Form 10-Q
(Mark one) | ||
[X] | Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | |
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2003 | ||
OR | ||
[ ] | Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | |
For the transition period from to |
Commission File Number 0-26734
SanDisk Corporation
Delaware | 77-0191793 | |
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(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) | |
140 Caspian Court, Sunnyvale, California | 94089 | |
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(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
(408) 542-0500
N/A
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 (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes [X] No [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).
Yes [X] No [ ]
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuers classes of capital stock as of June 29, 2003
Common Stock, $0.001 par value | 69,813,650 | |||
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Class | Number of shares |
SanDisk Corporation
Index
Page No. | ||||||||||
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
||||||||||
Item 1. | Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements: |
|||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
June 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002 |
3 | |||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
Three and six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 |
4 | |||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 |
5 | |||||||||
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements |
6 | |||||||||
Item 2. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations |
18 | ||||||||
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
48 | ||||||||
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
49 | ||||||||
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION |
||||||||||
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings |
50 | ||||||||
Item 2. | Changes in Securities |
51 | ||||||||
Item 3. | Defaults upon Senior Securities |
51 | ||||||||
Item 4. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders |
51 | ||||||||
Item 5. | Other Information |
51 | ||||||||
Item 6. | Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K |
51 | ||||||||
Signatures |
52 |
Page 2
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
SANDISK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||||||
2003 | 2002* | |||||||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||||||
Current Assets: |
||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 323,830 | $ | 266,635 | ||||||||
Short-term investments |
206,508 | 189,856 | ||||||||||
Investment in foundries |
151,425 | 110,069 | ||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
102,262 | 81,086 | ||||||||||
Inventories |
74,480 | 88,595 | ||||||||||
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and tax
receivable |
22,986 | 18,489 | ||||||||||
Total current assets |
881,491 | 754,730 | ||||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
45,550 | 30,307 | ||||||||||
Investment in foundries |
| 24,197 | ||||||||||
Investment in FlashVision |
142,448 | 142,825 | ||||||||||
Deferred tax asset, deposits and other non-current assets |
12,549 | 21,520 | ||||||||||
Total Assets |
$ | 1,082,038 | $ | 973,579 | ||||||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY: |
||||||||||||
Current Liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 55,342 | $ | 28,294 | ||||||||
Accounts payable to related parties |
35,480 | 26,349 | ||||||||||
Accrued payroll and related expenses |
14,238 | 11,690 | ||||||||||
Income taxes payable |
18,682 | 15,978 | ||||||||||
Deferred tax liability |
1,519 | 6,922 | ||||||||||
Research and development liability, related party |
4,500 | 10,507 | ||||||||||
Other accrued liabilities |
26,655 | 26,780 | ||||||||||
Deferred income on shipments to distributors and
retailers
and deferred revenue |
45,868 | 43,760 | ||||||||||
Total current liabilities |
202,284 | 170,280 | ||||||||||
Convertible subordinated notes payable |
150,000 | 150,000 | ||||||||||
Other liabilities |
1,608 | 2,404 | ||||||||||
Deferred revenue |
24,272 | 23,175 | ||||||||||
Total Liabilities |
378,164 | 345,859 | ||||||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
||||||||||||
Stockholders Equity: |
||||||||||||
Preferred stock |
| | ||||||||||
Common stock |
592,385 | 585,968 | ||||||||||
Retained earnings |
151,016 | 84,765 | ||||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(39,527 | ) | (43,013 | ) | ||||||||
Total stockholders equity |
703,874 | 627,720 | ||||||||||
Total Liabilities and
Stockholders Equity |
$ | 1,082,038 | $ | 973,579 | ||||||||
*Information derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Page 3
SANDISK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||
Product |
$ | 214,044 | $ | 115,677 | $ | 369,492 | $ | 202,136 | ||||||||||
License and royalty |
20,582 | 12,021 | 39,614 | 18,181 | ||||||||||||||
Total revenues |
234,626 | 127,698 | 409,106 | 220,317 | ||||||||||||||
Cost of product revenues |
145,854 | 84,384 | 248,743 | 165,783 | ||||||||||||||
Gross profits |
88,772 | 43,314 | 160,363 | 54,534 | ||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||
Research and development |
19,349 | 17,273 | 36,927 | 31,823 | ||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
15,525 | 8,817 | 28,167 | 17,865 | ||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
7,239 | 6,591 | 13,924 | 11,257 | ||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
42,113 | 32,681 | 79,018 | 60,945 | ||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) |
46,659 | 10,633 | 81,345 | (6,411 | ) | |||||||||||||
Equity in income (loss) of
joint ventures |
(100 | ) | 1,740 | 39 | 1,247 | |||||||||||||
Interest income |
1,823 | 2,183 | 4,011 | 4,497 | ||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(1,687 | ) | (1,707 | ) | (3,375 | ) | (3,363 | ) | ||||||||||
Loss on investment in foundries |
(1,417 | ) | | (3,583 | ) | | ||||||||||||
Loss on equity investment |
| | (4,500 | ) | | |||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
161 | (1,929 | ) | (855 | ) | (1,983 | ) | |||||||||||
Income (loss) before taxes |
45,439 | 10,920 | 73,082 | (6,013 | ) | |||||||||||||
Provision for (benefit from)
income taxes |
4,113 | 1,880 | 6,831 | (11,319 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 41,326 | $ | 9,040 | $ | 66,251 | $ | 5,306 | ||||||||||
Net income per share |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 0.59 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.08 | ||||||||||
Diluted |
$ | 0.52 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.86 | $ | 0.07 | ||||||||||
Shares used in computing net
income per share |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
69,602 | 68,711 | 69,445 | 68,654 | ||||||||||||||
Diluted |
82,369 | 70,977 | 81,163 | 70,991 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Page 4
SANDISK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands, unaudited)
Six months ended | |||||||||||
June 30, | |||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 66,251 | $ | 5,306 | |||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities: |
|||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
9,921 | 9,701 | |||||||||
Deferred taxes |
(14,771 | ) | (11,151 | ) | |||||||
Allowance for doubtful accounts |
651 | 350 | |||||||||
Amortization bond issuance costs |
440 | 427 | |||||||||
Loss on investment in foundry |
3,583 | | |||||||||
Loss on equity investment |
4,500 | | |||||||||
Equity in income of joint ventures |
(39 | ) | (1,247 | ) | |||||||
Gain on disposal of fixed assets |
(39 | ) | (1,286 | ) | |||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
(21,827 | ) | (25,472 | ) | |||||||
Income tax receivable |
1,563 | (480 | ) | ||||||||
Inventory |
14,115 | (3,403 | ) | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
(6,060 | ) | 5,330 | ||||||||
Deposits and other assets |
(28 | ) | 1,533 | ||||||||
Investment in FlashVision |
416 | 6,190 | |||||||||
Accounts payable |
27,048 | 6,187 | |||||||||
Accrued payroll and related expenses |
2,548 | 489 | |||||||||
Income taxes payable |
2,704 | (114 | ) | ||||||||
Other current liabilities |
(125 | ) | 3,607 | ||||||||
Other current liabilities, related parties |
9,131 | (99 | ) | ||||||||
Research and development liabilities, related parties |
(6,007 | ) | 6,887 | ||||||||
Deferred revenue |
3,205 | 13,080 | |||||||||
Other non-current liabilities |
(796 | ) | 3,263 | ||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
96,384 | 19,098 | |||||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
|||||||||||
Purchases of short term investments |
(84,623 | ) | (78,618 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from sale of short term investments |
67,583 | 49,591 | |||||||||
Restricted cash |
| 64,734 | |||||||||
Investment in FlashVision |
| 4,199 | |||||||||
Investment in foundries |
(3,600 | ) | (11,001 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from sale of fixed assets |
129 | | |||||||||
Acquisition of capital equipment |
(25,095 | ) | (8,331 | ) | |||||||
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
(45,606 | ) | 20,574 | ||||||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of convertible subordinated notes |
| 24,366 | |||||||||
Issuance of common stock |
6,417 | 2,277 | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
6,417 | 26,643 | |||||||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
57,195 | 66,315 | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
266,635 | 189,499 | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 323,830 | $ | 255,814 | |||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Page 5
SANDISK CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
1. Basis of presentation
These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited but reflect, in the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals, necessary to present fairly the financial position of SanDisk Corporation and its subsidiaries (the Company) as of June 30, 2003, and the results of operations for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 and cash flows for the six month periods ended June 30, 2003 and 2002. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Companys annual report on Form 10-K as of, and for, the year ended December 31, 2002. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
The Companys results of operations for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 and its cash flows for the six month periods ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the year ended December 31, 2003, or for any future period.
The Companys fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to December 31, and its fiscal quarters end on the Sunday closest to March 31, June 30, and September 30. The first fiscal quarters of 2003 and 2002 ended on March 30, 2003 and March 31, 2002 and the second fiscal quarters ended on June 29, 2003 and June 30, 2002. Fiscal year 2003 is 52 weeks long and ends on December 28, 2003. Fiscal year 2002 was 52 weeks long and ended on December 29, 2002. For ease of presentation, the accompanying financial statements have been shown as ending on the last day of the calendar month.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SanDisk Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Foreign Currency Translation. The U.S. dollar is the functional currency for most of the Companys foreign operations. Gains and losses on the remeasurement into U.S. Dollars of the amounts denominated in foreign currencies are included in the net income (loss) for those operations whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar and translation adjustments are included in other comprehensive income (loss) and as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), for those operations whose functional currency is the local currency. The Japanese Yen is the functional currency for the Companys FlashVision joint venture.
Warranty Costs. A majority of the Companys products are warrantied for one to seven years. A provision for the estimated future cost related to warranty expense is recorded and included in the cost of revenue when revenue is recognized. The Companys warranty obligations are affected by product failure rates and repair or replacement costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Should actual product failure rates or repair or replacement costs differ from the Companys estimates, increases or decreases to its warranty liability would be required.
6
The Companys warranty activity is as follows (in thousands):
Additions | ||||||||||||||||
Balance at | Charged to | Balance at | ||||||||||||||
December 31, 2002 | Costs of Revenue | (Usage) | Adjustments | June 30, 2003 | ||||||||||||
$3,472 |
$ | 5,514 | $ | (2,753 | ) | $ | | $ | 6,233 |
Stock-Based Compensation. The Company accounts for employee stock-based compensation using the intrinsic value method and accordingly, no expense has been recognized for options granted to employees under the plans as the grant price is set at the fair market value of the stock on the day of grant. The following table summarizes relevant information as if the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation as amended by SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Transition and Disclosure, had been applied to all stock-based awards (in thousands, except per share data):
Three months ended | Six months ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||
Net income (loss) as reported |
$ | 41,326 | $ | 9,040 | $ | 66,251 | $ | 5,306 | ||||||||
Fair value method expense,
net of related tax |
(9,604 | ) | (7,994 | ) | (18,796 | ) | (10,129 | ) | ||||||||
Pro forma net income (loss) |
$ | 31,722 | $ | 1,046 | $ | 47,455 | $ | (4,823 | ) | |||||||
Pro forma basic income
(loss) per share |
$ | 0.45 | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.68 | $ | (0.07 | ) | |||||||
Pro forma diluted income
(loss) per share |
$ | 0.41 | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.63 | $ | (0.07 | ) | |||||||
The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, with the following weighted-average assumptions for grants made as of June 30, 2003 and 2002:
June 30, | ||||||||
2003 | 2002 | |||||||
Dividend yield |
None | None | ||||||
Expected volatility |
0.970 | 0.978 | ||||||
Risk free interest rate |
2.70 | % | 4.49 | % | ||||
Expected lives |
5 years | 5 years |
The per share weighted-average fair value of options granted during the second quarters of 2003 and 2002 were $23.47 and $10.11, respectively. The per share weighted-average fair value of options granted during the first six months of 2003 and 2002 were $13.93 and $9.75, respectively.
The pro forma net income (loss) and pro forma net income (loss) per share listed above include expense related to our employee stock purchase plans. The fair value of issuance under the employee stock purchase plans is estimated on the date of issuance using the Black-Scholes model, with the following weighted-average assumptions for issuances made as of June 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively:
2003 | 2002 | |||||||
Dividend yield |
None | None | ||||||
Expected volatility |
0.840 | 0.89 | ||||||
Risk free interest rate |
3.07 | % | 4.33 | % | ||||
Expected lives |
1/2 year | 1/2 year |
7
Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2003, the FASB issued FIN 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an Interpretation of ARB No. 51. FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. FIN 46 is effective for all new variable interest entities created or acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provisions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period beginning after June 15, 2003. The Company does not believe that the adoption of FIN 46 will have a material impact on the Companys financial position or results of operations.
In November 2002, the FASB issued Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, Issue No. 00-21, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. EITF Issue No. 00-21 addresses certain aspects of the accounting by a company for arrangements under which it will perform multiple revenue-generating activities. EITF Issue No. 00-21 addresses when and how an arrangement involving multiple deliverables should be divided into separate units of accounting. EITF Issue No. 00-21 provides guidance with respect to the effect of certain customer rights due to company nonperformance on the recognition of revenue allocated to delivered units of accounting. EITF Issue No. 00-21 also addresses the impact on the measurement and/or allocation of arrangement consideration of customer cancellation provisions and consideration that varies as a result of future actions of the customer or the company. Finally, EITF Issue No. 00-21 provides guidance with respect to the recognition of the cost of certain deliverables that are excluded from the revenue accounting for an arrangement. The provisions of EITF Issue No. 00-21 will apply to revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003. The provisions of EITF Issue No. 00-21 will adopted in the third quarter of fiscal 2003 and is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based CompensationTransition and Disclosure. SFAS 148 amends SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, to provide alternative methods of transition to SFAS 123s fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. SFAS 148 also amends the disclosure provisions of SFAS 123 and APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require disclosure in the summary of significant accounting policies of the effects of an entitys accounting policy with respect to stock-based employee compensation on reported net income and earnings per share in annual and interim financial statements. While SFAS 148 does not amend SFAS 123 to require companies to account for employee stock options using the fair value method, the disclosure provisions of SFAS 148 are applicable to all companies with stock-based employee compensation, regardless of whether they account for that compensation using the fair value method of SFAS 123 or the intrinsic value method of APBO 25. The Company adopted the disclosure requirements of SFAS 148 in the quarter ended March 28, 2003 and will continue to use the intrinsic value method described in APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees in accounting for the fair value of stock awards issued to employees.
In April 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149, Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, (FAS 149) which amends and clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts and for hedging activities under FAS 133. FAS 149 is effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003 except for the provisions that were cleared by the FASB in prior pronouncements. The Company does not expect the provision of this statement to have a significant impact on the Companys results of operations or financial position
In May 2003, SFAS No. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity, was issued and is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003, and otherwise is effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003, except for mandatory redeemable financial instruments of nonpublic entities. SFAS No. 150 establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and measures certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. It requires that an issuer classify a financial instrument that is within its scope as a liability (or an asset in some circumstances). Many of those financial instruments were previously classified as equity. The Company does not expect SFAS No. 150 to have a significant impact on its operations or financial position.
8
3. Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is computed on a currently adjusted standard basis, which approximates actual costs on a first-in, first-out basis. Market value is based upon an estimated average selling price reduced by normal gross margins. Inventories are as follows (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||||
2003 | 2002 | |||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||
Inventories: |
||||||||||
Raw material |
$ | 11,021 | $ | 7,916 | ||||||
Work-in-process |
25,870 | 25,408 | ||||||||
Finished goods |
37,589 | 55,271 | ||||||||
Total Inventories |
$ | 74,480 | $ | 88,595 | ||||||
In the second quarter and first six months of 2003, the Company sold approximately $3.8 million and $5.6 million, respectively, of inventory that had been fully written off in previous quarters. In the second quarter and first six months of 2002, the Company sold approximately $5.3 million of inventory that had been fully written off in previous quarters. The Company may be forced to take additional write-downs for excess or obsolete inventory in future quarters if inventory levels exceed forecasted customer orders. In addition, the Company may record lower of cost or market price adjustments to its inventories if continued pricing pressure results in a net realizable value that is lower than its manufacturing cost. Although the Company continuously tries to maintain its inventory in line with the near term forecasted level of business, the Company is obligated to honor existing purchase orders that have been placed with its suppliers. In the case of its FlashVision joint venture, the Company is obligated to purchase 50% of the production output, which makes it more difficult for the Company to reduce its inventory in times when the demand forecast is reduced.
4. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Accumulated other comprehensive loss presented in the accompanying balance sheet consists of the accumulated unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale marketable securities, including the short-term portion of the Companys investments in UMC and Tower, net of the related tax effects, for all periods presented.
Three months ended | Six months ended | ||||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
Net Income |
$ | 41,326 | $ | 9,040 | $ | 66,251 | $ | 5,306 | |||||||||
Unrealized gain (loss) on foundries |
18,251 | (40,232 | ) | 3,875 | (31,982 | ) | |||||||||||
Unrealized gain (loss) on
available-for-sale securities |
(191 | ) | 721 | (389 | ) | 121 | |||||||||||
Comprehensive income (loss) |
$ | 59,386 | $ | (30,471 | ) | $ | 69,737 | $ | (26,555 | ) | |||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance
9
sheet consists of the accumulated gains and losses on available-for-sale marketable securities for all periods presented (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | ||||||||
2003 | 2002 | ||||||||
Accumulated net unrealized gain (loss) on: |
|||||||||
Available-for-sale short-term investments |
$ | 666 | $ | 1,055 | |||||
Available-for-sale investment in foundries |
(40,193 | ) | (44,068 | ) | |||||
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss |
$ | (39,527 | ) | $ | (43,013 | ) | |||
The amount of income tax expense allocated to unrealized gain/loss on investments was $37.4 million as of December 31, 2002. The amount of income tax expense allocated to unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities was immaterial as of December 31, 2002.
5. Restructuring and related activities
As of December 31, 2002, with the exception of leases related to the abandoned excess leased facilities, the Company had made all payments associated with its restructuring in the second half of 2001 and first half of 2002. Amounts related to the abandonment of excess leased facilities will be paid as the lease payments are due in 2003 and later periods. In the first quarter of 2003, the Company entered into a sublease for a portion of the abandoned warehouse facility, which will expire in July of 2005. The applicable sublease income will partially offset the restructuring reserve balance until completely utilized in 2004.
