10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)
Published on December 30, 2008
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
x
|
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
fiscal year ended September 30,
2008
or
¨
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
transition period from ___ to ___
Commission
File Number 0-22175
EMCORE
Corporation
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New Jersey
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
22-2746503
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
10420
Research Road, SE, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
87123
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (505)
332-5000
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
|
Title
of each class:
|
Common Stock, No Par
Value
|
Name
of each exchange on which registered:
|
NASDAQ
|
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
|
None
|
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ¨Yes xNo
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. ¨Yes xNo
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. xYes o No
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best
of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one): o Large accelerated
filer x Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act). ¨Yes xNo
The
aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant
as of March 31, 2008 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently
completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $388.5 million, based on the
closing sale price of $5.76 per share of common stock as reported on The NASDAQ
Global Market.
The
number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s no par value common stock as of
December 29, 2008 was 77,791,229.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
In
accordance with General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K, certain information
required by Part III hereof will either be incorporated into this Form 10-K by
reference to the Registrant's Definitive Proxy Statement for the Registrant's
2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed within 120 days of September 30, 2008
or will be included in an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within 120 days of
September 30, 2008.
EMCORE Corporation
FORM
10-K
For
The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2008
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
|
|||
Part I
|
|||
Item 1.
|
3
|
||
Item 1A.
|
16
|
||
Item 1B.
|
41
|
||
Item 2.
|
41
|
||
Item 3.
|
42
|
||
Item 4.
|
43
|
||
Part II
|
|||
Item 5.
|
44
|
||
Item 6.
|
47
|
||
Item 7.
|
50
|
||
Item 7A.
|
70
|
||
Item 8.
|
71
|
||
71
|
|||
72
|
|||
73
|
|||
74
|
|||
76
|
|||
106
|
|||
Item 9.
|
107
|
||
Item 9A.
|
107
|
||
Item 9B.
|
110
|
||
Part III
|
|||
Item
10.
|
110
|
||
Item
11.
|
110
|
||
Item
12.
|
110
|
||
Item
13.
|
110
|
||
Item
14.
|
110
|
||
Part IV
|
|||
Item
15.
|
111
|
||
114
|
PART I
Business
|
Company
Overview
EMCORE
Corporation (the “Company”, “we”, or “EMCORE”) is a leading provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic,
satellite and terrestrial solar power markets. We were established in
1984 as a New Jersey corporation. We have two reporting segments: Fiber Optics
and Photovoltaics. EMCORE's Fiber Optics segment offers optical
components, subsystems and systems that enable the transmission of video, voice
and data over high-capacity fiber optic cables for high-speed data and
telecommunications, cable television (“CATV”) and fiber-to-the-premises (“FTTP”)
networks. EMCORE's Photovoltaics segment provides solar products for
satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, EMCORE
offers high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based gallium arsenide (“GaAs”)
solar cells, covered interconnect cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar
panels. For terrestrial applications, EMCORE offers concentrating
photovoltaic (“CPV”) systems for utility scale solar applications as well as
offering its high-efficiency GaAs solar cells and CPV components for use in
solar power concentrator systems. For specific information about our
Company, our products or the markets we serve, please visit our website at
http://www.emcore.com.
EMCORE is
subject to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
We file periodic reports, current reports, proxy statements and other
information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The
SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains all of our
information that has been filed electronically. Our annual reports are available
on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such
material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The
information on EMCORE’s website is not incorporated by reference into and is not
made a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or a part of any other report or
filing with the SEC.
Industry
Overview
Compound
semiconductor-based products provide the foundation of components, subsystems
and systems used in a broad range of technology markets, including broadband,
datacom, telecom and satellite communication equipment and networks, advanced
computing technologies and satellite and terrestrial solar power generation
systems. Compound semiconductor materials are capable of providing
electrical or electro-optical functions, such as emitting optical communications
signals, detecting optical communications signals, and converting sunlight into
electricity.
Our
Markets
Collectively,
our products serve the telecommunications, datacom, cable television,
fiber-to-the-premises, high-performance computing, defense and homeland
security, and satellite and terrestrial solar power
markets.
Fiber
Optics
Our fiber
optics products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be
transmitted, routed (switched) and received in communication systems and
networks. Our Fiber Optics segment primarily offers the following
product lines:
Telecom Optical Products – We believe we are
a leading supplier of 10 gigabit per second (Gb/s) fully C-band and L-band
tunable dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) and coarse wavelength
division multiplexed (CWDM) products for the next generation tele-communications
systems. We are one of the few suppliers who offer vertically-integrated
products, including external-cavity laser modules, integrated tunable laser
assemblies (ITLAs) and 300-pin transponders. The laser module operates at a
continuous wave mode, and is capable for applications of 10, 40, and 100 Gb/s
due to the superior narrow linewidth characteristics. The ITLA and transponder
products are fully Telcordia® qualified and comply with multi-source agreements
(MSAs). We also offer a range of XFP platform OC-192 products for telecom
applications. We supply to most major telecom equipment companies
worldwide.
Enterprise Datacom Products – We believe we provide leading-edge
optical components and transceiver modules for data applications that enable
switch-to-switch, router-to-router and server-to-server backbone connections at
aggregate speeds of 10 Gb/s and above. We offer the broadest range of products
with XENPAK form factor which comply with 10 Gb/s Ethernet (10-GE) IEEE802.3ae
standard. Our 10-GE products include short-reach (SR), long-reach (LR),
extended-reach (ER), coarse WDM LX4 optical transceivers to connect between the
photonic physical layer and the electrical section layer and CX4
transceivers. In addition to the 10-GE products, EMCORE offers
traditional MSA Gigabit Ethernet (GE) 1310-nm small form factor (SFF)
and small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceivers. These
transceivers also provide integrated duplex data links for bi-directional
communication over single mode optical fiber providing high-speed Gigabit
Ethernet data links operating at 1.25Gbps.
Laser/photodetector Component
Products - We believe we are a leading provider of optical components
including lasers, photodetectors and various forms of packaged subassemblies.
Products include chip, TO, and TOSA forms of high-speed 850nm vertical cavity
VCSELs, distributed feedback Bragg (DFB) lasers, positive-intrinsic-negative
(pin) and avalanche photodiode (APD) components for 2G, 8G and 10G Fibre
Channel, Ethernet and 10 GE, FTTP, and Telecom applications. While we
provide the component products to the entire industry, we also enjoy the
benefits of vertically-integrated infrastructure through a low-cost and early
availability of new product introduction.
Parallel Optical Transceiver and
Cable Products – EMCORE has been the technology and product leader of
optical transmitter and receiver products utilizing arrays of optical emitting
or detection devices, e.g., vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and
photodetectors (PDs). These optical transmitter, receiver, and transceiver
products are used for back-plane interconnects, switching/routing between
telecom racks and high-performance computing clusters. EMCORE’s products include
12-lane SNAP-12 MSA transmitter and receivers with single, double, and quadruple
data rates and 4-lane optical media converters with single and double data
rates. Based on the core competency of 4-lane parallel optical transceivers, we
offer optical fiber ribbon cables with embedded parallel-optical transceivers
within the connectors, EMCORE Connects Cables (ECC). These products, with
aggregated bandwidth between 10-40 Gb/s, are ideally suited for high-performance
computing clusters. Our products provide our customers with increased network
capacity; increased data transmission distance and speeds; increased bandwidth;
lower power consumption; improved cable management over copper interconnects;
and lower cost optical interconnections for massively parallel
multi-processors.
Fiber Channel Transceiver
Products - EMCORE offers tri-rate SFF and SFP optical transceivers for
storage area networks. The MSA transceiver module is designed for high-speed
Fibre Channel data links supporting up to 4.25 Gb/s (4X Fibre Channel rate). The
products provide integrated duplex data links for bi-directional communication
over Multimode optical fiber.
Cable Television (CATV) Products - We are a market leader in providing radio frequency (RF) over fiber products for the CATV industry. Our products are used in hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) networks that enable cable service operators to offer multiple advanced services to meet the expanding demand for high-speed Internet, on-demand and interactive video and other advanced services, such as high-definition television (HDTV) and voice over IP (VoIP). Our CATV products include forward and return-path analog and digital lasers, photodetectors and subassembly components, broadcast analog and digital fiber-optic transmitters and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitters and receivers. Our products provide our customers with increased capacity to offer more cable services; increased data transmission distance, speed and bandwidth; lower noise video receive; and lower power consumption.
Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) Products - Telecommunications companies are increasingly extending their optical infrastructure to their customers’ location in order to deliver higher bandwidth services. We have developed customer qualified FTTP components and subsystem products to support plans by telephone companies to offer voice, video and data services through the deployment of new fiber optics-based access networks. Our FTTP products include passive optical network (PON) transceivers, analog fiber optic transmitters for video overlay and high-power erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA), analog and digital lasers, photodetectors and subassembly components, analog video receivers and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) video receivers. Our products provide our customers with higher performance for analog and digital characteristics; integrated infrastructure to support competitive costs; and additional support for multiple standards.
Satellite Communications (Satcom) Products - We believe we are a leading provider of optical components and systems for use in equipment that provides high-performance optical data links for the terrestrial portion of satellite communications networks. Our products include transmitters, receivers, subsystems and systems that transport wideband radio frequency and microwave signals between satellite hub equipment and antenna dishes. Our products provide our customers with increased bandwidth and lower power consumption.
Video Transport - Our video
transport product line offers solutions for broadcasting, transportation, IP
television (IPTV), mobile video and security & surveillance applications
over private and public networks. EMCORE’s video, audio, data and RF
transmission systems serve both analog and digital requirements, providing
cost-effective, flexible solutions geared for network reconstruction and
expansion.
Defense and Homeland Security
- - Leveraging our expertise in RF module design and high-speed parallel optics,
we provide a suite of ruggedized products that meet the reliability and
durability requirements of the U.S. Government and defense
markets. Our specialty defense products include fiber optic gyro
components used in precision guided munitions, ruggedized parallel optic
transmitters and receivers, high-frequency RF fiber optic link components for
towed decoy systems, optical delay lines for radar systems, EDFAs, terahertz
spectroscopy systems and other products. Our products provide our
customers with high frequency and dynamic range; compact form-factor; and
extreme temperature, shock and vibration tolerance.
Photovoltaics
We
believe our high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar
cell products provide our customers with compelling cost and performance
advantages over traditional silicon-based solutions. These advantages
include higher solar cell efficiency allowing for greater conversion of light
into electricity as well as a superior ability to withstand extreme
heat and radiation environments. These advantages enable a reduction in a
customer’s solar product footprint by providing more power output with less
solar cells, which is an enhanced benefit when our product is used in
concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Our Photovoltaics segment
primarily targets the following markets:
|
·
|
Satellite Solar Power
Generation - We believe we are a leader in providing solar power
generation solutions to the global communications satellite industry and
U.S. government space programs. A satellite’s operational
success and corresponding revenue depend on its available power and its
capacity to transmit data. We provide advanced compound
semiconductor-based solar cells and solar panel products, which are more
resistant to radiation levels in space and generate substantially more
power from sunlight than silicon-based solutions. Space power
systems using our multi-junction solar cells weigh less per unit of power
than traditional silicon-based solar cells. Our products provide our
customers with higher conversion efficiency for reduced solar array size
and launch costs, higher radiation tolerance, and longer lifetime in harsh
space environments.
|
We design
and manufacture multi-junction compound semiconductor-based solar cells for both
commercial and military satellite applications. We currently manufacture and
sell one of the most efficient and reliable, radiation resistant advanced
triple-junction solar cells in the world, with an average "beginning of life"
efficiency of 28.5%. EMCORE is in the final stages of qualifying the
next generation high efficiency multi-junction solar cell platform for space
applications which will have an average conversion efficiency of 30%, providing
our customers with expanded capability.
Additionally,
we are developing an entirely new class of advanced multi-junction solar cell
with even higher conversion efficiency. This new architecture, called
inverted metamorphic (IMM), is being developed in conjunction with the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory and the US Air Force Research Laboratory and to date
has demonstrated conversion efficiency exceeding 33% on an R&D
scale. We believe EMCORE is also the only manufacturer to supply true
monolithic bypass diodes for shadow protection by utilizing several EMCORE
patented methods.
EMCORE
also provides covered interconnect cells (CICs) and solar panel lay-down
services, giving us the capability to manufacture fully integrated solar panels
for space applications. We can provide satellite manufacturers with proven
integrated satellite power solutions that significantly improve satellite
economics. Satellite manufacturers and solar array integrators rely on EMCORE to
meet their satellite power needs with our proven flight heritage. The pictures
below represent a solar cell and solar panel used for satellite space power
applications.
|
·
|
Terrestrial Solar Power
Generation - Solar power generation systems utilize photovoltaic
cells to convert sunlight to electricity and have been used in space
programs and, to a lesser extent, in terrestrial applications for several
decades. The market for terrestrial solar power generation
solutions has grown significantly as solar power generation technologies
improve in efficiency, as global prices for non-renewable energy sources
(i.e., fossil
fuels) continue to rise over the long term, and as concern has increased
regarding the effect of carbon emissions on global warming. Terrestrial
solar power generation has emerged as one of the most rapidly expanding
renewable energy sources due to certain advantages solar power has when
compared to other energy sources, including reduced environmental impact,
elimination of fuel price risk, installation flexibility, scalability,
distributed power generation (i.e., electric power is
generated at the point of use rather than transmitted from a central
station to the user), and reliability. The rapid increase in demand for
solar power has created a growing need for highly efficient, reliable and
cost-effective concentrating solar power
systems.
|
EMCORE
has adapted its high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction
solar cell products for terrestrial applications, which are intended for use
with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems in utility-scale
installations. EMCORE has attained 39% peak conversion efficiency under 1000x
illumination on its terrestrial concentrating solar cell products in volume
production. This compares favorably to average efficiency of 15-21% of
silicon-based solar cells and approximately 35% for competing multi-junction
cells. We believe that solar concentrator systems assembled using our compound
semiconductor-based solar cells will be competitive with silicon-based solar
power generation systems, in certain geographic regions, because they are more
efficient and, when combined with the advantages of concentration, we believe
will result in a lower cost of power generated. Our multi-junction
solar cell technology is not subject to silicon shortages, which have led to
increasing prices in the raw materials required for silicon-based solar
cells. EMCORE currently serves the terrestrial solar market with two
levels of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) products: components (including solar
cells and solar cell receivers) and CPV power systems, as shown in the pictures
below:
While the
terrestrial power generation market is still developing, we are currently
shipping production orders of CPV components to several solar concentrator
companies, and providing samples to many others, including major system
manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. We have
finished installations of a total of approximately 1 megawatt (MW) CPV systems
in Spain, China, and US with our own Gen-II design (as shown in the picture
above). EMCORE has recently responded to several RFPs from public utility
companies in the US for a total of several hundred MWs using its Gen-III design.
The Gen-III product, with enhanced performance (including a module efficiency of
approximately 30%) and much improved cost structure, is scheduled to be in
volume production by the second half of calendar 2009.
In July
2008, we announced our solar cell technology which provides a platform for
EMCORE’s next generation photovoltaic products for space and terrestrial solar
power applications. Solar cells built using Inverted Metamorphic (“IMM”)
technology recently achieved world record conversion efficiency of 33% when used
in space, and it is anticipated that efficiency levels in the 42%-45% range will
be achieved when adapted for use under the 500-1500X concentrated illumination,
typical in terrestrial concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Once
commercialized, the CPV systems that are powered with EMCORE’s IMM-based solar
cells will realize an approximately 10% to 20% reduction in the cost of power
generated. EMCORE expects to begin commercializing this technology for both
space and terrestrial applications in 2009. Due to its unique design, the IMM
cell is approximately one fifteenth the thickness of the conventional
multi-junction solar cell and will enable a new class of extremely lightweight,
high-efficiency, and flexible solar arrays for space applications. Furthermore,
this technology can be readily integrated into EMCORE’s complete line of CPV
receiver products and provide increased energy conversion efficiency in CPV
power systems.
EMCORE’s
Strategy
After
completing several strategic acquisitions and divestures over the past few
years, EMCORE has developed a strong business focus and comprehensive product
portfolio in two main sectors: Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. Our
principal objective is to maximize shareholder value by leveraging our expertise
in advanced compound semiconductor technologies to be a leading provider of
high-performance, cost-effective product solutions in each of the markets that
we serve. Key elements of our strategy include:
Drive
Business Growth, Reduce Cost, and Deliver Profitability.
With our
enhanced product portfolio, expanded customer base, and established
vertically-integrated, low-cost manufacturing infrastructure in our fiber optics
business, we are better positioned than ever to leverage our resources and
infrastructure to grow our revenue through new product introductions and gain
market share. Several initiatives for cost reduction will come to fruition in
fiscal 2009, which should improve our gross profit and margins. The
Company has also significantly reduced capital expenditures and has placed a
greater emphasis on improving its working capital management. While we
enjoy the moderate growth and greater visibility in our satellite
photovoltaics business, we recognize the need of further investment in our CPV
business to develop a more cost competitive design. It is the commitment of
management to deliver overall profitability once the Gen-III product is
deployed.
Focus Our R&D Effort on Cost
Reduction and Market Share Gain..
EMCORE
has invested substantially in research and development and product engineering
over the past years. We have developed a clear path towards business growth and
are recognized as a technology leader in both our Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics
segments. In fiscal 2009, we will be focusing our R&D and product
engineering efforts on product cost reduction and market share gain through more
complete product solutions for our customers.
Grow Our Terrestrial Solar Power
Business by Focused Effort and Strategic Partnership.
For our
CPV component business, we will continue to secure and expand our leadership
position by providing high-performance, reliable, and cost-effective products
and excellent customer service. For our CPV system business, our business
development focus will be in the U.S. market primarily due to the extension of
the investment tax credit (ITC) and other favorable policies for renewable
energy in the U.S. Our Gen-III CPV system solution should provide a competitive
levelized cost of energy for utility scale projects in certain regions. We will
continue to develop and expand strategic partnerships with major international
companies to drive our business penetration and expansion into the international
markets. We expect a substantial ramp of our CPV business to occur in the second
half of 2009.
Pursue Strategic Acquisitions and
Partnership Opportunities.
We are
committed to the ongoing evaluation of strategic opportunities that can expand
our addressable markets and strengthen our competitive position. Where
appropriate, we will acquire additional products, technologies, or businesses
that are complementary to, or that broaden the markets in which we operate. We
plan to pursue strategic acquisitions and partnerships to increase revenue which
will allow for higher overhead absorption and improved gross
margins.
On August
28, 2008, EMCORE entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with a
subsidiary of an international conglomerate headquartered in South Korea,
outlining the terms pursuant to which the parties would cooperate with respect
to bidding on CPV and other photovoltaic projects in North America, Europe and
the Middle East. The Memorandum also described other possible areas
of cooperation, including supply chain management and the possible establishment
of a manufacturing joint venture.
Recent
acquisitions include:
|
·
|
On
February 22, 2008, EMCORE acquired telecom-related assets of Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division (“OPD”) that included inventory,
fixed assets, intellectual property, and technology comprised of tunable
lasers, tunable transponders, 300-pin transponders, and integrated tunable
laser assemblies.
|
|
·
|
On
April 20, 2008, EMCORE acquired the enterprise and storage-related assets
of Intel Corporation’s OPD business, as well as Intel’s Connects Cables
business. The assets acquired include inventory, fixed assets,
intellectual property, and technology relating to optical transceivers for
enterprise and storage customers, as well as optical cable interconnects
for high-performance computing
clusters.
|
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of these
transactions.
Restructuring
Programs
EMCORE is
committed to achieving profitability by increasing revenue through the
introduction of new products, reducing our cost structure and lowering the
breakeven points of our product lines. We have significantly
streamlined our manufacturing operations by focusing on core competencies to
identify cost efficiencies. Where appropriate, we transferred the manufacturing
of certain product lines to low-cost contract manufacturers or our own
manufacturing facility in China whenever such transfer can lower costs
while maintaining quality and reliability.
EMCORE’s
restructuring programs are designed to further reduce the number of our
manufacturing facilities, in addition to the divesture or exit from selected
businesses and product lines that are not strategic or are not capable of
achieving desired revenue or profitability goals. In addition, we
will continue to drive operational efficiency and reduce overhead
costs.
Our
results of operations and financial condition have and will continue to be
significantly affected by severance, restructuring charges, impairment of
long-lived assets and idle facility expenses incurred during facility closing
activities. Please refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under
Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further
discussion of these items.
Government
Research Contract Funding
We derive
a portion of our revenue from funding by various agencies of the U.S. Government
of research contracts and subcontracts. These contracts typically cover work
performed over extended periods of time, from several months up to several
years. These contracts may be modified or terminated at the convenience of the
U.S. Government and may be subject to government budgetary
fluctuations.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of U.S.
Government contracts.
Sales
and Marketing
We sell
our products worldwide through our direct sales force, external sales
representatives and distributors and application engineers. Our sales force
communicates with our customers’ engineering, manufacturing and purchasing
personnel to determine product design, qualifications, performance and cost. Our
strategy is to use our direct sales force to sell to key accounts and to expand
our use of external sales representatives for increased coverage in
international markets and certain domestic segments.
Throughout
our sales cycle, we work closely with our customers to qualify our products into
their product lines. As a result, we develop strategic and long-lasting customer
relationships with products and services that are tailored to our customers’
requirements.
We focus
our marketing communication efforts on increasing brand awareness, communicating
our technologies’ advantages and generating leads for our sales
force. We use a variety of marketing methods, including our website,
participation at trade shows and selective advertising to achieve these
goals.
Externally,
our marketing group works with customers to define requirements, characterize
market trends, define new product development activities, identify cost
reduction initiatives and manage new product
introductions. Internally, our marketing group communicates and
manages customer requirements with the goal of ensuring that our product
development activities are aligned with our customers’ needs. These
product development activities allow our marketing group to manage new product
introductions and new product and market trends.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of sales
and marketing, including information regarding our customers and geographic
areas in which we do business.
Manufacturing
As of
September 30, 2008, we had thirteen dedicated MOCVD (metal organic chemical
vapor deposition) systems for both development and production, which are capable
of processing virtually all compound semiconductor-based materials and
devices. Our operations include wafer fabrication, device design and
production, fiber optic module, subsystem and system design and manufacture, and
solar panel engineering and assembly. Many of our manufacturing
operations are computer monitored or controlled to enhance production output and
statistical control. We employ a strategy of minimizing ongoing capital
investments, while maximizing the variable nature of our cost structure. We
maintain supply agreements with many key suppliers throughout our supply chain
management function. Where we can gain cost advantages while maintaining quality
and intellectual property control, we outsource the production of certain
subsystems, components and subassemblies to contract manufacturers located
overseas. Our contract manufacturers must maintain comprehensive quality and
delivery systems, and we continuously monitor them for compliance.
Our
various manufacturing processes involve extensive quality assurance systems and
performance testing. Our facilities have acquired and maintain certification
status for their quality management systems. Our manufacturing facilities
located in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Alhambra, California and LangFang, China are
registered to ISO 9001 standards.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 for further
discussion of manufacturing activities.
Sources
of Raw Materials
We depend
on a limited number of suppliers for certain raw materials, components and
equipment used in our products. We continually review our vendor relationships
to mitigate risks and lower costs, especially where we depend on one or two
vendors for critical components or raw materials. While maintaining inventories
that we believe are sufficient to meet our near-term needs, we generally do not
carry significant inventories of raw materials. Accordingly, we maintain ongoing
communications with our vendors in order to prevent any interruptions in supply,
and have implemented a supply-chain management program to maintain quality and
lower purchase prices through standardized purchasing efficiencies and design
requirements. To date, we generally have been able to obtain sufficient
quantities of quality supplies in a timely manner.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A for further discussion of our reliance upon
sole or limited sources of raw materials.
Research
and Development
Our
research and development (R&D) efforts have been focused on maintaining our
technological leadership position by working to improve the quality and
attributes of our product lines. We also invest significant resources to develop
new products and production technology to expand into new market opportunities
by leveraging our existing technology base and infrastructure. Our industry is
characterized by rapid changes in process technologies with increasing levels of
functional integration. Our efforts are focused on designing new proprietary
processes and products, on improving the performance of our existing materials,
components and subsystems, and on reducing costs in the product manufacturing
process.
As of
September 30, 2008, we had three MOCVD systems dedicated to R&D
efforts. The R&D staff utilizes x-ray, optical and electrical
characterization equipment, as well as device and module fabrication and testing
equipment, which generates data rapidly, allowing for shortened development
cycles and rapid customer response.
As part
of the ongoing effort to cut costs, many of our projects are used to develop
lower cost versions of our existing products. We also actively compete for
R&D funds from U.S. Government agencies and other entities. In view of the
high cost of development, we solicit research contracts that provide
opportunities to enhance our core technology base and promote the
commercialization of targeted products. Generally, internal R&D funding is
used for the development of products that will be released within twelve months
and external funding is used for long-term R&D efforts.
EMCORE’s
Photovoltaics division recently announced the following new product
development:
|
·
|
In
July 2008, we announced our solar cell technology which provides a
platform for EMCORE’s next generation photovoltaic products for space and
terrestrial solar power applications. Solar cells built using Inverted
Metamorphic (“IMM”) technology recently achieved world record conversion
efficiency of 33% when used in space, and it is anticipated that
efficiency levels in the 42%-45% range will be achieved when adapted for
use under the 500-1500X concentrated illumination, typical in terrestrial
concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Once commercialized, the CPV
systems that are powered with EMCORE’s IMM-based solar cells will realize
an approximately 10% to 20% reduction in the cost of power generated.
EMCORE expects to begin commercializing this technology for both space and
terrestrial applications in 2009. Due to its unique design, the IMM cell
is approximately one fifteenth the thickness of the conventional
multi-junction solar cell and will enable a new class of extremely
lightweight, high-efficiency, and flexible solar arrays for space
applications. Furthermore, this technology can be readily integrated into
EMCORE’s complete line of CPV receiver products and provide increased
energy conversion efficiency in CPV power
systems.
|
EMCORE’s
Fiber Optics division recently announced the following new product
development:
|
·
|
In
June 2008, we announced that our optical fiber EMCORE Connects Cables
(ECC) are being used by IBM on the Department of Energy’s supercomputer
nicknamed Roadrunner, the first supercomputer to break the 1,000 trillion
calculations per second mark known as a Petaflop. EMCORE
Connects Cables are high-performance InfiniBand®
interconnects that operate at high-speed 20G data rates with an
extremely low bit error rate of
10-15.
|
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of our
R&D efforts.
Intellectual
Property and Licensing
We
protect our proprietary technology by applying for patents, where appropriate,
and in other cases by preserving the technology, related know-how and
information as trade secrets. The success and competitive position of our
product lines depends significantly on our ability to obtain intellectual
property protection for our R&D efforts. We also acquire, through license
grants or assignments, rights to patents on inventions originally developed by
others. As of September 30, 2008, we held approximately 148 U.S.
patents and 12 foreign patents and have over 100 additional patent applications
pending. Our U.S. patents will expire on varying dates between 2009 and
2027. These patents and patent applications claim various aspects of
current or planned commercial versions of our materials, components, subsystems
and systems.
We also
have entered into license agreements with the licensing agencies of universities
and other organizations, under which we have obtained exclusive or non-exclusive
rights to practice inventions claimed in various patents and applications issued
or pending in the U.S. and other foreign countries. We do not believe the
financial obligations under any of these agreements materially adversely affect
our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We rely
on trade secrets to protect our intellectual property when we believe that
publishing patents would make it easier for others to reverse engineer our
proprietary processes. A “trade secret” is information that has value to the
extent it is not generally known, not readily ascertainable by others through
legitimate means, and protected in a way that maintains its secrecy. Reliance on
trade secrets is only an effective business practice insofar as trade secrets
remain undisclosed and a proprietary product or process is not reverse
engineered or independently developed. To protect our trade secrets, we take
certain measures to ensure their secrecy, such as partitioning the non-essential
flow of information between our different groups and executing non-disclosure
agreements with our employees, customers and suppliers. We also rely upon other
intellectual property rights such as trademarks and copyrights where
appropriate.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A, Legal Proceedings under Item 3,
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under
Item 8 for further discussion of intellectual property.
Environmental
Regulations
We are
subject to U.S. Federal, state, and local laws and regulations concerning the
use, storage, handling, generation, treatment, emission, release, discharge, and
disposal of certain materials used in our R&D and production operations, as
well as laws and regulations concerning environmental remediation, homeland
security, and employee health and safety. The production of wafers and devices
involves the use of certain hazardous raw materials, including, but not limited
to, ammonia, phosphine, and arsine. If our control systems are
unsuccessful in preventing release of these or other hazardous materials or we
fail to comply with such environmental provisions, our actions, whether
intentional or inadvertent, could result in fines and other liabilities to the
U.S. Government or third parties, and injunctions requiring us to suspend or
curtail operations which could have a material adverse effect on our
business.
We have
in-house professionals to address compliance with applicable environmental,
homeland security, and health and safety laws and regulations. We believe that
we are currently in compliance with all applicable environmental laws, including
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Please
refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A for further discussion of our compliance
efforts associated with environmental regulations.
Competition
The
markets for our products in each of our reporting segments are extremely
competitive and are characterized by rapid technological change, frequent
introduction of new products, short product life cycles and significant price
erosion. We face actual and potential competition from numerous domestic and
international companies. Many of these companies have greater engineering,
manufacturing, marketing and financial resources than we have. Partial lists of
these competitors within the markets we participate in include:
Fiber
Optics
CATV Networks. Our
competitors include Finisar and Hitachi Yagi at the subsystem level and Applied
Optoelectronics, Inc. and Eudyna Device, Inc. at the component product
level.
FTTP and Telecommunications
Networks. Our competitors include Cyoptics, MRV
Communications, and Sumitomo for telecommunications and FTTP
components. For 10G transceivers and parallel optical modules, our
principal competitors include Avago, Finisar Corporation, JDSU, Opnext, Inc. and
numerous smaller vendors.
Data Communications, Storage Area
Networks and Consumer Products. Our competitors include
Avago, Finisar, Hitachi Cable and Opnext and numerous smaller
vendors.
Satellite Communications
Networks. Our primary competitors are Foxcom and MITEQ,
Inc.
Video Transport
Products. Our primary competitors are Evertz and
Telecast.
Defense and Homeland
Security. The competitors in RF transport for defense and homeland
security products include Aegis Technologies, Finisar Corporation, Gemfire
Corporation, Linear Photonics, LLC, and JDSU.
Photovoltaics
Satellite Solar Power
Generation. In the market for satellite solar power products,
we primarily compete with Azure Solar GmbH, SHARP Corporation and Spectrolab,
Inc., a subsidiary of Boeing.
Terrestrial Solar Power
Generation. In the market for terrestrial solar
power products, we primarily compete with Azure Solar GmbH and Spectrolab,
Inc. in the solar cell market and Amonix, Concentrix, GreenVolts, Menova,
Renovalia, and SolFocus in the solar power systems market.
In
addition to the companies listed above, we compete with many research
institutions and universities for research contract funding. We also sell our
products to current competitors and companies with the capability of becoming
competitors. As the markets for our products grow, new competitors are likely to
emerge and current competitors may increase their market share. In the European
Union (“EU”), political and legal requirements encourage the purchase of
EU-produced goods, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage against our
European competitors.
There are
substantial barriers to entry by new competitors across our product lines. These
barriers include the large number of existing patents, the time and costs to be
incurred to develop products, the technical difficulty in manufacturing
semiconductor-based products, the lengthy sales and qualification cycles and the
difficulties in hiring and retaining skilled employees with the required
scientific and technical backgrounds. We believe that the primary competitive
factors within our current markets are yield, throughput, performance,
reliability, breadth of product line, product heritage, customer satisfaction
and customer commitment to competing technologies. Competitors may develop
enhancements to or future generations of competitive products that offer
superior price and performance characteristics. We believe that in order to
remain competitive, we must invest significant financial resources in developing
new product features and enhancements and in maintaining customer satisfaction
worldwide.
Order
Backlog
As of
September 30, 2008, we had an order backlog of approximately $117.2 million
compared to $149 million in the prior year. Our order backlog is
defined as purchase orders or supply agreements accepted by the Company with
expected product delivery and / or services to be performed in the
future. The September 30, 2008 order backlog is comprised of $96.1
million related to our Photovoltaics segment of which $60.9 million is expected
to be delivered subsequent to fiscal 2009 and $21.1 million related to our Fiber
Optics segment expected to be delivered in fiscal 2009.
On
December 17, 2007, EMCORE announced that it had received a purchase order to
supply 5.7 Megawatts of CPV, along with a letter of intent for follow-on
projects of 14.3 MW, from DI Semicon, a South Korean semiconductor packaging
company, and that it had also executed an agreement with the same company
relating to the formation of a joint venture in South ever Korea to manufacture
CPV systems in South Korea. No amounts from this order were
included in EMCORE’s backlog, and, due to DI Semicon’s inability to obtain
necessary financing, EMCORE no longer expects any product orders from, or other
arrangements with, DI Semicon to result in the foreseeable future.
From time
to time, our customers may request that we delay shipment of certain orders and
our backlog could also be adversely affected if customers unexpectedly cancel
purchase orders that we’ve previously accepted. A majority of our
fiber optics products typically ship within the same quarter as when the
purchase order is received; therefore, our backlog at any particular date is not
necessarily indicative of actual revenue or the level of orders for any
succeeding period.
Employees
As of
September 30, 2008, we had 1,006 employees, including 191 employees in
China. Of our total employees 51 had a Ph.D. degree. Our
year-end headcount included 609 employees in manufacturing operations, 170
employees in R&D, 193 employees in sales, general and administration
(SG&A), and 34 temporary employees. This represented a net increase of 221
employees or 28% when compared to September 30,
2007. Excluding headcount in China, the Company' headcount
increased 86 employees from September 30, 2007 primarily due to the acquisition
of Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division.
None of
our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We
have never experienced any labor-related work stoppage and believe that our
employee relations are good.
Competition
is intense in the recruiting of personnel in the semiconductor
industry. Our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel is
essential to our continued success. We are focused on retaining key
contributors, developing our staff and cultivating their level of
commitment.
Risk
Factors
|
Our disclosure and analysis in this
2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K contain some forward-looking statements, within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of
Exchange Act, that set forth anticipated results based on management’s plans and
assumptions. From time to time, we also provide forward-looking statements in
other materials we release to the public. These statements are based
largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and
financial trends affecting the financial condition of our
business. They relate to future events or our future financial
performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements of our business or our industry to be materially different from
those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Such statements
include, in particular, projections about our future results, statements about
our plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in our business
and the markets in which we operate. These forward-looking statements
may be identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “expects”,
“anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates”, “targets”, “can”,
“may”, “could”, “will”, and variations of these terms and similar
phrases.
We
cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be realized, although
we believe we have been prudent in our plans and assumptions. Achievement of
future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and potentially inaccurate
assumptions. Should known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, or
should underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could differ
materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected. You
should keep this in mind as you consider forward-looking
statements.
We
undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised,
however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our
Form 10-Qs and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. Also note that we
provide the following cautionary discussion of risks, uncertainties and possibly
inaccurate assumptions relevant to our businesses. These are factors that,
individually or in the aggregate, we think could cause our actual results to
differ materially from historical and expected results. We note these factors
for investors as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all
such factors. Consequently, you should not consider the following to be a
complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties.
We
have a history of incurring significant net losses and our future profitability
is not assured.
We
commenced operations in 1984 and as of September 30, 2008, we had an accumulated
deficit of $424.8 million. We incurred a net loss of $80.9 million in fiscal
2008, net loss of $58.7 million in fiscal 2007, and net income of $54.9 million
in fiscal 2006. Fiscal 2006 results include the sale of our GELcore
joint venture that resulted in a net gain, before tax, of $88.0
million. Our operating results for future periods are subject to
numerous uncertainties and we cannot assure you that we will not continue to
experience net losses for the foreseeable future. Although our
revenue has grown in recent years, we may be unable to sustain such growth rates
in light of potential changes in market or economic conditions. If we
are not able to increase revenue and reduce our costs, we may not be able to
achieve profitability.
We
may be unable to obtain additional financing, increase our revenue and lower our
costs of operations, which could adversely affect our ability to continue as a
going concern.
Our
ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain
financing and achieve levels of revenue and cost reductions that are adequate to
support our capital and operating requirements. No assurance can be
given that we will be able to obtain additional financing on terms that are
satisfactory to us or increase our revenue and reduce our operating costs to
levels that will sufficiently support our capital and operating
requirements. We may be unable to obtain adequate financing, increase
our revenue and/or lower our costs. Our recurring losses raise
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern. Our auditors have included in their report an explanatory
paragraph regarding the recurring losses that raise substantial doubt about our
ability to continue as a going concern.
We
may not be able to increase or sustain our recent revenue growth rate, and we
may not be able to manage our future revenue growth effectively.
