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CARTHAGE, Mo., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —

• 4Q EPS of $.06; includes a $.16 restructuring-related charge
• Adjusted(1) 4Q EPS was $.22, versus $.21 in prior year
• Full year 2011 EPS of $1.04; includes a $.16 restructuring-related charge
• Adjusted(1) 2011 EPS was $1.20, versus $1.15 in 2010
• 2012 EPS guidance of $1.20-1.40, on sales of $3.6-3.8 billion

Diversified manufacturer Leggett Platt reported fourth quarter earnings per diluted share (EPS) of $.06.  Fourth quarter EPS would have been $.22, except for a restructuring-related, predominantly non-cash charge (announced on December 28) of $37 million, or $.16 per share.  In the fourth quarter of 2010, EPS was $.21.

Fourth quarter 2011 sales were $854 million.  Same location sales grew 6%, primarily due to inflation and higher trade sales at the steel mill.  

Full Year Financial Results
Full year 2011 EPS was $1.04.  Full year EPS would have been $1.20, except for the $.16 restructuring-related charge.  Full year 2010 EPS was $1.15.  EPS in 2011 benefitted from stock repurchases and a lower effective tax rate.  Full year sales increased 8% to $3.64 billion, mainly from inflation and currency rate changes.  Unit volume grew 3% primarily due to a shift in the mix of sales at the company’s steel mill (from intra-segment to trade).

The company generated $329 million of cash from operations during 2011.  Major uses of cash included $231 million to fund dividends and capital requirements, and $205 million (net) to purchase Leggett stock.  Net debt to net capital was 29% at year end, below the conservative end of the company’s 30%-40% target range.

CEO Comments
President and CEO David S. Haffner commented, “We remain well poised for earnings growth when the economy expands. That has not yet occurred broadly; to the contrary, in our markets, aggregate demand was essentially flat in 2011.  As a result, we continue to tightly manage costs, exit unprofitable businesses, and focus on other elements of our strategic imperatives.

“Though sales grew in 2011, most of the increase was due to inflation and currency rates, which didn’t generate much profit.  After improving for the last three years, EBIT margin declined in 2011 due to restructuring costs, inflation, and

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My news for Investors

WESTLAKE, Texas, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Solera Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLH), the leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing industry, today announced that Audatex North America, Inc., Solera’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, filed a Complaint for Patent Infringement against Mitchell International, Inc. in the United States District Court, District of Delaware, for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,912,740, entitled “System and Method for Processing Work Products for Vehicles Via the World Wide Web.”

Solera will be hosting its second quarter fiscal year 2012 earnings results conference call tomorrow at 4pm CST/5pm EST and will discuss this development in more detail at that time. The conference call will be webcast live in listen-only mode and can be accessed by visiting the Investor Center section of the Solera website: www.solerainc.com. A webcast replay will be available on the website until midnight on February 21, 2012. A live audiocast will also be accessible to the public by calling (866) 788-0540 or from outside the U.S., (857) 350-1678. When prompted, the following access code is required: 92178554. Callers should dial in approximately 10 minutes before the call begins. For those unable to participate in the live audiocast, a replay will be available until midnight on February 21, 2012. To access the replay, dial (888) 286-8010 or, from outside the U.S., (617) 801-6888, and enter the following access code when prompted: 63653904.

About Solera Holdings, Inc.

Solera is the leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing industry. Solera is active in nearly 60 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include Audatex in the United States, Canada, and in more than 45 additional countries, Informex in Belgium and Greece, Sidexa in France, ABZ and Market Scan in The Netherlands, HPI in the United Kingdom, AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries, Hollander serving the North American recycling market, Explore providing data to U.S. PC insurers used in the re-underwriting of their insured drivers, and IMS providing medical review services. For more information, please refer to the company’s website at http://www.solerainc.com/.

SOURCE Solera Holdings, Inc.

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New web 2.0 platform allows consumers to search up-to-date vehicle inventory directly from dealership’s digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and blogs

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchise dealers, today launched a new web 2.0 platform, based on SiSTeR’s Technologies’ VSHOC and Publisher platform, DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom (VSR) for its Ford and Lincoln dealers. FordDirect VSR seamlessly integrates with a dealer’s digital marketing or social media platform including blogs, Facebook and their YouTube pages so that consumers can search the most current new and used vehicle inventory without clicking out of their original destination. 

The service will be available to all 3,500 Ford and Lincoln Dealers that have DealerConnection websites, and offered for no additional charge to dealers that currently have both DealerConnection Elite and DealerConnection Premier Advanced Inventory Service (DCPAIS) web services.

The VSR’s unique interactive filtering and keyword search functions provide users with their desired selection in real time.  Furthermore, unlike other video inventory tools, VSR switches automatically to an HTML 5.0 version for users who access it via a smart phone or tablet to maximize the users’ experience and the dealer’s ROI.

