10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)
Published on December 29, 2009
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
T
|
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
fiscal year ended September 30,
2009
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
|
22-2746503
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
10420 Research Road, SE, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
|
87123
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (505)
332-5000
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, no par value
(Title
of each class)
|
NASDAQ Stock Market
(Name
of each exchange on which
registered)
|
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 T No
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. £
Yes T No
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. T Yes £
No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit
and post such files). £ Yes £
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, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
the definition of “large accelerated filer”, ”accelerated filer”, and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one): £ Large accelerated
filer T Accelerated
filer £ Non-accelerated
filer £ Smaller reporting
company
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act). £
Yes TNo
The
aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant
as of March 31, 2009 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently
completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $56.4 million, based on the
closing sale price of $0.76 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 21, 2009 was 81,123,911.
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 Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2010
Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed within 120 days of September 30, 2009 or
will be included in an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within 120 days of
September 30, 2009.
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT
FOR
PURPOSES OF “SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS”
OF
THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION ACT OF 1995
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the
Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are largely
based on our current expectations and projections about future events and
financial trends affecting the financial condition of our
business. Such forward-looking statements include, in particular,
projections about our future results included in our Exchange Act reports,
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 “anticipates”, “believes”, “can”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”,
“forecasts”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “projects”, “targets”, “will”, and
similar expressions or variations of these terms and similar
phrases. Additionally, statements concerning future matters such as
the development of new products, enhancements or technologies, sales levels,
expense levels and other statements regarding matters that are not historical
are forward-looking statements. Management cautions that these forward-looking
statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and are
subject to business, economic, and other risks and uncertainties, both known and
unknown, that may cause 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. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes
include without limitation those discussed under Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well
as those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report. The cautionary
statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements
wherever they appear in this Annual Report and they should also be read in
conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, including the related
footnotes.
Neither
management nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and
completeness of the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking
statements in this Annual Report are made as of the date hereof, based on
information available to us as of the date hereof, and subsequent facts or
circumstances may contradict, obviate, undermine, or otherwise fail to support
or substantiate such statements. We caution you not to rely on these
statements without also considering the risks and uncertainties associated with
these statements and our business that are addressed in this Annual
Report. Certain information included in this Annual Report may
supersede or supplement forward-looking statements in our other Exchange Act
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume
no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform such statements
to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by
applicable law or regulation.
2
EMCORE Corporation
FORM
10-K
For
The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2009
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
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Part I
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4
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17
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31
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32
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32
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35
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Part II
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35
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37
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40
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58
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59
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59
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60
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61
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62
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64
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100
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101
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101
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104
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Part III
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104
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104
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104
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104
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104
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105
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Part IV
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105
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109
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PART I
ITEM
1. Business
Company
Overview
EMCORE
Corporation (the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “EMCORE”) is a provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optics and solar
power markets. We were established in 1984 as a New Jersey
corporation and have two reporting segments: Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics. Our 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. Our Photovoltaics segment provides solar products for
satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, we offer
high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar cells, covered
interconnected cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For
terrestrial applications, we offer concentrating photovoltaic (“CPV”) power
systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications as well as
high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells and integrated CPV components for use
in other solar power concentrator systems. Our headquarters and
principal executive offices are located at 10420 Research Road, SE, Albuquerque,
New Mexico, 87123, and our main telephone number is (505)
332-5000. For specific information about our Company, our products or
the markets we serve, please visit our website at
http://www.emcore.com. The information on our 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 Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The
Company 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 SEC. The SEC maintains a website at
http://www.sec.gov that contains all of our information that has been filed
electronically. We make available free of charge on our website a
link to our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current
reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant
to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable
after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, 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”) transponders for
telecommunications transport 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. Our internally developed laser technology is highly suited
for applications of 10, 40, and 100 Gb/s due to the superior narrow
linewidth and low noise characteristics. All DWDM products are fully
Telcordia® qualified and comply with industry multi-source agreements
(“MSAs”). We are currently sampling customers with our MSA compliant
tunable XFP (“TXFP”) product which we believe will rapidly replace 300-pin
based transponders over the next few years, enabling a higher density
transport solution required by carriers. The Company’s TXFP
products leverage our unique external cavity laser technology to offer
identical performance to currently deployed network specifications,
without the need for any specification
compromise.
|
|
§
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Enterprise
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, we offer traditional MSA compliant small form factor
(“SFF”) and small form factor pluggable (“SFP”) optical transceivers for
use in Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel local-area and storage-area
networks. These transceivers provide integrated duplex data
links for bi-directional communication over both single-mode and multimode
optical fibers at data rates of 1.25Gb/s and 4 Gb/s,
respectively.
|
|
§
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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 bare die (or chip), TO, and TOSA
forms of high-speed 850nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers
(“VCSELs”), distributed feedback (“DFB”) lasers,
positive-intrinsic-negative (“PIN”) and avalanche photodiode (“APD”)
components for 2G, 8G and 10G Fiber Channel, 1G and 10G Ethernet, FTTP,
and telecom applications. While we provide component products
to the entire industry, we also leverage the benefits of our
vertically-integrated infrastructure through low-cost manufacturing and
early accessibility to newly developed internally produced
components.
|
|
§
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Parallel
Optical Transceiver and Cable Products – We have been a technology
and product leader of optical transmitter and receiver products utilizing
arrays of optical emitting or detection devices, e.g., 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. Our products include 12-lane SNAP-12 MSA compliant transmitter
and receivers with single and double data rates. Based on the core
competency of 4-lane parallel optical transceivers, we offer optical fiber
ribbon cables (ECC - EMCORE Connects Cables) with parallel-optical
transceivers embedded within the connectors. These products,
with aggregated bandwidths of up to 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 (less weight and bulk); and lower
cost optical interconnections for massively parallel multi-processor
installations.
|
|
§
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Fiber
Channel Transceiver Products – We offer tri-rate SFF and SFP
optical transceivers for storage area networks. The MSA compliant
transceiver module is designed for high-speed Fiber Channel data links
supporting up to 4.25 Gb/s (4X Fiber Channel rate). The products provide
integrated duplex data links for bi-directional communication over
Multimode optical fiber.
|
|
§
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Cable
Television (or 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.
|
|
§
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Fiber-To-The-Premises
(or 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.
|
|
§
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Satellite
Communications (or 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.
|
|
§
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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.
Our video, audio, data and RF transmission systems serve both analog and
digital requirements, providing cost-effective, flexible solutions geared
for network reconstruction and
expansion.
|
|
§
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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.
|
Major
customers for our Fiber Optics segment include: Aurora Networks, BUPT-GUOAN
Broadband, Arris/C-Cor Electronics, Cisco, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei,
IBM, Motorola, Network Appliance, Nortel, Tellabs, and ZTE.
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 our customers to reduce their
solar product footprint by providing more power output with fewer solar cells,
which is an enhanced benefit when our product is used in terrestrial
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 and science
satellite industry and U.S. government space programs. A
satellite’s operational success depends 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 expected 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%. We are in the final stages of qualifying the
next generation high efficiency multi-junction solar cell platform for space
applications which we believe will have an average conversion efficiency of 30%,
providing our customers with expanded capability. We believe we are
the only manufacturer to supply true monolithic bypass diodes for shadow
protection by utilizing several EMCORE patented methods.
Additionally,
we are developing an entirely new class of advanced multi-junction solar cells
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 also
offer covered interconnected cells (“CICs”) and solar panel lay-down services,
providing us the capability to manufacture fully integrated solar panels for
space applications. We can provide satellite manufacturers with proven,
integrated, satellite power solutions that can significantly improve satellite
economics. Satellite manufacturers and solar array integrators rely on us to
meet their satellite power needs with our proven flight heritage.
|
§
|
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 will continue to grow as solar power generation
technologies improve in efficiency, as global prices for non-renewable
energy sources (i.e., fossil fuels)
continue to fluctuate considerably, and as concern has increased regarding
the effect of fossil fuel-based 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.
|
We have
adapted our high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar
cell products for terrestrial applications, which are intended for use with CPV
power systems in utility-scale installations. We have attained 39%
peak conversion efficiency under 1000x illumination with our 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, will result in a lower cost of power
generated. Our multi-junction solar cell technology is not subject to
silicon shortages which, in the past, have led to increasing prices in the raw
materials required for silicon-based solar cells. We currently serve
the terrestrial solar market with two levels of CPV products: components
(including solar cells and solar cell receivers) and CPV terrestrial solar power
systems.
While the
terrestrial power generation market is still developing, we have shipped
production orders of CPV components to several solar concentrator companies, and
have provided samples to others, including major system manufacturers in the
United States, Europe, and Asia. We have finished installations of a
total of approximately 1 megawatt (“MW”) of CPV systems in Spain, China, and the
US with our own Gen-II CPV power system 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 in the
first half of calendar 2010.
Major
customers for the Photovoltaics segment include: ATK, Dutch Space, Lockheed
Martin, NASA-JPL, Northrop Grumman, Loral Space & Communications, SanAn
Optoelectronics, and Sierra Nevada Space.
The
following table sets forth the revenue and percentage of total revenue
attributable to each of the Company’s reporting segments.
Segment
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$ | 114,134 | 65 | % | $ | 171,276 | 72 | % | $ | 110,377 | 65 | % | ||||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
62,222 | 35 | 68,027 | 28 | 59,229 | 35 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 176,356 | 100 | % | $ | 239,303 | 100 | % | $ | 169,606 | 100 | % |
The
following table sets forth our significant market sectors, defined as product
line sales that represented greater than 10% of total consolidated revenue, by
reporting segment.
Significant
Market Sectors
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
|
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Fiber
Optics – related:
|
||||||||||||
Cable
Television Products
|
13 | % | 19 | % | 29 | % | ||||||
Laser/Photodetector
Component Products
|
- | 11 | % | - | ||||||||
Telecom
Optical Products
|
- | 12 | % | - | ||||||||
Photovoltaics
– related:
|
||||||||||||
Satellite
Solar Power Generation
|
33 | % | 21 | % | 35 | % |
Our
Strategy
The
Company’s management has believed for some time that, due to significant
differences in operating strategy between the Company’s Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics businesses, they would provide greater value to shareholders if
they were operated as two separate business entities. Over the past
two years, the Company has completed several acquisitions to strengthen one or
both of these businesses with a view toward their eventual separation. On April
4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had formally
authorized management to prepare a comprehensive operational and strategic plan
for the separation of these businesses into separate
corporations. Management began assessing alternative methods for
achieving this goal; however, the subsequent onset of the recent worldwide
economic and financial crisis has had a significant adverse impact on these
plans. A dramatic reduction in customer demand for many of the
Company’s Fiber Optics products through June 2009 has significantly lowered
revenue and cash flow in that business unit, while a shortage of debt and equity
capital, a decline in the price of conventional energy sources, and a generally
cautious and conservative attitude in all business sectors has delayed the
opportunities for expanded deployment of the Company’s terrestrial photovoltaic
products and systems. As a result, while the Company is continuing to
pursue strategic alternatives for separating its two operating segments, the
Company has also instituted a series of initiatives aimed at conserving and
generating cash over the next twelve months.
During
fiscal 2009, management implemented a series of measures and continues to
evaluate opportunities intended to align the Company’s cost structure with its
revenue forecasts. Such measures included establishing a line of
credit with Bank of America, several workforce reductions, salary reductions,
the elimination of executive and employee merit increases, and the elimination
or reduction of certain discretionary expenses. The Company has also
significantly lowered its spending on capital expenditures and focused on
improving the management of its working capital. During fiscal 2009,
the Company monetized approximately $16.8 million of inventory, generated $16.0
million in cash from lowering its accounts receivable balances and achieved
positive cash flow from operations during the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and
September 30, 2009.
