Item 405 of
Regulation S-K contained in this form, and no disclosure will be contained,
to
the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information
statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-KSB or any
amendment to this Form 10-KSB. o
Indicate
by checkmark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act): Yes o No o
The
registrant’s revenues for its most recent fiscal year were $4,797,324.
The
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates
of the registrant as of June 30, 2008 was approximately $2,210,881.
The
number of shares of the common outstanding as of June 28, 2008 was 139,217,550.
Documents
incorporated by reference: None.
EXPLANATORY
NOTE
We,
China
Water Group, Inc., are filing this Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year
ended December 31, 2006 during calendar 2008 as an initial step in our
efforts to become current in our filing obligations under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We will endeavor to file additional periodic
reports to become current in our filings as expeditiously as the limited size
of
our staff allows. Except where a date after April 2007 is specifically
mentioned, this report is written as though it had been prepared during the
first four months of calendar 2007.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all references to our company include our wholly and
majority owned subsidiaries.
All
of
our sales and nearly all our expenses are denominated in renminbi (“RMB”), the
national currency of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”). Solely for the
convenience of the reader, certain financial information as of and for the
years
ended December 31, 2005 and 2006 have been converted into United States
dollars. Assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate in effect
at
period end. Income statement accounts are translated at the average rate of
exchange prevailing during the period. No representation is made that the RMB
amounts could have been, or could be, converted into United States dollars
at
that rate or at any other certain rate as of the respective dates or at any
other date.
The
statements contained in this report that are not historical are “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including statements,
without limitation, regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or
strategies regarding the future. We intend that such forward-looking statements
be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to, among other
things: (1) expected revenue and earnings growth; (2) estimates
regarding the size of target markets; and (3) regulation of our industries
and markets by the Chinese government. These statements are qualified by
important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially
from
those reflected by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but
are
not limited to, those risk factors described elsewhere in this annual report.
Part
I
Item 1.
Description of Business.
We
are a
waste water engineering company based in the PRC. Through our majority-owned
subsidiaries, we are engaged in the design, construction, implementation and
management of industrial and municipal waste water treatment facilities
throughout the PRC.
We
provide turn-key waste water treatment engineering design and contracting.
From
2000 to 2006 we completed the following turn-key projects: Yongji Development
Zone Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phase 1), Guangdong Nanhai City Jinsha Town
Wastewater Treatment Plant, Guangdong Sanshui Baini Wastewater Treatment Plant
and Guangzhou Yantang Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tianjin City Meichang Town
Wastewater Treatment Plant,Yongji Development Zone Wastewater Treatment Plant
(Phase 2), China Environment Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant and
Huangzhuang Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant. The following turn-key
project is still in process:Tian Jin WuQing No.1 Waste Water Treatment Factory.
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1
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We
hold
90% and 35%, respectively, of the equity interest in the following two water
treatment facilities operated through build, operate and transfer (“BOT”)
arrangements with the PRC government: (i) Tian Jin Shi Sheng Water
Treatment Company Limited (“TianJin”), which commissioned water treatment in
November 2003 and has a daily treatment capacity of approximately 10,000 tons;
and (ii) Xin Le Sheng Mei Water Purifying Company Limited (“XinLe”), which
also commissioned water treatment in November 2003 and has a daily treatment
capacity of 40,000 tons. We have been retained as the manager to manage both
TianJing and XinLe. The fees from XinLe and TianJing did not represent a
significant portion of our revenue during 2006.
We
also
developed a BOT water treatment facility project in Hai Yang City under our
subsidiary Hai Yang City Sheng Shi Environment Protection Company Limited
(“HaiYang”) with capacity of 20,000 tons per day. We began construction of this
project in April 2004 and completed the project and commenced water treatment
in
June 2005. We also developed another BOT water treatment facility project in
Beijing under our subsidiary Bei Jing Hao Tai Shi Yuan Water Purifying Company
Limited (“Beijing HaoTai”) with planned capacity of 20,000 tons per day. We
began construction of this project in July 2004 completed approximately 90%
till
December, 2006. We retained a 90% interest in this facility until we disposed
of
it in December 2006 for a total consideration of US$1,442,567 realizing a gain
of US$44,872.
