10-Q 1 k72372e10vq.txt QUARTERLY REPORT FOR PERIOD ENDED 09/30/02 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2002 Commission file number 0-784 ------------------- ----- DETREX CORPORATION --------------------------------------------------------------- (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Michigan 38-0480840 --------------------------------- ----------------------------- (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 24901 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 500, Southfield, MI 48075 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code (248) 358-5800 -------------------------- Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act: Name of each exchange on Title of each class which registered ------------------- ------------------------ None None Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Capital Stock, $2 Par Value ---------------------------------- (Title of Class) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES X NO ----- ----- As of November 14, 2002 1,583,414 shares of the registrant's stock ------------------- were outstanding. DETREX CORPORATION INDEX

2 DETREX CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

SEE NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 3 DETREX CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

SEE NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 4 DETREX CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

SEE NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 5 DETREX CORPORATION NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. In the opinion of the Company, the accompanying condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) necessary to present fairly the results of operations for the periods presented. Certain amounts for 2001, including the presentation of the Company's former paint subsidiary and Parts Cleaning Technologies ("PCT") segments (See Notes 2 & 4) as discontinued operations, have been reclassified to conform with 2002 classifications. The information furnished for the three and nine month periods may not be indicative of results to be expected for the full year. 2. Effective September 30, 2000, the Company completed the sale of the assets, excluding real estate, of its paint subsidiary to Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co., for $11.1 million. The sale resulted in a net gain of $2.6 million. The real property related to this discontinued segment is currently held for sale. 3. Under the terms of a Royalty Agreement between Detrex and Red Spot, Red Spot paid Detrex royalties of approximately $459,000 in February, 2002 relating to incremental sales of certain products in 2001; this amount was recorded in royalty income in 2001. Approximately $172,000 of this royalty income was earned in the third quarter and the year to date 2001. For the first nine months of 2002, the Company has recorded approximately $773,000 in royalty income, approximately $277,000 in the third quarter, for incremental sales of these certain products in 2002. The Company expects that additional income will be recorded during the remainder of 2002; the amount is dependent on automotive industry sales and the performance of the applicable products. The Royalty Agreement expires at the end of 2002, with receipt of the 2002 royalties due in February, 2003. 4. The Company announced an exit plan from its PCT segment in 2001, and in accordance with APB Opinion 30, has treated this segment as a discontinued operation for all periods presented. In the fourth quarter of 2001, the Company recorded a pre-tax charge to income of $6.7 million to account for the exit. This charge included an addition of $3.7 million to the environmental reserves to remediate owned and leased properties, $2.0 million to write down certain assets to their estimated net realizable value, and $1.0 million in net estimated future operating losses and exit costs. While the exit cost and environmental remediation estimates recorded in 2001 were based on the best available information at December 31, 2001, substantial uncertainties remain until the properties relating to this discontinued segment are remediated and disposed of. The estimate may be significantly impacted by the salability of real estate related thereto, and other factors. The Company spent approximately $251,000 in the first nine months of 2002, approximately $117,000 of that in the third quarter, on environmental matters relating to the PCT properties. Significant activity has occurred in the first nine months of 2002 to effect the exit of the PCT segment. Effective June 1, 2002 the Company sold certain assets, including inventories, of its solvent distribution and waste business ("Solvents Division"), to the former president of that division, for a total of approximately $845,000. The Company received $300,000 at closing, and is holding a promissory note for the remainder, which is scheduled to be paid in installments before the end of 2002; two installments totalling approximately $329,000 were received in the third quarter of 2002. The Company has retained the real properties related to this business, and the purchaser is leasing a number of properties on a short term basis. For those properties where there is no tenant, operations have been shut down, and regulatory closure is being pursued. In addition, on January 17, 2002 the Company consummated the sale of the Equipment Division (a business within the PCT segment) to Farr Manufacturing, which is located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Under the terms of the transaction, the Company received $1.2 million on January 17, 2002, and expects to receive up to an additional $200,000 from Farr in the fourth quarter of 2002, for a total of $1.4 million, after final sale price adjustments. A pre-tax loss of $340,000 on the sale was included in the overall PCT exit charge in 2001. The pre-tax loss from operations of the PCT segment in the first nine months of 2001 of approximately $2,347,000 ($922,000 in the third quarter of 2001) was reclassified to discontinued operations. During the first nine months of 2002, pre-tax operating losses for PCT totaling approximately $708,000 ($86,000 in the third quarter) were charged 6 DETREX CORPORATION to the reserve for exit costs. This charge, in addition to severance payments, legal and other exit costs netted against proceeds from the sale resulted in approximately $555,000 remaining in the reserve for future operating costs, carrying costs and other non-environmental exit costs. The Company is tracking expenditures charged to the exit reserve, and at this time, believes that the reserve is adequate. 