In fiscal
2010, the Company will continue to remain focused on cash flow while accessing a
range of strategic options for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value,
including joint-venture business opportunities and the potential sale of certain
assets.
With
respect to measures taken to generate cash, the Company sold its minority
ownership positions in Entech Solar, Inc. and Lightron Corporation in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. In April 2009, the Company amended the terms
of its asset-backed revolving credit facility with Bank of America which reduced
the total loan availability to $14 million but also generally resulted in higher
borrowing capacity against any given schedule of accounts
receivable. On October 1, 2009, the Company entered into an equity
line of credit arrangement with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd.
(“Commerce Court”). Upon issuance of a draw-down request by the
Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchasing up to $25 million worth of
shares of the Company’s common stock over the 24-month term of the purchase
agreement, provided that the number of shares the Company may sell under the
facility is limited to no more than 15,971,169 shares of common stock or that
would result in the beneficial ownership of more than 9.9% of the then issued
and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock.
Operationally,
the key elements of our strategy include:
|
-
|
Drive Business Growth through
Customer Focus and Expansion of Product
Lines
|
Within
our Fiber Optics business segment, business development and product development
efforts will be mostly devoted to several world-leading communication equipment
manufacturers. Our objective is to expand business opportunities with
these key accounts by offering an enhanced product portfolio, improved customer
service, technical support and order fulfillment at a competitive
cost. Through our extensive technical resources, established vertical
integration and low-cost manufacturing infrastructure, we are well positioned to
leverage these resources to grow revenue and drive market share
gain.
Within
our Satellite Photovoltaics business, we will continue to offer industry leading
high-efficiency solar cells and components. As a result of our
recently announced solar panel program awards, we plan to significantly grow our
business through the expansion of new product offerings at the solar panel
level. The improved utilization of our solar panel manufacturing
infrastructure will lower our fixed costs per unit, enabling a much more
competitively priced solar panel product line.
-
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Reduce
Product and Business Costs and Improve
Profitability
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We will
continue to drive cost reduction throughout the organization. We expect several
cost reduction initiatives that were commenced in fiscal 2009 to come to
fruition in fiscal 2010. We believe these initiatives will improve
our gross profit and margins. We are committed to achieving
profitability by the second half of the fiscal year through increased revenue
and cost reductions. We have significantly streamlined our
manufacturing operation by focusing on core competencies and addressing cost
efficiencies. Where appropriate, we have transferred the manufacturing of
certain product lines to low-cost contract manufacturers which allow us to
reduce variable costs while still maintaining quality and reliability. Our
restructuring programs are designed to reduce the Company’s overhead through
several avenues. We will continue to review and take action to divest or exit
the businesses and product lines that are not strategic and/or incapable of
achieving desired revenue or profitability goals. In fiscal 2010, we
will continue to place increased emphasis on improving our working capital
management and we expect capital expenditures will be reduced significantly
compared to prior years.
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Continue
to Invest in R&D to Stay Ahead of
Competition
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We have
invested significantly in research and development and product engineering over
the past several years and developed a clear technology leadership position in
many of our product lines. In fiscal 2010, we will continue to invest in
R&D, but we will be very selective in allocating R&D resources to
develop competitive technologies and products as a means to maintain technology
leadership over our competitors. In the meantime, we will continue to
focus R&D and product engineering investments to develop a broader range of
products for a focused customer base and product cost reduction
efforts.
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Grow
Our CPV Business by Penetrating into Emerging Markets through Strategic
Partnerships
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We are
committed to launching our next generation CPV products in fiscal 2010. We will
focus our business development efforts on solar power opportunities in emerging
markets. We expect our Gen-III CPV terrestrial solar power system to
provide a competitive cost of energy for commercial and utility scale projects
in certain geographic regions. We have implemented a new marketing strategy
which will focus our traditional competencies in technological innovation,
systems design, and engineering, while retaining our unique competitive
advantage as the only vertically-integrated supplier to the CPV
market. We will continue to develop and expand partnerships with
major companies, both domestically and internationally, to drive deployment of
our terrestrial CPV components and systems.
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Leverage
Internal Advanced Technology Programs for Expanded Government
Applications
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Through
extensive R&D investment in both our specialty fiber optics and satellite
photovoltaic technology areas, we have developed a suite of unique and enabling
technology solutions for programs related to defense and government interests.
We will be investing significant resources to develop new business opportunities
and build programs within this area. We believe this market
represents a significant growth opportunity for the Company.
Government
Research Contracts
We derive
a portion of our revenue from funding by various agencies of the U.S. government
through 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.
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 strive not to
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.
Manufacturing
The
Company utilizes 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 certain 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 products,
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.
Restructuring
Programs
The
Company is committed to achieving profitability by increasing revenue through
the introduction of new products and reducing costs. 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.
The
Company’s restructuring programs are designed to further reduce the number of
our manufacturing facilities, in addition to the divestiture 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.
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.
Research
and Development
Our
research and development (R&D) efforts have been focused on maintaining our
technological competitive 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 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.
R&D
expense was $27.1 million, $39.5 million, and $30.0 million for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively.
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, 2009, we held approximately 175 U.S.
patents and 25 foreign patents and have over 100 additional patent applications
pending. Our U.S. patents will expire on varying dates between 2010 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.
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. 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. 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.
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 our competitors within the markets we participate in
include:
Fiber
Optics
CATV Networks. Our
main competitors include Applied Optoelectronics and Finisar at the subsystem
level and Applied Optoelectronics and Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations at
the component product level.
FTTP and Telecommunications
Networks. Our competitors include Cyoptics, Mitsubishi, and
Source Photonics for FTTP components and transceivers. For 10Gb/s
tunable transponders, our principal competitors include Finisar, JDSU, and
Opnext.
Data Communications, Storage Area
Networks and Parallel Optic Device Products. Our
principal competitors include Avago, Finisar, and Opnext.
Satellite Communications
Networks. Our primary competitors are Foxcom and MITEQ,
Inc.
Video Transport
Products. Our primary competitors are Evertz and
Telecast.
Photovoltaics
Satellite Solar Power
Generation. In the market for satellite solar power products,
we primarily compete with Azure Solar, Sharp, and Spectrolab, a subsidiary of
Boeing.
Terrestrial Solar Power
Generation. In the market for terrestrial solar power
products, we primarily compete with Azure Solar and Spectrolab in the solar cell
market, and Amonix, Concentrix, 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 product cost, 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, 2009, the Company had a consolidated order backlog of
approximately $62.6 million comprised of $47.7 million in order backlog related
to our Photovoltaics segment and $14.9 million in order backlog related to our
Fiber Optics segment. As of September 30, 2008, the Company had a
consolidated order backlog of approximately $61.9 million comprised of $40.8
million in order backlog related to our Photovoltaics segment and $21.1 million
in order backlog related to our Fiber Optics segment. Order backlog is defined
as purchase orders or supply agreements accepted by the Company with expected
product delivery and/or services to be performed within the next twelve
months.
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, 2009, we had approximately 700 employees, including approximately
150 international employees that are located primarily in
China. This represented a decrease of approximately 300
employees when compared to September 30, 2008.
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 to
the Company.
ITEM
1A. Risk
Factors
Our
disclosure and analysis in this 2009 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, 2009, we had an accumulated
deficit of $560.8 million. We incurred a net loss of $136.1 million in fiscal
2009, net loss of $80.9 million in fiscal 2008, and a net loss of $58.7 million
in fiscal 2007. 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. If we are not able to increase revenue and reduce our
costs, we may not be able to achieve profitability.
Negative
worldwide economic conditions could continue to result in a decrease in our
sales and revenue and an increase in our operating costs, which could continue
to adversely affect our business and operating results.
If the
recent worldwide economic downturn continues, many of our direct and indirect
customers may delay or reduce their purchases of our products and systems
containing our products. In addition, several of our customers rely on credit
financing in order to purchase our products. If the negative conditions in the
global credit markets prevent our customers’ access to credit, orders for our
products may decrease, which would result in lower revenue. Likewise, if our
suppliers face challenges in obtaining credit, in selling their products or
otherwise in operating their businesses, they may become unable to offer the
materials we use to manufacture our products. These actions could result in
reductions in our revenue, increased price competition and increased operating
costs, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and
financial condition.
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:
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market
acceptance of our products;
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market
demand for the products and services provided by our
customers;
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disruptions
or delays in our manufacturing processes or in our supply of raw materials
or product components;
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changes
in the timing and size of orders by our
customers;
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cancellations
and postponements of previously placed
orders;
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reductions
in prices for our products or increases in the costs of our raw
materials;
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the
introduction of new products and manufacturing
processes;
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fluctuations
in manufacturing yields;
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the
emergence of new industry
standards;
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failure
to anticipate changing customer product
requirements;
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the
loss or gain of important
customers;
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product
obsolescence;
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the
amount of research and development expenses associated with new product
introductions;
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the
continuation or worsening of the current global economic
slowdown;
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economic
conditions in various geographic areas where we or our customers do
business;
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acts
of terrorism and international conflicts or
crises;
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other
conditions affecting the timing of customer
orders;
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a
downturn in the markets for our customers’ products, particularly the
telecommunications components
markets;
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significant
warranty claims, including those not covered by our
suppliers;
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intellectual
property disputes;
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loss
of key personnel or the shortage of available skilled workers;
and
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the
effects of competitive pricing pressures, including decreases in average
selling prices of our products.
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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. The facility is also subject to
certain financial covenants which the Company was in compliance with for the
three months ended June 30, 2009 and September 30,
2009. Depending on the Company’s operating results in fiscal
2010, the Company may not continue to be compliant with the credit facility’s
financial covenants.
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.
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 have recently experienced an unprecedented crisis which may
have a continuing materially adverse impact on the Company, our customers and
our suppliers.
Financial
markets have recently experienced 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 the
impact of 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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Negative
worldwide economic conditions and market instability make it difficult for
us, our customers and our suppliers to accurately forecast future product
demand trends, which could cause us to produce excess products that can
depress product prices, increase our inventory carrying costs and result
in obsolete inventory. Alternatively, this forecasting difficulty could
cause a shortage of products, or materials used in our products, that
could result in an inability to satisfy demand for our products and a loss
of market share.
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Negative
global economic conditions increase the risk that we could suffer
unrecoverable losses on our customers’ accounts receivable, which would
adversely affect our financial results. We extend credit and
payment terms to some of our customers. We could suffer significant losses
if customers fail to pay us, which would have a negative impact
on our financial results.
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In
addition, the worldwide financial crisis may adversely affect certain assets
held by the Company.
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 $5.50 per share to a
low of $0.50 per share during the fiscal year ended September 30,
2009. As of December 21, 2009 the closing price of our common stock
was $1.09. 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. Securities class action lawsuits are often brought against
companies after periods of volatility in the market price of their securities.
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 recent 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 have managed
our liquidity situation through a series of cost reduction initiatives, capital
markets transactions and the sale of assets. We currently have
approximately $37.5 million in working capital as of September 30,
2009. 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.
On
October 1, 2009, the Company entered into what is sometimes termed an equity
line of credit arrangement with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd.
