinforcing our alignment with evolving industry trend. For FY '26, the passenger vehicle segment continued to anchor our business portfolio driven by higher technological complexity and increasing content per vehicle. Passenger vehicles contributed 65% of revenues, while the 2-wheeler segment accounted for 29% with the balance contributed by other segments. Our order book also reflects a similar trend with nearly 2/3 coming from passenger vehicles and most of the remaining from the 2-wheeler segment. From a product perspective, front lighting remained our largest category, contributing around 69% of revenues driven by higher technological intensity, premiumization trend and critical safety [ relevance ]. Rear lighting contributed 22% of revenues supported by increasing focus on styling and design differentiation across vehicle platform while the balance came from other lighting products. From a customer perspective, revenues from witnessed strong growth of nearly 50% during the year driven by multiple new model SOPs. Our segment -- our engagement with the company continues to deepen and we remain in active discussions for upcoming vehicle platform as well. At the same time, we also witnessed healthy business growth from Tata Motors and HMSI reflecting continued diversification and strengthening relationships across our customer base. Coming to CapEx, as mentioned earlier, our ongoing CapEx plans are progressing well and remain aligned with future growth requirements and customer commitments. During FY '26, we committed new CapEx of INR 390 crores to INR 400 crores. For FY '27, our CapEx guidance stands at INR 100 crores to INR 150 crores. Our net long-term debt currently stands at INR 235 crores. I would also like to highlight ICRA has upgraded our credit rating to ICRA AA- stable for long-term limit and ICRA A1+ for short-term limit. For short-term limit, A1+ is highest. Effective tax rate for the quarter was 22.5%. With this, I would like to open the floor for questions. Thank you.

Operator

Operator
#4

[Operator Instructions] The first question comes from the line of Mihir Vora with Equirus Securities Private Limited. Congratulations on a good set of numbers.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#5

So my first question was regarding the operational front, wherein right now we are seeing some employee cost rises in the northern part of our plants and also hearing some in the Gujarat side. So whether -- what kind of impact can we see in terms of employee cost going ahead? And how are we navigating this price with the customers.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#6

Yes, you actually mentioned for the state of Haryana, government of Haryana has revised the minimum wages witheffect on 1st April, 2026 and similar claims are visible in some of the other states also. As part of our business alignment with the OEM, typically we pass on these increases to our customers with a time lag which is there during this time. So we have already started discussions with our customers and in the coming period we are expecting that -- this kind of recovery will come.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#7

And sir overall what kind of impact can we see on our employee cost for near-term like any quantification on the team?

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#8

Not as such, but we can consider some 30 35 base impact.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#9

My second question was basically the very good order book build up in the quarter [indiscernible] kind of an order. But, yes, there are two parts to it. What kind of CapEx will we see some increase into our CapEx guidance beyond the Bengaluru plant and -- so this is the first part of questions.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#10

So as I mentioned our CapEx guidelines for the current year is INR 100 crores to INR 150 crores and earlier we communicated this. That for Bangalore plant we have already pre-loaded in the last financial year the CapEx requirement. So the this year CapEx requirement more for the maintenance plus some of the expansion of capacity within our existing facilities.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#11

And the second part here is sir, like mould sales is something which saw a decline this year but going ahead what kind of mould sales can we see based on the new orders which we have received. So will we see an increase here?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#12

So Mihir, tooling revenues are actually directly correlated with the new product launches. It does not necessarily showcase any downfall or any significant increase in the baseline revenue. So for the current year, I think the number of launches as well as the tooling were slightly different than compared to FY '25. However, in FY '27, which is the current year, we do expect a significant increase in our tooling revenues compared to full year FY '26.

Operator

Operator
#13

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Sucrit Patil with Eyesight Fintrade.

Sucrit Patil

Analysts
#14

My first question to Mr. Deepak Jain is just want to understand the forward guidance on what type of strategic levers are you prioritizing in FY '27 to expand the company's leadership in automotive lighting, accelerate adoption of LED and smart lighting technologies and manage risk from cyclical demand and regulatory compliances in the safety standards. That's my first question. I'll ask my second question after this.