5. The Company has been a potentially responsible party for sharing the costs in a proceeding to clean up contaminated sediments in the Fields Brook watershed in Ashtabula, Ohio. The Fields Brook clean up is substantially complete, and is expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2002. The Company believes that the majority of the activities regarding this site for which it shared financial responsibility have ended. With respect to ongoing operation and maintenance responsibility for the Fields Brook site, it appears unlikely the Company will be transferring its liability to third parties, and will fund its share of the operating and maintenance costs on an ongoing basis. The Company was also a potentially responsible party for the remediation of a drum and barrel recycler which the Company used in the late 1980's. The potentially responsible parties entered into an agreement to, among other things, jointly defend the cost claims of the EPA. A dispute arose between the potentially responsible companies which resulted in the filing of a lawsuit. A judgment was entered against the Company in the amount of $750,000 plus interest and attorney fees. The Company has reserved for this judgment and after completion of the appeals process, the Company is negotiating a resolution of its obligations with the opposing parties. The Company maintains a reserve for anticipated expenditures over the next several years in connection with remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial design and remediation relating to the clean up of environmental contamination at several sites, including properties owned by the Company. Some of these studies have been completed; others are ongoing. In some cases the methods of remediation remain to be agreed upon. The Company performs regular reviews of its reserves for environmental matters. The amount of the reserves at 9/30/02 and 12/31/01 were $7.8 million and $8.5 million, respectively. The Company increased the reserve by approximately $5.7 million at the end of 2001. This action was taken to provide for $3.7 million in estimated costs associated with the eventual closure of the sites operated by the PCT segment, including site investigation, engineering studies, remediation and, in general, compliance with regulatory closure requirements and $2 million in costs primarily for completion of the Fields Brook superfund project and associated sites, including the Company's own property in Ashtabula, Ohio. The reserve also includes provisions for costs that are expected to be incurred in connection with remediation of other sites. In the first nine months of 2002, the Company charged approximately $683,000 to the environmental reserves. The Company's estimates of liability with respect to remediation of other sites, including the discontinued PCT properties, and the Company's estimates of liability with respect to several other claims and lawsuits against the Company, were based on available data. The Company has established its reserves in accordance with its interpretation of the principles outlined in the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5 and Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 92. In the event that any additional accruals should be required in the future with respect to such matters, the amounts of such additional accruals could have a material impact on the results of operations to be reported for a specific accounting period and could have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position. 7 DETREX CORPORATION 6. The Company has two operating segments that meet the quantitative thresholds of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131, "Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information": - Harvel Plastics - manufacturer of high quality PVC and CVPC pipe and custom extrusions - Elco Corporation - manufacturer of high performance specialty chemicals including lubricant additives, fine chemicals, and hydrochloric acid See Note 4 regarding the Parts Cleaning Technologies exit. Data for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2001 is as follows:

8 DETREX CORPORATION MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION Results of Operations Detrex Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries ("the Company") earned a pre-tax income from continuing operations of $278,873 in the third quarter of 2002, compared to pre-tax earnings from continuing operations of $207,506 for the same period in 2001. After provision for income taxes, net income from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2002 was $150,061, compared to net income from continuing operations of $99,553 for the comparable period in 2001. For the first nine months of 2002, the Company reported pre-tax earnings from continuing operations of $1,204,464, compared to $459,718 in the year ago period. Net income from continuing operations in the first nine months of 2002 increased to $705,346 compared to net income from continuing operations of $253,230, year to date 2001. These results were significantly impacted by pre-tax royalty income of $276,536 in the third quarter of 2002 and $773,238 for the first nine months of 2002, from Red Spot Paint & Varnish, for incremental sales of certain products during those periods (See Note 3). In 2001, $172,208 of royalty income was earned in the third quarter and for the year to date period. The royalty agreement expires at the end of 2002, with receipt of the 2002 royalties due in February, 2003. Summarized below is selected operating data for the current fiscal period and the comparable data for the same period last year (in thousands):

