Your Directors have pleasure in submitting their 47th Annual Report of the Company together with the Audited Statements of Accounts forthe year ended 31st March, 2025.
The Company's financial performance for the year ended 31st March, 2025 along with previous year figure is summarized as here under:
Particulars
Year ended31st March, 2025
Year ended31st March, 2024
(Standalone)
Gross profit before Interest Depreciation and Tax
631.09
634.91
Less: Interest and Depreciation
184.93
160.91
Profit / (Loss) before Tax
446.16
474.00
Provision for Taxation/ Deferred Tax (Assets) / Liabilities
93.49
127.43
Profit / (Loss) after Tax
352.67
346.57
Add: Other Comprehensive Income
71.23
(19.20)
Total Comprehensive Income / Loss
423.90
327.37
The sales (standalone) during the year were Rs. 10292.40 Lakhs as against Rs 10865.59 Lakhs in the previous year. The Company has thusmade status quo position in respect of sales as compared to the last year. The Company made an export worth of Rs 5742.64 during thecurrent year as against Rs 5826.76 in the previous year. The Company made net profit of Rs.352.67 Lakhs in the current year as against Rs346.57 Lakhs in the previous year excluding other comprehensive income. Thus, the Company has fared well both on sales and profitabilityfront. The management of the Company has taken and in process to take several steps to control various overheads which shall lead to theprofitability of the Company in the days to come.
Your directors have considered it financially prudent in the long-term interest of the Company to reinvest the profits into the business of theCompany to build a strong reserve base and grow the business of the Company. No dividend has therefore been recommended for the yearended on 31st March, 2025.
The Company has not accepted any fixed deposits from the public falling within the ambit of section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013 and TheCompanies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014.
The paid-up Equity Share Capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2025 was Rs 3,47,78,000/- During the year under review, the
Company has not issued any shares with differential voting rights nor granted any stock options or sweat equity.
Re-appointment/appointment of Directors:
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Articles of Association of the Company, MR. RAJAN RAMNIKLALBAMBHANIA (DIN 00146211), Managing Director of the Company who retires by rotation at the ensuring Annual General Meeting of theCompany and being eligible, offers himself for re-appointment. The Board recommends their appointment for your approval.
The following are the Key Managerial Personnel as defined under Section 2(51) of the Companies Act, 2013:
• Mr. Rajan R Bambhania (CEO & Managing Director)
• Mr. Siddik A Kotal (Chief Financial Officer)
• Mr. Hemant Singh Jhala (Company Secretary)
During the year under review, there were no changes in the KMP of the Company.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, the Board has carried out the annual performance evaluation of its own performance,the Directors individually as well as the evaluation of the working of its Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
A structured questionnaire was prepared after taking into consideration inputs received from the Directors, covering various aspects of theBoard's functioning such as adequacy of the composition of the Board and its Committees, Board culture, execution and performance ofspecific duties, obligations and governance.
A separate exercise was carried out to evaluate the performance of individual of the Board, who were evaluated on parameters such as levelof engagement and contribution, independence of judgment safeguarding the interest of the Company and its minority shareholders etc. Theperformance evaluation of the Independent Directors was carried out by the entire Board.
The performance evaluation of the Chairman and the Non-Independent Directors was carried out by the Independent Directors who alsoreviewed the performance of the Secretarial Department.
The Directors expressed their satisfaction with the evaluation process.
The details of various committees constituted by the Board as per the Regulation 18, 19 and 20 of SEBI (Listing Obligation and DisclosureRequirements) Regulations, 2015 and Companies Act, 2013 are given in the Corporate Governance Report which forms part of this report.
During the year FOUR Board Meetings, FOUR Audit Committee Meetings, ONE Nomination and Remuneration Committee Meeting, ONEStakeholders Relationship Committee Meeting and ONE separate Meeting of Independent Directors were held. The details of the same aregiven in the Corporate Governance Report. The intervening gaps between the Board meetings were within the period prescribed under theCompanies Act, 2013 in compliance to secretarial standards SS-1 issued by ICSI.
The Independent Directors met on 22nd May, 2025 without the attendance of Non-Independent Directors and members of the management.The Independent Directors reviewed the performance of Non-Independent Directors and Board as a whole and assessed the quality, quantity,and timeliness of flow of information between the Company Management and the Board that is necessary for the Board to perform their dutieseffectively and reasonably.
