SEC Comment Letter for Asia Electrical Power International Group, Inc. (CIK 0001306046) — Dec 1, 2004
Asia Electrical Power International Group, Inc. (CIK 0001306046)
Date: Dec. 1, 2004 · CIK: 0001306046 · Accession: 0000000000-04-038497
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-120114
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<DOCUMENT> <TYPE>LETTER <SEQUENCE>1 <FILENAME>filename1.txt <TEXT> MAIL STOP 03-08 November 26, 2004 Mr. Yulong Guo, CEO Asia Electrical Power International Group, Inc. #703-1112 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6E2S1 Canada RE: Asia Electrical Power International Group, Inc. Registration Statement on Form SB-2 Commission File No. 333-120114 Filed on October 29, 2004 Dear Mr. Guo: We have reviewed your filing and have the following comments. Where indicated, we think you should revise your document in response to these comments. If you disagree, we will consider your explanation as to why our comment is inapplicable or a revision is unnecessary. Please be as detailed as necessary in your explanation. In some of our comments, we may ask you to provide us with supplemental information so we may better understand your disclosure. After reviewing this information, we may or may not raise additional comments. Please understand that the purpose of our review process is to assist you in your compliance with the applicable disclosure requirements and to enhance the overall disclosure in your filing. We look forward to working with you in these respects. We welcome any questions you may have about our comments or on any other aspect of our review. Feel free to call us at the telephone numbers listed at the end of this letter. General 1. We note that this resale registration statement is your initial public offering. We also note the selling shareholders constitute your directors, officers, and largest shareholder. Given the nature of the offering and identity of the selling shareholders, it appears that the offering is being made "by or on behalf of the registrant." Please tell us if this is accurate, and if so, whether and how Rule 415(a)(4) applies to this offering. 2. Please tell us whether any of the selling shareholders are broker- dealers or affiliated with broker-dealers. For all selling shareholders that are broker-dealers, disclose that they are "underwriters" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933. You should revise the Plan of Distribution to state the names of the selling shareholders who are broker-dealers, and to state that they are also underwriters with respect to the shares that they are offering for resale. 3. For selling shareholders who are affiliates of broker-dealers, disclose, if true, that: * The seller purchased in the ordinary course of business, and * At the time of the purchase of the securities to be resold, the seller had no agreements or understandings, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the securities. If these statements are not true for any selling shareholder, then the prospectus must state that the selling shareholder is an underwriter. 4. Please tell us with a view towards disclosure whether restrictions exist in China on foreign ownership of your business. If restrictions on foreign ownership do exist, then revise throughout to discuss what steps you have taken to comply with those restrictions, including any contractual relationships with your subsidiary Naiji to ensure cash flow accrues to you. Cover Page 5. We note disclosure indicating that 24,000,000 shares of common stock can be sold by selling shareholders. It appears that the company has only registered 7,752,000 shares of common stock for resale. Please reconcile and revise as appropriate. 6. Please add a sentence briefly highlighting that purchasers in this offering may be receiving an illiquid security. 7. Please revise the bottom paragraph on page 2 to delete the reference to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Selling shareholders may be deemed underwriters by virtue of the Securities Act of 1933. While the SEC may make that determination, other valid parties may do so as well. 8. Please include the page number where the risk factors section appears in the prospectus. See Item 501(a)(5) of Regulation S-B. Also, please separate the risk factor cross-reference from the Item 501(a)(7) legend that follows. Inside Front Cover 9. Please provide the dealer delivery obligation disclosure required by Item 502(b) of Regulation S-B. Prospectus Summary, page 5 10. The summary should provide a brief overview of the key aspects of the offering and should not merely repeat disclosure appearing elsewhere in the prospectus. See Item 503(a) of Regulation S-B. Accordingly, please delete much of the information relating to your historical organization, as this information is more appropriately discussed further into the prospectus. Instead, revise to provide a succinct explanation in plain English of what you do and how you do it. 11. Also, we remind you that a summary should provide a brief overview of you in a balanced manner. In this regard, please consider the following: * Explain that your shares currently are not traded on any market or exchange, and briefly explain how this impacts share liquidity. * Describe the Chinese market in which you operate, and any hazards that result including a different legal system and the problem of pirated goods. * Disclose that your executive officers hold __% of your shares, and as a result will exercise control over your direction. These are only examples. Revise accordingly. We may have further comment based upon your revisions. 