The following table summarizes the restructuring activity from inception of the plan through June 30, 2003:
Workforce | Lease | |||||||||||||||
Equipment | Reduction | Commitments | Total | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Restructuring charge, September
30, 2001 |
$ | 6,383 | $ | 1,094 | $ | 1,033 | $ | 8,510 | ||||||||
Non-cash charges |
(6,027 | ) | | | (6,027 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash payments |
| (805 | ) | | (805 | ) | ||||||||||
Accrual balance, December 31, 2001 |
356 | 289 | 1,033 | 1,678 | ||||||||||||
Non-cash charges |
(17 | ) | | | (17 | ) | ||||||||||
Adjustments |
(339 | ) | 321 | 18 | | |||||||||||
Cash payments |
| (610 | ) | (471 | ) | (1,081 | ) | |||||||||
Accrual balance, December 31, 2002 |
| | 580 | 580 | ||||||||||||
Cash payments |
| | (146 | ) | (146 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash receipts |
| | 38 | 38 | ||||||||||||
Accrual balance, March 31, 2003 |
| | 472 | 472 | ||||||||||||
Cash payments |
| | (194 | ) | (194 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash receipts |
| | 103 | 103 | ||||||||||||
Accrual balance, June 30, 2003 |
$ | | $ | | $ | 381 | $ | 381 | ||||||||
10
6. Net Income per Share
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):
Three months ended | Six months ended | |||||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||
Numerator used in computing basic net income
per share |
$ | 41,326 | $ | 9,040 | $ | 66,251 | $ | 5,306 | ||||||||||
Numerator for diluted net income per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net of tax, related to
convertible debt |
1,744 | | 3,464 | | ||||||||||||||
Numerator used in computing diluted net
income per share |
$ | 43,070 | $ | 9,040 | $ | 69,715 | $ | 5,306 | ||||||||||
Denominator for basic net income per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average common shares |
69,602 | 68,711 | 69,445 | 68,654 | ||||||||||||||
Basic net income per share |
$ | 0.59 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.08 | ||||||||||
Denominator for diluted net income per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average common shares |
69,602 | 68,711 | 69,445 | 68,654 | ||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares on an
if-converted basis |
8,139 | | 8,139 | | ||||||||||||||
Incremental common shares attributable to
exercise of outstanding options (assuming
proceeds would be used to purchase
treasury stock) |
4,628 | 2,266 | 3,579 | 2,337 | ||||||||||||||
Shares used in computing diluted net income
per share |
82,369 | 70,977 | 81,163 | 70,991 | ||||||||||||||
Diluted net income per share |
$ | 0.52 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.86 | $ | 0.07 | ||||||||||
Basic net income per share excludes any dilutive effects of options, warrants and convertible securities. Diluted net income per share includes the dilutive effects of stock options, warrants, and convertible securities. For the second quarters of 2003 and 2002 and for the six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002, options to purchase 3,092,766, 4,474,040, 3,359,078 and 4,653,350 shares of common stock, respectively, have been omitted from the diluted net income per share calculation because the options exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares and therefore the effect would be antidilutive.
7. Commitments, Litigation, Contingencies and Guarantees
Commitments
The terms of the FlashVision joint venture, as described in Note 9, contractually obligate the Company to purchase half of FlashVisions NAND wafer production output. The Company also has the ability to purchase additional capacity under a foundry arrangement (also discussed more fully at Note 9) with Toshiba. Under the terms of the Companys foundry agreement with Toshiba, the Company will provide Toshiba with a purchase order commitment based on a six-month rolling forecast. The purchase orders placed under this arrangement relating to the first three months of the six-month forecast are binding, at market prices and cannot be cancelled. At June 30, 2003, approximately $33.5 million of non-cancelable purchase orders for flash memory wafers from Toshiba and FlashVision were outstanding. In addition, as a part of the joint venture agreement, the Company is required to fund
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certain research and development expenses related to the development of advanced NAND flash memory technologies. As of June 30, 2003, the Company had accrued liabilities related to those expenses of $4.5 million. The common research and development amount is a variable computation with certain payment caps. Future obligations are to be paid in installments using a percentage of the Companys revenue from NAND flash products built with flash memory supplied by Toshiba or FlashVision. The direct research and development is a pre-determined amount that extends through the third quarter of 2004. Subsequent to the third quarter of 2004, direct research and development liabilities will be computed using a variable percentage of actual research and development expenses incurred.
Given the current apparent acceleration in global demand for flash memory wafers and assuming that the markets for the Companys products continue their current growth, new anticipated demand from customers may outstrip the supply of flash memory wafers available to the Company from all its current sources. In that case, the Company may need to secure for itself substantial additional flash memory wafer fabrication capacity at .09 micron and finer line lithography. Accordingly, the Company and Toshiba are currently discussing various fabrication and test capacity expansion plans for the FlashVision operation in Yokkaichi, Japan. Toshiba and the Company plan to substantially increase Yokkaichis 200 mm Flash memory wafer output in 2003 and 2004. The capacity expansion will be partially funded through FlashVision internally generated funds, as well as through additional investments by Toshiba and SanDisk. As of June 30, 2003, the Company has committed to fund approximately $17.0 million for the initial fabrication capacity expansion through the first quarter of 2004. The Company expects to make further substantial commitments for capacity expansion at FlashVision in the next two to three years, which may include investing in a new, more advanced 300 mm wafer fabrication facility, and may need to raise additional capital to do so.
At June 30, 2003, the Company had approximately $81.3 million total non-cancelable outstanding purchase orders from certain of its suppliers and subcontractors. The following summarizes the Companys contractual cash obligations, commitments and off balance sheet arrangements at June 30, 2003, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on its liquidity and cash flow in future periods (in thousands).
Remainder | ||||||||||||||||||||
of Fiscal | Fiscal 2004 | Fiscal 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | Fiscal 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Convertible subordinated notes payable |
$ | 150,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 150,000 | $ | | ||||||||||
Interest payable on convertible
subordinated notes |
23,625 | 3,375 | 13,500 | 6,750 | | |||||||||||||||
Operating leases |
7,827 | 1,621 | 5,176 | 1,030 | | |||||||||||||||
Investment in Tower |
7,400 | 7,400 | | | | |||||||||||||||
FlashVision research and development,
fabrication capacity expansion and
start-up costs |
110,400 | 11,400 | 51,000 | 32,000 | 16,000 | |||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable purchase commitments |
81,297 | 81,297 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Total contractual cash obligations |
$ | 380,549 | $ | 105,093 | $ | 69,676 | $ | 189,780 | $ | 16,000 | ||||||||||
Remainder | ||||||||||||||||
of Fiscal | Fiscal 2004 | |||||||||||||||
Total | 2003 | 2005 | Thereafter | |||||||||||||
CONTRACTUAL SUBLEASE INCOME: |
||||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable operating sublease |
$ | 442 | $ | 106 | $ | 336 | $ | | ||||||||
Total contractual cash income |
$ | 442 | $ | 106 | $ | 336 | $ | | ||||||||
Litigation
On or about August 3, 2001, the Lemelson Medical, Education & Research Foundation, or Lemelson Foundation, filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company and four other defendants. The suit, captioned Lemelson Medical, Education, & Research Foundation, Limited Partnership vs. Broadcom Corporation, et
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al., Civil Case No. CIV01 1440PHX HRH, was filed in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. On November 13, 2001, the Lemelson Foundation filed an Amended Complaint, which made the same substantive allegations against the Company but named more than twenty-five additional defendants. The Amended Complaint alleges that the Company, and the other defendants, have infringed certain patents held by the Lemelson Foundation pertaining to bar code scanning technology. By its complaint, the Lemelson Foundation requests that the Company be enjoined from the allegedly infringing activities and seeks unspecified damages. On February 4, 2002, the Company filed an answer to the Amended Complaint, wherein it alleged that it does not infringe the asserted patents, and further that the patents are not valid or enforceable.
On October 31, 2001, the Company filed a complaint for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Memorex Products, Inc., Pretec Electronics Corporation, Ritek Corporation, and Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. In the suit, captioned SanDisk Corp. v. Memorex Products, Inc., et al., Civil No. CV 01-4063 VRW, the Company seeks damages and injunctions against these companies from making, selling, importing or using flash memory cards that infringe its U.S. patent No. 5,602,987, or the 987 Patent. Defendants have filed answers denying the allegations. The Company filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in the suit to enjoin Memorex, Pretec and Ritek from making, selling, importing or using flash memory cards that infringe the Companys 987 Patent prior to the trial on the merits. On May 17, 2002, the Court denied the Companys motion. Discovery has commenced. Ritek has filed a motion for summary judgment of non-infringement, and the Company has filed a cross-motion for summary judgment of Riteks infringement. A hearing on those motions and on claim construction of the 987 Patent is currently scheduled for August 13, 2003.
On or about June 9, 2003, the Company received written notice from Infineon that it believes the Company has infringed Infineons U.S. Patent No. 5,726,601, or the 601 patent. The Company contends that it has not infringed any valid claim of the 601 patent. On June 24, 2003, the Company filed a complaint against Infineon for a declaratory judgment of patent non-infringement and invalidity in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. In the suit, captioned SanDisk Corporation v. Infineon Technologies AG, a German corporation, and Does I to X, Civil No. C 03 02931 BZ, the Company seeks a declaration that it has not infringed the 601 patent and that the patent is invalid.
Contingencies
FlashVision secured an equipment lease arrangement of approximately 37.9 billion Japanese Yen (or approximately $305.0 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the date the agreement was executed) in May 2002 with Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd., or Mizuho, and other financial institutions. Under the terms of the lease, Toshiba guaranteed these commitments on behalf of FlashVision. The Company agreed to indemnify Toshiba in certain circumstances for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement. If FlashVision fails to meet its lease commitments, and Toshiba fulfills these commitments under the terms of Toshibas guarantee, then the Company will be obligated to reimburse Toshiba for 49.9% of any claims under the lease, unless the claims result from Toshibas failure to meet its obligations to FlashVision or its covenants to the lenders. Because FlashVisions equipment lease arrangement is denominated in Japanese Yen, the maximum amount of the Companys contingent indemnification obligation on a given date when converted to U.S. Dollars will fluctuate based on the exchange rate in effect on that date. As of June 30, 2003, the maximum amount of the Companys contingent indemnification obligation, which reflects payments and any lease adjustments, was approximately $128.7 million.
Guarantees
The Company has historically agreed to indemnify suppliers and customers for alleged patent infringement. The scope of such indemnity varies, but may, in some instances, include indemnification for damages and expenses, including attorneys fees. The Company may periodically engage in litigation as a result of these indemnification
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obligations. The Companys insurance policies exclude coverage for third-party claims for patent infringement. The nature of the patent infringement indemnification obligations prevents the Company from making a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount it could be required to pay to its suppliers and customers. Historically, the Company has not made any significant indemnification payments under any such agreements and no amount has been accrued in the accompanying consolidated financial statements with respect to these indemnification guarantees.
As permitted under Delaware law, the Company has agreements whereby it indemnifies certain of its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is, or was, serving at the Companys request in such capacity. The term of the indemnification period is for the officers or directors lifetime. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, the Company has a Director and Officer insurance policy that may reduce its exposure and enable it to recover all or a portion of any future amounts paid. As a result of its insurance policy coverage, the Company believes the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. The Company has no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of June 30, 2003.
8. Derivatives
The Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk inherent in forecasted sales, cost of sales, and assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Company is also exposed to interest rate risk inherent in its debt and investment portfolios. The Companys risk management strategy provides for the use of derivative financial instruments, including foreign exchange forward contracts, to hedge certain foreign currency exposures. The Companys intent is to offset gains and losses that occur on the underlying exposures with gains and losses on the derivative contracts hedging these exposures. The Company does not enter into any speculative positions with regard to derivative instruments. The Company enters into foreign exchange contracts to hedge against exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates only when natural offsets cannot be achieved. Such contracts are designated at inception to the related foreign currency exposures being hedged, which include sales by subsidiaries, and assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Companys foreign currency hedges generally mature within three months.
Under SFAS 133, all derivatives are recorded at fair market value on the balance sheet, classified in other assets. For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a separate component of stockholders equity and reclassified into earnings in the period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative instrument, as well as the offsetting gain or loss on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk, is recognized in earnings in the current period. For derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments, changes in their fair values are recognized in earnings in the current period.
For foreign currency forward contracts, hedge effectiveness is measured by comparing the cumulative change in the hedged contract with the cumulative change in the hedged item, both of which are based on forward rates. To the extent that the critical terms of the hedged item and the derivative are not identical, hedge ineffectiveness is reported in earnings immediately. The Company estimates the fair values on derivatives based on quoted market prices or pricing models using current market rates.
The Company reports hedge ineffectiveness from foreign currency derivatives for both options and forward contracts in other income or expense. Hedge ineffectiveness was not material in the second quarter and first six months of fiscal 2003. The effective portion of all derivatives is reported in the same financial statement line item as the changes in the hedged item.
The Company had foreign exchange contract lines in the amount of $120.0 million at June 30, 2003. Under these lines, the Company may enter into forward exchange contracts that require the Company to sell or purchase foreign currencies. At June 30, 2003, the Company had no forward contracts outstanding.
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At June 30, 2003, the Company had $20.3 million in Japanese Yen-denominated accounts payable designated as fair value hedges against Japanese Yen-denominated net assets of $18.1 million. The Company estimates the fair values of derivatives based on quoted market prices or pricing models using current market rates. There was no unrealized loss on derivative instruments as of June 30, 2003.
The impact of movements in currency exchange rates on foreign exchange contracts substantially mitigates the related impact on the underlying items hedged. Foreign exchange losses were $1.7 million in the second quarter of 2002, and $0.5 million and $1.6 million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively. These amounts are included in other expense, net, in the condensed consolidated statements of income.
9. Joint Venture, Strategic Manufacturing Relationships and Investments
FlashVision In April 2002, the Company and Toshiba restructured their FlashVision Dominion Semiconductor business in Virginia by consolidating FlashVisions advanced NAND wafer fabrication manufacturing operations at Toshibas memory fabrication facility in Yokkaichi, Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, Toshiba transferred the FlashVision owned and leased NAND production tool-set from Dominion to Yokkaichi and undertook full responsibility for the equipment transfer and production set up. The FlashVision operation at Yokkaichi continues the joint venture on essentially the same terms as the parties had at Dominion. In May 2002, FlashVision secured an equipment lease arrangement of approximately 37.9 billion Japanese Yen (or approximately $305.0 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the date the agreement was executed) with Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd. and other financial institutions. Under the terms of the lease, Toshiba guaranteed these commitments on behalf of FlashVision. The Company agreed to indemnify Toshiba in certain circumstances for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement. If FlashVision fails to meet its lease commitments, and Toshiba fulfills these commitments under the terms of Toshibas guarantee, the Company will be obligated to reimburse Toshiba for 49.9% of any claims under the lease, unless such claims result from Toshibas failure to meet its obligations to FlashVision or its covenants to the lenders. Because FlashVisions equipment lease arrangement is denominated in Japanese Yen, the maximum amount of the Companys contingent indemnification obligation on a given date when converted to U.S. Dollars will fluctuate based on the exchange rate in effect on that date. As of June 30, 2003 the maximum amount of the Companys contingent indemnification obligation, which reflects payments and any lease adjustments, was approximately $128.7 million.
UMC At June 30, 2003, the Companys equity investment in United Microelectronics, Inc., or UMC was valued at $114.6 million on the Companys condensed consolidated balance sheet. In previous periods, the Company has received additional shares of UMC stock in the form of stock dividends. These shares are included in the 176.3 million total UMC shares classified as available-for-sale in accordance with SFAS No. 115 and are reported at a market value of $114.6 million as current assets on the Companys condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company had 11 million shares at December 31, 2002, which as of June 2003, are no longer included in non-current assets as they do not contain trading restrictions that extend beyond one year and are now combined as a part of the total 176.3 million UMC shares classified as available-for-sale in current assets on the Companys condensed consolidated balance sheet. UMCs share price increased to New Taiwan dollars, or NT$, of NT$22.60 at June 30, 2003, from a price of NT$20.20 at March 31 2003, resulting in a $12.1 million increase in the value of the Companys investment and this realized gain is included in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the Companys condensed consolidated balance sheet. (See Note 4.) If the fair value of the UMC shares declines in the future and such declines are deemed to be other-than-temporary, it may be necessary to record additional losses on these declines. In addition, in future periods, there may be a gain or loss if the UMC shares are sold, due to fluctuations in the market value of UMCs stock.
Tower Semiconductor In July 2000, the Company entered into a share purchase agreement to make an aggregate $75.0 million investment in Tower Semiconductor for Towers new foundry facility, Fab 2, in five installments upon Towers completion of specific milestones. As of June 30, 2003, the Company had invested $71.6 million in Tower and obtained 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares, $14.3 million of prepaid wafer credits, and a warrant to purchase 360,313 Tower ordinary shares at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. The warrant expires on October 31, 2006. The 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares represented an approximate 15% equity ownership position
15
in Tower as of June 30, 2003. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 the Company recorded write-downs to the value of the wafer credits of $1.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 the Company recorded a $0.5 million and $0.3 million gain, respectively, related to the mark to fair value of the warrant. Also as of June 30, 2003, the Company has recognized cumulative losses of approximately $32.2 million as a result of the other-than-temporary decline in the value of its Tower ordinary shares investment, $12.2 million as a result of the impairment in value on its prepaid wafer credits and $0.4 million on its warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares. As of June 30, 2003, the Companys investment in Tower was valued at $36.0 million and included an unrealized gain of $11.6 million, recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income on the Companys condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Companys Tower prepaid wafer credits were valued at $2.1 million and the warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares was valued at $0.9 million.
