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Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended April 3, 2011

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 No. 000-22780

 

 

FEI COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Oregon   93-0621989

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

5350 NE Dawson Creek Drive, Hillsboro, Oregon   97124-5793
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 503-726-7500

 

 

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 has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   x    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of May 2, 2011 was 38,694,016.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

FEI COMPANY

INDEX TO FORM 10-Q

 

     Page   
PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION   
Item 1.    Financial Statements (unaudited)   
   Consolidated Balance Sheets – April 3, 2011 and December 31, 2010      2   
   Consolidated Statements of Operations – Thirteen Weeks Ended April 3, 2011 and April 4, 2010      3   
   Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss – Thirteen Weeks Ended April 3, 2011 and April 4, 2010      4   
   Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Thirteen Weeks Ended April 3, 2011 and April 4, 2010      5   
   Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements      6   
Item 2.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      17   
Item 3.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk      27   
Item 4.    Controls and Procedures      27   
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION   
Item 1.    Legal Proceedings      27   
Item 1A.    Risk Factors      28   
Item 6.    Exhibits      41   
Signatures      42   

 

 

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Table of Contents

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

FEI Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     April 3,
2011
     December 31,
2010
 

Assets

     

Current Assets:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 367,265       $ 277,617   

Short-term investments in marketable securities

     3,362         44,026   

Short-term restricted cash

     30,250         22,114   

Receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $5,816 and $5,685

     178,755         183,254   

Inventories

     179,487         155,964   

Deferred tax assets

     10,514         11,505   

Other current assets

     38,601         23,126   
                 

Total Current Assets

     808,234         717,606   

Non-current investments in marketable securities

     12,572         38,662   

Long-term restricted cash

     38,352         41,377   

Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $100,561 and $95,720

     81,799         80,681   

Goodwill

     44,832         44,800   

Deferred tax assets

     869         1,072   

Non-current inventories

     48,402         47,976   

Other assets, net

     15,077         12,248   
                 

Total Assets

   $ 1,050,137       $ 984,422   
                 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

     

Current Liabilities:

     

Accounts payable

   $ 55,656       $ 51,529   

Accrued payroll liabilities

     26,458         31,765   

Accrued warranty reserves

     9,735         8,648   

Accrued agent commissions

     12,304         10,796   

Deferred revenue

     86,232         81,445   

Income taxes payable

     9,287         3,715   

Accrued restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance

     3,070         4,884   

Other current liabilities

     31,352         31,306   
                 

Total Current Liabilities

     234,094         224,088   

Convertible debt

     89,012         89,012   

Deferred tax liabilities

     5,670         4,106   

Other liabilities

     35,613         34,042   

Commitments and contingencies

     

Shareholders’ Equity:

     

Preferred stock - 500 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

     —           —     

Common stock - 70,000 shares authorized; 38,690 and 38,280 shares issued and outstanding, no par value

     520,968         509,145   

Retained earnings

     97,336         75,024   

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     67,444         49,005   
                 

Total Shareholders’ Equity

     685,748         633,174   
                 

Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

   $ 1,050,137       $ 984,422   
                 

See accompanying Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Table of Contents

FEI Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     For the Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Net Sales:

    

Products

   $ 155,064      $ 111,806   

Products - related party

     968        71   

Service and components

     40,804        37,122   

Service and components - related party

     124        100   
                

Total net sales

     196,960        149,099   

Cost of Sales:

    

Products

     83,595        64,688   

Service and components

     27,461        25,206   
                

Total cost of sales

     111,056        89,894   
                

Gross Profit

     85,904        59,205   

Operating Expenses:

    

Research and development

     17,940        17,132   

Selling, general and administrative

     35,782        35,575   

Restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance

     285        914   
                

Total operating expenses

     54,007        53,621   
                

Operating Income

     31,897        5,584   

Other Income (Expense):

    

Interest income

     492        991   

Interest expense

     (1,042     (1,218

Other, net

     328        (409
                

Total other income (expense), net

     (222     (636
                

Income before income taxes

     31,675        4,948   

Income tax expense

     9,363        844   
                

Net income

   $ 22,312      $ 4,104   
                

Basic net income per share

   $ 0.58      $ 0.11   
                

Diluted net income per share

   $ 0.54      $ 0.11   
                

Shares used in per share calculations:

    

Basic

     38,478        37,891   
                

Diluted

     42,101        38,308   
                

See accompanying Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

FEI Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     For the Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Net income

   $ 22,312      $ 4,104   

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:

    

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

     15,387        (10,800

Change in unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities

     1        45   

Changes due to cash flow hedging instruments:

    

Net gain (loss) on hedge instruments

     3,791        (982

Reclassification to net income of previously deferred (gains) losses related to hedge derivatives instruments

     (740     105   
                

Comprehensive income (loss)

   $ 40,751      $ (7,528
                

See accompanying Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

 

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Table of Contents

FEI Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     For the Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net income

   $ 22,312      $ 4,104   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation

     4,514        4,300   

Amortization

     451        811   

Stock-based compensation

     2,789        2,842   

Other

     —          (9

Income taxes (receivable) payable, net

     270        (1,836

Deferred income taxes

     767        (542

(Increase) decrease in:

    

Receivables

     6,696        (10,865

Inventories

     (16,753     (71

Other assets

     (6,848     (1,446

Increase (decrease) in:

    

Accounts payable

     1,492        155   

Accrued payroll liabilities

     (7,411     (9

Accrued warranty reserves

     916        263   

Deferred revenue

     1,864        6,807   

Accrued restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance costs

     (2,009     —     

Other liabilities

     660        (2,194
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     9,710        2,310   

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

(Increase) decrease in restricted cash

     (1,824     1,046   

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

     (1,870     (2,634

Purchase of investments in marketable securities

     —          (38,004

Redemption of investments in marketable securities

     66,834        61,882   

Proceeds from the sale of auction rate securities

     —          11,850   

Other

     (464     (100
                

Net cash provided by investing activities

     62,676        34,040   

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Witholding taxes paid on issuance of vested restricted stock units

     (585     (500

Repayments on line of credit

     —          (12,350

Proceeds from exercise of stock options and employee stock purchases

     10,008        510   
                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     9,423        (12,340

Effect of exchange rate changes

     7,839        (4,663
                

Increase in cash and cash equivalents

     89,648        19,347   

Cash and cash equivalents:

    

Beginning of period

     277,617        124,199   
                

End of period

   $ 367,265      $ 143,546   
                

Supplemental Cash Flow Information:

    

Cash paid for income taxes, net

   $ 6,756      $ 2,723   

Cash paid for interest

     273        342   

Increase in fixed assets related to transfers with inventories

     1,623        670   

See accompanying Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

 

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Table of Contents

FEI COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

NOTE 1.         ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Nature of Business

We are a leading supplier of instruments for nanoscale imaging, analysis and prototyping to enable research, development and manufacturing in a range of industrial, academic and research institutional applications. We report our revenue based on a market-focused organization: the Electronics market segment, the Research and Industry market segment, the Life Sciences market segment and the Service and Components market segment.

Our products include focused ion beam systems, or FIBs; scanning electron microscopes, or SEMs; transmission electron microscopes, or TEMs; and DualBeam systems, which combine a FIB and SEM on a single platform.

Our DualBeam systems include models that have wafer handling capability and are purchased by semiconductor and data storage manufacturers (“wafer-level DualBeam systems”) and models that have small stages and are sold to customers in several markets (“small-stage DualBeam systems”).

We have research, development and manufacturing operations in Hillsboro, Oregon; Eindhoven, The Netherlands; and Brno, Czech Republic. Our sales and service operations are conducted in the U.S. and approximately 50 other countries around the world. We also sell our products through independent agents, distributors and representatives in additional countries.

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of FEI Company and our wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “FEI”). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements and condensed footnotes have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, the financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 18, 2011.

Use of Estimates in Financial Reporting

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. It is reasonably possible that the estimates we have made may change in the near future.

Significant accounting policies and estimates underlying the accompanying consolidated financial statements include:

 

   

the timing of revenue recognition;

 

   

the allowance for doubtful accounts;

 

   

valuations of excess and obsolete inventory;

 

   

the lives and recoverability of equipment and other long-lived assets such as goodwill;

 

   

restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance costs;

 

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tax valuation allowances and unrecognized tax benefits;

 

   

warranty liabilities;

 

   

stock-based compensation; and

 

   

accounting for derivatives.

NOTE 2.         EARNINGS PER SHARE

Following is a reconciliation of basic earnings per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended
April 3, 2011
    Thirteen Weeks Ended
April 4, 2010
 
     Net
Income
     Shares      Per Share
Amount
    Net
Income
     Shares      Per Share
Amount
 

Basic EPS

   $ 22,312         38,478       $ 0.58      $ 4,104         37,891       $ 0.11   

Dilutive effect of convertible notes

     451         3,033         (0.03     —           —           —     

Dilutive effect of stock options calculated using the treasury stock method

     —           194         —          —           140         —     

Dilutive effect of restricted stock units

     —           231         (0.01     —           112         —     

Dilutive effect of shares issuable to Philips

     —           165         —          —           165         —     
                                                    

Diluted EPS

   $ 22,763         42,101       $ 0.54      $ 4,104         38,308       $ 0.11   
                                                    

Schedule of anti-dilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted EPS

                

Convertible debt

        —                3,407      

Stock options

        456              915      

Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”)

        10              333      

NOTE 3.         STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

1995 Stock Incentive Plan and 1995 Supplemental Stock Incentive Plan

Our 1995 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended (the “1995 Plan”) allows for the issuance of a maximum of 10,250,000 shares of our common stock and our 1995 Supplemental Stock Incentive Plan (the “1995 Supplemental Plan”) allows for the issuance of a maximum of 500,000 shares of our common stock.

Certain information regarding the 1995 Plan and the 1995 Supplemental Plan as of April 3, 2011 was as follows:

 

Shares available for grant

     2,649,409   

Shares of common stock reserved for issuance

     4,567,273   

Certain information regarding all options outstanding as of April 3, 2011 was as follows:

 

     Options
Outstanding
     Options
Exercisable
 

Number

     1,120,873         637,716   

Weighted average exercise price

   $ 23.47       $ 22.56   

Aggregate intrinsic value

   $ 11.5 million       $ 7.1 million   

Weighted average remaining contractual term

     4.0 years         2.3 years   

RSUs outstanding, including awards issued within and outside of the 1995 Plan, totaled 796,991 at April 3, 2011.

 

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Our stock-based compensation expense was included in our statements of operations as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011      April 4, 2010  

Cost of sales

   $ 341       $ 325   

Research and development

     452         385   

Selling, general and administrative

     1,996         2,132   
                 

Total stock-based compensation

   $ 2,789       $ 2,842   
                 

As of April 3, 2011, unrecognized stock-based compensation related to outstanding, but unvested stock options and RSUs was $19.8 million, which will be recognized over the weighted average remaining vesting period of 1.9 years.

NOTE 4.         CREDIT FACILITIES AND RESTRICTED CASH

Multibank Credit Agreement

We have a multibank credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), which provides for a $100.0 million secured revolving credit facility, including a $50.0 million subfacility for the issuance of letters of credit. We may, upon notice to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Agent”), request to increase the revolving loan commitments by an aggregate amount of up to $50.0 million with new or additional commitments subject only to the consent of the lender(s) providing the new or additional commitments, for a total secured credit facility of up to $150.0 million. As of April 3, 2011, there were no revolving loans or letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Agreement, we were in compliance with all covenants and we were not in default under the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement was amended on April 26, 2011 to, among other things, extend the maturity date to April 2016. See Note 16 for additional information.

Japanese Bank Borrowing Facility

We also have a 50.0 million yen unsecured and uncommitted bank borrowing facility in Japan and various limited facilities in select foreign countries. No amounts were outstanding under any of these facilities as of April 3, 2011.