See
Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
In July
2005, we started construction of a BOT water treatment facility project for
the
Handan Fengfeng Mining Area in the Hebei Province under our subsidiary Han
Dan
Cheng Sheng Water Affairs Company Limited (“HanDan”) with capacity of 33,000
tons per day. The project expected to be completed in second quarter of 2007.
The fees from these projects are expected to strengthen our net sales in the
future.
Corporate
History
Our
predecessor in interest, Discovery Investments, Inc. (“Discovery”) was
incorporated on September 10, 1996, under the laws of the State of Nevada
to engage in any lawful corporate activity. Discovery had been in the
development stage and was not active until October 26, 1999.
On
December 10, 1999, Discovery entered into a Plan and Agreement of
Reorganization (the “Plan”) with LLO-Gas, Inc. and John Castellucci. On
October 26, 1999, LLO-Gas had acquired certain ARCO facilities and a
so-called card lock facility and commenced operations. LLO-Gas was incorporated
in July 1998 under the laws of the State of Delaware. On December 20, 1999,
there was a closing under the Plan and LLO-Gas, Inc. became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Discovery and there was a change of control of Discovery. Between
December 20, 1999 and August 10, 2000, differences of opinion as to
matters of fact and as to matters of law had arisen by and between certain
of
the shareholders of Discovery, who were shareholders prior to the closing,
and
between Discovery, John Castellucci and LLO-Gas, Inc.
On
June 7, 2000, LLO-Gas, Inc. filed a Voluntary Petition under Chapter 11 of
the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District
of
California, San Fernando Valley Division, case number SV 00-15398-AG. On
December 1, 2000, the United States Bankruptcy Court converted the pending
matter into a Chapter 7 liquidation. Said Chapter 7 effected LLO-Gas, Inc.
and
not Discovery.
On
August 10, 2000, Discovery entered into a Mutual Rescission Agreement and
Mutual Release with John Castellucci which provided, inter alia, that Discovery
consented and agreed to rescind said Plan with John Castellucci consenting
and
agreeing to the rescission. The parties mutually agreed to forego all rights
and
benefits provided to each other thereunder.
On
August 9, 2001, Discovery filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of
the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Nevada,
Case Number BK-S-01-18156-RCJ. On September 24, 2001, the Bankruptcy Court
confirmed the Disclosure Statement and Plan of Reorganization submitted by
Discovery and Discovery was thereafter released from Bankruptcy.
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2
-
On
April 29, 2002, Discovery entered into a Plan and Agreement of
Reorganization with Bycom Media Inc., an Ontario, Canada corporation (“Bycom”).
Pursuant to this agreement, Discovery acquired all the outstanding shares of
Bycom for 4,800,000 shares of Common Stock. On October 5, 2002, Bycom
became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery and there was a change of control.
Bycom
was
engaged in multimedia applications for internet-based business. Utilizing
business search tools and databases, Bycom intended to be able to locate and
access global business information for a fee, or was to act as an “out-source
provider” of information. Bycom currently is an inactive, wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company.
On
September 4, 2002, Discovery completed a transaction set out in a Plan and
Agreement of Reorganization dated June 13, 2002, pursuant to which
Discovery acquired all of the outstanding shares of Cavio Corporation, a
Washington corporation, (“Cavio”) in exchange for 14 million share of
Discovery common stock. Due to poor market conditions and Discovery’s inability
to seek adequate financing from third parties to properly finance the operations
of Cavio, on December 2, 2002 Discovery’s board of directors approved,
subject to receiving the approval of a majority of the shareholders, to unwind
the acquisition of Cavio in cancellation of the shares of common stock issued.
On
December 2, 2002, Discovery unanimously approved the disposition of its
interest in Cavio and thereafter received the consent of a majority of the
outstanding shares of the company’s common stock. Discovery determined the
effective date for the divestiture to be June 30, 2003.