In February 2003, the Company agreed to further amend its foundry investment agreements with Tower and advance the payment of $11.0 million for the fifth and final milestone in two installments regardless of whether the milestone was met, a first installment of approximately $6.6 million and a second installment of approximately $4.4 million. Towers shareholders approved the amendment in May 2003 and, unless the Investment Center of Israel informs Tower that it is not continuing its funding of the Fab 2 project, the amendment becomes effective when (1) approved by certain Israeli governmental agencies and (2) when Towers banks agree to (a) postpone a prior deadline by which Tower was required to have raised $110.0 million in equity financing and (b) recognize a portion of the proceeds from the payment of the first installment in partial satisfaction of Towers obligation to raise funds. Pursuant to a side letter to the amendment, while the consents from Towers banks are pending and (1) once the amendment was approved by Tower shareholders, and because (2) Tower had not received notice from the Investment Center of Israel as mentioned above and (3) once Towers banks had agreed to provide interim funding in the amount of at least $33.0 million, the Company paid Tower $3.6 million of the first installment on May 16, 2003 in exchange for 1,206,839 Tower ordinary shares. If Towers banks agree to provide additional interim funding in excess of $33.0 million, then the Company will pay Tower an additional $58,085 (up to $681,750 in total) of the first installment for each $1.0 million in interim funding in excess of $33.0 million that Towers banks agree to provide. If the remaining approvals from certain Israeli government agencies are ultimately obtained and the banks provide their consent, the Company will fund the remaining portion of the first installment and the second installment in accordance with the terms of the amendment. The remainder of the first installment, up to approximately $3.0 million, will be due five business days after approval of the amendment by all required parties and the banks issue their consents; the second installment of approximately $4.4 million will be due five business days after Tower has raised additional funds equal to approximately $22.0 million, referred to as the Minimum Financing. Tower must complete the Minimum Financing prior to December 31, 2003, or the Company will not be obliged to pay the second installment advancement of the remainder of the first installment, if it occurs, the Company will be issued approximately 1,005,698 Tower ordinary shares. Immediately following the advancement of the second installment, if it occurs, the Company will be issued Tower ordinary shares equivalent to the second installment divided by the price per ordinary share of Tower paid in connection with the Minimum Financing, or the Minimum Financing Price; if the Minimum Financing Price cannot reasonably be calculated from the documents evidencing the Minimum Financing, then the Minimum Financing will be deemed to be the average trading price for the ordinary shares of Tower during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding the date the second installment is paid. In addition, under the terms of the amendment, if approved by the required Israeli government agencies, the Company will have the option to convert all or a portion of its unused pre-paid wafer credits associated with the September 2002 fourth milestone payment into Tower ordinary shares based on the average closing price of Tower ordinary shares during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding December 31, 2005.
10. Income Taxes
The Company recorded an income tax provision of $4.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2003, yielding an effective income tax rate of 9% for the second quarter of fiscal 2003. This compares to a tax provision of $1.9 million and a tax rate of 17% for the second quarter of fiscal 2002. The tax provision for the first six months of 2003 was $6.8 million, compared to a benefit provision of ($11.3) million for the same period in fiscal 2002. The tax provision in the second quarter of 2002 was primarily due to the impact of foreign withholding tax on the Companys royalty revenues. The tax provision for the second quarter of 2003 is primarily due to provision for U.S.
16
income tax and foreign withholding taxes, and includes a benefit provided by a partial release of the valuation allowance that the Company carried at the end of fiscal 2002. The estimated annual effective tax rate for 2003 remains less than the statutory rate primarily due to taxes provided for US and foreign jurisdictions offset by the partial reversal of the valuation allowance.
11. Subsequent Events
On July 3, 2003, a purported shareholder class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of United States holders of ordinary shares of Tower as of the close of business on April 1, 2002 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit, captioned Philippe De Vries, Julia Frances Dunbar De Vries Trust, et al., v. Tower Semiconductor Ltd., et al., Civil Case No. 03 CV 4999, was filed against Tower and certain of its shareholders and directors, including the Company and Eli Harari, the Companys President and CEO and a Tower board member, and asserts claims arising under Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 14a-9 promulgated thereunder. The lawsuit alleges that Tower and certain of its directors made false and misleading statements in a proxy solicitation to Tower shareholders regarding a proposed amendment to a contract between Tower and certain of its shareholders, including the Company. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and attorneys and experts fees and expenses.
On July 16, 2003, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission whereby the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of its common stock with an aggregate offering price of up to $500.0 million.
17
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Statements in this report that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements may contain words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, estimates, or other wording indicating future results or expectations. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may materially differ from the results discussed in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause our actual results to materially differ include, but are not limited to, those discussed under Factors That May Affect Future Results below, and elsewhere in this report. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially affected by any of these factors. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this report.
Overview
SanDisk was founded in 1988 to develop and market flash data storage systems. We sell our products to the consumer electronics and industrial/communications markets. For the second quarter and first six months of 2003, approximately 87% of our product sales were attributable to the consumer electronics market, particularly sales of our CompactFlash, or CF card, Secure Digital, or SD card, Memory Stick and SmartMedia card products primarily in digital camera applications. We began shipping our miniSD card during the second quarter of 2003, selling over 1.5 million units and recognizing more than $10.0 million in related miniSD card product revenues. In addition, substantial portions of our products are sold into the retail channel, which usually has shorter customer order lead-times than our other channels. A majority of our sales to the retail channel have immediate request dates, with orders received and fulfilled in the same quarter, thereby decreasing our ability to accurately forecast future production needs and sales levels. We believe sales to the consumer market will continue to represent a substantial majority of our sales, and may even increase as a percentage of sales in future years, as the popularity of consumer applications with flash memory, including digital cameras, portable digital music players, cell phones, cell phones that incorporate digital cameras, USB flash drives and PDAs, increases.
Our operating results are affected by a number of factors including the volume of product sales, competitive pricing pressures, availability of foundry capacity from both captive and non-captive sources, variations in manufacturing cycle times, fluctuations in manufacturing yields and manufacturing capacity utilization, the timing of significant orders, our ability to match supply with demand, changes in product and customer mix, market acceptance of new or enhanced versions of our products, changes in the channels through which our products are distributed, timing of new product announcements and introductions by us and our competitors, the timing of license and royalty revenues, fluctuations in product costs, increased research and development expenses, and exchange rate fluctuations. In the event we are required to increase purchases of flash memory products from non-captive sources due to supply constraints on our captive sources, our product gross margins may be adversely impacted. We have experienced seasonality in the past, and as the proportion of our products sold for use in consumer electronics applications increases, our revenues may become increasingly subject to seasonal increases in the fourth quarter of each year with declines in the first quarter of the following year. See Factors That May Affect Future Results Risks Related to Our Business Our operating results may fluctuate significantly.... and Risks Related to Sales of Our Products There is seasonality in our business....
Beginning in late 1995, we adopted a strategy of licensing our flash technology, including our patent portfolio, to third-party manufacturers of flash products. To date, we have entered into patent cross-license agreements with several companies, and intend to pursue opportunities to enter into additional licenses. Under our current license agreements, licensees pay license fees, royalties, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the compensation to us may be partially in the form of guaranteed access to flash memory manufacturing capacity from the licensee company. The timing and amount of royalty payments and the recognition of license fees can vary substantially from quarter to quarter depending on the terms of each agreement and, in some cases, the timing of sales of products by the other parties. As a result, license and royalty revenues have fluctuated significantly in the past and are likely to continue to fluctuate in the future. Given the relatively high gross margins associated with license and royalty revenues, gross margins and net income are likely to fluctuate more with changes in license and
18
royalty revenues than with changes in product revenues. Our license and royalty revenues may decline in the future as certain of our existing license agreements expire or our licensees reach their royalty payment caps.
We market our products using a direct sales organization, distributors, manufacturers representatives, private label partners, OEMs and retailers. In the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, retail sales accounted for 61% and 60% of total product revenues, respectively and 61% in the first six months of 2003 and 2002. Total revenue dollars from our retail channels increased 90% in the second quarter of 2003 over the comparable period in 2002 and represented an 84% increase for the first half of 2003 over the comparable period in 2002. We expect that sales through the retail channel will continue to comprise a significant portion of our product revenues in the future, and that a substantial portion of our sales into the retail channel will be made to participants that will have the right to return unsold products. Our policy is to defer recognition of revenues from these sales until the products are sold to the end customers. In the second quarter of 2003 and 2002, sales to the OEM and industrial channels accounted for 29% and 30% of total product revenues, respectively and 29% in the first six months of 2003 and 2002. Total revenue dollars from our OEM and industrial channels increased 79% in the second quarter of 2003 over the comparable period in 2002, and represented an 82% increase for the first half of 2003 over the comparable period in 2002. Sales through our distributors accounted for 10% of total revenues for the second quarters and first six months of 2003 and 2002, and represented an increase in revenue dollars of 77% when compared to both the second quarter and first six months of 2002.
Historically, a majority of our sales have been to a limited number of customers. Sales to our top 10 customers accounted for approximately 47% and 49% of our product revenues in the second quarter and first six months of 2003, respectively and approximately 51% of our product revenues in the second quarter and first six months of 2002. No single customer accounted for greater than 10% of our total revenues in the second quarters or first six months of 2003 or 2002. We expect that sales of our products to a limited number of customers will continue to account for a substantial portion of our product revenues for the foreseeable future. The loss of, or a significant reduction in purchases by, any of our major customers, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. See Factors That May Affect Future Results Risks Related to Sales of Our Products Sales to a small number of customers represent a significant portion of our revenues....
All of our flash memory products require flash memory wafers, the substantial majority of which are currently manufactured for us by Toshiba Corporations, or Toshibas, wafer facility at Yokkaichi, Japan, under our joint venture agreement. Additionally, in August 2002, we entered into a seven-year supply agreement with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., or Samsung, which extended our existing relationship and allows us to purchase NAND flash memory products from Samsungs fabrication facilities in South Korea. Industry-wide demand for semiconductors decreased significantly in 2001, due to decreased demand in the cellular phone markets and the broad, general economic downturn leading to a U.S. recession. Semiconductor manufacturers, including some of our suppliers and competitors, added new advanced wafer fabrication capacity prior to the downturn. This additional capacity, along with slowing economic conditions, resulted in excess supply and led to intense pricing pressure, which resulted in significant declines in our average sales price per megabyte.
During 2002, demand increased and supply levels stabilized resulting in a more balanced supply/demand marketplace. Average selling prices declined approximately 50% during 2002. During the first six months of 2003, demand strengthened significantly and supply levels increased, but not at the same level as demand, resulting in some concerns over a component supply shortage in the near term. Average selling prices declined over 24% during the first quarter of 2003 when compared with the prior sequential quarter and declined by another 11% during the second quarter of 2003 on a sequential basis. The higher decline in the first quarter was driven by increased sales of 256 MB capacities as a result of various sales incentives offered by us. In the second quarter, with demand strengthening and a reduced level of incentives, average sales prices declined on a slower basis. While demand is currently exceeding supply, a change in the market could result in supply exceeding demand, resulting in higher declines in average selling prices. These declines in average selling prices could exceed our ability to reduce costs and could, therefore, negatively impact our operating profits in the future. Furthermore, if demand continues to outpace the availability of supply, our ability to increase revenues and grow our profits could be negatively impacted as a result of these limited supplies.
Under our wafer supply agreements with FlashVision, Renesas Technology Corp., or Renesas, a new semiconductor company formed by Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Samsung, Toshiba, Tower
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Semiconductor Ltd., or Tower, and United Microelectronics, Inc., or UMC, we are obligated to provide a six-month rolling forecast of anticipated purchase orders. Generally, the estimates for the first three months of each rolling forecast are binding commitments and the estimates for the remaining months of the forecast may only be changed by a certain percentage from the previous months forecast. In addition, we are obligated to purchase 50% of all of FlashVisions wafer production. This limits our ability to react to significant fluctuations in demand for our products. For example, if customer demand falls below our forecast and we are unable to reschedule or cancel our orders, we may end up with excess inventories, which could result in higher operating expenses and reduced gross margins. Conversely, if customer demand exceeds our forecasts, we may be unable to obtain an adequate supply of flash memory wafers and flash memory products to fill customer orders, which could result in dissatisfied customers, lost sales and lower revenues. If we are unable to obtain scheduled quantities of wafers or other flash memory products with acceptable prices and/or yields from any foundry, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. In addition, Tower is currently a sole source of supply for one of our new high volume controllers. Any interruption in Towers manufacturing operations resulting in delivery delays will adversely affect our ability to make timely shipments of some of our higher capacity products. If this occurs, our operating results will be adversely affected until we can qualify an alternate source of supply, which could take a quarter or more to complete.
We have from time to time taken write-downs for excess or obsolete inventories and lower of cost or market price adjustments. We may be forced to take additional write-downs for excess or obsolete inventory in future quarters if market demand for our products deteriorates and our inventory levels exceed customer orders. In addition, we may record additional lower of cost or market price adjustments to our inventories if pricing pressure results in a net realizable value that is lower than our cost. Although we continuously try to align our inventory quantities with the current level of business, we are obligated to honor existing purchase orders that we have placed with our suppliers. In the case of FlashVision, both we and Toshiba are obligated to purchase half of the production output, which makes it even more difficult for us to reduce our inventory during an industry downturn.
Excess inventory not only ties up our cash, but also can result in substantial losses if such inventory, or large portions thereof, has to be written down due to lower market pricing or product obsolescence. These inventory adjustments decrease gross margins and in prior years resulted in, and could in the future result in, fluctuations in gross margins and net earnings in the quarter in which they occur. See Factors That May Affect Future ResultsRisks Related to Our Business Our operating results may fluctuate significantly....
Our sales may be impacted by changes in economic conditions in our international markets. Economic conditions in our international markets, including Japan, Asia and the European Union, may adversely affect our revenues to the extent that demand for our products in these regions declines. While most of our sales are denominated in U.S. Dollars, we invoice certain Japanese customers in Japanese Yen and are subject to exchange rate fluctuations on these transactions, which could affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. See Factors That May Affect Future ResultsRisks Related to Our International Operations and Changes in Securities Laws and Regulations Because of our international operations, we must comply with numerous international laws and regulations....
For the foreseeable future, we expect to realize a significant portion of our revenues from recently introduced and new products. Typically, new products initially have lower gross margins than more mature products because the manufacturing yields are lower at the start of manufacturing each successive product generation. In addition, manufacturing yields are generally lower at the start of manufacturing any product at a new foundry. In the first six months of 2003 and for fiscal year 2002, we experienced start-up costs of approximately $2.0 and $6.5 million, respectively, associated with ramping up NAND wafer production at FlashVision. During the start-up phase, the fabrication equipment and operating expenses are applied to a relatively small output of production wafers, making this output very expensive. As of June 30, 2003, we had committed to fund approximately $17.0 million for the initial fabrication capacity expansion through the first quarter of 2004. We expect to make further substantial commitments for capacity expansion at FlashVision in the next two to three years, which may include investing in a new, more advanced 300 mm wafer fabrication facility, and may need to raise additional capital to do so.
To remain competitive, we are focusing on a number of programs to lower manufacturing costs, including the development of future generations of NAND flash memory. There can be no assurance that we will successfully develop such products or processes or that development of such processes will lower manufacturing costs. Moreover in the event of an over supply of flash memory products, we may be unable to efficiently utilize the NAND flash wafer production from FlashVision, which would force us to amortize the fixed costs of the fabrication facility over a reduced wafer output, making these wafers significantly more expensive. See Factors That May Affect Future ResultsRisks Related to Vendors and SubcontractorsWe and our manufacturing partners must achieve acceptable manufacturing yields....
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Critical Accounting Policies & Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to customer programs and incentives, product returns, bad debts, inventories, investments, income taxes, warranty obligations, restructuring, and contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Revenue Recognition, Sales Returns and Allowances and Sales Incentive Programs. We recognize net revenues when the earnings process is complete, as evidenced by an agreement with the customer, transfer of title and acceptance, if applicable, fixed pricing and reasonable assurance of collectibility. Because of frequent sales price reductions and rapid technology obsolescence in the industry, sales made to distributors and retailers are generally under agreements allowing price protection and/or right of return and, therefore, the income on these sales is deferred until the retailers or distributors sell the merchandise to the end customer, or the rights of return expire. At June 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002, deferred income, from sales to distributors and retailers was $36.9 million and $34.8 million, respectively. Estimated product returns are provided for and were not material for any period presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements.
We earn patent license revenue under patent cross-license agreements with several companies including Lexar Media, Inc., or Lexar, Renesas, Samsung, Sharp Electronics Corporation, or Sharp, Silicon Storage Technology, Inc., or SST, SmartDisk Corporation, Sony Corporation, or Sony, Olympus, and TDK. Our current license agreements provide for the payment of license fees or royalties, or a combination thereof, to us. The timing and amount of these payments can vary substantially from quarter to quarter, depending on the terms of each agreement and, in some cases, the timing of sales of products by the other parties.
Revenue from patent licensing arrangements is recognized when earned. The timing of revenue recognition is dependent on the terms of each contract and on the timing of product shipments by third parties. For certain of our licensees, we estimate royalty revenues earned based on our licensees preliminary reports, and align actual reported royalty revenues when we receive the final reports. We have received payments under our cross-license agreements, portions of which were recognized as revenue and portions of which were recorded as deferred revenue. Our cross license arrangements, that include a guaranteed access to flash memory supply, were recorded based upon the cash received for the arrangement as we do not have vendor specific objective evidence for the fair value of the intellectual property exchanged or supply guarantees received. Under these arrangements we have recorded the cash received as the total value of goods received and are recognizing the associated revenues over the life of the agreement, which corresponds to the life of the supply arrangement as well. Recognition of deferred revenue is expected to occur in future periods over the life of the agreements, as we meet certain obligations as provided in the various agreements. At June 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002, deferred revenue from patent license agreements was $33.3 million and $32.1 million, respectively. The cost of revenues associated with patent license and royalty revenues were insignificant for the three-month and six-month periods ending June 30, 2003 and 2002.
We record reductions to revenue and trade-accounts receivable for customer programs and incentive offerings, including promotions and other volume-based incentives, when revenue is recorded based on estimated requirements. Marketing development programs, when granted, are either recorded as a reduction to revenue or as an addition to marketing expense depending on the contractual nature of the program. These incentives generally apply only to our retail customers, which represented 61% and 60% of our product revenues in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and 61% of our product revenues in both of the first six-month periods of 2003 and 2002. If market conditions were to decline, we may take actions to increase customer incentive offerings to our retail customers, possibly resulting in an incremental reduction of revenue at the time the incentive is offered.
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Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. We estimate the collectibility of our accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In circumstances where we are aware of a specific customers inability to meet its financial obligations to us (e.g., bankruptcy filings, substantial down-grading of credit ratings), we record a specific reserve for bad debts against amounts due to reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount we reasonably believe will be collected. For all other customers, we recognize reserves for bad debts based on the length of time the receivables are past due based on our historical experience. If circumstances change (e.g., higher than expected defaults or an unexpected material adverse change in a major customers ability to meet its financial obligations to us), our estimates of the recoverability of amounts due us could be reduced by a material amount.
Warranty Costs. The majority of our products are warrantied for one to seven years. A provision for the estimated future cost related to warranty expense is recorded and included in the cost of revenue when revenue is recognized. Our warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates and repair or replacement costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Should actual product failure rates, or repair or replacement costs differ from our estimates, increases or decreases to our warranty liability would be required.
Valuation of Financial Instruments. In determining if and when a decline in market value on any of our financial instruments is below carrying cost and is other-than-temporary, we evaluate the market conditions, offering prices, trends of earnings, price multiples, and other key measures for our investments in marketable equity securities, debt instruments and current equity investments. When such a decline in value is deemed to be other-than-temporary, we recognize an impairment loss in the current period operating results to the extent of the decline.