Deepak Jain

Executives
#15

I think it's very clear we are aligned with our OEMs. Our 100%, almost 100% business is OEM related. And whatever 3 things you've talked about, regulatory compliance, more LED penetration and expanding and deepening the wallet share is probably reflecting in our very strong order book. And as you mentioned, it's INR 2,200 crores, and we basically also are talking about 88% LED. When it comes to regulation compliance and safety, I think fundamentally, we are talking more towards ESG in this as a product. Right now, LED is not mandated. I hope it answers my question.

Sucrit Patil

Analysts
#16

My second question to Mr. Mehta is I want to understand what type of capital allocation and risk management frameworks are being applied in '26, '27 to balance dividend payout with funding for R&D in smart lighting. Any hedge against ForEx and raw material volatility. And any liquidity buffer put into place to sustain for large OEM contracts?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#17

So I think we have a very comfortable debt equity ratio regarding the allocation of capital and the -- because we have a dividend payout ratio of 35% of payout, which we are consistently maintaining and keep on maintaining way forward as well as. Looking to the profitability increase in the company, the debt position is, I mean, on the decreasing trend. So from cash flow point of view, there is not any problem for capital allocation for whatever the CapEx etcetera. And this is acknowledged by the credit rating also by improving the credit rating where the profitability of company getting increased.

Operator

Operator
#18

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Utkarsh Somaiya with Eiko Quantum Solutions.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#19

Your Q4 EBITDA margins were 10.4%, and you mentioned this was despite a ForEx impact of 90 bps. So had that not been there, your EBITDA margin would be 11.3% and if that is the case, how should we look at your margin will flow in FY '27.

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#20

So you rightly mentioned in quarter four there's the impact of 90 bps for the ForEx. Just want to highlight that in quarter 4, we have a relatively better margin from our tooling business so if we exclude that then our manufacturing business has reported a margin of 9.7% without being for [indiscernible]. Yes and also to mention that as a trade in quarter four we have received the higher price recoveries from our customers as well in terms of the past price increases which have happened in the past quarters. So this is two reasons.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#21

So even in FY '26 it's 9.8% and a 90 bps ForEx impact right for the whole year.

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#22

Yes, sorry. Full year basis as I mentioned it's a 40 bps impact. So 9.8%...

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#23

[ still ] 10.2%. How should we see this number for the whole year of FY '27 given as...

Anmol Jain

Executives
#24

This is Anmol Jain. So currently, there is, of course, a lot of volatility where we see a significant increase in the input cost. It is across raw materials, manpower, energy prices. There are some headwinds, but we are in discussions with our customers to get compensated. Usually, there is a time lag of about 1 quarter out. We are trying to prepone that time lag by getting into some kind of a monthly amendment arrangement with a few of the OEMs. But -- so I would not be in a position to give you an exact guidance for FY '27, considering the volatility. However, for the full year, we still remain quite optimistic to get the double-digit margins maintained anywhere between probably 10.5% to 11% for the full year. This would take care of price corrections, input costs, tooling profits, et cetera, et cetera, on a consolidated level.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#25

Okay. And can I squeeze in one more question? if you don't mind?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#26

Go ahead.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#27

Since and after FY '27, do we have any levers remaining for further expansion because I guess your LED revenue will also increase from current 60-odd levels to 70 or 80. So do we have any levers remaining to improve your EBITDA margin in FY '28 over FY '27.

Anmol Jain

Executives
#28

Yes, absolutely. I think the EBITDA margins, given a 3- to 4-year horizon, we are probably looking at getting close to a 13% EBITDA margin. That is the midterm goal post. And I think the organization is putting in all efforts across different -- not just operational leverage, but also across engineering, marketing to try and inch forward towards that goal every year. So again, if you look at the move from FY '25 to '26, it is a move in the right direction. And as I mentioned earlier, FY '27, we do look at expanding perhaps 50 bps or upwards on an EBITDA margin as well.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#29

Okay. Perfect. In the last 2 years, you've been growing at 20-plus percent. We can expect the same trajectory for the next 2 years.

