UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 27, 2002
Commission file number: 0-28562
Delaware | 94-2857548 | |
(State of incorporation) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
127 Jetplex Circle, Madison, Alabama 35758
(256) 327-2001
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
950 Explorer Boulevard, Huntsville, Alabama 35806
(Former Address)
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 o
The number of shares outstanding of the issuers common stock as of October 25, 2002 was 14,996,747.
INDEX
VERILINK CORPORATION
FORM 10-Q
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PART I. |
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
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Item 1. |
Financial
Statements (unaudited):
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended September
27, 2002 and September 28, 2001
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3 | |||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 27, 2002 and June 28, 2002
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4 | |||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended September
27, 2002 and September 28, 2001
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5 | |||||||
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
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6 | |||||||
Item 2. |
Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
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Item 3. |
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
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20 | ||||||
Item 4. |
Controls
and Procedures
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20 | ||||||
PART II. |
OTHER
INFORMATION
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Item 6. |
Exhibits
and Reports on Form 8-K
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21 | ||||||
SIGNATURE |
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21 |
2
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
VERILINK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended | |||||||
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September 27, 2002 |
September 28, 2001 | ||||||
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Net sales | $ | 8,713 | $ | 5,521 | |||
Cost of sales | 4,198 | 3,585 | |||||
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Gross profit | 4,515 | 1,936 | |||||
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Operating expenses: | |||||||
Research and development | 848 | 2,121 | |||||
Selling, general and administrative | 2,233 | 3,685 | |||||
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Total operating expenses | 3,081 | 5,806 | |||||
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Income (loss) from operations | 1,434 | (3,870 | ) | ||||
Interest and other income, net | 102 | 201 | |||||
Interest expense | (53 | ) | (86 | ) | |||
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Income (loss) before provision for income taxes | 1,483 | (3,755 | ) | ||||
Provision for income taxes | | | |||||
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Net income (loss) before cumulative change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | 1,483 | (3,755 | ) | ||||
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | (1,233 | ) | | ||||
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Net income (loss) | $ | 250 | $ | (3,755 | ) | ||
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Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted: | |||||||
Net income (loss) before cumulative change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | $ | 0.10 | $ | (0.24 | ) | ||
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Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | $ | (0.08 | ) | $ | | ||
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Net income (loss) | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.24 | ) | ||
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Weighted average shares outstanding: | |||||||
Basic | 14,997 | 15,744 | |||||
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Diluted | 15,199 | 15,744 | |||||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
VERILINK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
September 27, 2002 (unaudited) |
June 28, 2002 | ||||||
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ASSETS | |||||||
Current assets: | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 7,401 | $ | 5,630 | |||
Short-term investments | 101 | 598 | |||||
Accounts receivable, net | 4,136 | 4,045 | |||||
Inventories, net | 1,924 | 1,246 | |||||
Other current assets | 312 | 354 | |||||
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Total current assets | 13,874 | 11,873 | |||||
Property held for lease, net | 6,407 | 6,451 | |||||
Property, plant and equipment, net | 922 | 837 | |||||
Restricted cash | 1,000 | 1,000 | |||||
Goodwill, net | | 1,233 | |||||
Other intangible assets, net | 351 | 426 | |||||
Other assets | 708 | 360 | |||||
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$ | 23,262 | $ | 22,180 | ||||
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY | |||||||
Current liabilities: | |||||||
Current portion of long-term debt and capital lease obligations | $ | 725 | $ | 711 | |||
Accounts payable | 2,111 | 1,445 | |||||
Accrued expenses | 3,808 | 3,427 | |||||
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Total current liabilities | 6,644 | 5,583 | |||||
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations | 4,298 | 4,480 | |||||
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Total liabilities | 10,942 | 10,063 | |||||
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Stockholders equity: | |||||||
Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | | | |||||
Common Stock, $0.01 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 14,996,747 and 14,996,534 shares issued | 150 | 150 | |||||
Additional paid-in capital | 51,483 | 51,483 | |||||
Notes receivable from stockholder | (3,276 | ) | (3,230 | ) | |||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (26 | ) | (25 | ) | |||
Accumulated deficit | (36,011 | ) | (36,261 | ) | |||
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Total stockholders equity | 12,320 | 12,117 | |||||
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$ | 23,262 | $ | 22,180 | ||||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
VERILINK CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended | |||||||
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September 27, 2002 |
September 28, 2001 | ||||||
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Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||
Net Income (loss) | $ | 250 | $ | (3,755 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | |||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 290 | 834 | |||||
Research and development expenses related to Beacon Telco agreements, net | | (440 | ) | ||||
Accrued interest on notes receivable from stockholders, net of reserve | (46 | ) | 192 | ||||
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | 1,233 | | |||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts receivable, net | (91 | ) | 768 | ||||
Inventories, net | (678 | ) | (199 | ) | |||
Other assets | (306 | ) | 120 | ||||
Accounts payable | 666 | (735 | ) | ||||
Accrued expenses | 393 | (344 | ) | ||||
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Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | 1,711 | (3,559 | ) | ||||
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Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||
Purchases of property, plant and equipment | (256 | ) | (89 | ) | |||
Sale (purchase) of short-term investments | 497 | (72 | ) | ||||
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Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 241 | (161 | ) | ||||
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Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||
Payments on long-term debt obligations | (180 | ) | (180 | ) | |||
Proceeds from issuance of Common Stock | | 11 | |||||
Change in other comprehensive loss | (1 | ) | (8 | ) | |||
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Net cash used in financing activities | (181 | ) | (177 | ) | |||
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Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 1,771 | (3,897 | ) | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 5,630 | 15,219 | |||||
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Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 7,401 | $ | 11,322 | |||
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Supplemental disclosures: | |||||||
Cash paid for interest | $ | 52 | $ | 85 | |||
Cash paid for income taxes | $ | 17 | $ | 5 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
Note 1 Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Verilink Corporation (the Company) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods presented. The results of operations for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results which may be achieved for the entire fiscal year ending June 27, 2003. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 28, 2002 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note 2 Comprehensive Income Loss
The Company records gains or losses on the Companys foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains or losses on the Companys available-for-sale investments and presents it as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. For the three months ended September 27, 2002 comprehensive income amounted to $249,000 while comprehensive loss for the period ended September 28, 2001 amounted to $3,763,000.
