Hexion Inc. Announces First Quarter 2020 Results

Hexion Inc. ("Hexion" or the "Company") today announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

"In the first quarter of 2020, our diverse customer base and broad geographic footprint drove improved volumes in our Coatings and Composites segment, while our overall results were offset by weaker conditions that emerged late in the quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic," said George Knight, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. "We estimate that COVID-19 and the strengthening of the U.S. dollar compared to other foreign currencies negatively impacted our first quarter 2020 results by approximately $4 million and $2 million, respectively. We remain focused on the health and safety of our associates while taking the appropriate actions to continue to operate our sites, such as maintaining social distancing practices and enhanced hygiene at our manufacturing facilities, as well as working remotely at our corporate headquarters and global research and development centers. We are also following the guidelines of each country in which we operate as it relates to being deemed a business considered "critical infrastructure" enabling us to keep our sites running. For example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified the U.S. chemical industry and its workers as Essential Critical Infrastructure. During the first quarter and as of today, we maintained operations at the vast majority of our manufacturing sites. We were also pleased to support the communities in which we live and work through a variety of COVID-19 relief initiatives."

Mr. Knight added: "We are seeing a more significant impact in the second quarter of 2020 from the pandemic. Because neither the duration nor scope of the coronavirus impact can be predicted, the negative financial impact to our results cannot be reasonably estimated. We remain focused on the things we can control, such as aggressively managing our costs, optimizing our net working capital and reducing our 2020 planned capital expenditures. We are also encouraged by the resiliency of our customers in certain end markets, such as wind energy and agriculture. Supported by our strong liquidity, we believe we are well-positioned for the eventual economic recovery."

Fresh Start Accounting

Upon emerging from Chapter 11 on July 1, 2019 ("Effective Date") and qualifying for the application of fresh-start accounting, Hexion's assets and liabilities were recorded at their estimated fair values which, in some cases, were significantly different than amounts included in the Company's financial statements prior to the Effective Date. Accordingly, Hexion's financial condition and results of operations on and after the Effective Date are not directly comparable to our financial condition and results of operations prior to the Effective Date. References to "Successor" or "Successor Company" relate to the financial position and results of operations of the reorganized Company subsequent to the Effective Date. References to "Predecessor" or "Predecessor Company" refer to the financial position and results of operations of the Company on or before the Effective Date.

First Quarter 2020 Results

In the first quarter of 2020, Hexion updated its reportable segments to align around two growth platforms: Adhesives; and Coatings and Composites. The Adhesives Segment is organized around Construction Adhesives, Industrial Adhesives, and Intermediates and Derivatives, while the Coatings and Composites Segment is organized around Composites, Performance Coatings, and Base Chemicals. Corporate and Other continues to be a reportable segment.

Total net sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 were $826 million, a decrease of 7% compared with $886 million in the prior year period. Pricing negatively impacted sales by $57 million due primarily to raw material price decreases contractually passed through to customers across many of our businesses, as well as continued competitive market conditions in our base epoxy resins business. Foreign currency translation negatively impacted net sales by $15 million due to the weakening of various foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar against in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter of 2019. Volume increases positively impacted net sales by $12 million related to improved volumes in our base and specialty epoxy resins businesses driven by strong demand, most notably in global wind energy. These volume increases were partially offset by volume reductions in our phenolic specialty resins and Latin American resins businesses driven by overall weakness in the market, primarily in the automotive and construction industries.

Net loss for the Successor three months ended March 31, 2020 was $59 million compared to a net loss of $52 million in the Predecessor three months ended March 31, 2019. Total Segment EBITDA for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 was $89 million, a decrease of $14 million compared with the prior year period, driven primarily by margin reductions in our base epoxy resins business due to competitive pressures partially offset by margin and volume improvements in our Versatictm Acids and Derivatives and specialty epoxy businesses.

Segment Results

Following are net sales and Segment EBITDA by reportable segment for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. See "Non-U.S. GAAP Measures" for further information regarding Segment EBITDA and a reconciliation of net loss to Segment EBITDA.

Efficiency and Cost Savings Initiatives

Hexion recently announced creation of a business services group within Hexion and a partnership with Capgemini to provide certain administrative functions to further improve Hexion's organizational efficiency and reduce costs. By partnering with Capgemini, Hexion intends to create a best-in-class organization that focuses on gaining efficiencies and process improvements by leveraging automation and state of the art technology for service delivery, while also reducing the Company's costs.

In the first quarter of 2020, the Company achieved $8 million of cost savings related to its cost savings initiatives. At March 31, 2020, Hexion had approximately $15 million of total in-process savings that it expects to realize over the next 12 months.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of March 31, 2020, total debt was approximately $1.9 billion and consisted primarily of the Company's approximately $1.2 billion Senior Secured Term Loans due 2026 and $450 million Senior Notes due 2027. At March 31, 2020, the Company had $440 million in liquidity, including $246 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. In addition, Hexion has no upcoming maturities on its term loan or bonds until 2026. Hexion expects to have adequate liquidity to fund its ongoing operations for the next twelve months from cash on its balance sheet, cash flows provided by operating activities and amounts available for borrowings under its credit facilities.