(“Commerce Court”). Specifically, the Company entered into a Common Stock
Purchase Agreement (“Purchase Agreement”), that provides that, upon issuance of
a draw-down request by the Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchase up
to $25 million worth of our common stock over the 24-month term of the Purchase
Agreement; provided, however, in no event may we sell under the Purchase
Agreement more than 15,971,169 shares of common stock or more shares that would
result in the beneficial ownership or more than 9.9% of the then issued and
outstanding shares of our common stock.
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.
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 recent 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 may
not have the expertise to properly evaluate or manage. In addition,
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.
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 or
cancellation of 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.
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
2009, 2008 and 2007, our top five customers accounted for 43%, 46%, and 48%,
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.
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:
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unexpected
changes in regulatory requirements;
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legal
uncertainties regarding liability, tariffs and other trade
barriers;
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inadequate
protection of intellectual property in some
countries;
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greater
incidence of shipping delays;
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greater
difficulty in overseeing manufacturing
operations;
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greater
difficulty in hiring talent needed to oversee manufacturing
operations;
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potential
political and economic instability;
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potential
adverse actions by the U.S. government pursuant to its stated intention to
reduce the loss of U.S. jobs; and
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the
outbreak of infectious diseases such as the H1N1 influenza virus, severe
acute respiratory syndrome (“SARS”), or the avian flu, which could result
in travel restrictions or the closure of our facilities or the facilities
of our customers and suppliers.
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Any of
these factors could significantly impair our ability to source our contract
manufacturing requirements internationally.
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:
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changing
product specifications and customer
requirements;
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unanticipated
engineering complexities;
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expense
reduction measures we have implemented and others we may
implement;
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difficulties
in hiring and retaining necessary technical personnel;
and
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difficulties
in allocating engineering resources and overcoming resource
limitations.
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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.
Spending
to develop and improve our technology may negatively impact our financial
results.
We may
need to increase our capital expenditures and expenses above our historical
run-rate model in order to attempt to improve our existing technology and
develop new technology. Increasing our investments in research and development
of technology could cause our cost structure to fall out of alignment with
demand for our products, which would have a negative impact on our financial
results.
The
competitive and rapidly evolving nature of our industries 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 spend
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.
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
are subject to warranty claims, product recalls and product
liability.
We may be
subject to warranty or product liability claims that may lead to increased
expenses in order to defend or settle such claims. Such warranty claims may
arise in areas such as terrestrial solar components or systems where our
operating experience is limited. We maintain product liability insurance, but
such insurance is subject to significant deductibles and there is no guarantee
that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all such
claims. We may incur costs and expenses relating to a recall of one of our
customers’ products containing one of our products. The process of identifying a
recalled product in devices that have been widely distributed may be lengthy and
require significant resources, and we may incur significant replacement costs,
contract damage claims from our customers and reputational harm. Payments and
expenses in connection with warranty and product liability claims could
materially affect our financial condition and results of
operations.
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.
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 supply
contracts with our customers and we typically sell our products pursuant to
purchase orders with short lead times, and even where we do have supply
contracts, our customers are not obligated to purchase any minimum amount of our
products. 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 purchase
commitments with our customers include the following:
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our
customers can stop purchasing our products at any time without
penalty;
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our
customers may purchase products from our competitors;
and
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our
customers are not required to make minimum
purchases.
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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 related
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 limited experience in that market.
We
are a party to several U.S. government contracts, which are subject to unique
risks.
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.
We
have significant international sales, which expose us to additional risks and
uncertainties
Sales to
customers located outside the U.S. accounted for approximately 38% of our
consolidated revenue in fiscal 2009, 44% of our revenue in fiscal 2008 and 27%
of our revenue in fiscal 2007, with revenue assigned to geographic regions based
on our customers’ billing address. 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:
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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;
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we
may experience difficulties in the timeliness of collection of foreign
accounts receivable and be forced to write off these
receivables;
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tariffs
and other barriers may make our devices less cost
competitive;
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the
laws of certain foreign countries may not adequately protect our trade
secrets and intellectual property or may be burdensome to comply
with;
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potentially
adverse tax consequences to our customers may damage our cost
competitiveness;
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currency
fluctuations, which may make our products less cost competitive, affecting
overseas demand for our products or otherwise adversely affect our
business; and
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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
Chinese subsidiary, Langfang EMCORE Optoelectronics Co. Ltd., is located
approximately 20 miles southeast of Beijing and currently occupies a space of
48,000 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.
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, terrestrial solar power
products, and commercially available solar cell satellite power products are
subject to EAR; however, certain fiber optics products and certain solar cell
satellite power products with an efficiency rating above 31% 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 foreign competitors may
adversely affect our competitive position.
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, the measures we take are not
properly implemented, or if a competitor is able to reproduce or otherwise
capitalize on our technology despite the safeguards we have in place, it may be
difficult, expensive or impossible for us to obtain necessary legal protection.
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:
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infringement
claims (or claims for indemnification resulting from infringement claims)
will not be asserted against us or that such claims will not be
successful;
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future
assertions will not result in an injunction against the sale of infringing
products, which could significantly impair our business and results of
operations;
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any
patent owned or licensed by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or
challenged; or
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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 or waste
product generated there from, 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, phosphine 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 and Directive on Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment. 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, 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. In
connection with our compliance with such environmental laws and regulations, as
well as our compliance with industry environmental initiatives, the standards of
business conduct required by some of our customers, and our commitment to sound
corporate citizenship in all aspects of our business, we could incur substantial
compliance and operating costs and be subject to disruptions to our operations.
In addition, in the last few years, there has been increased media scrutiny and
associated reports focusing on a potential link between working in semiconductor
manufacturing clean room environments and certain illnesses, primarily different
types of cancers. Regulatory agencies and industry associations have begun to
study the issue to see if any actual correlation exists. Because we utilize
clean rooms, we may become subject to liability claims. In addition, these
reports may also affect our ability to recruit and retain employees. If we were
found to be in violation of environmental and safety regulations laws or
noncompliance with industry initiatives or standards of conduct, we could be
subject to governmental fines or liability to our customers, which could
adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial
condition.
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.
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. Our business is also subject to break-ins, sabotage and intentional
acts of vandalism by third parties as well as employees. 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 at one of the Company’s divisions during fiscal year 2010, 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.
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 the Company
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.
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:
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insufficient
experience with technologies and markets in which the acquired business is
involved, which may be necessary to successfully operate and integrate the
business;
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problems
integrating the acquired operations, personnel, technologies or products
with the existing business and
products;
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diversion
of management time and attention from the core business to the acquired
business or joint venture;
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potential
failure to retain key technical, management, sales and other personnel of
the acquired business or joint
venture;
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difficulties
in retaining relationships with suppliers and customers of the acquired
business, particularly where such customers or suppliers compete with
us;
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reliance
upon joint ventures which we do not
control;
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subsequent
impairment of the acquired assets, including intangible assets;
and
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assumption
of liabilities including, but not limited to, lawsuits, tax examinations,
warranty issues, etc.
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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 to 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, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued authoritative guidance
related to the consolidation of variable interest entities that 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, 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. Also, the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) issued its long-anticipated proposed International Financial Reporting
Standards (“IFRS”) roadmap outlining milestones that, if achieved, could lead to
mandatory transition to IFRS for U.S. domestic registrants starting in 2014.
IFRS is a comprehensive series of accounting standards published by the
International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). Under the proposed roadmap,
the Company could be required to prepare financial statements in accordance with
IFRS, and the SEC will make a determination in 2011 regarding the mandatory
adoption of IFRS for U.S. domestic registrants. Management is currently
assessing the impact that this potential change would have on the Company’s
consolidated financial statements, and will continue to monitor the development
of the potential implementation of IFRS.
Natural disasters or other
catastrophic events could have a material adverse affect on our
business.
Natural
disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires, particularly in
California or in New Mexico, could unfavorably affect our operations and
financial performance. Such events could result in physical damage to
one or more of our facilities, the temporary closure of one or more of our
facilities or those of our suppliers, the temporary lack of an adequate work
force in a market, the temporary or long-term disruption in the supply of
products from some local and overseas suppliers, the temporary disruption in the
transport of goods from overseas, and delays in the delivery of goods. Public
health issues, such as a potential H1N1 flu pandemic (swine flu), whether
occurring in the United States or abroad, could disrupt our operations, disrupt
the operations of suppliers or customers, or have an adverse impact on customer
demand. We may be required to suspend operations in some or all of our
locations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, and results of operations. These events could also reduce demand for
our products or make it difficult or impossible to receive products from
suppliers. Although we maintain business interruption insurance and other
insurance intended to cover some or all of these risks, such insurance may be
inadequate, whether because of coverage amount, policy limitations, the
financial viability of the insurance companies issuing such policies, or other
reasons.
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff
Comments
Not
Applicable.
ITEM 2. Properties
The
following chart contains certain information regarding each of our principal
facilities.
Location
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Function
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Approximate
Square Footage
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Term
(in calendar year)
|
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Albuquerque,
New
Mexico
|
Corporate
Headquarters
Manufacturing
and R&D facilities
for
both photovoltaic and fiber optics products
|
165,000
|
Facilities
are 100% owned by the Company. Certain land is leased, which
expires in 2050
|
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Alhambra,
California
|
Manufacturing
and R&D facilities
for
fiber optics products
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83,000
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Multiple
leases, which expire in 2011 through 2013 (1)
|
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Newark,
California
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R&D
facilities for fiber optics products
|
55,000
|
Multiple
leases, which expire in 2013 (1)
|
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Langfang,
China
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Manufacturing
facility for fiber optics products
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48,000
|
Multiple
leases, which expire in 2012 through 2013 (1)
|
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Sonora,
Mexico
|
Manufacturing
facility for photovoltaics products
|
20,000
|
This
facility is in the process of being vacated. This lease will
expire by December 31, 2009
|
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Ivyland,
Pennsylvania
|
Manufacturing
& R&D facility for fiber optics products
|
9,000
|
Lease
expires in 2011 (1)
|
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Albuquerque,
New
Mexico
|
Storage
warehouse
|
6,000
|
Lease
expires in 2010 (1)
|
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Taipei
City, Taiwan
|
R&D
facility for fiber optics products
|
7,000
|
Lease
expires in 2013
|
|||
Somerset,
New Jersey
|
R&D
facility
|
5,000
|
Lease
expires in 2010 (1)
|
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San
Diego, California
|
R&D
facility
|
1,000
|
Month-to-month
lease
|
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Albuquerque,
New
Mexico
|
Apartment
|
1,000
|
One
year lease commitment through September 2010 was signed in November 2009
(1)
|
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Vacated Property:
|
||||||
Naperville,
Illinois
|
Facility
was vacated in October 2008
|
11,000
|
Lease
expires in February 2013. The Company continues to work on subleasing this
property.
|
Footnote
(1)
|
This
lease has the option to be renewed by the Company, subject to inflation
adjustments.
|
ITEM 3. Legal
Proceedings
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, then the operating results of that
particular reporting period could be materially adversely
affected. During fiscal year 2009, the Company settled certain
matters that did not individually, or in the aggregate, have a material impact
on the Company’s results of operations.
a)
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, currently part of Finisar
Corporation (Optium) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania for patent infringement of certain patents associated with our
Fiber Optics segment. 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. 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
February 18, 2009, the Company’s motion for a summary judgment dismissing
Optium’s declaratory relief action was granted, and on March 11, 2009, the
Company was notified that Optium intended to file an appeal of this order. In
October 2009 the consolidated matters were tried before a jury, which found that
all patents asserted against Optium were valid, that all claims asserted were
infringed, and that such infringement by Optium was willful where willfulness
was asserted. The jury awarded EMCORE and JDSU monetary damages
totaling approximately $3.4 million. Post trial motions are currently
pending, including EMCORE’s request for enhanced damages and an
injunction.
b)
Avago-related 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 (Avago Technologies U.S.,
Inc., et al., Emcore
Corporation, et al.,
Case No.: C08-3248 JW). 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.