The Company has received necessary declarations from each Independent Director under Section 149 (7) of the Companies Act, 2013, thathe/she meets the criteria of independence as laid down in Section 149 (6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 16(1 )(b) of SEBI(Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
None of the Directors of your Company is disqualified as per provisions of Section 164 (2) of the companies Act, 2013 for financial year endedon 31st March, 2025. Your directors have made necessary disclosures, as required under Companies Act, 2013. The Company has obtainedcertificate dated 10th May, 2025 from SHAHS & ASSOCIATES, a peer reviewed firm of Practicing Company Secretaries in that regard. Thecertificate for Non-Disqualification of directors for the financial year ended on 31st March, 2025 is annexed herewith marked as Annexure "B"to this Report.
To the best of the knowledge and belief and according to the information and explanation obtained, the Board hereby submits its responsibilityStatement in accordance with the provisions of Section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013:
a) In the preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended on 31st March, 2025, the applicable accounting standards had beenfollowed along with proper explanation relating to material departures;
b) The Directors had selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently and made judgments and estimates that are reasonableand prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at 31st March, 2025 and of the profit of the Companyfor the year ended on 31st March, 2025;
c) The Directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisionsof the Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
d) The Directors had prepared the annual accounts on a going concern basis;
e) The Directors had laid down Internal Financial Controls ("IFC") and that such Internal Financial Controls are adequate and were operatingeffectively;
f) The Directors had devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems wereadequate and operating effectively.
M/s. J C Ranpura & Co., Chartered Accountants, Rajkot, Gujarat (FRN 108647W) was appointed as Statutory Auditors of the Companyfor a period of Five (5) consecutive years from the conclusion of the 42nd Annual General Meeting till conclusion of 47th Annual generalmeeting by the member of the Company at their meeting held on Monday, 28th September, 2020.
Upon the completion of the first term of five years of M/s. J C Ranpura & Co., Chartered Accountants, Rajkot, Gujarat (Firm RegistrationNo. 108647W), as the Statutory Auditors of the Company, the Board of Directors, in their meeting held on 29th May, 2025 considered andapproved their re-appointment for a second term of five consecutive years from the conclusion of the 47th Annual General Meeting tillthe conclusion of the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the Company, subject to the approval of the shareholders at the ensuingAnnual General Meeting.
The Company has received a letter from M/s. J C Ranpura & Co., Chartered Accountants, Rajkot, Gujarat (FRN 108647W) to the effect thattheir appointment if made, would be within the limit under section 141 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 4(1) of the Companies (Audit& Auditors) Rules, 2014 and that they are not disqualified for the appointment as Auditor.
The Board had appointed M/s SHAHS & ASSOCIATES, a peer reviewed firm of Practicing Company Secretaries, to conduct the SecretarialAudit for the financial year ended on 31st March, 2025. The Secretarial Audit Report for the financial year ended on 31st March, 2025 isannexed herewith marked as Annexure "A" to this Report.
Further in pursuance to Regulation 24A of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015, the Board of Directors, based on the Audit Committee'srecommendation, approved the appointment of M/s SHAHS & ASSOCIATES, FRN. P2012GJ028600, (Peer Review No: 833/2020), a PracticingCompany Secretary firm of Ahmedabad, represented by Mr. Kaushik Jayantilal Shah, having Certificate of Practice No. 1414 and MembershipFCS 2420, as a Secretarial Auditor of the Company for a period of 5 years from the conclusion of 47th Annual General Meeting till theconclusion of 52nd Annual General Meeting i.e. up to the Financial Year 2029-30 subject to the approval of members at the ensuing AnnualGeneral Meeting.
The firm has consented to their appointment and confirmed eligibility under Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Regulation24A(1A) and (1B) of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015. They hold a valid Peer Review Certificate as per SEBI Circular dated 31st December,2024.
There is no qualification, reservation or adverse remarks or disclaimer made by the Statutory Auditors and Secretarial Auditor in their reporton the financial statement of the Company for the Financial Year ended on 31st March, 2025.
The Board of Directors on the recommendations of the Audit Committee appointed M/s. SUBHASH AKBARI & CO., Chartered Accountants,and Junagadh as Internal Auditors of the Company for the financial year 2025-26.
The Company has a proper and adequate system of Internal Control commensurate with its size and the nature of its operations to ensure thatall assets are safeguarded and protected against loss from un-authorized use or disposition and those transactions are authorized, recorded,and reported correctly.
