Exhibit 10.3
THIS SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT
(this “ Agreement ”) is made the 10th day of
June, 2009 (the “ Effective Date ”).
BETWEEN:
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(1)
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Grace
Technology Investment Co., Ltd. , a company incorporated in British Virgin
Islands whose registered office is P.O. Box 957, offshore
Incorporation Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands,
British West Indies (“ Grace ”);
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(2)
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AGY
(Cayman) , a company
incorporated in the Cayman Islands whose registered office is at
Walker House, 87 Mary Street, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9002,
Cayman Islands (“ AGY ”); and
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(3)
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Main Union
Industrial Ltd. , a
company incorporated in Hong Kong whose registered office is at
Suite 1112A, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, 5 Canton Road, Kowloon,
Hong Kong, which promptly after the Effective Date will change its
name to AGY Hong Kong Ltd. (the “ Company
”).
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WHEREAS:
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(A)
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Grace and AGY
desire to enter into a joint venture relationship that has as its
principal purpose the development, manufacture, distribution and
sale of certain glass yarn products (the “Joint
Venture” ).
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(B)
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Grace Holdings
(as defined below), Grace, AGY Holding Corp., AGY, the Company and
the PRC Affiliate (as defined below) have entered into that certain
Framework Agreement dated 12th March, 2009 (the
“Framework Agreement” ) and the other agreements
referenced therein, which contemplate that the Business (as defined
below) of the Joint Venture will be conducted by the Company and
the PRC Affiliate, and that AGY will hold a majority interest of
the Company and Grace will own a minority interest in the Company,
subject to certain options as described in the Option Agreement (as
defined below).
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(C)
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Grace Holdings,
Grace, and AGY have entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the
“ Share Sale Agreement ”) dated 12th March,
2009 pursuant to which AGY has agreed to purchase from Grace, and
Grace has agreed to sell, upon the terms and conditions therein, a
70% equity interest in the Company.
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(D)
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The parties
hereto agree to enter into this Agreement for the purposes of
regulating the business, affairs and management of the Company and
the PRC Affiliate (as defined below) as from the Effective
Date.
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NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:
In this Agreement, including the
Recitals, the following expressions shall, except where the context
otherwise requires, have the following meanings:
“Affiliate(s)”
means in relation to any specified
body corporate or Person, any other body corporate, unincorporated
entity or Person directly or indirectly Controlling, directly or
indirectly Controlled by or under direct or indirect common Control
with such specified body corporate or Person;
“Articles”
means the Articles of Association of
the Company, as amended from time to time;
“ Asia ” means
the commercial and business territory defined by the primary yarn
consuming countries between the western coast of the Pacific Ocean
and 100°E Longitude. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing
sentence to the contrary, (a) Asia includes, without
limitation, PRC, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia,
Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; and
(b) Asia excludes, without limitation, North and South
America, Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East, Russia, North
Korea, Burma, and Taiwan; provided that Taiwan will be
included in the definition of Asia at such time that the Company is
permitted to sell to customers in Taiwan under all applicable laws
and regulations;
“Basic
Documents” means
the documents agreed by the Parties to be of essential importance
to the arrangements contemplated herein, being the Framework
Agreement, Share Sale Agreement, Option Agreement, Intellectual
Property Licence Agreement, Intercompany Agreement, Mutual
Distributorship Agreement, Supply Agreement, Local Site Services
Agreement, and the Technical Services Agreement (each as defined in
the Framework Agreement) and all other documents incidental to the
consummation of the transactions contemplated under the aforesaid
documents;
“Big 4 Accounting
Firm” means KPMG,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu or
Ernst & Young, or any other internationally recognized
accounting firm as may be agreed to by the Parties from time to