Inventories and Inventory Valuation. We write down our inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of the inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions, including assumptions about changes in average selling prices. Should actual market conditions differ from our estimates, our future results of operations could be materially affected.
Deferred Tax Assets. We provide a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that such an amount will not be realized. At December 31, 2002, we provided a full valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets of approximately $66.0 million. Through the second quarter of 2003, based on the weight of all available evidence, we reversed a portion of the valuation allowance based primarily on our operating income through the second quarter and operating income we project for the balance of fiscal 2003, as well as on a reduction in the net deferred tax assets from an unrealized gain in our equity investments. The reversal of the valuation allowance through the second quarter reduced the estimated annual effective tax rate we used through the second quarter of 2003. Any reversal of the remaining valuation allowance in the current year would be based primarily on our ability to realize additional tax credit carryforwards and unrealized capital losses on our investments.
Results of Operations
Product Revenues. Our product revenues were $214.0 million in the second quarter of 2003, up $98.4 million or 85% from the second quarter of 2002. The increase in product revenues in the second quarter of 2003 compared to the same period in the prior year, was primarily due to increased unit sales of our CF cards, SD cards, Memory Stick products and to product revenues related to the introduction of the miniSD card. During the second quarter of 2003 as compared to the second quarter of 2002, total flash memory product unit sales increased approximately 106% and total megabytes sold increased 219%, while our average selling prices per megabyte declined 41% due to pricing pressures.
Our product revenues were $369.5 million in the first six months of 2003, up $167.4 million or 83% from the first six months of 2002. The increase in product revenues in the first half of 2003 compared to the same period in the prior year, was primarily due to increased unit sales of our CF cards, SD cards, Memory Stick products and to product revenues related to the introduction of the miniSD card. During the first half of 2003 as compared to the same period of 2002, total flash memory product unit sales increased approximately 96% and total megabytes sold increased 213%, while our average selling prices per megabyte declined 42% due to pricing pressures.
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Sales to the consumer market represented approximately 87% of product revenues, while the telecommunications/industrial market made up the remaining 13%, in the second quarter of 2003 and the first six months of 2003. This compares to product revenues of approximately 82% related to the consumer market and 18% related to the telecommunications/industrial market in the second quarter of 2002 and product revenues of 85% related to the consumer market and 15% related to the telecommunications/industrial market for the first six months of 2002. Sales to the retail channel represented 61% and 60% of product revenues in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively and 61% in the first six months of both 2003 and 2002. In addition, our OEM and distribution product revenues, which accounted for 39% and 40% of total product revenues in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and 39% in the first six months of both 2003 and 2002, are sold into both consumer and industrial markets. We expect that retail sales will continue to comprise a significant portion of our product revenues in the future.
International sales represented 64% and 56% of our product revenues in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and 61% and 51% in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively. We expect international sales to continue to represent a significant portion of our product revenues.
Our top ten customers represented approximately 47% and 49% of our product revenues in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, and 49% and 51% in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively. In the second quarters and first six months of 2003 and 2002, no customer exceeded 10% of total revenues. We expect that sales to a limited number of customers will continue to represent a substantial portion of our product revenues for the foreseeable future.
License and Royalty Revenues. License and royalty revenues from patent cross-license agreements were $20.6 million in the second quarter of 2003, compared to $12.0 million in the same period of 2002. License and royalty revenues for the first six months of 2003 and 2002 were $39.6 million and $18.2 million, respectively. These increases were primarily due to higher royalty-bearing sales by our licensees compared to the applicable periods in 2002 and to the one-time catch-up payment from one of our licensees of approximately $3.0 million that we recognized in the second quarter of 2003. Revenues from licenses and royalties represented 9% of total revenues in the both second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively. Revenues from licenses and royalties represented 10% and 8% of total revenues in the first six months of 2003 and 2002. The timing of royalty revenue recognition is dependent on the terms of each contract and on the timing of product shipments by third parties. Royalty revenues fluctuate quarterly based on the level of royalty-bearing sales of our licensees that may occur in a given quarter. Our revenues from patent licenses and royalties can fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter based on the timing of revenue recognition under our various license agreements.
Gross Profits. In the second quarter of 2003, total gross profits were $88.8 million, or 38% of total revenues, compared to $43.3 million, or 34%, in the same period of 2002. In the first six months of 2003, gross profits were $160.4 million or 39% of total revenues compared to $54.5 million or 25% of total revenues in the first six months of 2002. In the second quarter of 2003, product gross margins were 32% compared to 27% in the same period of 2002. For the six months of 2003, product gross margins were 33% compared to 18% in the same period of 2002. These significant increases in product gross margins in the second quarter and first six months of 2003 compared to the same periods in 2002 were due to lower production costs as a result of a higher mix of sales of our more cost effective MLC chips and improved economies of scale due to the growth in unit volumes across our major product lines. However, in the event we are required to increase purchases of flash memory products from non-captive sources due to future supply constraints on our captive sources, our product gross margins may be adversely impacted.
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses consist principally of salaries and payroll-related expenses for design and development engineers, prototype supplies and contract services. Research and development expenses were $19.3 million in the second quarter of 2003, up $2.1 million or 12% from $17.3 million in the second quarter of 2002. In the first six months of 2003, research and development expenses were $36.9 million, up $5.1 million or 16% from the same period in 2002. These increases were primarily due to increased salary and related expenses associated with higher headcount in support of our product development efforts. We expect our research and development expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars in future periods to support the development and introduction of new generations of flash data storage products, including our development efforts at our joint venture with Toshiba, our co-development agreement with Sony and our continual development of advanced controller chips.
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Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses include salaries, sales commissions, benefits and travel expenses for our sales, marketing, customer service and applications engineering personnel. These expenses also include other selling and marketing expenses, such as independent manufacturers representative commissions, advertising and tradeshow expenses. Sales and marketing expenses were $15.5 million in the second quarter of 2003, up $6.7 million or 76% from $8.8 million in the second quarter of 2002. The increase in our second quarter of 2003 sales and marketing expenses compared to the same period in 2002 consisted of expenses associated with an increased salary and related expenses of $2.0 million related to additional headcount, a $1.3 million increase in outside commission expense and a $3.3 million increase in promotion expenses, all in support of our higher revenue base. In the first six months of 2003, sales ard marketing expenses were $28.2 million, up $10.3 million or 58% from $17.9 million for the same period in 2002. The increase in the first six months of 2003 was primarily due to an increase in salary and related expenses of $3.7 million, a $2.3 million increase in outside commission expense and a $3.8 million increase in promotion expense. We expect sales and marketing expenses to increase, in absolute dollars, as sales of our products grow and as we continue to develop our retail sales channel and brand awareness of our products.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses include the cost of our finance, information systems, human resources, shareholder relations, legal and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses were $7.2 million in the second quarter of 2003, up $0.6 million or 10% from $6.6 million in the second quarter of 2002. The increase in total second quarter general and administrative expenses compared to the same period in 2002 consisted of increases in salary and related expenses of $2.1 million in support of our growth offset by a decrease of $1.5 million in legal fees. In the first six months of 2003, general and administrative expenses were $13.9 million, up $2.7 million or 24% from $11.3 million for the same period in 2002. The increase in the first six months of 2003 was primarily due to an increase of $4.0 million in salary and related expenses offset by a decrease of $1.1 million in legal fees. General and administrative expenses are expected to increase in absolute dollars in the future to defend our patent portfolio and expand our infrastructure to support our expected growth.
Equity in Income (Loss) of Joint Ventures. Equity in income (loss) of joint ventures was ($0.1) million and $1.7 million in the second quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and $39,000 and $1.2 million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and included our share of income and foreign exchange gains, net of expenses, from our FlashVision joint venture in 2003 and 2002 and losses from our Digital Portal joint venture in 2002.
Interest Income. Interest income was $1.8 million and $2.2 million in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, and $4.0 million and $4.5 million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively.
Interest Expense. Interest expense on our outstanding convertible notes was $1.7 million in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, respectively, and $3.4 million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002.
Loss on Investment in Foundry. In the second quarter of 2003, we recognized a write-down of $1.9 million related to the recoverability of our Tower prepaid wafer credits, which at June 30, 2003 were valued at $2.1 million, and a $0.5 million adjustment increase to the fair value of our Tower warrant purchased during 2002 as determined using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. During the first six months of 2003 we recognized a total write-down of $3.9 million related to the recoverability of our Tower prepaid wafer credits that was partially offset by a net increase in the fair value of our Tower warrant of $0.3 million. We periodically assess the value of the warrant, our Tower ordinary shares and our prepaid wafer credits and adjust the value as necessary. In future periods, if we sell shares that we own in either UMC or Tower, we may recognize a gain or loss due to fluctuations in the market value of these stocks.
Gain (Loss) on Equity Investment. In the first six months of 2003, we recognized a $4.5 million impairment charge as a result of our write-down of our equity investment in Divio, Inc., or Divio, in accordance with Statement of Financial Standards 115. We account for this investment under the cost method and at June 30, 2003, there is no value related to our Divio investment.
Other Income (Expense), net. Other expense, net was $0.2 million and ($1.9) million in the second quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively and ($0.9) million and ($2.0) million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively. These expenses were primarily due to foreign exchange gains and losses on our Japanese Yen denominated assets, gains and losses on disposal of fixed assets and note issuance expenses. Gain on the disposal of
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fixed assets was $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2003. Note issuance expenses related to our convertible notes were ($0.2) million in the second quarters of 2003 and 2002, and ($0.4) million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002. Foreign exchange losses were ($1.7) million in the second quarter of 2002, and ($0.5) million and ($1.6) million in the first six months of 2003 and 2002, respectively.
Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes. Our income tax provisions for the second quarter and for the first six months of 2003 were $4.1 million and $6.8 million, respectively. The tax provisions for the same periods in fiscal 2002 were $1.8 million and a provision benefit of ($11.3) million, respectively. The tax provision in the second quarter of 2002 was primarily related to foreign withholding tax on our royalty revenues. Our provision for income taxes in the second quarter of 2003 was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate for 2003, and included a partial reversal of the valuation allowance that we carried at the end of fiscal 2002. This reversal of valuation allowance was primarily due to our operating income through the second quarter and our current projection of 2003 operating income, as well as a reduction in the net deferred tax assets from an unrealized gain in our equity investments. The estimated annual effective tax rate for 2003 is less than the statutory rate primarily due to the partial reversal of the valuation allowance through the second quarter of 2003. Any decision to maintain or reverse any of the remaining portion of the valuation allowance during the balance of the current year will be influenced primarily by our ability to realize certain foreign tax credit carry-forwards and capital losses. We cannot predict whether any further reversal will occur in the current year. The effective tax rate for the remainder of the current year could fluctuate depending on various factors, including our future taxable income, any reversal of the remaining valuation allowance, and any fluctuation in the value of our investments. To the extent that we may dispose of certain equity investments that have been accounted for under FAS 115, our tax rate may rise significantly as the proportionate share of taxes are reversed out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). See Note 4 in the condensed consolidated financial statements. We will evaluate the need for the remaining valuation allowance on a quarterly basis.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash Flows
At June 30, 2003, we had working capital of $679.2 million, which included $323.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, $206.5 million in unrestricted short-term investments, and $151.4 million relating to our investments in UMC and Tower.
Operating activities for the first six months of 2003 provided $96.4 million of cash, primarily due to net income of $66.3 million, as well as non-cash charges, primarily depreciation of $9.9 million, and $3.6 million in loss on foundry investments related to a write-down of our Tower wafer credits and loss related to the adjustment in fair value of our warrant to purchase ordinary Tower shares, $4.5 million loss on write-down of our equity investment in Divio, $1.6 million income tax refund received, a $14.1 million decrease in inventory, $27.0 million increase in accounts payable, a $2.5 million increase in accrued payroll, $2.7 million increase in income tax payable, a $9.1 million increase in other current liabilities due to related parties, and a $3.2 million increase in deferred revenue. These amounts were partially offset by a $21.8 million increase in accounts receivable, a $14.8 million increase in non-cash charges for deferred taxes, a $6.1 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets, a $0.8 million decrease in other non-current liabilities, and a $6.0 million decrease in research and development liabilities due to related parties. Cash provided by operations was $19.1 million in the first six months of 2002.
Net cash used in investing activities was $45.6 million for the first six months of 2003, and was comprised of purchases, net of proceeds, from short-term investments of $17.0 million, $3.6 million paid to Tower for the first installment of fifth milestone payment, and capital equipment purchases of $25.1 million. Net cash provided by investing activities was $20.6 million for the first six months of 2002.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $6.4 million for the first six months of 2003 was from the sale of common stock through our stock option and employee stock purchase plans. Financing activities provided cash of $26.6 million for the first six months of 2002, primarily due to the sale of $25.0 million of our convertible notes in January of 2002.
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Transactions Affecting Liquidity
Investment in UMC
In January 2000, the USIC foundry was merged into its UMC parent company. In exchange for our USIC shares, we received 111 million UMC shares. All of the UMC shares we received as a result of the merger were subject to trading restrictions imposed by UMC and the Taiwan Stock Exchange. As of June 30, 2003, the trading restrictions had expired on 88.9 million shares. The remaining 22.2 million shares will become tradable by the end of January 2004. We also received 23.0 million, 20.0 million and 22.2 million shares as stock dividends from UMC in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. The UMC shares received as stock dividends for the three years ending December 31, 2002, are included in the 176.3 million total UMC shares classified as available-for-sale in accordance with SFAS No. 115 and are reported as current assets on our condensed consolidated balance sheet at a market value of $102.5 million. We had 11 million shares at December 31, 2002 which, as of June 30, 2003, are no longer included in non-current assets as they do not contain trading restrictions that extend beyond one year and are now combined as a part of the total UMC shares that are classified as available-for-sale in current assets on our condensed consolidated balance sheet. UMCs share price increased to NT$22.60 at June 30, 2003, from a stock dividend adjusted price of NT$22.20 at December 31, 2002, resulting in a $1.6 million increase on our investment and this unrealized gain is included in accumulated other comprehensive loss on our condensed consolidated balance sheet. Our equity investment in UMC was valued at $114.6 million at June 30, 2003 and included an unrealized loss of $4.9 million, which was included in accumulated other comprehensive loss. If the fair value of the UMC shares declines in the future and such declines are deemed to be other-than-temporary, it may be necessary to record losses on these declines. In addition, in future periods, we may recognize a loss upon the sale of our UMC shares, which would adversely impact our financial results.
Investment in FlashVision Joint Venture
In June 2000, we closed a transaction with Toshiba providing for the joint development and manufacture of 512 megabit and 1 gigabit flash memory chips and Secure Digital Card controllers. As part of this transaction, we and Toshiba formed FlashVision, a joint venture, to equip and operate a silicon wafer manufacturing line at Toshibas Dominion Semiconductor facility in Manassas, Virginia. In April 2002, we and Toshiba restructured our FlashVision joint venture by consolidating FlashVisions advanced NAND wafer fabrication manufacturing operations at Toshibas memory fabrication facility in Yokkaichi, Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, Toshiba transferred the FlashVision owned and leased NAND production tool-set from Dominion to Yokkaichi and undertook full responsibility for the equipment transfer and production set up. The FlashVision operation at Yokkaichi continues the joint venture on essentially the same terms as the parties had at Toshibas facility in Virginia. In March 2002, FlashVision exercised its right of early termination under its lease facility with ABN AMRO Bank, N.V. and in April 2002 repaid all amounts outstanding. FlashVision secured an equipment lease arrangement of approximately 37.9 billion Japanese Yen (or approximately $305 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the date the agreement was executed) in May 2002 with Mizuho and other financial institutions. Under the terms of this lease, Toshiba guaranteed these commitments on behalf of FlashVision. We have agreed to indemnify Toshiba in certain circumstances for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement. If FlashVision fails to meet its lease commitments and Toshiba fulfills these commitments under the terms of Toshibas guarantee, then we will be obligated to reimburse Toshiba for 49.9% of any claims under the lease, unless such claims result from Toshibas failure to meet its obligations to FlashVision or its covenants to the lenders. Because FlashVisions equipment lease arrangement is denominated in Japanese Yen, the maximum amount of our contingent indemnification obligation on a given date when converted to U.S. Dollars will fluctuate based on the exchange rate in effect on that date. As of June 30, 2003, the maximum amount of our contingent indemnification obligation, which reflects payments and any lease adjustments, was approximately $128.7 million.
The terms of the FlashVision joint venture contractually obligate us to purchase half of FlashVisions NAND wafer production output. We also have the ability to purchase additional capacity under a foundry arrangement with Toshiba. Under the terms of our foundry agreement with Toshiba, we must provide Toshiba with a purchase order commitment based on a six-month rolling forecast. The purchase orders placed under this arrangement relating to the first three months of the six-month forecast are binding, at market prices and cannot be cancelled. At June 30, 2003, approximately $33.5 million of non-cancelable purchase orders for flash memory wafers from Toshiba and FlashVision were outstanding. In addition, as a part of the joint venture agreement, we are
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required to fund certain research and development expenses related to the development of advanced NAND flash memory technologies. As of June 30, 2003, we had accrued liabilities related to those expenses of $4.5 million. The common research and development amount is a variable computation with certain payment caps. Future obligations are to be paid in installments using a percentage of our revenue from NAND flash products built with flash memory supplied by Toshiba or FlashVision. The direct research and development is a pre-determined amount that extends through the third quarter of 2004. Subsequent to the third quarter of 2004, direct research and development liabilities will be computed using a variable percentage of actual research and development expenses incurred.
Given the current apparent acceleration in global demand for flash memory wafers and assuming that the markets for our products continue their current growth, new anticipated demand from customers may outstrip the supply of flash memory wafers available to us from all our current sources. In that case, we may need to secure for ourselves substantial additional flash memory wafer fabrication capacity at .09 micron and finer line lithography. Accordingly, we and Toshiba are currently discussing various fabrication and test capacity expansion plans for the FlashVision operation in Yokkaichi, Japan. We and Toshiba plan to substantially increase Yokkaichis 200 mm NAND wafer output in 2003 and 2004. This capacity expansion will be partially funded through FlashVision internally generated funds, as well as through additional investments by Toshiba and SanDisk. As of June 30, 2003, we had committed to fund approximately $17.0 million for the initial fabrication capacity expansion through the first quarter of 2004. We expect to make further substantial commitments for capacity expansion at FlashVision in the next two to three years, which may include investing in a new, more advanced 300 mm wafer fabrication facility, and may need to raise additional capital to do so.