Note 3 Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is computed using standard cost, which approximates actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):
September 27, 2002 |
June 28, 2002 | ||||||||
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Inventories: | |||||||||
Raw materials | $ | 2,965 | $ | 2,102 | |||||
Work in process | | 18 | |||||||
Finished goods | 1,618 | 2,336 | |||||||
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4,583 | 4,456 | ||||||||
Less: Inventory reserves | (2,659 | ) | (3,210 | ) | |||||
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Inventories, net | $ | 1,924 | $ | 1,246 | |||||
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Note 4 Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share gives effect to all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during a period. In computing diluted earnings (loss) per share, the average price of the Companys Common Stock for the period is used in determining the number of shares assumed to be purchased from exercise of stock options and stock warrants. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the three months ended September 27, 2002 and September 28, 2001 (in thousands, except per share amounts):
6
Three months ended | |||||||||
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September 27, 2002 |
September 28, 2001 | ||||||||
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Net income (loss) | $ | 250 | $ | (3,755 | ) | ||||
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Weighted average shares outstanding: | |||||||||
Basic | 14,997 | 15,744 | |||||||
Effect of potential common
stock from the exercise of stock options and stock warrants |
202 | | |||||||
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Diluted | 15,199 | 15,744 | |||||||
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Basic earnings (loss) per share | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.24 | ) | ||||
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Diluted earnings (loss) per share | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.24 | ) | ||||
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Options to purchase 3,444,233 and 3,974,476 shares of Common Stock were outstanding at September 27, 2002 and September 28, 2001, respectively, and stock warrants to purchase 1,500,000 shares were outstanding at September 28, 2001, but were not included in the computation of diluted loss per share because inclusion of such options and warrants would have been antidilutive.
Note 5 Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Adoption of Statement No. 142
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, which establishes the financial accounting and reporting for acquired goodwill and other intangible assets, and supercedes APB Opinion No. 17, Intangible Assets. This statement addresses how goodwill and other intangible assets should be accounted for after they have been initially recognized in the financial statements. Goodwill will cease to be amortized upon the implementation of the statement and companies must test goodwill at least annually for impairment. The Company adopted SFAS No. 142 effective June 29, 2002 and ceased amortizing goodwill of $1,232,900 (including $117,800 of goodwill previously classified as other intangible assets).
This statement requires that goodwill be tested for impairment annually. In the year of adoption, this statement requires the completion of a transitional goodwill impairment evaluation, which is a two-step process. The first step, used to identify potential impairment, compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered impaired, and the second step of the impairment test is not required. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss. The second step compares the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying amount of the goodwill. If the carrying amount of the goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, an impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess. As of June 29, 2002, the Company completed this impairment test for all of its goodwill and intangible assets, and recorded a transitional impairment loss of $1,232,900 during the three months ended September 27, 2002 as a cumulative change in accounting principle in its condensed consolidated statement of operations.
The following table represents the impact on net income (loss) and basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share amounts from the reduction of amortization of goodwill as if SFAS No. 142 was adopted in the first quarter of fiscal 2002 (in thousands, except per share amounts):
Three months ended | |||||||||
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September 27, 2002 |
September 28, 2001 | ||||||||
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Reported net income (loss) | $ | 250 | $ | (3,755 | ) | ||||
Add back: goodwill and assembled work force amortization | | 116 | |||||||
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Adjusted net income (loss) | 250 | (3,639 | ) | ||||||
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Reported basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.24 | ) | ||||
Add back: goodwill and assembled work force amortization per share | | .01 | |||||||
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Adjusted earnings (loss) per basic and diluted share | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.23 | ) | ||||
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7
Note 6 Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No.143, Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations (ARO), which has an effective date for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. This statement addresses the diversity in practice for recognizing asset retirement obligations and requires that obligations associated with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset be recorded as a liability when those obligations are incurred, with the amount of the liability initially measured at fair value. Upon initially recognizing a liability for an ARO, an entity must capitalize the cost by recognizing an increase in the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. Over time, the liability is accreted to its present value each period, and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the related asset. Upon settlement of the liability, an entity either settles the obligation for its recorded amount or incurs a gain or loss upon settlement. The impact of SFAS No. 143 is not expected to be material to the Companys financial statements.
In October 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, which has an effective date for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001. This statement, which supercedes SFAS No. 121, Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of, requires that long-lived assets that are to be disposed of by sale be measured at the lower of book value or fair value less cost to sell. Additionally, this statement expands the scope of discontinued operations to include all components of an entity with operations that (1) can be distinguished from the rest of the entity and (2) will be eliminated from the ongoing operations of the entity in a disposal transaction. The impact of SFAS No. 144 is not expected to be material to the Companys financial statements.
In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 145, Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical Corrections, which has an effective date for transactions occurring after May 15, 2002. This statement rescinds or amends several existing statements related to the extinguishment of debt, intangible assets of motor carriers, certain lease transactions and several other technical corrections to existing pronouncements. The impact of SFAS No. 145 is not expected to be material to the Companys financial statements.
In July 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, which has an effective date for exit or disposal activities that are initiated after December 31, 2002. This statement provides that cost associated with an exit or disposal activity must be recognized when the liability is incurred. The impact of SFAS No. 146 is not expected to be material to the Companys financial statements.
Note 7 Property Held for Lease
The Company owns a facility in Huntsville, Alabama located at 950 Explorer Boulevard. In August 2002, the Company entered into an agreement with The Boeing Company (Boeing) to lease this facility through November 2007. The lease allows Boeing the option of terminating the lease at the end of the 40th month, but also provides an option for Boeing to extend the lease term for five additional two-year periods. Rental income totaled $131,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002.