Anmol Jain

Executives
#30

I think we can safely say that we will at least outperform the industry. We will be growing at least 2x of the industry. In the last financial year in certain segments, we've actually outperformed the industry by 3x. So I would safely say that for FY '27, the guidance remains intact to at least grow by twice of that what the industry growth will be.

Operator

Operator
#31

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of [ Shubham Batra ] with Ambit AMC.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#32

Congratulations on a very strong set of numbers. My question was largely on the industry side. So if you can give us an understanding as to what is the current level of penetration of LED...

Operator

Operator
#33

I'm sorry to interrupt Subham, you're not quite audible. Could you please use your phone on handset in case you're on handsfree.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#34

Yes. Is it better?

Operator

Operator
#35

Much better.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#36

Sir, my question was regarding if you can help me understand currently what is the industry penetration in the PV and in the 2-wheeler space of LED lighting? And till what extent can we see this penetration going up to? Like do we expect penetration of LED lighting to come down to a 100cc entry-level motorcycle or also in a very entry-level car. So if you can give a brief understanding on the industry?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#37

Again, this is Anmol Jain. So looking at FY '25, '26, our overall penetration was about 60% of LEDs. Now as an industry, the penetration is much higher on the 2-wheeler side, where we feel that almost more than 80% of the lamps on a 2-wheeler are actually already on an LED base. However, in passenger cars, that perhaps is more like 60% or so as an industry level. There is still about 35%, 40%, which is non-LED. However, this is fast changing. As Ravi had mentioned earlier, almost close to 90% of our order book is with LED, which is both in passenger cars as well as in the 2-wheeler segment. So there is definitely a rapid shift towards LED, which is happening. And I think over the next 3 to 4 years, I definitely feel that the LED pie will only grow much bigger.

Operator

Operator
#38

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Mihir [ Raj ] with Equirus PMS.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#39

Yes. Am I audible?

Operator

Operator
#40

Yes Mihir.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#41

Congrats on strong numbers. So my question is on JV side. Can you throw some color on how the business is shaping up there? What is the order book -- what is the order book momentum and headline numbers for FY '26 revenue and the growth.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#42

This is Ravi. For FY '26, SL Lumax has reported a turnover of somewhere around INR 2,900 crores with an EBITDA margin of close to 14%. So SL, as we know, is primarily supplying to Hyundai and they have recently opened up a new manufacturing facility also in Pune plant. For the coming year we are expecting that they will have a industry level growth -- industry level growth and the margins they will continue to maintain at this moment the current margin in margin profile for the FY '27 as well.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#43

And any color on maybe new model wins in both the OEMs.

Anmol Jain

Executives
#44

So SL Lumax supplies 100% to across models of Hyundai Motor India. So there would not be any competition in the lamps for Hyundai Motors.

Operator

Operator
#45

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Mihir with Equirus Securities. Please go ahead.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#46

Yes, thanks for taking my question again. So my question was more of in terms of broader sense over last few years we have seen LED penetration helping us in terms of revenue growth and trends like connected lighting and Indian [indiscernible] has been a part of it. But going ahead post the 2, 3 years once industry LED penetration reaches. Where are we seeing the next technology -- like where are we trending to in terms of the next tech what will be the further product ahead of this?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#47

well there are multiple new technologies as I said LED is just one technology which is talking about the light source. I believe LED will continue to expand but the R&D team is already working on multiple other thing. We were the first ones in India to launch the ADB the adaptive driving beam, localized in India. We're also looking at projection technologies which is talking about multipixel LEDs, laser based solutions. You know these are also gaining a lot of traction specifically in the front lighting and which is where the company is extremely strong. On the rear lighting system also I think there is a lot more now on animated surfaces illuminations of different kinds. So these are technologies which again are going to be built on top of the LED thereby continuously increasing the value content per vehicle. I think LED is just the source of lamp but going forward these technologies will sit over and above that to actually enhance the not just safety but also the user experience of lamp systems.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#48

Right. Sir, in this -- I know it would be too early, but just are we seeing some consumer interest are we working with some customers in terms of this new product kind of technologies?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#49

We are working with our OEMs very extensively. We do not go directly to the end customers, but the OEMs do have a very strong market intelligence in terms of what consumers want. And since we are early supplier involvement, we are on the early stages of the new models, program development, we actually are able to showcase a lot of POCs to our OEMs for these new cutting-edge technologies.