Restricted Cash

As part of our contracts with certain customers, we are required to provide letters of credit or bank guarantees which these customers can draw against in the event we do not perform in accordance with our contractual obligations. Restricted cash balances securing bank guarantees that expire within 12 months of the balance sheet date are recorded as a current asset on our consolidated balance sheets. Restricted cash balances securing bank guarantees that expire beyond 12 months from the balance sheet date are recorded as long-term restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheet.

Information related to guarantees and letters of credit at April 3, 2011 was as follows (in thousands):

 

Guarantees and letters of credit outstanding

   $ 69,195   

Amount secured by restricted cash deposits:

  

Current

   $ 30,250   

Long-term

     38,352   
        

Total secured by restricted cash

   $ 68,602   
        

NOTE 5.         INVENTORIES

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined by standard cost methods, which approximate the first-in, first-out method. Inventory costs include material, labor and manufacturing overhead. Service inventories that exceed the estimated requirements for the next 12 months based on recent usage levels are reported as other long-term assets. Management has established inventory reserves based on estimates of excess and/or obsolete current and non-current inventory.

 

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Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

     April 3,
2011
     December 31,
2010
 

Raw materials and assembled parts

   $ 71,898       $ 57,043   

Service inventories, estimated current requirements

     11,709         11,581   

Work-in-process

     66,725         55,279   

Finished goods

     29,155         32,061   
                 

Total inventories

   $ 179,487       $ 155,964   
                 

Non-current inventories

   $ 48,402       $ 47,976   
                 

NOTE 6.         GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Goodwill

The roll-forward of activity related to our goodwill was as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 44,800       $ 44,615   

Goodwill adjustments

     32         194   
                 

Balance, end of period

   $ 44,832       $ 44,809   
                 

Other Intangible Assets

Other intangible assets are included as a component of other assets, net on our consolidated balance sheets. Patents, trademarks and other are amortized under the straight-line method over their useful lives of 2 to 15 years. Note issuance costs are amortized over the life of the related debt, which is 7 years.

The gross amount of our other intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization were as follows (in thousands):

 

     April 3,
2011
    December 31,
2010
 

Patents, trademarks and other

   $ 7,829      $ 7,758   

Accumulated amortization

     (3,899     (3,995
                

Net patents, trademarks and other

     3,930        3,763   

Note issuance costs

     2,445        2,445   

Accumulated amortization

     (1,688     (1,600
                

Net note issuance costs

     757        845   
                

Total intangible assets included in other long-term assets

   $ 4,687      $ 4,608   
                

Amortization expense was as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Purchased technology

   $ —         $ 102   

Patents, trademarks and other

     299         283   

Note issuance costs

     88         98   
                 

Total amortization expense

   $ 387       $ 483   
                 

 

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Expected amortization is as follows over the next five years and thereafter (in thousands):

 

     Patents,
Trademarks
and Other
     Note
Issuance
Costs
     Total  

Remainder of 2011

   $ 806       $ 261       $ 1,067   

2012

     1,056         350         1,406   

2013

     999         146         1,145   

2014

     623         —           623   

2015

     269         —           269   

Thereafter

     177         —           177   
                          

Total

   $ 3,930       $ 757       $ 4,687   
                          

NOTE 7.         WARRANTY RESERVES

Our products generally carry a one year warranty. A reserve is established at the time of sale to cover estimated warranty costs and certain commitments for product upgrades. Our estimate of warranty cost is primarily based on our history of warranty repairs and maintenance, as applied to systems currently under warranty. For our new products without a history of known warranty costs, we estimate the expected costs based on our experience with similar product lines and technology. While most new products are extensions of existing technology, the estimate could change if new products require a significantly different level of repair and maintenance than similar products have required in the past. Our estimated warranty costs are reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis. Changes to the reserve occur as volume, product mix and warranty costs fluctuate.

The following is a summary of warranty reserve activity (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
    April 4,
2010
 

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 8,648      $ 7,477   

Reductions for warranty costs incurred

     (2,422     (1,934

Warranties issued

     3,359        2,180   

Translation and changes in estimates

     150        (148
                

Balance, end of period

   $ 9,735      $ 7,575   
                

NOTE 8.         INCOME TAXES

Our tax provision for the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011 consisted primarily of taxes accrued in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. We continue to record a valuation allowance against a portion of our U.S. deferred tax assets as we do not believe it is more likely than not that we will be able to utilize the deferred tax assets in future periods.

Deferred Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets were classified on the balance sheet as follows (in thousands):

 

     April 3,
2011
    December 31,
2010
 

Deferred tax assets – current

   $ 10,514      $ 11,505   

Deferred tax assets – non-current

     869        1,072   

Other current liabilities

     (48     (64

Deferred tax liabilities – non-current

     (5,670     (4,106
                

Net deferred tax assets

   $ 5,665      $ 8,407   
                

Valuation allowance

   $ 2,123      $ 2,123   
                

 

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Unrecognized Tax Benefits

During the thirteen week period ended April 3, 2011, unrecognized tax benefits were substantially unchanged. There were no increases or decreases in prior unrecognized tax benefits resulting from settlements with taxing authorities or lapses of statutes of limitations during the quarter. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in tax expense.

Current and non-current liability components of unrecognized tax benefits were classified on the balance sheet as follows (in thousands):

 

     April 3,
2011
     December 31,
2010
 

Other current liabilities

   $ 675       $ 639   

Other liabilities

     6,902         6,517   
                 

Unrecognized tax benefits

   $ 7,577       $ 7,156   
                 

For our major tax jurisdictions, the following years were open for examination by the tax authorities as of April 3, 2011:

 

Jurisdiction

  

Open Tax Years

U.S.

   2005 and forward

The Netherlands

   2005 and forward

Czech Republic

   2008 and forward

NOTE 9.         RELATED-PARTY ACTIVITY

Related parties with which we had transactions during the thirteen week period ended April 3, 2011 were as follows:

 

   

a director of Applied Materials, Inc. is a member of our Board of Directors;

 

   

our Chief Financial Officer is on the Board of Directors of Cascade Microtech, Inc.;

 

   

one of our named executive officers serves on the Board of Directors of Schneeberger, Inc.;

 

   

one of the members of our Board of Directors serves on the Supervisory Board of TMC BV; and

 

   

one of the members of our Board of Directors serves on the Board of Directors of EasyStreet Online Services.

Transactions with these related parties were as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  

Sales to Related Parties

   April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Product sales:

     

Applied Materials, Inc.

   $ 968       $ 71   
                 

Total product sales to related parties

     968         71   

Service sales:

     

Applied Materials, Inc.

     114         92   

Cascade Microtech, Inc.

     10         8   
                 

Total service sales to related parties

     124         100   
                 

Total sales to related parties

   $ 1,092       $ 171   
                 

Purchases from Related Parties

             

Schneeberger, Inc.

   $ 657       $ 921   

TMC BV

     24         77   

EasyStreet Online Services

     14         8   
                 

Total purchases from related parties

   $ 695       $ 1,006   
                 

 

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Amounts due from (to) related parties at April 3, 2011 were as follows (in thousands):

 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   $ 43   

Cascade Microtech, Inc.

     7   

Schneeberger, Inc.

     (190

TMC BV

     (48

EasyStreet Online Services

     (1
        

Due from related parties, net

   $ (189
        

NOTE 10.         COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

From time to time, we may be a party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. Other than as discussed below, we are not a party to any litigation that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Legal Matters

In November 2009, Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (“Hitachi”) filed a complaint against our subsidiary, FEI Company Japan Ltd. (“FEI Japan”), in the District Court in Tokyo alleging infringement of five patents. Hitachi’s complaint seeks a permanent injunction requiring FEI Japan to cease the sale of our allegedly infringing products in Japan, and legal costs. Two of the patents in the infringement case expired in June and September 2010, respectively, and, as a consequence, Hitachi dropped those patents from the infringement case. Hitachi filed two new complaints in the District Court of Tokyo for past damages on the expired patents in the amount of 2.5 billion yen in July 2010 and 1.3 billion yen in October 2010. In December 2010, Hitachi filed a complaint seeking a preliminary injunction relating to one of the three patents that were the subject of the permanent injunction case. Hitachi has also brought ancillary claims to bar the importation of certain of our products into Japan. One of these customs proceedings has been concluded and the other is on-going. FEI Japan has filed actions with the Japanese Patent Office to invalidate the two patents that were the subject of the first customs proceeding, and to invalidate the three remaining patents from the infringement case, one of which is subject to the preliminary injunction case and the second customs proceeding. To date, FEI Japan has successfully invalidated the patent which was accepted by customs in the first customs proceeding. Hitachi will have an opportunity to amend the patent to preserve some claims. Overall, the resolution of these proceedings is not expected to have any material effect on our business. We believe that we have meritorious defenses to Hitachi’s claims, and intend to vigorously defend our interests in these matters.

In management’s opinion, the resolution of the Hitachi case, as well as other matters, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, but it could be material to the net income or cash flows of a particular period.

Purchase Obligations

We have commitments under non-cancelable purchase orders, primarily relating to inventory, totaling $76.2 million at April 3, 2011. These commitments expire at various times through the third quarter of 2012.

NOTE 11.         SEGMENT INFORMATION

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker, or decision making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Our chief operating decision maker is our Chief Executive Officer.

We report our segments based on a market-focused organization. Our segments are: Electronics, Research and Industry, Life Sciences and Service and Components.

 

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The following tables summarize various financial amounts for each of our business segments (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Sales to External Customers:

     

Electronics

   $ 61,348       $ 41,243   

Research and Industry

     70,659         46,512   

Life Sciences

     24,025         24,122   

Service and Components

     40,928         37,222   
                 

Total

   $ 196,960       $ 149,099   
                 

Gross Profit:

     

Electronics

   $ 31,762       $ 18,613   

Research and Industry

     30,773         18,552   

Life Sciences

     9,902         10,024   

Service and Components

     13,467         12,016   
                 

Total

   $ 85,904       $ 59,205   
                 

 

     April 3,
2011
     December 31,
2010
 

Goodwill:

     

Electronics

   $ 18,135       $ 18,122   

Research and Industry

     18,007         17,998   

Life Sciences

     3,627         3,624   

Service and Components

     5,063         5,056   
                 

Total

   $ 44,832       $ 44,800   
                 

Total Assets:

     

Electronics

   $ 139,289       $ 174,512   

Research and Industry

     158,471         111,874   

Life Sciences

     50,633         40,604   

Service and Components

     143,803         143,080   

Corporate and Eliminations

     557,941         514,352   
                 

Total

   $ 1,050,137       $ 984,422   
                 

Market segment disclosures are presented to the gross profit level as this is the primary performance measure for which the segment general managers are responsible. Selling, general and administrative, research and development and other operating expenses are managed and reported at the corporate level and, given allocation to the market segments would be arbitrary, have not been allocated to the market segments. See our Consolidated Statements of Operations for reconciliations from gross profit to income before income taxes. These reconciling items are not included in the measure of profit and loss for each reportable segment.

None of our customers represented 10% or more of our total sales in the thirteen week periods ended April 3, 2011 or April 4, 2010.

NOTE 12.         RESTRUCTURING, REORGANIZATION, RELOCATION AND SEVERANCE

On April 12, 2010, we announced a restructuring program to consolidate the manufacturing of our small DualBeam product line by relocating manufacturing activities currently performed at our facility in Eindhoven, The Netherlands to our facility in Brno, Czech Republic. The balance of our small DualBeam product line is already based in Brno. The planned move, which is expected to be completed over the next three months, will result in the termination of approximately 30 positions in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The move will include severance costs, expected costs to transfer the product line, costs to train Brno employees and costs to build-out the existing Brno facility to add capacity for the additional small DualBeam production. In addition to the product line move, the April 2010 restructuring involves organizational changes designed to improve the efficiency of our finance, research and development and other corporate programs and improve our market focus. Costs incurred related to this plan in the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011 related to the consolidation of the manufacturing of our small DualBeam product line in Brno.