Property held for lease consists of the following at September 27, 2002 and June 28, 2002:
September 27, 2002 |
June 28, 2002 | ||||||||
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Land | $ | 1,400 | $ | 1,400 | |||||
Building | 5,375 | 5,375 | |||||||
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6,775 | 6,775 | ||||||||
Less: Accumulated depreciation | (368 | ) | (324 | ) | |||||
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Property held for lease, net | $ | 6,407 | $ | 6,451 | |||||
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8
Future minimum rental income on this operating lease over the non-cancelable period is as follows:
Fiscal years ending June: | ||
2003 | $ | 720 |
2004 | 785 | |
2005 | 785 | |
2006 | 327 | |
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$ | 2,617 | |
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Note 8 Related Party Transaction
In September 2002, the company approved providing its President and Chief Executive Officer with additional relocation benefits of approximately $300,000 in connection with the sale of his California residence. The President has advised the Company that he has committed to make a payment of $675,000 against his outstanding notes receivable to the Company following the sale of his California residence.
Note 9 Subsequent Event
On October 23, 2002, the Company announced a program to repurchase up to $1,000,000 of its Common Stock. The program, which is open ended, will allow the Company to repurchase shares on the open market based on market conditions, availability of cash consistent with the Companys operating plan, and in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
9
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The Company provides voice and data network access solutions to service providers and enterprise customers for DDS, T1/E1, NxT1, T3 and G.SHDSL communication services. The Company develops, manufactures and markets customer premise equipment (CPE) and central site solutions for data and telecommunication centers. The Company offers a variety of application-specific solutions for time-division multiplexing, inverse multiplexing, digital cross-connect and IP bridging and routing, as well as converged solutions for access to Frame Relay, ATM and IP-based networks. The Companys customers include equipment integrators, network service providers (NSPs) consisting of wireline and wireless providers, inter-exchange carriers (IXCs), local exchange carriers (LECs), Internet service providers (ISPs), enterprise customers, Fortune 500 companies and various local, state and federal government agencies. The Company was founded in San Jose, California in 1982 and is a Delaware corporation currently headquartered in Madison, Alabama.
The information in this Item 2 Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements relating to the Companys revenues, expenses, margins, liquidity and capital needs. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed elsewhere herein under the caption Factors Affecting Future Results.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table presents the percentages of net sales represented by certain line items from the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods indicated.
Three months ended | |||||||
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September 27, 2002 |
September 28, 2001 | ||||||
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Net sales | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||
Cost of sales | 48.2 | 64.9 | |||||
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Gross profit | 51.8 | 35.1 | |||||
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Operating expenses: | |||||||
Research and development | 9.7 | 38.4 | |||||
Selling, general and administrative | . | 25.6 | 66.8 | ||||
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Total operating expenses | 35.3 | 105.2 | |||||
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Income (loss) from operations | 16.5 | (70.1 | ) | ||||
Interest and other income, net | 1.1 | 3.6 | |||||
Interest expense | .. | (0.6 | ) | (1.5 | ) | ||
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Income (loss) before provision for income taxes | 17.0 | (68.0 | ) | ||||
Provision for income taxes | | | |||||
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Net income (loss) before cumulative change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | 17.0 | (68.0 | ) | ||||
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill | (14.1 | ) | | ||||
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Net income (loss) | 2.9 | % | (68.0 | )% | |||
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Sales. Net sales for the three months ended September 27, 2002 increased 57.8% to $8,713,000 from $5,521,000 in the comparable period of the prior fiscal year. This increase in net sales primarily resulted from an increase in sales volume of the Companys carrier and carrier access product lines. Net sales of carrier and carrier access products, primarily AS2000 products, increased 110.6% to $6,351,000 in the three months ended September 27, 2002 from $3,016,000 in the comparable prior year period. Net sales of enterprise access products declined by 5.7% in the three months ended September 27, 2002 to $2,362,000 from $2,505,000 for the same period last year. This decrease in enterprise access products was primarily a result of decreased spending by our customers, which we believe to be a result of both economic and industry-wide factors, including financial constraints affecting our customers and over-capacity in our customers markets. The Company
10
anticipates that reduced capital spending by our customers will continue to affect sales until an overall recovery in the telecommunications market begins, which is not expected until at least 2004. In any event, it is challenging to forecast in the current environment.
The Companys business continues to be characterized by a concentration of sales to a limited number of key customers. Net sales to the Companys top five customers increased 109.7% to $7,515,000 in the three months ended September 27, 2002 from $3,584,000 in the comparable period in the prior year. Net sales to all other customers declined by 38.2% in the three-month period ended September 27, 2002 from the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. The Companys top five customers did not remain the same over these periods.
Gross Profit. Gross profit increased to 51.8% of net sales for the three months ended September 27, 2002 as compared to 35.1% for the three months ended September 28, 2001. This increase is primarily attributable to the increased sales volume and the benefit from cost reduction measures enacted during the period from January 2001 through September 2002, including productivity gains and lower fixed manufacturing costs, particularly facilities costs.
Research and Development. Research and development expenditures for the three months ended September 27, 2002 decreased 60% to $848,000 from $2,121,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year, and decreased as a percentage of sales from 38.4% to 9.7%. These decreases were the result of the suspension of the companys optical network access project in October 2001, staff reductions and other cost reduction measures. The Company believes that a significant level of investment in product development is required to remain competitive and that such expenses will vary over time as a percentage of net sales. However, the Company will continue to monitor the level of its investment in research and development activities and adjust spending levels, either upward or downward, based upon anticipated sales volume. The Company currently expects research and development spending to increase in the three months ending December 27, 2002 over the amounts spent in the three months ended September 27, 2002.
Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 27, 2002 decreased 39.4% to $2,233,000 from $3,685,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year and decreased as a percentage of sales from 66.8% to 25.6%. The decrease in absolute dollars over the same period in the prior year is primarily due to reduced headcount between the two periods and other cost reduction measures implemented by the Company in fiscal 2002 and 2003. The significant decrease as a percentage of sales is due to lower spending on increased sales dollars. The Company expects the dollar amount of selling, general and administrative expenses to decrease in the next quarter due to the impact of cost reductions, and expects that such expenses will vary over time as a percentage of sales.
Amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets in the three months ended September 27, 2002 and September 28, 2001 was $75,600 and $252,000, respectively. The amortization for the three months ended September 28, 2001 included $116,000 related to goodwill and assembled work force. As of June 29, 2002, the Company adopted SFAS No. 142 and completed the transitional impairment test of its goodwill. As a result, the Company determined that its goodwill was impaired, resulting in a charge of $1,232,900 in the three months ended September 27, 2002. This charge is presented in the condensed consolidated statement of operations as a cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, relating to goodwill.