Mihir Vora

Analysts
#50

Right Okay. And sir, my last question would be on just some sense on how much would be the import content for us currently?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#51

Roughly around 25% to 30% is import content on a raw metal and below the [ BOP ] part basically.

Operator

Operator
#52

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Saurabh Jain with Sunidhi Securities and Finance...

Saurabh Jain

Analysts
#53

My first question is on CapEx. You have guided for INR 100 crores to INR 150 crores for FY '27. So if you can you know just clarify on what is our maintenance CapEx and including maintenance CapEx what would be the number for FY '27 and FY '28 as well.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#54

Yeah. So for FY '27 as I mentioned we are considering some INR 100 crores to INR 150 crores which includes maintenance CapEx of around INR 40 crores to INR 50 crores and as far as FY '28 is concerned it depends how the market scenario will shape or what kind of new business wins we will have in coming days according to that we will decide and communicate to you but in general as per our business requirement INR 100 crores to INR 150 crore close to that number is something which is a requirement for our type of business.

Saurabh Jain

Analysts
#55

And sir my next question is on tax rate. This quarter we saw some escalation in the tax rate. So did we have -- I think we had some tax incentives at some of our plants which are getting faded away from -- so what tax rate should be work for work with for FY '27 and FY '28.

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#56

Yes. So we are already following the lower tax regime of 25% regime and this effective tax rate is based on the income tax and company accuration. So this this will continue to be over things and at this moment we are not getting any like a tax break on our income tax perspective. I think you may be referring to the subsidy side, that is a different [indiscernible].

Operator

Operator
#57

The next question comes from the line of Vignesh Iyer with Sequent Investments.

Vignesh Iyer

Analysts
#58

I was going through the balance.

Operator

Operator
#59

I'm sorry to interrupt Vignesh you're not audible.

Vignesh Iyer

Analysts
#60

Am I audible now?

Operator

Operator
#61

yes a little better.

Vignesh Iyer

Analysts
#62

Yes. So I was going through the balance sheet and the cash flow statement and noticed that there has been a good amount of inventory that has been built up compared to what it was last year. So wanted to understand whether this is whether this inventory buildup is mainly because being cautious because of the ongoing war or how should we see this numbers on a steady state basis?

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#63

Yeah, if you see over the years our LED penetration has increased and still some of the important parts or related components of LEDs are imported and there is a long lead time for LED. Despite that our inventory days which were somewhere around 65 to 70 we are very close to that we are maintaining even after four five years due to our effective inventory management. As far as the war is concerned, you rightly mentioned there are certain supply chain interceptions of that but we are very closely monitoring and in general we carry inventory of roughly 2 months or 2 to 2.1 months. So that is taking care of any disruption at this moment.

Vignesh Iyer

Analysts
#64

And wanted to understand what on the working capital days how do we see the numbers panning out? I mean could it get a bit stretched in the H1 or maybe two or three quarters in this year?

Ravi Teltia

Executives
#65

Yeah. So in general we have very kind of flat working capital if you see our inventory AR and our credit. So since we have a extended credit from our suppliers on this thing as far as the quarter one quarter two is related. Yes, there may be some slight up in terms of the the working days because the recoveries as we mentioned from our customer may have some time lag but for that it will be aligned back to the our regular working.

Operator

Operator
#66

[Operator Instructions] The next question comes from the line of Utkarsh Somaiya with Eiko Quantum Solutions.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#67

How should we look at your debt and interest cost over the next -- over FY '27 and '28?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#68

Yes. So as I mentioned we are not going for any long-term loan and we are continuously paying back as per scheduled. As of today, as of March '26, our long-term loan was INR 235 crores, and roughly around INR 85 crores to INR 90 crores we will repay this year. As per business requirement, because our business growth is somewhere around 15%, 20%. Working capital requirements we will continue to increase as per the business requirement but as I explained we will monitor our inventory and working capital days.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#69

So your short-term debt may go up because that is the bulk of your borrowing given that your revenue will also go up. Is there a certain revenue like short-term debt to revenue ratio you work with or how should we kind of expect.