Investment in Tower
In July 2000, we entered into a share purchase agreement to make an aggregate $75.0 million investment in Tower Semiconductor, for its new foundry facility, Fab 2, in five installments upon Towers completion of specific milestones. As of June 30, 2003, we had invested $71.6 million in Tower and obtained 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares, $14.3 million of prepaid wafer credits, and a warrant to purchase 360,313 Tower ordinary shares at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. The warrant expires on October 31, 2006. The 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares represented an approximate 15% equity ownership position in Tower as of June 30, 2003. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 we recorded write-downs to the value of the wafer credits of $1.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 we recorded a $0.5 million and $0.3 million gain, respectively, related to the mark to fair value of the warrant. Also as of June 30, 2003, we have recognized cumulative losses of approximately $32.2 million as a result of the other-than-temporary decline in the value of our Tower ordinary shares investment, $12.2 million as a result of the impairment in value on our prepaid wafer credits and approximately $0.4 million of losses on our warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares. As of June 30, 2003, our investment in Tower was valued at $36.0 million and included an unrealized gain of $11.6 million, recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income on the SanDisks condensed consolidated balance sheet. Our Tower prepaid wafer credits were valued at $2.1 million and the warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares was valued at $0.9 million.
In February 2003, we agreed to further amend our foundry investment agreements with Tower and advance the payment of $11.0 million for the fifth and final milestone in two installments regardless of whether the milestone was met, a first installment of approximately $6.6 million and a second installment of approximately $4.4 million. Towers shareholders approved the amendment in May 2003 and, unless the Investment Center of Israel informs Tower that it is not continuing its funding of the Fab 2 project, the amendment becomes effective when (1) approved by certain Israeli governmental agencies and (2) when Towers banks agree to (a) postpone a prior deadline by which Tower was required to have raised $110.0 million in equity financing and (b) recognize a portion of the proceeds from the payment of the first installment in partial satisfaction of Towers obligation to raise funds. Pursuant to a side letter to the amendment, while the consents from Towers banks are pending and (1) once the amendment was approved by Tower shareholders and because (2) Tower had not received notice from the Investment Center of Israel as mentioned above and (3) once Towers banks had agreed to provide interim funding in the amount of at least $33.0 million, we paid Tower $3.6 million of the first installment on May 16, 2003 in exchange for 1,206,839 Tower ordinary shares. If Towers banks agree to provide additional interim funding in excess of $33.0 million, then we will pay Tower an additional $58,085 (up to $681,750 in total) of the first installment for each $1.0 million in interim funding in excess of $33.0 million that Towers banks agree to provide. If the remaining approvals from certain Israeli government agencies are ultimately obtained and the banks provide their consent, we will fund the
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remaining portion of the first installment and the second installment in accordance with the terms of the amendment. The remainder of the first installment, up to approximately $3.0 million, will be due five business days after approval of the amendment by all required parties and the banks issue their consents; the second installment of approximately $4.4 million will be due five business days after Tower has raised additional funds equal to approximately $22.0 million, referred to as the Minimum Financing. Tower must complete the Minimum Financing prior to December 31, 2003, or we will not be obliged to pay the second installment Immediately following the advancement of the remainder of the first installment, if it occurs, we will be issued approximately 1,005,698 Tower ordinary shares. Immediately following the advancement of the second installment, if it occurs, we will be issued Tower ordinary shares equivalent to the second installment divided by the price per ordinary share of Tower paid in connection with the Minimum Financing, or the Minimum Financing Price; if the Minimum Financing Price cannot reasonably be calculated from the documents evidencing the Minimum Financing, then the Minimum Financing will be deemed to be the average trading price for the ordinary shares of Tower during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding the date the second installment is paid. In addition, under the terms of the amendment, if approved by the required Israeli government agencies, we will have the option to convert all or a portion of our unused pre-paid wafer credits associated with the September 2002 fourth milestone payment into Tower ordinary shares based on the average closing price of Tower ordinary shares during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding December 31, 2005.
Liquidity Sources, Requirements and Contractual Cash Commitments
Our principal sources of liquidity as of June 30, 2003 consisted of: $530.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, $151.4 million in unrestricted investments in foundries, and cash we expect to generate from operations during our fiscal year.
Since the closing of our convertible subordinated note offering, our principal liquidity requirements have been to service our debt and meet our working capital, research and development and capital expenditure needs.
Depending on the demand for our products, we may decide to make additional investments, which could be substantial, in assembly and test manufacturing equipment or wafer fabrication foundry capacity to support our business in the future. We may also invest in or acquire other companies or their product lines or assets. Our operating expenses may increase as a result of the need to hire additional personnel to support our sales and marketing efforts and research and development activities, including our collaboration with Toshiba for the joint development of 90 nanometer and 70 nanometer NAND flash memory. We plan to fund our short-term operations from our current cash and short-term investment balances and cash generated from operations. On July 16, 2003, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission whereby we may from time to time offer and sell shares of our common stock with an aggregate offering price of up to $500.0 million. We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our currently anticipated working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months. If our average product selling prices decline significantly, as they did in 2001 and 2002, or demand for our products declines and we are required to purchase more wafers than we need from our FlashVision joint venture and other wafer supply purchase commitments, we may not be able to generate enough cash from our operations and will have to rely solely on our current cash and short-term investment balances to fund our operating activities. We cannot assure you that additional funds will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
At June 30, 2003, we had approximately $81.3 million total non-cancelable outstanding purchase orders from certain of our suppliers and subcontractors. The following summarizes our contractual cash obligations, commitments and off balance sheet arrangements at June 30 2003, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods (in thousands).
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Remainder | Fiscal | |||||||||||||||||||
of Fiscal | 2004 | Fiscal 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | Fiscal 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Convertible subordinated notes payable |
$ | 150,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 150,000 | $ | | ||||||||||
Interest payable on convertible
subordinated notes |
23,625 | 3,375 | 13,500 | 6,750 | | |||||||||||||||
Operating leases |
7,827 | 1,621 | 5,176 | 1,030 | | |||||||||||||||
Investment in Tower |
7,400 | 7,400 | | | | |||||||||||||||
FlashVision research and development, |
||||||||||||||||||||
fabrication capacity expansion and
start-up costs |
110,400 | 11,400 | 51,000 | 32,000 | 16,000 | |||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable purchase commitments |
81,297 | 81,297 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Total contractual cash obligations |
$ | 380,549 | $ | 105,093 | $ | 69,676 | $ | 189,780 | $ | 16,000 | ||||||||||
Remainder | ||||||||||||||||
of Fiscal | Fiscal 2004 | |||||||||||||||
Total | 2003 | 2005 | Thereafter | |||||||||||||
CONTRACTUAL SUBLEASE INCOME: |
||||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable operating sublease |
$ | 442 | $ | 106 | $ | 336 | $ | | ||||||||
As of June 30, 2003 | ||||
OFF BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS: |
||||
Indemnification of FlashVision foundry equipment lease |
$ | 128,695 |
Impact of Currency Exchange Rates
A portion of our revenues is denominated in Japanese Yen. We enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge against changes in foreign currency exchange rates. At June 30, 2003, there were no forward contracts outstanding. Future exchange rate fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Factors That May Affect Future Results
Risks Related to Our Business
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which may adversely affect our operations and our stock price.
Our quarterly and annual operating results have fluctuated significantly in the past and we expect that they will continue to fluctuate in the future. This fluctuation is a result of a variety of factors, including the following:
| Unpredictable or changing demand for our products; | ||
| decline in the average selling prices of our products due to competitive pricing pressures; | ||
| seasonality in sales of our products; | ||
| natural disasters affecting the countries in which we conduct our business, particularly Japan, where our principal source of flash memory wafers is located, as well as Taiwan, South Korea, China and the United States; | ||
| reduced sales to our customers or interruption to our manufacturing processes, in the Pacific Rim that may arise from regional issues in Asia; | ||
| availability of sufficient wafer capacity to meet customer demand; | ||
| increased purchases of flash memory products from non-captive sources; | ||
| difficulty of forecasting and managing inventory levels; particularly, building a large inventory of unsold |
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product due to non-cancelable contractual obligations to purchase materials such as flash memory wafers, controllers, printed circuit boards and discrete components; | |||
| expenses related to obsolescence or devaluation of unsold inventory; | ||
| write-downs of our investments in fabrication capacity, other fixed assets, equity investments and prepaid wafer credits; | ||
| adverse changes in product and customer mix; | ||
| slower than anticipated market acceptance of new or enhanced versions of our products, such as the recently announced miniSD card targeted at advanced cell phones; | ||
| increased sales by our competitors; | ||
| competing flash memory card standards, which displace the standards used in our products; | ||
| changes in our distribution channels; | ||
| fluctuations in our license and royalty revenue; | ||
| fluctuations in product costs, particularly due to fluctuations in manufacturing yields and utilization on new technologies; | ||
| excess capacity of flash memory from our competitors and our own flash memory wafer capacity, which may cause a decline in our average selling prices; | ||
| shortages of components such as capacitors and printed circuit boards required for the manufacturing of our products; | ||
| significant yield losses, which could affect our ability to fulfill customer orders and could increase our costs; | ||
| Manufacturing flaws affecting the reliability, functionality or performance of our products, which could increase our product costs, reduce demand for our products or result in increased warranty expenses or require product recalls; | ||
| increased research and development expenses; | ||
| exchange rate fluctuations, particularly between the U.S. Dollar and Japanese Yen; | ||
| changes in general economic conditions; and | ||
| reduced sales to our retail customers if consumer confidence worsens. |
Difficulty of estimating future wafer requirements may cause us to overestimate our requirements and build excess inventories, or underestimate our requirements and have a shortage of wafers, either of which will harm our financial results.
Under the terms of our wafer supply agreements with FlashVision, Renesas, Samsung, Toshiba, Tower and UMC, we are obligated to provide a six-month rolling forecast of anticipated purchase orders. Generally, the estimates for the first three months of each rolling forecast are binding commitments and the estimates for the remaining months of the forecast may only be changed by a certain percentage from the previous months forecast. In addition, we are obligated to purchase 50% of FlashVisions wafer production. This limits our ability to react to
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fluctuations in demand for our products. For example, if customer demand falls below our forecast and we are unable to reschedule or cancel our orders, we may end up with excess inventories, which could result in higher operating expenses and reduced gross margins. Conversely, if customer demand exceeds our forecasts, we may be unable to obtain an adequate supply of silicon wafers and other flash memory products to fill customer orders, which could result in dissatisfied customers, lost sales and lower revenues. If we are unable to obtain scheduled quantities of silicon wafers or other flash memory products with acceptable price and/or yields from any foundry, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. Because the majority of our products are sold into emerging consumer markets, it has been, and likely will continue to be, difficult to accurately forecast future sales. In addition, bookings visibility remains limited due to the current economic uncertainty in our markets. A substantial majority of our quarterly sales are currently, have historically been, and we expect will continue to be, from orders received and fulfilled in the same quarter, which makes accurate forecasting very difficult. Our product order backlog may fluctuate substantially from quarter to quarter.
Variability of expense levels and significant fixed costs will harm our business if our revenues do not exceed our operating expenses.
We may need to hire additional personnel or otherwise increase our operating expenses in the future to support our sales and marketing efforts, research and development, and general and administrative activities. We have significant fixed costs and we cannot readily reduce these expenses over the short term. If our revenues do not increase proportionately to our operating expenses, or if revenues decrease or do not meet expectations for a particular period, we may not be able to reduce our expenses in the short term or at all and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.
License fees and royalties from our patent cross license agreements are variable and fluctuate from period to period making it difficult to predict our royalty revenues.
Our intellectual property strategy consists of cross-licensing our patents to other manufacturers of flash memory products. Under these arrangements, we earn license fees and royalties on individually negotiated terms. Our income from patent licenses and royalties can fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. A substantial portion of this income comes from royalties based on the actual sales by our licensees. The timing of revenue recognition from these payments is dependent on the terms of each contract and on the timing of product shipments by the third parties. As a result, our license and royalty revenues have fluctuated significantly in the past and are likely to continue to fluctuate in the future. Given the relatively high gross margins associated with license and royalty revenues, gross margins and net income are likely to fluctuate more with changes in license and royalty revenues than with changes in product revenues. Our license and royalty revenues may decline in the future as our existing license agreements expire or caps are reached.
We may be unable to maintain market share, which would reduce our potential revenues and benefit our competitors.
During periods of excess supply in the market for our flash memory products, we may lose market share to competitors who aggressively lower their prices. Conversely, under conditions of tight flash memory supply, we may be unable to increase our production volumes at a sufficiently rapid rate so as to maintain our market share. Ultimately, our future growth rate depends on our ability to obtain sufficient flash memory wafers and other components to meet demand. If we are unable to do so in a timely manner, we may lose market share to our competitors. We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, severe price competition for our products, which adversely impacts our product gross margins and overall profitability. In addition, we provide many of our retail customers protection against declines in the selling price of inventory that they have purchased from us but have not yet sold to end users. In times when prices are being aggressively lowered, this price protection obligation may have a significant adverse effect on our gross margins. In competing for market share, we face large corporations that have well established brand identity and significant strengths in our sales channels.
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Future rapid growth may strain our operations.
We must continue to hire, train, motivate and manage our employees to achieve future growth. In the past, we have experienced difficulty hiring the necessary engineering, sales and marketing personnel to support our growth. In addition, we must make a significant investment in our information management systems to support increased manufacturing, as well as accounting and other management related functions. Our systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support rapid growth in the future, which could in turn harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends on key personnel, including our executive officers, the loss of whom could disrupt our business.
Our success greatly depends on the continued contributions of our senior management and other key research and development, sales, marketing and operations personnel, including Dr. Eli Harari, our founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. Our success will also depend on our ability to recruit additional highly skilled personnel. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in hiring or retaining such key personnel, or that any of our key personnel will remain employed with us.
We may make acquisitions that are dilutive to existing stockholders, result in unanticipated accounting charges or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations, and result in difficulties in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, technologies, products and information systems of acquired companies or businesses.
We may grow our business through business combinations or other acquisitions of businesses, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering workforce or enhance our technological capabilities. We continually evaluate and explore strategic opportunities as they arise, including business combinations, strategic partnerships, capital investments and the purchase, licensing or sale of assets.
If we issue equity securities in connection with an acquisition, the issuance may be dilutive to our existing stockholders. Alternatively, acquisitions made entirely or partially for cash may reduce our cash reserves.
Acquisitions may require significant capital infusions, typically entail many risks and could result in difficulties in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, technologies, products and information systems of acquired companies. We may experience delays in the timing and successful integration of acquired technologies and product development through volume production, unanticipated costs and expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, contractual, intellectual property or employment issues. In addition, key personnel of an acquired company may decide not to work for us. The acquisition of another company or its products and technologies may also result in our entering into a geographic or business market in which we have little or no prior experience. These challenges could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees, harm our reputation and increase our expenses. These challenges are magnified as the size of the acquisition increases.
Furthermore, acquisitions may require large one-time charges and can result in increased debt or contingent liabilities, adverse tax consequences, substantial depreciation or deferred compensation charges, the amortization of amounts related to deferred compensation and identifiable purchased intangible assets or impairment of goodwill, any of which could negatively impact our results of operations. Any of these events could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
We may not be able to find suitable acquisition opportunities that are available at attractive valuations, if at all. Even if we do find suitable acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to consummate the acquisitions on commercially acceptable terms or realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions we do undertake.
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Risks Related to the Development of New Products
In transitioning to new processes and products, we face production and market acceptance risks that have caused, and may in the future cause, significant product delays that could harm our business.
Successive generations of our products have incorporated semiconductor devices with greater memory capacity per chip. Two important factors have enabled us to decrease the cost per megabyte of our flash data storage products: the development of higher capacity semiconductor devices and the implementation of smaller geometry manufacturing processes. The transition to new feature sizes is highly complex and requires new controllers, new test procedures and modifications of numerous other aspects of manufacturing, as well as extensive qualification of the new products by both us and our OEM customers. Any material delay in a qualification schedule could delay deliveries and adversely impact our operating results. In addition, a number of challenges exist in achieving a lower cost per megabyte, including:
| lower yields often experienced in the early production of new semiconductor devices; | ||
| manufacturing flaws with new processes including manufacturing processes at our subcontractors which may be extremely complex; | ||
| problems with the design and manufacturing of products that will incorporate these devices, which may result in delays or product recalls; and | ||
| production delays. |
Because our products are complex, we periodically experience significant delays in the development and volume production ramp-up of our products. Similar delays could occur in the future and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We cannot assure you that we, along with our flash memory wafer sources, will successfully develop and bring into full production with acceptable yields and reliability these new products or the underlying technology, or that any development or production ramp-up will be completed in a timely or cost-effective manner. If we are not successful or if our cost structure is not competitive, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer.
New products based on NAND MLC flash technology may encounter production delays and problems impacting production reliability and yields, which may cause our revenues and gross margins to decline.
We have developed new products based on NAND MLC flash technology, a flash architecture designed to store two bits in each flash memory cell. High-density flash memory, such as NAND MLC flash, is a complex technology that requires strict manufacturing controls and effective test screens. Problems encountered in the shift to volume production for new flash products could impact both reliability and yields, and result in increased manufacturing costs and reduced product availability. We may not be able to manufacture future generations of NAND MLC products with yields sufficient to result in lower costs per megabyte. If we are unable to bring future generations of high-density flash memory into full production as quickly as planned or if we experience unplanned yield or reliability problems, our revenues and gross margins will decline.
We continually seek to develop new products and standards, which may not be widely adopted by consumers or, if adopted, may reduce demand by consumers for our older products, which if not offset by increased demand for the new products could harm our results of operations.
We continually seek to develop new products and standards and enhance
existing products and standards developed solely by us, as well as jointly with
our strategic partners such as Toshiba, Matsushita and Sony. For example, in
March 2003, our joint development efforts with Toshiba and Matsushita, together
with contribution by the Secure Digital Association, or SD Association,
resulted in the introduction of the miniSD card, a smaller version of the SD
card. In addition, we and Sony have co-developed and co-own the specifications
for the next generation Memory Stick, the MemoryStick Pro, which each of us has
the right to manufacture and sell. As we introduce new standards and new
products, such as the miniSD card, the MemoryStick Pro and the USB Cruzer and
Cruzer Mini, it will take time for these new standards and products to be
adopted, for consumers to accept and transition to these new products and for
significant sales to be generated from them, if this happens at all. Moreover,
broad acceptance of new standards or products by consumers may reduce demand
for our older products. If this decreased demand is
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not offset by increased demand for our new products, our results of operations could be harmed. We cannot assure you that any new products or standards we develop will be commercially successful. See The success of our business depends on emerging markets and new products.
The success of our business depends on emerging markets and new products.