 

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Information for costs related to this plan is as follows (in thousands):

 

Costs Incurred

   Thirteen
Weeks Ended
April 3, 2011
    Life of Plan  

Severance costs related to work force reduction and reorganization

   $ (117   $ 6,316   

Product line transfer, training of Brno employees and facility build-out in Brno

     402        1,274   
                

Total costs incurred

   $ 285      $ 7,590   
                

Total Expected Costs

   Remainder of
2011
    Life of Plan  

Product line transfer, training of Brno employees and facility build-out in Brno

    

 

$0.2 - $0.4

million

 

  

   

 

$1.5 to $1.7

million

 

  

Presently, all of the costs described are expected to result in cash expenditures. The remaining costs are expected to be incurred through the second quarter of 2011.

The following table summarizes the charges, expenditures and write-offs and adjustments related to our restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance accruals (in thousands):

 

Thirteen Weeks Ended April 3, 2011

   Product line
transfer and
training of
Brno
employees
    Severance,
outplacement
and related
benefits for
terminated
employees
    IT system
upgrades
     Abandoned
leases,
leasehold
improve-

ments and
facilities
     Total  

Beginning accrued liability

   $ —        $ 4,832      $ 20       $ 32       $ 4,884   

Charged to expense, net

     402        (117     —           —           285   

Expenditures

     (402     (1,810     —           —           (2,212

Write-offs and adjustments

     —          113        —           —           113   
                                          

Ending accrued liability

   $ —        $ 3,018      $ 20       $ 32       $ 3,070   
                                          

NOTE 13.         FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Factors used in determining the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities are summarized into three broad categories:

 

   

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities as of the reporting date;

 

   

Level 2 – other significant directly or indirectly observable inputs, including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk; and

 

   

Level 3 – significant inputs that are generally less observable than objective sources, including our own assumptions in determining fair value.

The factors or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

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Following are the disclosures related to our financial assets and (liabilities) (in thousands):

 

Fair Value at April 3, 2011

   Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Available for sale marketable securities:

           

Agency bonds

   $ —         $ 7,500       $ —         $ 7,500   

Certificates of deposit

     —           5,462         —           5,462   

Trading securities:

           

Equity securities – mutual funds

     2,972         —           —           2,972   

Derivative contracts, net

     —           7,744         —           7,744   
                                   

Total

   $ 2,972       $ 20,706       $ —         $ 23,678   
                                   

 

Fair Value at December 31, 2010

   Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Available for sale marketable securities:

           

U.S. Government-backed securities

   $ 68,497       $ —         $ —         $ 68,497   

Agency bonds

     —           5,000         —           5,000   

Certificates of deposit

     —           6,322         —           6,322   

Trading securities:

           

Equity securities – mutual funds

     2,869         —           —           2,869   

Derivative contracts, net

     —           94         —           94   
                                   

Total

   $ 71,366       $ 11,416       $ —         $ 82,782   
                                   

The fair value of our available for sale and trading marketable securities is based on quoted market prices.

We use an income approach to value the assets and liabilities for outstanding derivative contracts using current market information as of the reporting date, such as spot rates, interest rate differentials and implied volatility.

There were no changes to our valuation techniques during the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011.

We believe the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current liabilities are a reasonable approximation of the fair value of those financial instruments because of the nature of the underlying transactions and the short-term maturities involved.

At April 3, 2011, we had fixed rate convertible debt outstanding as follows (in thousands):

 

Fixed rate convertible debt on balance sheet

   $ 89,012   

Fair value of fixed rate convertible debt

     116,306   

The fair value of our fixed rate convertible debt is based on open market trades.

NOTE 14.         DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

In the normal course of business, we are exposed to foreign currency risk and we use derivatives to mitigate financial exposure from movements in foreign currency exchange rates.

The aggregate notional amount of outstanding derivative contracts were as follows (in thousands):

 

     April 3,
2011
     December 31,
2010
 

Cash flow hedges

   $ 116,000       $ 133,000   

Balance sheet hedges

     133,781         106,882   
                 
   $ 249,781       $ 239,882   
                 

The outstanding contracts at April 3, 2011 have varying maturities through the second quarter of 2012. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.

We attempt to mitigate derivative credit risk by transacting with highly rated counterparties. We have evaluated the credit and nonperformance risks associated with our derivative counterparties and believe them to be insignificant and not warranting a credit adjustment at April 3, 2011. In addition, there are no credit contingent features in our derivative instruments.

 

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Balance Sheet Related

In countries outside of the U.S., we transact business in U.S. dollars and in various other currencies. We attempt to mitigate our currency exposures for recorded transactions by using forward exchange contracts to reduce the risk that our future cash flows will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates. We enter into forward sale or purchase contracts for foreign currencies to economically hedge specific cash, receivables or payables positions denominated in foreign currencies.

Changes in fair value of derivatives entered into to mitigate the foreign exchange risks related to these balance sheet items are recorded in other income (expense) together with the transaction gain or loss from the respective balance sheet position as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Foreign currency income, inclusive of the impact of derivatives

   $ 148       $ 419   

Cash Flow Hedges

We use zero cost collar contracts and option contracts to hedge certain anticipated foreign currency exchange transactions. The foreign exchange hedging structure is set up, generally, on an eighteen-month time horizon. The hedging transactions we undertake primarily limit our exposure to changes in the U.S. dollar/euro and the U.S. dollar/Czech koruna exchange rate. The zero cost collar contract hedges are designed to protect us as the U.S. dollar weakens, but also provide us with some flexibility if the dollar strengthens.

These derivatives meet the criteria to be designated as hedges and, accordingly, we record the change in fair value of the effective portion of these hedge contracts relating to anticipated transactions in other comprehensive income rather than net income until the underlying hedged transaction affects net income. Gains and losses resulting from the ineffective portion of the hedge contracts are recognized currently as a component of net income. Gains and losses related to cash flow derivative contracts not designated as hedging instruments are recorded currently as a component of net income.

Summary

The fair value carrying amount of our derivative instruments was included in our balance sheet as follows (in thousands):

 

     Fair Value of Derivatives at
April 3, 2011
     Fair Value of Derivatives at
December 31, 2010
 
     Other Current
Assets
     Other Current
Liabilities
     Other Current
Assets
     Other Current
Liabilities
 

Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments

                           

Foreign exchange contracts in asset position

   $ 6,608       $ —         $ 3,763       $ —     

Foreign exchange contracts in liability position

     —           747         —           2,010   

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

                           

Foreign exchange contracts in asset position

   $ 2,103       $ —         $ 333       $ —     

Foreign exchange contracts in liability position

     —           220         —           1,992   

 

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The effect of derivative instruments on our Consolidated Statements of Operations was as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  

Foreign Exchange Contracts in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships

   April 3,
2011
     April 4,
2010
 

Amount of gain/(loss):

     

Recognized in OCI (effective portion)

   $ 4,991       $ (1,442

Reclassified from accumulated OCI into cost of sales (effective portion)

     682         (49

Recognized in other, net (ineffective portion and amount excluded from effectiveness testing)

     58         (56

Foreign Exchange Contracts Not in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships

             

Amount of gain/(loss):

     

Recognized in other, net

   $ 3,839       $ (446

The unrealized gains at April 3, 2011 are expected to be reclassified to net income during the next 18 months as a result of the underlying hedged transactions also being recorded in net income.

NOTE 15.         NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

ASU 2010-06

In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2010-06, “Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements,” which requires new disclosures about recurring or nonrecurring fair-value measurements including significant transfers into or out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair-value classifications. It also requires information on purchases, sales, issuances and settlements on a gross basis in the reconciliation of Level 3 fair-value assets and liabilities. These disclosures were required for fiscal years beginning on or after December 15, 2009. The ASU also clarifies existing fair-value measurement disclosure guidance about the level of disaggregation, inputs and valuation techniques, which are required to be implemented in fiscal years beginning on or after December 15, 2010. Since the requirements of this ASU only relate to disclosure, the adoption of the guidance did not have any effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. All required disclosures are included in Note 13 above.

NOTE 16.         SUBSEQUENT EVENT

On April 26, 2011, we entered into the Second Amendment of our multi-bank credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) referred to in Note 4. Among other things, the amendment extended the term of the Credit Agreement to April 2016, however the amount available under the Credit Agreement did not change. We paid an amendment fee of $0.2 million to the Lenders and an arrangement fee of $0.1 million to the Agent in connection with the amendment, which will be amortized as interest expense over the remaining life of the Credit Agreement.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “appear,” “assume” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements include any statements regarding expectations of earnings, revenues, gross margins, non-operating expense, tax rates, net income, foreign currency rates, funding opportunities or other financial items, as well as backlog, order levels and activity of our company as a whole or in particular markets; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, restructuring and outsourcing initiatives; any statements of factors that may affect our 2011 operating results; any statements concerning proposed new products, services, developments, changes to our restructuring reserves, our competitive position, hiring levels, sales and bookings or anticipated performance of products or services; any statements related to future capital expenditures; any statements related to the needs or expected growth or spending of our target markets; any statements concerning the effects of litigation on our financial condition; any statements concerning the resolution of any tax positions or use of tax assets; any statements concerning the effect of new accounting pronouncements on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of belief; any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing; and any statements made under the heading “Outlook for the Remainder of 2011.”

 

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From time to time, we also may provide oral or written forward-looking statements in other materials we release to the public. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions referred to above include, but are not limited to, those discussed here and the risks discussed from time to time in our other public filings. All forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are based on information available to us as of the date of this report, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. You also should read Item 1A. “Risk Factors” included in Part II of this report for factors that we believe could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. Other factors could also adversely affect us.

Summary of Products and Segments

We are a leading supplier of instruments for nanoscale imaging, analysis and prototyping to enable research, development and manufacturing in a range of industrial, academic and research institutional applications. We report our revenue based on a market-focused organization: the Electronics market segment, the Research and Industry market segment, the Life Sciences market segment and the Service and Components market segment.

Our products include focused ion beam systems, or FIBs; scanning electron microscopes, or SEMs; transmission electron microscopes, or TEMs; and DualBeam systems, which combine a FIB and SEM on a single platform.

Our DualBeam systems include models that have wafer handling capability and are purchased by semiconductor and data storage manufacturers (“wafer-level DualBeam systems”) and models that have small stages and are sold to customers in several markets (“small-stage DualBeam systems”).

The Electronics market segment consists of customers in the semiconductor, data storage and related industries such as manufacturers of solar panels and light-emitting diodes. For the semiconductor market, our growth is driven by shrinking line widths and process nodes of 45 nanometers and smaller, the use of multiple layers of new materials such as copper and low-k dielectrics and increasing device complexity. Our products are used primarily in laboratories to speed new product development and increase yields by enabling 3D wafer metrology, defect analysis, root cause failure analysis and circuit edit for modifying device structures. In the data storage market, our products offer 3D metrology for thin film head processing and root cause failure analysis. Factors affecting our business include advances in perpendicular recording head technology, such as rapidly increasing storage densities that require smaller recording heads, thinner geometries and materials that increase the complexity of device structures.

The Research and Industry market segment includes universities, public and private research laboratories and customers in a wide range of industries, including automobiles, aerospace, forensics, metals, mining, oil and gas and petrochemicals. Growth in these markets is driven by global corporate and government funding for research and development in materials science and by development of new products and processes based on innovations in materials at the nanoscale. Our solutions provide researchers and manufacturers with atomic-level resolution images and permit development, analysis and production of advanced products. Our products are also used in mineral concentration analysis, root cause failure analysis and quality control applications.

 

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The Life Sciences market segment includes universities, government laboratories and research institutes engaged in biotech and life sciences applications, as well as pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies and hospitals. Our products’ ultra-high resolution imaging allows cell biologists and drug researchers to create detailed 3D reconstructions of complex biological structures. Our products are also used in particle analysis and a range of pathology and quality control applications.