On
December 5, 2008, the Company 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. (Avago Technologies Singapore et al., Emcore Corporation,
et al., Case
No.: C08-5394 EMC). This matter has been stayed pending
resolution of the International Trade Commission matter described immediately
below.
On March
5, 2009, the Company was notified that, based on a complaint filed by Avago
alleging the same patent infringement that formed the basis of the complaint
previously filed in the Northern District of California, the U.S. International
Trade Commission had determined to begin an investigation titled “In the Matter
of Certain Optoelectronic Devices, Components Thereof and Products Containing
the Same”, Inv. No. 337-TA-669. This matter was tried before an
administrative law judge of the International Trade Commission from November
16-20, 2009, and final briefings have been completed but no decision has yet
been rendered.
The
Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations of all of the Avago
complaints.
c)
Green and Gold related litigation
On
December 23, 2008, Plaintiffs Maurice Prissert and Claude Prissert filed a
purported stockholder class action (the “Prissert Class 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 Company and the Individual Defendants violated certain
provisions of the federal securities laws, including Section 10(b) 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 Photovoltaics business segment. The
Complaint in the Class Action seeks, among other things, an unspecified amount
of compensatory damages and other costs and expenses associated with the
maintenance of the Action.
On or
about February 12, 2009, a second purported stockholder class action (Mueller v. EMCORE Corporation et
al., Case No. 1:09cv 133 (D.N.M.)) was filed in the United States
District Court for the District of New Mexico against the same defendants named
in the Prissert Class Action, based on substantially the same facts and
circumstances, containing substantially the same allegations and seeking
substantially the same relief. Plaintiffs in both class actions have
moved to consolidate the matters into a single action, and several alleged
EMCORE shareholders have moved to be appointed lead class plaintiff of the to-be
consolidated action. Selection of a lead plaintiff in this matter is
currently pending before the Court.
On
January 23, 2009, Plaintiff James E. Stearns filed a purported stockholder
derivative action (the “Stearns Derivative 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
Superior Court of New Jersey, Atlantic County, Chancery Division (James E. Stearns, derivatively on
behalf of EMCORE Corporation v. Thomas J. Russell, Robert Bogomolny,
Charles Scott, John Gillen, Reuben F. Richards, Jr., Hong Q. Hou, Adam Gushard,
David Danzilio and Thomas Werthan, Case No. Atl-C-10-09). This
action is based on essentially the same factual contentions as the Class Action,
and alleges that the Individual Defendants engaged in improprieties and
violations of law in connection with the reporting of the GGE
backlog. The Derivative Action seeks several forms of relief,
allegedly on behalf of the Company, including, among other things, damages,
equitable relief, corporate governance reforms, an accounting of, rescission of,
restitution of, and costs and disbursements of the lawsuit.
On March
11, 2009, Plaintiff Gary Thomas filed a second purported shareholder derivative
action (the “Thomas Derivative Action”; together with the Stearns Derivative
Action, the “Derivative Actions”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of
New Mexico against the Company and certain of the Individual
Defendants (Gary Thomas, derivatively on behalf
of EMCORE Corporation v. Thomas J. Russell, Robert Bogomolny, Charles
Scott, John Gillen, Reuben F. Richards, Jr., Hong Q. Hou, and EMCORE
Corporation, Case No. 1.09-cv-00236, (D.N.M.)). The Thomas
Derivative Action makes the same allegations as the Stearns Derivative Action
and seeks essentially the same relief.
The
Stearns Derivative Action and the Thomas Derivative action have been
consolidated before a single judge in Somerset County, New Jersey, and have been
stayed pending the Class Actions.
The
Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations of both the Class
Actions and the Derivative Action.
d)
Securities Matters
|
-
|
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 the Company'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 Photovoltaics segment backlog the Company reported to
the public. Since that time, the Company has provided documents
to the staff of the SEC and met with the staff on December 12, 2008 to
address this matter. On June 10, 2009, the SEC staff requested
that the Company voluntarily provide documentary backup for certain
information presented at the December 2008 meeting, which was provided on
July 17, 2009, and arrange for a telephone interview with one former
employee, which has been completed. On August 24, 2009, in a
telephone call with the Company’s counsel, the staff posed certain
questions relating to the material provided on July 17, 2009, which were
answered via the production of additional information and documentation on
October 9, 2009.
|
|
-
|
NASDAQ
Communication. On or about November 13, 2008, the Company
received a letter from the NASDAQ Listings Qualifications group (“NASDAQ”)
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. To date, the Company has received
three additional requests for information from NASDAQ (the latter 2 of
which requested updates on the SEC matter). The Company has
complied with each of NASDAQ’s requests. In early November 2009
the NASDAQ orally requested to be advised of developments in the SEC
matter.
|
ITEM 4. 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, 2009.
PART II
ITEM
5.
|
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 21, 2009 was $1.09 per share. As of December 21, 2009, we had
approximately 176 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.
High
and Low Price Range
|
First
Quarter
|
Second
Quarter
|
Third
Quarter
|
Fourth
Quarter
|
||||||||||||
Fiscal
2009
|
$0.76 – $ 5.50 | $0.50 – $ 1.55 | $0.72 – $1.75 | $1.00 – $1.54 | ||||||||||||
Fiscal
2008
|
$7.22 – $15.90 | $5.62 – $15.70 | $5.80 – $9.30 | $3.90 – $6.65 |
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 any amounts outstanding under the 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, 2004
through September 30, 2009 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, 2004 in the Company’s common stock. The
Company did not declare, nor did it pay, any dividends during the comparison
period.
Fiscal
Year Ended
September
30,
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||||||||||
EMCORE
Corporation
|
$ | 100.00 | $ | 310.66 | $ | 300.51 | $ | 487.31 | $ | 250.76 | $ | 65.99 | ||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Composite
|
$ | 100.00 | $ | 113.78 | $ | 121.50 | $ | 143.37 | $ | 109.15 | $ | 112.55 | ||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Electronic Components
|
$ | 100.00 | $ | 118.95 | $ | 112.83 | $ | 137.42 | $ | 95.53 | $ | 98.63 | ||||||||||||
NASDAQ
Computer
|
$ | 100.00 | $ | 115.31 | $ | 121.76 | $ | 149.58 | $ | 111.69 | $ | 128.44 |
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 to investors deemed to be “accredited
investors” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act or “qualified
institutional buyers” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act,
through a private placement transaction exempt from the SEC’s registration
requirements pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Rule
506 of Regulation D. 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. 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 the Company 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. 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. Warrants issued to the investors were
accounted for as an equity transaction with a value of $9.8 million recorded to
common stock. As part of the sale documentation each investor
provided representations and warranties in the securities purchase agreement,
upon which the Company relied, with respect to such investor’s status as an
“accredited investor” or “qualified institutional buyer”. No party
acted as underwriter for this transaction. Total agent fees
incurred were 5.75% of the gross proceeds, or $5.8 million. The total
cost associated with this equity offering was approximately $6.3 million which
was recorded against the issuance of common stock. The Company used
the proceeds from this private placement transaction to acquire the
telecom-related assets of Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division in
2008.
ITEM
6. Selected Financial
Data
The
following selected consolidated financial data of the Company's five most recent
fiscal years ended September 30, 2009 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 Accounting
Transactions:
Fiscal
2009:
|
-
|
In
December 2008, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges totaling
$33.8 million related to goodwill and intangible assets in the Fiber
Optics segment.
|
|
-
|
In
January 2009, the Company sold its remaining interest in Entech Solar Inc
(formerly WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation) for a gain of
$3.1 million.
|
|
-
|
In
June 2009, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge totaling
$27.0 million related to long-lived assets in the Fiber Optics
segment.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2009, the Company incurred the following significant non-cash
expenses within operations:
|
|
-
|
Additional
inventory provisions related to excess, obsolete, and lower of cost or
market valuation adjustments totaling $13.6
million;
|
|
-
|
Provisions
for losses on firm purchase agreements totaling $8.5 million;
and,
|
|
-
|
Additional
provisions for doubtful accounts totaling $5.1
million.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2009, the Company incurred $2.0 million related to severance and
restructuring charges and $5.6 million related to legal expenses
associated with certain patent and other litigation, all of which was
recorded as SG&A expense.
|
Fiscal
2008:
|
-
|
In
February 2008, the Company redeemed all of its outstanding convertible
notes. The Company recognized a loss totaling $4.7 million
related to the conversion of notes to
equity.
|
|
-
|
In
February 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100 million of
restricted common stock and warrants. The Company used
the proceeds from this private placement transaction to acquire the
telecom-related assets of Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division in
2008.
|
|
-
|
In
February and April 2008, the Company acquired the telecom, datacom, and
optical cable interconnects-related assets of Intel Corporation’s Optical
Platform Division for $112 million in cash and the Company’s common
stock.
|
|
-
|
In
June and July 2008, the Company sold a portion of its investment in Entech
Solar for a total gain of $7.4
million.
|
|
-
|
In
September 2008, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge totaling
$22.0 million related to goodwill in the Fiber Optics
segment.
|
|
-
|
In
September 2008, the Company recorded a $1.5 million non-cash impairment
charge related to investments.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2008, the Company incurred the following significant non-cash
expenses within operations:
|
|
-
|
Additional
inventory provisions related to excess, obsolete, and lower of cost or
market valuation adjustments totaling $9.6 million;
and,
|
|
-
|
Additional
provisions for doubtful accounts totaling $2.1
million.
|
|
-
|
Fiscal
2008 operating expenses also included $4.8 million related to transition
service agreement charges associated with the fiber optics businesses
acquired from Intel Corporation.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2008, the Company incurred non-cash expense totaling $4.3 million
associated with the modification of stock options issued to terminated
employees.
|
Fiscal
2007:
|
-
|
In
November 2006, the Company invested $13.1 million in Entech Solar Inc. in
return for convertible preferred stock and
warrants.
|
|
-
|
In
April 2007, the Company modified its convertible subordinated
notes. 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.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2007, the Company incurred the following significant expenses
within operations:
|
|
-
|
$10.6
million related to our review of historical stock option granting
practices;
|
|
-
|
$6.1
million related to non-recurring corporate 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 of
expense 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. The results of operations of the TurboDisc division
have been reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods
presented.
|
|
-
|
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 non-cash 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 fiscal 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 sale of the TurboDisc division in November
2003.