For
the
two years prior to a reverse acquisition in September 2004, we had not generated
significant revenues and were considered a development stage company as defined
in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 7. We were seeking
business opportunities or potential business acquisitions. Pursuant to a
securities purchase agreement and plan of reorganization dated September 9,
2004, as amended, between our company, Evergreen Asset Group Limited, an
International Business Company organized under the laws of the British Virgin
Islands (“Evergreen” or “EGAG”), and the stockholders of Evergreen, we acquired
100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Evergreen’s capital stock. We
issued 83,500,000 shares of our common stock in exchange for all the 300 issued
and outstanding shares of Evergreen capital stock which had an estimated value
of $4.24 million at the time of such issuance, valued based on the fair market
value of the net assets of Evergreen. Since the stockholders of Evergreen
acquired approximately 83.5% of our outstanding shares and the Evergreen
management team and board of directors became the management team and board
of
directors of our company, according to FASB Statement No. 141 -
“Business
Combinations”,
this
acquisition has been treated as a recapitalization for accounting purposes,
in a
manner similar to reverse acquisition accounting. In accounting for this
transaction:
|
|
•
|
|
Evergreen
is deemed to be the purchaser and surviving company for accounting
purposes. Accordingly, its net assets are included in the balance
sheet at
their historical book values and the results of operations of Evergreen
have been presented for the comparative prior period;
|
|
|
•
|
|
Control
of the net assets and business of our company was acquired effective
October 15, 2004. This transaction has been accounted for as a
purchase of the assets and liabilities of our company by Evergreen.
The
historical cost of the net liabilities assumed was $0.00.
|
-
3
-
As
a
result of the transaction described above we changed our name from Discovery
Investments, Inc. to China Evergreen Environmental Corporation.
Due
to
the reverse acquisition mentioned above, EGAG, pursuant to a group
reorganization which was completed in July 2004, acquired 90% equity interests
in each of XinXingmei, XianYang, HaiYang and BeijingHaoTai for cash
consideration of RMB12,601,000 (approximately $1,521,860), RMB18,000,000
(approximately $2,173,913), RMB2,700,000 (approximately $326,087) and
RMB1,800,000 (approximately $217,391) respectively, all of which are domestic
incorporated companies established in the PRC with limited liability.
In
March
2003, GDXS entered into a BOT agreement with Xian Yang City Environment
Protection Bureau. The BOT agreement was later transferred to Xian Yang Bai
Sheng Water Purifying Company Limited (“XianYang”), after XianYang was
incorporated. The construction of the wastewater plant of XianYang started
in
the beginning of 2004. Due to the group reorganization in July 2004, 90% of
GDXS’s interest in XianYang was transferred to EGAG. In October 2004, EGAG
entered into a tri-party framework agreement with True Global Limited (“TGL”),
an independent party and Guang Dong Xin Sheng Environmental Protection Company
Limited (“GDXS”) for the disposal of its 90% interest in XianYang to TGL at a
total consideration of $13,246,377. A gain on disposal of $5,220,299 was
recorded in 2004 for the disposal of our entire 90% attributable interest in
XianYang to TGL.The gain represents the difference between the disposal proceeds
and our attributable share of net assets of XianYang at the date of disposal.
In
April
2005, we conducted a private placement of 20 investment units, at $25,000 per
unit, for gross proceeds of $500,000. Each unit consisted of (a) one 12%
convertible debenture in the original principal amount of $25,000, convertible
into shares of our common stock at the rate of the lesser of (i) $0.20 per
share or (ii) a 10% discount to the price per share of common stock (or
conversion price per share of common stock) of the next private placement
conducted by us prior to any conversion of the debenture, and (b) 125,000
detachable warrants to purchase one share each of our common stock at an
exercise price of $0.20 per share, expiring ten years from their date of
issuance. The debentures were due and payable August 1, 2005. The debenture
holders, however, extended the payment period to September 30, 2005. We
granted the investors limited registration rights for the common shares
underlying their debentures and warrants. Westminster Securities Corporation
acted as placement agent for this offering on our behalf. All the debenture
holders have converted the debentures into 3,703,701 shares of our common stock
on October 1, 2005.
On
September 14, 2005, we closed the private placement sale to accredited
investors of units consisting of shares of our common stock and warrants to
purchase shares of our common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $4.83
million. Pursuant to the subscription agreements entered into with the
investors, we issued to the investors 161 units at a price of $30,000 per unit.
Each unit consisted of 200,000 shares of our common stock, priced at $0.15
per
share, and warrants to purchase 200,000 shares of our common stock over a
five-year period at an exercise price of $0.20 per share. Pursuant to the terms
of the subscription agreements, we granted the investors limited registration
rights for all common shares comprising the units, including the common shares
issuable on exercise of the warrants.