Over
the last five years, the Company’s compound annual revenue growth rate exceeded
32%. We may not be able to increase or sustain this revenue growth
rate. In February 2008, the Company acquired assets of the telecom
portion of Intel Corporation’s Optical Platform Division (“OPD”). In
April 2008, the Company acquired the enterprise and storage assets of Intel
Corporation’s OPD business, as well as Intel’s Connects Cables
business. These acquisitions totaled approximately $41.6 million
or approximately 17% of total consolidated revenue in fiscal 2008. We
may not experience similar growth of our total consolidated revenue or even
similar revenue growth within our Fiber Optics segment in future periods.
Accordingly, investors should not rely on the results of any prior quarterly or
annual period as an indication of our future operating performance.
Our
future revenue is inherently unpredictable. As a result, our
operating results are likely to fluctuate from period to period, and we may fail
to meet the expectations of our analysts and/or investors, which may cause
volatility in our stock price and may cause our stock price to
decline.
Our
quarterly and annual operating results have fluctuated substantially in the past
and are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future due to a variety of
factors, some of which are outside of our control. Factors that could
cause our quarterly or annual operating results to fluctuate
include:
|
•
|
market
acceptance of our products;
|
|
•
|
market
demand for the products and services provided by our
customers;
|
|
•
|
disruptions
or delays in our manufacturing processes or in our supply of raw materials
or product components;
|
|
•
|
changes
in the timing and size of orders by our
customers;
|
|
•
|
cancellations
and postponements of previously placed
orders;
|
|
•
|
reductions
in prices for our products or increases in the costs of our raw materials;
and
|
|
•
|
the
introduction of new products and manufacturing
processes.
|
In
addition, the limited lead times with which several of our customers order our
products restrict our ability to forecast revenue. We may also
experience a delay in generating or recognizing revenue for a number of
reasons. For example, orders at the beginning of each quarter
typically represent a small percentage of expected revenue for that quarter and
are generally cancelable at any time. We depend on obtaining orders during each
quarter for shipment in that quarter to achieve our revenue objectives. Failure
to ship these products by the end of a quarter may adversely affect our results
of operations.
Our
credit facility agreement with Bank of America, N.A., contains customary
covenants and defaults, including among others, limitations on dividends,
incurrence of indebtedness and liens and mergers and acquisitions and may
restrict our operating flexibility.
As
a result of the foregoing, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our
results of operations should not be relied upon as indications of future
performance. In addition, our results of operations in one or more
future quarters may fail to meet the expectations of analysts or investors,
which would likely result in a decline in the trading price of our common
stock.
15
Our
ability to achieve operational and material cost reductions and to realize
production efficiencies for our operations is critical to our ability to achieve
long-term profitability.
We
have implemented a number of operational and material cost reductions and
productivity improvement initiatives, which are intended to reduce our expense
structure at both the cost of goods sold and the operating expense levels. Cost
reduction initiatives often involve facility consolidation and re-design of our
products, which requires our customers to accept and qualify the new designs,
potentially creating a competitive disadvantage for our
products. These initiatives can be time-consuming and disruptive to
our operations and costly in the short-term. Successfully
implementing these and other cost-reduction initiatives throughout our
operations is critical to our future competitiveness and ability to achieve
long-term profitability. However, there can be no assurance that these
initiatives will be successful in creating profit margins sufficient to sustain
our current operating structure and business.
Financial
markets worldwide are currently in the midst of an unprecedented crisis which
may have a materially adverse impact on the Company, our customers and our
suppliers.
Financial
markets are in an unprecedented financial crisis worldwide, affecting both debt
and equity markets, which has substantially limited the amount of financing
available to all companies, including companies with substantially greater
resources, better credit ratings and more successful operating histories than
us. It is impossible to predict how long this crisis will last or how
it will be resolved. It may, however, have a materially adverse
affect on the Company for a number of reasons, such as:
·
|
The
Company’s historic lack of profitability has caused it to consume cash,
through acquisitions, operations and as a result of the research and
development and capital expenditures necessary to expand the market which
the Company serves (particularly the terrestrial solar market), as
discussed in more detail below. The Company may be unable to
acquire the cash necessary to finance these activities from either the
debt or the equity markets and as a result the Company may be unable to
continue operations.
|
·
|
The
Company’s fiber optics products are sold principally to large publicly
held companies which are also dependent on public debt and equity
markets. Our customers may be unable to obtain the financing
necessary to continue their own
operations.
|
·
|
The
market for the products of the Company’s fiber optics customers, into
which the Company’s fiber optics products are incorporated, is dependent
on capital spending from telecommunications and data communications
companies, which may also be adversely affected by the lack of
financing.
|
·
|
The
market for the Company’s satellite solar cells may also be adversely
affected by the worldwide financial crisis, because the market for
commercial satellites depends on capital spending by telecommunications
companies and the market for military satellites depends on resources
allocated for military intelligence spending, which may be
restricted. The market for the Company’s terrestrial solar
products is dependent on the availability of project financing for
photovoltaic projects, which may no longer be available, and is also
largely dependent on government support of various types, such as
investment tax credits, which may no longer be available as governments
allocate scarce resources to deal with the financial
crisis.
|
·
|
A
reduction in the Company’s sales will adversely affect the Company’s
ability to draw on its existing line of credit with Bank of America
because that line of credit is largely dependent on the level of the
Company’s accounts receivable.
|
In
addition, the worldwide financial crisis may adversely affect certain assets
held by the Company. Historically, the Company has invested in
securities with an auction reset feature (“auction rate
securities”). Beginning in February 2008, the auction rate securities
market experienced a significant increase in the number of failed auctions,
resulting from a lack of liquidity, which occurs when sell orders exceed buy
orders, and does not necessarily signify a default by the issuer. In February
2008, the auction market failed for the Company’s auction rate securities, which
meant the Company was unable to sell its investments in auction rate
securities. At September 30, 2008, the Company had
approximately $3.1 million in auction rate securities. For failed
auctions, we continue to earn interest on these investments at the maximum
contractual rate as the issuer is obligated under contractual terms to pay
penalty rates should auctions fail. The underlying assets for $1.7 million of
this total are currently AAA rated, the highest rating by a rating
agency. The remaining $1.4 million of investments are securities
whose underlying assets are primarily student loans which are substantially
backed by the U.S. Government. In October 2008, the Company received agreements
from its investment brokers announcing settlement of the auction rate securities
at 100% par value, of which $1.7 million was settled in November 2008 and $1.4
million is expected to be settled by June 2010. The Company
classified $1.7 million as a current asset and the remaining $1.4 million as a
long-term asset based on the expected settlement dates. Due to the
fact the Company will receive full value for all securities; we have not
recorded any impairment on these investments as of September 30,
2008. If we are unable to liquidate and settle these auction rate
securities on favorable terms and conditions, such liquidity limitations could
have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition,
results of operations, and cash flow.
The
market price for our common stock has experienced significant price and volume
volatility and is likely to continue to experience significant volatility in the
future. This volatility may impair our ability to finance strategic
transactions with our stock and otherwise harm our business
The
closing price of our common stock fluctuated from a high of $15.30 per share to
a low of $4.46 per share during the year ended September 30, 2008. As
of December 29, 2008 our stock price was $0.90. Our stock price is
likely to experience significant volatility in the future as a result of
numerous factors outside our control. Significant declines in our
stock price may interfere with our ability to raise additional funds through
equity financing or to finance strategic transactions with our
stock. We have historically used equity incentive compensation as
part of our overall compensation arrangements. The effectiveness of
equity incentive compensation in retaining key employees may be adversely
impacted by volatility in our stock price. In addition, there may be
increased risk of securities litigation following periods of fluctuations in our
stock price. These and other consequences of volatility in our stock
price could have the effect of diverting management’s attention and could
materially harm our business, and could be exacerbated by the current worldwide
financial crisis.
We
have significant liquidity and capital requirements and may require additional
capital in the future. If we are unable to obtain the additional
capital necessary to meet our requirements, our business may be adversely
affected.
Historically,
the Company has consumed cash from operations. We had negative cash
flow from operations of approximately $41.9 million during fiscal
2008. We have managed our liquidity situation through a series of
cost reduction initiatives, capital markets transactions and the sale of assets.
We currently have approximately $79.2 million in working capital as of
September 30, 2008. The global credit market crisis has had a
dramatic effect on the markets we serve and has created a substantially more
difficult business environment for us. We do not believe it is likely that these
adverse economic conditions, and their effect on the technology industry, will
improve significantly in the near term, notwithstanding the unprecedented
intervention by the U.S. and other governments in the global banking and
financial systems.
If
our cash on hand is not sufficient to fund the cash used by our operating
activities and meet our other liquidity requirements, we will seek to obtain
additional equity or debt financing or dispose of assets to provide additional
working capital in the future.
Due
to the unpredictable nature of the capital markets, particularly in the
technology sector, we cannot assure you that we will be able to raise additional
capital if and when it is required, especially if we experience disappointing
operating results. If adequate funds are not available or not
available on acceptable terms, our ability to continue to fund expansion,
develop and enhance products and services, or otherwise respond to competitive
pressures may be severely limited. Such a limitation could have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of
operations and cash flow.
16
The
market for our terrestrial solar power products for utility-scale applications
may take time to develop, is rapidly changing and extremely price-sensitive,
involves issues with which the Company has little experience, and is currently
dependent on the policy decisions of governments both inside and outside the
United States.
We
have invested and intend to continue to invest significant resources in the
adaptation of our high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based GaAs solar cell
products for terrestrial applications, including the sale of both concentrator
photovoltaics (“CPV”) components and systems. We generated our first
revenue from the sale of CPV systems in 2008, which involved the design,
manufacture and installation of large and complex structures intended for
outdoor operation, with which the Company has had no previous
experience.
Factors
such as changes in energy prices or the development of new and efficient
alternative energy technologies could also limit growth in, or reduce the market
for, our terrestrial solar power products. In addition, we
experienced difficulties in applying our satellite-based solar products to
terrestrial applications. We may experience further difficulties in
the future in competing with new and emerging terrestrial solar power products,
which we have determined to be extremely price sensitive and rapidly changing as
well as obtaining financing for utility-scale projects utilizing our technology,
particularly in view of the current worldwide financial crisis.
We
have determined that the terrestrial solar power business will require
substantial additional funding for the hiring of employees, research and
development and investment in capital equipment in order to successfully
compete. In addition, historically much of the market for CPV
systems has been outside the U.S. This has involved partnering with
non-U.S. entities, which (because terrestrial solar power generation is a
relatively new industry) may have little experience in the field and which may
be new companies. Participation in non-U.S. markets will involve
evaluation and compliance with non-U.S. laws, regulations, and government
electric supply contracts which the Company has limited experience in. The rates
available under non-U.S. government electric supply contracts are subject to
policy decisions of these governments, which can change in unpredictable
ways. Because of a reduction in rates offered under
non-U.S. electric supply contracts, we believe that most of our future business
in the near term will involve projects located within the United States, which
has a substantially less developed program for encouraging the use of solar
power and where the economic competitiveness of our products will be even more
significant. There can be no assurance that our bids on solar power
installations will be accepted, that we will win any of these bids, that our CPV
systems will be qualified for these projects, or that governments will continue
to offer electric supply contracts and other incentives that will make our
products economically viable. If our terrestrial solar power cell
products are not cost competitive or accepted by the market, our business,
financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely
affected.
Successful
deployment of our solar power systems may require us to assume roles with
respect to solar power projects with which we have limited or no experience
(such as acting as general contractor) and which may expose us to certain
financial risks (such as cost overruns and performance guaranties) which we ay
not have the expertise to properly evaluate or manage. In addition,
Since we cannot test our CPV
components and solar power systems for the duration of our standard 20-year
warranty period, we may be subject to unexpected warranty expense; if we are
subject to warranty and product liability claims, such claims could adversely
affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flow.
The
competitive environment in which our CPV solar power systems business operates
may requires us to arrange financing for our customer’s projects and/or
undertake post-sale customer obligations. If we are unable to arrange
adequate financing or if our post-sale customer obligations are more costly than
expected, our revenue and financial results could be materially and adversely
affected.
We
may arrange third-party financing for our end customer’s solar
projects. Additionally, we may be required as a condition of
financing or at the request of our end customer to undertake certain post-sale
obligations such as:
• System
output performance guaranties;
• System
maintenance;
|
•
|
Liquidated
damage payments or customer termination rights if the system is not
commissioned within specified
timeframes;
|
• Guaranties
of certain minimum residual value of the system at specified future dates;
and
|
•
|
System
termination clauses whereby we could be required to buy-back a customer’s
system at fair value on specified future
dates.
|
Such
financing arrangements and post-sale obligations involve complex accounting
analyses and judgments regarding the timing of revenue and expense recognition
and in certain situations these factors may require us to defer revenue
recognition until projects are completed, which could adversely affect revenue
in a particular period.
Due
to the recent tightening of credit markets and concerns regarding the
availability of credit, our customers may be delayed in obtaining, or may not be
able to obtain, necessary financing for their purchases of solar power systems.
If we are unable to arrange adequate financing or if our post-sale customer
obligations are more costly than expected, our revenue and financial results
could be materially and adversely affected.
Our
Photovoltaics segment recognizes certain contract revenue on a
“percentage-of-completion” basis and upon the achievement of contractual
milestones and any delay or cancellation of a project could adversely affect our
business.
Our
Photovoltaics segment recognizes certain revenue on a “percentage-of-completion”
basis and, as a result, revenue from this segment is driven by the performance
of our contractual obligations. The percentage-of-completion method of
accounting for revenue recognition is inherently subjective because it relies on
management estimates of total project cost as a basis for recognizing revenue
and profit. Accordingly, revenue and profit we have recognized under the
percentage-of-completion method are potentially subject to adjustments in
subsequent periods based on refinements in estimated costs of project completion
that could materially impact our future revenue and profit.
As
with any project-related business, there is the potential for delays within any
particular customer project. Variation of project timelines and estimates may
impact our ability to recognize revenue in a particular period. Moreover,
incurring penalties involving the return of the contract price to the customer
for failure to timely install one project could negatively impact our ability to
continue to recognize revenue on a “percentage-of-completion” basis generally
for other projects. In addition, certain customer contracts may include payment
milestones due at specified points during a project. Because our Photovoltaics
segment usually must invest substantial time and incur significant expense in
advance of achieving milestones and the receipt of payment, failure to achieve
such milestones could adversely affect our business, financial condition,
results of operations, and cash flows.
17
As
supply of polysilicon increases, the corresponding increase in the global supply
of silicon-based solar cells and panels may cause substantial downward pressure
on the prices of our terrestrial solar power products, resulting in lower
revenues.
As
additional polysilicon becomes available, we expect solar panel production
globally to increase. Decreases in polysilicon pricing and increases in
silicon-based solar panel production could each result in substantial downward
pressure on the price of solar cells and panels, including our terrestrial solar
power products. Such price reductions could have a negative impact on our
revenue, and our business, financial condition results of operations and cash
flows may be materially and adversely affected.
We
are substantially dependent on a small number of customers and the loss of any
one of these customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
In
fiscal 2008, 2007 and 2006, our top five customers accounted for 46%, 49%, and
39%, respectively of our total annual consolidated revenue. There can
be no assurance that we will continue to achieve historical levels of sales of
our products to our largest customers. Even though our customer base
is expected to increase and our revenue streams to diversify, a substantial
portion of our net revenues could continue to depend on sales to a limited
number of customers. Our agreements with these customers may be cancelled
if we fail to meet certain product specifications or materially breach the
agreement, and our customers may seek to renegotiate the terms of current
agreements or renewals. The loss of or a reduction in sales to one or more
of our larger customers could have a material adverse affect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
Long-term,
firm commitment supply agreements could result in insufficient or excess
inventory or place us at a competitive disadvantage.
We
manufacture our products utilizing materials, components, and services provided
by third parties. We seek to obtain a lower cost of inventory by negotiating
multi-year, binding contractual commitments directly with our suppliers. Under
such agreements, we may be required to purchase a specified quantity of products
or use a certain amount of services, which is often over a period of twelve
months or more. We also may be required to make substantial prepayments or issue
secured letters of credit to these suppliers against future deliveries. These
contractual commitments, or any other “take or pay” agreement we enter into,
allows the supplier to invoice us for the full purchase price of product or
services that we are under contract for, whether or not we actually order the
required volume or services. If for any reason we fail to order the required
volume or services, the resulting monetary damages could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flows.
We
do not obtain contracts or commitments from customers for all of our products
manufactured with materials purchased under such firm commitment contracts.
Instead, we rely on our long-term internal forecasts to determine the timing of
our production schedules and the volume and mix of products to be manufactured.
The level and timing of orders placed by customers may vary for many reasons. As
a result, at any particular time, we may have insufficient or excess inventory,
which could render us unable to fulfill customer orders or increase our cost of
production. This would place us at a competitive disadvantage to our
competitors, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Long-term
contractual commitments also expose us to specific counter-party risk, which can
be magnified when dealing with suppliers without a long, stable production and
financial history. For example, if one or more of our contractual counterparties
is unable or unwilling to provide us with the contracted amount of product, we
could be required to attempt to obtain product in the open market, which could
be unavailable at that time, or only available at prices in excess of our
contracted prices. In addition, in the event any such supplier experiences
financial difficulties, it may be difficult or impossible, or may require
substantial time and expense, for us to recover any or all of our prepayments.
Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Our
operating results could be harmed if we lose access to sole or limited sources
of materials, components or services.
We
currently obtain some materials, components and services used in our products
from limited or single sources. We generally do not carry significant
inventories of any raw materials. Because we often do not account for a
significant part of our suppliers’ businesses, we may not have access to
sufficient capacity from these suppliers in periods of high demand. In addition,
since we generally do not have guaranteed supply arrangements with our
suppliers, we risk serious disruption to our operations if an important supplier
terminates product lines, changes business focus, or goes out of business.
Because some of these suppliers are located overseas, we may be faced with
higher costs of purchasing these materials if the U.S. dollar weakens against
other currencies. If we were to change any of our limited or sole source
suppliers, we would be required to re-qualify each new supplier.
Re-qualification could prevent or delay product shipments that could materially
adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, our reliance on these
suppliers may materially adversely affect our production if the components vary
in quality or quantity. If we are unable to obtain timely deliveries of
sufficient components of acceptable quality or if the prices of components for
which we do not have alternative sources increase, our business, financial
condition and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected.
18
If
our contract manufacturers fail to deliver quality products at reasonable prices
and on a timely basis, our business, financial condition and results of
operations could be materially adversely affected.
We
are increasing our use of contract manufacturers located outside of the U.S. as
a less-expensive alternative to performing our own manufacturing of certain
products. Contract manufacturers in Asia currently manufacture a
significant portion of our high-volume fiber optics products. We
supply inventory to our contract manufacturers and we bear the risk of loss,
theft or damage to our inventory while it is held in their
facilities.
If
these contract manufacturers do not fulfill their obligations to us, or if we do
not properly manage these relationships and the transition of production to
these contract manufacturers, our existing customer relationships may
suffer. In addition, by undertaking these activities, we run the risk
that the reputation and competitiveness of our products and services may
deteriorate as a result of the reduction of our ability to oversee and control
quality and delivery schedules.
The
use of contract manufacturers located outside of the U.S. also subjects us to
the following additional risks that could significantly impair our ability to
source our contract manufacturing requirements internationally,
including:
|
•
|
unexpected
changes in regulatory requirements;
|
|
•
|
legal
uncertainties regarding liability, tariffs and other trade
barriers;
|
|
•
|
inadequate
protection of intellectual property in some
countries;
|
|
•
|
greater
incidence of shipping delays;
|
|
•
|
greater
difficulty in hiring talent needed to oversee manufacturing operations;
and
|
|
•
|
potential
political and economic instability.
|
|
•
|
potential
adverse actions by the incoming Obama Administration pursuant to its
stated intention to reduce the loss of U.S.
jobs
|
Prior
to our customers accepting products manufactured at our contract manufacturers,
they must requalify the product and manufacturing processes. The qualification
process can be lengthy and expensive, with no guarantee that any particular
product qualification process will lead to profitable product sales. The
qualification process determines whether the product manufactured at our
contract manufacturer achieves our customers’ quality, performance and
reliability standards. Our expectations as to the time periods required to
qualify a product line and ship products in volumes to customers may be
erroneous. Delays in qualification can impair the expected timing of the
transfer of a product line to our contract manufacturer and may impair the
expected amount of sales of the affected products. We may, in fact, experience
delays in obtaining qualification of products produced by our contract
manufacturers and, therefore, our operating results and customer relationships
could be materially adversely affected.
If
we do not keep pace with rapid technological change, our products may not be
competitive.
We
compete in markets that are characterized by rapid technological change,
frequent new product introductions, changes in customer requirements, evolving
industry standards, continuous improvement in products and the use of our
existing products in new applications. We may not be able to develop
the underlying core technologies necessary to create new products and
enhancements at the same rate as or faster than our competitors, or to license
the technology from third parties that is necessary for our
products.
Product
development delays may result from numerous factors, including:
|
•
|
changing
product specifications and customer
requirements;
|
|
•
|
unanticipated
engineering complexities;
|
|
•
|
expense
reduction measures we have implemented and others we may
implement;
|
|
•
|
difficulties
in hiring and retaining necessary technical personnel;
and
|
|
•
|
difficulties
in allocating engineering resources and overcoming resource
limitations.
|
We
cannot assure you that we will be able to identify, develop, manufacture, market
or support new or enhanced products successfully, if at all, or on a timely,
cost effective or repeatable basis. Our future performance will depend on our
successful development and introduction of, as well as market acceptance of, new
and enhanced products that address market changes as well as current and
potential customer requirements and our ability to respond effectively to
product announcements by competitors, technological changes or emerging industry
standards. Because it is generally not possible to predict the amount of time
required and the costs involved in achieving certain research, development and
engineering objectives, actual development costs may exceed budgeted amounts and
estimated product development schedules may be extended. If we incur budget
overruns or delays in our research and development efforts, our business,
financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely
affected.
The
competitive and rapidly evolving nature of our industry has in the past resulted
and is likely in the future to result in reductions in our product prices and
periods of reduced demand for our products.
We
face substantial competition in each of our reporting segments from a number of
companies, many of which have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing and
technical resources than us. Larger-sized competitors often spend more on
research and development, which could give those competitors an advantage in
meeting customer demands and introducing technologically innovative products
before we do. We expect that existing and new competitors will improve the
design of their existing products and will introduce new products with enhanced
performance characteristics.
The
introduction of new products and more efficient production of existing products
by our competitors has resulted and is likely in the future to result in price
reductions and increases in expenses and reduced demand for our
products. In addition, some of our competitors may be willing to
provide their products at lower prices, accept a lower profit margin or expend
more capital in order to obtain or retain business. Competitive
pressures have required us to reduce the prices of some of our products. These
competitive forces could diminish our market share and gross margins, resulting
in a material adverse affect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
New
competitors may also enter our markets, including some of our current and
potential customers who may attempt to integrate their operations by producing
their own components and subsystems or acquiring one of our competitors, thereby
reducing demand for our products. In addition, rapid product
development cycles, increasing price competition due to maturation of
technologies, the emergence of new competitors in Asia with lower cost
structures and industry consolidation resulting in competitors with greater
financial, marketing and technical resources could result in lower prices or
reduced demand for our products.
Expected
and actual introductions of new and enhanced products may cause our customers to
defer or cancel orders for existing products and may cause our products to
become obsolete. A slowdown in demand for existing products ahead of a new
product introduction could result in a write-down in the value of inventory on
hand related to existing products. We have in the past experienced a slowdown in
demand for existing products and delays in new product development and such
delays may occur in the future. To the extent customers defer or cancel orders
for existing products due to a slowdown in demand or in anticipation of a new
product release or if there is any delay in development or introduction of our
new products or enhancements of our products, our business, financial condition
and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
19
Our
products are difficult to manufacture. Our production could be
disrupted and our results will suffer if our production yields are low as a
result of manufacturing difficulties.
We
manufacture many of our wafers and devices in our own production facilities.
Difficulties in the production process, such as contamination, raw material
quality issues, human error or equipment failure, can cause a substantial
percentage of wafers and devices to be nonfunctional. Lower-than-expected
production yields may delay shipments or result in unexpected levels of warranty
claims, either of which can materially adversely affect our results of
operations. We have experienced difficulties in achieving planned yields in the
past, particularly in pre-production and upon initial commencement of full
production volumes, which have adversely affected our gross margins. Because the
majority of our manufacturing costs are fixed, achieving planned production
yields is critical to our results of operations. Because we manufacture many of
our products in a single facility, we have greater risk of interruption in
manufacturing resulting from fire, natural disaster, equipment failures, or
similar events than we would if we had back-up facilities available for
manufacturing these products. We could also incur significant costs
to repair and/or replace products that are defective and in some cases costly
product redesigns and/or rework may be required to correct a
defect. Additionally, any defect could adversely affect our
reputation and result in the loss of future orders.
Some
of the capital equipment used in the manufacture of our products have been
developed and made specifically for us, is not readily available from multiple
vendors and would be difficult to repair or replace if it were to become damaged
or stop working. If any of these suppliers were to experience financial
difficulties or go out of business, or if there were any damage to or a
breakdown of our manufacturing equipment at a time when we are manufacturing
commercial quantities of our products, our business, financial condition and
results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
We
face lengthy sales and qualifications cycles for our new products and, in many
cases, must invest a substantial amount of time and funds before we receive
orders.
Most
of our products are tested by current and potential customers to determine
whether they meet customer or industry specifications. The length of the
qualification process, which can span a year or more, varies substantially by
product and customer, and thus can cause our results of operations to be
unpredictable. During a given qualification period, we invest significant
resources and allocate substantial production capacity to manufacture these new
products prior to any commitment to purchase by customers. In addition, it is
difficult to obtain new customers during the qualification period as customers
are reluctant to expend the resources necessary to qualify a new supplier if
they have one or more existing qualified sources. If we are unable to
meet applicable specifications or do not receive sufficient orders to profitably
use the allocated production capacity, our business, financial condition and
results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our
historical and future budgets for operating expenses, capital expenditures,
operating leases and service contracts are based upon our assumptions as to the
future market acceptance of our products. Because of the lengthy lead times
required for product development and the changes in technology that typically
occur while a product is being developed, it is difficult to accurately estimate
customer demand for any given product. If our products do not achieve an
adequate level of customer demand, our business, financial condition and results
of operations could be materially adversely affected.
20
Shifts
in industry-wide demands and inventories could result in significant inventory
write-downs.
The
life cycles of some of our products depend heavily upon the life cycles of the
end products into which our products are designed. Products with short life
cycles require us to manage production and inventory levels closely. We evaluate
our ending inventories on a quarterly basis for excess quantities, impairment of
value and obsolescence. This evaluation includes analysis of sales levels by
product and projections of future demand based upon input received from our
customers, sales team and management estimates. If inventories on hand are in
excess of demand, or if they are greater than 12-months old, appropriate
reserves may be recorded. In addition, we write off inventories that are
considered obsolete based upon changes in customer demand, manufacturing process
changes that result in existing inventory obsolescence or new product
introductions, which eliminate demand for existing products. Remaining inventory
balances are adjusted to approximate the lower of our manufacturing cost or
market value.
If
future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our estimates,
inventory write-downs may be required. We cannot assure investors that obsolete
or excess inventories, which may result from unanticipated changes in the
estimated total demand for our products and/or the estimated life cycles of the
end products into which our products are designed, will not affect us beyond the
inventory charges that we have already taken.
The
types of sales contracts which we use in the markets which we serve subject us
to unique risks in each of those markets.
In
our Fiber Optics reporting segment, we generally do not have long-term contracts
with our customers and we typically sell our products pursuant to purchase
orders with short lead times. As a result, our customers could stop
purchasing our products at any time and we must fulfill orders in a timely
manner to keep our customers. Risks associated with the absence of
long-term contracts with our customers include the following:
|
•
|
our
customers can stop purchasing our products at any time without
penalty;
|
|
•
|
our
customers may purchase products from our competitors;
and
|
• our
customers are not required to make minimum purchases.
These
risks are increased by the fact that our customers in this market are large,
sophisticated companies which have considerable purchasing power and control
over their suppliers. In the Fiber Optics market, we generally sell our products
pursuant to individual purchase orders, which often have extremely short lead
times. If we are unable to fulfill these orders in a timely manner,
it is likely that we will lose sales and customers. In addition, we
sell some of our products to the U.S. Government and governmental
entities. These contracts are generally subject to termination for
convenience provisions and may be cancelled at any time.
Cancellations
or rescheduling of customer orders could result in the delay or loss of
anticipated sales without allowing us sufficient time to reduce, or delay the
incurrence of, our corresponding inventory and operating expenses. In addition,
changes in forecasts or the timing of orders from these or other customers
expose us to the risks of inventory shortages or excess inventory.
In
contrast, in our Photovoltaics reporting segment, we generally enter into
long-term firm fixed-price contracts, which could subject us to losses if we
have cost overruns. While
firm fixed-price contracts allow us to benefit from cost savings, they also
expose us to the risk of cost overruns. If the initial estimates we used to
determine the contract price and the cost to perform the work prove to be
incorrect, we could incur losses. In addition, some of our contracts have
specific provisions relating to cost, schedule, and performance. If we fail to
meet the terms specified in those contracts, then our cost to perform the work
could increase or our price could be reduced, which would adversely affect our
financial condition. These programs have risk for reach-forward losses if our
estimated costs exceed our estimated price.
Fixed-price
development work inherently has more uncertainty than production contracts and,
therefore, more variability in estimates of the cost to complete the work. Many
of these development programs have very complex designs. As technical or quality
issues arise, we may experience schedule delays and cost impacts, which could
increase our estimated cost to perform the work or reduce our estimated price,
either of which could adversely affect our financial condition. Some fixed-price
development contracts include initial production units in their scope of work.
Successful performance of these contracts depends on our ability to meet
production specifications and delivery rates. If we are unable to
perform and deliver to contract requirements, our contract price could be
reduced through the incorporation of liquidated damages, termination of the
contract for default, or other financially significant exposure. Management uses
its best judgment to estimate the cost to perform the work and the price we will
eventually be paid on fixed-price development programs. While we believe the
cost and price estimates incorporated in the financial statements are
appropriate, future events could result in either favorable or unfavorable
adjustments to those estimates.
The
risk of fixed price contracts in the photovoltaics market is increased by the
new and rapidly changing nature of the terrestrial photovoltaics market and the
Company’s lack of experience in that market.
We
are a party to several U.S. Government contracts, which are subject to unique
risks.
In
2008, 5% of our revenue was derived from U.S. Government
contracts. We intend to continue our policy of selectively pursuing
contract research, product development and market development programs funded by
various agencies of the U.S. federal and state governments to complement and
enhance our own resources. Depending on the type of contract, funding from
government grants is either recorded as revenue or as an offset to our research
and development expense.
In
addition to normal business risks, our contracts with the U.S. Government are
subject to unique risks, some of which are beyond our control. We
have had government contracts modified, curtailed or terminated in the past and
we expect this will continue to happen from time to time.
The funding of U.S. Government
programs is subject to Congressional appropriations. Many of the U.S.
Government programs in which we participate may extend for several years;
however, these programs are normally funded annually. Long-term government
contracts and related orders are subject to cancellation if appropriations for
subsequent performance periods are not made. The termination of funding for a
U.S. Government program would result in a loss of anticipated future revenue
attributable to that program, which could have a material adverse effect on our
operations.
The U.S. Government may modify,
curtail, or terminate our contracts. The U.S. Government may modify,
curtail, or terminate its contracts and subcontracts without prior notice at its
convenience upon payment for work done and commitments made at the time of
termination. A reduction or discontinuance of these programs or of
our participation in these programs would materially increase our research and
development expenses, which would adversely affect our profitability and could
impair our ability to develop our solar power products and
services. Modification, curtailment or termination of our major programs or
contracts could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and
financial condition.
Our contract costs are subject to
audits by U.S. Government agencies. U.S. Government representatives may
audit the costs we incur on our U.S. Government contracts, including allocated
indirect costs. Such audits could result in adjustments to our contract costs.
Any costs found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be
reimbursed, and such costs already reimbursed must be refunded. We have recorded
contract revenue based upon costs we expect to realize upon final audit.
However, we do not know the outcome of any future audits and adjustments and we
may be required to reduce our revenue or profits upon completion and final
negotiation of audits. If any audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we
may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions,
including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of
payments, fines and suspension or prohibition from doing business with the U.S.
Government. We have been audited in the past by the U.S. Government
and expect that we will be in the future.
Our business is subject to potential
U.S. Government review. We are sometimes subject to certain U.S.
Government reviews of our business practices due to our participation in
government contracts. Any such inquiry or investigation could potentially result
in a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial
condition.
Our U.S. Government business is also
subject to specific procurement regulations and other requirements. These
requirements, although customary in U.S. Government contracts, increase our
performance and compliance costs. These costs might increase in the future,
reducing our margins, which could have a negative effect on our financial
condition. Failure to comply with these regulations and requirements could lead
to suspension or debarment, for cause, from U.S. Government contracting or
subcontracting for a period of time and could have an adverse effect on our
reputation and ability to secure future U.S. Government contracts.
21
We
have significant international sales, which expose us to additional risks and
uncertainties
Sales
to customers located outside the U.S. accounted for approximately 44% of our
consolidated revenue in fiscal 2008, 27% of our revenue in fiscal 2007 and 24%
of our revenue in fiscal 2006. Sales to customers in Asia represent the majority
of our international sales. We believe that international sales will continue to
account for a significant percentage of our revenue as we seek international
expansion opportunities. Because of this, the following international commercial
risks may materially adversely affect our revenue:
|
•
|
political
and economic instability or changes in U.S. Government policy with respect
to these foreign countries may inhibit export of our devices and limit
potential customers’ access to U.S. dollars in a country or region in
which those potential customers are
located;
|
|
•
|
we
may experience difficulties in the timeliness of collection of foreign
accounts receivable and be forced to write off these
receivables;
|
|
•
|
tariffs
and other barriers may make our devices less cost
competitive;
|
|
•
|
the
laws of certain foreign countries may not adequately protect our trade
secrets and intellectual property or may be burdensome to comply
with;
|
|
•
|
potentially
adverse tax consequences to our customers may damage our cost
competitiveness;
|
|
•
|
currency
fluctuations, which may make our products less cost competitive, affecting
overseas demand for our products or otherwise adversely affect our
business; and
|
|
•
|
language
and other cultural barriers may require us to expend additional resources
competing in foreign markets or hinder our ability to effectively
compete.
|
|
In
addition, we may be exposed to additional legal risks under the laws of
both the countries in which we operate and in the United States, including
the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
|
We
are increasing operations in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing
business in China.
In
May 2007, EMCORE Hong Kong, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of EMCORE
Corporation, announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Langfang,
China. Our new company, Langfang EMCORE Optoelectronics Co. Ltd., is located
approximately 20 miles southeast of Beijing and currently occupies a space of
44,000 square feet with a Class-10,000 clean room for optoelectronic device
packaging. Another 40,000 square feet is available for future
expansion. We have begun the transfer of our most cost sensitive
optoelectronic devices to this facility. This facility, along with a
strategic alignment with our existing contract-manufacturing partners, should
enable us to improve our cost structure and gross margins across product lines.
We expect to develop and provide improved service to our global customers by
having a local presence in Asia. As we continue to consolidate
our manufacturing operations, we will incur additional costs to transfer product
lines to our China facility, including costs of qualification testing with our
customers, which could have a material adverse impact on our operating results
and financial condition.
Our
China-based activities are subject to greater political, legal and economic
risks than those faced by our other operations. In particular, the
political, legal and economic climate in China (both at national and regional
levels) is extremely fluid and unpredictable. Our ability to operate in China
may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations, such as
those relating to taxation, import and export tariffs, environmental
regulations, land use rights, intellectual property and other matters, which
laws and regulations remain highly underdeveloped and subject to change, with
little or no prior notice, for political or other reasons. Moreover, the
enforceability of applicable existing Chinese laws and regulations is
uncertain. In addition, we may not obtain the requisite legal permits
to continue to operate in China and costs or operational limitations may be
imposed in connection with obtaining and complying with such permits. Our
business could be materially harmed by any changes in the political, legal or
economic climate in China or the inability to enforce applicable Chinese laws
and regulations.
As
a result of a government order to ration power for industrial use, operations in
our China facility may be subject to possible interruptions or shutdowns,
adversely affecting our ability to complete manufacturing commitments on a
timely basis. If we are required to make significant investments in generating
capacity to sustain uninterrupted operations at our facility, we may not realize
the reductions in costs anticipated from our expansion in China. In addition,
future outbreaks of avian influenza, or other communicable diseases, could
result in quarantines or closures of our facility, thereby disrupting our
operations and expansion in China.
We
intend to export the majority of the products manufactured at our facilities in
China. Accordingly, upon application to and approval by the relevant
governmental authorities, we will not be subject to certain Chinese taxes and
are exempt from customs duty assessment on imported components or materials when
the finished products are exported from China. We are, however, required to pay
income taxes in China, subject to certain tax relief. As the Chinese trade
regulations are in a state of flux, we may become subject to other forms of
taxation and duty assessments in China or may be required to pay for export
license fees in the future. In the event that we become subject to any increased
taxes or new forms of taxation imposed by authorities in China, our results of
operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We
will lose sales if we are unable to obtain government authorization to export
our products.