In order for demand for our products to grow, the markets for new devices that use our flash memory products, such as digital cameras, cellular phones, cellular phones that incorporate digital cameras, portable digital music players, USB flash drives and PDAs, must develop and grow. If sales of these products do not grow, our revenues and profit margins could be adversely impacted.
The success of our new product strategy will depend upon, the following among other factors:
| our ability to successfully develop new products with higher memory capacities and enhanced features at a lower cost per megabyte; | ||
| the development of new applications or markets for our flash data storage products; | ||
| the extent to which prospective customers design our products into their products and successfully introduce their products; | ||
| the extent to which our products or technologies become obsolete or noncompetitive due to products or technologies developed by others; and | ||
| the adoption by the major content providers of the copy protection features offered by our SD card products. |
Risks Related to Our FlashVision Joint Venture
Our FlashVision joint venture with Toshiba makes us vulnerable to risks, including potential inventory write-offs, disruptions or shortages of supply, limited ability to react to fluctuations in product demand, direct competition with Toshiba, and a significant contingent indemnification obligation, any of which could substantially harm our business and financial condition.
We and Toshiba plan to continue to expand the wafer fabrication capacity of our FlashVision business in Yokkaichi, Japan and as we do so, we will make substantial capital investments and incur substantial start-up expenses, which could adversely impact our operating results.
In June 2000, we, along with Toshiba, formed FlashVision for the joint
development and manufacture of several flash memory products, including 512
megabit, 1 gigabit and other advanced flash memory products. We and Toshiba
each separately market and sell these products. Accordingly, we compete
directly with Toshiba for sales of products incorporating these jointly
developed and manufactured products. In addition, we and Toshiba plan to invest
in new capital assets from time to time to expand the wafer fabrication
capacity of our FlashVision business in Yokkaichi, Japan. Each time that we
and Toshiba add substantial new wafer fabrication capacity, we will experience
start-up costs as a result of the delay between the time of the investment and
the time qualified products are manufactured and sold in volume quantities. We
will incur start-up costs and pay our share of ongoing operating activities
even if we do not utilize our full share of the expanded Yokkaichi output.
Given the current apparent acceleration in global demand for flash memory
wafers and assuming that the markets for our products continue their current
growth, new anticipated demand from customers may outstrip the supply of flash
memory wafers available to us from all our current sources. In that case, we
may need to secure for ourselves substantial additional flash memory wafer
fabrication capacity at .09 micron and finer line lithography. Accordingly, we
and Toshiba are currently discussing various fabrication and test capacity
expansion plans for the FlashVision operation in Yokkaichi, Japan. We and
Toshiba plan to substantially increase Yokkaichis 200 mm flash memory wafer
output in 2003 and 2004. The capacity expansion will be partially funded
through FlashVision internally generated funds, as well as through additional
investments by Toshiba and SanDisk. As of June 30, 2003, we have committed to
fund approximately
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$17.0 million for the initial fabrication capacity expansion through the first quarter of 2004. We expect to make further substantial commitments for capacity expansion at FlashVision in the next two to three years, which may include investing in a new, more advanced 300 mm wafer fabrication facility, and may need to raise additional capital to do so.
We face challenges and possible delays relating to the expected shift of a majority of our production at Yokkaichi to 0.13 micron and smaller feature sizes, which could adversely affect our operating results.
We were using the production capacity at Toshibas Yokkaichi fabrication facilities to manufacture NAND flash memory wafers with minimum lithographic feature size of 0.16 micron. Late in 2002, we began shifting a portion of our production output at Yokkaichi to 0.13 micron and expect to complete this shift to 0.13 micron in the second half of 2003. As of the beginning of the third quarter of 2003, we had not yet completed qualification of some new 0.13 micron product components. Any material delay in this qualification schedule will delay deliveries and adversely impact our operating results in the second half of 2003. In addition, we plan to manufacture flash memory wafers with even smaller lithographic feature sizes. Our minimum feature sizes are considered today to be among the most advanced for mass production of flash memory wafers. Therefore, it is difficult to predict how long it will take to achieve adequate yields, reliable operation, and economically attractive product costs based on our new designs and feature sizes. We currently rely and will continue to rely on Toshiba to address these challenges. With our investments in the FlashVision joint venture at Toshibas Yokkaichi facilities, we are now and will continue to be exposed to the adverse financial impact of any delays or manufacturing problems associated with wafer production lines. Any problems or delays in volume production at the Yokkaichi fabrication facilities could adversely impact our operating results in the second half of 2003 and beyond.
Toshibas Yokkaichi fabrication facilities are a significant source of supply of flash memory wafers and any disruption in this supply will reduce our revenues, earnings and gross margins.
Although we buy flash memory from the FlashVision joint venture, we also rely on Toshibas Yokkaichi fabrication facilities to supply on a foundry basis a portion of our flash memory wafers. Even if FlashVision successfully produces quantities at planned levels, the Yokkaichi fabrication facilities may not produce quantities of wafers with acceptable prices, reliability and yields to satisfy our needs. Any failure in this regard may curtail our business, financial condition and results of operations, as our right to purchase flash memory products from Samsung and others is limited and may not be sufficient to replace any shortfall in production at the Yokkaichi facilities. In addition, because a substantial majority of our wafers are produced at the Yokkaichi facilities, any disruption in supply from the Yokkaichi facilities due to natural disaster, power failure, labor unrest or other causes could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, in the second quarter of 2003, an earthquake in northern Japan disrupted operations at another Toshiba fabrication line for several weeks. Although no damage or disruption was reported at Yokkaichi, the occurrence and effects of these events is unpredictable and could materially harm us. Moreover, we have no experience in operating a wafer manufacturing line and we rely on the existing manufacturing organizations at the Yokkaichi facilities. If Toshiba and FlashVision are uncompetitive or are unable to satisfy our wafer supply requirements, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.
Our obligations under our wafer supply agreements with Toshiba and FlashVision, or decreased demand for our products, may result in excess inventories and lead to inventory write offs, and any technical difficulties or manufacturing problems may result in shortages in supply, either of which would adversely affect our business.
Under the terms of our wafer supply agreements with Toshiba, we are
obligated to purchase half of FlashVisions wafer production output and we will
also purchase wafers from Toshibas current Yokkaichi fabrication facilities on
a foundry relationship basis. Under the terms of our foundry relationship with
Toshiba and wafer supply agreements with FlashVision, we are obligated to
provide a six-month rolling forecast of anticipated purchase orders, which are
difficult to estimate. Generally, the estimates for the first three months of
each rolling forecast are binding commitments and cannot be cancelled and the
estimates for the remaining months of the forecast may only be changed by a
certain percentage from the previous months forecast. This limits our ability
to react to fluctuations in demand for our products. If we are unable for any
reason to achieve customer acceptance of our card
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products built with these flash chips or if demand decreases, we will experience a significant increase in our inventory, which may result in inventory write-offs and otherwise harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. If we place purchase orders with Toshiba and our business condition deteriorates, we could experience reduced revenues, increased expenses, and increased inventory of unsold flash wafers, which could adversely affect our operating results.
In addition, in order for us to sell our products, we have been developing, and will continue to develop, new controllers, printed circuit boards and test algorithms. Any technical difficulties or delays in the development of these elements could prevent us from taking advantage of the available flash memory output and could adversely affect our results of operations.
We have a contingent indemnification obligation for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement.
FlashVision secured an equipment lease arrangement of approximately 37.9 billion Japanese Yen (or approximately $305.0 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the date the agreement was executed) in May 2002 with Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd., and other financial institutions. Under the terms of the lease, Toshiba has guaranteed these commitments on behalf of FlashVision. We have agreed to indemnify Toshiba in certain circumstances for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement. If FlashVision fails to meet its lease commitments, and Toshiba fulfills these commitments under the terms of Toshibas guarantee, then we will be obligated to reimburse Toshiba for 49.9% of any claims under the lease, unless the claims result from Toshibas failure to meet its obligations to FlashVision or its covenants to the lenders. Because FlashVisions equipment lease arrangement is denominated in Japanese Yen, the maximum amount of our contingent indemnification obligation on a given date when converted to U.S. Dollars will fluctuate based on the exchange rate in effect on that date. As of June 30, 2003, the maximum amount of our contingent indemnification obligation, which reflects payments and any lease adjustments, was approximately $128.7 million.
Risks Related to Our Investment in Tower Semiconductor Ltd.
Our investment in Tower Semiconductor Ltd. is subject to inherent risks, including those associated with certain Israeli regulatory requirements, political unrest and financing difficulties, which could harm our business and financial condition.
In July 2000, we entered into a share purchase agreement to make an aggregate $75.0 million investment in Tower Semiconductor, for its new foundry facility, Fab 2, in five installments upon Towers completion of specific milestones. As of June 30, 2003, we had invested $71.6 million in Tower and obtained 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares, $14.3 million of prepaid wafer credits, and a warrant to purchase 360,313 Tower ordinary shares at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. The warrant expires on October 31, 2006. The 7,307,798 Tower ordinary shares represented an approximate 15% equity ownership position in Tower as of June 30, 2003. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 we recorded write-downs to the value of the wafer credits of $1.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively. In the second quarter and first six months of 2003 we recorded a $0.5 million and $0.3 million gain, respectively, related to the mark to fair value of the warrant. Also as of June 30, 2003, we have recognized cumulative losses of approximately $32.2 million as a result of the other-than-temporary decline in the value of our Tower ordinary shares investment, $12.2 million as a result of the impairment in value on our prepaid wafer credits and approximately $0.4 million of losses on our warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares. As of June 30, 2003, our investment in Tower was valued at $36.0 million and included an unrealized gain of $11.6 million, recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income on the SanDisks condensed consolidated balance sheet. Our Tower prepaid wafer credits were valued at $2.1 million and the warrant to purchase Tower ordinary shares was valued at $0.9 million.
In February 2003, we agreed to further amend our foundry investment
agreements with Tower and advance the payment of $11.0 million for the fifth
and final milestone in two installments regardless of whether the milestone was
met, a first installment of approximately $6.6 million and a second installment
of approximately $4.4 million. Towers shareholders approved the amendment in
May 2003 and, unless the Investment Center of Israel informs Tower that it is
not continuing its funding of the Fab 2 project, the amendment becomes
effective when (1) approved
36
by certain Israeli governmental agencies and (2)
when Towers banks agree to (a) postpone a prior deadline by which Tower was
required to have raised $110.0 million in equity financing and (b) recognize a
portion of the proceeds from the payment of the first installment in partial
satisfaction of Towers obligation to raise funds.
Pursuant to a side letter to the amendment, while the consents from
Towers banks are pending and (1) once the amendment was approved by Towers
shareholders and because (2) Tower had not received notice from the Investment
Center of Israel as mentioned above and (3) Towers banks had agreed to provide
interim funding in the
amount of at least $33.0 million, we agreed to pay, and did pay, Tower
$3.6 million of the first installment on May 16, 2003 in exchange for 1,206,839
Tower ordinary shares. If Towers banks agree to provide additional interim
funding in excess of $33.0 million, then we will pay Tower an additional
$58,085 (up to $681,750 in total) of the first installment for each $1.0
million of interim funding in excess of $33.0 million that Towers banks agree
to provide. If the remaining approvals from certain Israeli government agencies
are ultimately obtained and the banks provide their consent, we will fund the
remaining portion of the first installment and the second installment in
accordance with the terms of the amendment. The remainder of the first
installment, up to approximately $3.0 million, will be due five business days
after the amendment is approved by all required parties and the banks issue
their consents; the second installment of approximately $4.4 million will be
due five business days after Tower has raised additional funds equal to
approximately $22.0 million, referred to as the Minimum Financing. Tower must
complete the Minimum Financing prior to December 31, 2003, or we will not be
obligated to pay the second installment. Immediately following the advancement
of the remainder of the first installment, if it occurs, we will be issued
approximately 1,005,698 Tower ordinary shares. Immediately following the
advancement of the second installment, if it occurs, we will be issued Tower
ordinary shares equivalent to the second installment divided by the price per
ordinary share of Tower paid in connection with the Minimum Financing, or the
Minimum Financing Price; but if the Minimum Financing Price cannot reasonably
be calculated from the documents evidencing the Minimum Financing, then the
Minimum Financing Price will be deemed to be the average trading price for the
ordinary shares of Tower during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding the
date the second installment is paid. In addition, under the terms of the
amendment, if approved by the required Israeli government agencies, we will
have the option to convert all or a portion of our unused pre-paid wafer
credits associated with the September 2002 fourth milestone payment into Tower
ordinary shares based on the average closing price of Tower ordinary shares
during the 30 consecutive trading days preceding December 31, 2005.
Completion of Towers wafer foundry facility, Fab 2, is dependent on
several factors and may never occur, which may harm our business and results of
operations.
Towers completion of Fab 2 is dependent on its ability to obtain
additional financing for the foundry construction from equity and other sources
and the release of grants and approvals for changes in grant programs from the
Israeli governments Investment Center. The current political uncertainty and
security situation in the region may adversely impact Towers business
prospects and may discourage investments in Tower from outside sources. If
Tower is unable to obtain additional financing, complete foundry construction
in a timely manner or is unable to successfully complete the development and
transfer of advanced CMOS process technologies and ramp-up of production, the
value of our equity investment in Tower and wafer credits will decline
significantly or possibly become worthless. In addition, we may be unable to
obtain sufficient supply of wafers to manufacture our products, which would
harm our business. Further deterioration of market conditions for foundry
manufacturing services and the market for semiconductor products may also
adversely affect the value of our equity investment in Tower. If the fair value
of our Tower investment declines further, we may record additional losses,
which potentially could amount to the remaining recorded value of our Tower
investment. Moreover, if Tower is unable to satisfy its financial covenants and
comply with the conditions in its credit facility agreement, and therefore is
not able to obtain additional bank financing, or if its current bank
obligations are accelerated, or it fails to secure customers for its foundry
capacity to help offset its fixed costs, that failure could jeopardize the
completion of Fab 2 and Towers ability to continue operations.
Tower
is currently a sole source of supply for one of our new high volume
controllers. Any interruption in Towers manufacturing
operations resulting in delivery delays will adversely affect our
ability to make timely shipments of some of our higher capacity
products. If this occurs, our operating results will be adversely
affected until we can qualify an alternate source of supply, which
could take a quarter or more to complete.
We cannot assure you that the Fab 2 facility will be completed or will
begin production as scheduled, or that the processes needed to fabricate our
wafers will be qualified at the new facility. Moreover, we cannot assure you
that this new facility will be able to achieve acceptable yields or deliver
sufficient quantities of wafers on a timely basis at a competitive price. If
Tower is unable to operate Fab 2 at an optimum capacity utilization, it may
have to operate at a loss or discontinue operations.
37
Political unrest and violence in Israel may hinder Towers ability to
obtain investment in and complete its fabrication facility, which would harm
our business.
Political unrest and violence in Israel could cause and could result in
delays in the completion of Fab 2 and interruption or delay of manufacturing
schedules once Fab 2 is completed, and could result in potential investors and
foundry customers to avoid Tower. Moreover, if U.S. military actions in Iraq,
or elsewhere, result in retaliation against Israel, Towers fabrication
facility may be adversely impacted, causing a decline in the value of our
investment.
A purported shareholder class action lawsuit was filed against Tower and
certain of its shareholders and directors, including us and our President and
CEO, a Tower board member, which may be costly and could divert the attention
of our management personnel.
On July 3, 2003, a purported shareholder class action lawsuit was filed on
behalf of United States holders of ordinary shares of Tower as of the close of
business on April 1, 2002 in the United States District Court for the Southern
District of New York. The lawsuit was filed against Tower and certain of its
shareholders and directors, including us and Eli Harari, our President and CEO
and a Tower board member, and asserts claims arising under Sections 14(a) and
20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 14a-9
promulgated thereunder. The lawsuit alleges that Tower and certain of its
directors made false and misleading statements in a proxy solicitation to Tower
shareholders regarding a proposed amendment to a contract between Tower and
certain of its shareholders, including us. The plaintiffs are seeking
unspecified damages and attorneys and experts fees and expenses. Litigation
is inherently uncertain, can be costly and may divert the attention of our
management personnel, and if we are required to pay significant monetary or
other damages, our business may be harmed. For new information regarding
pending matters, see item 1 Legal Proceedings in Part II of this quarterly
report.
Risk Related to Our Investment in UMC
Fluctuations in the market value of our UMC foundry investment affect our
financial results and in the past we recorded a loss on investment in foundry
on our UMC investment and we may record additional losses in the future.
In 1997, we invested $51.2 million in United Silicon, Inc., or USIC, a
semiconductor manufacturing subsidiary of United Microelectronics Corporation,
or UMC, which was merged into the UMC parent company on January 3, 2000. In
exchange for our USIC shares, we received 111 million UMC shares. In 2000, 2001
and 2002, we received additional shares as stock dividends totaling
approximately 22 million, 20 million and 23 million shares, respectively. Our
equity investment in UMC was valued at $114.6 million at June 30, 2003 and
included an unrealized loss of $4.9 million, which was included in accumulated
other comprehensive loss. If the fair value of our UMC investment declines in
future periods and the loss is deemed to be other than temporary, we may record
additional losses for those periods. In addition, in future periods, we may
recognize a loss upon the sale of our UMC shares, which would adversely impact
our financial results.
Risks Related to Vendors and Subcontractors
We depend on our suppliers and third-party subcontractors for several
critical components and our products and our business could be harmed if we are
unable to obtain a sufficient supply of these components on a timely basis.
We rely on our vendors, some of which are a principal source of supply,
for several of our critical components. We do not have long-term supply
agreements with some of these vendors. Our business, financial condition and
operating results could be significantly harmed by delays or reductions in
shipments if we are unable to develop alternative sources or obtain sufficient
quantities of these components.
We also rely on third-party subcontractors for our wafer testing, packaged
memory final testing, card assembly and card testing, including Silicon
Precision Industries Co., Ltd. and United Test Center, Inc. in Taiwan and
Celestica, Inc. and Flextronics in China. In addition to our existing
subcontract suppliers, we are qualifying
38
other subcontract suppliers for wafer
testing, packaged memory final testing, card assembly, card testing and other
products and services. We have no long-term contracts with our existing
subcontractors nor do we expect to have long-term contracts with any new
subcontract suppliers. As such, we cannot, and will not, be able to directly
control product delivery schedules. Any significant problems that occur at our
subcontractors, or their failure to perform at the level we expect, could lead
to product shortages or quality assurance problems, either of which could
increase the manufacturing costs of our products and have adverse effects on
our operating results. Furthermore, we are manufacturing on a turnkey basis
with some of our existing subcontract suppliers as well as with our anticipated
newly qualified subcontract suppliers, which may reduce our visibility and
control of their inventories of purchased parts necessary to build our
products. Silicon Precision Industries, Celestica and Flextronics all have
manufacturing operations in geographic regions that have been adversely
impacted by SARS. Although none of these
subcontractors reported being directly impacted by SARS, our supply chain
is exposed to the future possibility of interruption in the event that any of
their plants, or any of our future subcontractor plants, that process our
products become infected or are quarantined at any time in the future.