Interest and Other Income, Net, and Interest Expense. Interest and other income, net, declined 49.3% to $102,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002 from $201,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. This decline was a result of lower interest rates and lower interest bearing assets. Rental income, net of expenses, of $23,000 is included in interest and other income, net in the three months ended September 27, 2002 as a result of the lease agreement signed with Boeing. See Note 7 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Boeing lease.
Interest expense declined 38.4% to $53,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002 from $86,000 in the same period in the prior fiscal year as a result of lower interest rates and the lower principle balance on the Companys debt obligations.
Provision for Income Taxes. No tax provision or tax benefits were provided in the three months ended September 27, 2002 or September 28, 2001 due to the valuation allowance provided against the net change in deferred tax assets. During fiscal 2001, the Company established a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets due to the net operating loss carryforwards from prior years and the operating loss incurred in fiscal 2001. The Company does not expect to recognize a
11
provision for income taxes in the current year due to its net operating loss carryforwards that totaled approximately $34,500,000 at June 28, 2002.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
On September 27, 2002, the Companys principal sources of liquidity included $7,502,000 of unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.
During the three months ended September 27, 2002, cash provided by operating activities was $1,711,000 compared to $3,559,000 used in operating activities during the three months ended September 28, 2001. Net cash provided by operating activities this period was primarily due to net operating income before depreciation, amortization and the cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, which totaled $1,773,000. The increase in accounts receivable used cash of $91,000 in the three months ended September 27, 2002 compared to cash provided of $768,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. The increase in inventories for the three months ended September 27, 2002 used $678,000 of cash compared to $199,000 of cash used in the same period last year. Inventories increased during the three months ended September 27, 2002 due to inventory purchases as the Company transitions all its manufacturing operations to Madison, Alabama. Accounts payable and accrued expenses increased $1,059,000 in the three-month period ended September 27, 2002 compared to a decrease of $1,079,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. The changes in accounts payable and accrued expenses for the three months ended September 27, 2002 and the comparable prior year period were primarily due to the timing of inventory purchases and the resulting payments to vendors.
Cash provided by investing activities was $241,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002 compared to $161,000 used for the three months ended September 28, 2001. The funds provided by investing activities during the three months ended September 27, 2002 are a result of the maturity of short-term investments of $497,000 reduced by capital expenditures of $256,000. For the three months ended September 28, 2001, cash was used to purchase short-term investments of $72,000 and property, plant and equipment of $89,000.
Cash used in financing activities was $181,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002 and $177,000 for the three months ended September 28, 2001. Payments on long-term debt obligations were $180,000 for the three months ended September 27, 2002 and September 28, 2001. Proceeds from the issuance of Common Stock under the Companys stock plans provided $11,000 of cash in the prior fiscal year.
The Company believes that its cash and investment balances, along with anticipated cash flows from operations based upon current operating plans will be adequate to finance the Companys operations, capital expenditures, research and development programs and stock repurchase program currently planned for at least the next twelve months. The Companys future capital needs will depend on the Companys ability to meet its current operating forecast, market demand for the Companys products and the overall economic condition of our customers in the telecommunication sector. In the event that results of operations do not substantially meet the Companys current operating forecast, the Company may evaluate further cost containment measures, reduce investments or delay R&D, which could adversely affect the Companys ability to bring new products to market. The Company from time to time investigates the possibility of generating financial resources through committed credit agreements, technology or manufacturing partnerships, joint ventures, equipment financing and offerings of debt and equity securities. To the extent that the Company obtains additional financing, the terms of such financing may involve rights, preferences or privileges senior to the Companys Common Stock and stockholders may experience dilution.
Critical Accounting Policies
The Companys financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods might be based upon amounts that differ from those estimates. The following represent what the Company believes are among the critical accounting policies most affected by significant management estimates and judgments:
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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Goodwill. The Company assesses the impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable under the guidance prescribed by SFAS No. 144. The Companys long-lived assets include, but are not limited to, the facility located at 950 Explorer Boulevard, related furniture and equipment, software licenses, goodwill and intangible assets related to an acquisition.
In assessing the recoverability of the Companys long-lived assets, the Company obtained a third-party appraisal during fiscal 2002 for its facility located at 950 Explorer Boulevard, and made assumptions regarding future cash flows and other factors to determine the fair value of the respective assets. If these estimates or their related assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to record impairment charges for these assets not previously recorded. On June 29, 2002, the Company adopted SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, and completed the analysis of its goodwill for impairment. The Company recorded an impairment charge of $1,232,900 during the three months ended September 27, 2002 related to goodwill.
Inventories. The Company values inventory at the lower of cost or market. Cost is computed using standard cost, which approximates actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventory quantities on hand are reviewed on a quarterly basis and a provision for excess and obsolete inventory is recorded based primarily on our estimated forecast of product demand for the next twelve months. Managements estimates of future product demand may prove to be inaccurate, in which case the Company may increase or decrease the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory in future periods.
Revenue Recognition. The Company recognizes a sale when the product has been shipped, no material vendor or post-contract support obligations remain outstanding, except as provided by a separate service agreement, and collection of the resulting receivable is probable. A reserve for future product returns is established at the time of the sale based on historical return rates and return policies, including stock rotation for sales to distributors that stock the Companys products.
Warranty Provision. The Company records a warranty provision at the time of the sale based on our best estimate of the amounts necessary to settle future claims on products sold. While we believe that our warranty reserve is adequate and that the judgment applied is appropriate, actual product failure rates, material usage or other rework costs could differ from our estimates, which could result in revisions to our warranty liability.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. The Company estimates losses resulted from the inability of our customers to make payments for amounts billed. The collectability of outstanding invoices is continually assessed. Assumptions are made regarding the customers ability and intent to pay, and are based on historical trends, general economic conditions and current customer data. Should our actual experience with respect to collections differ from these assessments, there could be adjustments to our allowance for doubtful accounts.
Valuation of Notes Receivable. The Company continually assesses the collectability of assets classified as outstanding notes receivable. Assumptions are made regarding the counter partys ability and intent to pay and are based on historical trends and general economic conditions, and current data. Should our actual experience with respect to collections differ from our initial assessment, adjustments in the reserves may be needed.