Exports
of our products are subject to export controls imposed by the U.S. Government
and administered by the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce. In certain
instances, these regulations may require pre-shipment authorization from the
administering department. For products subject to the Export
Administration Regulations (“EAR”) administered by the Department of Commerce’s
Bureau of Industry and Security, the requirement for a license is dependent on
the type and end use of the product, the final destination and the identity of
the end user. Virtually all exports of products subject to the
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) regulations administered by
the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls require a
license. Most of our fiber optics products and our terrestrial solar
power products are subject to EAR; however, certain fiber optics products and
all of our commercially available solar cell satellite power products are
currently subject to ITAR.
Given
the current global political climate, obtaining export licenses can be difficult
and time-consuming. Failure to obtain export licenses for product
shipments could significantly reduce our revenue and could materially adversely
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Compliance
with U.S. Government regulations may also subject us to additional fees and
costs. The absence of comparable restrictions on competitors in those countries
may adversely affect our competitive position.
22
Protecting
our trade secrets and obtaining patent protection is critical to our ability to
effectively compete.
Our
success and competitive position depend on protecting our trade secrets and
other intellectual property. Our strategy is to rely on trade secrets and
patents to protect our manufacturing and sales processes and products. Reliance
on trade secrets is only an effective business practice if trade secrets remain
undisclosed and a proprietary product or process is not reverse engineered or
independently developed. We take measures to protect our trade secrets,
including executing non-disclosure agreements with our employees, customers and
suppliers. If parties breach these agreements or the measures we take are not
properly implemented, we may not have an adequate remedy. Disclosure of our
trade secrets or reverse engineering of our proprietary products, processes, or
devices could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Our
failure to obtain or maintain the right to use certain intellectual property may
materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
The
compound semiconductor, optoelectronics and fiber optic communications
industries are characterized by frequent litigation regarding patent and other
intellectual property rights. From time to time we have received, and may
receive in the future; notice of claims of infringement of other parties’
proprietary rights and licensing offers to commercialize third party patent
rights. There can be no assurance that:
|
•
|
infringement
claims (or claims for indemnification resulting from infringement claims)
will not be asserted against us or that such claims will not be
successful;
|
|
•
|
future
assertions will not result in an injunction against the sale of infringing
products, which could significantly impair our business and results of
operations;
|
|
•
|
any
patent owned or licensed by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or
challenged; or
|
|
•
|
we
will not be required to obtain licenses, the expense of which may
adversely affect our results of operations and
profitability.
|
In
addition, effective copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or
limited in certain foreign countries. Litigation, which could result in
substantial cost and diversion of our resources, may be necessary to defend our
rights or defend us against claimed infringement of the rights of
others. In certain circumstances, our intellectual property rights
associated with government contracts may be limited.
Protection
of the intellectual property owned or licensed to us may require us to initiate
litigation, which can be an extremely expensive, protracted procedure with an
uncertain outcome. The availability of financial resources may limit
the Company’s ability to commence or defend such litigation.
Failure to comply
with environmental and safety regulations, resulting in improper handling of
hazardous raw materials used in our manufacturing processes, could result in
costly remediation fees, penalties or damages.
We
are subject to laws and regulations and must obtain certain permits and licenses
relating to the use of hazardous materials. Our production activities involve
the use of certain hazardous raw materials, including, but not limited to,
ammonia, gallium, phosphate and arsine. If our control systems are unsuccessful
in preventing a release of these materials into the environment or other adverse
environmental conditions or human exposures occur, we could experience
interruptions in our operations and incur substantial remediation and other
costs or liabilities. In addition, certain foreign laws and
regulations place restrictions on the concentration of certain hazardous
materials, including, but not limited to, lead, mercury and cadmium, in our
products. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could subject us to
future liabilities or result in the limitation or suspension of the sale or
production of our products. These regulations include the European Union’s
(“EU”) Restrictions on Hazardous Substances, Directive on Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment and the directive on End of Life for Vehicles. Failure to
comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations may limit
our ability to export products to the EU and could materially adversely affect
our business, financial condition and results of operations. In
addition, during the past year the Department of Homeland Security has commenced
a program to evaluate the security of certain chemicals which may be of interest
to terrorists, including chemicals utilized by the Company. This
evaluation may lead to regulations or restrictions affecting the Company’s
ability to utilize these chemicals or the costs of doing so.
Our
recent acquisitions have placed, and will continue to place, a significant
strain on our management, personnel, systems, and resources.
Our
recent acquisitions have placed, and will continue to place, a significant
strain on our management, personnel, systems, and resources. To successfully
manage our growth and handle the responsibilities of being a public company, we
believe we must effectively:
|
•
|
hire,
train, integrate and manage additional qualified engineers for research
and development activities, sales and marketing personnel, and financial
and information technology
personnel;
|
|
•
|
retain
key management and augment our management team, particularly if we lose
key members;
|
|
•
|
continue
to enhance our customer resource management and manufacturing management
systems;
|
|
•
|
implement
and improve additional and existing administrative, financial and
operations systems, procedures and controls, including the need to update
and integrate our financial internal control
systems;
|
• expand
and upgrade our technological capabilities; and
• manage
multiple relationships with our customers, suppliers and other third
parties.
We
may encounter difficulties in effectively managing the budgeting, forecasting
and other process control issues presented by the acquisitions. If we are unable
to manage our growth effectively, we may not be able to take advantage of market
opportunities, develop new products, satisfy customer requirements, execute our
business plan or respond to competitive pressures.
23
A
failure to attract and retain managerial, technical and other key personnel
could reduce our revenue and our operational effectiveness
Our
future success depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain certain
key personnel, including scientific, operational, financial, and managerial
personnel. In addition, our technical personnel represent a
significant asset and serve as the source of our technological and product
innovations. The competition for attracting and retaining key employees
(especially scientists, technical personnel, financial personnel and senior
managers and executives) is intense. Because of this competition for skilled
employees, we may be unable to retain our existing personnel or attract
additional qualified employees in the future. If we are unable to retain our
skilled employees and attract additional qualified employees to the extent
necessary to keep up with our business demands and changes, our business,
financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely
affected. The risks involved in recruiting and retaining these key
personnel may be increased by our lack of profitability, the volatility of our
stock price and the perceived affect of reductions in force and other cost
reduction efforts which we have recently implemented.
It
may be difficult or costly to obtain director and officer insurance coverage as
a result of our historical stock option granting practices.
Although
we have recently renewed our directors and officer insurance coverage on what we
believe to be favorable terms, it may become more difficult to obtain director
and officer insurance coverage in the future. If we are able to obtain
this coverage, it could be significantly more expensive than in the past, which
would have an adverse effect on our financial results and cash flow. As a result
of this and related factors, our directors and officers could face increased
risks of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties.
As a result, we may have difficultly attracting and retaining qualified
directors and officers, which could adversely affect our business.
We
are subject to risks associated with the availability and coverage of
insurance.
For
certain risks, the Company does not maintain insurance coverage because of cost
and/or availability. Because the Company retains some portion of its insurable
risks, and in some cases self-insures completely, unforeseen or catastrophic
losses in excess of insured limits may have a material adverse effect on the
Company’s results of operations and financial position.
Our
business and operations would be adversely impacted in the event of a failure of
our information technology infrastructure.
We
rely upon the capacity, reliability and security of our information technology
hardware and software infrastructure and our ability to expand and update this
infrastructure in response to our changing needs. We are constantly updating our
information technology infrastructure. Any failure to manage, expand and update
our information technology infrastructure or any failure in the operation of
this infrastructure could harm our business.
Despite
our implementation of security measures, our systems are vulnerable to damages
from computer viruses, natural disasters, unauthorized access and other similar
disruptions. Any system failure, accident or security breach could result in
disruptions to our operations. To the extent that any disruptions or security
breach results in a loss or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of
confidential information, it could harm our business. In addition, we may be
required to incur significant costs to protect against damage caused by these
disruptions or security breaches in the future.
In
addition, implementation of new software programs, including the implementation
of an enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) program which the Company intends to
install during the upcoming year, may have adverse impact on the Company,
including interruption of operations, loss of data, budget overruns and the
consumption of management time and resources.
If
we fail to remediate deficiencies in our current system of internal controls, we
may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As
a result, our business could be harmed and current and potential investors could
lose confidence in our financial reporting, which could have a negative effect
on the trading price of our equity securities.
The
Company is subject to the ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. These provisions provide for the identification
of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, which is a
process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. If we
cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our brand, operating
results and the market value of our equity securities could be harmed. We have
in the past discovered, and may in the future discover, areas of our internal
controls that need improvement. In fiscal 2008 and 2007, the Company
identified deficiencies in our internal controls over financial
reporting.
We
have devoted significant resources to remediate and improve our internal
controls. We have also been monitoring the effectiveness of these remediated
measures. We cannot be certain that these measures will ensure adequate controls
over our financial processes and reporting in the future. We intend to continue
implementing and monitoring changes to our processes to improve internal
controls over financial reporting. Any failure to implement required new or
improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation,
could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting
obligations.
Inadequate
internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported
financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price
of our equity securities. Further, the impact of these events could also make it
more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our
Board of Directors or as executive officers, which could harm our business. The
additions of our manufacturing facility in China and acquisitions increase the
burden on our systems and infrastructure, and impose additional risk to the
ongoing effectiveness of our internal controls, disclosure controls, and
procedures.
Certain
provisions of New Jersey law and our charter may make a takeover of EMCORE
difficult even if such takeover could be beneficial to some of our
shareholders.
New
Jersey law and our certificate of incorporation, as amended, contain certain
provisions that could delay or prevent a takeover attempt that our shareholders
may consider in their best interests. Our Board of Directors is divided into
three classes. Directors are elected to serve staggered three-year terms and are
not subject to removal except for cause by the vote of the holders of at least
80% of our capital stock. In addition, approval by the holders of 80% of our
voting stock is required for certain business combinations unless these
transactions meet certain fair price criteria and procedural requirements or are
approved by two-thirds of our continuing directors. We may in the future adopt
other measures that may have the effect of delaying or discouraging an
unsolicited takeover, even if the takeover were at a premium price or favored by
a majority of unaffiliated shareholders. Certain of these measures may be
adopted without any further vote or action by our shareholders and this could
depress the price of our common stock.
24
Additional
litigation may arise in the future relating to our historical stock option
practices and other issues.
Although
we have received final court approval of the settlement of the three derivative
actions which were filed against certain of our current and former directors and
officers relating to historical stock options practices, and the SEC has
indicated that is has terminated its investigation of these matters, additional
securities-related litigation (including possible litigation involving
employees) may still arise. Additional lawsuits, regardless of their
underlying merit, could become time consuming and expensive, and if they result
in unfavorable outcomes, there could be material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may be
required to pay substantial damages or settlement costs in excess of our
insurance coverage related to these matters, which would have a further material
adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Acquisitions
of other companies or investments in joint ventures with other companies could
adversely affect our operating results, dilute our shareholders’ equity, or
cause us to incur additional debt or assume contingent liabilities.
To
increase our business and maintain our competitive position, we may acquire
other companies or engage in joint ventures in the future. Acquisitions and
joint ventures involve a number of risks that could harm our business and result
in the acquired business or joint venture not performing as expected,
including:
|
•
|
insufficient
experience with technologies and markets in which the acquired business is
involved, which may be necessary to successfully operate and integrate the
business;
|
|
•
|
problems
integrating the acquired operations, personnel, technologies or products
with the existing business and
products;
|
|
•
|
diversion
of management time and attention from the core business to the acquired
business or joint venture;
|
|
•
|
potential
failure to retain key technical, management, sales and other personnel of
the acquired business or joint
venture;
|
|
•
|
difficulties
in retaining relationships with suppliers and customers of the acquired
business, particularly where such customers or suppliers compete with
us;
|
• reliance
upon joint ventures which we do not control;
• subsequent
impairment of the acquired assets, including intangible assets; and
|
•
|
assumption
of liabilities including, but not limited to, lawsuits, tax examinations,
warranty issues, etc.
|
We
may decide that it is in our best interests to enter into acquisitions or joint
ventures that are dilutive to earnings per share or that negatively impact
margins as a whole. In addition, acquisitions or joint ventures could require
investment of significant financial resources and require us to obtain
additional equity financing, which may dilute our shareholders’ equity, or
require us to incur additional indebtedness.
Changes
to financial accounting standards may affect our consolidated results of
operations and cause us to change our business practices.
We
prepare our financial statements to conform with U.S. GAAP. These accounting
principles are subject to interpretation by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants, the SEC and various bodies formed to interpret and create
appropriate accounting policies. A change in those policies can have a
significant effect on our consolidated reported results and may affect our
reporting of transactions completed before a change is announced. Changes to
those rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our
reported financial results or the way we conduct our business. For
example, in December 2003, the FASB issued Staff Position Interpretation No. 46,
“Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities”, or FIN 46(R). The accounting
method under FIN 46(R) may impact our accounting for future joint ventures or
project companies. In the event that we are deemed the primary beneficiary of a
Variable Interest Entity (VIE) subject to the accounting of FIN 46(R), we may
have to consolidate the assets, liabilities and financial results of the joint
venture. This could have an adverse impact on our financial position, gross
margin and operating results.
25
Our announced strategy to split the Company may not
be successfully implemented.
On
April 4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had authorized
the Company to proceed with the prospects of splitting the Company into two
separate corporations, one consisting of the Fiber Optics reporting segment and
one consisting of the Photovoltaics business segment. These studies
continue, and certain steps have been undertaken to implement this
strategy. There can be no assurance, however, that this strategy will
be successfully implemented, or when this implementation will
occur. Among the factors which may adversely impact or delay the
implementation of this strategy include the following:
|
•
|
Further
study may reveal issues which make such a split inadvisable or
uneconomical, or future changes in laws, regulations or accounting rules
may create such issues;
|
|
•
|
Key
customers or suppliers may not consent to contract assignments or other
arrangements necessary to implement this
strategy;
|
|
•
|
It
may not be possible to obtain shareholder consent for the implementation
of this strategy;
|
|
•
|
Future
capital market developments may prevent the Company from obtaining
necessary financing for one or both of the resulting corporations;
and
|
|
•
|
It
may not be possible to fully staff the Board of Directors of one or both
resulting corporations.
|
In
addition, because the future management of each of the resulting corporations
has not been identified, it is not possible to currently predict what the
strategy of each of these corporations would be following their separation, or
whether such strategy(ies) would be successful
ITEM
1B.
|
Unresolved
Staff Comments
|
Not
Applicable.
Properties
|
The
following chart contains certain information regarding each of our principal
facilities.
Location
|
Function
|
Approximate
Square
Footage
|
Term
(in
calendar year)
|
Active Properties:
|
|||
Albuquerque,
New Mexico
|
Corporate
Headquarters
Manufacturing
facility for photovoltaic products
Manufacturing
facility for digital fiber optic products
R&D
facility
|
165,000
|
Facilities
are owned by the Company; certain land is leased. Land lease
expires in 2050
|
Alhambra,
California
|
Manufacturing
facility for CATV, FTTP and Satcom products
R&D
facility
|
91,000
|
Lease
expires in 2011 (1)
|
Newark,
California
|
R&D
facility
|
55,000
|
Lease
expires in 2013(1)
|
Langfang,
China
|
Manufacturing
facility for fiber optics products
|
44,000
|
Lease
expires in 2012(1)
|
San
Diego, California
|
Manufacturing
facility for video transport products
R&D
facility (April 2007 - Acquisition of Opticomm
Corporation)
|
8,100
|
Lease
expires in April 2009
|
Ivyland,
Pennsylvania
|
Manufacturing
facility for CATV and Satcom products R&D facility
|
9,000
|
Lease
expires in 2011(1)
|
Albuquerque,
New Mexico
|
Storage
warehouse
|
6,000
|
Lease
expires in 2010(1)
|
Taipei
City, Taiwan
|
R&D
facility
|
6,000
|
Lease
expires in 2013
|
Somerset,
New Jersey
|
R&D
facility
|
5,000
|
Lease
to commence in November 2008 and expires in 2010(1)
|
Vacated Properties:
|
|||
Sunnyvale,
California
|
Manufacturing
facility for ECL lasers
R&D
facility
Facility
was vacated in August 2008
|
15,000
|
Lease
terminated.
|
Naperville,
Illinois
|
Manufacturing
facility for LX4 modules
R&D
facility
Facility
was vacated in October 2007
|
11,000
|
Lease
expires in February 2013 and it is in the process of being
subleased.
|
Blacksburg,
Virginia
|
Manufacturing
facility for video transport products
R&D
facility.
Facility
was vacated in June 2007
|
6,000
|
Lease
expired in December 2008.
|
Note:
|
(1)
|
This
lease has the option to be renewed by the Company, subject to inflation
adjustments.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
The
Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims as discussed below.
The Company is also subject to certain other legal proceedings and claims that
have arisen in the ordinary course of business and which have not been fully
adjudicated. The Company does not believe it has a potential
liability related to current legal proceedings and claims that could
individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on its financial
condition, liquidity or results of operations. However, the results of legal
proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Should the Company fail to
prevail in any legal matters or should several legal matters be resolved against
the Company in the same reporting period, the operating results of a particular
reporting period could be materially adversely affected.
Shareholder
Derivative Litigation Relating to Historical Stock Option Practices
On
February 1, 2007, Plaintiff Lewis Edelstein filed a purported stockholder
derivative action (the “Federal Court Action”) on behalf of the Company against
certain of its present and former directors and officers (the “Individual
Defendants”), as well as the Company as nominal defendant, in the U.S. District
Court for the District of New Jersey, Edelstein v. Brodie, et.
al., Case No. 3:07-cv-00596-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.). On May 22,
2007, Plaintiffs Kathryn Gabaldon and Michael Sackrison each filed a purported
stockholder derivative action against the Individual Defendants, and the Company
as nominal defendant, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County,
Gabaldon v. Brodie,
et. al., Case No. 3:07-cv-03185-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.) and Sackrison v. Brodie, et.
al., Case No. 3:07-cv-00596-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.) (collectively, the “State
Court Actions”).
A motion
to approve an agreement among the parties to settle the matter reflected in a
stipulation of compromise and settlement was filed with the U.S. District Court
for the District of New Jersey on December 3, 2007. The Court
granted the motion for preliminary approval of the settlement on January 3,
2008, and, at a hearing held on March 28, 2008, the Court issued an order giving
final approval to the settlement. The settlement has become
final and effective upon the expiration of the appeal period on April 30,
2008. Thus, the settlement is now binding on all parties and
represents a final settlement of both the Federal Court Action and the State
Court Actions. For additional information regarding this matter,
please see the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period
ended March 31, 2008.
Intellectual
Property Lawsuits
We
protect our proprietary technology by applying for patents where appropriate and
in other cases by preserving the technology, related know-how and information as
trade secrets. The success and competitive position of our product lines are
significantly impacted by our ability to obtain intellectual property protection
for our R&D efforts.
We have,
from time to time, exchanged correspondence with third parties regarding the
assertion of patent or other intellectual property rights in connection with
certain of our products and processes. Additionally, on September 11, 2006, we
filed a lawsuit against Optium Corporation (Optium, a company purchased by
Finisar Corporation in August 2008) in the U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Pennsylvania for patent infringement. In the suit, the Company and
JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU) allege that Optium is infringing on U.S. patents
6,282,003 and 6,490,071 with its Prisma II 1550nm transmitters. On March 14,
2007, following denial of a motion to add additional claims to its existing
lawsuit, the Company and JDSU filed a second patent suit in the same court
against Optium alleging infringement of JDSU's patent 6,519,374 ("the '374
patent"). On March 15, 2007, Optium filed a declaratory judgment
action against the Company and JDSU. Optium sought in this litigation a
declaration that certain products of Optium do not infringe the '374 patent and
that the patent is invalid, but the District Court dismissed the action on
January 3, 2008 without addressing the merits. The '374 patent is assigned to
JDSU and licensed to the Company.
On
December 20, 2007, the Company was served with a complaint in another
declaratory relief action which Optium had filed in the Federal District Court
for the Western District of Pennsylvania. This action seeks to have
U.S. patents 6,282,003 and 6,490,071 declared invalid or unenforceable because
of certain conduct alleged to have occurred in connection with the grant of
these patents. These allegations are substantially the same as those
brought by Optium by motion in the Company’s own case against Optium, which
motion had been denied by the Court. The Court denied the Company’s
motion to dismiss this action and has indicated that it will be tried at the
same time as the Optium Plaintiff Matters. The Company filed its
answer in this matter on May 12, 2008. In its complaint, Optium does
not seek monetary damages but asks that the patents in question be declared
unenforceable and that it be awarded attorneys’ fees. The Company
believes that this claim is without merit. On August 11, 2008, both actions
pending in the Western District of Pennsylvania were consolidated before a
single judge, and a trial date of October 19, 2009 was set.
On
December 5, 2008, EMCORE, along with Fabrinet, its principal contract
manufacturer, was also served with a complaint by Avago Technologies filed in
the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San
Jose Division alleging infringement of two patents by the Company’s VCSEL
products. The Company believes this complaint is without merit and
intends to file an answer denying the claims asserted.
Commercial
Litigation
On July
15, 2008 the Company was served with a complaint filed by Avago Technologies and
what appear to be affiliates thereof in the United States District Court for the
Northern District of California, San Jose Division. In this
complaint, Avago asserts claims for breach of contract and breach of express
warranty against Venture Corporation Limited (one of the Company’s customers)
and asserts a tort claim for negligent interference with prospective economic
advantage against the Company. The Company has not yet filed an
answer in this matter, but believes the complaint is without merit and intends
to file an answer denying the claims asserted.
Shareholder
Class Action
On
December 23, 2008, Plaintiffs Maurice Prissert and Claude Prissert filed a
purported shareholder class action (the “Action”) pursuant to Federal Rule of
Civil Procedure 23 allegedly on behalf of a class of Company shareholders
against the Company and certain of its present and former directors and officers
(the “Individual Defendants”) in the United States District Court for the
District of New Mexico captioned, Maurice
Prissert and Claude Prissert v. EMCORE Corporation, Adam Gushard, Hong Q. Hou,
Reuben F. Richards, Jr., David Danzilio and Thomas Werthan, Case No.
1:08cv1190 (D.N.M.). The Complaint alleges that the Company and the
Individual Defendants violated certain provisions of the federal securities
laws, including Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
arising out of the Company’s disclosure regarding its customer Green and Gold
Energy (“GGE”) and the associated backlog of GGE orders with the Company’s
photovoltaic business segment. The Complaint in the Action seeks,
among other things, an unspecified amount of compensatory damages and other
costs and expenses associated with the maintenance of the Action. The Complaint
in the Action has not yet been served upon the Company. The
Company believes the claims asserted in the Action are without merit and intends
to defend the Action vigorously.
Securities
Matters
a. SEC
Communications.
On or
about August 15, 2008, the Company received a letter from the Denver office of
the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission wherein it
sought EMCORE's voluntary production of documents relating to, among other
things, the Company's business relationship with Green and Gold Energy, Inc.,
its licensees, and the photovoltaic backlog the Company reported to the
public. Since that time, the Company has produced documents to the
staff of the SEC and met with the staff on December 12, 2008 to make a
presentation addressing certain issues relating to this matter. Since
that meeting the Company has received no requests for further documentation from
the SEC.
b. NASDAQ
Communication.
On or
about November 13, 2008, the Company received a letter from the NASDAQ Listings
Qualifications group concerning the Company's removal of $79 million in backlog
attributable to GGE which the Company announced on August 8, 2008 and the
remaining backlog exclusive of GGE. The Company advised NASDAQ that it would
cooperate with its inquiry, and has begun producing the requested
information.
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders
|
No
matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter
ended September 30, 2008.
PART II
Market
for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
|
The
Company’s common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Market and is quoted under
the symbol "EMKR". The reported closing sale price of our common stock on
December 29, 2008 was $0.90 per share. As of December 29, 2008, we had
approximately 185 shareholders of record. Many of our shares of
common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of
shareholders, and we are unable to estimate the number of these
shareholders.
Price
Range of Common Stock
The price
range per share of common stock presented below represents the highest and
lowest sales prices for the Company’s common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market
during each quarter of the two most recent fiscal years.
First Quarter
|
Second Quarter
|
Third Quarter
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|||||||||||||
Fiscal
2008 price range per share of common stock
|
$ | 7.22 – $15.90 | $ | 5.62 – $15.70 | $ | 5.80 – $9.30 | $ | 3.90 – $6.65 | ||||||||
Fiscal
2007 price range per share of common stock
|
$ | 4.60 – $ 6.47 | $ | 3.84 – $ 5.89 | $ | 4.32 – $5.78 | $ | 5.45 – $9.91 |
Dividend
Policy
We have never declared or paid
dividends on our common stock since the Company's formation. We currently do not
intend to pay dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, so that
we may reinvest any earnings in our business. The payment of dividends, if any,
in the future is at the discretion of the Board of
Directors. Due
to the Company’s credit facility signed in September 2008, the Company agreed to
not issue any dividends until full payment is made on the outstanding credit
facility.
Performance
Graph
The
following stock performance graph does not constitute soliciting material, and
should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other Company
filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates this stock
performance graph by reference therein.
The
following graph and table compares the cumulative total shareholders’ return on
the Company’s common stock for the five-year period from September 30, 2003
through September 30, 2008 with the cumulative total return on The NASDAQ Stock
Market Index, The NASDAQ Electronic Components Stocks Index (SIC Code 3674) and
The NASDAQ Computer Stocks Index. The comparison assumes $100 was
invested on September 30, 2003 in the Company’s common stock. The
Company did not declare, nor did it pay, any dividends during the comparison
period.
9/03 | 9/04 | 9/05 | 9/06 | 9/07 | 9/08 | |||||||||||||||||||
EMCORE
Corporation
|
100.00 | 67.01 | 208.16 | 201.36 | 326.53 | 168.03 | ||||||||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Composite
|
100.00 | 107.74 | 123.03 | 131.60 | 158.88 | 119.05 | ||||||||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Electronic Components
|
100.00 | 80.82 | 97.22 | 93.26 | 114.21 | 79.72 | ||||||||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Computer
|
100.00 | 99.32 | 113.13 | 119.80 | 144.37 | 109.15 |
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
description of equity compensation plans required by Regulation S-K, Item
201(d) is incorporated herein by reference to Part III, Item 12 –
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related
Stockholder Matters.
Sales
of Unregistered Securities
On
February 20, 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100.0 million of
restricted common stock and warrants through a private placement transaction to
fund the Intel Acquisitions. In this transaction, investors purchased
8 million shares of our common stock, no par value, and warrants to purchase an
additional 1.4 million shares of our common stock. The purchase price
was $12.50 per share, priced at the 20-day volume-weighted average
price. The warrants grant the holder the right to purchase one share
of our common stock at a price of $15.06 per share, representing a 20.48%
premium over the purchase price. The warrants are immediately
exercisable and remain exercisable until February 20, 2013. In
addition, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with the
investors to register for resale the shares of common stock issued in this
transaction and the shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of the
warrants. Beginning two years after their issuance, the warrants may
be called by the Company for a price of $0.01 per underlying share if the
closing price of its common stock has exceeded 150% of the exercise price for at
least 20 trading days within a period of any 30 consecutive trading days and
other certain conditions are met. In addition, in the event of
certain fundamental transactions, principally the purchase of the Company’s
outstanding common stock for cash, the holders of the warrants may demand that
EMCORE purchase the unexercised portions of their warrants for a price equal to
the Black-Scholes Value of such unexercised portions as of the time of the
fundamental transaction. Total agent fees incurred were 5.75% of the
gross proceeds, or $5.8 million. The Company used a substantial
portion of the net proceeds to acquire the telecom-related assets of Intel
Corporation's Optical Platform Division in 2008.
Selected
Financial Data
|
The
following selected consolidated financial data of the Company's five most recent
fiscal years ended September 30, 2008 is qualified by reference to, and should
be read in conjunction with, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and
Supplementary Data under Item 8. The information set forth below is
not necessarily indicative of results for future
operations. Significant transactions that affect the comparability of
the Company’s operating results and financial condition include:
Significant
Transactions:
Fiscal
2008:
|
·
|
In
June and July 2008, the Company sold a total of two million shares of
Series D Preferred Stock of WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation
(WWAT), together with 200,000 warrants to a major shareholder of both the
Company and WWAT at a price equal to $6.54 per share. The
Company recognized a total gain of $7.4 million on the sale of this
stock.
|
|
·
|
In
February and April 2008, the Company acquired the telecom, datacom, and
optical cable interconnects-related assets of Intel’s Optical Platform
Division for $120 million in cash and the Company’s common
stock.
|
|
·
|
In
February 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100 million of
restricted common stock and warrants to fund the Intel
Acquisitions. Investors purchased 8 million shares of our
common stock, no par value, and warrants to purchase an additional 1.4
million shares of our common stock.
|
|
·
|
In
January and February 2008, the Company redeemed all of its outstanding
5.5% convertible subordinated notes due 2011 pursuant to which the holders
converted their notes into the Company's common stock. The Company
recognized a loss totaling $4.7 million related to the conversion of notes
to equity.
|
|
·
|
Fiscal
2008 operating expenses included $4.8 million related to Intel
Corporation’s transition services agreement charges associated with the
acquisition of certain assets from
Intel.
|
·
|
The
Company recorded approximately $22.0 million of impairment charges on
goodwill related to the fiber optics reporting
segment.
|
·
|
The
Company accounted for the modification of stock options still held to
terminated employees as additional compensation expense of $4.3 million in
accordance with SFAS 123(R) in the first quarter of fiscal
2008.
|
·
|
Other
expenses included a charge of $1.5 million associated with the impairment
of certain
investments.
|
Fiscal
2007:
|
·
|
In
November 2006, the Company invested $13.1 million in WWAT in return for
convertible preferred stock and
warrants.
|
|
·
|
In
April 2007, the Company modified its convertible subordinated notes to
resolve an alleged default event. The interest rate was
increased from 5% to 5.5% and the conversion price was decreased from
$8.06 to $7.01. The Company also repurchased $11.4 million of
outstanding notes to reduce interest expense and share
dilution.
|
|
·
|
In
April 2007, the Company acquired privately-held Opticomm Corporation for
$4.1 million in cash.
|
|
·
|
Fiscal
2007 operating expenses included:
|
|
§
|
$10.6
million related to our review of historical stock option granting
practices;
|
|
§
|
$6.1
million related to non-recurring legal expenses;
and,
|
|
§
|
$2.8
million related to severance charges associated with facility closures and
consolidation of operations.
|
Fiscal
2006:
|
·
|
In
November 2005, the Company exchanged $14.4 million of convertible
subordinated notes due in May 2007 for $16.6 million of newly issued
convertible senior subordinated notes due May 15, 2011. As a result of
this transaction, the Company recognized approximately $1.1 million in the
first quarter of fiscal 2007 related to the early extinguishment of
debt.
|
|
·
|
The
Company received manufacturing equipment valued at $2.0 million less tax
of $0.1 million as a final earn-out payment from Veeco Instruments, Inc.
(Veeco) in connection with the sale of the TurboDisc
division.
|
|
·
|
In
August 2006, the Company sold its Electronic Materials & Device (EMD) division to
IQE plc (IQE) for $16.0 million. The net gain associated with the sale of
the EMD business totaled approximately $7.6 million, net of tax of $0.5
million. The results of operations of the EMD division have
been reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods
presented.
|
|
·
|
In
August 2006, the Company sold its 49% membership interest in GELcore, LLC
for $100.0 million to General Electric Corporation, which prior to the
transaction owned the remaining 51% membership interest in
GELcore. The Company recorded a net gain of $88.0 million,
before tax, on the sale of GELcore, after netting the Company’s investment
in this joint venture of $10.8 million and transaction expenses of $1.2
million.
|
|
·
|
The
Company recorded approximately $2.2 million of impairment charges on
goodwill and intellectual property associated with the June 2004
acquisition of Corona Optical
Systems.
|
|
·
|
Fiscal
2006 operating expense included $1.3 million related to our review of
historical stock option granting
practices.
|
|
·
|
Other
expense included a charge of $0.5 million associated with the write-down
of the Archcom investment.
|
|
·
|
The
Company recognized a provision for income taxes of $1.9 million from
continuing operations for the year ended September 30,
2006.
|
Fiscal
2005:
|
·
|
SG&A
expense included approximately $0.9 million in severance-related charges
and $2.3 million of charges associated with the consolidation of the
Company’s City of Industry, California location to Albuquerque, New
Mexico.
|
|
·
|
The
Company received a $12.5 million net earn-out payment from Veeco in
connection with the 2003 sale of the TurboDisc
division.
|
Fiscal
2004:
|
·
|
In
November 2003, the Company sold its TurboDisc division to Veeco. The
results of operations of TurboDisc have been reclassified to discontinued
operations for all periods presented. The net gain associated with the
sale of the TurboDisc business totaled approximately $19.6
million.
|
|
·
|
In
February 2004, the Company exchanged approximately $146.0 million, or
90.2%, of the convertible subordinated notes due in May 2007 for
approximately $80.3 million of new convertible subordinated notes due May
15, 2011 and approximately 7.7 million shares of the Company common stock.
The total net gain from debt extinguishment was $12.3
million.
|
|
·
|
SG&A
expense included approximately $1.2 million in severance-related
charges.
|
|
·
|
Other
expense included a charge of $0.5 million associated with the write-down
of the Archcom investment.
|
Selected Financial
Data
Statements
of Operations Data
For
the fiscal years ended September 30
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006 (1)
|
2005 (1)
|
2004 (1)
|
|||||||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
|
$
|
228,977
|
$
|
148,334
|
$
|
132,304
|
$
|
106,656
|
$
|
77,782
|
|||||||||
Services
revenue
|
10,326
|
21,272
|
11,229
|
8,801
|
4,103
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
239,303
|
169,606
|
143,533
|
115,367
|
81,885
|
|||||||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
29,895
|
30,368
|
25,952
|
19,302
|
4,473
|
|||||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
|
(75,281
|
)
|
(57,456
|
)
|
(34,150
|
)
|
(20,371
|
)
|
(35,604
|
)
|
|||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
|
(80,860
|
)
|
(58,722
|
)
|
45,039
|
(24,685
|
)
|
(28,376
|
)
|
||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
|
-
|
-
|
9,884
|
11,200
|
14,422
|
||||||||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
$
|
(80,860
|
)
|
$
|
(58,722
|
)
|
$
|
54,923
|
$
|
(13,485
|
)
|
$
|
(13,954
|
)
|
||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Per
basic share
|
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.91
|
$
|
(0.52
|
)
|
$
|
(0.66
|
)
|
|||||
Per
diluted share
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.87
|
$
|
(0.52
|
)
|
$
|
(0.66
|
)
|
Balance
Sheet Data
As
of September 30
(in
thousands)
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents, restricted cash and current
available-for-sale securities
|
$
|
22,760
|
$
|
41,226
|
$
|
123,967
|
$
|
40,175
|
$
|
51,572
|
||||||||||
Working
capital
|
79,234
|
63,204
|
129,683
|
56,996
|
58,486
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
329,278
|
234,736
|
287,547
|
206,287
|
213,243
|
|||||||||||||||
Long-term
liabilities
|
-
|
84,981
|
84,516
|
94,701
|
96,051
|
|||||||||||||||
Shareholders’
equity
|
253,722
|
98,157
|
149,399
|
75,563
|
85,809
|
_______________________
|
(1)
|
In
August 2006, EMCORE sold its Electronic Materials & Device (EMD) division to
IQE plc (IQE). The results of operations of the EMD division have been
reclassified to discontinued operations for fiscal years ended September
30, 2006, 2005 and 2004.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
Business
Overview
EMCORE
Corporation (the “Company”, “we”, or “EMCORE”) is a leading provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic,
satellite and terrestrial solar power markets. We have two reporting
segments: Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. EMCORE's Fiber Optics
segment offers optical components, subsystems and systems that enable the
transmission of video, voice and data over high-capacity fiber optic cables for
high-speed data and telecommunications, cable television (“CATV”) and
fiber-to-the-premises (“FTTP”) networks. EMCORE's Photovoltaics
segment provides solar products for satellite and terrestrial applications. For
satellite applications, EMCORE offers high-efficiency compound
semiconductor-based gallium arsenide (“GaAs”) solar cells, covered interconnect
cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For terrestrial
applications, EMCORE offers Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems (“CPV”) for
utility scale solar applications as well as offering its high-efficiency GaAs
solar cells for use in solar power concentrator systems. For specific
information about our Company, our products or the markets we serve, please
visit our website at http://www.emcore.com. We were established in
1984 as a New Jersey corporation.
Management
Summary
Our
principal objective is to maximize shareholder value by leveraging our expertise
in advanced compound semiconductor-based technologies to be a leading provider
of high-performance, cost-effective product solutions in each of the markets we
serve.
We target
market opportunities that we believe have large potential growth and where the
favorable performance characteristics of our products and high volume production
efficiencies may give us a competitive advantage over our
competitors. We believe that as compound semiconductor production
costs continue to be reduced, existing and new customers will be compelled to
increase their use of these products because of their attractive performance
characteristics and superior value.
