Business Context and Reporting Period
Company: James Hardie Industries N.V.
Filing Type: Form 6-K (Report of Foreign Private Issuer)
Date: March 25, 2004
Context: This filing serves to distribute a "Letter to Shareholders" regarding the "James Hardie & the Foundation Inquiry." The letter was dated March 19, 2004, and lodged with the Australian Stock Exchange on March 23, 2004. The registrant is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Key Financial Metrics
The provided filing text does not contain specific financial data. There are no reported values for revenue, profit, cash flow, margins, debt, or liquidity in this document. The filing is a procedural submission of a shareholder letter rather than a financial results report.
Material Changes
No material financial changes versus prior periods are detailed in this text. The document focuses on the disclosure of a specific inquiry related to the Foundation rather than operational or financial performance comparisons.
Guidance, Outlook, and Risks
Forward-Looking Statements: The filing includes a Safe Harbor Statement noting that the attached exhibit contains forward-looking statements. These are identified by terms such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "intend," "target," "estimate," "project," "predict," "forecast," "guideline," "should," and "aim."
Risks and Uncertainties: The document lists several factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including:
- Competition and product pricing.
- General economic and market conditions.
- Compliance with, and changes in, environmental and health and safety laws.
- Dependence on cyclical construction markets.
- Supply and cost of raw materials.
- Reliance on a small number of product distributors.
- Consequences of product failures or defects.
- Exposure to environmental or other legal proceedings.
- Risks of conducting business internationally.
Investor Verification Checklist
- Review the full text of the "Letter to Shareholders" (Exhibit 99.1) to understand the specifics of the "Foundation Inquiry."
- Verify the status of the inquiry lodged with the Australian Stock Exchange on March 23, 2004.
- Consult the company's most recent Form 20-F or Form 6-K for actual financial performance data, as this filing does not provide it.
- Assess the potential impact of the listed legal and environmental risks on future operations.