Longwei Petroleum Signs Sales Agreements with Seven Major Huajie Customers

TAIYUAN CITY, China, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd. (NYSE MKT: LPH) ("Longwei" or the "Company"), an energy company engaged in the storage and distribution of finished petroleum products in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced it has signed purchase agreements with seven major customers for its Huajie facility, bringing the total since the Company commenced operations in early October to 16 new customers.

Longwei defines "major" customer as those customers with the purchase capacity to order at least 1.0% of the Company's total revenues.  At fiscal year end June 30, 2012, Longwei had 46 major customers at its Taiyuan and Gujiao facilities, which each accounted for at least 1.0% (or approximately $5.1 million) or more of total annual revenues.  During the fiscal year ended 2012, no single customer accounted for more than 2.7% of total revenues.  The Company has now added 16 new major customers for its Huajie facility.

"Since opening the facility, we signed contracts with at least 16 major regional industrial companies in mining, steel and logistics," said Cai Yongjun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Longwei.  "We are pleased to receive the full support of local government and business leaders, as well as their endorsement to help us build our customer base.  We are confident we can develop this new market quickly based on our experience during the Gujiao ramp-up phase in 2010."

At a site visit to the Huajie facility on October 23, 2012, local government leaders offered their support to ensure the success of the Huajie facility by assisting Longwei to expand its customer base by encouraging local enterprises in Fanshi County, Shanxi Province, to utilize the new facility and increase their petroleum consumption.  The local leaders view the new facility as a stimulant for regional growth and as a key piece of infrastructure to support local employment and economic development. 

Longwei recently reported revenues of US $133.4 million and non-GAAP net income of $18.3 million, or $0.18 per share, adjusted for the non-cash warrant derivative liability charge, for the first fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2012.  The Company's product sales volume increased 17.8% to 110,587 metric tons during the quarter.  As of September 30, 2012, the Company reported total assets of US $360.0 million and book value per share of $3.47.

Longwei expects year-over-year revenue growth of approximately 26.6% to $646.3 million, and net income growth of approximately 24.2% to $77.6 million, adjusted for the non-cash warrant derivative liability, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013.  This growth rate does not account for any external financing for inventory, which could accelerate growth.  The growth is driven primarily by the ramp-up of the Huajie facility and organic growth at the Company's two existing facilities.

In the U.S., even Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money on CNBC, seems to have weighed in on the Chinese economy "stabilizing," as China's trade surplus increased in October to its widest level in nearly four years and export growth rose to a five-month high.  "Both the macro data and the micro from individual companies that do business in China are saying the same thing: the Chinese economy is stabilizing," said Mr. Cramer. "They've got inflation whipped and 2013 should be a better year for the People's Republic than 2012." CNBC (November 12, 2012).

Recent economic indicators show that the PRC economy has stabilized and expects higher growth in the fourth quarter of 2012.  "Now is a critical point for the country's industrial economy.  Positive factors are accumulating," said Zhu Hongren, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.  The PRC also surpassed the United States as the world's largest recipient of global foreign direct investment in the first half of 2012, showing that global investors have confidence in the world's second-largest economy.  China Daily (October 26, 2012).

The GDP growth rate for Shanxi Province during 2011 was 13%, according to China Daily (March 13, 2012), and it is expected to be approximately 10% for 2012, which outpaces the general economic growth estimates of 7.5% in the PRC. The provincial government has estimated the fixed-asset investment in Shanxi to be RMB 5 trillion (approximately $790 billion) over the next five years, according to China Daily (September 13, 2011).  The provincial government also recently announced an additional RMB 1 trillion (approximately $158 billion) in local development projects as part of the region's industrial stimulus plan, according to China Securities News (August 23, 2012). The Company believes its locations within Shanxi Province are advantageous to the growth of its business model.

About Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited

Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited is an energy company engaged in the storage and distribution of finished petroleum products in the People's Republic of China. The Company's oil and gas operations consist of transporting, storing and selling finished petroleum products, entirely in the PRC. The Company's headquarters are located in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. The Company has a storage capacity for its products of 220,000 metric tons located at three storage facilities within Shanxi: Taiyuan, Gujiao and Huajie, which have an individual storage capacity of approximately 50,000 metric tons ("mt"), 70,000mt, and 100,000mt, respectively.  The Company has the necessary licenses to operate and sell petroleum products not only in Shanxi, but throughout the entire PRC. The Company's storage tanks have the largest storage capacity of any non-government operated entity in Shanxi.

The Company seeks to earn profits by selling its products at competitive prices with timely delivery to transportation companies, coal mining operations, power supply customers, large-scale gas stations and small, independent gas stations. The Company also earns revenue from agency fees by acting as a purchasing agent for other intermediaries in Shanxi, and through limited sales of diesel and gasoline at two retail gas stations, each located at the Company's Taiyuan and Gujiao facilities. The Company seeks to continue to expand its customer base and distribution platform through the utilization of its large storage capacity, which allows the Company the flexibility to take advantage of pricing, supply and demand fluctuations in the marketplace.

Longwei was recently named to the Forbes list of "Asia's 200 Best Under a Billion" from a universe of 15,000 companies.  Forbes ranked the companies based on sales growth, earnings growth and return on equity in the past 12 months and over three years.  As was reported, Longwei's three-year track record is 45% sales growth, 28% earnings per share growth and 28% return on equity.  The Forbes article can be found at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2012/07/25/asias-200-best-under-a-billion.

For further information on Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited, please visit http://www.longweipetroleum.com. You may register to receive Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited's future press releases or request to be added to the Company's distribution list by contacting Dave Gentry at info@redchip.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Longwei's industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Because such statements involve risks and uncertainties, the actual results and performance of the Company may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Longwei's operations are conducted in the PRC and, accordingly, are subject to special considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. These include risks associated with, among others, the political, economic and legal environment and foreign currency exchange. The Company's results may be adversely affected by changes in the political and social conditions in the PRC and by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion, remittances abroad, and rates and methods of taxation. Other potential risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the ability to procure, properly price, retain and successfully complete projects, and changes in products and competition. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made here. Readers should review carefully reports or documents the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:      

At the Company:
Michael Toups, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: U.S. Office +1-727-641-1357
Email: mtoups@longweipetroleum.com
Web: http://www.longweipetroleum.com

Investor Relations:
Mike Bowdoin
RedChip Companies, Inc.
Tel: +1-800-733-2447, Ext. 110
Email: mike@redchip.com  
Web: http://www.redchip.com

Tina Xiao
Weitian Group LLC
Tel: +1-917-609-0333
Email: tina.xiao@weitian-ir.com
Web: http://www.weitian-ir.com 

SOURCE Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd.

Copyright 2012 PR Newswire

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