Orders and Backlog

Orders received in a particular period that cannot be built and shipped to the customer in that period represent backlog. We only recognize backlog for purchase commitments for which the terms of the sale have been agreed upon, including price, configuration, options and payment terms. Product backlog consists of all open orders meeting these criteria. Service and Components backlog consists of open orders for service, unearned revenue on service contracts and open orders for spare parts. U.S. government backlog is limited to contracted amounts. In addition, some of the U.S. government backlog represents uncommitted funds. At April 3, 2011, our total backlog was $465.7 million, compared to $471.9 million at December 31, 2010. At April 3, 2011, our backlog consisted of $377.2 million related to products and $88.5 million related to Service and Components compared to product backlog of $390.6 million and Service and Components backlog of $81.3 million at December 31, 2010.

Customers may cancel or delay delivery on previously placed orders, although our standard terms and conditions include penalties for cancellations made close to the scheduled delivery date. As a result, the timing of the receipt of orders or the shipment of products could have a significant impact on our backlog at any date. Historically, cancellations have been low. However, in the last two years, this long-standing trend changed somewhat and, as a result, our cancellation rates may increase in the future. During the first thirteen weeks of 2011 and all of 2010, we experienced cancellations or de-bookings of $0.4 million and $2.7 million, respectively. From time to time, we have experienced difficulty in shipping our product from backlog due to single-sourcing issues and problems in securing electronic components from a certain vendor. In addition, product shipments have been extended due to delays in completing certain application development, by our customers pushing out shipments because their facilities are not ready to install our systems and by our own manufacturing delays due to the technical complexity of our products and supply chain issues. A significant portion of our backlog is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and, therefore, our reported backlog fluctuates, to an extent, as a result of foreign currency exchange rate movements. For these reasons, the amount of backlog at any date is not necessarily indicative of revenue to be recognized in future periods.

Outlook for the Remainder of 2011

Our backlog of unfilled orders at the end of the first quarter of 2011 was down slightly (1.3%) from the beginning of the quarter, but it remains substantial. Our current backlog and ongoing flow of new products is expected to lead to continued revenue growth in 2011 compared with 2010. Global demand in our Research and Industry and Life Sciences segments remains solid, based on education and research infrastructure investments in many countries around the world, including developing countries. Electronics bookings may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, but are expected to generally remain strong, as customers use our tools to develop next generation devices. We also expect some impact from the emergence of our Natural Resources business, which is currently a small part of the Research and Industry segment.

Gross margins are expected to improve due to improved product mix, higher overall volume and reduced manufacturing costs. Operating expenses are expected to increase as we increase spending on engineering and market development. The goal of the increased spending is to develop further growth in 2012 and beyond.

The combination of increasing volume, improved gross margins and the measured increase in operating spending leads us to believe that we will see improved net income for the year 2011, compared with 2010.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies and the Use of Estimates

Preparation of our financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We believe the most complex and sensitive judgments, because of their significance to the Consolidated Financial Statements, result primarily from the need to make estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis and Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K describe the significant accounting estimates and policies used in preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements. Actual results in these areas could differ from management’s estimates. During the first thirteen weeks of 2011, there were no significant changes in our critical accounting policies or estimates from those reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on February 18, 2011.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our statement of operations data, in absolute dollars and as a percentage of consolidated net sales (dollars in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended(1)     Thirteen Weeks Ended(1)  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Net sales

   $ 196,960        100.0   $ 149,099        100.0

Cost of sales

     111,056        56.4        89,894        60.3   
                                

Gross profit

     85,904        43.6        59,205        39.7   

Research and development

     17,940        9.1        17,132        11.5   

Selling, general and administrative

     35,782        18.2        35,575        23.9   

Restructuring, reorganization, relocation and severance

     285        0.1        914        0.6   
                                

Operating income

     31,897        16.2        5,584        3.7   

Other income (expense), net

     (222     (0.1     (636     (0.4
                                

Income before income taxes

     31,675        16.1        4,948        3.3   

Income tax expense

     9,363        4.8        844        0.6   
                                

Net income

   $ 22,312        11.3   $ 4,104        2.8
                                

 

(1) Percentages may not add due to rounding.

Net Sales

Net sales increased $47.9 million, or 32.1%, to $197.0 million in the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011 (the first quarter of 2011) compared to $149.1 million in the thirteen weeks ended April 4, 2010 (the first quarter of 2010). The factors affecting net sales are discussed in more detail in the Net Sales by Segment discussion below.

Currency fluctuations increased net sales by approximately $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 as approximately 68% of our net sales were denominated in foreign currencies that fluctuated against the U.S. dollar. Weakening of the U.S. dollar against these foreign currencies generally has the effect of increasing net sales and backlog.

Net Sales by Segment

The following table sets forth our net sales by market segment in absolute dollars and as a percentage of consolidated net sales (dollars in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Electronics

   $ 61,348         31.1   $ 41,243         27.6

Research and Industry

     70,659         35.9     46,512         31.2

Life Sciences

     24,025         12.2     24,122         16.2

Service and Components

     40,928         20.8     37,222         25.0
                                  

Consolidated net sales

   $ 196,960         100.0   $ 149,099         100.0
                                  

 

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Electronics

The $20.1 million, or 48.7%, increase in Electronics sales in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to the continuing recovery and strength of the semiconductor and related markets. The volume of small DualBeam units sold in the first quarter of 2011 increased compared to the first quarter of 2010 primarily due to strong semiconductor capital equipment spending and the success of a newer generation product introduction in the second quarter of 2010 as the electronics markets were strengthening. Currency fluctuations were insignificant in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010.

Research and Industry

The $24.1 million, or 51.9%, increase in Research and Industry sales in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to strong sales of our high-end TEMs as a result of continued strong spending in research markets. Our customers are shifting to TEM-specific tools as the demand to image on an increasingly small scale continues. The increase in TEM sales in the research markets was also partly due to the timing of deliveries. The increase also reflects continued investment in education infrastructure in developing countries like Korea and China. In addition, increasing demand for our evolving line of natural resources product offerings contributed to the revenue increase. Currency fluctuations increased sales by $1.3 million.

Life Sciences

Life Sciences sales were flat in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 as both periods had a similar sales mix. Life Sciences sales were positively affected by a $0.4 million increase related to currency fluctuations.

Service and Components

The $3.7 million, or 10.0%, increase in Service and Component sales in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was due primarily to a larger install base and improvements in the semiconductor industry, which contributed to an increase in service contracts. In addition, currency fluctuations increased Service and Component sales by $0.6 million.

Net Sales by Geographic Region

Over half of our net sales have been from customers outside of the U.S., and we expect that to continue. The following table sets forth our net sales by geographic location in absolute dollars and as a percentage of consolidated net sales (dollars in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

U.S. and Canada

   $ 63,625         32.3   $ 46,190         31.0

Europe

     58,066         29.5     45,541         30.5

Asia-Pacific Region and Rest of World

     75,269         38.2     57,368         38.5
                                  

Consolidated net sales

   $ 196,960         100.0   $ 149,099         100.0
                                  

U.S. and Canada

The $17.4 million, or 37.7%, increase in sales to the U.S. and Canada in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to an increase in our Electronics segment sales, which was driven by an increase in semiconductor capital equipment spending based on an improved economy.

Europe

Our European region also includes Central America, South America, Africa (excluding South Africa), the Middle East and Russia.

The $12.5 million, or 27.5%, increase in sales to Europe in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to general economic improvement and increased spending by research institutions. Currency fluctuations decreased European sales by $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010.

 

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Asia-Pacific Region and Rest of World

The $17.9 million, or 31.2%, increase in sales to the Asia-Pacific region and the Rest of World in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to the strengthening economy and investment in educational infrastructure in less developed countries. Currency fluctuations increased sales in this region by $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010, primarily due to the strengthening of the Japanese yen. These factors were partially offset by a slight decrease in sales to Japan as certain shipments and installations were not completed due to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis. We anticipate that most of these transactions will be completed in 2011.

Cost of Sales and Gross Margin

Our gross margin (gross profit as a percentage of net sales) by segment was as follows:

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3, 2011     April 4, 2010  

Electronics

     51.8     45.1

Research and Industry

     43.6     39.9

Life Sciences

     41.2     41.6

Service and Components

     32.9     32.3

Overall

     43.6     39.7

Cost of sales includes manufacturing costs, such as materials, labor (both direct and indirect) and factory overhead, as well as all of the costs of our customer service function such as labor, materials, travel and overhead. The five primary drivers affecting gross margin include: product mix (including the effect of price competition), volume, cost reduction efforts, competitive pricing pressure and currency fluctuations.

Cost of sales increased $21.2 million, or 23.5%, to $111.1 million in the first quarter of 2011 compared to $89.9 million in the first quarter of 2010, primarily due to increased sales and a $2.0 million increase related to currency fluctuations.

The net effect on our gross margin from currency fluctuations during the first quarter of 2011 was an approximately $0.4 million increase.

Electronics

The increase in Electronics gross margin in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was due primarily to increased demand for our higher-margin small DualBeams, as well as abnormally low gross margins in the prior year period as we worked through orders that were priced in late 2009 and early 2010 when we were under greater pricing pressure. We also realized product cost savings related to our consolidation of the manufacturing of our small DualBeam products at our Brno, Czech Republic facility. Offsetting these factors was a 0.6 percentage point decrease related to currency fluctuations.

Research and Industry

The increase in Research and Industry gross margin in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to an increase in the number of high-end TEMs sold, as well as growth in sales of our higher-margin natural resources products.

Life Sciences

The decrease in Life Sciences gross margin in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to a 0.4 percentage point decrease due to currency fluctuations. The product mix of sales was similar for both periods.

Service and Components

The increase in the Service and Components gross margin in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to increased sales and a relatively flat cost structure. These factors were partially offset by increased costs in Japan as the work flow for our service employees in Japan was interrupted by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis.

 

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Research and Development Costs

Research and Development (“R&D”) costs include labor, materials, overhead and payments to third parties for research and development of new products and new software or enhancements to existing products and software. These costs are presented net of subsidies received for such efforts. During the first quarters of 2011 and 2010, we received subsidies from European governments for technology developments for semiconductor and life science equipment.

R&D costs increased $0.8 million to $17.9 million (9.1% of net sales) in the first quarter of 2011 compared to $17.1 million (11.5% of net sales) in the first quarter of 2010.

R&D costs are reported net of subsidies and were as follows (in thousands):

 

     Thirteen Weeks Ended  
     April 3,
2011
    April 4,
2010
 

Gross spending

   $ 19,250      $ 18,599   

Less subsidies

     (1,310     (1,467
                

Net expense

   $ 17,940      $ 17,132   
                

The increase in R&D costs in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to increased headcount, partially offset by delays in program launches. Currency fluctuations were insignificant in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010.

The decrease in R&D as a percentage of net sales in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to increased revenues and the timing of program launches. We expect R&D spending to increase in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2011.

We anticipate that we will continue to invest in R&D at a similar percentage of revenue for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, as revenues increase, we currently anticipate that R&D expenditures also will increase. Actual future spending, however, will depend on market conditions.

Selling, General and Administrative Costs

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) costs include labor, travel, outside services and overhead incurred in our sales, marketing, management and administrative support functions. SG&A costs also include sales commissions paid to our employees as well as to our agents.

SG&A costs increased $0.2 million to $35.8 million (18.2% of net sales) in the first quarter of 2011 compared to $35.6 million (23.9% of net sales) in the first quarter of 2010.

The increase in SG&A costs in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 was primarily due to increased commissions driven by the increase in revenue, offset by a decrease in bad debt write-offs. In the first quarter of 2010, we recorded a $2.1 million charge to fully write off amounts receivable from one customer.