We depend on third-party foundries for silicon wafers and any shortage or
disruption in our supply from these sources will reduce our revenues, earnings
and gross margins.
All of our flash memory card products require silicon wafers, a
substantial majority of which are currently supplied by Toshibas wafer
facility at Yokkaichi, Japan, as well as by UMC in Taiwan and to a lesser
extent by Renesas, Samsung and Tower. Our flash memory products are
substantially supplied by Toshibas Yokkaichi wafer fabrication facilities and,
to a lesser extent, by Samsung. If Toshiba, FlashVision, Samsung, Tower and UMC
are uncompetitive or are unable to satisfy these requirements, our business,
financial condition and operating results may suffer. Any disruption in supply
from these sources due to natural disaster, power failure, labor unrest or
other causes could significantly harm our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We and our manufacturing partners must achieve acceptable wafer
manufacturing yields or our costs will increase and production output will
decrease, which could negatively impact our business.
The fabrication of our products requires wafers to be produced in a highly
controlled and ultra clean environment. Semiconductor companies that supply our
wafers sometimes have experienced problems achieving acceptable wafer
manufacturing yields. Semiconductor manufacturing yields are a function of both
our design technology and the foundrys manufacturing process technology. Low
yields may result from design errors or manufacturing failures. Yield problems
may not be determined or improved until an actual product is made and can be
tested. As a result, yield problems may not be identified until the wafers are
well into the production process. The risks associated with yields are even
greater because we rely exclusively on offshore foundries that we do not
control for our wafers, which increases the effort and time required to
identify, communicate and resolve manufacturing yield problems. If the
foundries cannot achieve planned yields, we will experience higher costs and
reduced product availability, which could harm our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Competition
We face competition from flash memory manufacturers and memory card
assemblers and if we cannot compete effectively, our business will be harmed.
We compete in an industry characterized by intense competition, rapid
technological changes, evolving industry standards, declining average selling
prices and rapid product obsolescence. Our competitors include many large
domestic and international companies that have greater access to advanced wafer
foundry capacity, substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and
other resources, broader product lines and longer standing relationships with
customers.
Our primary competitors include companies that develop and manufacture
flash storage chips, such as Renesas, Samsung and Toshiba. In addition, we
compete with companies that manufacture other forms of flash memory and
companies that purchase flash memory components and assemble memory cards.
Companies that manufacture socket flash, linear flash and components include
Advanced Micro Devices, Atmel, Fujitsu, Hynix, Infineon, Intel, Macronix,
Micron Technologies, Mitsubishi, Sharp Electronics and ST Microelectronics.
Companies
39
that combine controllers and flash memory chips developed by others
into flash storage cards, or that resell flash cards under their brand name,
include Dane-Elec Manufacturing, Delkin Devices, Inc., Fuji, Hagiwara, Hama,
I/O Data, Infineon, Jessops, Kingston Technology, Kodak, Lexar Media,
M-Systems, Matsushita Battery, Matsushita Panasonic, Memorex, Micron
Technology, PNY, PQI, Pretec, Silicon Storage Technology, Silicon Tek, Simple
Technology, Sony, TDK, Toshiba, Viking Components and several other resellers
primarily located in Taiwan.
We have entered into agreements with, and face direct competition from,
Toshiba, Samsung and other competitors.
In 2000, we, along with Matsushita and Toshiba, formed the SD Association
to jointly develop and promote the Secure Digital card. Under this arrangement,
royalty-bearing Secure Digital card licenses will be available to other flash
memory card manufacturers, resulting in increased competition for our Secure
Digital card
and other products. In addition, Matsushita and Toshiba sell Secure
Digital cards that compete directly with our products. While other flash card
manufacturers are required to pay license fees and royalties, which will be
shared among Matsushita, Toshiba and us, there are no royalties or license fees
payable among the three companies for their respective sales of the Secure
Digital card. Thus, we forfeit potential royalty income from Secure Digital
card sales by Matsushita and Toshiba.
In addition, we and Toshiba each separately market and sell flash memory
products developed and manufactured by our joint venture, FlashVision.
Accordingly, we compete directly with Toshiba for sales of these products.
Moreover, we rely principally on Toshiba, and to a lesser extent Samsung, for
our flash memory supply.
We have entered into patent cross-license agreements with several of our
leading competitors, including, Intel, Matsushita, Renesas, SST, Samsung,
Sharp, Sony, Toshiba and TDK. Under these agreements, each party may
manufacture and sell products that incorporate technology covered by the other
partys patent or patents related to flash memory devices. As we continue to
license our patents to certain of our competitors, competition will increase
and may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Currently, we are engaged in licensing discussions with several of our
competitors. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in concluding
licensing agreements under terms which are favorable to us, or at all.
Our products compete against new products that promote different industry
standards from ours, and if these new industry standards gain market
acceptance, our business will be harmed.
Each of our products faces competition from large and small suppliers,
some introducing differentiated products that may be more attractive to our
customers. M-Systems DiskOnKey competes directly with our Cruzer and Cruzer
Mini products and the Secure MultiMediaCard from Renesas and Infineon, the
RS-MMC from Renesas and Samsung, and the MultiMediaCard from Samsung all
compete with our SD and MMC cards. In addition, in 2002, the xD-picture card
format was introduced as direct competition for our Smart Media card products.
Until we commence full scale manufacturing and selling of xD cards under our
new agreement with Olympus we will continue to see a decline in our sale of
SmartMedia cards without a compensating increase in xD card sales. Each
competing standard may not be mechanically and electronically compatible with
our products. If a manufacturer of digital cameras or other consumer electronic
devices designs in one of these alternative competing standards, our products
will be eliminated from use in that product. In addition, other companies, such
as Matrix Semiconductor, have announced products or technologies that may
potentially compete with our products.
The Microdrive, which Renesas recently acquired from IBM, is a rotating
disk drive in a Type II CF format, which competes directly with our larger
capacity CF memory cards.
Sony has licensed its proprietary Memory Stick to us and other companies
and Sony has agreed to supply us a portion of its Memory Stick output for
resale under our brand name. In addition, Sony has announced the Memory Stick
Duo, a smaller version of its Memory Stick, and we and Sony have co-developed
and co-own the specifications for the next generation Memory Stick, known as
the MemoryStick Pro. If consumer electronics products using the MemoryStick Pro
achieve widespread use, sales of our MultiMediaCard, SD card, miniSD,
SmartMedia card and CF card products may decline.
40
We face competition from products based on alternative flash technologies
and if we cannot compete effectively, our business will be harmed.
We also face competition from products based on alternative MLC flash
technology from Intel and Renesas. These products currently compete with our
NAND MLC products. MLC flash is a technological innovation that allows each
flash memory cell to store two bits of information instead of the traditional
single bit stored by conventional flash technology. In addition, Infineon has
recently formed a separate business unit, called Infineon Flash, that was
formed to develop and commercialize a new flash technology called NROM, which
offers 2 bits per cell and is claimed to match the density of our NAND MLC at a
lower manufacturing cost. Infineon has also stated its intention to utilize
this NROM flash memory technology, once it reaches production, in a line of
flash cards that will compete with our cards, including our MultiMediaCard and
SD card. Moreover, each of Micron Technology, Inc., Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
and ST Microelectronics, has stated the intention to compete with our flash
memory with their own NAND flash products, which they are reported to be
developing. If any of these
competitors is successful, this new competition could add excess flash
capacity and thereby adversely impact our future sales.
Furthermore, we expect to face competition both from existing competitors
and from other companies that may enter our existing or future markets with
similar or alternative data storage solutions, which may be less costly or
provide additional features. Our business is characterized by rapid innovation
and many other companies are pursuing new technologies, which may make our
flash memory obsolete or uncompetitive. Additionally, if we do not continue to
invest in new technologies, our business would likely be seriously harmed.
Price is an important competitive factor in the market for consumer products.
Increased price competition could lower gross margins if our average selling
prices decrease faster than our costs and could also result in lost sales.
Risks Related to Sales of Our Products
Sales to a small number of customers represent a significant portion of
our revenues and if we were to lose one of our major customers or experience
any material reduction in orders from any of these customers, our revenues and
operating results would suffer.
Approximately one-half of our revenues come from a small number of
customers. For example, sales to our top 10 customers accounted for
approximately 50% of our product revenues in 2002, 2001, and 2000. If we were
to lose one of our major customers or experience any material reduction in
orders from any of these customers, our revenues and operating results would
suffer. Our sales are generally made by standard purchase orders rather than
long-term contracts. In addition, the composition of our major customer base
changes from year to year as the market demand for our customers products
changes.
Variability of average selling prices and gross margins resulting from
changes in our product mix and price reductions for certain of our products may
cause our gross margins and net profitability to suffer.
Our product mix varies quarterly, which affects our overall average
selling prices and gross margins. Our CF card, SD card, miniSD card and Memory
Stick card products, which currently account for a majority of our product
revenues, have lower gross margins and average selling prices when sold as
bundled cards in OEM devices, such as Digital Cameras, compared to sales
through retail channels. Flash data storage markets are intensely competitive,
and price reductions for our products are necessary to meet consumer price
points and may be significant. If we cannot reduce our product manufacturing
costs in future periods to offset further price reductions, our gross margins
and net profitability will suffer.
Our selling prices may decline due to excess capacity in the market for
flash memory products and if we cannot reduce our manufacturing costs to offset
these price declines, our gross margins and net profitability will be harmed.
In the past, worldwide flash memory supply has exceeded customer demand,
causing excess supply in the markets for our products and significant declines
in average selling prices. If this situation were to occur again in the future,
price declines for our products could be significant. If we are unable to
reduce our product manufacturing costs to offset these reduced prices, our
gross margins and profitability would be adversely impacted.
41
Our business depends significantly upon sales of products in the highly
competitive consumer market, a significant portion of which are made to
retailers and through distributors, and if our distributors and retailers are
not successful in this market, we could experience substantial product returns,
which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
In 2002, we continued to receive more product revenue and ship more units
of products for consumer electronics applications, including digital cameras
and PDAs, compared to other applications. The consumer market is intensely
competitive and is more price sensitive than our other target markets. In
addition, we must spend more on marketing and promotion in consumer markets to
establish brand name recognition, maintain competitive position at retailers
and increase demand for our products.
A significant portion of our sales to the consumer electronics market is
made to retailers and through distributors. Sales through these channels
typically include rights to return unsold inventory and protection against
price declines. As a result, we do not recognize revenue until after the
product has been sold through to the end user. If our distributors and
retailers are not successful in this market, there could be substantial product
returns or price protection payments, which would harm our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Sales of our products through our retail distribution channel include the
use of third-party fulfillment facilities that hold our manufacturing
components and finished goods on a consignment basis, and if these fulfillment
facilities were to experience a loss with respect to our inventory, we may not
be able to recoup the full cost of the inventory, which would harm our
business.
Our retail distribution channel utilizes third-party fulfillment
facilities, such as Modus Media International, Inc. and Nippon Express. These
fulfillment houses hold our manufacturing components and finished goods on a
consignment basis, providing packout services for our retail business, which
include labeling and packaging our raw cards, as well as shipping the finished
product directly to our customers. While our third-party fulfillment houses
bear the risk of loss with respect to our inventory, the amount we are
reimbursed by them or their insurers may be less than our original cost of the
inventory, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
There is seasonality in our business, which may impact our product sales,
particularly in the fourth and first quarters of the fiscal year.
Sales of our products in the consumer electronics market may be subject to
seasonality. As a result, product sales may be impacted by seasonal purchasing
patterns with higher sales generally occurring in the fourth quarter of each
year followed by declines in the first quarter of the following year. In
addition, in the past we have experienced a decrease in orders in the first
quarter from our Japanese OEM customers primarily because most customers in
Japan operate on a fiscal year ending in March and prefer to delay purchases
until the beginning of their next fiscal year.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
We may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights, which would
harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyright and trade
secret laws, confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements to protect
our intellectual property rights. In the past, we have been involved in
significant disputes regarding our intellectual property rights and claims that
we may be infringing third parties intellectual property rights. We expect
that we may be involved in similar disputes in the future. We cannot assure you
that:
42
In addition, our competitors may be able to design their products around
our patents.
We intend to vigorously enforce our patents but we cannot be sure that our
efforts will be successful. If we were to have an adverse result in any
litigation, we could be required to pay substantial damages, cease the
manufacture, use and sale of infringing products, expend significant resources
to develop non-infringing technology, discontinue the use of specific processes
or obtain licenses to the infringing technology. Any litigation is likely to
result in significant expense to us, as well as divert the efforts of our
technical and management personnel.
We may be unable to license intellectual property to or from third parties
as needed, or renew existing licenses, and we have agreed to indemnify various
suppliers and customers for alleged patent infringement, which could expose us
to liability for damages, increase our costs or limit or prohibit us from
selling certain products.
If we decide to incorporate third-party technology into our products or if
we are found to infringe on others intellectual property, we could be required
to license intellectual property from a third party. We may also need to
license some of our intellectual property to others in order to enable us to
obtain cross-licenses to third-party patents. Currently, we have patent
cross-license agreements or similar intellectual property agreements with
several companies, including, Intel, Matsushita, Olympus, SST, Renesas,
Samsung, Sharp, SmartDisk, Sony, TDK and Toshiba and we are in discussions with
other companies regarding potential cross-license agreements. We cannot be
certain that licenses will be offered when we need them, or that the terms
offered will be acceptable. If we do obtain licenses from third parties, we may
be required to pay license fees or royalty payments. In addition, if we are
unable to obtain a license that is necessary to the manufacture of our
products, we could be required to suspend the manufacture of products or stop
our wafer suppliers from using processes that may infringe the rights of third
parties. We cannot assure you that we would be successful in redesigning our
products or that the necessary licenses will be available under reasonable
terms, or that our existing licensees will renew their licenses upon
expiration, or that we will be successful in signing new licensees in the
future.
We have historically agreed to indemnify suppliers and customers for
alleged patent infringement. The scope of such indemnity varies, but may, in
some instances, include indemnification for damages and expenses, including
attorneys fees. We may periodically engage in litigation as a result of these
indemnification obligations. Our insurance policies exclude coverage for
third-party claims for patent infringement. Any future obligation to indemnify
our customers or suppliers could harm our business, financial condition or
results of operations.
We may be involved in litigation regarding our intellectual property
rights or those of third parties, which would be costly and would divert the
efforts of our key technical and management personnel.
Litigation is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may cause
actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Factors that could
cause litigation results to differ include, but are not limited to, the
discovery of previously unknown facts, changes in the law or in the
interpretation of laws, and uncertainties associated with the judicial
decision-making process. We have been subject to, and expect to continue to be
subject to, claims and legal proceedings regarding alleged infringement by us
of the patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights of third
parties. Furthermore, parties that we have sued and that we may sue for patent
infringement may counter sue us for infringing their patents. Litigation
involving intellectual property can become complex and extend for protracted
time and is often very expensive. Intellectual property claims, whether or not
meritorious, may result in the expenditure of significant financial resources,
injunctions against us or the imposition of damages that we must pay and would
also divert the efforts and attention of some of our key management and
technical personnel. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who
allege that we have infringed their rights, but such licenses may not be
available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Moreover, if we are required to
pay significant monetary damages, are
43
enjoined from selling any of our products
or are required to make substantial royalty payments, our business would be
harmed. For new information concerning pending matters reported in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, or new pending
matters, see Item 1 Legal Proceedings in Part II of this quarterly report.
Risks Related to Our International Operations and Changes in Securities Laws and Regulations
Because of our international operations, we must comply with numerous
international laws and regulations and we are vulnerable to political
instability and currency fluctuations.
Political risks. Currently, all of our flash memory, controller wafers
and flash memory products are produced overseas by FlashVision, Renesas,
Samsung, Toshiba, Tower and UMC. We also use third-party subcontractors in
Taiwan, China and Japan for the assembly and testing of some of our card and
component products. We may, therefore, be affected by the political, economic
and military conditions in these countries. Taiwan is currently engaged in
various political disputes with China and in the past both countries have
conducted military exercises in or near the others territorial waters and
airspace. The Taiwanese and Chinese governments
may escalate these disputes, resulting in an economic embargo, disruption
in shipping routes or even military hostilities. This could harm our business
by interrupting or delaying the production or shipment of flash memory wafers
or card products by our Taiwanese or Japanese foundries and subcontractors.
Under its current leadership, the Chinese government has been pursuing
economic reform policies, including the encouragement of foreign trade and
investment and greater economic decentralization. The Chinese government may
not continue to pursue these policies and, even if it does continue, these
policies may not be successful. The Chinese government may also significantly
alter these policies from time to time. In addition, China does not currently
have a comprehensive and highly developed legal system, particularly with
respect to the protection of intellectual property rights. As a result,
enforcement of existing and future laws and contracts is uncertain, and the
implementation and interpretation of such laws may be inconsistent. Such
inconsistency could lead to piracy and degradation of our intellectual property
protection.
Political unrest and violence in Israel could cause delays in the
completion of Towers Fab 2 and interruption or delay of manufacturing
schedules once Fab 2 is completed, either of which could cause potential
foundry customers to go elsewhere for their foundry business. Moreover, if U.S.
military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere, or current Israeli military
actions, result in retaliation against Israel, Towers fabrication facility and
our engineering design center in Israel may be adversely impacted. In addition,
while the political unrest has not yet posed a direct security risk to our
engineering design center in Israel, it may cause unforeseen delays in the
development of our products and may in the future pose such a direct security
risk.
Economic risks. We price our products primarily in U.S. Dollars. If the
Euro, Yen and other currencies weaken relative to the U.S. Dollar, our products
may be relatively more expensive in these regions, which could result in a
decrease in our sales. While most of our sales are denominated in U.S. Dollars,
we invoice certain Japanese customers in Japanese Yen and are subject to
exchange rate fluctuations on these transactions, which could harm our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
General risks. Our international business activities could also be
limited or disrupted by any of the following factors:
44
Terrorist attacks and threats, and government responses thereto, the war
in Iraq and threats of war elsewhere, may negatively impact all aspects of our
operations, revenues, costs and stock price.