Deferred Tax Assets. The Company has provided a full valuation reserve related to its deferred tax assets. In the future, if sufficient evidence of the Companys ability to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain tax jurisdictions becomes apparent, the Company may be required to reduce its valuation allowances, resulting in income tax benefits in the Companys consolidated statement of operations. Management evaluates the realizability of the deferred tax assets and assesses the need for the valuation allowance each quarter.
Factors Affecting Future Results
As described by the following factors, past financial performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
This Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements using terminology such as may, will, expects, plans, anticipates, estimates, potential, or continue, or the negative
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thereof or other comparable terminology regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding anticipated reduced capital spending by the Companys customers; the expected increase in research and development expenses; a significant level of investment in product development; the expected decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses; and the adequacy of the Companys cash position for the near-term. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and it is important to note that the Companys actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the factors detailed below as well as the other factors set forth in Item 2 hereof. All forward-looking statements and risk factors included in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or risk factor. You should consult the risk factors listed from time to time in the Companys Reports on Forms 10-Q and the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Dependence on Legacy Products, Recently Introduced Products and New Product Development. The Companys future results of operations are highly dependent on market acceptance of existing and future applications for both the Companys WANsuite family of integrated access devices and new integrated access system products in development. The majority of sales continue to be provided by the Companys legacy products, primarily the AS2000 product line which represented approximately 53% of net sales in fiscal 2002, 61% of net sales in fiscal 2001 and 58% of net sales in fiscal 2000. Sales of WANsuite products represented approximately 8% and 2% of net sales in fiscal 2002 and 2001, respectively. The Company anticipates that net sales of its legacy products will continue to shrink as newly introduced products by the Company and its competitors capture market share.
Market acceptance of both the Companys current and future product lines is dependent on a number of factors, not all of which are in the Companys control, including the continued growth in the use of bandwidth intensive applications, continued deployment of new telecommunications services, market acceptance of integrated access devices and systems in general, the availability and price of competing products and technologies, and the success of the Companys sales and marketing efforts. Failure of the Companys products to achieve market acceptance would have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. The market for the Companys products are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, continuing improvements in telecommunication service offerings, and changing demands of the Companys customer base. Failure to introduce new products in a timely manner could cause companies to purchase products from competitors and have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. Due to a variety of factors, the Company may experience delays in developing its planned products.
New products may require additional development work, enhancement and testing or further refinement before the Company can make them commercially available. The Company has in the past experienced delays in the introduction of new products, product applications and enhancements due to a variety of internal factors, such as reallocation of priorities, difficulty in hiring sufficient qualified personnel and unforeseen technical obstacles, as well as changes in customer requirements. Such delays have deferred the receipt of revenue from the products involved. If the Companys products have performance, reliability or quality shortcomings, then the Company may experience reduced orders, higher manufacturing costs, delays in collecting accounts receivable and additional warranty and service expenses.
Continued Listing Requirements and Deficiency Notification. The Companys common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. For continued listing, the Nasdaq SmallCap Market requires, among other things, that listed securities maintain a minimum bid price of not less than $1.00 per share. Nasdaq has notified the Company that it has failed to maintain this continued listing requirement, and will commence procedures to delist its securities from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market unless the Company has regained compliance with this listing requirement by February 10, 2003. If, at anytime before February 10, 2003, the bid price of the companys common stock closes at $1.00 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days, the Company will regain compliance with the continued listing requirements. The Company has asked its stockholders to approve a 1-for-5 reverse stock split of its common stock at the Companys Annual Meeting to be held on November 13, 2002. If approved by the stockholders, the Board of Directors will have the authority, at its discretion, to effect the reverse stock split. While the reverse stock split is intended to bring the trading price of the Companys common stock back into compliance with the Nasdaq SmallCap listing standards, there can be no assurance the common stock would continue to trade at a price greater than $1.00. If delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, the Companys common stock may be eligible for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board or on other over-the-counter markets, although there can be no assurance that the Companys common stock will be eligible for trading on any alternative exchanges
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or markets. Among other consequences, moving from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, or delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market may cause a decline in the stock price, reduced liquidity in the trading market for the common stock, and difficulty in obtaining future financing.
Customer Concentration. A small number of customers continue to account for a majority of the Companys sales. In fiscal 2002, net sales to Nortel Networks and Interlink Communications Systems accounted for 36% and 15% of the Companys net sales, respectively, and the Companys top five customers accounted for 71% of the Companys net sales. In fiscal 2001, net sales to Nortel Networks accounted for 37% of the Companys net sales, and net sales to the Companys top five customers accounted for 66% of the Companys net sales. In fiscal 2000, net sales to Nortel Networks and WorldCom accounted for 30% and 19% of the Companys net sales, respectively, and net sales to the Companys top five customers accounted for 61% of the Companys net sales. Other than Nortel Networks, Interlink Communications Systems and WorldCom, no customer accounted for more than 10% of the Companys net sales in fiscal years 2002, 2001 or 2000. On a quarterly basis in fiscal 2002, net sales to Nortel Networks of legacy products has accounted for as much as 64% of the Companys net sales that quarter. There can be no assurance that the Companys current customers will continue to place orders with the Company, that orders by existing customers will continue at the levels of previous periods, or that the Company will be able to obtain orders from new customers. The economic climate and conditions in the telecommunication equipment industry are expected to remain unpredictable in fiscal 2003 and 2004. WorldCom filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in July 2002. A bankruptcy filing by one or more of the Companys other major customers would materially adversely affect the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Certain customers of the Company have been or may be acquired by other existing customers. The impact of such acquisitions on net sales to such customers is uncertain, but there can be no assurance that such acquisitions will not result in a reduction in net sales to those customers. In addition, such acquisitions could have in the past and could in the future, result in further concentration of the Companys customers. The Company has in the past experienced significant declines in net sales it believes were in part related to orders being delayed or cancelled as a result of pending acquisitions relating to its customers. There can be no assurance that future merger and acquisition activity among the Companys customers will not have a similar adverse affect on the Companys net sales and results of operations. The Companys customers are typically not contractually obligated to purchase any quantity of products in any particular period. Product sales to major customers have varied widely from period to period. In some cases, major customers have abruptly terminated purchases of the Companys products. Loss of, or a material reduction in orders by, one or more of the Companys major customers would materially adversely affect the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. See Competition and Fluctuations in Quarterly Operating Results.