On
November 7, 2006, China Evergreen Environmental Corporation changed its name
to
China Water Group, Inc. to reflect its focus on China’s water treatment and
supply needs and on build-operate-transfer(BOT), Transfer-operate-transfer(TOT),
and turnkey wastewater treatment facilities in China, at the same time, bottled
water is considered.
Our
executive offices are located at Suite 7A01, Baicheng Building, 584 Yingbin
Road, Dashi, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; telephone number
(86-20) 3479 9768.
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4
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Our
Business
General
We
are a
waste water engineering company based in the PRC. Through our majority-owned
subsidiaries, we are engaged in the design, construction, implementation and
management of industrial and municipal waste water treatment facilities
throughout the PRC.
Our
business was originally established in 1999 by our Chairman, Mr. Chong
Liang Pu, with a focus on developing innovative biochemical technologies and
processes for waste water treatment. We have the exclusive rights to MHA
biological treatment processes technologies (“MHA”) and GM Bio-carriers. Both
are the subject of patents owned by our Chairman, Mr. Pu, and we have
acquired the exclusive rights pursuant to a license agreement with Mr. Pu.
Both technologies were developed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of
waste water treatment processes and reduce the initial investment
and on-going operating cost of waste water treatment facilities.
We
have
applied biotechnological processes to waste water treatment and have developed
relationships with the PRC environmental authorities at both national and
provincial levels throughout the PRC. Since 2000, we have successfully completed
the design and construction of over 14 waste water facilities across China
with
total daily capacity of over 120,000 tons (inclusive of three BOT waste
water treatment facilities with daily capacity of 70,000 tons). Our customers
include municipal governments, food processing and beverage companies and
industrial companies.
Because
of these achievements, we have been recognized as a “Key Enterprise in
Environmental Industry in the PRC” by the General Bureau of Environmental
Protection of China and are viewed as a “High-Tech Enterprise” by the Bureau of
Science and Technology of Guangzhou, PRC.
Industry
Background
Waste
Water Treatment Markets in the PRC.
The
waste water treatment business is in a developmental stage in China. Following
decades of rapid industrialization and urbanization resulting from PRC’s
breakneck economic expansion, demands for urban and industrial waste water
treatment are immense. In 2002, total volume of municipal and industrial waste
water produced reached 23 billion and 26 billion tons, respectively, of which
only approximately 25% was treated in some form. The PRC government, which
views
environmental issues as a policy priority, has targeted a 90% treatment ratio
by
2030. This targeted growth, combined with a policy of privatizing all existing
government facilities, is resulting in extraordinarily high levels of expansion
in an industry that did not effectively exist until the 1980s.
In
order
to promote investment in the waste water treatment industry, the central
government has created incentives such as tax relief and higher throughput
fees
which can improve the profitability of certain municipal projects.
Under
the
tax regulations in the PRC, companies providing water purification are exempted
from business tax on the collection of waste water treatment fees. The PRC
government also gives tax relief in the form of reduction in or exemption from
value-added tax and income tax to encourage treated water to be reused in
residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial sectors.
The
PRC
government introduced a new policy in relation to the water supply tariff
management methods for the water-resource system which became effective in
January 2004. The new policy prescribes a water tariff approach, comprising
of
water production costs, expenses, profit, and tax. Pertinent pricing is expected
to be in accord with local market demand.
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5
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Before
the 1990s, water tariffs were extremely low, and there were no wastewater
discharge fees. People were more concerned with water quality than with the
price and quantity they used. As citizens now pay closer attention to water
quality, they expect higher prices to accompany water quality improvements.
Therefore, water tariff and wastewater treatment throughput fees, especially
in
the cities, are rising to rational levels.
Fresh
Water Markets.
Before
2003, the facilities for fresh water supply in the PRC were owned and operated
by the agencies of local governments. As industrial, economic and population
growth and chronic pollution have placed intense demands on the water supply
in
China, the fresh water supply has had a serious shortage. Similar to the waste
water treatment industry, the PRC government has opened up the fresh water
supply business to private sector and international operators.
Our
Business Activities
There
are
different types and quantities of pollutants in water due to the environment,
conditions and purpose for which the water is used. Municipal water has organic
matters including nitrogen and phosphorus. The composition of such municipal
wastewater is relatively stable. In contrast, pollutants in water discharged
from industries include organic pollutants, inorganic matters, metal ions and
salt ion. We adopt varying treatment processes for different industrial
wastewater.