Restructuring, Reorganization, Relocation and Severance

On April 12, 2010, we announced a restructuring program to consolidate the manufacturing of our small DualBeam product line by relocating manufacturing activities currently performed at our facility in Eindhoven, The Netherlands to our facility in Brno, Czech Republic. The balance of our small DualBeam product line is already based in Brno. The planned move, which is expected to be completed over the next three months, will result in the termination of approximately 30 positions in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The move will include severance costs, expected costs to transfer the product line, costs to train Brno employees and costs to build-out the existing Brno facility to add capacity for the additional small DualBeam production. In addition to the product line move, the April 2010 restructuring involves organizational changes designed to improve the efficiency of our finance, research and development and other corporate programs and improve our market focus. Costs incurred related to this plan in the thirteen weeks ended April 3, 2011 related to the consolidation of the manufacturing of our small DualBeam product line in Brno.

 

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Information for costs related to this plan is as follows (in thousands):

 

Costs Incurred

   Thirteen
Weeks Ended
April 3, 2011
    Life of Plan  

Severance costs related to work force reduction and reorganization

   $ (117   $ 6,316   

Product line transfer, training of Brno employees and facility build-out in Brno

     402        1,274   
                

Total costs incurred

   $ 285      $ 7,590   
                

Total Expected Costs

   Remainder of
2011
    Life of Plan  

Product line transfer, training of Brno employees and facility build-out in Brno

    
 
$0.2 - $0.4
million
  
  
   
 
$1.5 to $1.7
million
  
  

Presently, all of the costs described are expected to result in cash expenditures. The remaining costs are expected to be incurred through the second quarter of 2011.

The actions related to our April 2010 restructuring plan are expected to reduce manufacturing costs and operating expenses and increase cash flow by approximately $4.5 million per year once the move to the Czech Republic is complete.

For information regarding the related accrued liability, see Note 12 of Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense) items include interest income, interest expense, foreign currency gains and losses and other miscellaneous items.

Interest income represents interest earned on cash and cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities and totaled $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2011 and $1.0 million in the first quarter of 2010.

Interest expense was $1.0 million and $1.2 million, respectively, in the first quarter of 2011 and 2010. Interest expense for both the 2011 and 2010 periods included interest expense related to our 2.875% convertible notes. The amortization of capitalized note issuance costs related to our convertible note issuances is also included as a component of interest expense.

For the first quarters of 2011 and 2010, Other, net was income of $0.3 million and an expense of $0.4 million, respectively, and related to foreign currency gains and losses on transactions, cash flow hedge ineffectiveness and realized and unrealized gains and losses on the changes in fair value of derivative contracts entered into to hedge these transactions.

Income Tax Expense

Our effective income tax rate of 29.6% for the first quarter of 2011 reflected taxes accrued in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions.

Our effective income tax rate of 17.1% for the first quarter of 2010 reflected taxes accrued in foreign jurisdictions, reduced by tax benefits related to the release of valuation allowance recorded against net operating loss deferred tax assets utilized to offset income earned in the U.S.

Our effective tax rate may differ from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate primarily as a result of the effects of state and foreign income taxes, research and experimentation tax credits earned in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, adjustments to our unrecognized tax benefits and our ability or inability to utilize various carry forward tax items. In addition, our effective income tax rate may be affected by changes in statutory tax rates and laws in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions and other factors.

 

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As of April 3, 2011, unrecognized tax benefits totaled $7.6 million and related primarily to uncertainty surrounding transfer pricing, tax credits and permanent establishment. All unrecognized tax benefits would decrease the effective tax rate if recognized.

Our net deferred tax assets totaled $5.7 million and $8.4 million, respectively, at April 3, 2011 and December 31, 2010. Valuation allowances on deferred tax assets totaled $2.1 million as of both April 3, 2011 and December 31, 2010. We continue to record a valuation allowance against a portion of U.S. deferred tax assets, as we do not believe it is more likely than not that we will be able to utilize the deferred tax assets in future periods.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our sources of liquidity and capital resources as of April 3, 2011 consisted of $400.9 million of cash, cash equivalents, short-term restricted cash and short-term investments, $12.6 million in non-current investments, $38.4 million of long-term restricted cash, $100.0 million available under revolving credit facilities, as well as potential future cash flows from operations. Restricted cash relates to deposits to secure bank guarantees for customer prepayments that expire through 2015.

We believe that we have sufficient cash resources and available credit lines to meet our expected operational and capital needs for at least the next twelve months from April 3, 2011.

In the first quarter of 2011, cash and cash equivalents and short-term restricted cash increased $97.8 million to $397.5 million as of April 3, 2011 from $299.7 million as of December 31, 2010 primarily as a result of $9.7 million provided by operations, the redemption of $66.8 million of marketable securities and $10.0 million of proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options and a $7.8 million favorable effect of exchange rate changes. These factors were partially offset by $1.9 million used for the purchase of property, plant and equipment.

In the first quarter of 2010, cash and cash equivalents and short-term restricted cash increased $13.4 million to $154.7 million as of April 4, 2010 from $141.3 million as of December 31, 2009 primarily as a result of $2.3 million provided by operations, $11.9 million from the call of ARS, $0.5 million of proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options and the net redemption of $23.9 million of marketable securities. These factors were partially offset by $2.6 million used for the purchase of property, plant and equipment, $12.4 million of repayments on our UBS line of credit and a $4.7 million unfavorable effect of exchange rate changes.

Accounts receivable decreased $4.5 million to $178.8 million as of April 3, 2011 from $183.3 million as of December 31, 2010, primarily due to an increase in collections in the first quarter of 2011 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2010, driven by the timing of customer payments. The April 3, 2011 balance included a $2.2 million decrease related to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Our days sales outstanding, calculated on a quarterly basis, was 83 days at April 3, 2011 and 90 days at December 31, 2010.

Inventories increased $23.5 million to $179.5 million as of April 3, 2011 compared to $156.0 million as of December 31, 2010, to support our planned ramp up of shipments in 2011. The April 3, 2011 balance included an $8.4 million increase related to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Our annualized inventory turnover rate, calculated on a quarterly basis, was 2.6 times for the quarter ended April 3, 2011 and 2.7 times for the quarter ended April 4, 2010.

Deferred tax assets, current and long term, net of deferred tax liabilities decreased $2.7 million to $5.7 million as of April 3, 2011 compared to $8.4 million as of December 31, 2010 primarily due to an increase in the U.S. deferred tax liability primarily related to an increase in unrealized cash flow hedging gains.

 

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Other current assets increased $15.5 million to $38.6 million as of April 3, 2011 compared to $23.1 million as of December 31, 2010, primarily due to an increase in our cash flow hedge receivable as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar and an increase in our current income taxes receivable.

Expenditures for property, plant and equipment of $1.9 million in the first quarter of 2011 primarily consisted of expenditures for computer software and machinery and equipment. We expect to continue to invest in capital equipment, demonstration systems and R&D equipment for applications development. We estimate our total capital expenditures in 2011 to be approximately $34 million, primarily for the development and introduction of new products, demonstration equipment and upgrades and incremental improvements to our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system.

Accrued payroll liabilities decreased $5.3 million to $26.5 million as of April 3, 2011 compared to $31.8 million as of December 31, 2010, primarily due to the payment of bonuses accrued at December 31, 2010 and the timing of payments.

Income taxes payable increased $5.6 million to $9.3 million as of April 3, 2011 compared to $3.7 million as of December 31, 2010 primarily due to accruals for U.S. taxes on current period income. Our receivable for income taxes of $6.5 million at April 3, 2011 is included as a component of other current assets.

Credit Facilities and Letters of Credit

We have a $100.0 million secured revolving credit facility, including a $50.0 million subfacility for the issuance of letters of credit. We may, upon notice to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., request to increase the revolving loan commitments by an aggregate amount of up to $50.0 million with new or additional commitments subject only to the consent of the lender(s) providing the new or additional commitments, for a total secured credit facility of up to $150.0 million. No amounts were outstanding under this facility as of April 3, 2011.

We also have a 50.0 million yen unsecured and uncommitted bank borrowing facility in Japan and various limited facilities in select foreign countries. No amounts were outstanding under any of these facilities as of April 3, 2011.

We mitigate credit risk by transacting with highly rated counterparties. We have evaluated the credit and non-performance risks associated with our lenders and believe them to be insignificant.

As part of our contracts with certain customers, we are required to provide letters of credit or bank guarantees which these customers can draw against in the event we do not perform in accordance with our contractual obligations. Restricted cash balances securing bank guarantees that expire within 12 months of the balance sheet date are recorded as a current asset on our consolidated balance sheets. Restricted cash balances securing bank guarantees that expire beyond 12 months from the balance sheet date are recorded as long-term restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheet.

Information related to guarantees and letters of credit at April 3, 2011 was as follows (in thousands):

 

Guarantees and letters of credit outstanding

   $ 69,195   

Amount secured by restricted cash deposits:

  

Current

   $ 30,250   

Long-term

     38,352   
        

Total secured by restricted cash

   $ 68,602   
        

Share Repurchase Plan

A plan to repurchase up to a total of 4.0 million shares of our common stock was approved by our Board of Directors in September 2010 and does not have an expiration date. The amount and timing of specific repurchases are subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The purchases are funded from existing cash resources and may be suspended or discontinued at any time at our discretion without prior notice. No shares were repurchased during the first quarter of 2011, and, as of April 3, 2011, 3,794,700 shares remained available for purchase pursuant to this plan.

 

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New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 15 of the Condensed Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting pronouncements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

There have been no material changes in our reported market risks and risk management policies since the filing of our 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the SEC on February 18, 2011.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management evaluated, with the participation and under the supervision of our President and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

We are involved in various legal proceedings and receive claims from time to time, arising in the normal course of our business activities, including claims for alleged infringement or violation of intellectual property rights.

In November 2009, Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (“Hitachi”) filed a complaint against our subsidiary, FEI Company Japan Ltd. (“FEI Japan”), in the District Court in Tokyo alleging infringement of five patents. Hitachi’s complaint seeks a permanent injunction requiring FEI Japan to cease the sale of our allegedly infringing products in Japan, and legal costs. Two of the patents in the infringement case expired in June and September 2010, respectively, and, as a consequence, Hitachi dropped those patents from the infringement case. Hitachi filed two new complaints in the District Court of Tokyo for past damages on the expired patents in the amount of 2.5 billion yen in July 2010 and 1.3 billion yen in October 2010. In December 2010, Hitachi filed a complaint seeking a preliminary injunction relating to one of the three patents that were the subject of the permanent injunction case. Hitachi has also brought ancillary claims to bar the importation of certain of our products into Japan. One of these customs proceedings has been concluded and the other is on-going. FEI Japan has filed actions with the Japanese Patent Office to invalidate the two patents that were the subject of the first customs proceeding, and to invalidate the three remaining patents from the infringement case, one of which is subject to the preliminary injunction case and the second customs proceeding. To date, FEI Japan has successfully invalidated the patent which was accepted by customs in the first customs proceeding. Hitachi will have an opportunity to amend the patent to preserve some claims. Overall, the resolution of these proceedings is not expected to have any material effect on our business. We believe that we have meritorious defenses to Hitachi’s claims, and intend to vigorously defend our interests in these matters.

 

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In management’s opinion, the resolution of these cases, as well as other matters, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, but it could be material to the net income or cash flows of a particular quarter. These claims, or any claim of infringement or violation of intellectual property rights, with or without merit, could require us to change our technology, change our business practices, pay damages, enter into a licensing arrangement or take other actions that may result in additional costs or other actions that are detrimental to our business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

A description of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business is set forth below. You should carefully consider such risks and uncertainties, together with the other information contained in this report and in our other public filings. If any of such risks and uncertainties actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could differ materially from the plans, projections and other forward-looking statements included in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report and in our other public filings and public disclosures. In addition, if any of the following risks and uncertainties, or if any other risks and uncertainties, actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could be harmed substantially, which could cause the market price of our stock to decline, perhaps significantly.

We operate in highly competitive industries, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to compete successfully in such industries.