Through
several strategic acquisitions and divestures over the past few years, EMCORE
has developed a strong business focus and comprehensive product portfolios in
two main sectors: Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics.
Fiber
Optics
Our fiber
optics products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be
transmitted, routed (switched) and received in communication systems and
networks. Our Fiber Optics segment primarily offers the following
products:
·
|
Telecom Optical Products –
We are the leading supplier of 10 gigabit per second (Gb/s) fully
C-band and L-band tunable dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) and
coarse wavelength division multiplexed (CWDM) products for the next
generation tele-communications systems. We are one of the few suppliers
who offer vertically-integrated products, including external-cavity laser
modules, integrated tunable laser assemblies (ITLAs) and 300-pin
transponders. The laser module operates at a continuous wave mode, and is
capable for applications of 10, 40, and 100 Gb/s due to the superior
narrow linewidth characteristics. The ITLA and transponder products are
fully Telcordia® qualified and comply with multi-source agreements (MSAs).
We also offer a range of XFP platform OC-192 products for telecom
applications. We supply to almost all major telecom equipment companies
worldwide.
|
·
|
Enterprise Datacom Products –
We provide leading-edge optical components and transceiver modules
for data applications that enable switch-to-switch, router-to-router and
server-to-server backbone connections at aggregate speeds of 10 Gb/s and
above. We offer the broadest range of products with XENPAK form factor
which comply with 10 Gb/s Ethernet (10-GE) IEEE802.3ae standard. Our 10-GE
products include short-reach (SR), long-reach (LR), extended-reach (ER),
coarse WDM LX4 optical transceivers to connect between the photonic
physical layer and the electrical section layer and CX4
transceivers. In addition to the 10-GE products, EMCORE offers
traditional MSA Gigabit Ethernet (GE) 1310-nm small form factor
(SFF) and small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical
transceivers. These transceivers also provide integrated duplex
data links for bi-directional communication over single mode optical fiber
providing high-speed Gigabit Ethernet data links operating at
1.25Gbps.
|
·
|
Cable Television (CATV)
Products - We are a market leader in providing radio frequency (RF)
over fiber products for the CATV industry. Our products are
used in hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) networks that enable cable service
operators to offer multiple advanced services to meet the expanding demand
for high-speed Internet, on-demand and interactive video and other
advanced services, such as high-definition television (HDTV) and voice
over IP (VoIP). Our CATV products include forward and
return-path analog and digital lasers, photodetectors and subassembly
components, broadcast analog and digital fiber-optic transmitters and
quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitters and
receivers. Our products provide our customers with increased
capacity to offer more cable services; increased data transmission
distance, speed and bandwidth; lower noise video receive; and lower power
consumption.
|
·
|
Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP)
Products - Telecommunications companies are increasingly extending
their optical infrastructure to their customers’ location in order to
deliver higher bandwidth services. We have developed and maintained
customer qualified FTTP components and subsystem products to support plans
by telephone companies to offer voice, video and data services through the
deployment of new fiber optics-based access networks. Our FTTP
products include passive optical network (PON) transceivers, analog fiber
optic transmitters for video overlay and high-power erbium-doped fiber
amplifiers (EDFA), analog and digital lasers, photodetectors and
subassembly components, analog video receivers and multi-dwelling unit
(MDU) video receivers. Our products provide our customers with
higher performance for analog and digital characteristics; integrated
infrastructure to support competitive costs; and additional support for
multiple standards.
|
·
|
Parallel Optical
Transceiver and
Cable
Products – EMCORE is the technology and product leader of the
optical transmitter and receiver products utilizing arrays of optical
emitting or detection devices, e.g., vertical-cavity surface-emitting
lasers (VCSELs) or photodetectors (PDs). These optical transmitter,
receiver, and transceiver products are used for back-plane interconnects,
switching/routing between telecom racks and high-performance computing
clusters. EMCORE’s products include 12-lane SNAP-12 MSA transmitter and
receivers with single, double, and quadruple data rates and 4-lane optical
media converters with single and double data rates. Based on the core
competency of 4-lane parallel optical transceivers, we offer the optical
fiber ribbon cables with embedded parallel-optical transceivers in the
connectors, EMCORE Connects Cables (ECC). These products, with aggregated
bandwidth between 10-40 Gb/s, are ideally suited for high-performance
computing clusters. Our products provide our customers with increased
network capacity; increased data transmission distance and speeds;
increased bandwidth; lower power consumption; improved cable management
over copper interconnects; and lower cost optical interconnections for
massively parallel
multi-processors.
|
·
|
Fibre Channel
Transceiver
Products -
EMCORE offers tri-rate SFF and SFP optical transceivers for storage area
networks. The MSA transceiver module is designed for high-speed Fibre
Channel data links supporting up to 4.25 Gb/s (4X Fibre Channel
rate). The products provide integrated duplex data links for
bi-directional communication over Multimode optical
fiber.
|
·
|
Satellite Communications
(Satcom) Products - We believe we are a leading provider of optical
components and systems for use in equipment that provides high-performance
optical data links for the terrestrial portion of satellite communications
networks. Our products include transmitters, receivers, subsystems and
systems that transport wideband radio frequency and microwave signals
between satellite hub equipment and antenna dishes. Our
products provide our customers with increased bandwidth and lower power
consumption.
|
·
|
Laser/photodetector Component
Products - We believe we are a leading provider of optical
components including lasers, photodetectors and various forms of packaged
subassemblies. Products include chip, TO, and TOSA forms of high-speed
850nm vertical cavity VCSELs, distributed feedback Bragg (DFB) lasers,
positive-intrinsic-negative (pin) and avalanche photodiode (APD)
components for 2G, 8G and 10G Fibre Channel, Ethernet and 10 GE, FTTP, and
Telecom applications. While we provide the component products
to the entire industry, we do enjoy the benefits of vertically-integrated
infrastructure through a low-cost and early availability for new product
introduction.
|
·
|
Video Transport - Our
video transport product line offers solutions for broadcasting,
transportation, IP television (IPTV), mobile video and security &
surveillance applications over private and public networks. EMCORE’s
video, audio, data and RF transmission systems serve both analog and
digital requirements, providing cost-effective, flexible solutions geared
for network reconstruction and
expansion.
|
·
|
Defense and Homeland
Security - Leveraging our expertise in RF module design and
high-speed parallel optics, we provide a suite of ruggedized products that
meet the reliability and durability requirements of the U.S. Government
and defense markets. Our specialty defense products include
fiber optic gyro components used in precision guided munitions, ruggedized
parallel optic transmitters and receivers, high-frequency RF fiber optic
link components for towed decoy systems, optical delay lines for radar
systems, EDFAs, terahertz spectroscopy systems and other
products. Our products provide our customers with high
frequency and dynamic range; compact form-factor; and extreme temperature,
shock and vibration tolerance.
|
Photovoltaics
We
believe our high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar
cell products provide our customers with compelling cost and performance
advantages over traditional silicon-based solutions. These advantages
include higher solar cell efficiency allowing for greater conversion of light
into electricity as well as a superior ability to withstand extreme
heat and radiation environments. These advantages enable a reduction in a
customer’s solar product footprint by providing more power output with less
solar cells, which is an enhanced benefit when our product is used in
concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Our Photovoltaics segment
primarily targets the following markets:
·
|
Satellite Solar Power
Generation - We are a leader in providing solar power generation
solutions to the global communications satellite industry and U.S.
government space programs. A satellite’s operational success
and corresponding revenue depend on its available power and its capacity
to transmit data. We provide advanced compound semiconductor-based solar
cells and solar panel products, which are more resistant to radiation
levels in space and generate substantially more power from sunlight than
silicon-based solutions. Space power systems using our
multi-junction solar cells weigh less per unit of power than traditional
silicon-based solar cells. Our products provide our customers with higher
conversion efficiency for reduced solar array size and launch costs,
higher radiation tolerance, and longer lifetime in harsh space
environments.
|
We design
and manufacture multi-junction compound semiconductor-based solar cells for both
commercial and military satellite applications. We currently manufacture and
sell one of the most efficient and reliable, radiation resistant advanced
triple-junction solar cells in the world, with an average "beginning of life"
efficiency of 28.5%. EMCORE is in the final stages of qualifying the
next generation high efficiency multi-junction solar cell platform for space
applications and this product family will have an average conversion efficiency
of 30%, providing our customers with expanded capability.
Additionally,
we are developing an entirely new class of advanced multi-junction solar cell
with even higher conversion efficiency. This new architecture, called
inverted metamorphic (IMM), is being developed in conjunction with the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory and the US Air Force Research Laboratory and to date
has demonstrated conversion efficiency of exceeding 33% on an R&D
scale. EMCORE is also the only manufacturer to supply true monolithic
bypass diodes for shadow protection, utilizing several EMCORE patented
methods.
EMCORE
also provides covered interconnect cells (CICs) and solar panel lay-down
services, giving us the capability to manufacture fully integrated solar panels
for space applications. We can provide satellite manufacturers with proven
integrated satellite power solutions that considerably improve satellite
economics. Satellite manufacturers and solar array integrators rely on EMCORE to
meet their satellite power needs with our proven flight heritage. The pictures
below represent a solar cell and solar panel used for satellite space power
applications.
·
|
Terrestrial Solar Power
Generation - Solar power generation systems utilize photovoltaic
cells to convert sunlight to electricity and have been used in space
programs and, to a lesser extent, in terrestrial applications for several
decades. The market for terrestrial solar power generation
solutions has grown significantly as solar power generation technologies
improve in efficiency, as global prices for non-renewable energy sources
(i.e., fossil
fuels) continue to rise over the long term, and as concern has increased
regarding the effect of carbon emissions on global warming. Terrestrial
solar power generation has emerged as one of the most rapidly expanding
renewable energy sources due to certain advantages solar power holds over
other energy sources, including reduced environmental impact, elimination
of fuel price risk, installation flexibility, scalability, distributed
power generation (i.e., electric power is
generated at the point of use rather than transmitted from a central
station to the user), and reliability. The rapid increase in demand for
solar power has created a growing need for highly efficient, reliable, and
cost-effective concentrating solar power
systems.
|
EMCORE
has adapted its high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction
solar cell products for terrestrial applications, which are intended for use
with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems in utility-scale installations.
EMCORE has attained 39% peak conversion efficiency under 1000x illumination on
its terrestrial concentrating solar cell products in volume production. This
compares favorably to typical efficiency of 15-21% on silicon-based solar cells
and approximately 35% for competing multi-junction cells. We believe that solar
concentrator systems assembled using our compound semiconductor-based solar
cells will be competitive with silicon-based solar power generation systems, in
certain geographic regions, because they are more efficient and, when combined
with the advantages of concentration, we believe will result in a lower cost of
power generated. Our multi-junction solar cell technology is not
subject to silicon shortages, which have led to increasing prices in the raw
materials required for silicon-based solar cells.
While the
terrestrial power generation market is still developing, we are currently
shipping production orders of CPV components to several solar concentrator
companies, and providing samples to many others, including major system
manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. We have
finished installations of a total of approximately 1 megawatt (MW) CPV systems
in Spain, China, and US with our own Gen-II design (as shown in the picture
above). EMCORE has recently responded to several RFPs from public utility
companies in the US for a total of several hundred MWs using its Gen-III design.
The Gen-III product, with enhanced performance (including a module efficiency of
approximately 30%) and much improved cost structure, is scheduled to be in
volume production by the second half of calendar 2009.
We are
committed to the ongoing evaluation of strategic opportunities that can expand
our addressable markets and strengthen our competitive position. Where
appropriate, we will acquire additional products, technologies, or businesses
that are complementary to, or broaden the markets in which we operate. We plan
to pursue strategic acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to increase
revenue and allow for higher overhead absorption that will improve our gross
margins.
Recent
acquisitions include:
|
·
|
On
February 22, 2008, EMCORE acquired telecom-related assets of Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division (“OPD”) that included inventory,
fixed assets, intellectual property, and technology comprised of tunable
lasers, tunable transponders, 300-pin transponders, and integrated tunable
laser assemblies.
|
|
·
|
On
April 20, 2008, EMCORE acquired the enterprise and storage-related assets
of Intel Corporation’s OPD business, as well as Intel’s Connects Cables
business. The assets acquired include inventory, fixed assets,
intellectual property, and technology relating to optical transceivers for
enterprise and storage customers, as well as optical cable interconnects
for high-performance computing
clusters.
|
All of
these acquired businesses are part of EMCORE's Fiber Optics reporting
segment. Please refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of these
transactions.
EMCORE is
committed to achieving profitability by increasing revenue through the
introduction of new products, reducing our cost structure and lowering the
breakeven points of our product lines. We have significantly
streamlined our manufacturing operations by focusing on core competencies to
identify cost efficiencies. Where appropriate, we transferred the manufacturing
of certain product lines to low-cost contract manufacturers when we can lower
costs while maintaining quality and reliability.
EMCORE’s
restructuring programs are designed to further reduce the number of
manufacturing facilities, in addition to the divesture or exit from selected
businesses and product lines that are not strategic and/or are not capable of
achieving desired revenue or profitability goals.
Our
results of operations and financial condition have and will continue to be
significantly affected by severance, restructuring charges, impairment of
long-lived assets and idle facility expenses incurred during facility closing
activities. Please refer to Risk Factors under Item 1A and Financial
Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of these
items.
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires
management to make estimates and assumptions that 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 amounts of revenue and
expenses during the reported period. Management develops estimates based on
historical experience and on various assumptions about the future that are
believed to be reasonable based on the best information available. EMCORE’s
reported financial position or results of operations may be materially different
under changed conditions or when using different estimates and assumptions,
particularly with respect to significant accounting policies, which are
discussed below. In the event that estimates or assumptions prove to differ from
actual results, adjustments are made in subsequent periods to reflect more
current information. EMCORE's most significant estimates relate to accounts
receivable, inventory, goodwill, intangibles, other long-lived assets, warranty
accruals, revenue recognition, and valuation of stock-based
compensation.
Valuation of Accounts
Receivable. The Company regularly evaluates the collectibility of its
accounts receivable and accordingly maintains allowances for doubtful accounts
for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to meet their
financial obligations to us. The allowance is based on the age of receivables
and a specific identification of receivables considered at risk. The Company
classifies charges associated with the allowance for doubtful accounts as
SG&A expense. If the financial condition of our customers were to
deteriorate impacting their ability to pay us, additional allowances may be
required.
Valuation of
Inventory. Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost
being determined using the standard cost method. The Company reserves against
inventory once it has been determined that: (i) conditions exist that may not
allow the inventory to be sold for its intended purpose, (ii) the inventory’s
value is determined to be less than cost, or (iii) the inventory is determined
to be obsolete. The charge related to inventory reserves is recorded as a cost
of revenue. The majority of the inventory write-downs are related to estimated
allowances for inventory whose carrying value is in excess of net realizable
value and on excess raw material components resulting from finished product
obsolescence. In most cases where the Company sells previously written down
inventory, it is typically sold as a component part of a finished product. The
finished product is sold at market price at the time resulting in higher average
gross margin on such revenue. The Company does not track the selling price of
individual raw material components that have been previously written down or
written off, since such raw material components usually are only a portion of
the resultant finished products and related sales price. The Company evaluates
inventory levels at least quarterly against sales forecasts on a significant
part-by-part basis, in addition to determining its overall inventory risk.
Reserves are adjusted to reflect inventory values in excess of forecasted sales,
as well as overall inventory risk assessed by management. We have incurred, and
may in the future incur, charges to write-down our inventory. While we believe,
based on current information, that the amount recorded for inventory is properly
reflected on our balance sheet, if market conditions are less favorable than our
forecasts, our future sales mix differs from our forecasted sales mix, or actual
demand from our customers is lower than our estimates, we may be required to
record additional inventory write-downs.
Valuation of
Goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an
acquired business or assets over the fair value of the identifiable assets
acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company evaluates its goodwill for
impairment on an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Management has elected
December 31 as its annual assessment date. Circumstances that could
trigger an impairment test include but are not limited to: a significant adverse
change in the business climate or legal factors; an adverse action or assessment
by a regulator; unanticipated competition; loss of key personnel; the likelihood
that a reporting unit or significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or
otherwise disposed; results of testing for recoverability of a significant asset
group within a reporting unit; and recognition of a goodwill impairment loss in
the financial statements of a subsidiary that is a component of a reporting
unit. The determination as to whether a write-down of goodwill is necessary
involves significant judgment based on the short-term and long-term projections
of the future performance of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is
attributed. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, we tested for impairment of our
goodwill and based on that analysis, we determined that the carrying amount of
the reporting units did not exceed their fair value, and therefore, no
impairment was recognized for any period presented in the consolidated financial
statements. As of September 30, 2008, due to the recent decline in
the Company’s stock price and economic downturn, we tested again for impairment
of our goodwill. Based on
that analysis, we determined that an impairment of $22.0 million should
be recognized for the period ended September 30,
2008. Subsequent to our fiscal year-end, we’ve experienced further
price decline in our common stock. Accordingly, an impairment test
will be performed on our annual schedule and further impairment is likely
to result.
Valuation of Long-lived
Assets and Other Intangible Assets. Long-lived assets consist
primarily of our property, plant, and equipment. Other intangible
assets consist primarily of intellectual property that has been internally
developed or purchased. Purchased intangible assets include existing
and core technology, trademarks and trade names, and customer
contracts. Intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line
method over estimated useful lives ranging from one to fifteen
years. Because all of intangible assets are subject to amortization,
the Company reviews these intangible assets for impairment in accordance with
the provisions of FASB Statement No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment of
Long-Lived Assets and Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed
Of. The Company reviews long-lived assets and other intangible
assets for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. A
long-lived asset or other intangible asset is considered impaired when its
anticipated undiscounted cash flow is less than its carrying value. In making
this determination, the Company uses certain assumptions, including, but not
limited to: (a) estimates of the fair market value of these assets; and (b)
estimates of future cash flows expected to be generated by these assets, which
are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, length of service
that assets will be used in our operations, and estimated salvage values. As of
September 30, 2008, due to the recent decline in the Company’s stock price and
economic downturn, we tested for impairment of our long-lived assets and other
intangible assets and based on that analysis, we determined that no impairment
was recognized for any period presented in the consolidated financial
statements.
Product Warranty
Reserves. The Company provides its customers with limited rights of
return for non-conforming shipments and warranty claims for certain products. In
accordance with SFAS 5, Accounting for Contingencies,
the Company makes estimates of product warranty expense using historical
experience rates as a percentage of revenue and accrues estimated warranty
expense as a cost of revenue. We estimate the costs of our warranty
obligations based on our historical experience of known product failure rates,
use of materials to repair or replace defective products and service delivery
costs incurred in correcting product issues. In addition, from time to time,
specific warranty accruals may be made if unforeseen technical problems arise.
Should our actual experience relative to these factors differ from our
estimates, we may be required to record additional warranty reserves.
Alternatively, if we provide more reserves than we need, we may reverse a
portion of such provisions in future periods.
Revenue Recognition.
Revenue is recognized upon shipment provided persuasive evidence of a contract
exists, (such as when a purchase order or contract is received from a customer),
the price is fixed, the product meets its specifications, title and ownership
have transferred to the customer, and there is reasonable assurance of
collection of the sales proceeds. In those few instances where a given sale
involves post shipment obligations, formal customer acceptance documents, or
subjective rights of return, revenue is not recognized until all post-shipment
conditions have been satisfied and there is reasonable assurance of collection
of the sales proceeds. The majority of our products have shipping terms that are
free on board (“FOB”) or free carrier alongside (“FCA”) shipping point, which
means that the Company fulfills its delivery obligation when the goods are
handed over to the freight carrier at our shipping dock. This means the buyer
bears all costs and risks of loss or damage to the goods from that point. In
certain cases, the Company ships its products cost insurance and freight
(“CIF”). Under this arrangement, revenue is recognized under FCA shipping point
terms, but the Company pays (and bills the customer) for the cost of shipping
and insurance to the customer's designated location. The Company accounts for
shipping and related transportation costs by recording the charges that are
invoiced to customers as revenue, with the corresponding cost recorded as cost
of revenue. In those instances where inventory is maintained at a consigned
location, revenue is recognized only when our customer pulls product for its use
and title and ownership have transferred to the customer. Revenue from time and
material contracts is recognized at the contractual rates as labor hours and
direct expenses are incurred. The Company also generates service
revenue from hardware repairs and calibrations that is recognized as revenue
upon completion of the service. Any cost of warranties and remaining
obligations that are inconsequential or perfunctory are accrued when the
corresponding revenue is recognized.
Distributors - The Company
uses a number of distributors around the world. In accordance with Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, the
Company recognizes revenue upon shipment of product to these distributors. Title
and risk of loss pass to the distributors upon shipment, and our distributors
are contractually obligated to pay the Company on standard commercial terms,
just like our other direct customers. The Company does not sell to
its distributors on consignment and, except in the event of product
discontinuance, does not give distributors a right of return.
Solar Panel and Solar Power Systems
Contracts - The Company records revenues from certain solar
panel and solar power systems contracts using the
percentage-of-completion method in accordance with AICPA Statement of Position
81-1 ("SOP 81-1"), Accounting
for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type
Contracts. Revenue is recognized in proportion to actual costs incurred
compared to total anticipated costs expected to be incurred for each contract.
If estimates of costs to complete long-term contracts indicate a loss, a
provision is made for the total loss anticipated. The Company has numerous
contracts that are in various stages of completion. Such contracts require
estimates to determine the appropriate cost and revenue recognition. The Company
uses all available information in determining dependable estimates of the extent
of progress towards completion, contract revenues, and contract costs. Estimates
are revised as additional information becomes available. Due to
the fact that the Company accounts for these contracts under the
percentage-of-completion method, unbilled accounts receivable represent revenue
recognized but not yet billed pursuant to contract terms or accounts billed
after the period end.
Government R&D Contracts
- - R&D contract revenue represents reimbursement by various U.S. Government
entities, or their contractors, to aid in the development of new technology. The
applicable contracts generally provide that the Company may elect to retain
ownership of inventions made in performing the work, subject to a non-exclusive
license retained by the U.S. Government to practice the inventions for
governmental purposes. The R&D contract funding may be based on a cost-plus,
cost reimbursement, or a firm fixed price arrangement. The amount of funding
under each R&D contract is determined based on cost estimates that include
both direct and indirect costs. Cost-plus funding is determined based on actual
costs plus a set margin. As we incur costs under cost reimbursement type
contracts, we record revenue. Contract costs include material, labor, special
tooling and test equipment, subcontracting costs, as well as an allocation of
indirect costs. An R&D contract is considered complete when all significant
costs have been incurred, milestones have been reached, and any reporting
obligations to the customer have been met. Government contract
revenue is primarily recognized as service revenue.
The
Company also has certain cost-sharing R&D arrangements. Under
such arrangements in which the actual costs of performance are divided between
the U.S. Government and the Company on a best efforts basis, no revenue is
recorded and the Company’s R&D expense is reduced for the amount of the
cost-sharing receipts.
The U.S.
Government may terminate any of our government contracts at their convenience as
well as for default based on our failure to meet specified performance
measurements. If any of our government contracts were to be terminated for
convenience, we generally would be entitled to receive payment for work
completed and allowable termination or cancellation costs. If any of our
government contracts were to be terminated for default, generally the U.S.
Government would pay only for the work that has been accepted and can require us
to pay the difference between the original contract price and the cost to
re-procure the contract items, net of the work accepted from the original
contract. The U.S. Government can also hold us liable for damages resulting from
the default.
Stock-Based
Compensation. The Company uses the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model and the straight-line attribution approach to determine the
fair-value of stock-based awards under SFAS 123(R), Share-Based Payment (revised
2004). The Company elected to use the modified prospective transition
method as permitted by SFAS 123(R) and accordingly prior periods were not
restated to reflect the impact of SFAS 123(R). The modified prospective
transition method requires that stock-based compensation expense be recorded for
all new and unvested stock options and employee stock purchase plan shares that
are ultimately expected to vest as the requisite service is rendered beginning
on October 1, 2005, the first day of the Company’s fiscal year 2006. The
option-pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions,
including the option’s expected life and the price volatility of the underlying
stock. EMCORE’s expected term represents the period that stock-based awards are
expected to be outstanding and is determined based on historical experience of
similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms of the stock-based
awards, vesting schedules and expectations of future employee behavior as
influenced by changes to the terms of its stock-based awards. The expected stock
price volatility is based on EMCORE’s historical stock prices. See Note 4,
Equity, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further
details.
***
The above
listing is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting
policies. In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is
specifically dictated by U.S. GAAP. There also are areas in which management's
judgment in selecting any available alternative would not produce a materially
different result. See our audited consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which contain a discussion
of our accounting policies, recently adopted accounting pronouncements and other
required U.S. GAAP disclosures.
Business
Segments, Geographic Revenue, Significant Customers and Backlog
EMCORE has five operating segments: (1)
EMCORE Digital Fiber-Optic Products, (2) EMCORE Broadband Photo-Optic Products,
and (3) EMCORE Hong Kong, which are aggregated as a separate reporting segment,
Fiber Optics, and (4) EMCORE Photovoltaics and (5) EMCORE Solar Power, which are
aggregated as a separate reporting segment, Photovoltaics. EMCORE's Fiber Optics revenue is
derived primarily from sales of optical components and subsystems for CATV,
FTTP, enterprise routers and switches, telecom grooming switches, core routers,
high performance servers, supercomputers, and satellite communications data
links. EMCORE's Photovoltaics revenue is derived primarily from the
sales of solar power conversion products for the space and terrestrial markets,
including solar cells, covered interconnect solar cells, solar panel
concentrator solar cells and Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems (“CPV”) receiver
assemblies. EMCORE evaluates its reportable segments in accordance with SFAS
131, Disclosures About
Segments of an Enterprise and Related
Information. EMCORE’s
Chief Executive Officer is EMCORE’s Chief Operating Decision Maker pursuant to
SFAS 131, and he allocates resources to segments based on their business
prospects, competitive factors, net revenue, operating results and other
non-GAAP financial ratios.
The
following table sets forth the revenue and percentage of total revenue
attributable to each of EMCORE's reporting segments for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
Segment
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
171,276
|
72
|
%
|
$
|
110,377
|
65
|
%
|
$
|
104,852
|
73
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
68,027
|
28
|
59,229
|
35
|
38,681
|
27
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$
|
239,303
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
169,606
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
143,533
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth EMCORE's consolidated revenue by geographic region
for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006. Revenue
was assigned to geographic regions based on our customers’ or contract
manufacturers’ billing address.
Geographic
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||||
United
States
|
$
|
134,796
|
56
|
%
|
$
|
124,012
|
73
|
%
|
$
|
109,614
|
76
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Asia
|
73,311
|
31
|
34,574
|
20
|
28,537
|
20
|
||||||||||||||||||
Europe
|
20,420
|
8
|
10,821
|
7
|
4,152
|
3
|
||||||||||||||||||
Other
|
10,776
|
5
|
199
|
-
|
1,230
|
1
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$
|
239,303
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
169,606
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
143,533
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth significant customers by reporting
segment.
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
||||||||||||
Customer
A
|
14
|
%
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
B
|
12
|
%
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
C
|
-
|
13
|
%
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
D
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
%
|
||||||||
Photovoltaics
– related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Customer
E
|
-
|
11
|
%
|
-
|
As of
September 30, 2008, we had an order backlog of approximately $117.2 million
compared to $149 million in the prior year. Our order backlog is
defined as purchase orders or supply agreements accepted by the Company with
expected product delivery and / or services to be performed in the
future. The September 30, 2008 order backlog is comprised of $96.1
million related to our Photovoltaics segment of which $60.9 million is expected
to be delivered subsequent to fiscal 2009 and $21.1 million related to our Fiber
Optics segment expected to be delivered in the fiscal 2009.
On
December 17, 2007, EMCORE announced that it had received a purchase order to
supply 5.7 Megawatts of CPV, along with a letter of intent for follow-on
projects of 14.3 MW, from DI Semicon, a South Korean semiconductor packaging
company, and that it had also executed an agreement with the same company
relating to the formation of a joint venture in South ever Korea to manufacture
CPV systems in South Korea. No amounts from this order were
included in EMCORE’s backlog, and, due to DI Semicon’s inability to obtain
necessary financing, EMCORE no longer expects any product orders from, or other
arrangements with, DI Semicon to result in the foreseeable
future.
From time to time, our customers may request that we delay shipment of certain orders and our backlog could also be adversely affected if customers unexpectedly cancel purchase orders that we’ve previously accepted. A majority of our fiber optics products typically ship within the same quarter as when the purchase order is received; therefore, our backlog at any particular date is not necessarily indicative of actual revenue or the level of orders for any succeeding period.
The
following table sets forth operating losses attributable to each EMCORE
reporting segment for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and
2006.
Statement
of Operations Data
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Operating
loss by segment:
|
||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
(49,903
|
)
|
$
|
(25,877
|
)
|
$
|
(18,950
|
)
|
|||
Photovoltaics
|
(25,238
|
)
|
(11,202
|
)
|
(8,365
|
)
|
||||||
Corporate
|
(140
|
)
|
(20,377
|
)
|
(6,835
|
)
|
||||||
Operating
loss
|
$
|
(75,281
|
)
|
$
|
(57,456
|
)
|
$
|
(34,150
|
)
|
In fiscal
2008, the Company recognized several one-time gains and a significant reduction
in interest expense which were not allocated to the reporting segments due to
these being corporate charges in prior periods.
The
following table sets forth the depreciation and amortization attributable to
each of EMCORE's reporting segments for the fiscal years ended September 30,
2008, 2007 and 2006.
Segment
Depreciation and Amortization
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
9,067
|
$
|
6,991
|
$
|
8,378
|
||||||
Photovoltaics
|
4,472
|
2,860
|
3,470
|
|||||||||
Corporate
|
77
|
271
|
484
|
|||||||||
Total
depreciation and amortization
|
$
|
13,616
|
$
|
10,122
|
$
|
12,332
|
Long-lived
assets (consisting of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and intangible
assets) for each reporting segment as of September 30, 2008 and 2007 are as
follows:
Long-lived
Assets
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
107,684
|
$
|
56,816
|
||||
Photovoltaics
|
55,232
|
46,706
|
||||||
Corporate
|
622
|
-
|
||||||
Total
long-lived assets
|
$
|
163,538
|
$
|
103,522
|
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth the consolidated statements of operations data of
EMCORE expressed as a percentage of total revenue for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2008, 2007, and 2006.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
DATA
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
95.7
|
%
|
87.5
|
%
|
92.2
|
%
|
||||||
Service
revenue
|
4.3
|
12.5
|
7.8
|
|||||||||
Total
revenue
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
|||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
87.3
|
73.3
|
75.4
|
|||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
0.2
|
8.7
|
6.5
|
|||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
87.5
|
82.0
|
81.9
|
|||||||||
Gross
profit
|
12.5
|
18.0
|
18.1
|
|||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
18.2
|
34.1
|
26.6
|
|||||||||
Research
and development
|
16.5
|
17.8
|
13.7
|
|||||||||
Impairment
of goodwill and/or intellectual property
|
9.3
|
-
|
1.6
|
|||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
44.0
|
51.9
|
41.9
|
|||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(31.5
|
)
|
(33.9
|
)
|
(23.8
|
)
|
||||||
Other
expense (income):
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(0.4
|
)
|
(2.4
|
)
|
(0.9
|
)
|
||||||
Interest
expense
|
0.7
|
2.9
|
3.7
|
|||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
1.9
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Loss
from convertible subordinated notes exchange offer
|
-
|
-
|
0.8
|
|||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible notes
|
-
|
0.3
|
-
|
|||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense from tolled options
|
1.8
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Gain
from insurance proceeds
|
-
|
(0.2
|
)
|
-
|
||||||||
Gain
from sale of WWAT Investment
|
(3.1
|
)
|
||||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
0.7
|
-
|
0.3
|
|||||||||
Loss
on disposal of property, plant and equipment
|
0.4
|
0.1
|
0.3
|
|||||||||
Net
gain on sale of GELcore investment
|
-
|
-
|
(61.3
|
)
|
||||||||
Equity
in net loss of GELcore investment
|
-
|
-
|
0.4
|
|||||||||
Equity
in net loss of Velox investment
|
-
|
-
|
0.2
|
|||||||||
Foreign
exchange loss
|
0.3
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
other expense (income)
|
2.3
|
0.7
|
(56.5
|
)
|
||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(33.8
|
)
|
(34.6
|
)
|
32.7
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
1.3
|
|||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
(33.8
|
)
|
(34.6
|
)
|
31.4
|
|||||||
Discontinued
operations:
|
||||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
-
|
0.3
|
|||||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
-
|
6.6
|
|||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
6.9
|
|||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
(33.8
|
)%
|
(34.6
|
)%
|
38.3
|
%
|
Comparison of Fiscal Years
Ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
Consolidated
Revenue
EMCORE’s consolidated revenue
increased $69.7 million, or 41%, to $239.3 million from $169.6 million, as
reported in the prior year. International sales increased $57.8 million, or
126%, when compared to the prior year. Government contract revenue, which is
primarily service revenue, decreased $10.3 million, or 47%, to $11.6 million
from $21.9 million, as reported in the prior year. A comparison of revenue
achieved within each of EMCORE’s reporting segments is as
follows.
Fiber
Optics
Over the
past several years, communications networks have experienced dramatic growth in
data transmission traffic due to worldwide Internet access, e-mail, and
e-commerce. As Internet content expands to include full motion video on-demand,
HDTV, multi-channel high quality audio, online video conferencing, image
transfer, online multi-player gaming, and other broadband applications, the
delivery of such data will place a greater demand on available bandwidth and
require the support of higher capacity networks. The bulk of this traffic, which
continues to grow at a very high rate, is already routed through the optical
networking infrastructure used by local and long distance carriers, as well as
Internet service providers. Optical fiber offers substantially greater bandwidth
capacity, is less error prone, and is easier to administer than older copper
wire technologies. As greater bandwidth capability is delivered closer to the
end user, increased demand for higher content, real-time, interactive visual and
audio content is expected. We believe that EMCORE is well positioned to benefit
from the continued deployment of these higher capacity fiber-optic
networks.
Major
customers for the Fiber Optics segment include: Alcatel-Lucent, Aurora Networks,
BUPT-GUOAN Broadband, C-Cor Electronics, Ciena, Cisco, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard,
Huawei, IBM, Intel, Jabil, JDSU, Merge Optics, Motorola, Network Appliance,
Sycamore Networks, Inc., Tellabs, and ZTE.
Annual
Fiber Optics revenue increased $60.9 million, or 55%, to $171.3 million from
$110.4 million, as reported in the prior year. Fiscal 2008 revenue, on a
sequential quarterly basis, was $34.0 million, $37.6 million, $53.6 million and
$46.1 million. Fiscal 2007 revenue, on a sequential quarterly basis, was $31.3
million, $27.6 million, $26.2 million and $25.3 million. The annual
increase in Fiber Optics revenue was primarily due to our recent acquisitions,
which totaled approximately $41.6 million in revenue in fiscal
2008. In February and April 2008, the Company acquired the telecom,
datacom, and optical cable interconnects-related assets of Intel’s Optical
Platform Division for $120 million in cash and shares of the Company’s common
stock. There was no Fiber Optics-related U.S. Government contract
revenue in fiscal 2008 and U.S. Government contract revenue in fiscal 2007
totaled $1.5 million. Fiber Optics revenue represented 72% and 65% of
EMCORE's total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
Photovoltaics
EMCORE is
a leader in providing solar power generation solutions to the global
communications satellite industry and U.S. Government space
programs. EMCORE manufactures advanced compound semiconductor-based
solar cell products and solar panels, which are more resistant to radiation
levels in space and convert substantially more power from sunlight than
silicon-based solutions. EMCORE’s Photovoltaics segment designs and manufactures
multi-junction compound semiconductor-based solar cells for both commercial and
military satellite applications.
Major
customers for the Photovoltaics segment include Boeing, General Dynamics, Indian
Space Research Organization (“ISRO”), NASA JPL, Lockheed Martin, Menova Energy,
Northrop Grumman, Space Systems/Loral, Maxima Energies Renovables Ibahernando,
ISFOC, and Solarig.
Annual
photovoltaics revenue increased $8.8 million, or 15%, to $68.0 million from
$59.2 million, as reported in the prior year. Fiscal 2008 revenue, on a
sequential quarterly basis, was $12.9 million, $18.7 million, $21.9 million and
$14.5 million. Fiscal 2007 revenue, on a sequential quarterly basis, was $15.8
million, $16.8 million, $13.4 million and $13.2 million. The increase
in annual revenue was primarily due the Company’s launch of its new
concentrating photovoltaic components (including solar cells and solar cell
receivers) and to CPV power system installations. The increase in
CPV-related revenue was offset by a decrease in Government contract
revenue. Government contract revenue totaled $11.6 million and $20.4
million in fiscal 2008 and 2007, respectively. Photovoltaics revenue
represented 28% and 35% of EMCORE's total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2008
and 2007, respectively.