We
provide turn-key engineering, equipment and chemical sales for industrial and
municipal waste water treatment facilities in the PRC. We also invest in, manage
and operate our own water treatment facilities through BOT arrangements in
the
PRC.
The
following chart describes the waste water treatment process that we service:

Turn-Key
Waste Water Engineering. We
provide turn-key waste water treatment engineering services to both public
and
private sectors. Our public sector clients include municipal governments at
the
city, district and town levels. Our private sector clients include heavy
industries, such as steel, car manufacturing, electronic; light industries,
such
as chemical, food and beverage, paper, printing and breweries; and others,
including hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry. The industrial wastewater
qualities differ due to the different industrial products and manufacturing
processes.
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6
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These
contracts are awarded either by public tender or by direct contract. A typical
turn-key waste water treatment project can be classified into three phases;
(1) survey and design, (2) construction and equipment installation,
and (3) operation and management services.
From
2000
to 2006, we completed the following turn-key projects: Yongji Development Zone
Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phase 1), Guangdong Nanhai City Jinsha Town
Wastewater Treatment Plant, Guangdong Sanshui Baini Wastewater Treatment Plant
and Guangzhou Yantang Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tianjin City Meichang Town
Wastewater Treatment Plant,Yongji Development Zone Wastewater Treatment Plant
(Phase 2), China Environment Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant and
Huangzhuang Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant. The following turn-key
projects are still in process:Tian Jin WuQing No.1 Waste Water Treatment
Factory. The following table sets forth the company’s turn-key projects which
are still in process:
|
Name
of New Turn-key Project
|
Project
value
|
Capacity/Per
Day
|
Date
of commencement
of
construction
|
|||||||
|
Tianjin
City WuQing No.1 Wastewater Treatment Plant
|
US $
|
1.03
million
|
10,000
tons
|
Commenced
in September 2006
|
||||||
As
of
December 31, 2006 we had completed approximately 38% of Tianjin City WuQing
No.1 Wastewater Treatment Plant.
We
financed our turn-key projects through progressive payments from our customers
as stipulated in the agreements for these projects.
Investment
in BOT Waste Water Treatment Facilities. We
also
invest in waste water treatment facilities through BOT arrangements. BOT
projects provide us with a stable income source under a long-term (usually
20-30
year) contract granted by municipal governments to build and operate waste
water
plants. BOT project land is typically contributed by the municipal government
with the operator providing investment and daily management. After the contract
period, the project is transferred to the local government. After we secure
a
contract for a BOT project from a municipal government and the financing for
such project is in place, we will proceed to construct the facility. After
the
completion of construction and testing and commissioning, we will operate the
waste water treatment facility for a period of 20-25 years as stipulated in
the
BOT contract.
The
following table sets forth the BOT projects which we have completed or are
in
process of completing:
|
BOT
Projects
|
Cost
of
investment
|
Capacity/
Per
Day
|
Operation
Period
|
Date
of
commencement
of
operation
|
|||||||||
|
Waste
water treatment plant of TianJing
|
US $
|
1.09
million
|
10,000
tons
|
20
years
|
November
2003
|
||||||||
|
Waste
water treatment plant of XinLe
|
US $
|
4.11
million
|
40,000
tons
|
22
years
|
October
2003
|
||||||||
|
Waste
water treatment plant of HaiYang
|
US $
|
3.62
million
|
20,000
tons
|
22
years
|
June
2005
|
||||||||
|
Waste
water treatment plant of HanDan
|
US $
|
3.53
million
|
33,000
tons
|
22
years
|
Operation
expected to commence in second quarter of 2007
|
||||||||
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7
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As
of
December 31, 2006, the waste water treatment plants of TianJin, XinLe and
HaiYang were operational and have been providing waste water treatment services.
The waste water treatment plant of HanDan is still in the stage of testing
and
commissioning .
We
have
been financing the BOT projects of TianJing, XinLe and HaiYang through capital
injections and funds generated from our operations. We will finance the
remaining capital expenditure of HanDan of approximately $2 million through
funds generated from our operations.
Our
Production Process
Though
the chemicals used for treating municipal and industrial wastewater qualities
are different due to the different sources of wastewater for municipal
wastewater treatment and different industrial product and manufacturing process
for industrial wastewater treatment, the treatment processes are largely
similar.