The terrorist attacks in the United States, U.S. military responses to
these attacks, the war in Iraq and threats of war elsewhere and the related
decline in consumer confidence and continued economic weakness have had a
negative impact on consumer retail demand, which is the largest channel for our
product sales. Any escalation in these events or similar future events may
disrupt our operations or those of our customers and suppliers and may affect
the availability of materials needed to manufacture our products or the means
to transport those materials to manufacturing facilities and finished products
to customers. In addition, these events have had and may continue to have an
adverse impact on the U.S. and world economy in general and consumer confidence
and spending in particular, which could harm our sales. Any of these events
could increase volatility in the U.S. and world financial markets, which could
harm our stock price and may limit the capital resources available to us and
our customers or suppliers or adversely affect consumer confidence. This could
have a significant impact on our operating results, revenues and costs and may
result in increased volatility in the market price of our common stock.
Recently enacted and proposed changes in securities laws and regulations
are likely to increase our costs.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that became law in July 2002 required
changes in our corporate governance, public disclosure and compliance
practices. The act also required the SEC to promulgate new rules on a variety
of subjects. In addition to final rules and rule proposals already made, Nasdaq
has proposed revisions to its requirements for companies, such as us, that are
Nasdaq-listed. We expect these developments to increase our legal and
financial compliance costs, and to make some activities more difficult, such as
stockholder approval of new option plans. We expect these developments to make
it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer
liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur
substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These developments could make
it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board
of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee, and qualified
executive officers. We are presently evaluating and monitoring regulatory
developments and cannot estimate the timing or magnitude of additional costs we
may incur as a result.
Risks Related to Our Charter Documents, Stockholder Rights Plan, Our Stock
Price, Our Debt Rating and the Raising of Additional Financing
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents, stockholder rights plan
and in Delaware law could prevent or delay a change in control and, as a
result, negatively impact our stockholders.
We have taken a number of actions that could have the effect of
discouraging a takeover attempt. For example, we have adopted a stockholders
rights plan that would cause substantial dilution to a stockholder, and
substantially increase the cost paid by a stockholder, who attempts to acquire
us on terms not approved by our board of directors. This could prevent us from
being acquired. In addition, our certificate of incorporation grants the board
of directors the authority to fix the rights, preferences and privileges of and
issue up to 4,000,000 shares of preferred stock without stockholder action.
Although we have no present intention to issue shares of preferred stock, such
an
45
issuance could have the effect of making it more difficult and less
attractive for a third-party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting
stock. Preferred stock may also have other rights, including economic rights
senior to our common stock that could have a material adverse effect on the
market value of our common stock. In addition, we are subject to the
anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law. This section provides that a corporation may not engage in any business
combination with any interested stockholder during the three-year period
following the time that a stockholder became an interested stockholder. This
provision could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control
of SanDisk.
Our stock price has been, and may continue to be, volatile, which could
result in investors losing all or part of their investments.
The market price of our stock has fluctuated significantly in the past and
is likely to continue to fluctuate in the future. For example, in the 12 months
ended June 30, 2003, our stock price fluctuated significantly from a low of
$11.05 to a high of $42.20. We believe that such fluctuations will continue as
a result of future announcements concerning us, our competitors or principal
customers regarding technological innovations, new product introductions,
governmental regulations, litigation or changes in earnings estimates by
analysts. In addition, in recent years the stock market has experienced
significant price and volume fluctuations and the market prices of the
securities of high technology and semiconductor companies have been especially
volatile, often for reasons outside
the control of the particular companies. These fluctuations as well as
general economic, political and market conditions may have an adverse affect on
the market price of our common stock.
The ratings assigned to us and our notes may fluctuate, which could harm
the market price our common stock.
We and our notes have been rated by Standard & Poors Ratings Services,
and may be rated by other rating agencies in the future. Standard & Poors
Ratings Services assigned its B corporate credit rating to us and its CCC+
subordinated debt rating to our notes. If our current ratings are lowered or if
other rating agencies assign us or the notes ratings lower than expected by
investors, the market price of our common stock could be significantly harmed.
We may need additional financing, which could be difficult to obtain, and
which if not obtained in satisfactory amounts may prevent us from increasing
our wafer supply, developing or enhancing our products, taking advantage of
future opportunities, growing our business or responding to competitive
pressures or unanticipated industry changes, any of which could harm our
business.
We may need to raise additional funds and we cannot be certain that we
will be able to obtain additional financing on favorable terms, if at all. From
time to time, we may decide to raise additional funds through public or private
debt or equity financings to fund our activities. In July 2003, we filed a
shelf registration statement, or Shelf, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission providing for the offering and sale from time to time of shares of
our common stock with an aggregate offering price of up to $500.0 million. If
we issue additional equity securities under the Shelf or otherwise, our
stockholders will experience additional dilution and the new equity securities
may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing holders
of common stock or debt securities. In addition, if we raise funds through debt
financing, we will have to pay interest and may be subject to restrictive
covenants, which could harm our business. If we cannot raise funds on
acceptable terms, if and when needed, we may not be able to develop or enhance
our products, take advantage of future opportunities, grow our business or
respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated industry changes, any of
which could have a negative impact on our business.
Our management may apply the net proceeds from any sale of common stock to
uses that do not improve our operating results or increase the value of your
investment.
The net proceeds from any sale of common stock under the Shelf or
otherwise may be used for general corporate purposes, including the investment
in and development of new flash memory fabrication and test capacity, general
working capital and capital expenditures. We may also use the proceeds to fund,
among other things, acquisitions of products, technologies or businesses or to
obtain the right to use additional technologies. However, we currently have no
commitments or agreements for any specific acquisitions or investments.
Accordingly, our
46
management will have considerable discretion in the
application of any future net proceeds, and purchasers of common stock will not
have the opportunity, as part of their investment decision, to assess whether
the proceeds are being used appropriately. Net proceeds may be used for
corporate purposes that do not increase our operating results or market value.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness
We have convertible subordinated notes outstanding, which may restrict our
cash flow, make it difficult for us to obtain future financing, divert our
resources from other uses, limit our ability to react to changes in the
industry, and place us at a competitive disadvantage.
As a result of the sale and issuance of our 4 -1/2% convertible
subordinated notes in December 2001 and January 2002, we incurred $150.0
million aggregate principal amount of additional indebtedness, substantially
increasing our ratio of debt to total capitalization. While the notes are
outstanding, we will have debt service obligations on the notes of
approximately $6.8 million per year in interest payments. If we are unable to
generate sufficient cash to meet these obligations and must instead use our
existing cash or investments, we may have to reduce, curtail or terminate other
activities of our business.
We intend to fulfill our debt service obligations from cash generated by
our operations, if any, and from our existing cash and investments. If
necessary, among other alternatives, we may add lease lines of credit to
finance capital expenditures and obtain other long-term debt and lines of
credit. We may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The
level of our indebtedness, among other things, could:
There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet our debt service
obligations, including our obligations under the notes.
In addition, we have agreed to indemnify Toshiba in certain circumstances
for certain liabilities Toshiba incurs as a result of Toshibas guarantee of
the FlashVision equipment lease arrangement. If FlashVision fails to meet its
lease commitments, and Toshiba fulfills these commitments under the terms of
Toshibas guarantee, then we will be obligated to reimburse Toshiba for 49.9%
of any claims under the lease, unless such claims result from Toshibas failure
to meet its obligations to FlashVision or its covenants to the lenders.
Because FlashVisions new equipment lease arrangement is denominated in
Japanese Yen, the maximum amount of our contingent indemnification obligation
on a given date when converted to U.S. Dollars will fluctuate based on the
exchange rate in effect on that date. As of June 30, 2003, the maximum amount
of our contingent indemnification obligation, which reflects payments and any
lease adjustments, was approximately $128.7 million.
47
This contingent indemnification obligation might constitute senior
indebtedness under the notes and we may use a portion of the proceeds from the
notes to repay the obligation. This would result in the diversion of resources
from other important areas of our business and could significantly harm our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to satisfy a fundamental change offer under the
indenture governing the notes.
The indenture governing the notes contains provisions that apply to a
fundamental change. A fundamental change as defined in the indenture would
occur if we were to be acquired for consideration other than cash or securities
traded on a major U.S. securities market. If someone triggers a fundamental
change, we may be required to offer to purchase the notes with cash. This would
result in the diversion of resources from other important areas of our business
and could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
If we have to make a fundamental change offer, we cannot be sure that we
will have enough funds to pay for all the notes that the holders could tender.
Our failure to redeem tendered notes upon a fundamental change would constitute
a default under the indenture and might constitute a default under the terms of
our other indebtedness, which would significantly harm our business and
financial condition.
We may not be able to pay our debt and other obligations, which would
cause us to be in default under the terms of our indebtedness, which would
result in harm to our business and financial condition.
If our cash flow is inadequate to meet our obligations, we could face
substantial liquidity problems. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash
flow or otherwise obtain funds necessary to make required payments on the notes
or our other indebtedness, we would be in default under the terms thereof,
which would permit the holders of the notes to accelerate the maturity of the
notes and also could cause defaults under our other indebtedness. Any such
default would harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating
results. In addition, we cannot assure you that we would be able to repay
amounts due in respect of the notes if payment of the notes were to be
accelerated following the occurrence of any other event of default as defined
in the indenture governing the notes. Moreover, we cannot assure that we will
have sufficient funds or will be able to arrange for financing to pay the
principal amount due on the notes at maturity.
The notes and other indebtedness have rights senior to those of our
current stockholders such that in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or
reorganization or upon acceleration of the notes due to an event of default
under the indenture and in certain other events, our assets will be available
for distribution to our current stockholders only after all senior indebtedness
is repaid.
In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization or upon
acceleration of the notes due to an event of default under the indenture and in
certain other events, our assets will be available for distribution to our
current stockholders only after all senior indebtedness, including our
contingent indemnification obligations to Toshiba and obligations under the
notes, have been paid in full. As a result, there may not be sufficient assets
remaining to make any distributions to our stockholders. The notes are also
effectively subordinated to the liabilities of any of our subsidiaries
(including trade payables, which as of June 30, 2003 were approximately $0.5
million). Neither we, nor our subsidiaries are limited from incurring debt,
including senior indebtedness, under the indenture. If we or our subsidiaries
were to incur additional debt or liabilities, our ability to pay our
obligations on the notes could be adversely affected. We anticipate that from
time to time we will incur additional debt, including senior indebtedness. Our
subsidiaries are also likely to incur liabilities in the future.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Please refer to our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
(a) Based on their evaluation as of a date within 90 days of the filing
date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our principal executive officer and
our principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-14(c) and 15d-14(c) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) are effective to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange
Commission rules and forms.
(b) There have been no significant changes in our internal controls or in
other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the
date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.
49
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, it has been and may continue to be necessary to
initiate or defend litigation against third parties to preserve and defend our
intellectual property rights. These and other parties could bring suit against
us.
Litigation is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may cause
actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Factors that could
cause litigation results to differ include, but are not limited to, the
discovery of previously unknown facts, changes in the law or in the
interpretation of laws, and uncertainties associated with the judicial
decision-making process. We have been subject to, and expect to continue to be
subject to, claims and legal proceedings regarding alleged infringement by us
of the patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights of third
parties. Furthermore, parties that we have sued and that we may sue for patent
infringement may counter-sue us for infringing their patents. Litigation
involving intellectual property can become complex and extend for a protracted
time, and is often very expensive. Such claims, whether or not meritorious,
may result in the expenditure of significant financial resources, injunctions
against us or the imposition of damages that we must pay and would also divert
the efforts and attention of some of our key management and technical
personnel. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who allege that
we have infringed their rights, but such licenses may not be available on terms
acceptable to us or at all. Moreover, if we are required to pay significant
monetary damages, are enjoined from selling any of our products or are required
to make substantial royalty payments, our business would be harmed.
On or about August 3, 2001, the Lemelson Medical, Education & Research
Foundation, or Lemelson Foundation, filed a complaint for patent infringement
against us and four other defendants. The suit, captioned Lemelson Medical,
Education, & Research Foundation, Limited Partnership vs. Broadcom Corporation,
et al., Civil Case No. CIV01 1440PHX HRH, was filed in the United States
District Court, District of Arizona. On November 13, 2001, the Lemelson
Foundation filed an Amended Complaint, which made the same substantive
allegations against us but named more than twenty-five additional defendants.
The Amended Complaint alleges that we, and the other defendants, have infringed
certain patents held by the Lemelson Foundation pertaining to bar code scanning
technology. By its complaint, the Lemelson Foundation requests that we be
enjoined from our allegedly infringing activities and seeks unspecified
damages. On February 4, 2002, we filed an answer to the Amended Complaint,
wherein we alleged that we do not infringe the asserted patents, and further
that the patents are not valid or enforceable.
On October 31, 2001, we filed a complaint for patent infringement in the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California against
Memorex Products, Inc., Pretec Electronics Corporation, Ritek Corporation, and
Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. In the suit, captioned SanDisk Corp. v.
Memorex Products, Inc., et al., Civil No. CV 01-4063 VRW, we seek damages and
injunctions against these companies from making, selling, importing or using
flash memory cards that infringe our U.S. Patent No. 5,602,987, or the 987
Patent. Defendants have filed answers denying the allegations. We filed a
motion for a preliminary injunction in the suit to enjoin Memorex, Pretec and
Ritek from making, selling, importing or using flash memory cards that infringe
our 987 Patent prior to the trial on the merits. On May 17, 2002, the Court
denied our motion. Discovery has commenced. Ritek has filed a motion for
summary judgment of non-infringement, and we have filed a cross-motion for
summary judgment of Riteks infringement. A hearing on those motions and on
claim construction of the 987 Patent is currently scheduled for August 13,
2003.
On or about June 9, 2003, we received written notice from
Infineon that it believes we have infringed Infineons
U.S. Patent No. 5,726,601, or the 601 patent. We
contend that we have not infringed any valid claim of the 601 patent.
On June 24, 2003, we filed a complaint against Infineon for a
declaratory judgment of patent non-infringement and invalidity in the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
In the suit, captioned SanDisk Corporation v. Infineon
Technologies AG, a German corporation, and Does I to X, Civil
No. C 03 02931 BZ, we are seeking a declaration
that we have not infringed the 601 patent and that the patent
is invalid.
On July 3, 2003, a purported shareholder class action lawsuit was filed on
behalf of United States holders of ordinary shares of Tower as of the close of
business on April 1, 2002 in the United States District Court for the Southern
District of New York. The suit, captioned Philippe de Vries, Julia Frances
Dunbar De Vries Trust, et al., v.
50
Tower Semiconductor Ltd., et al., Civil Case
No. 03 CV 4999, was filed against Tower and certain of its shareholders and
directors, including us and Eli Harari, our President and CEO and a Tower board
member, and
asserts claims arising under Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 14a-9 promulgated thereunder. The
lawsuit alleges that Tower and certain of its directors made false and
misleading statements in a proxy solicitation to Tower shareholders regarding a
proposed amendment to a contract between Tower and certain of its shareholders,
including us. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and attorneys
and experts fees and expenses.
Item 2. Changes in Securities
None
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
None
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 3, 2003, the following
individuals were elected to the Board of Directors:
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any of our existing patents will not be invalidated;
patents will be issued for any of our pending applications;
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any claims allowed from existing or pending patents will have sufficient scope or strength;
our patents will be issued in the primary countries where our products are sold in order
to protect our rights and potential commercial advantage; or
any of our products do not infringe on the patents of other companies.
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the need to comply with foreign government regulation;
general geopolitical risks such as political and economic instability,
potential hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade
relationships;
natural disasters affecting the countries in which we conduct our
business, particularly Japan, such as the earthquakes experienced in
Taiwan in 1999 and in Japan and China in previous years;
reduced sales to our customers or interruption to our manufacturing
processes, in the Pacific Rim that may
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arise from regional issues in Asia;
imposition of regulatory requirements, tariffs, import and export
restrictions and other barriers and restrictions;
longer payment cycles and greater difficulty in accounts receivable
collection, particularly as we increase our sales through the retail
distribution channel and general business conditions deteriorate;
adverse tax rules and regulations;
weak protection of our intellectual property rights; and
delays in product shipments due to local customs restrictions.
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require the dedication of a substantial portion of any cash flow from our
operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of
cash flow available for other purposes, including working capital, capital
expenditures and general corporate purposes;
make it difficult for us to obtain any necessary future financing for
working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements or other
purposes;
cause us to use a significant portion of our cash and cash equivalents or
possibly liquidate other assets to repay the total principal amount due
under the notes and our other indebtedness if we were to default under the
notes or our other indebtedness;
limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to changes in, our
business and the industries in which we complete;
place us at a possible competitive disadvantage with respect to less
leveraged competitors and competitors that have better access to capital
resources; and
make us more vulnerable in the event of a further downturn in our business.
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Votes For | Votes Withheld | |||||||
Judy Bruner |
61,390,258 | 667,401 | ||||||
Irwin Federman |
49,628,198 | 12,429,461 | ||||||
Eli Harari |
61,869,142 | 188,517 | ||||||
James D. Meindl |
61,868,852 | 188,807 | ||||||
Alan F. Shugart |
61,868,543 | 189,116 |
The following proposal was also approved at our Annual Meeting:
Shares | ||||||||||||||
Shares | Voted | Shares | Broker | |||||||||||
Voted For | Against | Abstaining | Non-votes | |||||||||||
Ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as independent accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2003. | 60,490,235 | 1,531,514 | 35,910 | -0- |
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K
A. Exhibits
Exhibit | ||
Number | Exhibit Title | |
99.1 | Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
99.2 | Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
B. Reports on Form 8-K
On April 16, 2003, the Registrant filed a Current Report on Form 8-K reporting under Item 9 the issuance of a press release announcing its first quarter 2003 financial results.
51
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.
SANDISK CORPORATION | ||||
(Registrant) | ||||
Dated: August 8, 2003 | By: | /s/ Michael Gray | ||
Michael Gray | ||||
Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice | ||||
President Finance and Administration | ||||
(On behalf of the Registrant and as | ||||
Principal Financial Officer) |
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I, Eli Harari, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of SanDisk 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 registrants 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 registrants 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 registrants other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of registrants 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 registrants ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrants 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 registrants internal controls; and |
6. | The registrants 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. |
Date: August 8, 2003
/s/ Eli Harari | |
Eli Harari | |
Chief Executive Officer |
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I, Michael Gray, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of SanDisk 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 registrants 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 registrants 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 registrants other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of registrants 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 registrants ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrants 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 registrants internal controls; and |
6. | The registrants 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. |
Date: August 8, 2003
/s/ Michael Gray | |
Michael Gray | |
Chief Financial Officer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit | ||
Number | Exhibit Title | |
99.1 | Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
99.2 | Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
55