The industries in which we operate are intensely competitive. Established companies, both domestic and foreign, compete with us in each of our product lines. Some of our competitors have greater financial, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources than we do and may price their products very aggressively. In addition, these competitors may be willing to operate at a less profitable level than at which we would expect to operate. Our significant competitors include, among others: JEOL Ltd., Hitachi High Technologies Corporation and Carl Zeiss SMT A.G. In addition, some of our competitors have formed collaborative relationships and otherwise may cooperate with each other.

Our customers must make a substantial investment to install and integrate capital equipment into their laboratories and process applications. As a result, once a manufacturer has selected a particular vendor’s capital equipment, the manufacturer generally relies on that equipment for a specific production line or process control application and frequently will attempt to consolidate its other capital equipment requirements with the same vendor. Accordingly, if a particular customer selects a competitor’s capital equipment, we expect to experience difficulty selling to that customer for a significant period of time.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors both within and outside of our control, including:

 

   

price;

 

   

product quality;

 

   

breadth of product line;

 

   

system performance;

 

   

ease of use;

 

   

cost of ownership;

 

   

global technical service and support;

 

   

success in developing or otherwise introducing new products; and

 

   

foreign currency fluctuations.

 

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We cannot be certain that we will be able to compete successfully on these or other factors, which could negatively impact our revenues, gross margins and net income in the future.

Because many of our shipments occur in the last month of a quarter, we are at risk of one or more transactions not being delivered according to forecast.

We have historically shipped approximately 75% of our products in the last month of each quarter. As any one shipment may be significant to meeting our quarterly sales projection (as our average selling price for a tool is approximately $1.0 million), any slippage of shipments into a subsequent quarter may result in our not meeting our quarterly sales projection, which may adversely impact our results of operations for the quarter.

Because we have significant operations outside of the U.S., we are subject to political, economic and other international conditions that could result in increased operating expenses and regulation of our products and increased difficulty in maintaining operating and financial controls.

Because a significant portion of our operations occur outside of the U.S., our revenues and expenses are impacted by foreign economic and regulatory conditions. In the first quarter of 2011 and in each of the last three years, more than 66% of our sales came from outside of the U.S. We have manufacturing facilities in Brno, Czech Republic and Eindhoven, The Netherlands and sales offices in many other countries.

Moreover, we operate in over 50 countries, 23 with a direct presence. Some of our global operations are geographically isolated, are distant from corporate headquarters and/or have little infrastructure support. Therefore, maintaining and enforcing operating and financial controls can be difficult. Failure to maintain or enforce controls could have a material adverse effect on our control over service inventories, quality of service, customer relationships and financial reporting.

Our exposure to the business risks presented by foreign economies will increase to the extent we continue to expand our global operations. International operations will continue to subject us to a number of risks, including:

 

   

longer sales cycles;

 

   

multiple, conflicting and changing governmental laws and regulations;

 

   

protectionist laws and business practices that favor local companies;

 

   

price and currency exchange rates and controls;

 

   

taxes and tariffs;

 

   

export restrictions;

 

   

difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;

 

   

travel and transportation difficulties resulting from actual or perceived health risks (e.g., SARS and avian or swine influenza);

 

   

changes in the regulatory environment in countries where we do business could lead to delays in the importation of products into those countries;

 

   

the implementation and administration of the Control of Electronic Information Products (often referred to as China RoHS) regulations could lead to delays in the importation of products into China;

 

   

political and economic instability (e.g. Thai riots, Mexican crimewave, unrest in Egypt);

 

   

risk of failure of internal controls and failure to detect unauthorized transactions; and

 

   

potential labor unrest.

The industries in which we sell our products are cyclical, which may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

Our business depends in large part on the capital expenditures of customers within our Electronics, Research and Industry and Life Sciences market segments. See “Net Sales by Segment” included in Part I, Item 2 of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q for additional information.

 

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The largest sub-parts of the Electronics market segment are the semiconductor and data storage industries. These industries are cyclical and have experienced significant economic downturns at various times in the last decade. Such downturns have been characterized by diminished product demand, accelerated erosion of average selling prices and production overcapacity. A downturn in one or both of these industries, or the businesses of one or more of our customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Beginning with the second half of 2007, we experienced significant variability in bookings and revenue in our Electronics segment due to the downturn in the spending cycle in the semiconductor and data storage industry. The semiconductor capital equipment market recovered in 2010, but the duration of the recovery is uncertain. General global economic conditions may be beginning to stabilize, but economic recovery is tentative and its strength is unknown. During downturns, our sales and gross profit margins generally decline.

The Research and Industry market segment is also affected by overall economic conditions, but is not as cyclical as the Electronics market segment.

The Life Sciences market segment is a smaller and still emerging market, and the tools we sell into that market often have average selling prices ranging from $0.5 million to over $4.0 million. Consequently, loss of demand among a relatively small group of potential customers can have a material impact on the overall demand for our products. As a result, movement of a small number of sales from one quarter to the next could cause significant variability in quarter-to-quarter growth rates, even as we believe that this market has the potential for long-term growth.

A significant portion of our Life Sciences and Research and Industry revenue is dependent on government investments in research and development of new technology. To the extent that governments, especially in Europe or the U.S., reduce their spending in response to budget deficits and debt limitations, demand for our products could be affected. To date, we have not seen an impact from such actions. The funding cycles for our customers tend to extend over multiple quarters and several countries have reaffirmed their commitment to scientific research, but the longer-term impact of potential government fiscal austerity measures on our growth rate cannot be determined at this time. In addition, institutional endowments and philanthropy, which are a source of funding of some customer purchases, are threatened by the recent volatility in capital markets worldwide.

As a capital equipment provider, our revenues depend in large part on the spending patterns of our customers, who could delay expenditures or cancel orders in reaction to variations in their businesses or general economic conditions. Because a high proportion of our costs are fixed, we have a limited ability to reduce expenses quickly in response to revenue shortfalls. In a prolonged economic downturn, we may not be able to reduce our significant fixed costs, such as manufacturing overhead, capital equipment or research and development costs, which may cause our gross margins to erode and our net loss to increase or earnings to decline.

Our acquisition and investment strategy subjects us to risks associated with evaluating and pursuing these opportunities and integrating these businesses.

In addition to our efforts to develop new technologies from internal sources, we also may seek to acquire new technologies or operations from external sources. As part of this effort, we may make acquisitions of, or make significant debt and equity investments in, businesses with complementary products, services and/or technologies. Acquisitions can involve numerous risks, including management issues and costs in connection with the integration of the operations and personnel, technologies and products of the acquired companies, the possible write-downs of impaired assets and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies. The inability to effectively manage any of these risks could seriously harm our business. Additionally, difficulties in integrating any potential acquisitions into our internal control structure could result in a failure of our internal control over financial reporting, which, in turn, could create a material weakness.

 

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To the extent we make investments in entities that we control, or have significant influence in, our financial results will reflect our proportionate share of the financial results of the entity.

We may suffer manufacturing capacity limitations on occasion.

As the global economic environment recovers from the downturn and orders increase, we may not be able to ramp our manufacturing capacity and supply chain fast enough to keep pace with order intake for every product line offered. As a consequence, our ability to realize revenue on orders may be delayed or, in some cases, reduced and we may suffer cancellations.

If our customers cancel or reschedule orders or if an anticipated order for even one of our systems is not received in time to permit shipping during a certain fiscal period, our operating results for that fiscal period may fluctuate and our business and financial results for such period could be materially and adversely affected. Cancellation risks rise in periods of economic downturn.

Our customers are able to cancel or reschedule orders, generally with limited or no penalties, depending on the product’s stage of completion. The amount of purchase orders at any particular date, therefore, is not necessarily indicative of sales to be made in any given period. Our build cycle, or the time it takes us to build a product to customer specifications, typically ranges from one to six months. During this period, the customer may cancel the order, although generally we will be entitled to receive a cancellation fee based on the agreed-upon shipment schedule. The risks of cancellation are higher during times of economic downturn, such as the U.S. and global economies are presently experiencing. In addition, we derive a substantial portion of our net sales in any fiscal period from the sale of a relatively small number of high-priced systems, with a large portion in the last month of the quarter. Further, in some cases, our customers have to make changes to their facilities to accommodate the site requirements for our systems and may reschedule their orders because of the time required to complete these facility changes. This is particularly true of our high-performance TEMs. As a result, the timing of revenue recognition for a single transaction could have a material effect on our revenue and results of operations for a particular fiscal period.

Due to these and other factors, our net revenues and results of operations have fluctuated in the past and are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future on a quarterly and annual basis. It is possible that in some future quarter or quarters our results of operations will be below the expectations of public market analysts or investors. In such event, the market price of our common stock may decline significantly.

Due to our extensive international operations and sales, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risks that could adversely affect our revenues, gross margins and results of operations.

A significant portion of our sales and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, principally the euro and Czech Koruna. For the first quarter of 2011 and for all of 2010 and 2009, approximately 30% to 40% of our revenue was denominated in euros, while more than half of our expenses were denominated in euros, Czech Koruna, or other foreign currencies. Particularly as a result of this imbalance, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, principally the euro, Czech Koruna and Japanese Yen, can impact our revenues, gross margins, results of operations and cash flows. We undertake hedging transactions to limit our exposure to changes in the dollar/euro exchange rate. The hedges are designed to protect us as the dollar weakens but also provide us with some flexibility if the dollar strengthens.

Achieving hedge designation is based on evaluating the effectiveness of the derivative contracts’ ability to mitigate the foreign currency exposure of the linked transaction. We are required to monitor the effectiveness of all new and open derivative contracts designated as hedges on a quarterly basis. Failure to meet the hedge accounting requirements could result in the requirement to record deferred and current realized and unrealized gains and losses into net income in the current period. This failure could result in significant fluctuations in operating results. In addition, we will continue to recognize unrealized gains and losses related to the changes in fair value of derivative contracts not designated as hedges in the current period net income. Accordingly, the related impact to operating results may be recognized in a different period than the foreign currency impact of the hedged transaction.

 

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We also enter into foreign forward exchange contracts that are designed to partially mitigate the impact of specific cash, receivables or payables positions denominated in foreign currencies. See Note 14 of Condensed Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q for additional information.

We seek to mitigate derivative credit risk by transacting with highly rated counterparties. We have evaluated the credit and non-performance risks associated with our derivative counterparties and believe them to be insignificant and not warranting a credit adjustment at April 3, 2011.

The recent extreme volatility of dollar-euro exchange rates has also made it more difficult for us to deploy our hedging program and create effective hedges.

Current economic conditions may adversely affect our industry, business and results of operations.

The global economy is suffering an extended slowdown with a high rate of unemployment, especially in developed countries, and the future economic climate may continue to be less favorable than that of the past. This slowdown has, and could further lead to, reduced consumer and business spending in the foreseeable future, including by our customers, and the purchasers of their products and services. If such spending continues to slow down or decrease, our industry, business and results of operations may be adversely impacted. Also, in times of economic distress, hardship, bankruptcy and insolvency among our customers could increase. This may make it more difficult to collect on receivables.

Gross margins on our products vary between product lines and markets and, accordingly, changes in product mix will affect our results of operations.

If a higher portion of our net sales in any given period have lower gross margins, our overall gross margins and earnings would be negatively affected. Our Electronics business, which ultimately depends on consumers who buy electronic devices, recovered strongly in 2010, but the duration of the recovery is uncertain. To the extent that the recovery in this market segment slows or stalls, our overall margins may be negatively affected.

Our business is complex, and changes to the business may not achieve their desired benefits.

Our business is based on a myriad of technologies, encompassed in multiple different product lines, addressing various customers in a range of markets in different regions of the world. A business of our breadth and complexity requires significant management time, attention and resources. In addition, significant changes to our business, such as changes in manufacturing, operations, product lines, market focus or organizational structure or focus, can be distracting, time-consuming and expensive. These changes can have short-term adverse effects on our financial results. In addition, the complexity of product lines and diversity of our customer base creates manufacturing planning and control challenges that may lead to higher costs of materials and labor, increased service costs, delayed shipments and excessive inventory. Failure to effectively manage these manufacturing issues may materially impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

A portion of our manufacturing operations are going to be relocated between existing facilities or outsourced to third-parties, which will involve significant costs and the risk of operational interruption.