During
the wastewater treatment process, the wastewater is first collected by a
pipeline network system and then transported to a sand sedimentation pool.
The
wastewater will then go through the MHA waste water treatment process, which
is
a natural, chemical-free, biological and mineral-based process that facilitates
the rapid growth of bacteria in order to improve the efficiency of degrading
the
micro-organism materials in the wastewater and for more efficient operation
and
reduced energy consumption. After the MHA waste water treatment process, the
wastewater is then transported to the sedimentation pool to remove the fine
particles in the wastewater. The wastewater will then be sterilized in the
sterilization pool and be transported to the water outlet.
Our
Project Management Process
The
following is the flow chart of our project management process for both turn-key
wastewater engineering projects and BOT projects:

Market
Intelligence.
The
starting point for all our projects is market intelligence so that our
management is able to decide which projects they wish to secure for the benefit
of the company. Our marketing personnel are in charge of market information
on
potential projects on a regular and ad-hoc basis. Our management is able to
identify and decide on projects which we may potentially bid for.
Project
Tracking.
Based
on the information gathered through market intelligence and the subsequent
comprehensive analysis conducted on such information, our management will decide
on which projects to pursue. We carry out internal evaluations which consist
of
three steps: initial evaluation, revaluation and valuation by professionals.
We
also engage external advisors to carry out external evaluation. We will then
embark on determining what the tender rules and conditions are and the capital
requirements and technologies used for the project. Project tracking allows
us
to plan ahead and make the necessary cost planning.
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8
-
Tender
Process.
Once we
decide to proceed to tender for a particular project, we will form a tender
committee comprising marketing personnel and technical personnel, who will
be
responsible for compiling the tender documents to be submitted for tender within
the stipulated deadline. The tender committee will compile internal costing
and
budgetary estimates of labor and material costs based on quotations from the
relevant suppliers and factor in a suitable profit margin in determining our
tender pricing.
Design
and Development. After
signing of the contract, we will appoint a project team to be responsible for
the execution of the project, including an ad-hoc research and development
team
to handle the design and development of that particular project. The research
and development team will follow our overall guidelines to analyze, assess
and
determine the design and specifications of a system which will ensure that
all
of our customers’ requirements are met. The design and development process
includes collection of information, site survey, key design concept, design
specification, individual design, evaluation, revaluation and issue for
construction. In addition to our own design and development capabilities, we
have also entered into collaboration arrangements with other parties to test
our
equipment to ensure its suitability and effectiveness.
Procurement.
After
the
necessary design and analysis, the specifications of the system are confirmed,
and our procurement department will proceed to purchase all the materials and
equipment required or appoint appropriate sub-contractors to carry out certain
parts of the project.
Construction.
The
construction process includes sub-contracting and site supervision. During
construction, we will send site representatives to control and supervise the
construction.
Assembly
and Installation.
We will
carry out assembly and installation of equipment and/or system and coordinate
the assembly and installation fully with the construction process to ensure
all
equipment and/or system are properly assembled and installed. We will send
technical staff to assist and guide the assembly and installation.
Testing.
After
the equipment and/or system has been assembled and installed, we will test
the
system in accordance with industrial and national rules and regulations
formulated by the relevant PRC authorities.
Commissioning
and Fine-Tuning.
For
turn-key projects, should the system pass all tests, we will proceed to hand
over the system to our customers. 5%-10% of the total contract value will be
treated as retention monies during the warranty period of up to 12 months
requirement. Our technical personnel will carry out fine-tuning and on-site
services. After successful commissioning of the entire system, the retention
monies will be paid by our customers to us after the warranty period of up
to 12
months. For BOT projects, the plant will start operation after passing all
tests. The technical team will carry out fine-tuning and on-site services.
The
operation team will follow the operational guidelines and monitor the quality
of
treated water.
Competition
We
believe our main competitor is Beijing Capital Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Capital”), a
subsidiary of Capital Group, which has identified investment, development,
operation and management in the PRC water industry as its core business. Beijing
Capital provides environment management services. We also compete with some
other environmental and water treatment companies. We believe that we compete
primarily on the basis of contract pricing. Though many of our competitors
offer
similar but less cost-effective services, they may have greater financial
resources and hence be able to secure contracts with reduced operating margins
but more competitive pricing. However, we believe that as a result of our cost
efficiency through our patented technologies, we are able to offer even more
competitive pricing. In addition, having access to the capital markets in the
United States through our public listing will help to differentiate us from
our
competition. Another area of competition comes from local protectionism where
local governments wish to protect local environmental businesses. In order
for
us to overcome this kind of competition, we rely on our financial and technical
resources.