Sales increased approximately $625,000, or 4.3%, in the third quarter of 2002, compared to the same period in the prior year. Increases were recorded for both of the Company's business units. It should be noted that the third quarter of 2001 reflects the slow down following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Business conditions in the third quarter of 2002 remained weak in the markets served by the Company. Sales for the year 2002 to date increased by approximately $569,000, or 1.2%, compared to the same period in the prior year, which was more than accounted for by the increase in revenues at The Elco Corporation ("Elco"). The gross margin of the Company increased in the third quarter of 2002 by approximately $100,000 compared to the same period in the prior year, and is due to increases of approximately $200,000 at Elco, which offset margin deterioration at Harvel Plastics ("Harvel"), where margins declined by $100,000. Expressed as a percentage of sales, overall gross margins declined to 24.8% in the third quarter of 2002, compared to 25.1% in the third quarter of 2001. This deterioration in margin percentage is attributable to the decline in margin percentage at Harvel, caused by pricing pressures due to weak demand in its markets, which more than offset improved margin percentage at Elco. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $156,000, or 6.0%, compared to the third quarter of 2001; the year to date increase was $333,000 compared to the prior year. These increases are primarily due to increased 9 DETREX CORPORATION costs for employee benefit programs, recording of pension expense in 2002 as opposed to net pension credits in 2001, and accrued performance based variable compensation. The provision for depreciation and amortization for both the third quarter and the year to date periods in 2002 is lower than in the comparable periods in 2001 as a result of lower provisions for the Elco production facility in Ashtabula, Ohio and asset write downs at the corporate office taken at the end of 2001. On a consolidated basis, interest expense remained essentially the same for both the three month and the year to date periods when compared to the same periods in the prior year. The provision for income taxes was approximately 41.5% of the pre-tax income from continuing operations in 2002, comprised of 7.5% for state and local tax expense and the statutory 34% federal rate, compared to the overall year to date provision in 2001 of 45%. Results of Operations - Segment Disclosure Harvel's revenues increased for the third quarter of 2002 by approximately $294,000, or 2.9%, compared to the same period in the prior year, on a 3.5% increase in pounds shipped. Demand in the commercial and industrial construction markets continues to be relatively weak and inconsistent, reflecting the overall weakness in the manufacturing sector. The weak market demand, coupled with excess supply capacity and fluctuating raw material costs, resulted in highly competitive conditions and partial inability to pass along raw material cost increases. Resin costs, which had increased 52% in the first six months of 2002, have stabilized in the third quarter, and are expected to decline moderately through the end of the year. Consistent with second quarter performance, earnings declined in spite of the increased volume, primarily due to pressure on gross margins. Gross margins declined in absolute terms by $96,000 in the third quarter of 2002, compared to the same period in 2001, and declined when expressed as a percentage of sales by 1.4 percentage points, primarily due to pricing pressure, increased facility costs, and to a lesser extent, a shift in product mix towards less profitable product lines. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2002, gross margin was $4.7 million, or 14.9% of sales, compared to $5.3 million, or 16.8% of sales, in the same period in 2001. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $53,000, or 5.4%, in the third quarter compared to the same quarter in 2001, primarily due to continued increases in employee benefit costs, and slightly higher selling expenses. For the year to date period in 2002, selling general and administrative expenses were essentially the same as the year ago period, as increases in health insurance costs and elimination of pension credits were almost entirely offset by lower sales expenses, primarily commissions. Elco Corporation reported a third quarter 2002 revenue increase of $320,000, or 6.9%, compared to the third quarter of 2001, and revenues have increased approximately $880,000, or 6.1%, for the nine month period ended September 30, compared to the respective periods in the prior year. The revenue increases are driven primarily by continued increases in domestic additive sales; the increase was approximately $320,000 in the third quarter, and $860,000 year to date 2002, both compared to the same periods in 2001. These increases are approximately 11% for both the quarter and year to date periods and are due to continued market penetration by the direct sales force as well as commercialization of new products. Export additive sales have declined by approximately 5% for the year to date period, but export sales seem to have stabilized at these levels. Hydrochloric acid sales improved by approximately 6.5% in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter in 2001, and have increased 5.1% for the year to date period compared to 2001, as volumes for several of our largest customers began to increase. Elco's third quarter gross margin of $1.5 million represents an 18.6% improvement over the year ago quarter's $1.3 million, and is due to the increased volume, continued favorable raw material prices, and fixed cost absorption from increased tolling business (manufacturing products for other industrial suppliers). For the year to date period in 2002, gross margins totalled $4.7 million, an increase of $1.1 million compared to the same period in 2001, due principally to the same dynamics experienced in the third quarter. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased by approximately $90,000 in the third quarter of 2002, compared to the third quarter of 2001, and is primarily due to increased provisions for performance based variable compensation. For the year to date period 10 DETREX CORPORATION 2002, selling and administrative expenses have increased by approximately $320,000, or 12.5%, compared to the same period in 2001. This increase is due primarily to a provision in the second quarter for bad debt and legal fees relating to a former international distributor, and increased provisions for performance based variable compensation. Liquidity, Financial Condition, and Capital Resources The Company utilized internally generated funds, the receipt of $1.2 million from the sale of the Equipment Division (a business within the PCT segment), $629,000 from the sale of certain assets of the Solvents Division (another business within the PCT segment; see Note 4) and increased borrowings of approximately $558,000 under the revolving credit facility to finance the Company's overall operations, a $500,000 reduction in long term debt, $683,000 in environmental expenditures and approximately $1.4 million in capital expenditures in the first nine months of the year. Accounts payable were reduced by $2.8 million during the first nine months of the year, as a result of the payment of $1.1 million of environmental liabilities which were included in accounts payable at December 31, 2001; additionally, the buyer of the Equipment Division assumed approximately $1.0 million in accounts payable of that division. Further reductions in accounts payable in the amount of $1.2 million were realized due to the wind down of the Solvents Division, whose operations were sold effective June 1, 2002. Offsetting these reductions in accounts payable were increases at both Elco and Harvel due to higher levels of business activity during the third quarter of 2002 than in the fourth quarter of 2001. Inventory balances were reduced by approximately $1.0 million during the first nine months of the year; approximately $550,000 relates to the sale of the Equipment Division, and the remainder relates to the inventory sold in the Solvents Division transaction. The net decrease of $770,000 in accounts receivable during the first nine months of 2002 was due to the sale of the Equipment Division, including the majority of its receivables and the liquidation of accounts receivable for the Solvents Division; these decreases were partially offset by increases at both Harvel and Elco totaling $1.9 million, resulting from third quarter 2002 sales which were higher than sales during the fourth quarter of 2001. The note receivable of $215,000 relates to the sale of the business and certain assets of the Solvents Division. Working capital was $1.95 million at September 30, 2002 compared to $496,000 at December 31, 2001. Long term debt was reduced $500,000 by the scheduled principal payment on the Industrial Development Bonds in January, 2002. The Company performs regular reviews of its reserves for environmental matters. The amounts of the reserves at September 30, 2002 and December 31, 2001 were $7.8 million and $8.5 million, respectively. Approximately $683,000 was charged to the environmental reserves in the first nine months of 2002, and the Company projects that an additional $500,000 will be spent in the fourth quarter. The Company anticipates spending approximately $2 million per year for its environmental obligations for the next two to three years. The Company believes that cash proceeds from sales of excess properties, in combination with cash generated by the operating business units and increased borrowings, will be sufficient to fund the environmental requirements as well as provide for capital expenditures and other operating needs. The Company will be closely monitoring its cash situation, and will adjust its projected outlays on capital projects, and to the extent possible, environmental issues, as the situation demands. Risks and Uncertainties The Company has utilized the best available information to estimate its liability with respect to environmental issues. Cost estimates are reviewed periodically to assess changed conditions, and adjustments to recorded amounts are made if the changed conditions have a significant effect on cost estimates. The Company recorded a $5.7 million increase in its environmental reserves in 2001. Of this amount, $3.7 million was recorded as part of the PCT exit costs for estimated closure costs and remediation of certain properties, and $2.0 million related to continuing operations. These estimates were based on input from internal company sources and third party reviews of estimated costs for characterization, closure, remediation, and monitoring for each of the sites, and are believed to be sufficient. However, such estimates for remediation, as well as other environmental 11 DETREX CORPORATION factors, could change significantly in future periods to reflect new laws, regulations or regulatory approaches, advances in remediation technologies, changes in remediation approaches, additional sites requiring remediation, or the discovery of additional contamination. It is not possible to determine whether additional loss, due to such changed circumstances, will occur or to reasonably estimate the amount or range of any potential additional loss. Critical Accounting Estimates The management of the Company has evaluated the accounting policies used in the preparation of the accompanying financial statements and related notes and believes those policies to be reasonable and appropriate. We believe that the most critical accounting policies applied in the preparation of our financial statements relate to accounting for contingencies, particularly environmental contingencies, and the reserve for the PCT exit, and to accounting for pensions and other postretirement benefits, because of the significant use of estimates, and the importance of management's judgments relating to these estimates. Contingencies require management to exercise judgment both in determining the likelihood that a liability exists, and then in estimating or quantifying the amount of the liability. The most significant contingencies impacting our financial statements are environmental remediation costs, both PCT and non-PCT related (See Note 5), and the reserve for the PCT exit (See Note 4). Management meets regularly to review such issues, and makes use of both internal and third party data to provide a basis for the estimates used to prepare the financial statements. Accounting for pensions and other post retirement benefits involves estimating the cost of benefits to be provided in the future and attributing that cost over the time period each employee works. Significant estimates and assumptions are used in calculating these amounts, particularly as they relate to inflation, investment returns, salary increases, discount rate, employee turnover, trends in medical costs and mortality. The Company relies on the input of an actuarial