We are currently executing a plan to shift manufacturing for certain products to other of our factories and third parties in the U.S. Moving product manufacturing includes, among others, the following risks:

 

   

failing to transfer product knowledge from one site to another or to a third party;

 

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unanticipated additional costs connected to such moves;

 

   

delay or failure in being able to build the transferred product at the new sites;

 

   

unanticipated additional labor and materials costs related to such moves;

 

   

logistical issues arising from the moves; and

 

   

potential vendor problems.

Any of these factors could cause us to miss product orders, cause a decline in product quality and completeness, damage our reputation, increase costs of goods sold or decrease revenue and gross margins.

Dependence on contract manufacturing and outsourcing other portions of our supply chain may adversely affect our ability to bring products to market and damage our reputation.

As part of our efforts to streamline operations and cut costs, we have been outsourcing aspects of our manufacturing processes and other functions and we continue to evaluate additional outsourcing. If our contract manufacturers or other outsourcers fail to perform their obligations in a timely manner or at satisfactory quality levels, our ability to bring products to market and our reputation could suffer. For example, during a market upturn, our contract manufacturers may be unable to meet our demand requirements, and replacement manufacturers may be unavailable, which may preclude us from fulfilling our customer orders on a timely basis. The ability of these manufacturers to perform is largely outside of our control. Moreover, delays could cause us to suffer penalties with our customers, which could also impact our profitability.

We rely on a limited number of suppliers to provide parts and components. Failure of any of these suppliers to provide us with quality products in a timely manner could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations.

Failure of critical suppliers of parts, components and manufacturing equipment to deliver sufficient quantities to us in a timely and cost-effective manner could negatively affect our business, including our ability to convert backlog into revenue. Although we use numerous vendors to supply parts, components and subassemblies for the manufacture and support of our products, some key parts may only be obtained from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers. In particular, we rely on: VDL Enabling Technologies Group, AP Tech, Frencken Mechatronics B.V., Sanmina-SCI Corporation and AZD Praha SRO for our supply of mechanical parts and subassemblies; Gatan, Inc. for critical accessory products; and Neways Electronics, N.V. for some of our electronic subassemblies. In addition, some of our suppliers rely on sole suppliers. As a result of this concentration of key suppliers, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if we do not timely and cost-effectively receive a sufficient quantity of quality parts to meet our production requirements or if we are required to find alternative suppliers for these supplies. We may not be able to expand our supplier group or to reduce our dependence on single suppliers. If our suppliers are not able to meet our supply requirements, constraints may affect our ability to deliver products to customers in a timely manner, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, restrictions regulating the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment in various jurisdictions may impact parts and component availability or our electronics suppliers’ ability to source parts and components in a timely and cost-effective manner. Overall, because we only have a few equipment suppliers, we may be more exposed to future cost increases for this equipment.

Our service business depends on our ability to reliably supply replacement parts and consumables to our customers and failure to deliver high quality parts and consumables in a timely manner could cause our service business to suffer; we also depend on remote Internet tool diagnostics which could result in security breaches.

Our service business addresses a large and diverse install base of over 7,500 tools involving diverse products of varying ages, configurations, use cases, condition, and customer requirements that are dispersed in approximately 50 countries around the globe. Providing logistical support for delivery of spare parts and consumables to these tools, particularly the older tools, can be difficult. We have attempted to address the complexity of our service requirements, in part, through a remote diagnostics system that allows us to remotely access tools through a virtual private network. If we are unable to effectively manage and support the supply and delivery of spare parts and consumables to our customers we may damage our reputation and service business. Moreover, if we suffer an unauthorized intrusion into the virtual private network providing for remote diagnostics, we, or our customers, may suffer a loss of proprietary information that could create liability for us and undermine our business.

 

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We depend on certain business processes for order entry and failure to adhere to those processes could impair our ability to properly book and fulfill orders.

We use business processes, including automated systems, to enter and track customer orders. Failure to adhere to these processes could result in errors in bookings and discounts on tool sales. Further, inaccurate booking information could lead to delays in shipping and having to rework orders. These problems could, in turn, cause reduced margins and delayed revenue.

Our sales contracts often require delivery of multiple elements with complex terms and conditions that may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate.

Our system sales contracts are complex and often include multiple elements such as delivery of more than one system, installation obligations (sometimes for multiple tools), accessories and/or service contracts, as well as provisions for customer acceptance. Typically, we recognize revenue as the various elements are delivered to the customer or the related services are provided. However, certain of these contracts have complex terms and conditions or technical specifications that require us to deliver most, or sometimes all, elements under the contract before revenue can be recognized. This could result in a significant delay between production and delivery of products and when revenue is recognized, which may cause volatility in, or adversely impact, our quarterly results of operations and cash flows.

The loss of one or more of our key customers would result in the loss of significant net revenues.

A relatively small number of customers account for a large percentage of our net revenues, although no customer has accounted for more than 10% of total annual net revenues in the recent past. Our business will be seriously harmed if we do not generate as much revenue as we expect from these key customers, if we experience a loss of any of our key customers or if we suffer a substantial reduction in orders from these customers. Our ability to continue to generate revenues from our key customers will depend on our ability to introduce new products that are desirable to these customers.

We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights, especially in foreign countries, which could have a material adverse affect on our business.

Our success depends in large part on the protection of our proprietary rights. We incur significant costs to obtain and maintain patents and defend our intellectual property. We also rely on the laws of the U.S. and other countries where we develop, manufacture or sell products to protect our proprietary rights. We may not be successful in protecting these proprietary rights, these rights may not provide the competitive advantages that we expect or other parties may challenge, invalidate or circumvent these rights.

Further, our efforts to protect our intellectual property may be less effective in some countries where intellectual property rights are not as well protected as they are in the U.S. Many U.S. companies have encountered substantial problems in protecting their proprietary rights against infringement in foreign countries. For the first quarter of 2011 and each of the last three years, we derived more than 66% of our sales from countries outside of the U.S. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights in these countries, our business may be materially adversely affected.

Infringement of our proprietary rights could result in weakened capacity to compete for sales and increased litigation costs, both of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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If third parties assert that we violate their intellectual property rights, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Several of our competitors hold patents covering a variety of technologies that may be included in some of our products. In addition, some of our customers may use our products for applications that are similar to those covered by these patents. From time to time, we, and our respective customers, have received correspondence from our competitors claiming that some of our products, as sold by us or used by our customers, may be infringing one or more of these patents. Any claim of infringement from a third party, even one without merit, could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim, and could distract our management from running the business.

As described in more detail in the section entitled “Item 1. Legal Proceedings,” one of our competitors, Hitachi, has filed multiple actions against our subsidiary, FEI Japan, in Japanese courts and with Japanese customs. Based on information available to us, we believe that we have meritorious defenses against these actions and we intend to vigorously defend our interests in these matters. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur. An unfavorable ruling could prohibit us from selling one or more products in Japan, and could include monetary damages. If we were to receive an unfavorable ruling, or if we are unable to negotiate a satisfactory settlement in this matter, our business and results of operations could be materially harmed.

In addition, our competitors or other entities may assert infringement claims against us or our customers in the future with respect to current or future products or uses, and these assertions may result in costly litigation or require us to obtain a license to use intellectual property rights of others. Additionally, if claims of infringement are asserted against our customers, those customers may seek indemnification from us for damages or expenses they incur.

If we become subject to additional infringement claims, we will evaluate our position and consider the available alternatives, which may include seeking licenses to use the technology in question or defending our position. These licenses, however, may not be available on satisfactory terms or at all. If we are not able to negotiate the necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms or successfully defend our position, these potential infringement claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We have fixed debt obligations, which could adversely affect our ability to adjust our business to respond to competitive pressures and to obtain sufficient funds to satisfy our future manufacturing capacity and research and development needs.

As of April 3, 2011, we had total convertible long-term debt of $89.0 million due in 2013. In addition, we have a secured credit line for $100.0 million and also have access to a 50.0 million yen unsecured uncommitted bank borrowing facility in Japan. However, no amounts were outstanding on these credit facilities at April 3, 2011. The degree to which we are leveraged could have important consequences, including but not limited to the following:

 

   

our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, general corporate or other purposes may be limited;

 

   

our credit line contains numerous restrictive covenants, which, if not adhered to, could result in the cancellation of the entire line;

 

   

our shareholders may be further diluted if holders of all or a portion of our outstanding 2.875% subordinated convertible notes elect to convert their notes, up to a maximum aggregate of 3,032,777 shares of our common stock. These shares were included in our diluted share count for the first quarter of 2011, but not for the first quarter of 2010 because they were antidilutive; and

 

   

we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, less able to withstand competitive pressures and less flexible in responding to changing business and economic conditions.

 

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Our ability to pay interest and principal on our debt securities, to satisfy our other debt obligations and to make planned expenditures will be dependent on our future operating performance, which could be affected by changes in economic conditions and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. A failure to comply with the covenants and other provisions of our debt instruments could result in events of default under such instruments, which could permit acceleration of the debt under such instruments and in some cases acceleration of debt under other instruments that contain cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions. If we are at any time unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, we may be required to attempt to renegotiate the terms of the instruments relating to the indebtedness, seek to refinance all or a portion of the indebtedness or obtain additional financing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully renegotiate such terms, that any such refinancing would be possible or that any additional financing could be obtained on terms that are favorable or acceptable to us.

Restructuring activities may be disruptive to our business and financial performance. Any delay or failure by us to execute planned cost reductions could also be disruptive and could result in total costs and expenses that are greater than expected.

We have initiated various corporate wide restructuring and infrastructure improvement programs in order to increase operational efficiency, reduce costs as well as balance the effects of currency fluctuations on our financial results. These actions have historically included reductions of work-force as well as the costs to migrate portions of our supply chain to dollar-linked contracts.

Restructuring could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in other respects as well. This includes potential disruption of manufacturing operations, our supply chain and other aspects of our business. Employee morale and productivity could also suffer and result in unintended employee attrition. Loss of sales, service and engineering talent, in particular, could damage our business. The restructuring will require substantial management time and attention and may divert management from other important work. Moreover, we could encounter delays in executing our plans, which could cause further disruption and additional unanticipated expense. Some of our employees work in areas, such as Europe and Asia, where workforce reductions are highly regulated, and this could slow the implementation of planned workforce reductions.

It is also the case that our restructuring plans may fail to achieve the stated aims for reasons similar to those described in the prior paragraph.

During the course of executing the restructuring, we could incur material non-cash charges such as write-downs of inventories or other tangible assets. We test our goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment annually or when an event occurs indicating the potential for impairment. If we record an impairment charge as a result of this analysis, it could have a material impact on our results of operations.

Because we do not have long-term contracts with our customers, our customers may stop purchasing our products at any time, which makes it difficult to forecast our results of operations and to plan expenditures accordingly.

We do not have long-term contracts with our customers. Accordingly:

 

   

customers can stop purchasing our products at any time without penalty;

 

   

customers may cancel orders that they previously placed;

 

   

customers may purchase products from our competitors;

 

   

we are exposed to competitive pricing pressure on each order; and

 

   

customers are not required to make minimum purchases.

If we do not succeed in obtaining new sales orders from new and existing customers, our results of operations will be negatively impacted.

 

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Many of our projects are funded under federal, state and local government contracts and if we are found to have violated the terms of the government contracts or applicable statutes and regulations, we are subject to the risk of suspension or debarment from government contracting activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Many of our projects are funded under federal, state and local government contracts worldwide. Government contracts are subject to specific procurement regulations, contract provisions and requirements relating to the formation, administration, performance and accounting of these contracts. Many of these contracts include express or implied certifications of compliance with applicable laws and contract provisions. As a result of our government contracting, claims for civil or criminal fraud may be brought by the government for violations of these regulations, requirements or statutes. Further, if we fail to comply with any of these regulations, requirements or statutes, our existing government contracts could be terminated, we could be suspended or debarred from government contracting or subcontracting, including federally funded projects at the state level. If one or more of our government contracts are terminated for any reason, or if we are suspended from government work, we could suffer the loss of the contracts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Changes and fluctuations in government spending priorities could adversely affect our revenue.