Dependence on Key Personnel. The Companys future success will depend to a large extent on the continued contributions of its executive officers and key management, sales, and technical personnel. The Company is a party to agreements with its executive officers to help ensure the officers continual service to the Company in the event of a change-in-control. Each of the Companys executive officers, and key management, sales and technical personnel would be difficult to replace. The Company implemented significant cost and staff reductions during fiscal 2002, which may make it more difficult to attract and retain key personnel. The loss of the services of one or more of the Companys executive officers or key personnel, or the inability to attract qualified personnel could delay product development cycles or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Dependence on Key Suppliers and Component Availability. The Company generally relies upon contract manufacturers to buy finished goods for certain product families and component parts that are incorporated into board assemblies used in its products. On-time delivery of the Companys products depends upon the availability of components and subsystems used in its products. Currently, the Company and third party sub-contractors depend upon suppliers to manufacture, assemble and deliver components in a timely and satisfactory manner. The Company has historically obtained several components and licenses for certain embedded software from single or limited sources. There can be no assurance that these suppliers will continue to be able and willing to meet the Company and third party sub-contractors requirements for any such components. The Company and third party sub-contractors generally do not have any long-term contracts with such suppliers, other than software vendors. Any significant interruption in the supply of, or degradation in the quality of, any such item could have a material adverse effect on the Companys results of operations. Any loss in a key supplier, increase in required lead times, increase in prices of component parts, interruption in the supply of any of these components, or the inability of the Company or its third party sub-contractor to procure these components from alternative sources at acceptable prices and within a
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reasonable time, could have a material adverse effect upon the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
The loss of any of the Companys outside contractors could cause a delay in the Companys ability to fulfill orders while the Company identifies a replacement contractor. Because the establishment of new manufacturing relationships involves numerous uncertainties, including those relating to payment terms, cost of manufacturing, adequacy of manufacturing capacity, quality control, and timeliness of delivery, the Company is unable to predict whether such relationships would be on terms that the Company regards as satisfactory. Any significant disruption in the Companys relationships with its manufacturing sources would have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Purchase orders from the Companys customers frequently require delivery quickly after placement of the order. As the Company does not maintain significant component inventories, delay in shipment by a supplier could lead to lost sales. The Company uses internal forecasts to manage its general materials and components requirements. Lead times for materials and components may vary significantly, and depend on factors such as specific supplier performance, contract terms, and general market demand for components. If orders vary from forecasts, the Company may experience excess or inadequate inventory of certain materials and components, and suppliers may demand longer lead times, higher prices or termination of contracts. From time to time, the Company has experienced shortages and allocations of certain components, resulting in delays in fulfillment of customer orders. Such shortages and allocations may occur in the future, and could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. See Fluctuations in Quarterly Operating Results.
Fluctuations in Quarterly Operating Results. The Companys sales are subject to quarterly and annual fluctuations due to a number of factors resulting in more variability and less predictability in the Companys quarter-to-quarter sales and operating results. For example, sales to Nortel Networks during fiscal 2002 and 2001 have varied between quarters by as much as $6.2 million, and order volatility by this customer had a significant impact on the Company in fiscal 2002. Most of the Companys sales are in the form of large orders with short delivery times. The Companys ability to affect and judge the timing of individual customer orders is limited. The Company has experienced large fluctuations in sales from quarter-to-quarter due to a wide variety of factors, such as delay, cancellation or acceleration of customer projects, and other factors discussed below. The Companys sales for a given quarter may depend to a significant degree upon planned product shipments to a single customer, often related to specific equipment deployment projects. The Company has experienced both acceleration and slowdown in orders related to such projects, causing changes in the sales level of a given quarter relative to both the preceding and subsequent quarters.
Delays or lost sales can be caused by other factors beyond the Companys control, including late deliveries by the third party subcontractors the Company is using to outsource its manufacturing operations (as well as by other vendors of components used in a customers system), changes in implementation priorities, slower than anticipated growth in demand for the services that the Companys products support and delays in obtaining regulatory approvals for new services and products. Delays and lost sales have occurred in the past and may occur in the future. The Company believes that sales in the past have been adversely impacted by merger activities by some of its top customers. In addition, the Company has experienced delays as a result of the need to modify its products to comply with unique customer specifications. These and similar delays or lost sales could materially adversely affect the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations. See Customer Concentration and Dependence on Key Suppliers and Component Availability.
The Companys backlog at the beginning of each quarter typically is not sufficient to achieve expected sales for that quarter. To achieve its sales objectives, the Company is dependent upon obtaining orders in a quarter for shipment in that quarter. Furthermore, the Companys agreements with certain of its customers typically provide that they may change delivery schedules and cancel orders within specified timeframes, typically up to 30 days prior to the scheduled shipment date, without significant penalty. The Companys customers have in the past built, and may in the future build, significant inventory in order to facilitate more rapid deployment of anticipated major projects or for other reasons. Decisions by such customers to reduce their inventory levels could lead to reductions in purchases from the Company in certain periods. These reductions, in turn, could cause fluctuations in the Companys operating results and could have an adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations in the periods in which the inventory is reduced.
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The Companys industry is characterized by declining prices of existing products, and therefore continual improvement of manufacturing efficiencies and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products are required to maintain gross margins. In response to customer demands or competitive pressures, or to pursue new product or market opportunities, the Company may take certain pricing or marketing actions, such as price reductions, volume discounts, or provision of services at below-market rates. These actions could materially and adversely affect the Companys operating results.
Operating results may also fluctuate due to a variety of factors, particularly:
All of the above factors are difficult for the Company to forecast, and these or other factors can materially and adversely affect the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations for one quarter or a series of quarters. The Companys expense levels are based in part on its expectations regarding future sales and are fixed in the short term to a certain extent. Therefore, the Company may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in sales. Any significant decline in demand relative to the Companys expectations or any material delay of customer orders could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition, and results of operations. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. In addition, the Company has had, and in some future quarter may have operating results below the expectations of public market analysts and investors. In such event, the price of the Companys Common Stock would likely be materially and adversely affected. See Potential Volatility of Stock Price.