M/s SAGAR M. KAPADIYA & COMPANY, Cost Accountant, Rajkot (Registration No. 103615), were appointed as Cost Auditors of theCompany. The Board, based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee of Directors has approved their appointment, for conducting thecost audit for FY 2025-26. A resolution seeking approval of the Members for ratifying the remuneration of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees Fifty thousandOnly) plus applicable taxes, excluding travel and actual out-of-pocket expenses payable to the Cost Auditors for FY 2025-26 is provided in theNotice of the ensuing AGM.
The provisions of sub-section (1) of Section 148 of the Companies Act, 2013 pertaining to the maintenance of cost records are applicable tothe Company and accordingly such accounts and records are made and maintained by the Company. The Cost Audit Report does not containany qualifications, reservations, adverse remarks or disclaimers.
Pursuant to Section 177 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 6 and 7 of the Companies (Meetings of the Board and its Powers) Rules,2013, the Audit committee consists of the following directors:
Mr. J. B. Jagani [Chairman of committee]
Mr. D.T. Mithani [Member]
Ms. S. K. Bhadeshiya [Member]
All the members of Audit Committee are independent directors.
The Company has a WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY to deal with instances of unethical behaviour, actual or suspected fraud or violation of thecompany's code of conduct, if any. The details of the whistle blower policy are explained in the Corporate Governance Report and also postedon the website of the Company.
The Company's policy relating to appointment of directors, payment of managerial remuneration, directors' qualifications, positive attributes,independence of directors and other related matters as provided under Section 178 (3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is furnished in CorporateGovernance Report and the same is also posted on website of the Company.
All transactions with related parties are placed before the Audit Committee for its approval. An omnibus approval from Audit Committee is alsoobtained whenever required for the related party transactions which are repetitive in nature. Accordingly, the disclosure of related partytransactions, as required under Section 134(3)(h) of the Act, in E-Form AOC-2, is not applicable.
All related party transactions, entered into during the financial year under review, were on an arm's length basis and were in the ordinarycourse of business. Your Company has not entered into any transactions with related parties which could be considered material in terms ofSection 188 of the Act and SEBI Listing Regulations, as applicable till 31st March, 2025.
The policy on Related Party Transactions as approved by the Board is uploaded on the Company's website at http;/www.aec.com.
The Board of Directors is overall responsible for identifying, evaluating, and managing all significant risks faced by the Company. The Boardapproved Risk Management policy, which acts as an overarching statement of intent and establishes the guiding principles by which key risksare managed across the organization.
The Company follows well established and detailed risk assessment and minimization procedures, which are periodically reviewed by the topmanagement. The Company has in place a business risk management framework for identifying risks and opportunities that may have abearing on the organization's objectives, assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact and determining a response strategy.
In the opinion of the Board, none of the risks faced by the Company threaten its existence. The Company has also posted the policy in respectof transactions with "Related Parties" on its website.
In view of non-applicability of formation of Risk Management Committee, the Company has not formed the said committee.
No material changes and commitments affecting the financial position of the Company has occurred between the end of financial year towhich this financial statement relates and the date of this report .
Pursuant to Section 92(3) read with Section 134(3) (a) of the Companies Act, the draft Annual Return as on March 31, 2025 of the Companyis available on Company's website and can be accessed at http:/www.aec.comPARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES OR INVESTMENTS:
The particulars of Loans, guarantees or investments made under Section 186 and its applicability have been furnished in notes annexed toour financial statements.
The information pertaining to conservation of energy, technology absorption, foreign exchange earnings and outgo as required under Section134 (3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8(3) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 is furnished in Annexure "C" attachedto this report and it forms the part of this report.
The information required pursuant to Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5 of the Companies (Appointment and Remunerationof Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 in respect of employees of the Company, is annexed to this Report marked as Annexure "D", formingpart of this Report.
As per Section 136 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013, the report and accounts are being sent to the shareholders of the Company, excluding thestatement of particulars of employees under the said proviso. Any shareholder interested in obtaining a copy of the said statement may writeto the Secretarial department at the Registered Office of the Company.
In accordance with the General Circular issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, the Balance Sheet, Profit and Lossaccount and other documents of Austin Engineering Company (Formerly known as Accurate Engineering Inc.), the wholly owned subsidiarycompany, are not being attached with the Balance Sheet of the Company. The Company however shall make available the Annual Accountsof the said subsidiary company and its related detailed information. Any member of the Company who may be interested in obtaining thesame shall download the same from the Company's website http:/www. aec.com.
The Annual Accounts of the subsidiary company will also be kept open for inspection at the registered office of the Company and thesubsidiary company.