Because a significant part of our overall business is generated either directly or indirectly as a result of worldwide federal and local government regulatory and infrastructure priorities, shifts in these priorities due to changes in policy imperatives or economic conditions or government administration, which are often unpredictable, may affect our revenues.

Political instability in key regions around the world coupled with the U.S. government’s commitment to military related expenditures put at risk federal discretionary spending, including spending on nanotechnology research programs and projects that are of particular importance to our business. Also, changes in U.S. Congressional appropriations practices could result in decreased funding for some of our customers. At the state and local levels, the need to compensate for reductions in federal matching funds, as well as financing of federal unfunded mandates, creates strong pressures to cut back on research expenditures as well. A potential reduction of federal funding may adversely affect our business. Moreover, due to the world-wide economic downturn, many state and national governments are seeing significant declines in tax revenue, while also seeing increased demand for services. This could reduce the money available to our potential customers from government funding sources that could be used to purchase our products and services.

In February 2009, the U.S. Congress passed the American Recovery and Reconstruction Act (the “ARRA”), which included approximately $15 billion of additional stimulus funding for agencies which are our customers, or which fund some of our customers. A portion of these funds could be allocated to scientific equipment purchases. Less than 3% of our orders in 2010 were funded by the ARRA. We do not expect significant orders from this funding source in 2011.

We have long sales cycles for our systems, which may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

Our sales cycle can be 12 months or longer and is unpredictable. Variations in the length of our sales cycle could cause our net sales and, therefore, our business, financial condition, results of operations, operating margins and cash flows, to fluctuate widely from period to period. These variations could be based on factors partially or completely outside of our control.

The length of time it takes us to complete a sale depends on many factors, including:

 

   

the efforts of our sales force and our independent sales representatives;

 

   

changes in the composition of our sales force, including the departure of senior sales personnel;

 

   

the history of previous sales to a customer;

 

   

the complexity of the customer’s manufacturing processes;

 

   

the introduction, or announced introduction, of new products by our competitors;

 

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the economic environment;

 

   

the internal technical capabilities and sophistication of the customer; and

 

   

the capital expenditure budget cycle of the customer.

Our sales cycle also extends in situations where the sale involves developing new applications for a system or technology. As a result of these and a number of other factors that could influence sales cycles with particular customers, the period between initial contact with a potential customer and the time when we recognize revenue from that customer, if we ever do, may vary widely.

The loss of key management or our inability to attract and retain managerial, engineering and other technical personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Attracting qualified personnel is difficult, and our recruiting efforts may not be successful. Specifically, our product generation efforts depend on hiring and retaining qualified engineers. The market for qualified engineers is very competitive. In addition, experienced management and technical, marketing and support personnel in the technology industry are in high demand, and competition for such talent is intense. The loss of key personnel, or our inability to attract key personnel, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our customers experience rapid technological changes, with which we must keep pace. We may be unable to properly ascertain new market needs, or introduce new products responsive to those needs, on a timely and cost-effective basis.

Customers in each of our market segments experience rapid technological change that requires new product introductions and enhancements. Our ability to remain competitive depends in large part on our ability to understand these changes and develop, in a timely and cost-effective manner, new and enhanced systems at competitive prices that respond to, and accurately predict, new market requirements. We may fail to ascertain and respond to the needs of our customers or fail to develop and introduce new and enhanced products that meet their needs, which could adversely affect our financial position. In addition, new product introductions or enhancements by competitors could cause a decline in our sales or a loss of market acceptance of our existing products. Increased competitive pressure also could lead to intensified price competition, resulting in lower margins, which could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success in developing, introducing and selling new and enhanced systems depends on a variety of factors, including:

 

   

selection and development of product offerings;

 

   

timely and efficient completion of product design and development;

 

   

timely and efficient implementation of manufacturing processes;

 

   

effective sales, service and marketing functions; and

 

   

product performance.

Because new product development commitments must be made well in advance of sales, new product decisions must anticipate both the future demand for products under development and the equipment required to produce such products. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in selecting, developing, manufacturing and marketing new products or in enhancing existing products. On occasion, certain product and application developments have taken longer than expected. These delays can have an adverse affect on product shipments and results of operations.

The process of developing new high technology capital equipment products and services is complex and uncertain, and failure to accurately anticipate customers’ changing needs and emerging technological trends, to complete engineering and development projects in a timely manner and to develop or obtain appropriate intellectual property could significantly harm our results of operations. We must make long-term investments and commit significant resources before knowing whether our predictions will result in products that the market will accept.

 

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To the extent that a market does not develop for a new product, we may decide to discontinue or modify the product. These actions could involve significant costs and/or require us to take charges in future periods. If these products are accepted by the marketplace, sales of our new products may cannibalize sales of our existing products. Further, after a product is developed, we must be able to manufacture sufficient volume quickly and at low cost. To accomplish this objective, we must accurately forecast production volumes, mix of products and configurations that meet customer requirements. If we are not successful in making accurate forecasts, our business and results of operations could be significantly harmed.

In addition, new product launches are costly and may not always prove to be successful. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2009, we sold our Phenom product line as it did not deliver the level of revenues we had originally forecast.

We may have exposure to income tax rate fluctuations as well as to additional tax liabilities, which would impact our financial position.

As a corporation with operations both in the U.S. and abroad, we are subject to income taxes in both the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate is subject to significant fluctuation from one period to the next as the income tax rates for each year are a function of the following factors, among others:

 

   

the effects of a mix of profits or losses earned by us and our subsidiaries in numerous foreign tax jurisdictions with a broad range of income tax rates;

 

   

our ability to utilize recorded deferred tax assets;

 

   

changes in uncertain tax positions, interest or penalties resulting from tax audits; and

 

   

changes in tax rates and laws or the interpretation of such laws.

Changes in the mix of these items and other items may cause our effective tax rate to fluctuate between periods, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We are also subject to non-income taxes, such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, net worth, property and goods and services taxes, in both the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions.

We are regularly under audit by tax authorities with respect to both income and non-income taxes and may have exposure to additional tax liabilities as a result of these audits.

Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. Although we believe that our tax estimates are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes will not be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

Many of our current and planned products are highly complex and may contain defects or errors that can only be detected after installation, which may harm our reputation and damage our business.

Our products are highly complex, and our extensive product development, manufacturing and testing processes may not be adequate to detect all defects, errors, failures and quality issues that could impact customer satisfaction or result in claims against us. As a result, we could have to replace certain components and/or provide remediation in response to the discovery of defects in products after they are shipped. The occurrence of any defects, errors, failures or quality issues could result in cancellation of orders, product returns, diversion of our resources, legal actions by our customers and other losses to us or to our customers. These occurrences could also result in the loss of, or delay in, market acceptance of our products and loss of sales, which would harm our business and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

 

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Some of our systems use hazardous gases and emit x-rays, which, if not properly contained, could result in property damage, bodily injury and death.

A product safety failure, such as a hazardous gas or x-ray leak or extreme pressure release, could result in substantial liability and could also significantly damage customer relationships and our reputation and disrupt future sales. Moreover, remediation could require redesign of the tools involved, creating additional expense, increasing tool costs and damaging sales. In addition, the matter could involve significant litigation that would divert management time and resources and cause unanticipated legal expense. Further, if such a leak or release involved violation of health and safety laws, we may suffer substantial fines and penalties in addition to the other damage suffered.

Natural disasters, catastrophic events, terrorist acts and acts of war may seriously harm our business and revenues, costs and expenses and financial condition.

Our worldwide operations could be subject to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, telecommunications failures, power interruptions, water shortages, closure of transport routes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics or pandemics, terrorist acts, acts of war and other natural or manmade disasters or business interruptions. For many of these events we carry no insurance. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. The impact of such events could be disproportionately greater on us than on other companies as a result of our significant international presence. Our corporate headquarters, and a portion of our research and development activities, are located on the Pacific coast, and other critical business operations and some of our suppliers are located in Asia, near major earthquake faults. We rely on major logistics hubs, primarily in Europe, Asia and the U.S. to manufacture and distribute our products and to move products to customers in various regions. Our operations could be adversely affected if manufacturing, logistics or other operations in these locations are disrupted for any reason, including those described above. The ultimate impact on us, our significant suppliers and our general infrastructure of being consolidated in certain geographical areas is unknown, but our revenue, profitability and financial condition could suffer in the event of a catastrophic event.

The recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan did not materially impact our facilities or operations in Japan, but did cause us to incur additional costs and to defer approximately $4.0 million of product revenue from the first quarter of 2011 to later in 2011 due to damage at a customer site.

Unforeseen health, safety and environmental costs could impact our future net earnings.

Some of our operations use substances that are regulated by various federal, state and international laws governing health, safety and the environment. We could be subject to liability if we do not handle these substances in compliance with safety standards for storage and transportation and applicable laws. We will record a liability for any costs related to health, safety or environmental remediation when we consider the costs to be probable and the amount of the costs can be reasonably estimated.

We may not be successful in obtaining the necessary export licenses to conduct operations abroad, and the U.S. Congress may prevent proposed sales to foreign customers.

We are subject to export control laws that limit which products we sell and where and to whom we sell our products. Moreover, export licenses are required from government agencies for some of our products in accordance with various statutory authorities, including U.S. statutes such as the Export Administration Act of 1979, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 and the Arms Export Control Act of 1976. Depending on the shipment, we are also subject to Dutch or Czech law regarding export controls and licensing requirements. We may not be successful in obtaining these necessary licenses in order to conduct business abroad. Failure to comply with applicable export controls or the termination or significant limitation on our ability to export certain of our products would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Changes in accounting pronouncements or taxation rules or practices may affect how we conduct our business.

Changes in accounting pronouncements or taxation rules or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results. Other new accounting pronouncements or taxation rules and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements or taxation practices have occurred and may occur in the future. New rules, changes to existing rules, if any, or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or change the way we conduct our business.

Provisions of our charter documents, our shareholder rights plan and Oregon law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the offer may be considered beneficial by our shareholders.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could make it harder for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors has also adopted a shareholder rights plan, or “poison pill,” which would significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer. In addition, the Oregon Control Share Act and the Oregon Business Combination Act limit the ability of parties who acquire a significant amount of voting stock to exercise control over us. These provisions may have the effect of lengthening the time required for a person to acquire control of us through a proxy contest or the election of a majority of our Board of Directors, may deter efforts to obtain control of us and may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without negotiation. These provisions may apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by our shareholder.

Item 6. Exhibits

The following exhibits are filed herewith or incorporated by reference hereto and this list is intended to constitute the exhibit index:

 

  3.1   Third Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation.(1)
  3.2   Articles of Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation.(2)
  3.3   Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended on February 18, 2009.(3)
10.1   Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, Security and Pledge Agreement and Disclosure Letter, dated as of April 26, 2011, by and among FEI Company, the Guarantors identified on the signature pages thereto, the Lenders identified on the signature pages thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent.(4)
31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
   101.INS   XBRL Instance Document.
     101.SCH   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
     101.CAL   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
     101.LAB   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
     101.PRE   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

 

(1) Incorporated by reference to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 28, 2003.
(2) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27, 2005.
(3) Incorporated by reference to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 20, 2009.
(4) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27, 2011.

 

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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.

 

      FEI COMPANY  
Dated: May 5, 2011      

/s/ DON R. KANIA

 
      Don R. Kania  
      President and Chief Executive Officer  
      (Principal Executive Officer)  
     

/s/ RAYMOND A. LINK

 
      Raymond A. Link  
      Executive Vice President and  
      Chief Financial Officer  
      (Principal Financial Officer)  

 

 

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