12. Your reference to both "AEPI" and "AEIP" when referring to Asia Electrical Power International Group, Inc. is confusing and should be revised accordingly here and throughout the prospectus. Risk Factors, page 7 13. Please revise your risk factor subheadings to concisely state the specific material risk each risk factor presents to your company or investors and the consequences should that risk factor occur. Avoid simply referring to a fact about your company or a future event in your subheadings. Stating that the risk may "adversely affect" your business does not adequately address the potential consequences. For example, the following risk factor subheadings should be revised accordingly: * "Compliance and enforcement of environmental laws...." * "We face intense competition which could adversely affect...." * "We are dependent on a few key personnel." * "We do not carry patents for the majority of our products." * "We carry no insurance policies." * "We are dependent on a few key customers." * "There is no public market for our common stock." * "Our stock is substantially controlled by directors, officers and principle shareholders." 14. Risk factors seven and eight under the caption "Risks Relating to Our Business" both address the same risk and should be combined under one separate subheading. 15. In the "Risks Relating to Our Business" subsection, please consider adding risk factors addressing the following: * The continuing renewal of your business license in the People`s Republic of China for ten-year terms; and * Your reliance on the government for new product approval; 16. In the "Risks Relating to the Offering" subsection, please add a distinct risk factor addressing the fact that the $0.02 initial offering price was arbitrarily determined and may bear no relation to the actual value of the shares. We may not be able to manage our potential growth, page 9 We are dependent on a few key personnel, page 9 17. The information in these risk factors are generic because they could apply to many companies in your industry or even in other industries. Please revise to specifically indicate how the stated risk applies to your company, or delete this risk factor. For example, revise to more clearly articulate the risk associated with your dependence on your executive officers - do you lack employment agreements with these officers? We are dependent on a few key customers, page 11 18. Please update the information in this risk factor to the most recent practicable date. Please also disclose whether you have any long-term contracts with your primary customers. If not, so state and discuss the resulting risks. Determination of the Offering Price, page 13 19. Please revise to more clearly disclose how you determined the offering price. The existing disclosure alludes to recent Regulation S offering. Rather than summarizing the provisions of Regulation S, the disclosure should cite the specific Regulation S offering to which you allude, including when it occurred, and explain how the $0.02 cent per share valuation was reached in that offering. If a significant period of time elapsed between that private offering and the proposed public offering, then please also explain why you believe the former`s price per share still relates to the latter`s price per share. Plan of Distribution, page 15 20. The second sentence here cites a $0.02 per shares sales price "for a period of six months after this registration is declared effective." That disclosure is inconsistent with statements elsewhere that the $0.02 per share fixed sales price is until your shares are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board. Please revise or advise. 21. Please revise your disclosure here to clarify that, to be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, a market maker must file an application on your behalf in order to make a market for your common stock. Clarify how long this takes and whether you have engaged a market maker to apply for quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board on your behalf. Explain what effect quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board will have on your liquidity. Directors, Executive Officers, Promoters and Control Persons, page 19 22. Please revise your biography of Mr. Guo to describe his business experience for the past five years. See Item 401(a)(4) of Regulation S-B. 23. Refer to the biography of Mrs. Chen. Please clarify her duration of employment, by month and year, with Shenzhen Far East Biscuit (China) Co. Ltd. Please also briefly explain the "Political and Ideological" post she held. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management, page 21 24. We note that Exhibit 10.2 certifies that Yulong Guo acted as a trustee for 19 smaller shareholders and in that capacity held 90% of Naiji shares. Does Mr. Guo currently hold the Asia Electrical shares in trust for those 19 shareholders? As a trustee, he may be deemed a beneficial owner of those shares in accordance with Regulation 13D. If so, please revise the table of beneficial ownership accordingly and provide clarifying footnote disclosure, or advise. Organization Within the Last Five Years, page 26 25. Please describe the operations of your company prior to the asset and share exchange agreement with Naiji. Description of Business, page 27 26. Your current description of the products, services, and business of your company is vague, difficult to comprehend, and should be substantially revised to clearly describe your company`s business in the manner required by Item 101 of Regulation S-B. As only one example, please discuss in clear and concise language your typical customer and how a customer uses your products. We may have further comment after reviewing your revised prospectus disclosure. See the comments below for further guidance. 