|
Selected Financial
Data
Statements
of Operations Data
|
For the Fiscal Years Ended September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands, except income (loss) per share)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006 (1)(2)
|
2005 (1)
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 176,356 | $ | 239,303 | $ | 169,606 | $ | 143,533 | $ | 115,367 | ||||||||||
Gross
(loss) profit
|
(3,774 | ) | 29,895 | 30,368 | 25,952 | 19,302 | ||||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(138,234 | ) | (75,281 | ) | (57,456 | ) | (34,150 | ) | (20,371 | ) | ||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
(136,069 | ) | (80,860 | ) | (58,722 | ) | 45,039 | (24,685 | ) | |||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
- | - | - | 9,884 | 11,200 | |||||||||||||||
Net
(loss) income
|
(136,069 | ) | (80,860 | ) | (58,722 | ) | 54,923 | (13,485 | ) | |||||||||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Per
basic share
|
$ | (1.72 | ) | $ | (1.20 | ) | $ | (1.15 | ) | $ | 0.91 | $ | (0.52 | ) | ||||||
Per
diluted share
|
$ | (1.72 | ) | $ | (1.20 | ) | $ | (1.15 | ) | $ | 0.87 | $ | (0.52 | ) |
Balance
Sheet Data
|
As of September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents, restricted cash and current available-for-sale
securities
|
$ | 16,899 | $ | 22,760 | $ | 41,226 | $ | 123,967 | $ | 40,175 | ||||||||||
Working
capital
|
37,457 | 79,234 | 63,204 | 129,683 | 56,996 | |||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
184,559 | 329,278 | 234,736 | 287,547 | 206,287 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term
liabilities
|
104 | - | 84,981 | 84,516 | 94,701 | |||||||||||||||
Shareholders’
equity
|
126,663 | 253,722 | 98,157 | 149,399 | 75,563 |
_______________________
|
(1)
|
In
August 2006, the Company sold its Electronic Materials & Device (EMD) division to
IQE plc (IQE) for $16 million. The results of operations of the EMD
division have been reclassified to discontinued operations for fiscal
years ended September 30, 2006 and
2005.
|
|
(2)
|
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.
|
ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Business
Overview
EMCORE
Corporation (the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “EMCORE”) is a provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optics and solar
power markets. We were established in 1984 as a New Jersey
corporation and have two reporting segments: Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics. Our 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. Our Photovoltaics segment provides solar products for
satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, we offer
high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar cells, covered
interconnected cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For
terrestrial applications, we offer concentrating photovoltaic (“CPV”) power
systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications as well as
high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells and integrated CPV components for use
in other solar power concentrator systems. Our headquarters and
principal executive offices are located at 10420 Research Road, SE, Albuquerque,
New Mexico, 87123, and our main telephone number is (505)
332-5000. For specific information about our Company, our products or
the markets we serve, please visit our website at
http://www.emcore.com.
Management
Summary
The
Company’s management has believed for some time that, due to significant
differences in operating strategy between the Company’s Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics businesses, they would provide greater value to shareholders if
they were operated as two separate business entities. Over the past
two years, the Company has completed several acquisitions to strengthen one or
both of these businesses with a view toward their eventual separation. On April
4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had formally
authorized management to prepare a comprehensive operational and strategic plan
for the separation of these businesses into separate
corporations. Management began assessing alternative methods for
achieving this goal; however, the subsequent onset of the recent worldwide
economic and financial crisis has had a significant adverse impact on these
plans. A dramatic reduction in customer demand for many of the
Company’s Fiber Optics products through June 2009 has significantly lowered
revenue and cash flow in that business unit, while a shortage of debt and equity
capital, a decline in the price of conventional energy sources, and a generally
cautious and conservative attitude in all business sectors has delayed the
opportunities for expanded deployment of the Company’s terrestrial photovoltaic
products and systems. As a result, while the Company is continuing to
pursue strategic alternatives for separating its two operating segments, the
Company has also instituted a series of initiatives aimed at conserving and
generating cash over the next twelve months.
During
fiscal 2009, management implemented a series of measures and continues to
evaluate opportunities intended to align the Company’s cost structure with its
revenue forecasts. Such measures included establishing a line of
credit with Bank of America, several workforce reductions, salary reductions,
the elimination of executive and employee merit increases, and the elimination
or reduction of certain discretionary expenses. The Company has also
significantly lowered its spending on capital expenditures and focused on
improving the management of its working capital. During fiscal 2009,
the Company monetized approximately $16.8 million of inventory, generated $16.0
million in cash from lowering its accounts receivable balances and achieved
positive cash flow from operations during the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and
September 30, 2009.
In fiscal
2010, the Company will continue to remain focused on cash flow while accessing a
range of strategic options for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value,
including joint-venture business opportunities and the potential sale of certain
assets.
With
respect to measures taken to generate cash, the Company sold its minority
ownership positions in Entech Solar, Inc. and Lightron Corporation in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. In April 2009, the Company amended the terms
of its asset-backed revolving credit facility with Bank of America which reduced
the total loan availability to $14 million but also generally resulted in higher
borrowing capacity against any given schedule of accounts
receivable. On October 1, 2009, the Company entered into an equity
line of credit arrangement with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd.
(“Commerce Court”). Upon issuance of a draw-down request by the
Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchasing up to $25 million worth of
shares of the Company’s common stock over the 24-month term of the purchase
agreement, provided that the number of shares the Company may sell under the
facility is limited to no more than 15,971,169 shares of common stock or that
would result in the beneficial ownership of more than 9.9% of the then issued
and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock.
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S.
GAAP”) requires management of the Company to make estimates and assumptions that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities, as of the date of the financial statements,
and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported
period. The accounting estimates that require our most
significant, difficult, and subjective judgments include:
|
-
|
the
valuation of inventory, goodwill, intangible assets, and stock based
compensation;
|
|
-
|
assessment
of recovery of long-lived assets;
|
|
-
|
revenue
recognition associated with the percentage of completion method;
and
|
|
-
|
the
allowance for doubtful accounts and warranty
accruals.
|
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. The Company’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.
A listing
and description of the Company’s critical accounting policies
includes:
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 of collection. 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.
|
-
|
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $5.1
million in bad debt expense, of which $0.7 million related to the Fiber
Optics segment and $4.4 million related to the Photovoltaics segment,
primarily related to receivables from the sale of terrestrial solar power
products.
|
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 conditions exist that may not allow the inventory to be sold for
its intended purpose or the inventory is determined to be excess or obsolete
based on the Company’s forecasted future revenue. 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. We have incurred, and may in
the future incur charges to write-down our inventory.
|
-
|
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $13.6
million in inventory write-downs, of which $10.3 million related to the
Fiber Optics segment and $3.3 million related to the Photovoltaics
segment. The significant portion of the inventory
write-downs in fiscal 2009 was related to inventory acquired from the
acquisition of Intel Corporation’s Optical Platform
Division.
|
Goodwill. Goodwill
represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the
fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities
assumed. As required by ASC 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other,
the Company evaluates its goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, or
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of
a reporting unit may exceed its fair value. Management has elected
December 31st as
the annual assessment date. Circumstances that could trigger an
interim impairment test include but are not limited to: a significant adverse
change in the market value of the Company’s common stock, 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.
In
performing goodwill impairment testing, the Company determines the fair value of
each reporting unit using a weighted combination of a market-based approach and
a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) approach. The market-based approach
relies on values based on market multiples derived from comparable public
companies. In applying the DCF approach, management forecasts cash flows over
the remaining useful life of its primary asset using assumptions of current
economic conditions and future expectations of earnings. This
analysis requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgments
about appropriate discount rates based on the assessment of risks inherent in
the amount and timing of projected future cash flows. The derived
discount rate may fluctuate from period to period as it is based on external
market conditions. All of these assumptions are critical to the
estimate and can change from period to period. Updates to these
assumptions in future periods, particularly changes in discount rates, could
result in different results of goodwill impairment tests.
|
-
|
As
disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2008, as a result of the unfavorable macroeconomic
environment and a significant reduction in our market capitalization since
the completion of the asset acquisitions from Intel Corporation (the
“Intel Acquisitions”), the Company reduced its internal revenue and
profitability forecasts and revised its operating plans to reflect a
general decline in demand and average selling prices, especially for the
Company’s recently acquired telecom-related fiber optics component
products. The Company also performed an interim test as of
September 30, 2008 to determine whether there was impairment of its
goodwill. The fair value of each of the Company’s reporting
units was determined by using a weighted average of the Guideline Public
Company, Guideline Merged and Acquired Company, and the DCF
methods. Due to uncertainty in the Company’s business outlook
arising from the ongoing financial liquidity crisis and the current
economic recession, management believed the most appropriate approach
would be an equally weighted approach, amongst the three methods, to
arrive at an indicated value for each of the reporting
units. The indicated fair value of each of the reporting units
was then compared with the reporting unit’s carrying value to determine
whether there was an indication of impairment of goodwill under ASC 350,
Intangibles – Goodwill
and Other. As a result, the Company determined that the
goodwill related to one of its Fiber Optics reporting units may be
impaired. Since the second step of the Company’s goodwill
impairment test was not completed before the fiscal year-end financial
statements were issued and a goodwill impairment loss was probable and
could be reasonably estimated, management recorded a non-cash goodwill
impairment charge of $22.0 million, as a best estimate, during the three
months ended September 30, 2008.
|
|
-
|
During
the three months ended December 31, 2008, there was further deterioration
of the Company’s market capitalization, significant adverse changes in the
business climate primarily related to product pricing and profit margins,
and an increase in the discount rate. The Company performed its
annual goodwill impairment test as of December 31, 2008 and management
weighted the market-based approach heavier than the DCF method using
information that was available at the
time.
|
|
-
|
Based
on this analysis, the Company determined that goodwill related to its
Fiber Optics reporting units was fully impaired. As a result,
the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $31.8 million and the
Company’s balance sheet no longer reflects any goodwill associated with
its Fiber Optics reporting units.
|
|
-
|
The
Company’s annual impairment test as of December 31, 2008, indicated that
there was no impairment of goodwill for the Photovoltaics reporting
unit. Based upon revised operational and cash flow forecasts,
the Photovoltaics reporting unit’s fair value exceeded its carrying
value.
|
|
-
|
As
of September 30, 2009, the Company performed an interim goodwill
impairment test on its remaining goodwill based on revised operational and
cash flow forecasts. The impairment testing indicated that no
impairment existed and that fair value exceeded carrying value by
approximately 40%.
|
|
-
|
The
Company continues to report goodwill related to its Photovoltaics
reporting unit and the Company believes the remaining carrying amount of
goodwill as of September 30, 2009 is not impaired. However, if
there is further erosion of the Company’s market capitalization or the
Photovoltaics reporting unit is unable to achieve its projected cash
flows, management may be required to perform additional impairment tests
of its remaining goodwill. The outcome of these additional
tests may result in the Company recording additional goodwill impairment
charges.
|
Valuation of Long-lived
Assets. Long-lived assets consist primarily of property,
plant, and equipment and intangible assets. Because most of the
Company’s long-lived assets are subject to amortization, the Company reviews
these assets for impairment in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plant, and
Equipment. As part of internal control procedures, the Company
reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be
recoverable. Our impairment testing of long-lived assets consists of
determining whether the carrying amount of the long-lived asset (asset group) is
recoverable, in other words, whether the sum of the future undiscounted cash
flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset
(asset group) exceeds its carrying amount. The determination of
the existence of impairment involves judgments that are subjective in nature and
may require the use of estimates in forecasting future results and cash flows
related to an asset or group of assets. In making this determination,
the Company uses certain assumptions, including estimates of future cash flows
expected to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional
assumptions such as asset utilization, the length of service that assets will be
used in our operations, and estimated salvage values.
|
-
|
As
disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2008, as a result of reductions to our internal
revenue and profitability forecasts, changes to our internal operating
forecasts and a significant reduction in our market capitalization since
the completion of the Intel Acquisitions, the Company tested for
impairment of its long-lived assets and other intangible
assets. The sum of future undiscounted cash flows exceeded the
carrying value for each of the reporting units’ long-lived and other
intangible assets. Accordingly, no impairment existed under ASC
360, Property, Plant,
and Equipment as of September 30, 2008. As the
long-lived asset (asset group) met the recoverability test, no further
testing was required or performed.