Gross
Profit
EMCORE’s
consolidated gross profit decreased by $0.5 million, or 2%, to $29.9 million
from $30.4 million as reported in the prior year. Consolidated gross margins
decreased from 17.9% in fiscal 2007 to 12.5% in fiscal 2008. On a segment basis,
annual Fiber Optics gross margins increased from 18.4% to 20.7% which was
primarily due to increased revenue which provided a greater base on which to
allocate certain fixed costs, benefits associated from the use of contract
manufacturers and better utilization of our China manufacturing
facility. Gross margins also increased due to the implementation of
certain cost reduction initiatives and improved efficiencies driven by facility
consolidations. Our Fiber Optics segment also incurred approximately
$5.4 million in expenses related to inventory write-downs and product warranty
accruals in fiscal 2008. Such write-downs pertained primarily to the
telecom assets purchased in the OPD acquisition. Annual Photovoltaics
gross margins decreased from 17.0% in fiscal 2007 to a negative 8.3% in fiscal
2008 due to significant project losses on several initial CPV solar power
systems installation projects, which was primarily the result of higher than
expected material, freight and installation costs. Our Photovoltaics
segment also incurred approximately $13.5 million in expenses related to
inventory write-downs, contract losses, and product warranty accruals associated
with our CPV-related business in fiscal 2008. The CPV
products were in the early stages of deployment and therefore certain additional
expenses were incurred during installations that are not expected to
recur. The inventory write-downs pertained mainly to product
obsolescence related to the progression from generation 2 to Generation 3
products.
Initiatives
designed to improve our gross margins (through product mix improvements, cost
reductions associated with product transfers and product rationalization,
maximizing production yields on high-performance devices and quality
improvements, among other things) continue to be a principal focus for
us. We focus much of our activities on developing new process control
and yield management tools that enable us to accelerate the adoption of new
technologies into full-volume production, while minimizing their associated
risks.
Operating
Expenses
Selling, General and Administrative.
EMCORE’s consolidated SG&A expenses decreased by $14.3 million, or
25%, to $43.5 million from $57.8 million as reported in the prior year. As a
percentage of revenue, SG&A expenses decreased from 34.1% to
18.2%. The decrease in annual SG&A expenses was primarily due to
a reduction of non-recurring legal and professional fees of approximately $17.4
million associated with the Company’s review of historical stock option grants
and patent litigation in fiscal 2007. In fiscal 2008, approximately
$7.6 million of SG&A was related to the Intel Acquisitions with $2.2 million
related to Intel Corporation’s transition services agreement (TSA) charges
associated with the Intel Acquisitions.
The
Company continues to focus on lowering SG&A expenses through reducing
headcount and minimizing the use of external consultants where
appropriate.
Research and Development.
Our R&D efforts have been focused on maintaining our
technological leadership position by working to improve the quality and
attributes of our product lines. We also invest significant resources to develop
new products and production technology to expand into new market opportunities
by leveraging our existing technology base and infrastructure. Our efforts are
focused on designing new proprietary processes and products, on improving the
performance of our existing materials, components, and subsystems, and on
reducing costs in the product manufacturing process. In addition to using our
internal capacity to develop and manufacture products for our target markets,
EMCORE continues to expand its portfolio of products and technologies through
acquisitions.
EMCORE’s
consolidated R&D expenses increased $9.5 million, or 32%, to $39.5 million
from $30.0 million in the prior year. The increase in R&D
expenses is primarily related to our recent acquisitions and significant product
development within our Fiber Optics business. We incurred
approximately $7.9 million of R&D expense associated with our recent
acquisitions, of which $2.6 million related to Intel transition service
charges. The majority of the increase in R&D expense relates to
our efforts to release new products in the telecommunications and enterprise
sectors directly related to the Intel acquisitions. These are highly
competitive areas that require continuous investment to keep pace with market
developments. We believe that recently completed R&D projects
have the potential to significantly improve our competitive position and drive
revenue growth over the next few years.
As part
of the ongoing effort to reduce costs, many of our projects involve developing
lower cost versions of our existing products and of our existing processes
while, at the same time, improving quality and reliability. Also, we have
implemented a program to focus our research and product development efforts on
projects that we expect to generate returns within one year. As a result, over
the last several years, EMCORE has reduced overall R&D costs as a percentage
of revenue without, we believe, jeopardizing future revenue opportunities. Our
technology and product leadership is an important competitive
advantage. Based upon current and anticipated demand, we will
continue to invest in new technologies and products that offer our customers
increased efficiency, higher performance, greater reliability, improved
functionality, and/or higher levels of integration.
Impairment. The
Company recorded approximately $0.2 million of impairment charges on
intellectual property associated with the January 2006 acquisition of K2
Optronics, Inc. As a
result of the ongoing financial liquidity crisis, the current economic
recession, reductions to our internal revenue forecasts, changes to our internal
operating forecasts and a drastic reduction in our market capitalization, during
the period, we performed an analysis to determine if there was an indication of
impairment of our intangible assets. As a result of this analysis, we determined
that the goodwill related to our Fiber Optics reporting unit was impaired. As a
result, we recorded an estimated impairment charge of $22.0 million during the
quarter ended September 30, 2008.
Other
Income & Expenses
Interest
Income. The Company realized a significant decrease in
interest income of $3.3 million for 2008 primarily due to its lower average
cash, cash equivalents and investment balances when compared to the prior
year.
Interest
Expense. The Company realized a significant decrease in
interest expense of $3.4 million for 2008 primarily due to the February 2008
conversion of its convertible subordinated notes to equity.
Loss from Conversion of Subordinated
Notes. In January 2008, the Company entered into agreements
with holders of approximately 97.5%, or approximately $83.3 million of its
outstanding 5.50% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2011 (the "Notes")
pursuant to which the holders converted their Notes into the Company's common
stock. In addition, the Company called for redemption all of its
remaining outstanding Notes. Upon conversion of the Notes, the Company issued
shares of its common stock, based on a conversion price of $7.01 per share, in
accordance with the terms of the Notes. To incentivize certain holders to
convert their Notes, the Company made cash payments to such holders equal to 4%
of the principal amount of the Notes converted, plus accrued
interest. By February 20, 2008, all Notes were redeemed and converted
into the Company’s common stock. As a result of this transaction, 12.2 million
shares of the Company common stock were issued. The Company
recognized a loss totaling $4.7 million on the conversion of Notes to
equity. The Notes conversion resulted in a reduction of future
interest payments of approximately $4.7 million, on an annual basis, through May
2011.
Stock-based compensation expense
from tolled options. Under the terms of stock option
agreements issued under the 2000 Incentive Stock Option
Plan, terminated employees who have vested and exercisable stock options
have 90 days subsequent to the date of their termination to exercise their stock
options. In November 2006, the Company announced that it was suspending its
reliance on previously issued financial statements, which in turn caused the
Company’s Form S-8 registration statements for shares of common stock issuable
under the Option Plans not to be available. Therefore, terminated employees were
precluded from exercising their stock options during the remaining contractual
term (the “Blackout Period”). To address this issue, the Company’s
Board of Directors agreed in April 2007 to approve a stock option grant
“modification” for these individuals by extending the normal 90-day exercise
period after termination date to a date after which the Company became compliant
with its SEC filings and the registration of the stock option shares was once
again effective. The Company communicated the terms of the tolling
agreement with its terminated employees in November 2007. The
Company’s Board of Directors approved an extension of the stock option
expiration date equal to the number of calendar days during the Blackout Period
before such stock option would have otherwise expired (the “Tolling
Period”). Former employees were able to exercise their vested
stock options beginning on the first day after the lifting of the Blackout
Period for a period equal to the Tolling Period. The Company
accounted for the modification of stock options issued to terminated employees
as additional compensation expense of $4.3 million in accordance with SFAS
123(R) in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 and adjusted the stock options to
market value in the first and second quarters of 2008. All tolled
stock options were either exercised or expired by January 29, 2008.
Gain from sale of investment.
In June and July 2008, the Company sold two million shares of
Series D Preferred Stock and 200,000 warrants of WorldWater & Solar
Technologies Corporation. Total cash proceeds from the sale approximated $13.1
million with a gain from the sale totaling $7.4 million.
Impairment of Investments. In
April 2008, the Company invested approximately $1.5 million in Lightron
Corporation, a Korean Company publicly traded on the Korean Stock
Market. The Company initially accounted for this investment as a
long-term available for sale security. Due to the decline in the
market value of this investment and the expectation of non-recovery of this
investment beyond its current market value, the Company recorded a $0.5 million
“other than temporary” impairment loss on this investment as of September 30,
2008. The Company also wrote off its remaining investment in Velox
Corporation, which totaled approximately $1.0 million, due to the company’s
current financial and operational condition.
Foreign exchange
gain. For fiscal 2008, the Company recognized a loss on
foreign currency exchange primarily due to its operating activities in Spain,
the Netherlands and in China primarily due to the weakening of the US Dollar
compared to the EURO.
Provision
for Income Taxes
As a
result of its losses, the Company did not incur any income tax expense in fiscal
2008 or 2007.
Comparison of Fiscal Years
Ended September 30, 2007 and 2006
EMCORE
sold its Electronic, Materials and Device (“EMD”) division in August
2006. All financial information in fiscal 2006 that related to this
division has been excluded from operations for comparison of historical
financial performance.
Consolidated
Revenue
EMCORE’s consolidated revenue
increased $26.1 million, or 18%, to $169.6 million from $143.5 million, as
reported in the prior year. International sales increased $11.7 million, or 34%,
when compared to the prior year. Government contract revenue, which is primarily
service revenue, increased $10.8 million, or 97%, to $21.9 million from $11.1
million, as reported in the prior year. A comparison of revenue achieved within
each of EMCORE’s reporting segments is as follows:
Fiber
Optics
Annual
Fiber Optics revenue increased $5.5 million, or 5%, to $110.4 million from
$104.9 million, as reported in the prior year. On a sequential quarterly basis,
fiscal 2007 revenue was $25.3 million, $26.2 million, $27.6 million and $31.3
million. On a sequential quarterly basis, fiscal 2006 revenue was $25.0 million,
$25.9 million, $26.0 million and $28.0 million. The annual increase
in revenue was primarily due to recent acquisitions and a significant increase
in the demand for our CATV products, satellite communications,
telecommunications and FTTP components. Also, despite higher revenue for this
segment, revenue from our legacy products that serve the digital fiber optics
sector was lower than the prior year due to customer inventory management and
increased competition. Government contract revenue in fiscal 2007 and
2006 totaled $1.5 million and $1.9 million, respectively. Fiber
Optics revenue represented 65% and 73% of EMCORE's total consolidated revenue
for fiscal 2007 and 2006, respectively.
Photovoltaics
Annual
photovoltaics revenue increased $20.5 million, or 53%, to $59.2 million from
$38.7 million, as reported in the prior year. On a sequential quarterly basis,
fiscal 2007 revenue was $13.2 million, $13.4 million, $16.8 million and $15.8
million. On a sequential quarterly basis, fiscal 2006 revenue was $10.7 million,
$10.3 million, $10.4 million and $7.3 million. In fiscal 2007, our
Photovoltaics division continued to experience increased demand for its space
and terrestrial solar cells, solar panels and U.S. Government-related research
contracts. Revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 was
reduced because EMCORE did not receive export licenses covering three
international satellite programs in sufficient time to ship
product. Subsequently, EMCORE received license approvals on all three
of the programs and the delayed orders were shipped to the customers in the
first quarter of fiscal 2007. Government contract revenue totaled
$20.4 million and $9.2 million in fiscal 2007 and 2006,
respectively. Photovoltaics revenue represented 35% and 27% of
EMCORE's total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
In fiscal
2006 and 2007, EMCORE had been engaged in a multi-year cost reimbursable solar
cell development and production contract for a major U.S. aerospace
corporation. Subsequently, the Company reported that the contract
would exceed $40.0 million in development and production revenue over the next
several years. Although we recognized significant revenue for this
program during fiscal 2007, our customer notified us in August 2007 that their
program had been terminated for convenience by the U.S. Government.
Gross
Profit
EMCORE’s
consolidated gross profit increased $4.4 million, or 17%, to $30.4 million from
$26.0 million in the prior year. Compared to the prior year, gross margins
remained constant at 18%. On a segment basis, gross margins for Fiber Optics
decreased slightly from 20% in 2006 to 19% in 2007 primarily due to unabsorbed
overhead as a result of lower revenue from our legacy products that serve the
digital fiber optics sector. Gross margins for the Photovoltaics
segment increased from 12% in 2006 to 17% in 2007. This increase was
due to increased revenues and improved product mix, a shift to generally higher
margin products along with higher overhead absorption. In October 2006, EMCORE
consolidated its solar panel manufacturing into a state-of-the-art facility
located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The establishment of a modern
solar panel manufacturing facility, adjacent to our solar cell fabrication
operations, facilitates consistency, as well as lower manufacturing
costs.
Operating
Expenses
Selling, General and
Administrative. EMCORE’s consolidated SG&A expenses
increased $19.6 million, or 51%, to $57.8 million from $38.2 million in the
prior year.
Consistent with prior years, SG&A expense includes corporate overhead
expenses. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A increased from 27% to
34%. The increase in SG&A expense is primarily due to:
|
·
|
$10.6
million related to professional fees associated with our review of
historical stock option granting
practices;
|
|
·
|
$6.1
million in non-recurring legal expenses and $2.8 million in restructuring
and severance-related charges associated with facility closures and
consolidation of operations; and
|
|
·
|
continued
investment in personnel strategic to our
business.
|
Research and Development.
EMCORE’s consolidated R&D expenses increased $10.3 million, or
52%, to $30.0 million from $19.7 million in the prior year. The increase in R&D
is due to $7.9 million of R&D expenses incurred in our newly formed
terrestrial solar power business. As a percentage of revenue, R&D
increased to 18% from 14% reported in the prior year.
Other
Income & Expenses
Loss from Convertible Subordinated
Notes Exchange Offer. In November 2005, EMCORE exchanged $14.4 million of
convertible subordinated notes due in May 2006 for $16.6 million of newly issued
convertible subordinated notes due May 15, 2011. As a result of this
transaction, EMCORE recognized approximately $1.1 million of expense in the
first quarter of fiscal 2006 related to the early extinguishment of
debt.
Loss from Early Redemption of
Convertible Subordinated Notes. In April 2007, EMCORE redeemed
$11.4 million of convertible subordinated notes due in May 2011. As a result of
this transaction, EMCORE recognized a loss of approximately $0.6 million in the
third quarter of fiscal 2007 related to the redemption of debt.
Impairment of Investment. In
February 2002, EMCORE purchased preferred stock of Archcom Technologies, Inc., a
venture-funded, start-up optical networking components company that designs,
manufactures and markets a series of high performance lasers and photodiodes for
datacom and telecom industries. In fiscal 2006, EMCORE wrote-off its remaining
investment in Archcom totaling $0.5 million.
Gain on Insurance Proceeds.
During the three months ended March 31, 2007, we recognized a gain of
$0.4 million related to insurance proceeds received.
Net Gain on Sale of GELcore
Investment. In August 2006, EMCORE sold its 49% membership interest in
GELcore, LLC for $100.0 million to General Electric Corporation which, prior to
the transaction, owned the remaining 51% membership interest in
GELcore. EMCORE recorded a net gain of $88.0 million, before tax, on
the sale of GELcore, after netting EMCORE’s investment in this joint venture of
$10.8 million and transaction expenses of $1.2 million.
Provision
for Income Taxes
As a
result of its losses, the Company did not incur any income tax expense in fiscal
2007. EMCORE recorded a provision for income taxes totaling $1.9 million in
connection with the gain on the sale of GELcore in fiscal 2006.
Discontinued
Operations
On August
18, 2006, EMCORE completed the sale of the assets of its EMD division, including
inventory, fixed assets, and intellectual property to IQE. Under the
terms of the purchase agreement, EMCORE sold the EMD division to IQE for $16.0
million, consisting of $13.0 million in cash and $3.0 million in the form of a
secured promissory note from IQE, guaranteed by IQE's affiliates. The note was
completely repaid in fiscal 2007, via four quarterly installments with an annual
interest rate of 7.5%. EMCORE recorded a net gain of $7.6 million,
after tax, on the sale of EMD, after netting EMCORE’s investment in EMD of $6.0
million and transaction expenses of $2.4 million.
In
November 2003, EMCORE sold its TurboDisc division in an asset sale to a
subsidiary of Veeco Instruments Inc. (Veeco). The selling price was $60.0
million in cash at closing, with a potential additional earn-out up to $20.0
million over the next two years, calculated based on the net sales of TurboDisc
products. In March 2005, EMCORE received $13.2 million of earn-out payment from
Veeco in connection with its first year of net sales of TurboDisc products.
After offsetting this receipt against expenses related to the discontinued
operation, EMCORE recorded a net gain from the disposal of discontinued
operations of $12.5 million. In March 2006, EMCORE received manufacturing
equipment valued at $2.0 million less $0.1 million tax as a final earn-out
payment from Veeco in connection with Veeco’s second year of net sales of
TurboDisc products. The cumulative additional earn-out totaled $15.2
million or 76% of the maximum available payout of $20.0 million.
Liquidity
Matters
The
Company commenced operations in 1984 and as of September 30, 2008, the Company
had an accumulated deficit of $424.8 million. We incurred a net loss of $80.9
million in fiscal 2008, net loss of $58.7 million in fiscal 2007, and net income
of $54.9 million in fiscal 2006. Fiscal 2006 results included the
sale of our GELcore joint venture that resulted in a net gain, before tax, of
$88.0 million. Our operating results for future periods are subject
to numerous uncertainties and we cannot assure you that we will not continue to
experience net losses for the foreseeable future. Although our
revenue has grown in recent years, we may be unable to sustain such growth rates
if there are adverse changes in market or economic conditions. If we
are not able to increase revenue and/or reduce our costs, we may not be able to
achieve profitability.
At
September 30, 2008, cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities and
restricted cash totaled approximately $24.7 million. Historically, the Company
has consumed cash from operations. During
fiscal 2008, we consumed cash from operations of approximately $41.9 million,
with the rate of cash consumption declining in the third and fourth
quarters. Historically, we have addressed our liquidity
requirements through a series of cost reduction initiatives, capital markets
transactions and the sale of assets. As of September 30, 2008, we had
approximately $79.2 million in working capital. Although we expect
our operating performance to improve in future periods, we anticipate that the
recession in the United States and the slowdown of economic growth in the rest
of the world may create a more challenging business environment for us in the
near term.
These matters raise
substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going
concern.
Management
Actions and Plans
Recently,
we have revised the assumptions underlying our operating plans and recognized
that additional actions were needed to position our operations to minimize cash
usage. Accordingly, we undertook a number of initiatives aimed at
conserving or generating cash on an incremental basis through the end of 2009.
These initiatives included business realignment, structural cost and headcount
reductions, reduction of capital spending, a greater emphasis on managing our
working capital, and
certain asset sales. In December 2008, we announced an agreement to sell our
non-core equity interests for approximately $11.4 million in cash.
In
addition to these operational measures, we are actively pursuing a number of
capital raising initiatives including the sale of a minority ownership position
in the Company’s photovoltaics business as an initial step towards a potential
spin off of the business. In October 2008, we announced the closing of a $25
million secured credit facility with Bank of America and, in November 2008, the
Company sold $1.7 million of our auction rate securities at 100% par value with
the remaining $1.4 million in auction rate securities expected to be settled at
100% par value by June 2010.
52
These
initiatives are intended to conserve or generate cash in response to the
deterioration in the global economy so that we can preserve adequate liquidity
through December 2009. However, the full effect of many of these
actions will not be realized until later in 2009, even if they are successfully
implemented. We are committed to exploring all of the initiatives discussed
above and there is no assurance that capital markets conditions will improve
within that time frame. Our ability to continue as a going concern is
substantially dependent on the successful execution of many of the actions
referred to above within the timeline contemplated by our plans.
Conclusion
If cash
generated from operations and cash on hand are not sufficient to satisfy
EMCORE's liquidity requirements, EMCORE will seek to obtain additional equity or
debt financing. Due to the unpredictable nature of the capital
markets, additional funding may not be available when needed, or on terms
acceptable to EMCORE. If EMCORE is required to raise additional
financing and if adequate funds are not available or not available on acceptable
terms, our ability to continue to fund expansion, develop and enhance products
and services, or otherwise respond to competitive pressures may be severely
limited. Such a limitation could have a material adverse effect on EMCORE's
business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flow.
Auction
Rate Securities
Historically,
the Company has invested in securities with an auction reset feature (“auction
rate securities”). In February 2008, the auction market failed for
the Company’s auction rate securities, which meant that the Company was unable
to sell its investments in auction rate securities. At September 30,
2008, the Company had approximately $3.1 million in auction rate
securities. The underlying assets for $1.7 million of this total are
currently AAA rated, the highest rating by a rating agency. The
remaining $1.4 million of investments are securities whose underlying assets are
primarily student loans which are substantially backed by the U.S. Government.
In October 2008, the Company received agreements from its investment brokers
announcing settlement of the auction rate securities at 100% par value, of which
$1.7 million was settled at 100% par value in November 2008 and the remaining
$1.4 million is expected to be settled by June 2010. The Company
classified the $1.7 million securities as a current asset and the remaining $1.4
million securities as a long-term asset based on actual and expected settlement
dates. Due to the fact the Company believes that it will receive full
value of its remaining $1.4 million securities, we have not recorded any
impairment on these investments as of September 30, 2008. If we are
unable to liquidate and settle these auction rate securities on favorable terms
and conditions, such liquidity limitations could have a material adverse effect
on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flow.
Working
Capital
As of
September 30, 2008, the Company had working capital of approximately $79.2
million compared to $63.2 million as of September 30, 2007. Cash,
cash equivalents, and current available-for-sale securities at September 30,
2008 totaled $22.8 million, which reflects a net decrease of $18.4 million from
September 30, 2007.
Cash
Flow
Cash Used for
Operations
In fiscal
2008, net cash used by operating activities totaled approximately $41.9 million,
which represents a decrease of $4.5 million from $46.4 million in cash used by
operating activities in fiscal 2007. In fiscal 2008, cash usage was
primarily due the Company’s net loss and an increase in working
capital. The Company experienced an increase in accounts receivable
of approximately $24.1 million, an increase in inventory, net of acquisitions,
of approximately $7.4 million and an increase in prepaid and other current
assets and other assets of approximately $4.5 million. A net increase
in accounts payable and all other current liabilities represented cash provided
by operating activities of approximately $22.3 million. Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities included $13.6
million related to depreciation and amortization expense, $22.2 million of
impairment charges against goodwill and intangibles, and $11.3 million
related to stock-based compensation expense.
Net Cash Used for Investing
Activities
In fiscal
2008, net cash used by investing activities totaled $53.9 million, which
represents an increase of $100.9 million from $47.0 million in cash provided by
investing activities in fiscal 2007. Changes in cash flow from
investing activities for fiscal 2008 and 2007 consisted primarily
of:
|
·
|
In
February 2008, the Company purchased the telecom-assets from Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division for $85.0 million, of which $75.0
million plus direct transactions costs of $0.7 million was in
cash.
|
|
·
|
The
Company increased spending on capital expenditures. In fiscal
2008, capital expenditures totaled $17.2 million, which was primarily
related to the purchase of our CPV-related production lines and certain
MOCVD reactor upgrades in our Photovoltaics segment of approximately $11.5
million and additional equipment for our Fiber Optics segment of
approximately $5.8 million. In fiscal 2007, capital
expenditures totaled $10.1 million.
|
|
·
|
In
November 2006, EMCORE invested $13.5 million, and incurred $0.4 million in
transaction costs, to acquire preferred stock and warrants in WorldWater
& Solar Technologies Corporation (“WWAT”). In June 2008,
the Company agreed to sell two million shares of preferred stock of WWAT,
together with 200,000 warrants to a major shareholder of both EMCORE and
WWAT at a price equal to $6.54 per share. The sale took place
through two closings, one for one million shares and 100,000 warrants,
which closed in June 2008, and one for an equal number of shares and
warrants which closed in July 2008. Total proceeds from the sale were
approximately $13.1 million.
|
|
·
|
In
April 2008, the Company purchased common stock of Lightron Corporation, a
publicly traded Korean Corporation, for approximately $1.5
million.
|
|
·
|
In
April 2007, the Company acquired privately-held Opticomm Corporation for
$4.1 million in cash.
|
|
·
|
In
August 2006, the Company completed the sale of the assets of its EMD
division to IQE for $16.0 million, consisting of $13.0 million in cash and
$3.0 million in the form of a secured promissory note from IQE, guaranteed
by IQE's affiliates. The $3.0 million note from IQE was completely repaid
in fiscal 2007.
|
|
·
|
Proceeds
from the sale of securities deceased $45.9 million
year-over-year. In fiscal 2008, net sales of available-for-sale
securities totaled $26.4 million. In fiscal 2007, net sales of
available-for-sale securities totaled $72.3
million.
|
Net Cash Provided by
Financing Activities
In fiscal
2008, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $101.4 million, which
represents an increase of $112.4 million from $11.0 million in cash used in
financing activities in fiscal 2007. Changes in cash flow from
financing activities was due to net proceeds from a private placement of common
stock and warrants in fiscal 2008 of $93.6 million, plus the proceeds from the
exercise of stock options of $7.0 million. In fiscal 2007, the
Company paid a principal payment on its convertible subordinated notes totaling
$11.4 million.
Private Placement of Common
Stock and Warrants
On
February 20, 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100.0 million of
restricted common stock and warrants through a private placement transaction to
fund the Intel Acquisitions. In this transaction, investors purchased
8 million shares of our common stock, no par value, and warrants to purchase an
additional 1.4 million shares of our common stock. The purchase price
was $12.50 per share, priced at the 20-day volume-weighted average
price. The warrants grant the holder the right to purchase one share
of our common stock at a price of $15.06 per share, representing a 20.48%
premium over the purchase price. The warrants are immediately
exercisable and remain exercisable until February 20, 2013. In
addition, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with the
investors to register for resale the shares of common stock issued in this
transaction and the shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of the
warrants. Beginning two years after their issuance, the warrants may
be called by the Company for a price of $0.01 per underlying share if the
closing price of its common stock has exceeded 150% of the exercise price for at
least 20 trading days within a period of any 30 consecutive trading days and
other certain conditions are met. In addition, in the event of
certain fundamental transactions, principally the purchase of the Company’s
outstanding common stock for cash, the holders of the warrants may demand that
EMCORE purchase the unexercised portions of their warrants for a price equal to
the Black-Scholes Value of such unexercised portions as of the time of the
fundamental transaction. Total agent fees incurred were 5.75% of the
gross proceeds, or $5.8 million. The Company used a substantial
portion of the net proceeds to acquire the telecom-related assets of Intel
Corporation's Optical Platform Division in 2008.
In the
registration rights agreement, the Company agreed to pay liquidated damages in
the event that it did not file a registration statement with the SEC with
respect to the registrable securities, or if the registration statement was not
declared effective, within certain deadlines. The Company filed the
registration statement, and it was declared effective within the deadlines
specified in the registration rights agreement. The Company
further agreed to pay liquidated damages if sales of the registrable securities
included in the registration statement are unable to be made or, if after a
period of six months following the closing, the Company does not file with the
SEC the reports required to be filed pursuant to Rule 144(c)(1) under the
Securities Act and, as a result, holders are unable to sell their registrable
securities. In such events, the Company agreed to pay as liquidated
damages to each holder of registrable securities an amount in cash equal to
one percent (1.0%) of the aggregate purchase price of such holder’s
registrable securities included in such registration statement on the day
that such a failure first occurs and on every thirtieth day thereafter until
such failure is cured. Liquidated damages shall be paid on the
earlier of (i) the last day of the calendar month during which such damages are
incurred and (ii) the third business day after the event or failure giving rise
to the damages is cured. In the event the Company fails to make such
payments in a timely manner, such liquidated damages shall bear simple interest
at the rate of four percent (4.0%) per month until paid in full. In
no event shall the aggregate amount of liquidated damages exceed, in the
aggregate, ten percent (10.0%) of the aggregate purchase price of the common
stock sold in the private placement.
Share
Dilution
The
following table summarizes the Company’s equity transactions for the year ended
September 30, 2008:
Number
of
Common
Stock
Shares
Outstanding
|
||||
Common
stock shares outstanding – as of October 1, 2007
|
51,048,481
|
|||
Conversion
of convertible subordinated notes to equity
|
12,186,656
|
|||
Private
placement transaction
|
8,000,000
|
|||
Acquisition
of Intel Corporation’s Optical Platform Division
|
4,422,688
|
|||
Stock
option exercises and other compensatory stock issuances
|
2,103,138
|
|||
Common
stock shares outstanding – as of September 30, 2008
|
77,760,963
|
Contractual
Obligations and Commitments
EMCORE’s
contractual obligations and commitments over the next five years are summarized
in the table below:
As
of September 30, 2008
(in
millions)
|
Total
|
2009
|
2010
to 2011
|
2012
to 2013
|
2014
and
later
|
|||||||||||||||
Operating
lease obligations
|
$ | 11.7 | $ | 2.8 | $ | 4.5 | $ | 1.7 | $ | 2.7 | ||||||||||
Letters
of credit
|
2.4 | 2.4 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Purchase
commitments (1)
|
226.1 | 68.4 | 134.8 | 22.9 | - | |||||||||||||||
Total
contractual cash obligations and commitments
|
$ | 240.2 | $ | 73.6 | $ | 139.3 | $ | 24.6 | $ | 2.7 |
_______________
(1)
|
The
purchase commitments primarily represent the value of purchase agreements
issued for raw materials and services that have been scheduled for
fulfillment over the next three to five
years.
|
Operating
leases include non-cancelable terms and exclude renewal option periods, property
taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses on leased properties. As of
September 30, 2008, EMCORE does not have any significant purchase obligations or
other long-term liabilities beyond those listed in the table above.
Change
in Management
On March
31, 2008, Dr. Hong Q. Hou was appointed the Company’s Chief Executive
Officer. The Company also appointed Mr. Reuben F. Richards, the
former Chief Executive Officer, as Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board
of Directors and Dr. Thomas J. Russell, the former Chairman, as Chairman
Emeritus and Lead Director.
On August
18, 2008, John M. Markovich was appointed the Company’s Chief Financial
Officer.
ITEM
7A.
|
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
|
We are
exposed to financial market risks, including changes in currency exchange rates
and interest rates. We do not use derivative financial instruments for
speculative purposes.
Currency Exchange Rates. The
United States dollar is the functional currency for the Company’s consolidated
financials. The functional currency of the Company’s Spanish subsidiary is the
Euro and for the China subsidiary it is the Yuan Renminbi. The financial
statements of these entities are translated to United States dollars using
period end rates for assets and liabilities, and the weighted average rate for
the period for all revenue and expenses. During the normal course of business,
the Company is exposed to market risks associated with fluctuations in foreign
currency exchange rates, primarily the Euro. To reduce the impact of these risks
on the Company’s earnings and to increase the predictability of cash flows, the
Company uses natural offsets in receipts and disbursements within the applicable
currency as the primary means of reducing the risk. Some of our foreign
suppliers may adjust their prices (in $US) from time to time to reflect currency
exchange fluctuations, and such price changes could impact our future financial
condition or results of operations. The Company does not currently
hedge its foreign currency exposure.
Interest Rates. We maintain
an investment portfolio in a variety of high-grade (AAA), short-term debt and
money market instruments that includes auction-rate securities. As a result, our
future investment income may be less than expected because of changes in
interest rates, or we may suffer losses in principal if forced to sell
securities that have experienced a decline in market value because of changes in
interest rates. The Company does not currently hedge its interest
rate exposure.
Credit
Market Conditions
Recently,
the U.S. and global capital markets have been experiencing turbulent conditions,
particularly in the credit markets, as evidenced by tightening of lending
standards, reduced availability of credit, and reductions in certain asset
values. This could impact the Company’s ability to obtain additional
funding through financing or asset sales.
Auction
Rate Securities
Historically,
the Company has invested in securities with an auction reset feature (“auction
rate securities”). In February 2008, the auction market failed for
the Company’s auction rate securities, which meant that the Company was unable
to sell its investments in auction rate securities. At September 30,
2008, the Company had approximately $3.1 million in auction rate
securities. The underlying assets for $1.7 million of this total are
currently AAA rated, the highest rating by a rating agency. The
remaining $1.4 million of investments are securities whose underlying assets are
primarily student loans which are substantially backed by the U.S. Government.