The Companys products are covered by warranties and the Company is subject to contractual commitments concerning its products. If unexpected circumstances arise such that the product does not perform as intended and the Company is not successful in resolving product quality or performance issues, there could be an adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Potential Volatility of Stock Price. The trading price of the Companys Common Stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to quarter-to-quarter variations in operating results, announcements of technological innovations or new products by the Company or its competitors, developments with respect to patents or proprietary rights, general conditions in the telecommunication network access and equipment industries, changes in earnings estimates by analysts, or other events or factors. In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, which have particularly affected the market prices of many technology companies and which have often been unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. Company-specific factors or broad market fluctuations may materially adversely affect the market price of the Companys Common Stock. The Company has experienced significant fluctuations in its stock price and share trading volume in the past and may continue to do so.
Competition. The market for telecommunications network access equipment is characterized as highly competitive with price erosions on aging technologies. This market, in the past, has been subject to rapid technological change, regulatory developments and new entrants. The market for integrated access devices, such as the Access System 2000 and WANsuite product lines, and for enterprise termination devices, such as the PRISM product line, is subject to rapid change. The Company believes that the primary competitive factors in this market are the development and rapid introduction of products based on new technologies, high product value in price versus performance comparisons, support for multiple types of communication services, increased network monitoring and control, product reliability, and quality of customer support. There can be no assurance that the Companys current products and future products will be able to compete successfully with respect to these or other factors.
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The Companys principal competition for its current product offerings are Adtran, Inc., Paradyne Inc., Kentrox (owned by Platinum Equity Holdings), Vina Technologies, Inc., Quick Eagle Networks, Larscom, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc. for access routing with integrated WAN interface cards (WICs). Industry consolidation could lead to competition with fewer, but stronger competitors. In addition, advanced termination products are emerging, which represent both new market opportunities, as well as a threat to the Companys current products. Furthermore, basic line termination functions are increasingly being integrated by competitors, such as Cisco, Lucent Technologies, Inc. and Nortel Networks, into other equipment such as routers and switches. These include direct WAN interfaces in certain products, which may erode the addressable market for separate network termination products. To the extent that current or potential competitors can expand their current offerings to include products that have functionality similar to the Companys products and planned products, the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
The Company believes that the market for basic network termination products is mature and that margins are eroding, but the market for feature-enhanced network termination and high bandwidth network access products may continue to grow and expand, as more capability and intelligence moves outward from the central office to the enterprise. The Company expects emerging broadband standards and technologies like G.SHDSL, ATM, Ethernet and IP Services to start the next wave of spending in this market as carriers and enterprises update services to the network edge.
Many of the Companys current and potential competitors have substantially greater technical, financial, manufacturing and marketing resources than the Company. In addition, many of the Companys competitors have long-established relationships with network service providers. There can be no assurance that the Company will have the financial resources, technical expertise, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and support capabilities to compete successfully in the future. See Factors Affecting Future Results Competition.
Rapid Technological Change. The network access and telecommunications equipment markets are characterized by rapidly changing technologies and frequent new product introductions. The rapid development of new technologies increases the risk that current or new competitors could develop products that would reduce the competitiveness of the Companys products. The Companys success will depend to a substantial degree upon its ability to respond to changes in technology and customer requirements. This will require the timely selection, development and marketing of new products and enhancements on a cost-effective basis. The development of new, technologically advanced products is a complex and uncertain process, requiring high levels of innovation. The Company may need to supplement its internal expertise and resources with specialized expertise or intellectual property from third parties to develop new products. The development of new products for the WAN access market requires competence in the general areas of telephony, data networking, network management and wireless telephony as well as specific technologies such as DSL, ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM and IP.
Furthermore, the communications industry is characterized by the need to design products that meet industry standards for safety, emissions and network interconnection. With new and emerging technologies and service offerings from network service providers, such standards are often changing or unavailable. As a result, there is a potential for product development delays due to the need for compliance with new or modified standards. The introduction of new and enhanced products also requires that the Company manage transitions from older products in order to minimize disruptions in customer orders, avoid excess inventory of old products and ensure that adequate supplies of new products can be delivered to meet customer orders. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in developing, introducing or managing the transition to new or enhanced products, or that any such products will be responsive to technological changes or will gain market acceptance. The Companys business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected if the Company were to be unsuccessful, or to incur significant delays in developing and introducing such new products or enhancements. See Dependence on Recently Introduced Products and New Product Development.
Compliance with Regulations and Evolving Industry Standards. The market for the Companys products is characterized by the need to meet a significant number of communications regulations and standards, some of which are evolving as new technologies are deployed. In the United States, the Companys products must comply with various regulations defined by the Federal Communications Commission and standards established by Underwriters Laboratories and Bell Communications Research. For some public carrier services, installed equipment does not fully comply with current industry standards, and this noncompliance must be addressed in the design of the Companys products. Standards for new services such as Frame Relay, performance monitoring services and DSL have evolved, such as the G.SHDSL standard. As standards continue to evolve, the Company will be required to modify its products or develop and support new versions of its products. The failure of the Companys products to comply, or delays in compliance, with the various existing and evolving industry standards
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could delay introduction of the Companys products, which could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government regulatory policies are likely to continue to have a major impact on the pricing of existing as well as new public network services and therefore are expected to affect demand for such services and the telecommunications products that support such services. Tariff rates, whether determined by network service providers or in response to regulatory directives, may affect the cost effectiveness of deploying communication services. Such policies also affect demand for telecommunications equipment, including the Companys products.