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9
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Our
Competitive Strengths
Key
elements of our competitive strengths include:
Capital
Resources. The
threshold of capital requirements for entering the waste water treatment segment
and the initial capital investment of waste water treatment facilities and
projects, especially BOT projects, is relatively high. Based on our good track
record and relationships with local governments in the PRC, we believe we are
capable of obtaining sufficient capital resources to fund our operation of
projects and expansion plan.
Experienced
Management Team and Strong Research and Development Capability.
We
have a
qualified and experienced management team and staff who possess strong technical
capabilities and who specialize in project management, project design and
research and development in relation to the water purification and wastewater
treatment industry. Among our senior management, most possess degrees or senior
technical qualifications. Members of our senior management team also have prior
experience in managing large corporations and are familiar with all levels
of
management. Most of our management and staff have strong technical expertise
and
are professionally trained.
We
place
great emphasis on technical research and development, and typically set up
research and development teams for specific projects to handle the design,
development and improvement of such projects.
We
also
keep track of the latest developments in water treatment technology through
our
advisors and consultants who are experts in the water purification and waste
water treatment industry. We have established a long-term cooperation with
the
Chinese Academy of Science at Guangdong and a number of universities to maintain
its superiority in developing innovative wastewater treatment technology.
We
believe that our management experience and our strong technical capabilities
provide us with a competitive edge over our competitors.
Good
Track Record and Professional Quality. We
believe that our good track record and goodwill that we have built up in the
provision of water treatment systems for the municipal government and industrial
waste water treatment give us an edge over our competitors. Due to our strong
track record, we have been awarded various certifications by different
environmental institutions, including certifications of Quality Facility for
Environmental Protection, Gold Price of 2nd
Chinese
Patent Technology Fair, World Chinese Scientific and Technology Invention Prize,
certificates of “Quality Branded Environmental Protection” and “Asia
International Scientific and Technology Improvement Prize”. These certificates
typically strengthen our ability to tender for BOT projects with the municipal
government and also turn-key projects for industrial waste water treatment.
Effective
Market Network. We
emphasize the importance of marketing and have people specialized in promotion
of our company and securing projects. We have marketing networks in Shangdong,
Tianjin, Beijing, Handan Hebei, Xianyang Shangxi and Guangdong, where we have
BOT projects. Such offices provide feedback on market intelligence and deal
with
existing and potential customers. Project selection is partially based on
intelligence feedback from these networks. We retain a team of former senior
government officials with considerable influence on local and central
governments in the PRC. We identify this team through introduction and
conferences/conventions that we attend. This team identifies and helps to secure
major environmental projects for the group. The team also provides timely
feedback of market conditions and deals with our existing and potential
customers regularly. Though we do not have any contract with this team, we
give
incentives/commissions for each successful project secured.
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Long-Term
Relationships with Academic Institutions.
We have
good long-term relationships with Guangdong Province Environmental Protection
Design Institute and North-Eastern Environmental Protection Design Institute,
who provide important technical support in design and project execution.
North-Eastern Environmental Protection Design Institute will provide technical
support in the design of waste water treatment facilities and preparation for
the tendering of projects while Guangdong Province Environmental Protection
Design Institute will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the blue
prints of the facilities. Compensation for both institutions are based on amount
of work done.
Customers,
Sales and Marketing
Many
of
our principal customers are local governments, food and beverage processing
companies and industrial companies that use our technologies to treat their
waste water.
In
2006,
the Group’s major customers are Beijing Jinqiao Luyuan Environment Protection
Investment Development Company Limited and The Management Committee of Yongji
Economic Development Zone, both independent third parties, which, accounted
for
approximately 48.6% and 22.9%, respectively, of the Group’s total revenue of
2006. Revenue from Beijing Jinqiao Luyuan Environment Protection Investment
Development Company Limited was in relation to the turnkey engineering project
of China Environment Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant while revenue
from The Management Committee of Yongji Economic Development Zone was for the
turnkey engineering project of Yongji Development Zone Wastewater Treatment
Plant (Phase 2).