time;
“Board”
means the Board of Directors of the
Company;
“Business”
means manufacturing electronic grade
direct melt E-Glass glass yarn and selling such products as
conducted by the PRC Affiliate and the Company and as proposed to
be conducted as of the Effective Date in accordance with the Basic
Documents, and as otherwise may be determined by the Board
following the Effective Date;
“Business
Day” means any day
other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial
banks in the PRC or
Hong Kong are required or authorized
by law or executive order to be closed or on which a tropical
cyclone warning no. 8 or above or a “black” rainstorm
warning signal is hoisted in Hong Kong at any time between 9:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Hong Kong time;
“Competing
Business” means any
business competing with the Business, including producing or
selling glass fibre;
“Completion” has the meaning set forth in the Share Sale
Agreement;
“ Completion Date
” has the meaning set forth in the Share Sale
Agreement;
“ Confidential
Information ” has the meaning set forth in the Framework
Agreement;
“ Control ”
means, in relation to a specified body corporate or Person, the
power of any other Person directly or indirectly to secure that the
affairs of such specified body corporate or Person are conducted in
accordance with the wishes of that other Person:
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(i)
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by means of the
holding of Equity Securities or the possession of voting power
(either at the shareholder, director or other comparable level) in
or in relation to that specified body corporate or Person or an
intermediate Person; or
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(ii)
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by virtue of
any powers conferred by the memorandum and articles of association
or by-laws or other similar documents regulating that specified
body corporate or Person or an intermediate Person;
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“ Deferred Consideration
Payment Notice ” means the Deferred Consideration Payment
Notice under the Share Sale Agreement.
“Director”
means any director of the Company
and where applicable, any alternate director;
“Encumbrance”
means any mortgage, charge, pledge,
lien (otherwise than arising by statute or operation of law),
hypothecation, equities, adverse claims, or other encumbrance,
priority or security interest, over or in any property, assets or
rights of whatsoever nature or interest or any agreement for any of
the same and “Encumber” shall be construed
accordingly;
“Equity
Securities” means,
with respect to any Person, such Person’s capital stock,
membership interests, partnership interests, registered capital,
joint venture or other ownership interests or any options, warrants
or other securities that are directly or indirectly convertible
into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, such capital stock,
membership interests, partnership interests, registered capital or
joint venture or other ownership interests (whether or not such
derivative securities are issued by such Person);
“ Governmental
Authority” means any government or political subdivision
thereof; any department, agency or instrumentality of any
government or political subdivision thereof; any court or arbitral
tribunal; and the governing body of any securities exchange, in
each case having competent jurisdiction;
“Grace
Fabric” means
Shanghai Grace Fabric Co., Ltd;
“Grace
Holdings” means
Grace THW Holding Limited, a company incorporated in the Cayman
Islands, being the parent company of Grace;
“Group
Companies” means
the Company and the PRC Affiliate and “Group Company”
means any of them;
“Hong
Kong” means the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC;
“Inter-Company
Funding” has the
meaning ascribed to it in the Share Sale Agreement.
“ New Funding
Arrangements ” means the New Funding Arrangements under
the Share Sale Agreement.
“ New Funding Notice
” means the New Funding Notice under the Share Sale
Agreement.
“Memorandum” means the Memorandum of Association of the
Company, as amended from time to time;
“Options”
has the meaning set forth in the
Option Agreement;
“Option
Agreement” means
the Option Agreement made between AGY, Grace and the Company
pursuant to which Grace has agreed to grant AGY a call option and
AGY has agreed to grant Grace a put option, in respect of the
Remaining Grace Interest in the Company;
“Option Exercise
Date” means the
date on which AGY exercises its call option or Grace exercises its
put option in accordance with the terms of the Option
Agreement;
“Party”
means one of the parties to this
Agreement;
“Person”
means any natural person, firm,
company, Governmental Authority, joint venture, partnership,
association or other entity (whether or not having separate legal
personality);
“PRC”
means the People’s Republic of
China and for the purposes of this Agreement excludes Taiwan and
the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and
Macau;
“PRC
Affiliate” means
Shanghai Grace Technology Co., Ltd