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#70

So, short-term yes, you first of all, yes, you rightly mentioned we need to go for some additional short-term borrowing because the business is growing and we have a more LED which is an important portion. As far as short-term to the revenue guidelines roughly around 1.5 currently we are having I mean beta to short-term loan. To see the revenue side the short-term loan to EBITDA -- sorry revenue is roughly around 7 to eight times.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#71

sorry I didn't get that it's 10 times you said it's 4,000. I didn't get that short-term revenue to -- short-term debt to revenue [indiscernible] so I didn't follow sorry.

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#72

Around 15% of the revenue will be always in the working capital side there so almost 15% of the working capital loan is there.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#73

Understood. Understood. How should we see this INR 74 crores interest annual interest cost you so in FY '26? How should that play out given that the long-term will reduce and short-term will go after?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#74

Yes. Yes. So, it is a mix of both long-term and the short-term and the way forward the short-term as Ravi mentioned will be slightly increased because of the geopolitical condition where we need to be having a slightly higher inventory as well. So, we're taking enough care of that.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#75

I get that. I said how will your interest cost annual interest cost be given all of these situations?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#76

So it is INR 74 crores I think probably it will remain like a slight increase not to be in a rate maybe the INR 80 crores of the current.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#77

For the next two years.

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#78

For next -- at least this year we are of the -- chalked out that way, next year we will see and accordingly we will just indicate that..

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#79

Okay. Also, how should we see your tax rate given that you have a subsidiary with lower tax and how should we see the consolidated tax rate for next two years?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#80

So, as I mentioned we are in the 25% tax regime and we see that this will continue to be in the same range in the coming years. The income rate will be remain 25%, because of the defer tax, the effective tax rate will be there around 22% to 23%.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#81

22% to 23%. Yeah, that's what my actual question was. Okay. And this deferred tax will be there FY '28 also or will you consume it in FY '27?

Sanjay Mehta

Executives
#82

It will be there because the [CapEx] is there.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#83

Okay. And so since you have a 3 month time lag to pass on incremental costs, will you see a margin pressure in quarter one?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#84

So I think the margin pressure is there across the industry. Answering to your question, again, there is a margin pressure, yes, but we are doing our best to try and as I mentioned earlier, prepone the 3-month lag to perhaps getting certain commodities on a monthly amendment from our OEMs. This is still work-in-progress. This is still being discussed with the OEMs. But considering the extreme volatility of the input cost increase, some of the OEMs are actually looking at entertaining such request. So the margin pressures will continue, yes. However, we are quite hopeful that the OEMs will come in, in support, and we will be able to at least maintain the guidance for the first quarter as well.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Analysts
#85

Okay. So the annual guidance that you gave will be maintained for the first quarter as well. Is that what you mean?

Anmol Jain

Executives
#86

No, I meant that obviously, as a part of our annual guidance, which is, let's say, the EBITDA margins probably getting expanded on quarter 1 as well, some of it will probably be seen on a like-to-like year-to-year basis. But again, if you look at the quarter 1 of last fiscal year, it was a pretty choppy quarter. Things started to look up post Q3 of last financial year. So yes, Q1 to Q1, there would be maybe difference. But as we go along in the financial year, you will probably start to see things tapering around just because of a higher base effect from last quarter -- last year.

Operator

Operator
#87

Ladies and gentlemen, that was the last question for today. I would now like to hand the conference over to the management for their closing remarks.

Deepak Jain

Executives
#88

Thank you all for joining us today. I hope we have addressed all your questions. We remain committed to keep the investment community informed with regular updates of any developments in the company. For any other further information or queries, please feel free to reach out to the Lumax Group Investor Relations team or SGA Investor Relations Adviser. Have a good day, and then we conclude the call. Thank you.

Operator

Operator
#89

Thank you, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Lumax Industries, that concludes this conference call. Thank you for joining us, and you may now disconnect your lines.

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