We
market
and sell our products through our direct sales force and independent sales
representatives throughout the PRC. Our sales and marketing team is responsible
for evaluating the marketplace, generating leads and creating sales programs.
We
use a “Project-Company” strategy for each BOT project, establishing a company in
the location of the project, responsible for construction and operation of
the
project. Through establishing a good relationship with the local government,
the
Project-Company markets its business in the location. Our on-site direct service
organization provides ongoing services to customers using our products.
In
order
to compete effectively, we focus on projects of a scale between 10,000 tons
and
50,000 tons of waste water per day, where we can achieve a balance between
economies of scale arising from our technology and our available capital base.
Research
and Development
Our
research and development efforts are directed toward enhancing our existing
technology and products and developing our next generation of technology.
We
have
the exclusive rights to MHA biological treatment processes technologies (“MHA”)
and GM Bio-carriers. Both are the subject of patents owned by our Chairman,
Mr. Pu, and we have acquired the exclusive rights pursuant to a license
agreement with Mr. Pu. We have applied both technologies to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of waste water treatment processes as well as
to
reduce the initial investment and on-going operating cost of waste water
treatment facilities. The advantages of MHA are:
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Proprietary
design of water flow control mixer to ensure even distribution of
waste
treatment bacteria in the treatment facility.
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Proprietary
design of no-oxygen, low-oxygen and oxygen tanks to reduce energy
consumption and ensure low sludge build up in the treatment process.
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Proprietary
blend of waste water treatment bacteria (i.e., photosynthetic,
lactobacillus, yeast, streptonyces, etc.) of over 50 types of different
degradation and effectiveness to achieve toxic, aromatic and
micro-organism-free water of release.
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We
have
spent approximately $85,500 and $77,500 on research and development activities
during the fiscal years ending December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
GM
Bio-carrier is a natural, chemical-free, biological and mineral-based process
that facilitates the rapid growth of bacteria in order to improve the efficiency
of degrading the micro-organism materials in the waste water. Installation
of
such carriers into the waste treatment process facilitates bacterial growth
for
more efficient operation and reduced energy consumption.
Currently
we are developing technology with universities and research institutions in
Guangdong Province and have on staff a chief scientist, who is a researcher
in
the field of environmental protection, and two research fellows. We are planning
to invite additional experts in the waste water treatment field to join our
company. The technology that we are developing with these universities and
research institutions is for the improvement of quality of treated water,
increase in efficiency, reduction in costs in the waste water treatment process
and to further enhance the current technologies that we have.
Quality
Control
Our
quality control department is headed by Ying Mo Zhang, who has more than 30
years of relevant experience. Mr. Zhang has been an engineer and a general
manager at several companies, and Vice Chairman of our company, and he is
familiar with resource allocation, quality control and environmental facility
management control.
To
ensure
the quality of our products and services, we carry out stringent quality control
checks at every stage of project execution.
Quality
Control During Design, Research and Development. The
design of every project is carried out by our experienced staff following strict
guidelines. We have also established a three-tier examination and verification
system. A strict examination and approval system is also adopted in respect
of
any design changes.
Quality
Control During Procurement. To
ensure
the quality of equipment and materials procured, we maintain a list of suppliers
and sub-contractors whose goods and services meet our quality control standards.
We purchase our materials and equipment only from these suppliers, and such
materials and equipment are subject to further inspection and checks by our
quality control staff upon arrival at our production facilities. Goods which
do
not meet our quality control standards are rejected.
Quality
Control During Assembly and Integration. As
a
general policy, our sub-contractors selected and appointed by us to carry out
engineering, assembly and integration works should be long established and
have
good track records.
Quality
Control During Delivery and Installation. To
ensure
that our qualified sub-contractors comply with our quality control standards
during delivery and installation, we also task our engineers with formulating
a
quality control and progress plan, and to identify the key quality control
points of the delivery and installation procedure. Such engineers will supervise
our sub-contractors during delivery and installation.
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Quality
Control During Operation for BOT Projects. Our
operation team starts their training prior to the commencement of operation.
After test run and commissioning, the operation team will take over the
operation. We have very strict guidelines for the operating team to ensure
quality of clean water. A production report is to be faxed to the head office
everyday and we will perform regular tests to ensure the treated water meet
high
quality standard. We also conduct regular training to ensure that our operation
teams are equipped with the latest know-how.