|
|
-
|
During
the three months ended December 31, 2008, the Company recorded a non-cash
impairment charge totaling $1.9 million related to certain intangible
assets that were acquired from the Intel Acquisitions that were
subsequently abandoned.
|
|
-
|
As
of December 31, 2008, due to further changes in estimates of future
operating performance and cash flows that occurred during the quarter, the
Company tested for impairment of its long-lived assets and other
intangible assets and based on that analysis, determined that no
impairment existed.
|
|
-
|
As
of June 30, 2009, the Company performed an evaluation of its Fiber Optics
segment asset group for impairment. The impairment test was
triggered by a determination that it was more likely than not those
certain assets would be sold or otherwise disposed of before the end of
their previously estimated useful lives. As a result of the
evaluation, it was determined that an impairment existed, and a charge of
$27.0 million was recorded to write down the long-lived assets to an
estimated value, which was determined based on a combination of guideline
public company comparisons and future undiscounted cash
flows. Of the total impairment charge, $17.2 million related to
plant and equipment and $9.8 million related to intangible
assets.
|
|
-
|
The
current adverse economic conditions had a significant negative effect on
the Company’s assessment of the value of the Fiber Optics segment asset
group. The impairment charge primarily resulted from the
combined effect of the current slowdown in product orders and lower
pricing exacerbated by currently high discount rates used in estimating
values and the effects of recent declines in market values of debt and
equity securities of comparable public companies. This impairment charge
in combination with other non-cash charges will not cause the Company to
be in default under any of its financial covenants associated with its
credit facility nor will it have a material adverse impact on the
Company’s liquidity position or cash
flows.
|
|
-
|
The
determination of enterprise value involved a number of assumptions and
estimates. The Company uses a combination of two value inputs to estimate
enterprise value of its reporting units: internal future undiscounted cash
flow analyses (income approach) and comparable company equity
values. Recent pending and/or completed relevant transactions
method was not used due to lack of recent transactions. The income
approach involved estimates of future performance that reflected
assumptions regarding, among other things, sales volumes and expected
margins. Another key variable in the income approach was the discount
rate, or weighted average cost of capital. The determination of the
discount rate takes into consideration the capital structure, debt ratings
and current debt yields of comparable companies as well as an estimate of
return on equity that reflects historical market returns and current
market volatility for the industry. Enterprise value estimates based on
comparable company equity values involve using trading multiples of
revenue of those selected companies to derive appropriate multiples to
apply to the revenue of the reporting units. This approach requires an
estimate, using historical acquisition data, of an appropriate control
premium to apply to the reporting unit values calculated from such
multiples. Critical judgments include the selection of comparable
companies and the weighting of the two value inputs in developing the best
estimate of enterprise value.
|
|
-
|
As
of September 30, 2009, the Company performed impairment tests on its
long-lived assets for its asset groups based on revised operational and
cash flow forecasts. The impairment testing indicated that no
impairment existed and that future undiscounted cash flows exceeded
carrying value by over 7% for each of the Company’s asset
groups.
|
|
-
|
The
Company believes the carrying amount of its long-lived assets and
intangible assets as of September 30, 2009 are
recoverable. However, if there is further erosion of the
Company’s market capitalization or the Company is unable to achieve its
projected cash flows, management may be required to perform additional
impairment tests of its remaining long-lived assets and intangible
assets. The outcome of these additional tests may result in the
Company recording additional impairment
charges.
|
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 ASC 450, 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.
|
-
|
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $1.1
million in product warranty reserves in its Photovoltaics segment that was
primarily related to older generation CPV-related product
launches.
|
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 and 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. Revenue is recognized in proportion to actual costs
incurred compared to total anticipated costs expected to be incurred for
each contract. 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. If estimates of costs to complete long-term
contracts indicate a loss, a provision is made for the total loss
anticipated. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company had
accrued $0.1 million and $0.8 million, respectively, related to estimated
contract losses on certain CPV system-related orders. Unbilled
accounts receivable represents revenue recognized but not yet billed
pursuant to contract terms or accounts billed after the period
end. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, unbilled accounts
receivable totaled $6.1 million and $5.0 million,
respectively.
|
|
-
|
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 split 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 in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation. 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 the Company’s historical stock
prices.
***
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 are also areas in which
management's judgment in selecting any available alternative would not produce a
materially different result. For a complete discussion of our accounting
policies, recently adopted accounting pronouncements, and other required U.S.
GAAP disclosures, we refer you to the accompanying footnotes to the Company’s
consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Business
Segments, Geographic Revenue, Significant Customers, and Backlog
The
Company has five operating segments: (1) EMCORE Digital Fiber Optics Products,
(2) EMCORE Broadband Fiber Optics 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. 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. Photovoltaics revenue is derived primarily from the
sales of solar power conversion products for the space and terrestrial markets,
including solar cells, covered interconnected solar cells, solar panel
concentrator solar cells and concentrating photovoltaic systems (“CPV”) and
receiver assemblies. The Company evaluates its reportable segments in accordance
with ASC 280, Segment
Reporting. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is the Chief Operating
Decision Maker pursuant to ASC 280, and he allocates resources to segments based
on their business prospects, competitive factors, net revenue, operating results
and other non-GAAP financial ratios. Operating income or expense that
is not specifically related to an operating segment is charged to a separate
unallocated corporate division.
The
following table sets forth the revenue and percentage of total revenue
attributable to each of the Company’s reporting segments.
Segment
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$ | 114,134 | 65 | % | $ | 171,276 | 72 | % | $ | 110,377 | 65 | % | ||||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
62,222 | 35 | 68,027 | 28 | 59,229 | 35 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 176,356 | 100 | % | $ | 239,303 | 100 | % | $ | 169,606 | 100 | % |
The
following table sets forth the Company’s consolidated revenue by geographic
region with revenue assigned to geographic regions based on our customers’
billing address.
Geographic
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
||||||||||||||||||
United
States
|
$ | 108,563 | 62 | % | $ | 134,796 | 56 | % | $ | 124,012 | 73 | % | ||||||||||||
Asia
|
50,973 | 29 | 73,311 | 31 | 34,574 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
Europe
|
8,878 | 5 | 20,420 | 8 | 10,821 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other
|
7,942 | 4 | 10,776 | 5 | 199 | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 176,356 | 100 | % | $ | 239,303 | 100 | % | $ | 169,606 | 100 | % |
The
following table sets forth our significant customer, defined as customers that
represented greater than 10% of total consolidated revenue, by reporting
segment.
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
|
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Fiber
Optics – related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Cisco
|
15 | % | 18 | % | 12 | % | ||||||
Motorola
|
- | - | 13 | % | ||||||||
Photovoltaics
– related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Loral
Space & Communications
|
14 | % | 10 | % | - | |||||||
Confidential
U.S. government-related customer
|
- | - | 11 | % |
The
following table sets forth operating losses attributable to each of the
Company’s reporting segments and Corporate division.
Statement
of Operations Data
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Operating
loss:
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Fiber
Optics segment
|
$ | (124,184 | ) | $ | (49,903 | ) | $ | (25,877 | ) | |||
Photovoltaics
segment
|
(14,050 | ) | (25,238 | ) | (11,202 | ) | ||||||
Corporate
division
|
- | (140 | ) | (20,377 | ) | |||||||
Operating
loss
|
$ | (138,234 | ) | $ | (75,281 | ) | $ | (57,456 | ) |
The
following table sets forth the depreciation and amortization attributable to
each of the Company’s reporting segments and Corporate division.
Segment
Depreciation and Amortization
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||
Fiber
Optics segment
|
|
$
|
10,314
|
|
|
$
|
9,067
|
|
|
$
|
6,991
|
|
Photovoltaics
segment
|
|
|
5,768
|
|
|
|
4,472
|
|
|
|
2,860
|
|
Corporate
division
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
271
|
|
Total
depreciation and amortization
|
|
$
|
16,082
|
|
|
$
|
13,617
|
|
|
$
|
10,122
|
|
Long-lived
assets consist primarily of property, plant, and equipment and also goodwill and
intangible assets. The following table sets forth long-lived assets
for each of the Company’s reporting segments and Corporate
division.
Long-lived
Assets
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiber
Optics segment
|
|
$
|
37,399
|
|
|
$
|
107,684
|
|
Photovoltaics
segment
|
|
|
50,169
|
|
|
|
55,232
|
|
Corporate
division
|
|
|
826
|
|
|
|
622
|
|
Total
long-lived assets
|
|
$
|
88,394
|
|
|
$
|
163,538
|
Order
Backlog
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had a consolidated order backlog of
approximately $62.6 million comprised of $47.7 million in order backlog related
to our Photovoltaics segment and $14.9 million in order backlog related to our
Fiber Optics segment. As of September 30, 2008, the Company had a
consolidated order backlog of approximately $61.9 million comprised of $40.8
million in order backlog related to our Photovoltaics segment and $21.1 million
in order backlog related to our Fiber Optics segment. Order backlog is defined
as purchase orders or supply agreements accepted by the Company with expected
product delivery and/or services to be performed within the next twelve
months.
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.
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth the Company’s consolidated statements of operations
data expressed as a percentage of total revenue.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS DATA
|
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Revenue
|
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||
Cost
of revenue
|
102.1 | 87.5 | 82.0 | |||||||||
Gross
(loss) profit
|
(2.1 | ) | 12.5 | 18.0 | ||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Selling,
general, and administrative
|
26.4 | 18.2 | 34.1 | |||||||||
Research
and development
|
15.4 | 16.5 | 17.8 | |||||||||
Impairments
|
34.5 | 9.3 | - | |||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
76.3 | 44.0 | 51.9 | |||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(78.4 | ) | (31.5 | ) | (33.9 | ) | ||||||
Other
(income) expense:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
- | (0.4 | ) | (2.4 | ) | |||||||
Interest
expense
|
0.3 | 0.7 | 2.9 | |||||||||
Foreign
exchange loss
|
0.1 | 0.3 | - | |||||||||
Gain
from sale of investments
|
(1.8 | ) | (3.1 | ) | - | |||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
0.2 | 0.7 | - | |||||||||
Loss
on disposal of equipment
|
- | 0.4 | 0.1 | |||||||||
Stock-based
expense from tolled options
|
- | 1.8 | - | |||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
- | 1.9 | - | |||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible subordinated
notes
|
- | - | 0.3 | |||||||||
Gain
from insurance proceeds
|
- | - | (0.2 | ) | ||||||||
Total
other (income) expense
|
(1.2 | ) | 2.3 | 0.7 | ||||||||
Net
loss
|
(77.2 | )% | (33.8 | )% | (34.6 | )% |
Comparison of Fiscal Years
Ended September 30, 2009 and 2008
Revenue:
Revenue for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2009 was $176.4 million, a decrease of $62.9 million, or
26%, from $239.3 million reported in the same period last
year.
On a
segment basis, annual revenue for the Fiber Optics segment was $114.1 million, a
decrease of $57.2 million, or 33%, from $171.3 million reported in the same
period last year. The decrease in Fiber Optics revenue was primarily
due to a significant drop in demand from our customers due to the very
unfavorable macroeconomic environment as well as continued pressure on selling
prices as we compete to maintain or increase our market share
positions. For the fiscal year, the Fiber Optics segment
represented 65% of the Company's consolidated revenue compared to 72% in the
same period last year.