A statement as required in the prescribed E-Form AOC-1 pursuant to section 129(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is given in the Annexure "E"and it forms the part of this report.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 129 (3) of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Regulation 33 of SEBI Listing Regulation theCompany has prepared Consolidated Financial statements of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary Austin Engineering Company(Formerly known as Accurate Engineering Inc.) which forms part of this report
As per Chapter IV of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, separate reports on Corporate Governance,Management Discussion and Analysis and a certificate from the Company's Auditors form part of this Report. Your Company is committed tomaintain the highest standards of Corporate Governance, reinforcing the valuable relationship between the Company and its Stakeholders.TRANSFER OF UNPAID AND UNCLAIMED AMOUNTS TO IEPF:
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013, the declared dividends which remained unpaid or unclaimed for aperiod of seven years, (FY 2014-15) were transferred by the Company to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) established bythe Central Government.
As per the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016, notified by the Ministry ofCorporate Affairs and subsequent amendment thereof, the Company has also transferred shares to IEPF Authority in respect of the dividendwhich had not been paid or claimed by shareholders for seven consecutive years or more.
The Company sent individual notices to the concerned shareholders, whose shares and dividend were liable to be transferred to IEPFAuthority, to their latest available addresses. The Company displayed full details of such shareholders, dividend, and shares on its website atwww.aec.com. The shareholders are requested to verify the details of the shares liable to be transferred as aforesaid.
The Company has not declared any dividend for FY 2017-18 and hence the question of transfer neither of unclaimed dividend nor of anysecurity thereof during this financial year has been arised under rule 6(5) and rule 6(8) of IEPF Regulations.
The provisions of the Section 135 read with Schedule VII of Companies Act, 2013 are not applicable to the Company and hence the Companyhas neither developed any CSR Policy nor implemented any CSR activities during the year.
The Company was assigned rating of "SME1" by SMERA Ratings Private Limited (formerly SME Rating Agency of India Limited), Mumbai,under SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, ensuring transparency for investors. SME1 is the highestrating on SMERA's Bank Loan Rating Scale for SMEs, indicating the highest level of creditworthiness and the lowest credit risk for meetingfinancial obligations, such as loan repayments.
In terms of the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, as amended (PITRegulations), the Company has adopted the revised "Code of Conduct to Regulate, Monitor and Report Trading by Insiders" ("the Code").The Code is applicable to all Directors, Designated persons and connected Persons and their immediate relatives, who have access tounpublished price sensitive information relating to the Company. The Company has also formulated a 'Code of Practices and Procedures forFair Disclosure of Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (UPSI)' in compliance with the PIT Regulations. The aforesaid Codes are postedon the Company's website www.aec.com.
The Company has constituted an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in due compliance with the provisions of Sexual Harassment ofWomen at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 to redress complaints received regarding sexual harassment.
Your directors state that during the year under review, no complaints of sexual harassment received in the year; nor any cases filed or pendingpursuant to the said Act.
The Company hereby confirms that it is in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, including amendmentsthereto. The Company ensures that all eligible women employees are provided with the maternity benefits as prescribed under the Act,including paid maternity leave, nursing breaks, and protection from dismissal during maternity leave. The Company remains committed toupholding the rights and welfare of its women employees in accordance with the law.
The Company takes a very pragmatic approach towards insurance. Adequate cover has been taken for all movable and immovable assets forvarious types of risks.
During the year under review, there were no application made or proceedings pending in the name of the Company under Insolvency andBankruptcy Code 2016.
During the year under review, there were no one time settlement of loan taken from banks and financial institution.
There is no significant material orders passed by the Regulators /Courts/ Tribunals which would impact the going concern status of theCompany and its future operations.
There was no instance of fraud during the year under review, which required the Statutory Auditors to report to the Audit Committee, Board,and /or Central Government under Section 143 (12) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Rules framed there under.
The industrial relation with workmen and staff continued to be extremely cordial during the year under review.
Your Directors wish to place on record their gratitude for the continued co-operation and patronage extended by their esteemed customersboth in OEM and aftermarket segments. The Directors would also like to place on record their sincere appreciation for the continued co¬operation, guidance, support, and assistance during the year under report by our Bankers, all the customers, suppliers of the Companyincluding Government agencies. The Board of Directors also wishes to express its appreciation for the efforts and contribution made by theemployees at all levels during the year under report.
Place : Patla, Junagadh Hiren N Vadgama
Date : 29th May, 2025 Chairman & Executive Director