firm to estimate the appropriate factors in determining the proper accounting for pensions and post-retirement benefits. The Company's pension plans have experienced negative returns during 2002, principally as a result of adverse experience in the equity markets during the year. These negative returns, coupled with a possible lowering of the discount rate used to calculate the present value of the plan liabilities, could cause the plans to become further underfunded at the end of 2002. This would result in a charge to accumulated other comprehensive income (a component of shareholder's equity), and would likely result in a technical violation in the net worth covenant of our credit agreement. In such event, we believe that we would be able to obtain a waiver or an amendment of the covenant from the lender; however, there can be no assurance that we would be successful in this effort. The adverse investment returns and change in discount rate assumptions will likely increase pension expense to be recorded in future years; however, the Company does not believe that funding requirements in 2003, currently projected at approximately $200,000, will be materially affected. The amounts recorded in the accompanying financial statements related to environmental and litigation contingencies, the PCT exit reserve, and pension and post-retirement benefits, are based on the best estimates and judgments of the Company management, although actual results could differ from these estimates. Other This report contains statements that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "1995 Reform Act"). The words "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "predict," "believe" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Additional oral or written forward-looking statements may be made by or on behalf of the Company from time to time and such statements may be included in documents other than this report. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. While these statements represent the Company's current judgment with respect to its business, readers of this report are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that such risks and uncertainties could cause actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those suggested herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, which may be 12 made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Forward-looking statements in this report and elsewhere may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's plans, strategies, objectives, expectations, intentions and adequacy of resources. All forward-looking statements in this report and elsewhere are intended to be made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the 1995 Reform Act. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include: market conditions, cooperation of lenders, environmental remediation costs, liquidation value of assets, costs to exit leased facilities, cost and availability of environmental liability insurance, marketability of real estate, availability of buyers, execution of projects in backlog, retention of key personnel and other factors. Item 4 CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES (a) Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, the Company has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of the filing date of this quarterly report, and based on their evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer have concluded that these disclosures and procedures are effective. There were no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation. PART II - OTHER INFORMATION Item 6 EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K Exhibit 99 - Certification Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 13 DETREX CORPORATION SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. DETREX CORPORATION Date 11/14/02 T.E. Mark ---------- -------------------------------------------------- T.E. Mark President and Chief Executive Officer Date 11/14/02 S.J. Quinlan ---------- -------------------------------------------------- S.J. Quinlan Treasurer, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer 14 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-14 OR 15D-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002 I, Thomas E. Mark, certify that: 1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Detrex Corporation; 2. Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report; 3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report; 4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have: a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared; b. evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the "Evaluation Date"); and c. presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date; 5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function): a. all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant's auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal controls; and 6. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses. Dated: November 14, 2002 By: /s/ Thomas E. Mark -------------------------- Thomas E. Mark President and Chief Executive Officer 15 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-14 OR 15D-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002 I, Steven J. Quinlan, certify that: 1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Detrex Corporation; 2. Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report; 3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report; 4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have: a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared; b. evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the "Evaluation Date"); and c. presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date; 5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function): a. all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant's auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal controls; and 6. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses. Dated: November 14, 2002 By: /s/ Steven J. Quinlan ------------------------------------------ Steven J. Quinlan Treasurer, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer 16 10-Q EXHIBIT INDEX EXHIBIT NO. DESCRIPTION EX-99 Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

DETREX CORPORATION 10-Q