In October 2008, the Company received agreements from its investment brokers
announcing settlement of the auction rate securities at 100% par value, of which
$1.7 million was settled at 100% par value in November 2008 and the remaining
$1.4 million is expected to be settled by June 2010. The Company
classified the $1.7 million securities as a current asset and the remaining $1.4
million securities as a long-term asset based on actual and expected settlement
dates. Due to the fact the Company believes that it will receive full
value of its remaining $1.4 million securities; we have not recorded any
impairment on these investments as of September 30, 2008. If we are
unable to liquidate and settle these auction rate securities on favorable terms
and conditions, such liquidity limitations could have a material adverse effect
on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flow.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY
DATA
|
EMCORE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006
(in
thousands, except per share data)
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
$
|
228,977
|
$
|
148,334
|
$
|
132,304
|
||||||
Service
revenue
|
10,326
|
21,272
|
11,229
|
|||||||||
Total
revenue
|
239,303
|
169,606
|
143,533
|
|||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
208,963
|
124,480
|
109,880
|
|||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
445
|
14,758
|
7,701
|
|||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
209,408
|
139,238
|
117,581
|
|||||||||
Gross
profit
|
29,895
|
30,368
|
25,952
|
|||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
43,460
|
57,844
|
38,177
|
|||||||||
Research
and development
|
39,483
|
29,980
|
19,692
|
|||||||||
Impairment
of goodwill and/or intellectual property
|
22,233
|
-
|
2,233
|
|||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
105,176
|
87,824
|
60,102
|
|||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(75,281
|
)
|
(57,456
|
)
|
(34,150
|
)
|
||||||
Other
expense (income):
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(862
|
)
|
(4,120
|
)
|
(1,286
|
)
|
||||||
Interest
expense
|
1,580
|
4,985
|
5,352
|
|||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
4,658
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Loss
from convertible subordinated notes exchange offer
|
-
|
-
|
1,078
|
|||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible subordinated notes
|
-
|
561
|
-
|
|||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense from tolled options
|
4,316
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Gain
from insurance proceeds
|
-
|
(357
|
)
|
-
|
||||||||
Gain
from sale of WWAT Investment
|
(7,384
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
1,461
|
-
|
500
|
|||||||||
Loss
on disposal of property, plant and equipment
|
1,064
|
210
|
424
|
|||||||||
Net
gain on sale of GELcore investment
|
-
|
-
|
(88,040
|
)
|
||||||||
Equity
in net loss of GELcore investment
|
-
|
-
|
599
|
|||||||||
Equity
in net loss of Velox investment
|
-
|
-
|
332
|
|||||||||
Foreign
exchange loss (gain)
|
746
|
(13
|
)
|
-
|
||||||||
Total
other expense (income)
|
5,579
|
1,266
|
(81,041
|
)
|
||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(80,860
|
)
|
(58,722
|
)
|
46,891
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
1,852
|
|||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
(80,860
|
)
|
(58,722
|
)
|
45,039
|
|||||||
Discontinued
operations:
|
||||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
373
|
|||||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
-
|
9,511
|
|||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
9,884
|
|||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
$
|
(80,860
|
)
|
$
|
(58,722
|
)
|
$
|
54,923
|
||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||
Basic
per share data:
|
||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.91
|
||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
0.20
|
|||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
1.11
|
||||
Diluted
per share data:
|
||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.87
|
||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
0.19
|
|||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
1.06
|
||||
Weighted-average
number of shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||
Basic
|
67,568
|
51,001
|
49,687
|
|||||||||
Diluted
|
67,568
|
51,001
|
52,019
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
As
of September 30, 2008 and 2007
(in
thousands)
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
18,227
|
$
|
12,151
|
||||
Restricted
cash
|
1,854
|
1,538
|
||||||
Available-for-sale
securities
|
2,679
|
29,075
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance of $2,377 and $802,
respectively
|
60,313
|
38,151
|
||||||
Receivables,
related parties
|
-
|
332
|
||||||
Income
tax receivable
|
130
|
-
|
||||||
Inventory,
net
|
64,617
|
29,205
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
6,970
|
4,350
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
154,790
|
114,802
|
||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
83,278
|
57,257
|
||||||
Goodwill
|
52,227
|
40,990
|
||||||
Other
intangible assets, net
|
28,033
|
5,275
|
||||||
Investments
in unconsolidated affiliates
|
8,240
|
14,872
|
||||||
Available-for-sale
securities, non-current
|
1,400
|
-
|
||||||
Long-term
restricted cash
|
569
|
-
|
||||||
Other
non-current assets, net
|
741
|
1,540
|
||||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
329,278
|
$
|
234,736
|
||||
LIABILITIES
and SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
52,266
|
$
|
22,685
|
||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
22,696
|
28,776
|
||||||
Income
taxes payable
|
594
|
137
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
75,556
|
51,598
|
||||||
Convertible
subordinated notes
|
-
|
84,981
|
||||||
Total
liabilities
|
75,556
|
136,579
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies (Note 14)
|
||||||||
Shareholders’
equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.0001 par, 5,882 shares authorized, no shares
outstanding
|
-
|
-
|
||||||
Common
stock, no par value, 200,000 shares authorized, 77,920 shares issued and
77,761 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2008; 51,208 shares issued
and 51,049 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2007
|
680,020
|
443,835
|
||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(424,764
|
)
|
(343,578
|
)
|
||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss)
|
549
|
(17
|
)
|
|||||
Treasury
stock, at cost; 159 shares as of September 30, 2008 and
2007
|
(2,083
|
)
|
(2,083
|
)
|
||||
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
253,722
|
98,157
|
||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
$
|
329,278
|
$
|
234,736
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006
(in
thousands)
Common
Stock
Shares
|
Common
Stock
Amount
|
Accumulated
Deficit
|
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive
Income
(Loss)
|
Treasury
Stock
|
Total
Shareholders’
Equity
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at October 1, 2005
|
48,003 | $ | 416,274 | $ | (339,779 | ) | $ | - | $ | (932 | ) | $ | 75,563 | |||||||||||
Net
income (and comprehensive income)
|
54,923 | 54,923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
4,994 | 4,994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
option exercises
|
1,655 | 6,326 | 6,326 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
97 | 758 | 758 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock – ESPP
|
217 | 1,108 | 1,108 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for acquisition of:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Force,
Inc.
|
240 | 1,625 | 1,625 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Phasebridge,
Inc.
|
128 | 700 | 700 | |||||||||||||||||||||
K2
Optronics, Inc.
|
549 | 4,135 | 4,135 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
issued in lieu of royalties
|
53 | 418 | 418 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Treasury
stock
|
(139 | ) | (1,151 | ) | (1,151 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2006
|
50,803 | 436,338 | (284,856 | ) | - | (2,083 | ) | 149,399 | ||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
(58,722 | ) | (58,722 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Translation
adjustment
|
(17 | ) | (17 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
(58,722 | ) | (17 | ) | (58,739 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
5,939 | 5,939 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
option exercises
|
86 | 202 | 202 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
160 | 787 | 787 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Discount
on debt due to early redemption of convertible subordinated
notes
|
293 | 293 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Proceeds
from executives for profits received upon exercise of stock
options
|
276 | 276 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2007
|
51,049 | $ | 443,835 | $ | (343,578 | ) | $ | (17 | ) | $ | (2,083 | ) | $ | 98,157 | ||||||||||
Net
loss
|
(80,860 | ) | (80,860 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Translation
adjustment
|
566 | 566 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
- | - | (80,860 | ) | 566 | - | (80,294 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Cumulative
adjustment for the implementation of FIN 48
|
(326 | ) | (326 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
11,278 | 11,278 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
option exercises
|
1,659 | 7,047 | 7,047 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
178 | 1,282 | 1,282 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock - ESPP
|
121 | 679 | 679 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Proceeds
from Section 16 Officers
|
- | 31 | 31 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion
of subordinated convertible notes
|
12,187 | 85,429 | 85,429 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock in private placement transaction
|
8,000 | 93,647 | 93,647 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock in Opticomm acquisition
|
145 | 707 | 707 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock in Intel acquisitions
|
4,422 | 36,085 | 36,085 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2008
|
77,761 | $ | 680,020 | $ | (424,764 | ) | $ | 549 | $ | (2,083 | ) | $ | 253,722 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006
(in
thousands)
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
$
|
(80,860
|
)
|
$
|
(58,722
|
)
|
$
|
54,923
|
||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
11,278
|
5,939
|
4,727
|
|||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
(373
|
)
|
||||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
(9,511
|
)
|
||||||||
Gain
on sale of GELcore investment
|
-
|
-
|
(88,040
|
)
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
13,616
|
10,122
|
12,332
|
|||||||||
Loss
on disposal of property, plant and equipment
|
1,064
|
210
|
424
|
|||||||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
1,892
|
1,341
|
183
|
|||||||||
Inventory
write-downs
|
5,053
|
3,513
|
1,955
|
|||||||||
Accretion
of loss from convertible subordinated notes exchange offer
|
41
|
198
|
165
|
|||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
1,169
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Loss
from convertible subordinated notes exchange offer
|
-
|
-
|
1,078
|
|||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible subordinated notes
|
-
|
561
|
-
|
|||||||||
Equity
in net loss of unconsolidated affiliates
|
-
|
-
|
931
|
|||||||||
Gain
from sale of WWAT investment
|
(7,384
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
1,282
|
787
|
758
|
|||||||||
Reduction
of note receivable due for services received
|
520
|
521
|
521
|
|||||||||
Impairment
of goodwill and/or intellectual property
|
22,233
|
-
|
2,233
|
|||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
1,461
|
-
|
500
|
|||||||||
Forgiveness
of shareholders’ notes receivable
|
-
|
82
|
2,613
|
|||||||||
Total
non-cash adjustments
|
52,225
|
23,274
|
(69,504
|
)
|
||||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of
acquisitions:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(24,062
|
)
|
(10,408
|
)
|
(7,690
|
)
|
||||||
Related
party receivables
|
332
|
-
|
67
|
|||||||||
Inventory
|
(7,360
|
)
|
(8,760
|
)
|
(7,478
|
)
|
||||||
Prepaid
and other current assets
|
(2,646
|
)
|
358
|
(48
|
)
|
|||||||
Other
assets
|
(1,895
|
)
|
(631
|
)
|
(302
|
)
|
||||||
Accounts
payable
|
29,581
|
2,187
|
4,148
|
|||||||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
(7,257
|
)
|
6,320
|
1,248
|
||||||||
Total
change in operating assets and liabilities
|
(13,307
|
)
|
(10,934
|
)
|
(10,055
|
)
|
||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities of continuing operations
|
(41,942
|
)
|
(46,382
|
)
|
(24,636
|
)
|
||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities of discontinued
operations
|
-
|
-
|
(1,652
|
)
|
||||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(41,942
|
)
|
(46,382
|
)
|
(26,288
|
)
|
||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Cash
proceeds from sale of investment
|
13,080
|
-
|
100,000
|
|||||||||
Purchase
of plant and equipment
|
(17,238
|
)
|
(10,065
|
)
|
(7,311
|
)
|
||||||
Proceeds
from insurance recovery
|
1,189
|
362
|
-
|
|||||||||
Investments
in unconsolidated affiliates
|
(1,503
|
)
|
(13,891
|
)
|
-
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from employee notes receivable
|
-
|
121
|
-
|
|||||||||
Proceeds
from notes receivable
|
-
|
3,000
|
-
|
|||||||||
Proceeds
from associated company
|
-
|
-
|
500
|
|||||||||
Purchase
of businesses, net of cash acquired
|
(75,707
|
)
|
(4,097
|
)
|
610
|
|||||||
Purchase
of available-for-sale securities
|
(7,000
|
)
|
(26,000
|
)
|
(100,325
|
)
|
||||||
Sale
of available-for-sale securities
|
33,392
|
98,300
|
19,600
|
|||||||||
Funding
of restricted cash
|
(316
|
)
|
(800
|
)
|
(138
|
)
|
||||||
Proceeds
from disposals of property, plant and equipment
|
162
|
22
|
21
|
|||||||||
Investing
activities of discontinued operations
|
-
|
-
|
11,267
|
|||||||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
$
|
(53,941
|
)
|
$
|
46,952
|
$
|
24,224
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE
CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006
(in
thousands)
(Continued
from previous page)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Payments
on other long-term obligations
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(839
|
)
|
|||||
Payments
on capital lease obligations
|
(11
|
)
|
(44
|
)
|
-
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options
|
7,047
|
202
|
6,326
|
|||||||||
Proceeds
from employee stock purchase plan
|
679
|
-
|
1,108
|
|||||||||
Proceeds
from executives for profits received upon exercise of stock
options
|
31
|
276
|
-
|
|||||||||
Payments
of convertible debt obligation
|
-
|
(11,428
|
)
|
(1,350
|
)
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from private placement of common stock and warrants, Net of issuance
costs
|
93,647
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Convertible
debt/equity issuance costs
|
-
|
-
|
(114
|
)
|
||||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
101,393
|
(10,994
|
)
|
5,131
|
||||||||
Effect
of foreign currency
|
566
|
(17
|
)
|
-
|
||||||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
6,076
|
(10,441
|
)
|
3,067
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
12,151
|
22,592
|
19,525
|
|||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of year
|
$
|
18,227
|
$
|
12,151
|
$
|
22,592
|
||||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
||||||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for interest
|
$
|
3,314
|
$
|
4,836
|
$
|
4,428
|
||||||
NON-CASH
INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||||||
Acquisition
of property and equipment under capital leases
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
126
|
||||||
Common
stock issued in connection with Intel acquisition
|
$
|
36,085
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
6,460
|
||||||
Common
stock issued in connection with Opticomm acquisition
|
$
|
707
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Issuance
of common stock for conversion of convertible senior subordinated
notes
|
$
|
85,429
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Issuance
of common stock in lieu of royalties
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
418
|
||||||
Note
receivable received in connection with sale of discontinued
operations
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
3,000
|
||||||
Purchase
of property, plant and equipment on account
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
390
|
$
|
339
|
||||||
Manufacturing
equipment received in lieu of earn-out proceeds from disposition of
discontinued operations
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
2,012
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE Corporation and Subsidiaries
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
NOTE
1. Description of Business
EMCORE
Corporation and consolidated subsidiaries (the “Company” or “EMCORE”) designs,
manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based
products for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite and solar power markets. The
Company has two reporting segments: Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics. The Fiber Optics segment offers optical components,
subsystems and systems that enable the transmission of video, voice and data
over high-capacity fiber optic cables for high-speed data communications and
telecommunications networks, cable television (“CATV”) and fiber-to-the-premises
(“FTTP”) networks. The products enable information that is encoded on light
signals to be transmitted, routed (switched) and received in communication
networks. The Photovoltaics segment provides products for satellite
and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, the Company
offers high efficiency gallium arsenide (“GaAs”) solar cells, covered
interconnect cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For
terrestrial applications, the Company has adapted its high-efficiency GaAs solar
cells for use in concentrating photovoltaic (CPV)
systems. Furthermore, the Company has developed CPV systems for the
utility scale solar market. The Company believes its products provide
their customers with compelling cost and performance advantages over traditional
silicon-based solutions. These advantages include higher solar cell efficiency
allowing for greater conversion of light into electricity as well as a superior
ability to withstand extreme heat and radiation environments. These advantages
enable a reduction in a customer’s solar product footprint by providing more
power output with less solar cells, which is an enhanced benefit when our
product is used in CPV systems.
Liquidity
Matters
The
Company commenced operations in 1984 and as of September 30, 2008, the Company
had an accumulated deficit of $424.8 million. We incurred a net loss of $80.9
million in fiscal 2008, net loss of $58.7 million in fiscal 2007, and net income
of $54.9 million in fiscal 2006. Fiscal 2006 results included the
sale of our GELcore joint venture that resulted in a net gain, before tax, of
$88.0 million. Our operating results for future periods are subject
to numerous uncertainties and we cannot assure you that we will not continue to
experience net losses for the foreseeable future. Although our
revenue has grown in recent years, we may be unable to sustain such growth rates
if there are adverse changes in market or economic conditions. If we
are not able to increase revenue and/or reduce our costs, we may not be able to
achieve profitability.
At
September 30, 2008, cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities and
restricted cash totaled approximately $24.7 million. Historically, the Company
has consumed cash from operations. During
fiscal 2008, we consumed cash from operations of approximately $41.9 million,
with the rate of cash consumption declining in the third and fourth
quarters. Historically, we have addressed our liquidity
requirements through a series of cost reduction initiatives, capital markets
transactions and the sale of assets. As of September 30, 2008, we had
approximately $79.2 million in working capital. Although we expect
our operating performance to improve in future periods, we anticipate that the
recession in the United States and the slowdown of economic growth in the rest
of the world may create a more challenging business environment for us in the
near term.
These matters raise
substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going
concern.
Management
Actions and Plans
Recently,
we have revised the assumptions underlying our operating plans and recognized
that additional actions were needed to position our operations to minimize cash
usage. Accordingly, we undertook a number of initiatives aimed at
conserving or generating cash on an incremental basis through the end of 2009.
These initiatives included business realignment, structural cost and headcount
reductions, reduction of capital spending, a greater emphasis on managing our
working capital, and
certain asset sales. In December 2008, we announced an agreement to sell our
non-core equity interests for approximately $11.4 million in cash.
In
addition to these operational measures, we are actively pursuing a number of
capital raising initiatives including the sale of a minority ownership position
in the Company’s photovoltaics business as an initial step towards a potential
spin off of the business. In October 2008, we announced the closing of a $25
million secured credit facility with Bank of America and, in November 2008, the
Company sold $1.7 million of our auction rate securities at 100% par value with
the remaining $1.4 million in auction rate securities expected to be settled at
100% par value by June 2010.
These
initiatives are intended to conserve or generate cash in response to the
deterioration in the global economy so that we can preserve adequate liquidity
through December 2009. However, the full effect of many of these
actions will not be realized until later in 2009, even if they are successfully
implemented. We are committed to exploring all of the initiatives discussed
above and there is no assurance that capital markets conditions will improve
within that time frame. Our ability to continue as a going concern is
substantially dependent on the successful execution of many of the actions
referred to above within the timeline contemplated by our plans.
Conclusion
If cash
generated from operations and cash on hand are not sufficient to satisfy
EMCORE's liquidity requirements, EMCORE will seek to obtain additional equity or
debt financing. Due to the unpredictable nature of the capital
markets, additional funding may not be available when needed, or on terms
acceptable to EMCORE. If EMCORE is required to raise additional
financing and if adequate funds are not available or not available on acceptable
terms, our ability to continue to fund expansion, develop and enhance products
and services, or otherwise respond to competitive pressures may be severely
limited. Such a limitation could have a material adverse effect on EMCORE's
business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash
flow.
NOTE
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of
Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared
in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include EMCORE and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in
consolidation.
Use of Estimates. The
preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that 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 amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported
period. Management develops estimates based on historical experience and on
various assumptions about the future that are believed to be reasonable based on
the best information available. EMCORE’s reported financial position or results
of operations may be materially different under changed conditions or when using
different estimates and assumptions, particularly with respect to significant
accounting policies. In the event that estimates or assumptions prove
to differ from actual results, adjustments are made in subsequent periods to
reflect more current information.
Concentration of Credit
Risk. Financial instruments that may subject EMCORE to concentrations of
credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable
securities and accounts receivable. EMCORE’s cash and cash equivalents and
marketable securities are held in safekeeping by certain large creditworthy
financial institutions in excess of the $250,000 insured limit of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation. EMCORE has established guidelines relative to
credit ratings, diversification and maturities that seek to maintain safety and
liquidity. From time to time, EMCORE performs credit evaluations of its
customers' financial condition and occasionally requests deposits or letters of
credit in advance of shipping to its customers. These evaluations require
significant judgment and are based on a variety of factors including, but not
limited to, current economic trends, historical payment patterns, bad debt
write-off experience, and financial review of the customer.
Cash and Cash
Equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of highly liquid
short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the
time of purchase.
Restricted Cash.
Restricted cash represents interest-bearing investments in bank certificates of
deposit and money market funds which act as collateral supporting the issuance
of letters of credit and performance bonds for the benefit of third
parties.
Available-for-Sale
Securities. Investments in securities with remaining
maturities in excess of three months, which are held for purposes of funding our
current operations, are classified as available for sale and reported at fair
value in accordance with Statement of Financial Standard No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments
in Debt and Equity Securities (“SFAS 115”). The investments
consist of auction rate securities, which have interest rates that reset
generally every 7 to 35 days, and equity securities.
Valuation of Accounts
Receivable. The Company regularly evaluates the collectibility of its
accounts receivable and accordingly maintains allowances for doubtful accounts
for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to meet their
financial obligations to us. The allowance is based on the age of receivables
and a specific identification of receivables considered at risk. The Company
classifies charges associated with the allowance for doubtful accounts as
SG&A expense. If the financial condition of our customers were to
deteriorate impacting their ability to pay us, additional allowances may be
required.
Valuation of
Inventory. Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost
being determined using the standard cost method. The Company reserves against
inventory once it has been determined that: (i) conditions exist that may not
allow the inventory to be sold for its intended purpose, (ii) the inventory’s
value is determined to be less than cost, or (iii) the inventory is determined
to be obsolete. The charge related to inventory reserves is recorded as a cost
of revenue. The majority of the inventory write-downs are related to estimated
allowances for inventory whose carrying value is in excess of net realizable
value and on excess raw material components resulting from finished product
obsolescence. In most cases where the Company sells previously written down
inventory, it is typically sold as a component part of a finished product. The
finished product is sold at market price at the time resulting in higher average
gross margin on such revenue. The Company does not track the selling price of
individual raw material components that have been previously written down or
written off, since such raw material components usually are only a portion of
the resultant finished products and related sales price. The Company evaluates
inventory levels at least quarterly against sales forecasts on a significant
part-by-part basis, in addition to determining its overall inventory risk.
Reserves are adjusted to reflect inventory values in excess of forecasted sales,
as well as overall inventory risk assessed by management. We have incurred, and
may in the future incur, charges to write-down our inventory. While we believe,
based on current information, that the amount recorded for inventory is properly
reflected on our balance sheet, if market conditions are less favorable than our
forecasts, our future sales mix differs from our forecasted sales mix, or actual
demand from our customers is lower than our estimates, we may be required to
record additional inventory write-downs.
Property, Plant, and
Equipment. Property, plant, and equipment are recorded at cost and
depreciated on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives
of the assets:
Estimated
Useful
Life
|
|
Buildings
|
40 years
|
Leasehold
Improvements
|
5 -
7 years
|
Machinery
and equipment
|
5 years
|
Furniture
and fixtures
|
5 years
|
Leasehold
improvements are amortized over the lesser of the asset life or the life of the
related lease. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense
as incurred. The costs for major renewals and improvements are capitalized and
depreciated over their estimated useful lives. The cost and related accumulated
depreciation of the assets are removed from the accounts upon disposition and
any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of
operations.
Valuation of
Goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an
acquired business or assets over the fair value of the identifiable assets
acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company evaluates its goodwill for
impairment on an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Management has elected
December 31 as its annual assessment date. Circumstances that could
trigger an impairment test include but are not limited to: a significant adverse
change in the business climate or legal factors; an adverse action or assessment
by a regulator; unanticipated competition; loss of key personnel; the likelihood
that a reporting unit or significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or
otherwise disposed; results of testing for recoverability of a significant asset
group within a reporting unit; and recognition of a goodwill impairment loss in
the financial statements of a subsidiary that is a component of a reporting
unit. The determination as to whether a write-down of goodwill is necessary
involves significant judgment based on the short-term and long-term projections
of the future performance of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is
attributed. The Company has determined it has four operating
units. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, we tested for impairment of
our goodwill and based on that analysis, we determined that the carrying amount
of the reporting units did not exceed their fair value, and therefore, no
impairment was recognized for any period presented in the consolidated financial
statements. As of September 30, 2008, due to the recent decline in
the Company’s stock price and economic downturn, we tested again for impairment
of our goodwill. Based on
that analysis, we determined that an impairment of $22.0 million should be
recognized for the period ended September 30, 2008. Subsequent to our
fiscal year-end, we’ve experienced further price decline in our common
stock. Accordingly, an impairment test will be performed on our
annual schedule and further impairment is likely to
result.
Valuation of Long-lived
Assets and Other Intangible Assets. Long-lived assets consist
primarily of our property, plant, and equipment. Other intangible
assets consist primarily of intellectual property that has been internally
developed or purchased. Purchased intangible assets include existing
and core technology, trademarks and trade names, and customer
contracts. Intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line
method over estimated useful lives ranging from one to fifteen
years. Because all of intangible assets are subject to amortization,
the Company reviews these intangible assets for impairment in accordance with
the provisions of FASB Statement No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment of
Long-Lived Assets and Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed
Of. The Company reviews long-lived assets and other intangible
assets for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. A
long-lived asset or other intangible asset is considered impaired when its
anticipated undiscounted cash flow is less than its carrying value. In making
this determination, the Company uses certain assumptions, including, but not
limited to: (a) estimates of the fair market value of these assets; and (b)
estimates of future cash flows expected to be generated by these assets, which
are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, length of service
that assets will be used in our operations, and estimated salvage values. As of
September 30, 2008, due to the recent decline in the Company’s stock price and
economic downturn, we tested for impairment of our long-lived assets and other
intangible assets and based on that analysis, we determined that no impairment
was recognized for any period presented in the consolidated financial
statements.
Investments. EMCORE
accounts for its investments in common stock over which it has the ability to
exercise significant influence, using the equity method of accounting. EMCORE
accounts for similar investments that do not permit the Company to exercise
significant influence over the entity in which EMCORE is investing by using
the cost method of accounting. The recorded amounts generally represent the
Company’s cost of the investment less any adjustments made when it is determined
that an investment’s carrying value is other-than-temporarily impaired. EMCORE
periodically reviews these investments for impairment. In the event the carrying
value of an investment exceeds its fair value and the decline in fair value is
determined to be other-than-temporary, EMCORE writes down the value of the
investment to its fair value.
Fair Value of Financial
Instruments. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents,
marketable securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses
and other current liabilities approximate fair value because of the short
maturity of these instruments. The carrying amount of investments approximates
fair market value. Fair value for investments in privately-held companies is
estimated based upon one or more of the following: assessment of historical and
forecasted financial condition; operating results and cash flows, valuation
estimates based on recent rounds of financing, and/or quoted market prices of
comparable public companies.
Revenue Recognition.
Revenue is recognized upon shipment provided persuasive evidence of a contract
exists, (such as when a purchase order or contract is received from a customer),
the price is fixed, the product meets its specifications, title and ownership
have transferred to the customer, and there is reasonable assurance of
collection of the sales proceeds. In those few instances where a given sale
involves post shipment obligations, formal customer acceptance documents, or
subjective rights of return, revenue is not recognized until all post-shipment
conditions have been satisfied and there is reasonable assurance of collection
of the sales proceeds. The majority of our products have shipping terms that are
free on board (“FOB”) or free carrier alongside (“FCA”) shipping point, which
means that the Company fulfills its delivery obligation when the goods are
handed over to the freight carrier at our shipping dock. This means the buyer
bears all costs and risks of loss or damage to the goods from that point. In
certain cases, the Company ships its products cost insurance and freight
(“CIF”). Under this arrangement, revenue is recognized under FCA shipping point
terms, but the Company pays (and bills the customer) for the cost of shipping
and insurance to the customer's designated location. The Company accounts for
shipping and related transportation costs by recording the charges that are
invoiced to customers as revenue, with the corresponding cost recorded as cost
of revenue. In those instances where inventory is maintained at a consigned
location, revenue is recognized only when our customer pulls product for its use
and title and ownership have transferred to the customer. Revenue from time and
material contracts is recognized at the contractual rates as labor hours and
direct expenses are incurred. The Company also generates service
revenue from hardware repairs and calibrations that is recognized as revenue
upon completion of the service. Any cost of warranties and remaining
obligations that are inconsequential or perfunctory are accrued when the
corresponding revenue is recognized.
Distributors - The Company
uses a number of distributors around the world. In accordance with Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, the
Company recognizes revenue upon shipment of product to these distributors. Title
and risk of loss pass to the distributors upon shipment, and our distributors
are contractually obligated to pay the Company on standard commercial terms,
just like our other direct customers. The Company does not sell to
its distributors on consignment and, except in the event of product
discontinuance, does not give distributors a right of return.
Solar Panel and Solar Power Systems
Contracts - The Company records revenues from certain solar
panel and solar power systems contracts using the
percentage-of-completion method in accordance with AICPA Statement of Position
81-1 ("SOP 81-1"), Accounting
for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type
Contracts. Revenue is recognized in proportion to actual costs incurred
compared to total anticipated costs expected to be incurred for each contract.
If estimates of costs to complete long-term contracts indicate a loss, a
provision is made for the total loss anticipated. The Company has numerous
contracts that are in various stages of completion. Such contracts require
estimates to determine the appropriate cost and revenue recognition. The Company
uses all available information in determining dependable estimates of the extent
of progress towards completion, contract revenues, and contract costs. Estimates
are revised as additional information becomes available. Due to
the fact that the Company accounts for these contracts under the
percentage-of-completion method, unbilled accounts receivable represent revenue
recognized but not yet billed pursuant to contract terms or accounts billed
after the period end.
Government R&D Contracts
- - R&D contract revenue represents reimbursement by various U.S. Government
entities, or their contractors, to aid in the development of new technology. The
applicable contracts generally provide that the Company may elect to retain
ownership of inventions made in performing the work, subject to a non-exclusive
license retained by the U.S. Government to practice the inventions for
governmental purposes. The R&D contract funding may be based on a cost-plus,
cost reimbursement, or a firm fixed price arrangement. The amount of funding
under each R&D contract is determined based on cost estimates that include
both direct and indirect costs. Cost-plus funding is determined based on actual
costs plus a set margin. As we incur costs under cost reimbursement type
contracts, we record revenue. Contract costs include material, labor, special
tooling and test equipment, subcontracting costs, as well as an allocation of
indirect costs. An R&D contract is considered complete when all significant
costs have been incurred, milestones have been reached, and any reporting
obligations to the customer have been met. Government contract
revenue is primarily recognized as service revenue.
The
Company also has certain cost-sharing R&D arrangements. Under
such arrangements in which the actual costs of performance are divided between
the U.S. Government and the Company on a best efforts basis, no revenue is
recorded and the Company’s R&D expense is reduced for the amount of the
cost-sharing receipts.
The U.S.
Government may terminate any of our government contracts at their convenience as
well as for default based on our failure to meet specified performance
measurements. If any of our government contracts were to be terminated for
convenience, we generally would be entitled to receive payment for work
completed and allowable termination or cancellation costs. If any of our
government contracts were to be terminated for default, generally the U.S.
Government would pay only for the work that has been accepted and can require us
to pay the difference between the original contract price and the cost to
re-procure the contract items, net of the work accepted from the original
contract. The U.S. Government can also hold us liable for damages resulting from
the default.
Product Warranty
Reserves. EMCORE provides its customers with limited rights of return for
non-conforming shipments and warranty claims for certain products. In accordance
with SFAS 5, Accounting for
Contingencies, EMCORE makes estimates of product warranty expense using
historical experience rates as a percentage of revenue and accrues estimated
warranty expense as a cost of revenue. We estimate the costs of our
warranty obligations based on our historical experience of known product failure
rates, use of materials to repair or replace defective products and service
delivery costs incurred in correcting product issues. In addition, from time to
time, specific warranty accruals may be made if unforeseen technical problems
arise. Should our actual experience relative to these factors differ from our
estimates, we may be required to record additional warranty reserves.
Alternatively, if we provide more reserves than we need, we may reverse a
portion of such provisions in future periods.
Research and
Development. Research and development costs are charged as an expense as
they are incurred.
Income Taxes.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax
consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and
liabilities and their reported amounts. Management provides valuation
allowances against the deferred tax asset for amounts which are considered “more
likely than not” to be realized. See Note 15, Income Taxes.
Comprehensive Income
(Loss). SFAS 130, Reporting Comprehensive
Income, establishes standards for reporting and display of comprehensive
income and its components in financial statements. It requires that all items
that are required to be recognized under accounting standards as components of
comprehensive income be reported in the financial statement that is displayed
with the same prominence as other financial statements. Comprehensive income
(loss) consists of net earnings and foreign currency translation adjustments and
is presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of shareholders'
equity.
Earnings Per Share.
Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) are calculated by dividing net earnings
applicable to common stock by the weighted average number of common stock shares
outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential
dilution that could occur if EMCORE’s outstanding stock options were exercised.
The effect of outstanding common stock purchase options and warrants and the
convertible subordinated notes has been excluded from the diluted earnings per
share calculation if the effect of such securities is
anti-dilutive. The following table reconciles the numerators and
denominators used in the computations of both basic and diluted
EPS:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Numerator:
|
||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(80,860
|
)
|
$
|
(58,722
|
)
|
$
|
45,039
|
||||
Denominator:
|
||||||||||||
Basic
EPS:
|
||||||||||||
Weighted
average common shares outstanding
|
67,568
|
51,001
|
49,687
|
|||||||||
Basic
EPS for (loss) income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.91
|
||||
Diluted
EPS:
|
||||||||||||
Weighted
average common shares outstanding
|
67,568
|
51,001
|
49,687
|
|||||||||
Stock
options
|
-
|
-
|
2,332
|
|||||||||
67,568
|
51,001
|
52,019
|
||||||||||
Diluted
EPS for (loss) income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(1.20
|
)
|
$
|
(1.15
|
)
|
$
|
0.87
|
For the
periods ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively, 2,255,527 and 5,697,766
common shares representing options were excluded from the diluted earnings per
share calculations. These options, along with the Company’s convertible
subordinated notes, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per
share in the periods ended September 30, 2008 and 2007 as the Company incurred a
net loss for the periods and any effect would have been
anti-dilutive. For the period ended September 30, 2006, 2,331,715
common shares representing options were excluded from the diluted earnings per
share calculations. There was no dilutive effect from these shares or
the shares related to our convertible subordinated notes of 12,016,930 at
September 30, 2006 because the average market price of our common stock during
that period did not exceed the conversion price.
Stock-Based
Compensation. The Company uses the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model and the straight-line attribution approach to determine the
fair-value of stock-based awards under SFAS 123(R), Share-Based Payment (revised
2004). The Company elected to use the modified prospective transition
method as permitted by SFAS 123(R) and accordingly prior periods were not
restated to reflect the impact of SFAS 123(R). The modified prospective
transition method requires that stock-based compensation expense be recorded for
all new and unvested stock options and employee stock purchase plan shares that
are ultimately expected to vest as the requisite service is rendered beginning
on October 1, 2005, the first day of the Company’s fiscal year
2006. The option-pricing model requires the input of highly
subjective assumptions, including the option’s expected life and the price
volatility of the underlying stock. The Company’s expected term represents the
period that stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and is determined
based on historical experience of similar awards, giving consideration to the
contractual terms of the stock-based awards, vesting schedules and expectations
of future employee behavior as influenced by changes to the terms of its
stock-based awards. The expected stock price volatility is based on EMCORE’s
historical stock prices. See Note 4, Equity, of the Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements for further details.
NOTE
3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
SFAS 141(R) - In
December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (“SFAS”) 141(R), Business Combinations. This
statement replaces SFAS 141, Business Combinations, and
requires an acquirer to recognize the assets acquired, the liabilities assumed,
including those arising from contractual contingencies, any contingent
consideration, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree at the
acquisition date, measured at their fair values as of that date, with limited
exceptions specified in the statement. SFAS 141(R) also requires the acquirer in
a business combination achieved in stages (sometimes referred to as a step
acquisition) to recognize the identifiable assets and liabilities, as well as
the noncontrolling interest in the acquiree, at the full amounts of their fair
values (or other amounts determined in accordance with SFAS 141(R)). In
addition, SFAS 141(R)'s requirement to measure the noncontrolling interest in
the acquiree at fair value will result in recognizing the goodwill attributable
to the noncontrolling interest in addition to that attributable to the acquirer.
SFAS 141(R) amends SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes,
to require the acquirer to recognize changes in the amount of its deferred tax
benefits that are recognizable because of a business combination either in
income from continuing operations in the period of the combination or directly
in contributed capital, depending on the circumstances. It also amends SFAS 142,
Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets, to, among other things, provide guidance on the impairment
testing of acquired research and development intangible assets and assets that
the acquirer intends not to use. SFAS 141(R) applies prospectively to business
combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the
first annual reporting period beginning on or after December 15, 2008.
Management is currently assessing the potential impact that the adoption of SFAS
141(R) in fiscal 2010 could have on the Company’s financial
statements.
SFAS 157 - In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS 157, Fair Value Measurements,
which defines fair value, providing a framework for measuring fair value,
and expands the disclosures required for fair value measurements. SFAS 157
applies to other accounting pronouncements that require fair value measurements;
it does not require any new fair value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for
fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. In February
2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) finalized FASB Staff
Position (“FSP”) No. 157-2. This FSP delays the effective date of SFAS No. 157
for nonfinancial assets and liabilities to fiscal years beginning after
November 15, 2008 and interim periods within those fiscal years, except for
those items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial
statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). Management is currently
assessing the potential impact that the adoption of SFAS 157 in fiscal 2009
could have on the Company’s financial statements. In October 2008,
the FASB issued FSP SFAS No. 157-3, “Determining the Fair Value
of a Financial Asset When The Market for That Asset Is Not Active”
(FSP 157-3), to clarify the application of the provisions of SFAS 157
in an inactive market and how an entity would determine fair value in an
inactive market. FSP 157-3 is effective immediately and applies to our financial
statements on September 30, 2008. The application of the provisions of
FSP 157-3 did not materially affect our results of operations or financial
condition.
SFAS 159 - In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an Amendment of FASB Statement No.
115. The fair value option permits entities to choose to measure eligible
financial instruments at fair value at specified election dates. The entity will
report unrealized gains and losses on the items on which it has elected the fair
value option in earnings. SFAS 159 is effective for fiscal years beginning after
November 15, 2007 and is required to be adopted by the Company on October 1,
2008. Management has
elected to not apply the fair value option and does not believe the
adoption of SFAS 159 will have a material impact on the Company’s financial
statements.
SFAS 160 - In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 160, Noncontrolling Interests in
Consolidated Financial Statements. SFAS 160 amends Accounting Research
Bulletin 51, Consolidated
Financial Statements, to establish accounting and reporting standards for
the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. It also clarifies that a noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary is
an ownership interest in the consolidated entity that should be reported as
equity in the consolidated financial statements. SFAS 160 also changes the way
the consolidated income statement is presented by requiring consolidated net
income to be reported at amounts that include the amounts attributable to both
the parent and the noncontrolling interest. It also requires disclosure, on the
face of the consolidated statement of income, of the amounts of consolidated net
income attributable to the parent and to the noncontrolling interest. SFAS 160
requires that a parent recognize a gain or loss in net income when a subsidiary
is deconsolidated and requires expanded disclosures in the consolidated
financial statements that clearly identify and distinguish between the interests
of the parent owners and the interests of the noncontrolling owners of a
subsidiary. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal periods, and interim periods within
those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15, 2008. Management is
currently assessing the potential impact that the adoption of SFAS 160 in
calendar 2009 could have on our financial statements.
SFAS 161 - In
March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities an amendment of FASB Statement
No. 133. SFAS 161 changes the disclosure requirements for derivative
instruments and hedging activities. Entities are required to provide enhanced
disclosures about (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments,
(b) how derivative instruments and related hedge items are accounted for
under Statement 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities, and its related interpretations, and
(c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s
financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. SFAS 161 is intended
to enhance the current disclosure framework in SFAS 133 and requires qualitative
disclosures about objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative
disclosures about fair value amounts of gains and losses on derivative
instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk related contingent features in
derivative agreements. The provisions of SFAS 161 are effective for financial
statements issued for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after
November 15, 2008, with early application encouraged. Management is
currently assessing the potential impact that the adoption of SFAS 161 in
calendar 2009 could have on our financial statements.
FSP 142-3 - In April
2008, the FASB issued FSP No. 142-3, Determination of the Useful Life of
Intangible Assets. FSP 142-3 amends the factors an entity
should consider in developing renewal or extension assumptions used in
determining the useful life of recognized intangible assets under FASB Statement
No. 142, Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets and the period of expected cash flows used to measure
the fair value of under FASB Statement No. 141, Business
Combinations. FSP 142-3 is effective for the Company beginning
January 1, 2009. Management is currently assessing the potential
impact that the adoption of FSP 142-3 in calendar 2009 could have on our
financial statements.
FSP APB
14-1 - In May 2008, the FASB issued FSP APB 14-1, Accounting for
Convertible Debt Instruments That May Be Settled in Cash upon Conversion
(Including Partial Cash Settlement) (FSP APB 14-1). FSP APB 14-1 requires
the proceeds from the issuance of such convertible debt instruments to be
allocated between a liability component (issued at a discount) and an equity
component. The resulting debt discount is amortized over the period the
convertible debt is expected to be outstanding as additional non-cash interest
expense. The change in accounting treatment is effective for the Company
beginning in fiscal 2010, and will be applied retrospectively to prior periods.
Management is currently assessing that the adoption of FSP APB 14-1 in fiscal
2010 could have on the Company’s financial
statements.
NOTE 4. Equity
Stock
Options
EMCORE has stock option plans
to provide long-term incentives to eligible officers, directors and employees in
the form of stock options. Most of the stock options vest and become
exercisable over four to five years and have a contractual life of ten years.