Hexion has also taken several actions in its efforts to improve its cost structure and strengthen its liquidity and cash position, including:

• Reducing its 2020 capital expenditures to range between $100 million to $110 million and reviewing the timing of manufacturing turnarounds at certain sites.
• Continuing to focus on reducing working capital (defined as accounts receivable and inventories less accounts and drafts payable) in 2020. Hexion expects to see a positive impact on its net working capital levels from lower oil prices in the second quarter of 2020 from the pass through of significantly lower-priced raw materials.
• Reducing general sales, general and administrative spending wherever possible, such as travel restrictions, instituting a hiring freeze and reviewing other discretionary spending items.
• Delaying approximately $15 million of certain tax payments to later in 2020 and deferring $5 million of certain tax payments to future years in conjunction with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and tax relief measures in other jurisdictions where the Company operates.
• The Company drew down $164 million of revolving credit loans under its credit facilities as a precautionary measure to increase cash balances and preserve financial flexibility.

Earnings Call

Hexion will host a teleconference to discuss First Quarter 2020 results on Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Interested parties are asked to dial-in approximately 10 minutes before the call begins at the following numbers:

U.S. Participants: (844) 492-6045

International Participants: (574) 990-2716

Participant Passcode: 5384408

Live internet access to the call and presentation materials will be available through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website: www.hexion.com. A replay of the call will be available for one week following the call and can be access by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) and (404) 537-3406 (International). The passcode is 5384408.

Non-U.S. GAAP Measures

Segment EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted to exclude certain non-cash and non-recurring expenses. Segment EBITDA is an important measure used by the Company's senior management and board of directors to evaluate operating results and allocate capital resources among segments. Corporate and Other primarily represents certain corporate, general and administrative expenses that are not allocated to the other segments. Segment EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for net (loss) income or other results reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Segment EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. See Schedule 4 to this release for reconciliation of net loss to Segment EBITDA.

Pro Forma EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted for certain non-cash and certain non-recurring items and other adjustments calculated on a pro forma basis, including the expected future cost savings from business optimization programs or other programs and the expected future impact of acquisitions, in each case as determined under the governing debt instrument. As the Company is highly leveraged, it believes that including the supplemental adjustments that are made to calculate Pro Forma EBITDA provides additional information to investors about the Company's ability to comply with its financial covenants and to obtain additional debt in the future. Pro Forma EBITDA and Fixed Charges are not defined terms under U.S. GAAP. Pro Forma EBITDA is not a measure of financial condition, liquidity or profitability, and should not be considered as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP or operating cash flows determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Additionally, Pro Forma EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for management's discretionary use, as it does not take into account certain items such as interest and principal payments on our indebtedness, depreciation and amortization expense (because the Company uses capital assets, depreciation and amortization expense is a necessary element of our costs and ability to generate revenue), working capital needs, tax payments (because the payment of taxes is part of our operations, it is a necessary element of our costs and ability to operate), non-recurring expenses and capital expenditures. Fixed Charges under the Indenture governing the Senior Notes due 2027 should not be considered an alternative to interest expense. See Schedule 5 to this release for reconciliation of net income to Pro Forma EBITDA and the Fixed Charges Ratio.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, our management may from time to time make oral forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "might," "plan," "estimate," "may," "will," "could," "should," "seek" or "intend" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future events and conditions and are based on currently available financial, economic and competitive data and our current business plans. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect our operations, markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Risk Factors section of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements as it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, a weakening of global economic and financial conditions, interruptions in the supply of or increased cost of raw materials, the loss of, or difficulties with the further realization of, cost savings in connection with our strategic initiatives, the impact of our indebtedness, our failure to comply with financial covenants under our credit facilities or other debt, pricing actions by our competitors that could affect our operating margins, changes in governmental regulations and related compliance and litigation costs, uncertainties related to COVID-19 and the impact of our responses to it and the other factors listed in the Risk Factors section of our SEC filings. For a more detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, see the Risk Factors section of our most recent filings made with the SEC. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. The forward-looking statements made by us speak only as of the date on which they are made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

About the Company

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Hexion Inc. is a global leader in thermoset resins. Hexion Inc. serves the global adhesive, coatings, composites and industrial markets through a broad range of thermoset technologies, specialty products and technical support for customers in a diverse range of applications and industries. Additional information about Hexion Inc. and its products is available at www.hexion.com.

See Attached Financial Statements

HEXION INC.
SCHEDULE 1: CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)

HEXION INC.
SCHEDULE 2: CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

HEXION INC.
SCHEDULE 3: CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)

HEXION INC.
SCHEDULE 4: RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO SEGMENT EBITDA (Unaudited)

HEXION INC.
SCHEDULE 5: RECONCILIATION OF LAST TWELVE MONTHS NET INCOME TO PRO FORMA EBITDA (Unaudited)