Annual
revenue for the Photovoltaics segment was $62.2 million, a decrease of $5.8
million, or 9%, from $68.0 million reported in the same period last
year. On a year-over-year basis, our satellite solar power product
lines experienced an increase in revenue while our CPV terrestrial solar power
product lines and government service contracts experienced a decrease in
revenue. For the fiscal year, the Photovoltaics segment represented 35% of the
Company's consolidated revenue compared to 28% in the same period last
year.
Gross Profit /
(Loss):
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the consolidated gross loss was $3.8 million, a decrease
of $33.7 million from $29.9 million in gross profit reported in the same
period last year. For the fiscal year, the consolidated gross margin
was negative 2.1% compared to a positive 12.5% gross margin reported in the same
period last year.
Fiber
Optics gross margin for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009 was negative
10.7%, a decrease from a 20.7% gross margin reported in the same period last
year. The decrease in Fiber Optics gross margin was primarily due to
losses recorded on firm inventory purchase commitments, unabsorbed overhead
expenses due to declining revenues, and inventory valuation
write-downs. In addition, the decrease was also caused by the
Company’s efforts to monetize older-generation product inventory as it
transitions to newer lower cost and more competitive design
platforms.
Photovoltaics
gross margin for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009 was 13.6%, an increase
from a negative 8.3% gross margin reported in the same period last
year. The significant increase in Photovoltaics gross margin was
primarily due to increased sales of higher margin satellite solar power products
along with improved manufacturing yields on certain satellite solar panel
contracts.
Operating
Expenses:
Sales,
general, and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2009 totaled $46.6 million, a $3.1 million increase from
$43.5 million reported in the same period last year. The overall
increase of SG&A expenses was primarily due to legal and consulting expenses
and an increase in reserves for bad debts. The Company recorded $5.1
million in bad debt expense, of which $0.7 million related to the Fiber Optics
segment and $4.4 million related to the Photovoltaics segment, primarily related
to receivables from the sale of terrestrial solar power products. The
allowance is based on the age of receivables and a specific identification of
receivables considered at risk of collection. During the fiscal year,
management implemented a series of measures intended to realign the Company’s
cost structure with lower revenues including several reductions in workforce,
the furloughing of employees, salary reductions, the elimination of executive
and employee merit increases, and the reduction or elimination of certain
discretionary expenses. As a percentage of revenue, annual SG&A
expenses were 26.4%, an increase from 18.2% in the same period last
year.
Research and
development expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009 totaled
$27.1 million, a decrease of $12.4 million, or 31%, from $39.5 million reported
in the same period last year. As part of the Company’s
ongoing effort to reduce expenses, many long-term projects have been placed on
hold in order to focus on research and product development efforts on projects
that we expect to generate returns within one year. As a percentage
of revenue, annual R&D expenses were 15.4%, a decrease from 16.5% in the
same period last year.
Impairments:
As a
result of the financial liquidity crisis, economic recession, reductions to
internal revenue forecasts, changes to internal operating forecasts, and a
drastic reduction in the Company’s market capitalization, the Company performed
an analysis to determine if there was an indication of impairment of goodwill.
As a result of this analysis, the Company determined that the goodwill related
to our Fiber Optics segment asset group was impaired. As a result, the Company
recorded an estimated impairment charge of $22.0 million during the quarter
ended September 30, 2008.
As
disclosed in the first fiscal quarter of 2009, the Company performed its annual
goodwill impairment test as of December 31, 2008 and, based on that analysis,
determined that goodwill related to its Fiber Optics segment was fully
impaired. As a result, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment
charge of $31.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 and the Company’s
balance sheet no longer reflects any goodwill associated with its Fiber Optics
segment. During the first fiscal quarter, the Company also
recorded a $1.9 million non-cash impairment charge related to certain intangible
assets acquired from Intel Corporation that were subsequently
abandoned.
As of
June 30, 2009, the Company performed an evaluation of its Fiber Optics segment
asset group for impairment. The impairment test was triggered by a
determination that it was more likely than not those certain assets would be
sold or otherwise disposed of before the end of their previously estimated
useful lives. As a result of the evaluation, it was determined that
an impairment existed, and a charge of $27.0 million was recorded to write down
the long-lived assets to an estimated value, which was determined based on a
combination of guideline public company comparisons and future undiscounted cash
flows.
Consolidated
operating expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009 totaled $134.5
million, an increase of $29.3 million from $105.2 million reported in the same
period last year.
Operating
and Net Loss:
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the consolidated operating loss was $138.2
million, an increase of $62.9 million from an operating loss of $75.3 million
reported in the same period last year.
Non-operating
income and expenses recognized in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009
included $0.5 million of net interest expense and $3.1 million of income related
to the sale of the Company’s investment in Entech Solar, Inc. (formerly named
WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation).
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the consolidated net loss was $136.1
million, an increase of $55.2 million from $80.9 million reported in the same
period last year. The annual net loss per share was $1.72, an
increase of $0.52 per share, from a net loss of $1.20 per share reported in the
same period last year.
Other
Income & Expenses
Impairment of
investment.
In April
2008, the Company invested approximately $1.5 million in Lightron Corporation, a
Korean company that is 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 and
another $0.4 million “other than temporary” impairment loss on this investment
as of December 31, 2008. During the quarter ended March 31, 2009, the
Company sold its interest in Lightron Corporation, via several transactions, for
a total of $0.5 million in cash. The Company recorded a gain on the
sale of this investment of approximately $21,000, after consideration of
impairment charges recorded in previous periods, and the Company also recorded a
foreign exchange loss of $0.1million due to the conversion from Korean Won to
U.S. dollars.
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
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. As an incentive to holders to convert their Notes, the
Company made cash payments to such holders equal to 4% of the principal amount
of the Notes converted (the “Incentive Payment”), 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 related to the Incentive Payment and $1.2 million related
to the accelerated write-off of capitalized finance charges associated with the
convertible notes.
Stock-based expense from tolled
options.
Under the
terms of the Company’s stock option agreements issued under the Option Plans, employees that
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, employees and terminated employees were
precluded from exercising stock options until the Company became compliant with
its SEC filings and the registration of the stock option shares was once again
effective (the “Blackout Period”). In April 2007, the Company’s Board
of Directors approved a stock option grant “modification” for terminated
employees by extending the normal 90-day exercise period after date of
termination to a date after which the Blackout Period was lifted. The
Company communicated the terms of the stock option grant modification 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”). Terminated
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 terminated employees were impacted
by this modification. All tolled stock options were either exercised
or expired by January 29, 2008.
To
account for a stock option grant modification, when the rights conveyed by a
stock-based compensation award are no longer dependent on the holder being an
employee, the award ceases to be accounted for under ASC 718, Compensation, and becomes
subject to the recognition and measurement requirements of ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging,
which results in liability classification and measurement of the
award. On the date of modification, stock options that receive
extended exercise terms are initially measured at fair value and expensed as if
the stock options awards were new grants. Subsequent changes in
fair value are reported in earnings and disclosed in the financial statements as
long as the stock options remain classified as liabilities.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2007, the Company incurred a non-cash
expense of $4.4 million associated with the modification of stock options issued
to terminated employees which was calculated using the Black-Scholes option
valuation model. The modified stock options were 100% vested at the
time of grant with an estimated life of no greater than 90 days. When
the stock options classified as liabilities were ultimately settled in stock,
any gains or losses on those stock options were included in additional paid-in
capital. For unexercised stock options that ultimately expired in
January 2008, the liability was relieved with a gain of $0.1 million recorded in
current earnings.
Since
these modified stock options were issued to terminated employees of the Company,
and therefore no services were required to receive this grant and no contractual
obligation existed at the Company to issue these modified stock options, the
Company concluded it was more appropriate to classify this non-cash expense
within “other income and expense” in the Company’s statement of
operations.
Gain from sale of
investment.
In
January 2009, the Company announced that it completed the closing of a two step
transaction involving the sale of its remaining interests in Entech Solar, Inc.
(formerly named WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation). The
Company sold its remaining shares of Entech Solar Series D Convertible Preferred
Stock and warrants to a significant shareholder of both the Company and Entech
Solar, for approximately $11.6 million, which included additional consideration
of $0.2 million as a result of the termination of certain operating agreements
with Entech Solar. During the three months ended March 31, 2009, the
Company recognized a gain on the sale of this investment of approximately $3.1
million.
In June
and July 2008, the Company sold a portion of its investment in Entech Solar for
a total gain of $7.4 million.
Foreign
exchange.
The
Company recognizes gains and losses on foreign currency exchange primarily due
to the Company’s operations in Spain, the Netherlands and China.
Comparison of Fiscal Years
Ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
Revenue:
Revenue for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2008 was $239.3 million, an increase of $69.7 million, or
41%, from $169.6 million reported in the same period last
year.
On a
segment basis, annual revenue for the Fiber Optics segment was $171.3 million,
an increase of $60.9 million, or 55%, from $110.4 million reported in the same
period last year. The annual increase in Fiber Optics revenue was
primarily due to 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 Corporation’s Optical Platform Division. For the fiscal year,
the Fiber Optics segment represented 72% of the Company's consolidated revenue
compared to 65% in the same period last year.
Annual
revenue for the Photovoltaics segment was $68.0 million, an increase of $8.8
million, or 15%, from $59.2 million reported in the same period last
year. 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. For the fiscal year, the
Photovoltaics segment represented 28% of the Company's consolidated revenue
compared to 35% in the same period last year.
Gross
Profit:
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the consolidated gross profit was $29.9 million, a decrease
of $0.5 million from $30.4 million in gross profit reported in the same
period last year. For the fiscal year, the consolidated gross margin
was 12.5% compared to 17.9% gross margin reported in the same period last
year.
Fiber
Optics gross margin for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 was 20.7%, an
increase from a 18.4% gross margin reported in the same period last
year. The increase in annual gross margin 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.
Photovoltaics
gross margin for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 was negative 8.3%, a
decrease from a positive 17.0% gross margin reported in the same period last
year. The decrease in gross margins was 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 Gen-II to Gen-III products.
Operating
Expenses:
Sales,
general, and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2008 totaled $43.5 million, a $14.3 million decrease from
$57.8 million reported in the same period last year. 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. As a percentage of revenue,
annual SG&A expenses were 18.2%, a decrease from 34.1% in the same period
last year.
Research and
development expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 totaled
$39.5 million, an increase of $9.5 million, or 32%, from $30.0 million reported
in the same period last 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. As a percentage
of revenue, annual R&D expenses were 16.5%, a decrease from 17.8% in the
same period last year.
Impairment:
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.
Consolidated
operating expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 totaled $105.2
million, an increase of $17.4 million from $87.8 million reported in the same
period last year.
Operating
and Net Loss:
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the consolidated operating loss was $75.3
million, an increase of $17.8 million from an operating loss of $57.5 million
reported in the same period last year.
Non-operating
expenses recognized in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 included $0.7
million of net interest expense, $0.7 million related to net foreign exchange
losses, $7.4 million of income related to sales of the Company’s investment in
Entech Solar, Inc. (formerly named WorldWater and Solar Technologies
Corporation), $1.5 million loss related to impairment on investments, $1.0
million loss related to the loss on disposals of equipment, $4.3 million loss
related to stock-based expense on tolled stock options, and $4.7 million loss
from conversion of subordinated notes.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the consolidated net loss was $80.9
million, an increase of $22.1 million from $58.7 million reported in the same
period last year. The annual net loss per share was $1.20, an
increase of $0.05 per share, from a net loss of $1.15 per share reported in the
same period last year.