EMCORE maintains two stock option plans: the 2000 Incentive Stock Option Plan
(“2000 Plan”), and the 1995 Incentive and Non-Statutory Stock Option Plan (“1995
Plan” and, together with the 2000 Plan, the “Option Plans”). The 1995 Plan
authorizes the grant of options to purchase up to 2,744,118 shares of EMCORE's
common stock. The 2000 Plan authorizes the grant of options to purchase up to
9,350,000 shares of EMCORE's common stock. As of September 30, 2008, no options
were available for issuance under the 1995 Plan and 287,003 options were
available for issuance under the 2000 Plan. Certain options under the Option
Plans are intended to qualify as incentive stock options pursuant to Section
422A of the Internal Revenue Code. EMCORE issues new shares of
common stock to satisfy the issuance of shares under this stock-based
compensation plan.
The following table
summarizes the activity under the Option Plans:
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
(in
years)
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
as of October 1, 2005
|
6,166,226
|
$
|
4.16
|
|||||||||
Granted
|
2,184,407
|
7.79
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(1,654,535
|
)
|
3.82
|
|||||||||
Cancelled
|
(463,563
|
)
|
4.57
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
as of September 30, 2006
|
6,232,535
|
$
|
5.49
|
|||||||||
Granted
|
1,340,200
|
6.24
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(86,484
|
)
|
2.33
|
|||||||||
Forfeited
|
(285,000
|
)
|
11.40
|
|||||||||
Cancelled
|
(1,503,485
|
)
|
9.78
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
as of September 30, 2007
|
5,697,766
|
$
|
5.46
|
|||||||||
Granted
|
4,695,250
|
7.40
|
||||||||||
Tolled
|
658,989
|
5.19
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(1,658,723
|
)
|
4.25
|
|||||||||
Forfeited
|
(406,898
|
)
|
6.94
|
|||||||||
Cancelled
|
(56,931
|
)
|
14.01
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
as of September 30, 2008
|
8,929,453
|
$
|
6.57
|
8.22
|
||||||||
Exercisable
as of September 30, 2008
|
2,765,276
|
$
|
5.22
|
6.12
|
||||||||
Expected
to vest after September 30, 2008
|
6,449,371
|
$
|
6.36
|
7.89
|
As of
September 30, 2008 there was approximately $18.0 million of total unrecognized
compensation expense related to non-vested stock-based compensation arrangements
granted under the Option Plans. This expense is expected to be recognized over
an estimated weighted average life of 3.41 years. The total intrinsic value of
options exercised during fiscal 2008, 2007, and 2006 was $11.6 million, $0.3
million, and $8.0 million, respectively. Intrinsic value for stock
options is the in-the-money portion of the stock option's
premium. The aggregate intrinsic value of fully vested and expected
to vest share options as of September 30, 2008 was $3.5 million. The
aggregate intrinsic value of exercisable stock options as of September 30, 2008
was $3.3 million.
Number of Stock Options
Outstanding
|
Options Exercisable
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise Price of Stock
Options
|
Number Outstanding
|
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life
(years)
|
Weighted- Average Exercise
Price
|
Number Exercisable
|
Weighted- Average Exercise
Price
|
||||||||||||||||
>=$1.00
to <$5.00
|
2,212,084 | 6.39 | $ | 3.23 | 1,533,465 | $ | 2.82 | ||||||||||||||
>=$5.00
to <$10.00
|
6,566,299 | 8.91 | $ | 7.45 | 1,142,431 | $ | 7.22 | ||||||||||||||
>$10.00 | 151,070 | 4.89 | $ | 17.08 | 89,380 | $ | 20.91 | ||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
8,929,453 | 8.22 | $ | 6.57 | 2,765,276 | $ | 5.22 |
Stock-based
compensation expense is measured at grant date, based on the fair value of the
award, over the requisite service period. As required by SFAS
123(R), Share-Based Payment
(revised 2004), management has made an estimate of expected forfeitures
and is recognizing compensation expense only for those equity awards expected to
vest. The effect of recording stock-based compensation expense during 2008 and
2007 was as follows:
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense by award type:
|
||||||||
Employee
stock options
|
$ | 6,455 | $ | 5,939 | ||||
Employee
stock purchase plan
|
507 | - | ||||||
Former
employee stock options tolled
|
4,316 | - | ||||||
Total
stock-based compensation expense
|
$ | 11,278 | $ | 5,939 | ||||
Net
effect on net loss per basic and diluted share
|
$ | (0.17 | ) | $ | (0.12 | ) |
Former Employee Stock
Options Tolled
Under the
terms of stock option agreements issued under the 2000 Plan, terminated
employees who have vested and exercisable stock options have 90 days subsequent
to the date of their termination to exercise their stock options. In November
2006, the Company announced that it was suspending its reliance on previously
issued financial statements, which in turn caused the Company’s Form S-8
registration statements for shares of common stock issuable under the Option
Plans not to be available. Therefore, terminated employees were precluded from
exercising their stock options during the remaining contractual term (the
“Blackout Period”). To address this issue, the Company’s Board of
Directors agreed in April 2007 to approve a stock option grant “modification”
for these individuals by extending the normal 90-day exercise period after the
termination date to a date after which the Company became compliant with its SEC
filings and the registration of the stock option shares was once again
effective. The Company communicated the terms of the tolling
agreement with its terminated employees in November 2007. The
Company’s Board of Directors approved an extension of the stock option
expiration date equal to the number of calendar days during the Blackout Period
before such stock option would have otherwise expired (the “Tolling
Period”). Former employees were able to exercise their vested
stock options beginning on the first day after the lifting of the Blackout
Period for a period equal to the Tolling Period. Approximately 50
individuals were impacted by this modification. The Company accounted
for the modification of stock options issued to terminated employees as
additional compensation expense in accordance with SFAS 123(R) in the first
quarter of fiscal 2008 and adjusted the stock options to market value in the
first quarter of 2008 and recognized income on expired options in the quarters
ended December 31, 2007 and March 31, 2008. All tolled options
were either exercised or expired by January 29, 2008.
Valuation
Assumptions
The fair
value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option valuation model and the straight-line attribution approach
using the following weighted-average assumptions. The
weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted during fiscal
2008, 2007, and 2006 was $5.02, $4.87, and $6.22, respectively.
Black-Scholes
Weighted-Average Assumptions
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Expected
dividend yield
|
0.0
|
%
|
0.0
|
%
|
0.0
|
%
|
||||||
Expected
stock price volatility
|
71.0
|
%
|
94.0
|
%
|
97.0
|
%
|
||||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
3.1
|
%
|
4.5
|
%
|
4.7
|
%
|
||||||
Expected
term (in years)
|
5.0
|
6.0
|
6.1
|
|||||||||
Estimated
pre-vesting forfeitures
|
17.4
|
%
|
24.9
|
%
|
18.7
|
%
|
Expected Dividend
Yield: The Black-Scholes valuation model calls for a single
expected dividend yield as an input. EMCORE has not issued any
dividends.
Expected Stock Price
Volatility: The fair values of stock-based payments were
valued using the Black-Scholes valuation method with a volatility factor based
on EMCORE’s historical stock prices.
Risk-Free Interest
Rate: EMCORE bases the risk-free interest rate used in the
Black-Scholes valuation method on the implied yield that was currently available
on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term. Where the
expected term of EMCORE’s stock-based awards do not correspond with the terms
for which interest rates are quoted, EMCORE performed a straight-line
interpolation to determine the rate from the available maturities.
Expected Term: Expected term
represents the period that EMCORE’s stock-based awards are expected to be
outstanding and was determined based on historical experience of similar awards,
giving consideration to the contractual terms of the stock-based awards, vesting
schedules and expectations of future employee behavior as influenced by changes
to the terms of its stock-based awards.
Estimated Pre-vesting Forfeitures:
When estimating forfeitures, EMCORE considers voluntary termination
behavior as well as workforce reduction programs.
Preferred
Stock
EMCORE’s
certificate of incorporation authorizes the Board of Directors to issue up to
5,882,352 shares of preferred stock of EMCORE upon such terms and conditions
having such rights, privileges, and preferences as the Board of Directors may
determine. As of September 30, 2008 and 2007, there is no preferred
stock outstanding.
Warrants
As of
September 30, 2008, EMCORE had 1,400,003 outstanding warrants from the private
placement of common stock and warrants in February 2008 exercisable immediately
at $15.06 per share of common stock. As of September 30, 2007, EMCORE
did not have any outstanding warrants.
Employee Stock Purchase
Plan
In fiscal
2000, EMCORE adopted an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). The ESPP provides
employees of EMCORE an opportunity to purchase common stock through payroll
deductions. The ESPP is a 6-month duration plan with new participation periods
beginning the first business day of January and July of each year. The purchase
price is set at 85% of the average high and low market price for EMCORE's common
stock on either the first or last day of the participation period, whichever is
lower, and contributions are limited to the lower of 10% of an employee's
compensation or $25,000. In November 2006 through December 2007, the Company
suspended the ESPP due to its review of historical stock option granting
practices. The Company reinstated the ESPP on January 1,
2008. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance
under the ESPP is 2,000,000 shares. EMCORE issues new shares of common stock to
satisfy the issuance of shares under this stock-based compensation
plan.
The amount
of shares issued for the ESPP are as follows:
Number
of Common Stock Shares Issued
|
Purchase
Price per Common Stock Share
|
|||||||
Amount
of shares reserved for the ESPP
|
2,000,000
|
|||||||
Number
of shares issued in calendar years 2000 through 2003
|
(398,159
|
)
|
$ |
1.87
- $40.93
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in June 2004 for first half of calendar year
2004
|
(166,507
|
)
|
$ |
2.73
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in December 2004 for second half of calendar year
2004
|
(167,546
|
)
|
$ |
2.95
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in June 2006 for first half of calendar year
2006
|
(174,169
|
)
|
$ |
2.93
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in December 2006 for second half of calendar year
2006
|
(93,619
|
)
|
$ |
3.48
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in June 2007 for first half of calendar year
2007
|
(123,857
|
)
|
$ |
6.32
|
||||
Number
of shares issued in June 2008 for first half of calendar year
2008
|
(120,791
|
)
|
$ |
5.62
|
||||
Remaining
shares reserved for the ESPP as of September 30, 2008
|
755,352
|
Future
Issuances
As
of September 30, 2008, EMCORE has reserved a total of 12,671,811 shares of
its common stock for future issuances as follows:
Number
of Common Stock Shares Available
|
||||
For
exercise of outstanding common stock options
|
8,929,453
|
|||
For
future issuances to employees under the ESPP plan
|
755,352
|
|||
For
future common stock option awards
|
287,003
|
|||
For
future exercise of warrants
|
1,400,003
|
|||
For
future issuance in relation to the acquisition of Intel’s Optical Platform
Division (See Note 5 - Acquisitions)
|
1,300,000
|
|||
Total
reserved
|
12,671,811
|
Private Placement of Common
Stock and Warrants
On
February 20, 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100.0 million of
restricted common stock and warrants through a private placement transaction to
fund the Intel Acquisitions. In this transaction, investors purchased
8 million shares of our common stock, no par value, and warrants to purchase an
additional 1.4 million shares of our common stock. The purchase price
was $12.50 per share, priced at the 20-day volume-weighted average
price. The warrants grant the holder the right to purchase one share
of our common stock at a price of $15.06 per share, representing a 20.48%
premium over the purchase price. The warrants are immediately
exercisable and remain exercisable until February 20, 2013. In
addition, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with the
investors to register for resale the shares of common stock issued in this
transaction and the shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of the
warrants. Beginning two years after their issuance, the warrants may
be called by the Company for a price of $0.01 per underlying share if the
closing price of its common stock has exceeded 150% of the exercise price for at
least 20 trading days within a period of any 30 consecutive trading days and
other certain conditions are met. Total agent fees incurred were
5.75% of the gross proceeds, or $5.8 million. The Company used a
substantial portion of the net proceeds to acquire the telecom-related assets of
Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division. See Note 5 –
Acquisitions.
In the
registration rights agreement, the Company agreed to pay liquidated damages in
the event that it did not file a registration statement with the SEC with
respect to the registrable securities, or if the registration statement was not
declared effective, within certain deadlines. The Company filed the
registration statement, and it was declared effective within the deadlines
specified in the registration rights agreement. The Company
further agreed to pay liquidated damages if sales of the registrable securities
included in the registration statement are unable to be made or, if after a
period of six months following the closing, the Company does not file with the
SEC the reports required to be filed pursuant to Rule 144(c)(1) under the
Securities Act and, as a result, holders are unable to sell their registrable
securities. In such events, the Company agreed to pay as liquidated
damages to each holder of registrable securities an amount in cash equal to one
percent (1.0%) of the aggregate purchase price of such holder’s registrable
securities included in such registration statement on the day that such a
failure first occurs and on every thirtieth day thereafter until such failure is
cured. Liquidated damages shall be paid on the earlier of (i) the
last day of the calendar month during which such damages are incurred and (ii)
the third business day after the event or failure giving rise to the damages is
cured. In the event the Company fails to make such payments in a
timely manner, such liquidated damages shall bear simple interest at the rate of
four percent (4.0%) per month until paid in full. In no event shall
the aggregate amount of liquidated damages exceed, in the aggregate, ten percent
(10.0%) of the aggregate purchase price of the common stock sold in the private
placement.
The
Company accounted for the various components of the private placement
transaction using the provisions of EITF Issue No. 00-19, Accounting for Derivative Financial
instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in a Company’s Own Stock;
and FASB Staff Position EITF 00-19-2, Accounting for Registration Payment
Arrangements. Warrants issued to the investors were accounted for as an
equity transaction with a value of $9.8 million recorded to common stock. The
potential future payments to the investors were considered a contingent
liability in accordance with SFAS No. 5 Accounting for Contingencies.
As of September 30, 2008, the Company did not record any contingent liability
associated with the liquidated damages clause.
The costs
associated with this equity offering were $6.3 million which were recorded
against the issuance of common stock.
Share
Dilution
The
following table summarizes the Company’s equity transactions and effect on share
dilution for the year ended September 30, 2008:
Number
of
Common
Stock
Shares
Outstanding
|
||||
Common
stock shares outstanding – as of October 1, 2007
|
51,048,481
|
|||
Conversion
of convertible subordinated notes to equity (see Note 13 -
Debt)
|
12,186,656
|
|||
Private
placement transaction
|
8,000,000
|
|||
Acquisition
of Intel’s Optical Platform Division (see Note 5 –
Acquisitions)
|
4,422,688
|
|||
Stock
option exercises and other compensatory stock issuances
|
2,103,138
|
|||
Common
stock shares outstanding – as of September 30, 2008
|
77,760,963
|
On March
31, 2008, the Board of Directors authorized an additional 100 million shares of
common stock available for issuance for a total of 200 million shares
authorized.
NOTE
5. Acquisitions
Intel’s Optical Platform
Division
On
February 22, 2008, the Company acquired assets of the telecom portion of Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division (“OPD”). The telecom assets acquired
include inventory, fixed assets, intellectual property, and technology comprised
of tunable lasers, tunable transponders, 300-pin transponders, and integrated
tunable laser assemblies. The purchase price was $75 million in cash
and $10 million in the Company’s common stock, priced at a volume-weighted
average price of $13.84 per share. Under the terms of the asset purchase
agreement, the purchase price of $85 million is subject to adjustment based on
an inventory true-up, plus specifically assumed liabilities. Direct
transaction costs totaled $0.5 million. This acquisition was financed
through proceeds received from the $100 million private placement of common
stock and warrants (see Note 4 - Equity).
On April
20, 2008, the Company acquired the enterprise and storage assets of Intel
Corporation’s OPD business, as well as Intel’s Connects Cables
business. The assets acquired include inventory, fixed assets,
intellectual property, and technology relating to optical transceivers for
enterprise and storage customers, as well as optical cable interconnects for
high-performance computing clusters. As consideration for the
purchase of assets, the Company issued 3.7 million restricted shares of the
Company’s common stock to Intel. In addition, the Company may be
required to make an additional payment to Intel based on the Company’s stock
price twelve months after the closing of the transaction. The final
valuation and purchase price allocation is expected to be completed in
fiscal 2009. In the event that the Company is required to make an
additional payment, it has the option to make that payment in cash, common stock
or both (but not to exceed the equivalent value of 1.3 million
shares).
The
purchase price was allocated as follows:
(in
thousands)
Intel’s
Optical Platform Division
|
||||
Net
purchase price
|
$
|
111,792
|
||
Net
assets acquired
|
(79,444
|
)
|
||
Excess
purchase price allocated to goodwill
|
$
|
32,348
|
Net
assets acquired in the acquisition were as follows:
Inventory
|
$
|
33,287
|
||
Fixed
assets
|
19,878
|
|||
Intangible
assets
|
26,279
|
|||
Net
assets acquired
|
$
|
79,444
|
The
primary reason for the acquisition of Intel Corporation’s OPD business was to
expand the product line of EMCORE’s Fiber Optics business. The main
factor that contributed to the recognition of goodwill in the transaction was
that OPD was an established business with significant assets and customer
recognition. The assets include certain non-quantifiable benefits
that accrue to EMCORE such as customer acceptance of the OPD products, ready
market for EMCORE’s existing products and customers for any new products EMCORE
may bring to the market.
The $26.3
million of acquired intangible assets have a weighted average life of
approximately eight years. The intangible assets that make up that
amount include customer lists of $7.5 (8 to 10 year useful life), developed and
core technology of $16.6 (6 to 10 year useful life), and in-process research and
development of $2.2. Amortization expense totaled $2.3 million for
the fiscal 2008. Of the total goodwill recognized, approximately
$32.3 million is expected to be deductible for tax purposes over a 15 year
life.
In
connection with this acquisition, Intel and the Company entered into a
Transition Services Agreement (the “TSA”), which facilitated Intel to carve-out
the business and deliver those assets to the Company. Intel also provided
certain transition services to the Company, including financial services, supply
chain support, data extraction, conversion services, facilities and site
computing support, and office space services. Operating expenses
associated with the TSA were expensed as incurred. For the year ended September
30, 2008, the Company incurred $4.8 million of TSA-related fees in operating
expenses and the TSA was substantially completed as of August 2008.
The
following unaudited condensed consolidated pro forma financial data has been
prepared to give effect to the Company’s acquisition of certain assets and
liabilities of OPD. The pro forma financial
information has been developed by the application of pro forma adjustments to
the estimated results of operations of OPD, and the historical Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations of the Company as if OPD had been acquired
as of October 1, 2006. The pro forma financial information is based upon
available information and assumptions that management believes are reasonable.
The pro forma financial information does not purport to represent what our
consolidated results of operations would have been had the Company’s acquisition
of OPD occurred on the dates indicated, or to project our consolidated financial
performance for any future period.
Condensed
Consolidated Pro Forma Statement of Operations
(unaudited)
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
Period
Ended
September
30, 2008
|
Period
Ended
September 30,
2007
|
||||||||||||||
EMCORE
|
Pro
Forma
|
EMCORE
|
Pro
Forma
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ | 239,303 | $ | 276,828 | $ | 169,606 | $ | 273,063 | ||||||||
Net
loss
|
(58,640 | ) | (57,285 | ) | (58,722 | ) | (55,542 | ) | ||||||||
Net
loss per basic and diluted shares
|
$ | (0.87 | ) | $ | (0.85 | ) | $ | (1.15 | ) | $ | (1.03 | ) |
Opticomm
Corporation
In April
2007, the Company acquired privately-held Opticomm Corporation of San Diego,
California, including its fiber optic video, audio and data networking business,
technologies, and intellectual property. At the time, Opticomm was
one of the leading specialists in the field of fiber optic video, audio and data
networking for the commercial, governmental and industrial
sectors. The Company paid $4.2 million initial consideration, less
$0.1 million cash received at acquisition, for all of the shares of Opticomm.
The Company also agreed to an additional earn-out payment based on Opticomm’s
2007 revenue which amounted to approximately $0.7 million.
The
Company completed the valuation of Opticomm's inventory, property and equipment,
and identifiable intangible assets and adjusted the preliminary purchase price
allocation in March 2008 to reflect the final valuation of acquired
assets. Goodwill was adjusted by approximately $0.1 million to
properly reflect purchased goodwill, $1.4 million of goodwill will not be
deductible for tax purposes. The purchase price allocation identified $2.2
million of intangible assets with a five year weighted average amortization
period, which included $1.4 million in customer lists, $0.7 million in patents
and $0.1 million in order backlog. Amortization expense totaled $0.3
million and $0.3 million, for the fiscal ended September 30, 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
The final
purchase price was allocated as follows:
(in
thousands)
Opticomm
Corporation Acquisition
|
Preliminary
|
Adjustments
|
Final
|
|||||||||
Net
purchase price
|
$ | 4,097 | $ | 781 | $ | 4,878 | ||||||
Net
assets acquired
|
(3,573 | ) | 103 | (3,470 | ) | |||||||
Excess
purchase price allocated to goodwill
|
$ | 524 | $ | 884 | $ | 1,408 |
Net
assets acquired in the acquisition were as follows:
Working
capital
|
$ | 1,058 | $ | 223 | $ | 1,281 | ||||||
Fixed
assets
|
81 | - | 81 | |||||||||
Intangible
assets
|
2,504 | (326 | ) | 2,178 | ||||||||
Current
liabilities
|
(70 | ) | - | (70 | ) | |||||||
Net
assets acquired
|
$ | 3,573 | $ | (103 | ) | $ | 3,470 |
These
transactions were accounted for as a business combination using the purchase
method of accounting in accordance with SFAS 141, Business Combinations;
therefore, the tangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at
fair value on the acquisition date. The operating results of the entire business
acquired are included in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations
from the date of acquisition. The acquired business is part of the
Company’s Fiber Optics reporting segment.
NOTE
6. Investments
Auction
Rate Securities
In fiscal
2008, the Company purchased $7.0 million of available-for-sale securities and
sold approximately $33.4 million to fund operations. See Note 14 –
Commitments and Contingencies for further discussion regarding the
Company’s investment in auction rate securities.
Lightron
Equity Securities
In April
2008, the Company invested approximately $1.5 million in Lightron Corporation, a
Korean Company publicly traded on the Korean Stock Market. The
Company initially accounted for this investment as an available for sale
security. Due to the decline in the market value of this investment
and the expectation of non-recovery of this investment beyond its current market
value, the Company recorded a $0.5 million “other than temporary” impairment
loss on this investment as of September 30, 2008.
WorldWater
& Solar Technologies and Velox Corporation
See Note
18 – Related Party Transactions for a discussion regarding the Company’s
investment in WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corporation and Velox
Corporation.
NOTE
7. Restructuring Charges
As EMCORE
has acquired businesses and consolidated them into its existing operations,
EMCORE has incurred charges associated with the transition and integration of
those activities. In accordance with Statement of Financial Standards No. 146,
Accounting for Costs
Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities (“SFAS 146”), expenses
recognized as restructuring charges include costs associated with the
integration of several business acquisitions and EMCORE’s overall cost-reduction
efforts. Restructuring charges are included in
SG&A. The charges recognized in fiscal 2008 and restructuring
activities expected to be completed in fiscal 2009 are primarily related to our
Fiber Optics reporting segment. Restructuring charges incurred and
expected to be incurred consist of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
Amount
Incurred in Period
|
Cumulative
Amount Incurred to Date
|
Amount
Expected in Future Periods
|
Total
Amount Expected to be Incurred
|
Accrual
as of September 30, 2008
|
|||||||||||||||
One-time
termination benefits
|
$ | 96 | $ | 3,275 | $ | - | $ | 3,275 | $ | 79 | ||||||||||
Contract
termination Costs
|
- | 590 | - | 590 | 152 | |||||||||||||||
Other
associated costs
|
- | 3,436 | - | 3,436 | 100 | |||||||||||||||
Total
restructuring charges
|
$ | 96 | $ | 7,301 | $ | - | $ | 7,301 | $ | 331 |
The
following table sets forth changes in the accrual for restructuring
charges:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Balance
at September 30, 2006
|
$
|
256
|
||
Increase
in liability due to restructuring activities within our Photovoltaics
segment
|
3,752
|
|||
Costs
paid or otherwise settled
|
(1,896
|
)
|
||
Balance
at September 30, 2007
|
2,112
|
|||
Increase
in liability due to restructuring activities within our Fiber Optics
segment
|
96
|
|||
Costs
paid or otherwise settled
|
(1,877
|
)
|
||
Balance
at September 30, 2008
|
$
|
331
|
NOTE
8. Receivables
The
components of accounts receivable as of September 30, 2008 and 2007 consisted of
the following:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
$
|
57,703
|
$
|
35,558
|
||||
Accounts
receivable – unbilled
|
4,987
|
3,395
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable, gross
|
62,690
|
38,953
|
||||||
Allowance
for doubtful accounts
|
(2,377
|
)
|
(802
|
)
|
||||
Total
accounts receivable, net
|
$
|
60,313
|
$
|
38,151
|
The
following table summarizes the changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts
for the years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$
|
802
|
$
|
552
|
$
|
320
|
||||||
Charge
to provision (recovery)
|
1,892
|
494
|
364
|
|||||||||
Write-offs
(deductions against receivables)
|
(317
|
)
|
(244
|
)
|
(132
|
)
|
||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$
|
2,377
|
$
|
802
|
$
|
552
|
See
discussion on related party receivables in Note 18 – Related Party
Transactions.
NOTE
9. Inventory, net
Inventory
is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost being determined using the
standard cost method that includes material, labor and manufacturing overhead
costs. The components of inventory as of September 30, 2008 and 2007 consisted
of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Raw
Materials
|
$
|
38,304
|
$
|
19,884
|
||||
Work-in-process
|
7,293
|
6,842
|
||||||
Finished
goods
|
32,010
|
10,891
|
||||||
Inventory,
gross
|
77,607
|
37,617
|
||||||
Less:
reserves
|
(12,990
|
)
|
(8,412
|
)
|
||||
Total
inventory, net
|
$
|
64,617
|
$
|
29,205
|
The
following table summarizes the changes in the inventory reserve accounts for the
years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$
|
8,412
|
$
|
6,472
|
$
|
8,039
|
||||||
Account
adjustments charged to cost of sales
|
5,053
|
3,513
|
1,955
|
|||||||||
Write-offs
|
(475
|
)
|
(1,573
|
)
|
(3,522
|
)
|
||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$
|
12,990
|
$
|
8,412
|
$
|
6,472
|
The
significant increase in the Company’s inventory reserve is due to the increase
in inventory related to the acquisition of Intel Corporation’s OPD business (See
Note 5 – Acquisitions for further detail) as well as significant valuation
reserves taken by the Company due to the declining market and overall economic
downturn at the end of fiscal 2008.
NOTE
10. Property, Plant, and Equipment, net
The
components of property, plant, and equipment as of September 30, 2008 and 2007
consisted of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Land
|
$
|
1,502
|
$
|
1,502
|
||||
Building
and improvements
|
44,607
|
43,397
|
||||||
Equipment
|
106,947
|
75,631
|
||||||
Furniture
and fixtures
|
5,403
|
5,643
|
||||||
Leasehold
improvements
|
478
|
2,141
|
||||||
Construction
in progress
|
4,395
|
3,744
|
||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, gross
|
163,332
|
132,058
|
||||||
Less:
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(80,054
|
)
|
(74,801
|
)
|
||||
Total
property, plant and equipment, net
|
$
|
83,278
|
$
|
57,257
|
As of
September 30, 2008 and 2007, EMCORE did not have any significant capital lease
agreements.
Depreciation
expense was $10.1 million, $7.8 million and $9.6 million in fiscal 2008, 2007
and 2006, respectively.
NOTE
11. Goodwill and Intangible Assets, net
The
following table sets forth changes in the carrying value of goodwill by
reporting segment:
(in
thousands)
|
Fiber
Optics
|
Photovoltaics
|
Total
|
|||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2006
|
$ |
20,063
|
$ |
20,384
|
$ |
40,447
|
||||||
Acquisition
– Opticomm Corporation
|
524
|
-
|
524
|
|||||||||
Acquisition
– earn-out payments
|
19
|
-
|
19
|
|||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2007
|
20,606
|
20,384
|
40,990
|
|||||||||
Acquisition
– earn-out payments
|
771
|
-
|
771
|
|||||||||
Acquisition
– Intel’s Optical Platform Division
|
32,348
|
-
|
32,348
|
|||||||||
Final
purchase price allocation adjustment: Opticomm acquisition
|
118
|
-
|
118
|
|||||||||
Impairment of goodwill | (22,000 | ) |
-
|
(22,000 | ) | |||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2008
|
$
|
31,843
|
$
|
20,384
|
$
|
52,227
|
The
Company’s step one analysis under SFAS 142 as of September 30, 2008 has provided
an indicator that goodwill impairment is probable in its EDP reporting
unit. Accordingly, the Company is required to perform step two of the
SFAS 142 impairment analysis, determining the amount of goodwill impairment to
be recorded. The amount is calculated by comparing the implied fair
value of the goodwill to its carrying amount. This exercise requires
the Company to allocate the fair value determined in step one to the individual
assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. Any remaining fair
value would be the implied fair value of goodwill on the testing
date. As of the filing of this 10-K, the Company had not
completed its analysis due to the complexities involved in determining the
implied fair value of the goodwill for that particular reporting unit, which is
based on the determination of the fair value of all assets and liabilities in
the reporting unit. However, based on the work performed through the date of the
filing, the Company concluded that an impairment loss can be reasonably
estimated. Accordingly, the Company has recorded a $22.0 million non-cash
goodwill impairment charge, representing its best estimate of the impairment
loss present at September 30, 2008.
The
Company expects to finalize its goodwill impairment analysis prior to the filing
of its 10-Q for the first fiscal 2009 quarter. There could be material
adjustments to the goodwill impairment charge when the goodwill impairment test
is completed. Any adjustments to its preliminary estimates as a result of
completing this evaluation will be recorded in the financial statements for the
quarter ended December 31, 2008.
The following table sets forth changes in the carrying value of intangible assets by reporting segment:
(in
thousands)
|
As of September 30,
2008
|
As of September 30,
2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross
Assets
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
Net
Assets
|
Gross
Assets
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
Net
Assets
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$ | 35,991 | $ | (8,502 | ) | $ | 27,489 | $ | 10,675 | $ | (5,755 | ) | $ | 4,920 | ||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
956 | (412 | ) | 544 | 2,515 | (2,160 | ) | 355 | ||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 36,947 | $ | (8,914 | ) | $ | 28,033 | $ | 13,190 | $ | (7,915 | ) | $ | 5,275 |
During
2008, the Company acquired intellectual property assets for $26.3 million with a
weighted-average life of eight years, based on the preliminary purchase price
allocation. All of the Company’s identified intangible assets are subject to
amortization. Amortization expense for intellectual property assets was $3.6
million and $2.0 million during fiscal 2008 and 2007, respectively. The
amortization of an intellectual property asset is generally included in SG&A
on the consolidated statements of operations.
Based on
the carrying amount of the intangible assets as of September 30, 2008, and
assuming no future impairment of the underlying assets, the estimated future
amortization expense is as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Fiscal
year ending:
|
||||
September
30, 2009
|
$
|
5,691
|
||
September
30, 2010
|
5,578
|
|||
September
30, 2011
|
4,163
|
|||
September
30, 2012
|
3,105
|
|||
September
30, 2013
|
2,876
|
|||
Thereafter
|
6,620
|
|||
Total
future amortization expense
|
$
|
28,033
|
NOTE
12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
The
components of accrued expenses and other current liabilities as of September 30,
2008 and 2007 consisted of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Compensation-related
|
$
|
6,640
|
8,398
|
|||||
Interest
|
-
|
1,775
|
||||||
Warranty
|
4,640
|
1,310
|
||||||
Professional
fees
|
2,099
|
6,213
|
||||||
Royalty
|
1,414
|
705
|
||||||
Self
insurance
|
1,044
|
794
|
||||||
Deferred
revenue and customer deposits
|
1,422
|
687
|
||||||
Tax-related
|
2,961
|
3,460
|
||||||
Acquisition-related
|
-
|
310
|
||||||
Accrued
program loss
|
843
|
-
|
||||||
Inventory
obligation
|
982
|
1,499
|
||||||
Restructuring
accrual
|
331
|
2,112
|
||||||
Other
|
320
|
1,513
|
||||||
Total
accrued expenses and other current liabilities
|
$
|
22,696
|
28,776
|
In
February 2008, the Company converted all of its convertible subordinated notes
into shares of common stock (see Note 13 – Debt). As of September 30,
2008, the Company did not have any long-term debt or related accrued
interest.
The
following table sets forth changes in the product warranty accrual
account:
(in
thousands)
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$
|
1,310
|
$
|
1,074
|
||||
Provision
adjustments
|
3,330
|
236
|
||||||
Utilization
of warranty accrual
|
-
|
-
|
||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$
|
4,640
|
$
|
1,310
|
The
majority of the increased product warranty accrual relates to the Photovoltaics
reporting segment. Specifically as of September 30, 2008, the Company
had accrued $0.8 million related to estimated contract losses on certain CPV
system-related orders. The Company had noted potential failures
related to materials used in the manufacturing process which could experience
failures in the field. The remaining portion of the increase
primarily related to product issues within our terrestrial
line. These issues mainly were in relation to epoxy failures which
have been corrected by moving to a solder process.
NOTE
13. Debt
Convertible Subordinated
Notes
In
January 2008, the Company entered into agreements with holders of approximately
97.5%, or approximately $83.3 million of its outstanding 5.50% convertible
subordinated notes due 2011 (the "Notes") pursuant to which the holders
converted their Notes into the Company's common stock. In addition,
the Company called for redemption of all of its remaining outstanding Notes.
Upon conversion of the Notes, the Company issued shares of its common stock,
based on a conversion price of $7.01 per share, in accordance with the terms of
the Notes. To incentivize certain holders to convert their Notes, the Company
made cash payments to such holders equal to 4% of the principal amount of the
Notes converted, plus accrued interest. By February 20, 2008, all
Notes were redeemed and converted into the Company common stock. As a result of
these transactions, 12.2 million shares of the Company common stock were
issued. The Company recognized a loss totaling $4.7 million on the
conversion of Notes to equity of which $3.5 million was paid in
cash. Interest expense incurred on the Notes totaled $1.6 million,
$5.0 million and $5.4 million for fiscal 2008, 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
Revolving Credit
Facility
In
September 2008, the Company closed a $25 million revolving credit facility with
Bank of America. The asset-backed credit facility provides for borrowings up to
$25 million and can be used for working capital, letters of credit and other
general corporate purposes. The credit facility, which incorporates
both LIBOR and Prime-based borrowing alternatives, is subject to certain
financial covenants and a borrowing base formula. As of September 30, 2008, the
Company had the ability to borrow up to $16.9 million against the credit
facility. The agreement matures in September 2011 and is secured by
virtually all assets of the Company. As of September 30, 2008, the
Company had no outstanding borrowings against the credit facility. As
of December 30, 2008, the Company borrowed $15.0 million against this facility
for working capital purposes.
NOTE
14. Commitments and Contingencies
EMCORE
leases certain land, facilities, and equipment under non-cancelable operating
leases. The leases provide for rental adjustments for increases in base rent (up
to specific limits), property taxes, insurance and general property maintenance
that would be recorded as rent expense. Net facility and equipment rent expense
under such leases amounted to approximately $1.6 million, $1.6 million, and $2.1
million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007, and 2006,
respectively. Future minimum rental payments under EMCORE's non-cancelable
operating leases with an initial or remaining term of one year or more as of
September 30, 2008 are as follows:
(in
thousands)
Operating
Leases
|
||||
Fiscal
year ending:
|
||||
September
30, 2009
|
$
|
2,766
|
||
September
30, 2010
|
2,609
|
|||
September
30, 2011
|
1,865
|
|||
September
30, 2012
|
1,076
|
|||
September
30, 2013
|
565
|
|||
Thereafter
|
2,776
|
|||
Total
minimum lease payments
|
$
|
11,657
|
As of
September 30, 2008, EMCORE had ten standby letters of credit issued and
outstanding which totaled approximately $2.4 million.
Credit
Market Conditions
Recently,
the U.S. and global capital markets have been experiencing turbulent conditions,
particularly in the credit markets, as evidenced by tightening of lending
standards, reduced availability of credit, and reductions in certain asset
values. This could impact the Company’s ability to obtain additional
funding through financing or asset sales.
Auction
Rate Securities
Historically,
the Company has invested in securities with an auction reset feature (“auction
rate securities”). In February 2008, the auction market failed for
the Company’s auction rate securities, which meant that the Company, was unable
to sell its investments in auction rate securities. At September 30,
2008, the Company had approximately $3.1 million in auction rate
securities. The underlying assets for $1.7 million of this total are
currently AAA rated, the highest rating by a rating agency. The
remaining $1.4 million of investments are securities whose underlying assets are
primarily student loans which are substantially backed by the U.S. Government.
In October 2008, the Company received agreements from its investment brokers
announcing settlement of the auction rate securities at 100% par value, of which
$1.7 million was settled at 100% par value in November 2008 and the remaining
$1.4 million is expected to be settled by June 2010. The Company
classified the $1.7 million securities as a current asset and the remaining $1.4
million securities as a long-term asset based on actual and expected settlement
dates. Due to the fact the Company believes that it will receive full
value of its remaining $1.4 million securities; we have not recorded any
impairment on these investments as of September 30, 2008.