DealerConnection VSR maximizes the effectiveness of a dealer’s digital marketing and social media platforms and enhances the user experience by offering consumers the ability to not only search for a new vehicle by make, model and price, but can also submit an inquiry directly to the dealer or refer a vehicle to others without ever leaving the digital or social platform.   VSR also automatically displays the desired vehicle on the dealer’s website for visitors who come from YouTube and, if such a vehicle is sold, lists of similar vehicles are displayed, saving the users from the annoying “search again” issue.

“We are finding that consumers are turning to social media and other digital platforms to initiate their research for a vehicle purchase, so it’s important for Dealers to capture their attention with the most current information in an interactive way,” said Valerie Fuller, COO of FordDirect. “DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom provides consumers with an enhanced online experience so that they can find the vehicle that they are looking for and be able to connect with a dealer without the hassle of having to visit numerous websites.”

A recent study from Autoguide.com states that 2.4 million in-market shoppers used Facebook in some way to make a

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Chris Stern, author, management consultant, lecturer and entrepreneur, announces the second chapter in his evolutionary Web Book on http://www.BizIsSimple.com

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — The holy grail of business management would be finding a tool that really works, and then multiplying this concept indefinitely to churn out riches. “Luckily such a tool does not exist, so we are still dependent on entrepreneurship and innovation to make it as a business- person in this world” said Chris Stern, Chairman and CEO of the Institute For Efficient Management.

In his new chapter on BizIsSimple.Com Stern compares three important business books and carves out a methodology of how to assess an organization based on just eight principles. Stern added: “We have been using this tool for years and it has helped us tremendously to quickly and interactively determine health and strategic potential of a company. If any one tool has the potential to be a multiplier, this one would be it”.

Stern makes an interesting point, when he eludes that so far none of the business gurus actually became a billionaire. If their theories really worked, that should have been the case. Stern: “The problem with gurus is that they either look at the past and conclude from hindsight what the new way of doing things should be, or they come up with theories that are just too complicated and impractical”. The goal of BizIsSimple.com is to look at business administration in a new and more practical way and help readers find tools they can immediately apply in every day business life.

The web book will be a continuous work in progress and in contrast to paper publications, the author can add and change content based on reader’s input, or updated knowledge. The second chapter is called “What Really Works” and is available for immediate reading at http://www.bizissimple.com.

Every chapter comes with a downloadable presentation and the author plans to add video sequences in the near future. Until further notice, access to the site is free of charge.

About IFEM

IFEM Management Consultants Inc, doing business as Institute For Efficient Management, is a management-consulting firm that delivers integrated business administration solutions for organizations that need to simplify the processes of strategic and business management. IFEM helps its client’s design and implement strategic plans that are highly efficient and effective. IFEM’s founder Chris J. Stern

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TROY, Mich., Feb. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – HTC Global Services (HTC) is pleased to announce a key addition to its strategic team, as Tom Rowland joins HTC as an Executive Advisor. As a former Information Officer at GMAC/Ally Bank and General Motors, Tom has experience in building and leading large-scale global IT teams through major corporate transformations.  Tom specializes in IT strategic planning, IT transformation, and Business Information management.  He is highly regarded for his ability to leverage diversity to build strong, high functioning global teams and practices.

“We are tremendously excited to have Tom join the HTC team to assist in strategic planning and business development. HTC has been providing thought leadership in the Data Management and Informatics space, and Tom is an excellent addition to our team for this purpose,” said Mr. Madhava Reddy, President and CEO of HTC. “As Executive Advisor, Tom brings his deep management and operational experiences that will add value to our portfolio of services and will be instrumental in assisting our clients reach their strategic IT goals.”

About Tom Rowland

A veteran of Insurance/Finance and Automotive Industries with over 30 years of technology and operational experience, Tom Rowland was most recently an Information Officer at GMAC/Ally Bank from 2006 through 2010. There, as a key member of the senior executive team, he led the IT integration of formally disparate business units across US, Europe, China and Mexico.  Tom also spent four years in Korea setting up and leading the IT organization for the GM-Daewoo joint venture.  His international experience provides him a unique perspective on value added outsourcing opportunities and practical implementation strategies.

About HTC Global Services

HTC Global Services, Inc. (HTC) is a global provider of IT Solutions and Business Process Outsourcing services with its corporate headquarters in Troy, Michigan. HTC specializes in innovative and cost-effective services and solutions to shorten the time to market, reduce costs and improve business processes, and in providing business value to clients through IT and BPO services and solutions. 

For more information about HTC, please contact Venu Vaishya – Executive Vice President at 248-786-2500 X 120 or visit www.htcinc.com.

SOURCE HTC Global Services Inc.

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