things are looking up

The latest Annual Report was the most upbeat and encouraging for years, at least since I've been a shareholder of the company.

Some of the highlights for me were as follows:

'Several studies have recently demonstrated that providing residual protection on high-risk contact surfaces makes a significant difference to microbial and infection control outcomes. This new independent validation of the importance of residual protection has now extended Aeris from the company's traditional markets to virtually all sectors for which hygiene, shelf life, human safety and product integrity are key.'

In relation to the company's smart polymers 'Aeris is producing a range of extruded smart polymer films. The company has six global customers that wish to receive production samples of these new films for a range of applications. Volume indications are such that each of the customers could have demand worth millions of dollars per annum.'

'Aeris has now secured early commitments from launch customers for the purchase of its Biocidal Polymers. These proprietary specialty active polymers are now well positioned to scale into a significant market for specialty additives. Recent submissions to the US EPA have created a precedent for products with long-lasting residual claims. Significantly, a variety of established chemical additives have come under increasing scrutiny from regulators around the world. This has created a meaningful opportunity for Aeris as the company's proprietary active complexes are technically differentiated and meet the highest standards of human safety and occupational health and they are environmentally friendly.'

In terms of the company's HVAC, Energy and Cold Storage portfolio, 'Aeris is making important progress in the application of its HVAC solutions, specifically in regard to energy reduction and system efficiency. The company is now receiving enquiries from national application distributors and high-profile end-user customers, including the Australian Government and key Australian defence authorities and the mining industry.'

'SM Group, the largest company in the Philippines by market capitalisation, has indicated its strong support in respect to recommending the AerisGuard solution to other prominent property groups throughout the region and Aeris has already commenced key trials in a number of such sites.'

'The management team at Aeris has recently been spending considerable time in the Asia Pacific region and there has been substantial expansion of the prospect list for the AerisGuard HVAC solutions business. This includes mass transit customers in a number of countries and significant opportunities for an early roll-out in China.'

I am in AEI for the long-term as I see a really bright future for the company and a much improved share price going forward.