The
Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that are discussed
below. The Company is also subject to certain other legal proceedings and claims
that have arisen in the ordinary course of business and which have not been
fully adjudicated. The Company does not believe it has a potential
liability related to current legal proceedings and claims that could
individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on its financial
condition, liquidity or results of operations. However, the results of legal
proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Should the Company fail to
prevail in any legal matters or should several legal matters be resolved against
the Company in the same reporting period, the operating results of a particular
reporting period could be materially adversely affected. The Company settled
certain matters during 2008 that did not individually or in the aggregate have a
material impact on the Company’s results of operations.
Shareholder
Derivative Litigation Relating to Historical Stock Option Practices
On
February 1, 2007, Plaintiff Lewis Edelstein filed a purported stockholder
derivative action (the “Federal Court Action”) on behalf of the Company against
certain of its present and former directors and officers (the “Individual
Defendants”), as well as the Company as nominal defendant, in the U.S. District
Court for the District of New Jersey, Edelstein v. Brodie, et.
al., Case No. 3:07-cv-00596-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.). On May 22,
2007, Plaintiffs Kathryn Gabaldon and Michael Sackrison each filed a purported
stockholder derivative action against the Individual Defendants, and the Company
as nominal defendant, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County,
Gabaldon v. Brodie,
et. al., Case No. 3:07-cv-03185-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.) and Sackrison v. Brodie, et.
al., Case No. 3:07-cv-00596-FLW-JJH (D.N.J.) (collectively, the “State
Court Actions”).
A motion
to approve an agreement among the parties to settle the matter reflected in a
stipulation of compromise and settlement was filed with the U.S. District Court
for the District of New Jersey on December 3, 2007. The Court
granted the motion for preliminary approval of the settlement on January 3,
2008, and, at a hearing held on March 28, 2008, the Court issued an order giving
final approval to the settlement. The settlement has become
final and effective upon the expiration of the appeal period on April 30,
2008. Thus, the settlement is now binding on all parties and
represents a final settlement of both the Federal Court Action and the State
Court Actions. For additional information regarding this matter,
please see EMCORE’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2008.
Intellectual
Property Lawsuits
We
protect our proprietary technology by applying for patents where appropriate and
in other cases by preserving the technology, related know-how and information as
trade secrets. The success and competitive position of our product lines are
significantly impacted by our ability to obtain intellectual property protection
for our R&D efforts.
We have,
from time to time, exchanged correspondence with third parties regarding the
assertion of patent or other intellectual property rights in connection with
certain of our products and processes. Additionally, on September 11, 2006, we
filed a lawsuit against Optium Corporation (Optium) in the U.S. District Court
for the Western District of Pennsylvania for patent infringement. In the suit,
the Company and JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU) allege that Optium is infringing
on U.S. patents 6,282,003 and 6,490,071 with its Prisma II 1550nm transmitters.
On March 14, 2007, following denial of a motion to add additional claims to its
existing lawsuit, the Company and JDSU filed a second patent suit in the same
court against Optium alleging infringement of JDSU's patent 6,519,374 ("the '374
patent"). On March 15, 2007, Optium filed a declaratory judgment
action against the Company and JDSU. Optium sought in this litigation a
declaration that certain products of Optium do not infringe the '374 patent and
that the patent is invalid, but the District Court dismissed the action on
January 3, 2008 without addressing the merits. The '374 patent is assigned to
JDSU and licensed to the Company.
On
December 20, 2007, the Company was served with a complaint in another
declaratory relief action which Optium had filed in the Federal District Court
for the Western District of Pennsylvania. This action seeks to have
U.S. patents 6,282,003 and 6,490,071 declared invalid or unenforceable because
of certain conduct alleged to have occurred in connection with the grant of
these patents. These allegations are substantially the same as those
brought by Optium by motion in the Company’s own case against Optium, which
motion had been denied by the Court. The Court denied the Company’s
motion to dismiss this action and has indicated that it will be tried at the
same time as the Optium Plaintiff Matters. The Company filed its
answer in this matter on May 12, 2008. In its complaint, Optium does
not seek monetary damages but asks that the patents in question be declared
unenforceable and that it be awarded attorneys’ fees. The Company
believes that this claim is without merit. On August 11, 2008, both actions
pending in the Western District of Pennsylvania were consolidated before a
single judge, and a trial date of October 19, 2009 was set.
On
December 5, 2008, EMCORE, along with Fabrinet, its principal contract
manufacturer, was also served with a complaint by Avago Technologies filed in
the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San
Jose Division alleging infringement of two patents by the Company’s VCSEL
products. The Company believes this complaint is without merit and
intends to file an answer denying the claims asserted.
Commercial
Litigation
On July
15, 2008 the Company was served with a complaint filed by Avago Technologies and
what appear to be affiliates thereof in the United States District Court for the
Northern District of California, San Jose Division. In this
complaint, Avago asserts claims for breach of contract and breach of express
warranty against Venture Corporation Limited (one of the Company’s customers)
and asserts a tort claim for negligent interference with prospective economic
advantage against the Company. The Company has not yet filed an
answer in this matter, but believes the complaint is without merit and intends
to file an answer denying the claims asserted.
Shareholder
Class Action
On
December 23, 2008, Plaintiffs Maurice Prissert and Claude Prissert filed a
purported shareholder class action (the “Action”) pursuant to Federal Rule of
Civil Procedure 23 allegedly on behalf of a class of Company shareholders
against the Company and certain of its present and former directors and officers
(the “Individual Defendants”) in the United States District Court for the
District of New Mexico captioned, Maurice
Prissert and Claude Prissert v. EMCORE Corporation, Adam Gushard, Hong Q. Hou,
Reuben F. Richards, Jr., David Danzilio and Thomas Werthan, Case No.
1:08cv1190 (D.N.M.). The Complaint alleges that the Company and the
Individual Defendants violated certain provisions of the federal securities
laws, including Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
arising out of the Company’s disclosure regarding its customer Green and Gold
Energy (“GGE”) and the associated backlog of GGE orders with the Company’s
photovoltaic business segment. The Complaint in the Action seeks,
among other things, an unspecified amount of compensatory damages and other
costs and expenses associated with the maintenance of the Action. The Complaint
in the Action has not yet been served upon the Company. The
Company believes the claims asserted in the Action are without merit and intends
to defend the Action vigorously.
Securities
Matters
a. SEC
Communications.
On or
about August 15, 2008, the Company received a letter from the Denver office of
the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission wherein it
sought EMCORE's voluntary production of documents relating to, among other
things, the Company's business relationship with Green and Gold Energy, Inc.,
its licensees, and the photovoltaic backlog the Company reported to the
public. Since that time, the Company has produced documents to the
staff of the SEC and met with the staff on December 12, 2008 to make a
presentation addressing certain issues relating to this matter. Since
that meeting the Company has received no requests for further documentation from
the SEC.
b. NASDAQ
Communication.
On or
about November 13, 2008, the Company received a letter from the NASDAQ Listings
Qualifications group concerning the Company's removal of $79 million in backlog
attributable to GGE which the Company announced on August 8, 2008 and the
remaining backlog exclusive of GGE. The Company advised NASDAQ that it would
cooperate with its inquiry, and has begun producing the requested
information.
NOTE 15. Income Taxes
EMCORE,
incorporated in the state of New Jersey, incurred income tax expense of $0, $0,
and $1.9 million, during the years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes,
with the amount computed by applying the statutory U.S. Federal and state income
tax rates to income before provision for income taxes for the years ended
September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006 is as follows:
(dollars
in millions)
|
|
Years
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Income
tax (benefit ) expense computed at U.S. Federal statutory
rate
|
|
$
|
(27.5
|
)
|
$
|
(19.5
|
)
|
$
|
16.4
|
|||
State
taxes, net of U.S. Federal effect
|
|
(4.1
|
)
|
(3.4
|
)
|
2.7
|
||||||
Non-deductible
executive compensation
|
|
-
|
-
|
0.9
|
||||||||
Debt
Conversion
|
1.6
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Other
|
0.8
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
|
29.2
|
22.9
|
(18.1
|
)
|
|||||||
Income
tax expense (benefit)
|
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1.9
|
|||||
Effective
tax rate
|
0%
|
0%
|
3.95
|
%
|
Significant
components of EMCORE’s deferred tax assets are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
September
30, 2008
|
September
30, 2007
|
||||||
Deferred
tax assets (liabilities):
|
||||||||
Federal
net operating loss carryforwards
|
$ | 110,963 | $ | 84,539 | ||||
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards | 1,814 | |||||||
Research
credit carryforwards (state and U.S. Federal)
|
2,338 | 1,951 | ||||||
Inventory
reserves
|
5,200 | 2,797 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable reserves
|
992 | 226 | ||||||
Accrued
warranty reserve
|
1,937 | 445 | ||||||
State
net operating loss carryforwards
|
20,128 | 16,403 | ||||||
Investment
write-down
|
6,461 | 4,766 | ||||||
Legal
reserves
|
426 | 1,831 | ||||||
Deferred
compensation
|
1,756 | 2,588 | ||||||
Tax
reserves
|
663 | 1,112 | ||||||
Other
|
1,471 | 538 | ||||||
Fixed
assets and intangibles
|
3,901 | (6,611 | ) | |||||
Total
deferred tax assets
|
158,050 | 110,585 | ||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(158,050 | ) | (110,585 | ) | ||||
Net
deferred tax assets
|
$ | - | $ | - |
As of
September 30, 2008, EMCORE had net operating loss carryforwards for U.S. Federal
income tax purposes of approximately $326.3 million, which expire beginning in
the year 2021 through 2028. EMCORE has feriegn net operating loss carryforwards
of $7.1 million. EMCORE also has state net operating loss carryforwards of
approximately $259.9 million, which expire beginning in the year
2009. EMCORE also has U.S. Federal and state research and development
tax credits of approximately $1.5 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The
research credits will begin to expire in the year 2009 through
2025. Utilization of EMCORE’s net operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation due to the
ownership change limitations set forth in Internal Revenue Code Section 382
and similar state provisions. Such an annual limitation could result in the
expiration of the net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards before
utilization.
The
Company adopted the provisions of Financial Standards Accounting Board
Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Income Taxes”
(“FIN 48”) an interpretation of SFAS No. 109 on October 1, 2007. The
Interpretation prescribes recognition threshold and measurement parameters for
the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or
expected to be taken in the Company’s tax return. For those benefits to be
recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon
examination by taxing authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the
largest amount of benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being
realized upon ultimate settlement. At the adoption date of October 1, 2007, the
Company recorded an increase in accumulated deficit and an increase in the
liability for unrecognized state tax benefits of approximately $326,000 (net of
the federal benefit for state tax liabilities). All of this amount, if
recognized, would reduce future income tax provisions and favorably impact
effective tax rates. During the year ended September 30, 2008, there were no
material increases or decreases in unrecognized tax benefits.
A
reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized gross tax
benefits is as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Balance
at October 1, 2007:
|
$
|
338
|
||
Additions
based on tax positions related to the current year
|
-
|
|||
Additions
for tax positions of prior years
|
-
|
|||
Reductions
for tax positions of prior years
|
-
|
|||
Expiration
of statute of limitations
|
-
|
|||
Balance
at September 30, 2008
|
$
|
338
|
As of
September 30, 2008, management does not anticipate any material increases or
decreases in the amounts of unrecognized tax benefits over the next twelve
months.
The
Company’s historical accounting policy with respect to interest and penalties
related to tax uncertainties has been to classify these amounts as income taxes,
and the Company continued this classification upon the adoption of FIN
48. At September 30, 2008, the Company had approximately $139,000 of
interest and penalties accrued as tax liabilities.
The
Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal, state and local
jurisdictions. No federal, state and local income tax returns are
currently under examination. Certain income tax returns for fiscal years 2004
through 2007 remain open to examination by U.S. federal, state and local tax
authorities.
The
following tax years remain open to income tax examination for each of the more
significant jurisdictions where the company is subject to income taxes: after
fiscal year 2004 for U.S. federal; after fiscal year 2003 for the state of
California and after fiscal year 2004 for the state of New Mexico.
NOTE
16. Segment Data and Related Information
EMCORE
has two reporting segments: Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. EMCORE's
Fiber Optics segment offers optical components, subsystems and systems that
enable the transmission of video, voice and data over high-capacity fiber optic
cables for high-speed data and telecommunications, cable television (“CATV”) and
fiber-to-the-premises (“FTTP”) networks. EMCORE's Photovoltaics
segment provides solar products for satellite and terrestrial applications. For
satellite applications, EMCORE offers high-efficiency compound
semiconductor-based gallium arsenide (“GaAs”) solar cells, covered interconnect
cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For terrestrial
applications, EMCORE offers concentrating photovoltaic (“CPV”) systems for
utility scale solar applications as well as offering its high-efficiency GaAs
solar cells and CPV components for use in solar power concentrator
systems. EMCORE evaluates its reportable segments in accordance with
SFAS 131, Disclosures About
Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information. EMCORE’s Chief
Executive Officer is EMCORE’s Chief Operating Decision Maker pursuant to SFAS
131, and he allocates resources to segments based on their business prospects,
competitive factors, net revenue, operating results and other non-GAAP financial
ratios.
The
following table sets forth the revenue and percentage of total revenue
attributable to each of EMCORE's reporting segments for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
Segment
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
171,276
|
72
|
%
|
$
|
110,377
|
65
|
%
|
$
|
104,852
|
73
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
68,027
|
28
|
59,229
|
35
|
38,681
|
27
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$
|
239,303
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
169,606
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
143,533
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth EMCORE's consolidated revenue by geographic region
for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and 2006. Revenue
was assigned to geographic regions based on our customers’ or contract
manufacturers’ billing address.
Geographic
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||||
United
States
|
$
|
134,796
|
56
|
%
|
$
|
124,012
|
73
|
%
|
$
|
109,614
|
76
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Asia
|
73,311
|
31
|
34,574
|
20
|
28,537
|
20
|
||||||||||||||||||
Europe
|
20,420
|
8
|
10,821
|
7
|
4,152
|
3
|
||||||||||||||||||
Other
|
10,776
|
5
|
199
|
-
|
1,230
|
1
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$
|
239,303
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
169,606
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
143,533
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth significant customers by reporting
segment.
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
||||||||||||
Customer
A
|
14
|
%
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
B
|
12
|
%
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
C
|
-
|
13
|
%
|
-
|
||||||||
Customer
D
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
%
|
||||||||
Photovoltaics
– related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Customer
E
|
-
|
11
|
%
|
-
|
The
following table sets forth operating losses attributable to each EMCORE
reporting segment for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007 and
2006:
Statement
of Operations Data
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Operating
loss by segment:
|
||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
(49,903
|
)
|
$
|
(25,877
|
)
|
$
|
(18,950
|
)
|
|||
Photovoltaics
|
(25,238
|
)
|
(11,202
|
)
|
(8,365
|
)
|
||||||
Corporate
|
(140
|
)
|
(20,377
|
)
|
(6,835
|
)
|
||||||
Operating
loss
|
$
|
(75,281
|
)
|
$
|
(57,456
|
)
|
$
|
(34,150
|
)
|
In fiscal
2008, the Company recognized several one-time gains and a significant reduction
in interest expense which were not allocated to the reporting segments due to
these being corporate charges in prior periods.
The
following table sets forth the depreciation and amortization attributable to
each of EMCORE's reporting segments for the fiscal years ended September 30,
2008, 2007 and 2006.
Segment
Depreciation and Amortization
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
9,067
|
$
|
6,991
|
$
|
8,378
|
||||||
Photovoltaics
|
4,472
|
2,860
|
3,470
|
|||||||||
Corporate
|
77
|
271
|
484
|
|||||||||
Total
depreciation and amortization
|
$
|
13,616
|
$
|
10,122
|
$
|
12,332
|
Long-lived
assets (consisting of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and intangible
assets) for each reporting segment as of September 30, 2008 and 2007 are as
follows:
Long-lived
Assets
(in
thousands)
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$
|
107,684
|
$
|
56,816
|
||||
Photovoltaics
|
55,232
|
46,706
|
||||||
Corporate
|
622
|
-
|
||||||
Total
long-lived assets
|
$
|
163,538
|
$
|
103,522
|
NOTE
17. Employee Benefit Plans
EMCORE
has a Savings Plan that qualifies as a deferred salary arrangement under Section
401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under the Savings Plan, participating
employees may defer a portion of their pretax earnings, up to the Internal
Revenue Service annual contribution limit. All employer contributions are made
in EMCORE's common stock. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007,
and 2006, EMCORE contributed approximately $1.0 million, $1.0 million, and $0.9
million, respectively, in common stock to the Savings Plan.
NOTE
18. Related Party Transactions
Investments
On
November 29, 2006, EMCORE invested $13.5 million, and incurred $0.4 million in
transaction costs, in WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corporation (“WWAT”),
a leader in solar electric engineering, water management solutions and solar
energy installations and products. At September 30, 2007, EMCORE held
an approximately 21% equity ownership in WWAT. In connection with the
investment, EMCORE received two seats on WWAT's Board of
Directors. EITF 02-14, Whether an Investor Should Apply the
Equity Method of Accounting to Investments Other Than Common Stock,
provides guidance on whether an investor should apply the equity method of
accounting to investments other than common stock. In accordance with
EITF 02-14, although the investment in WWAT provides us the ability to exercise
significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee,
since the investment does not qualify as in-substance common stock, the equity
method of accounting is not appropriate. In-substance common stock is
an investment in an entity that has risk and reward characteristics that are
substantially similar to the entity’s common stock. The risk and
reward characteristics of our investment are not substantially similar to WWAT’s
common stock because our investment’s liquidation preference is considered
substantive. Therefore, we are
accounting for the investment in WWAT under the cost method of accounting and
evaluating it for other-than-temporary impairment each reporting
period.
In June
2008, the Company agreed to sell two million shares of Series D Preferred Stock
of WWAT, together with 200,000 warrants to a major shareholder of both EMCORE
and WWAT at a price equal to $6.54 per share. The sale took place
through two closings, one for one million shares and 100,000 warrants, which
closed in June 2008, and one for an equal number of shares and warrants which
closed in July 2008. Total proceeds from the sale were approximately $13.1
million. In the three months ended June 30, 2008, the Company
recognized a gain of $3.7 million on the first sale of stock that occurred in
June 2008. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company recognized an
additional gain of $3.7 million related to the second closing in July
2008. As of September 30, 2008, the Company had approximately $8.2
million invested in WWAT which approximates a 16%
ownership.
Receivables
In the
September quarter of 2008, the Company took impairment against our $1.0 million
investment in Velox Corporation. The Company also fully reserved
against a receivable balance of $0.2 million owed from Velox
Corporation. During fiscal 2008, the Company received payment of $0.1
million on the Velox receivable. These losses are included in total
net loss for fiscal 2008. The Company took this charge against the
investment in Velox Corporation and receivable from Velox, due to the company’s
current financial and operational condition.
NOTE
19. Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)
The
following tables present EMCORE’s unaudited results of operations for the eight
most recently ended quarters. EMCORE believes that all necessary adjustments,
consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, have been included in the
amounts below to present fairly the selected quarterly information when read in
conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included
elsewhere in this document. EMCORE’s results from operations may vary
substantially from quarter to quarter. Accordingly, the operating results for a
quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any subsequent quarter or
for the full year. EMCORE has experienced and expects to continue to experience
significant fluctuations in quarterly results.
Statements
of Operations
Fiscal
2008
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
Quarter
1
December
31,
2007
|
Quarter
2
March
31,
2008
|
Quarter
3
June
30,
2008
|
Quarter
4
September
30, 2008
|
||||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
$
|
44,501
|
$
|
54,236
|
$
|
71,941
|
$
|
58,299
|
||||||||
Service
revenue
|
2,386
|
2,043
|
3,561
|
2,336
|
||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
46,887
|
56,279
|
75,502
|
60,635
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
36,611
|
49,556
|
61,763
|
61,033
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
173
|
75
|
93
|
104
|
||||||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
36,784
|
49,631
|
61,856
|
61,137
|
||||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
10,103
|
6,648
|
13,646
|
(502
|
)
|
|||||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
11,863
|
10,263
|
13,906
|
7,428
|
||||||||||||
Research
and development
|
7,420
|
9,330
|
11,382
|
11,351
|
||||||||||||
Impairment
of goodwill and/or intellectual property
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
22,233
|
(1) | |||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
19,283
|
19,593
|
25,288
|
41,012
|
||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(9,180
|
)
|
(12,945
|
)
|
(11,642
|
)
|
(41,514
|
)
|
||||||||
Other
(income) expense:
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(427
|
)
|
(227
|
)
|
(124
|
)
|
(84
|
)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
1,205
|
375
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,461
|
||||||||||||
Loss
from conversion of convertible subordinated
notes
|
-
|
4,658
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense from tolled options
|
4,374
|
(58
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Loss
on disposal of property, plant and equipment
|
86
|
-
|
-
|
978
|
||||||||||||
Gain
on sale of WWAT investment
|
-
|
-
|
(3,692
|
)
|
(3,692
|
)
|
||||||||||
Foreign
exchange (gain) loss
|
(12
|
)
|
(186
|
)
|
(104
|
)
|
1,048
|
|||||||||
Total
other (income) expenses
|
5,226
|
4,562
|
(3,920
|
)
|
(289
|
)
|
||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(14,406
|
)
|
$
|
(17,507
|
)
|
$
|
(7,722
|
)
|
$
|
(41,225
|
)
|
||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted per share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.27
|
)
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.53
|
)
|
||||
Weighted-average
number of shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted
|
$
|
52,232
|
$
|
64,560
|
$
|
76,582
|
$
|
77,734
|
_________________________
(1) As noted in
Note 11 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets, net, the company recorded an estimated
impairment charge of $22.0 million during the quarter ended September 30,
2008.
Statements
of Operations
Fiscal
2007
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
Quarter
1
December
31,
2006
|
Quarter
2
March
31,
2007
|
Quarter
3
June
30,
2007
|
Quarter
4
September
30, 2007
|
||||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
$
|
35,626
|
$
|
33,716
|
$
|
39,565
|
$
|
39,427
|
||||||||
Service
revenue
|
2,970
|
5,882
|
4,863
|
7,557
|
||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
38,596
|
39,598
|
44,428
|
46,984
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
30,941
|
28,170
|
32,181
|
33,188
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
2,159
|
4,459
|
2,542
|
5,598
|
||||||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
33,100
|
32,629
|
34,723
|
38,786
|
||||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
5,496
|
6,969
|
9,705
|
8,198
|
||||||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
12,539
|
13,143
|
15,516
|
16,646
|
||||||||||||
Research
and development
|
6,611
|
7,528
|
7,668
|
8,173
|
||||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
19,150
|
20,671
|
23,
184
|
24,819
|
||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(13,654
|
)
|
(13,702
|
)
|
(13,479
|
)
|
(16,621
|
)
|
||||||||
Other
(income) expense:
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(1,651
|
)
|
(1,169
|
)
|
(723
|
)
|
(577
|
)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
1,262
|
1,260
|
1,254
|
1,209
|
||||||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible subordinated notes
|
-
|
-
|
561
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Gain
from insurance proceeds
|
-
|
(357
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Loss
on disposal of property, plant and equipment
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
210
|
||||||||||||
Foreign
exchange gain
|
-
|
-
|
(12
|
)
|
(1
|
)
|
||||||||||
Total
other (income) expenses
|
(389
|
)
|
(266
|
)
|
1,080
|
841
|
||||||||||
Net
loss from continuing operations
|
$
|
(13,265
|
)
|
$
|
(13,436
|
)
|
$
|
(14,559
|
)
|
$
|
(17,462
|
)
|
||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted per share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss from continuing Operations
|
$
|
(0.26
|
)
|
$
|
(0.26
|
)
|
$
|
(0.29
|
)
|
$
|
(0.34
|
)
|
||||
Weighted-average
number of shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted
|
50,875
|
50,947
|
51,043
|
51,081
|
NOTE
20. Subsequent Events
1.
|
Tender
Offer
|
In
November 2008, EMCORE announced that it had commenced a tender offer for 164,088
stock options outstanding under its 2000 Incentive Stock Option Plan which are
held by 91 of its current non-officer employees. As a result of the Company's
previously announced voluntary inquiry into its historical stock option granting
practices, which was concluded in 2006, the Company determined that an incorrect
grant date was used in the granting certain options. As a result, the options
were granted at an exercise price below the fair market value of the Company's
common stock as of the correct date of grant. Consequently, employees holding
these options face a potential tax liability under Section 409A of the Internal
Revenue Code and similar sections of certain state tax codes, unless remedial
action is taken to adjust the exercise price of these options prior to December
31, 2008.
Under the
terms of the tender, employees holding such options were given the opportunity
to amend these options to increase the exercise price to a higher price that is
equal to the fair market value on the date which has been determined to be the
correct date of issuance for these options. In addition, employees electing to
tender their options will also receive a cash payment for each tendered option
equal to the difference between the original exercise price and the new exercise
price. If all eligible options are tendered, the anticipated cash payment will
total $44,000. The tender offer remained open until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on
December 17, 2008. As a result of the tender offer 163,838 options
were tendered and the cash payment totaled an aggregate amount of up to
approximately $44,050. Further details regarding the tender can be obtained from
the filing on Schedule TO which the Company filed on December 18, 2008 with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
2. Auction Rate Securities
In
October 2008, the Company received agreements from its investment brokers
announcing settlement of the auction rate securities at 100% par value, of which
$1.7 million was settled in November 2008 and $1.4 million is expected to be
settled by June 2010.
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the
Board of Directors and Shareholders of
EMCORE
Corporation
Albuquerque,
NM
We have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of EMCORE Corporation and
subsidiaries (the "Company") as of September 30, 2008 and 2007, and the related
consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' equity and comprehensive
income (loss), and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended
September 30, 2008. These financial statements are the responsibility
of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
In our
opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial position of EMCORE Corporation and subsidiaries as of
September 30, 2008 and 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2008, in
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30,
2008 have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going
concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements,
the Company's recurring losses from operations raise substantial doubt about its
ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans concerning
these matters are also discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial
statements. The consolidated financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
We have
also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial
reporting as of September 30, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission and our report dated December 30, 2008 expressed an
unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial
reporting.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE
LLP
Dallas,
TX
December
30, 2008
ITEM 9.
|
Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
|
None.
ITEM 9A.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and
Procedures
The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures designed to provide
reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in reports filed
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the specified time periods and accumulated and
communicated to management, including its Chief Executive Officer (Principal
Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer),
as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
Management,
under the supervision and with the participation of its Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting
Officer), evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) promulgated under
the Act), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that
evaluation, management concluded that, as of that date, the Company’s disclosure
controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance
level.
Management’s Annual Report on
Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management
is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over
financial reporting of the Company. Management’s intent is to design
this system to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States of America.
The
Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and
procedures that:
|
1)
|
pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the
Company;
|
2)
|
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that
receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance
with authorizations of management and directors of the
Company; and
|
3)
|
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that
could have a material effect on the financial
statements.
|
Management
performed an assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting as of September 30, 2008, utilizing the criteria
described in the “Internal Control — Integrated Framework” issued by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). The
objective of this assessment was to determine whether the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2008. In its
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as
of September 30, 2008, management determined that the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting was effective as of September 30,
2008.
Changes in Internal Control over
Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
during the fourth quarter of 2008 that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting.
Limitations
on the Effectiveness of Controls
Our
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
does not expect that our disclosure controls or our internal controls will
prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well
designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that
the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control
system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the
benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the
inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can
provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if
any, within EMCORE have been detected. These inherent limitations include the
realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns
can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be
circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more
people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any
system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the
likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will
succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future
conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of
changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with
associated policies or procedures. Because of the inherent
limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or
fraud may occur and not be detected.
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
EMCORE
Corporation
Albuquerque,
NM
We
have audited the internal control over financial reporting of EMCORE Corporation
and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of September 30, 2008, based on criteria
established in Internal
Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company's management is
responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting
and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Annual Report on Internal
Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all
material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of
internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material
weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness
of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other
procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinions.
A
company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or
under the supervision of, the company's principal executive and principal
financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the
company's board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal
control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1)
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of
the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's
assets that could have a material effect on the financial
statements.
Because
of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting,
including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of
controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or
detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of
the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future
periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because
of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or
procedures may deteriorate.
In
our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective
internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2008, based on the
criteria established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We
have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial
statements as of and for the year ended September 30, 2008 of the Company
and our report dated December 30, 2008 expressed an
unqualified opinion on those financial statements and included an explanatory
paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going
concern.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE
LLP
Dallas,
TX
December
30, 2008
ITEM 9B.
|
Other
Information
|
None.
PART III
ITEM 10.
|
Directors,
Executive Officers and Corporate
Governance
|
Information
regarding our executive officers and directors required by this Item is
incorporated by reference to EMCORE’s Definitive Proxy Statement in connection
with the 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”), which will
be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008. Information required by Item
405 of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the section entitled
“Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the Proxy
Statement.
We have
adopted a code of ethics entitled the “EMCORE Corporation Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics,” which is applicable to all employees, officers, and
directors of EMCORE. The full text of our Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics is included with the Corporate Governance information available on
our website (www.emcore.com).
ITEM 11.
|
Executive
Compensation
|
Information
required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section entitled
“Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 12.
|
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related
Stockholder Matters
|
Information
regarding security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management is
incorporated by reference to the section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain
Beneficial Owners and Management” in the Proxy Statement.
Information
regarding EMCORE’s equity compensation plans is incorporated by reference to the
section entitled “Equity Compensation Plans” in the Proxy
Statement.
ITEM 13.
|
Certain
Relationships, Related Transactions and Director
Independence
|
Information
regarding required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the sections
entitled “Certain relationships and Related Transactions” and “Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in the Proxy
Statement.
ITEM 14.
|
Principal
Accounting Fees and Services
|
Information
required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section entitled
“Independent Auditors” in the Proxy Statement.
PART IV
ITEM 15.
|
Exhibits
and Financial Statement Schedules.
|
(a)(1)
|
Financial
Statements
|
Included
in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007,
and 2006
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2008 and 2007
Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the fiscal years ended September 30,
2008, 2007, and 2006
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008, 2007,
and 2006
Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(a)(2)
|
Financial
Statement Schedules
|
The
applicable financial statement schedules required under this Item 15(a)(2) are
presented in the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto
under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(a)(3)
|
Exhibits
|
2.1
|
Merger
Agreement, dated January 12, 2006, by and among K2 Optronics, Inc., EMCORE
Corporation, and EMCORE Optoelectronics Acquisition Corp. (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on January 19, 2006).
|
2.2
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement between IQE RF, LLC, IQE plc, and EMCORE Corporation,
dated July 19, 2006. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 24,
2006).
|
2.3
|
Membership
Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 31, 2006, by and between
General Electric Company, acting through the GE Lighting operations of its
Consumer and Industrial division, and EMCORE Corporation (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on September 7, 2006).
|
2.4
|
Stock
Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 13, 2007, by and among Registrant,
Opticomm Corporation and the persons named on Exhibit 1 thereto
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Registrant’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed April 19, 2007).
|
2.5*
|
Loan
and Security Agreement dated as of September 29, 2008, between Bank of
America, N.A. and Registrant.
|
2.6
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement, dated December 17, 2007, between EMCORE Corporation
and Intel Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the
Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on February 11, 2008)
|
2.7
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement, dated April 9, 2008, between EMCORE Corporation and
Intel Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the
Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on May 12, 2008)
|
2.8
|
Securities
Purchase Agreement, dated February 15, 2008, between EMCORE Corporation
and each investor identified on the signature pages thereto (Filed as part
of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, Commission file no.
000-22175, dated February 20, 2008, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
3.1
|
Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, dated April 4, 2008 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on April 4, 2008).
|
3.2
|
Amended
By-Laws, as amended through August 7, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 3.1 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 13,
2008).
|
4.1
|
Registration
Rights Agreement, dated February 15, 2008, between EMCORE Corporation and
the investors identified on the signature pages thereto (Filed as part of
the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, Commission file no. 000-22175,
dated February 20, 2008, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
4.2
|
Form
of Warrant, dated February 15, 2008 (Filed as part of the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, Commission file no. 000-22175, dated February
20, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference)
|
4.3
|
Specimen
certificate for shares of common stock (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1
(File No. 333-18565) filed with the Commission on February 24,
1997).
|
10.1†
|
1995
Incentive and Non-Statutory Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 10.1 to the Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on
Form S-1 filed on February 6,
1997).
|
10.2†
|
1996
Amendment to Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to
Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on
February 6, 1997).
|
10.3†
|
MicroOptical
Devices 1996 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1
to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on February 6,
1998).
|
10.4†
|
2000
Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated on March 31, 2008 (incorporated
by reference to the attached Exhibit to the Company’s Definitive Proxy
Statement filed on March 4, 2008).
|
10.5†
|
2000
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended and restated on February 13, 2006
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Registrant’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed on February 17, 2006).
|
10.6†
|
Directors’
Stock Award Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to
Registrant’s Original Registration Statement of Form S-8 filed on November
5, 1997), as amended by the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on
August 10, 2004.
|
10.7
|
Memorandum
of Understanding, dated as of September 26, 2007 between Lewis Edelstein
and Registrant regarding shareholder derivative litigation (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended September 20, 2006).
|
10.8†
|
Fiscal
2008 Executive Bonus Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.1 the Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on May 12, 2008).
|
10.9†
|
Executive
Severance Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 19,
2007).
|
10.10†
|
Outside
Directors Cash Compensation Plan, as amended and restated on February 13,
2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on February 17, 2006).
|
10.11
|
Exchange
Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2005, by and between Alexandra Global
Master Fund Ltd. and Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.15 to Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2005).
|
10.12
|
Consent
to Amendment and Waiver, dated as of April 9, 2007, by and among EMCORE
Corporation and certain holders of the 2004 Notes party thereto
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Registrant’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed on April 10, 2007).
|
10.13
|
Consent
to Amendment and Waiver, dated as of April 9, 2007, by and between EMCORE
Corporation and the holder of the 2005 Notes (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.2 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 10,
2007).
|
10.14
|
Investment
Agreement between WorldWater and Power Corp. and Registrant, dated
November 29, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 5,
2006).
|
10.15
|
Registration
Rights Agreement between WorldWater and Power Corp. and Registrant, dated
November 29, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 5,
2006).
|
10.16
|
Letter
Agreement between WorldWater and Power Corp. and Registrant, dated
November 29, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 5, 2006).
Confidential Treatment has been requested by the Company with respect to
portions of this document. Such portions are indicated by
“*****”.
|
10.17†
|
Dr.
Hong Hou Offer Letter dated December 14, 2006 (incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 10.1 to Registrant’s Current Report filed on December 20,
2006).
|
10.18
|
Stipulation
of Compromise and Settlement, dated as of November 28, 2007 executed by
the Company and the other defendants and the plaintiffs in the Federal
Court Action and the State Court Actions (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.19 to the Registrant’s Form 10-K filed of December 31,
2007).
|
10.19†
|
2008
Director’s Stock Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to
Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on February 11, 2008).
|
10.20†*
|
Mr.
John M. Markovich Offer Letter dated August 7, 2008.
|
14.1
|
Code
of Ethics for Financial Professionals (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 14.1 to Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2003).
|
21.1*
|
Subsidiaries
of the Registrant.
|
23.1*
|
Consent
of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
|
31.1*
|
Certificate
of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 30, 2008.
|
31.2*
|
Certificate
of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 30,
2008.
|
__________
* Filed herewith
† Management contract or compensatory
plan
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
EMCORE
CORPORATION
|
|||
Date:
December 30, 2008
|
By:
|
/s/
Hong Q. Hou, Ph.D.
|
|
Hong
Q. Hou, Ph.D.
|
|||
President
and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
POWER OF
ATTORNEY
Each
person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints and hereby
authorizes Hong Q.
Hou, Ph.D. and, severally, such person’s true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution or resubstitution, for such
person and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign on
such person’s behalf, individually and in each capacity stated below, any and
all amendments, including post-effective amendments to this Form 10-K, and to
file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Commission granting unto said attorneys-in-fact, full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or
necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and
purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and
confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact, or their substitute or substitutes,
may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the
capacities indicated, on December 30, 2008.
Signature
|
Title
|
|
/s/ Thomas Russell |
Chairman
Emeritus and Lead Director
|
|
Thomas
J. Russell, Ph.D
|
||
/s/ Reuben Richards |
Executive
Chairman & Chairman of the Board
|
|
Reuben
F. Richards, Jr.
|
||
/s/ Hong Hou |
Chief
Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive
Officer)
|
|
Hong
Q. Hou, Ph.D
|
||
/s/ John M. Markovich |
Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
|
John
M. Markovich
|
||
/s/ Charles Scott |
Director
|
|
Charles
T. Scott
|
||
/s/ John Gillen |
Director
|
|
John
Gillen
|
||
/s/ Robert Bogomolny |
Director
|
|
Robert
Bogomolny
|
114