27. Please avoid the use of technical terms and phrases, or clearly define these terms so they are comprehensible to average reader who is unfamiliar with your industry. For example, we note the following: * "10KV environments"; * "alternating current"; * "magnetic actuator"; * "3.6-12kV, three-phase, 50Hz, single busbar subsection power system." Please revise your disclosure as appropriate. Principal Products, Services and Their Markets, page 27 28. We note disclosure indicating your products are marketed to "transportation, industrial, and government sectors." Please discuss in greater detail your intended principal market of customers and discuss how you intend to target this market. Distribution Methods and Installation, page 29 29. Please revise to discuss your advertising and marketing strategy. In this regard, we note your Management`s Discussion and Analysis states that you expect to regain market share through advertising and marketing. 30. We note that subcontractors produce custom fitted cabinets to encase your products in the appropriate dimension specific to customer needs. Please further explain the significance of the custom fitted cabinets in your operations. Please also file the subcontractor agreements, or tell us why they are not material exhibits. See Item 601 of Regulation S-B. 31. We note that your products are installed by electricians licensed by Government Authorities. Please discuss any formalized arrangements the company has with these electricians and discuss the availability of electricians for your operational needs. Competition, page 31 32. Please discuss your methods of competition and competitive environment in greater detail. See Item 101(b)(4) of Regulation S-B. Availability of Raw Materials, page 31 33. Please describe the raw materials you require and disclose the basis of your belief that these materials are readily available. Please also more clearly describe the relationships you have with your primary suppliers. For example, disclose whether you have any formalized, material agreements or long-term contracts. If so, please consider filing those agreements as exhibits. See Item 601 of Regulation S-B. Dependence on Major Customers, page 32 34. Please consider whether any agreements with your primary customers should be filed as material exhibits. Again, see Item 601 of Regulation S-B. Revise or advise. Patents, Trademarks and Labor Contracts, page 32 35. Please discuss the significance of your patent on FLN36-12D SF6 Switch Disconnector. We also note that you may apply for patents on the remainder of your products in 2005. Please disclose the potential costs to you for the patent applications. China National Labour Laws, page 33 36. We note as a source for the disclosure here you cite a 1998 U.S. State Department Report. Is this six-year old report the most current report available? Please revise or advise. Compliance with Environment Laws, page 35 37. Please discuss the costs and effects of compliance with the environmental laws to which you refer and those applicable to the SF6 gas you use as insulation. See Item 102(b)(11) of Regulation S-B. Management`s Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation, page 38 38. Please revise your disclosure to provide a more detailed discussion of changes in your financial condition and results from operations as required by paragraph (b)(1) and (b)(2) of Item 303 of Regulation S-B. For example, discuss the components of, and analysis of changes in, marketing expense. Present the change in both absolute and percentage terms. As another example, please further explain the over supply of "pirated" products that caused revenues to decrease in 2004 compared to 2003. We remind you generally that this section should discuss and analyze your financial condition, not merely repeat information found in the financial statements. Please consider the guidance in Securities Act Release No. 33-8350 (December 19, 2003), which is available on our web site at <http://www.sec.gov/rules/interp/33-8350.htm>. 39. As a further example, please discuss the significance of your sales to the switchgear market as well as underlying trends or uncertainties to the extent that they have a material impact on you. Specifically, tell us the effects of granting extended payment terms on your cash inflows from operations, liquidity and capital resources and how this has affected your policy on recognizing revenue, if at all. See FRR 36 and again, Release No. 33-8350. 40. In addition, when discussion results of operations, please discuss whether you expect revenues, operating expenses, etc. to increase, decrease, or remain constant, and explain why. 41. Please identify the financial and non-financial metrics that are your key performance indicators. Throughout your management`s discussion and analysis, please