Risks Associated With Potential Acquisitions and Joint Ventures. An important element of the Companys historical strategy has been to review acquisition prospects and joint venture opportunities that would complement its existing product offerings, augment its market coverage, enhance its technological capabilities or offer growth opportunities. Transactions of this nature by the Company could result in potentially dilutive issuance of equity securities, use of cash and/or the incurring of debt and the assumption of contingent liabilities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business and operating results and/or the price of the Companys Common Stock. Acquisitions entail numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of acquired operations, technologies and products, diversion of managements attention from other business concerns, risks of entering markets in which the Company has limited or no prior experience and potential loss of key employees of acquired organizations. Joint ventures entail risks such as potential conflicts of interest and disputes among the participants, difficulties in integrating technologies and personnel, and risks of entering new markets. The Companys management has limited prior experience in assimilating such transactions. No assurance can be given as to the ability of the Company to successfully integrate any businesses, products, technologies or personnel that might be acquired in the future or to successfully develop any products or technologies that might be contemplated by any future joint venture or similar arrangement, and the failure of the Company to do so could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Associated With Entry into International Markets. The Company to date has had minimal direct sales to customers outside of North America. The Company has little experience in the European and Far Eastern markets, but intends to expand sales of its products outside of North America and to enter certain international markets, which will require significant management attention and financial resources. Conducting business outside of North America is subject to certain risks, including longer payment cycles, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs, difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, greater difficulty in accounts receivable collection and potentially adverse tax consequences. To the extent any Company sales are denominated in foreign currency, the Companys sales and results of operations may also be directly affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. In order to sell its products internationally, the Company must meet standards established by telecommunications authorities in various countries, as well as recommendations of the Consultative Committee on International Telegraph and Telephony. A delay in obtaining, or the failure to obtain, certification of its products in countries outside the United States could delay or preclude the Companys marketing and sales efforts in such countries, which could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risk of Third Party Claims of Infringement. The network access and telecommunications equipment industries are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent litigation based on allegations of patent infringement. From time to time, third parties may assert exclusive patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to the Company. The Company has not conducted a formal patent search relating to the technology used in its products, due in part to the high cost and limited benefits of a formal search. In addition, since patent applications in the United States are not publicly disclosed until the related patent is issued and foreign patent applications generally are not publicly disclosed for at least a portion of the time that they are pending, applications may have been filed which, if issued as patents, could relate to the Companys products. Software comprises a substantial portion of the technology in the Companys products. The scope of protection accorded to patents covering software-related inventions is evolving and is subject to a degree of uncertainty which may increase the risk and cost to the Company if the Company discovers third party patents related to its software products or if such patents are asserted against the Company in the future. Patents have been granted recently on fundamental technologies in software, and patents may be issued which relate to fundamental technologies incorporated into the Companys products.
The Company may receive communications from third parties asserting that the Companys products infringe or may infringe the proprietary rights of third parties. In its distribution agreements, the Company typically agrees to indemnify its
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customers for any expenses or liabilities resulting from claimed infringements of patents, trademarks or copyrights of third parties. In the event of litigation to determine the validity of any third-party claims, such litigation, whether or not determined in favor of the Company, could result in significant expense to the Company and divert the efforts of the Companys technical and management personnel from productive tasks. In the event of an adverse ruling in such litigation, the Company might be required to discontinue the use and sale of infringing products, expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or obtain licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that licenses from third parties would be available on acceptable terms, if at all. In the event of a successful claim against the Company and the failure of the Company to develop or license a substitute technology, the Companys business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Limited Protection of Intellectual Property. The Company relies upon a combination of patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark laws and contractual restrictions to establish and protect proprietary rights in its products and technologies. The Company has been issued certain U.S. and Canadian patents with respect to limited aspects of its single purpose network access technology. The Company has not obtained significant patent protection for its Access System or WANsuite technologies. There can be no assurance that third parties have not or will not develop equivalent technologies or products without infringing the Companys patents or that a court having jurisdiction over a dispute involving such patents would hold the Companys patents valid, enforceable and infringed. The Company also typically enters into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with its employees and independent contractors, and non-disclosure agreements with its suppliers, distributors and appropriate customers so as to limit access to and disclosure of its proprietary information. There can be no assurance that these statutory and contractual arrangements will deter misappropriation of the Companys technologies or discourage independent third-party development of similar technologies. In the event such arrangements are insufficient, the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The laws of certain foreign countries in which the Companys products are or may be developed, manufactured or sold may not protect the Companys products or intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States and thus, make the possibility of misappropriation of the Companys technology and products more likely.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
At September 27, 2002, the Companys investment portfolio consisted of fixed income securities of $101,000. These securities, like all fixed income instruments, are subject to interest rate risk and will decline in value if market interest rates increase. If market interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10% from levels as of September 27, 2002, the decline in the fair value of the portfolio would not be material. Additionally, the Company has the ability to hold its fixed income investments until maturity and therefore, the Company would not expect to recognize such an adverse impact in income or cash flows. The Company invests its cash balances in excess of operating requirements in short-term securities, generally with maturities of 90 days or less.
The Company is subject to interest rate risks on its long-term debt. If market interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10% from levels as of September 27, 2002, the additional interest expense would not be material. The Company believes that the effect, if any, of reasonably possible near-term changes in interest rates on the Companys financial position, results of operations and cash flows would not be material.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
(a) Within 90 days prior to the date of this report, the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Companys management, including the Companys President and Chief Executive Officer, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Companys disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14. Based upon that evaluation, the Companys President and Chief Executive Officer, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, have concluded that the Companys disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
(b) There have been no significant changes in the Companys internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K
(a) | Exhibits Index: | |||
Exhibit Number | Description of Exhibit | |||
99.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||
99.2 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||
(b) | The Company filed one report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission during the quarter ended September 27, 2002 as follows: | |||
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed August 14, 2002 (July 29, 2002), reporting under Item 5 the Companys announcement of a Third Modification of the loan agreement between itself and Leigh S. Belden providing for the amendment of certain terms of Verilinks loans to Mr. Belden. | ||||
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.
VERILINK CORPORATION | |||
November 8, 2002 | By: | /s/ C. W. Smith C. W. Smith Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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CERTIFICATIONS
I, Leigh S. Belden, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the registrant; | |
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 officers 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 officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the board of directors (or persons fulfilling 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 officers 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: November 8, 2002 | By: | /s/ LEIGH
S. BELDEN Leigh S. Belden President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
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I, C. W. Smith, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the registrant; | |
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 officers 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 officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the board of directors (or persons fulfilling 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 officers 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: November 8, 2002 | By: | /s/ C. W. Smith C. W. Smith Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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