Other
Income & Expenses
Foreign
exchange gain.
In fiscal
2008, the Company recognized a loss on foreign currency exchange primarily due
to its operating activities in Spain, the Netherlands and in
China. This loss was primarily due to the weakening of the US Dollar
compared to the Euro.
Gain
from sale of investment.
In June
2008, the Company agreed to sell two million shares of Series D Preferred Stock
of Entech Solar, together with 200,000 warrants to a major shareholder of both
the Company and Entech Solar 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.
Impairment
of Investments.
In April
2008, the Company invested approximately $1.5 million in Lightron Corporation, a
Korean company that is 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. 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.
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
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. As an incentive to holders to convert their Notes, the
Company made cash payments to such holders equal to 4% of the principal amount
of the Notes converted (the “Incentive Payment”), 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 related to the Incentive Payment and $1.2 million related
to the accelerated write-off of capitalized finance charges associated with the
convertible notes.
Stock-based expense from tolled
options.
Under the
terms of the Company’s stock option agreements issued under the Option Plans, employees that
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, employees and terminated employees were
precluded from exercising stock options until the Company became compliant with
its SEC filings and the registration of the stock option shares was once again
effective (the “Blackout Period”). In April 2007, the Company’s Board
of Directors approved a stock option grant “modification” for terminated
employees by extending the normal 90-day exercise period after date of
termination to a date after which the Blackout Period was lifted. The
Company communicated the terms of the stock option grant modification 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”). Terminated
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 terminated employees were impacted
by this modification. All tolled stock options were either exercised
or expired by January 29, 2008.
To
account for a stock option grant modification, when the rights conveyed by a
stock-based compensation award are no longer dependent on the holder being an
employee, the award ceases to be accounted for under ASC 718, Compensation and becomes
subject to the recognition and measurement requirements of ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging,
which results in liability classification and measurement of the
award. On the date of modification, stock options that receive
extended exercise terms are initially measured at fair value and expensed as if
the stock options awards were new grants. Subsequent changes in
fair value are reported in earnings and disclosed in the financial statements as
long as the stock options remain classified as liabilities.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2007, the Company incurred a non-cash
expense of $4.4 million associated with the modification of stock options issued
to terminated employees which was calculated using the Black-Scholes option
valuation model. The modified stock options were 100% vested at the
time of grant with an estimated life of no greater than 90 days. When
the stock options classified as liabilities were ultimately settled in stock,
any gains or losses on those stock options were included in additional paid-in
capital. For unexercised stock options that ultimately expired in
January 2008, the liability was relieved with a gain of $0.1 million recorded in
current earnings.
Since
these modified stock options were issued to terminated employees of the Company,
and therefore no services were required to receive this grant and no contractual
obligation existed at the Company to issue these modified stock options, the
Company concluded it was more appropriate to classify this non-cash expense
within “other income and expense” in the Company’s statement of
operations.
Balance Sheet
Highlights:
-
|
As
of September 30, 2009, cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and
current available-for-sale securities totaled approximately $16.9 million
and working capital totaled $37.5
million.
|
-
|
For
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company generated $16.8
million from the reduction in inventory levels and $16.0 million from the
collection of accounts receivable while, at the same time, lowering its
accounts payable obligations by $27.4
million.
|
-
|
Long-lived
assets consist primarily of property, plant, and equipment and also
goodwill and intangible assets. The carrying amount of the
Company’s long-lived assets decreased 46% primarily due to impairment
charges totaling $60.8 million and depreciation and amortization expense
totaling $16.1 million in fiscal
2009.
|
-
|
As
of September 30, 2009, the Company had a $10.3 million prime rate loan
outstanding, with an interest rate of 8.25%, against the Company’s credit
facility with Bank of America and the Company was in full compliance with
its financial covenants.
|
Liquidity and Capital
Resources
The
Company incurred a net loss of $136.1 million for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2009, which included a non-cash impairment charge of $60.8 million
related to the write-down of fixed assets, goodwill and intangible assets
associated with the Company’s Fiber Optics segment. The Company’s
operating results for future periods are subject to numerous uncertainties and
it is uncertain if the Company will be able to reduce or eliminate its net
losses for the foreseeable future. Although total revenue had
increased sequentially over the past several years prior to 2009, the Company
has not been able to sustain historical revenue growth rates due to material
adverse changes in market and economic conditions. If management is
not able to increase revenue and/or manage operating expenses in line with
revenue forecasts, the Company may not be able to achieve
profitability.
As of
September 30, 2009, cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities and
restricted cash totaled approximately $16.9 million. Historically, the Company
has consumed cash from operations. During fiscal 2009, we consumed
cash from operations of approximately $29.6 million, with the rate of cash
consumption declining each quarter.
Management Actions and
Plans
Historically,
management has addressed liquidity requirements through a series of cost
reduction initiatives, capital markets transactions and the sale of
assets. Management anticipates that the current recession in the
United States and internationally may continue to impose formidable challenges
for the Company’s businesses in the near term.
The
Company’s management has believed for some time that, due to significant
differences in operating strategy between the Company’s Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics businesses, they would provide greater value to shareholders if
they were operated as two separate business entities. Over the past
two years, the Company has completed several acquisitions to strengthen one or
both of these businesses with a view toward their eventual separation. On April
4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had formally
authorized management to prepare a comprehensive operational and strategic plan
for the separation of these businesses into separate
corporations. Management began assessing alternative methods for
achieving this goal; however, the subsequent onset of the recent worldwide
economic and financial crisis has had a significant adverse impact on these
plans. A dramatic reduction in customer demand for many of the
Company’s Fiber Optics products through June 2009 has significantly lowered
revenue and cash flow in that business unit, while a shortage of debt and equity
capital, a decline in the price of conventional energy sources, and a generally
cautious and conservative attitude in all business sectors has delayed the
opportunities for expanded deployment of the Company’s terrestrial photovoltaic
products and systems. As a result, while the Company is continuing to
pursue strategic alternatives for separating its two operating segments, the
Company has also instituted a series of initiatives aimed at conserving and
generating cash over the next twelve months.
During
fiscal 2009, management implemented a series of measures and continues to
evaluate opportunities intended to align the Company’s cost structure with its
revenue forecasts. Such measures included establishing a line of
credit with Bank of America, several workforce reductions, salary reductions,
the elimination of executive and employee merit increases, and the elimination
or reduction of certain discretionary expenses. The Company has also
significantly lowered its spending on capital expenditures and focused on
improving the management of its working capital. During fiscal 2009,
the Company monetized approximately $16.8 million of inventory, generated $16.0
million in cash from lowering its accounts receivable balances and achieved
positive cash flow from operations during the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and
September 30, 2009.
In fiscal
2010, the Company will continue to remain focused on cash flow while accessing a
range of strategic options for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value,
including joint-venture business opportunities and the potential sale of certain
assets.
With
respect to measures taken to generate cash, the Company sold its minority
ownership positions in Entech Solar, Inc. and Lightron Corporation in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. In April 2009, the Company amended the terms
of its asset-backed revolving credit facility with Bank of America which reduced
the total loan availability to $14 million but also generally resulted in higher
borrowing capacity against any given schedule of accounts
receivable. On October 1, 2009, the Company entered into an equity
line of credit arrangement with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd.
(“Commerce Court”). Upon issuance of a draw-down request by the
Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchasing up to $25 million worth of
shares of the Company’s common stock over the 24-month term of the purchase
agreement, provided that the number of shares the Company may sell under the
facility is limited to no more than 15,971,169 shares of common stock or that
would result in the beneficial ownership of more than 9.9% of the then issued
and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock.
Conclusion
We
believe that our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents, and
available-for-sale securities, together with the cash expected to be generated
from operations, amounts expected to be available under our revolving credit
facility with Bank of America and the equity line of credit agreement with
Commerce Court will provide us with sufficient financial resources to meet our
cash requirements for operations, working capital, and capital expenditures for
the next 12 months. However, in the event of unforeseen
circumstances, or unfavorable market or economic developments, we may have to
raise additional funds by any one or a combination of the following: issuing
equity, debt or convertible debt, or selling certain product lines and/or
portions of our business. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to
raise additional funds on terms acceptable to us, or at all. A significant
contraction in the capital markets, particularly in the technology sector, may
make it difficult for us to raise additional capital if or when it is required,
especially if we experience disappointing operating results. If
adequate capital is not available to us as required, or is not available on
favorable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations may
be adversely affected.
Cash
Flow
Cash Used for
Operations
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, net cash used by operating activities
totaled approximately $29.6 million, which represents a decrease of $12.3
million from $41.9 million in cash used by operating activities for the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2008, and a decrease of $16.8 million from $46.4
million in cash used by operating activities for the fiscal year ended September
30, 2007.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the $29.6 million cash usage was primarily
due to the Company’s net loss of $136.1 million and a net increase in certain
components of working capital of approximately $5.5 million. The net
increase in certain components of working capital was primarily due to a $27.4
million decrease in accounts payable and a $12.5 million decrease in accrued
expenses and other liabilities offset by a $16.0 million decrease in accounts
receivable, a $16.8 million decrease in inventory and a $1.6 million decrease in
prepaid expenses and other assets. Non-cash adjustments used to reconcile net
loss to net cash used in operating activities included $60.8 million in
impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and plant and equipment within the
Fiber Optics segment, $16.1 million related to depreciation and amortization
expense, $13.6 million related to inventory reserve adjustments, $7.0 million
related to stock-based compensation expense, $5.1 million related to an increase
in the provision for doubtful accounts, $8.5 million related to a provision for
losses on firm inventory commitments, $2.6 million related to provisions for
product warranty, and $3.1 million related to a gain on the sale of
investments.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the $41.9 million cash usage was primarily
due to the Company’s net loss of $80.9 million and a net increase in certain
components of working capital of approximately $22.6 million. The net
increase in certain components of working capital was primarily due to a $24.3
million increase in accounts receivable, a $11.9 million increase in inventory,
a $4.5 million increase in prepaid expenses and other assets and a decrease of
$11.7 million in accrued expenses and other current liabilities offset by an
increase in accounts payable of $29.6 million. Non-cash adjustments
used to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities included
$22.2 million in impairment of goodwill within the Fiber Optics segment, $13.6
million related to depreciation and amortization expense, $9.6 million related
to inventory reserve adjustments, $11.3 million related to stock-based
compensation expense, $2.1 million related to an increase in the provision for
doubtful accounts, $1.5 million related to impairment of an investment, $1.1
million related to a loss on the disposal of equipment, $1.2 million related to
a loss from the conversion of subordinated notes, $4.5 million related to
provisions for product warranty, and $7.4 million related to a gain on the sale
of investments.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, the $46.4 million cash usage was primarily
due to the Company’s net loss of $58.7 million and a net increase in certain
components of working capital of approximately $11.9 million. The net
increase in certain components of working capital was primarily due to a $10.4
million increase in accounts receivable, a $8.3 million increase in inventory,
and a $0.3 million increase in prepaid expenses and other assets offset by an
increase of $2.2 million in accounts payable and an increase of $4.9 million in
accrued expenses and other current liabilities. Non-cash adjustments
used to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities included
$10.1 million related to depreciation and amortization expense, $3.0 million
related to inventory reserve adjustments, $5.9 million related to stock-based
compensation expense, $1.3 million related to an increase in the provision for
doubtful accounts, and $1.5 million related to provisions for product
warranty.
Net Cash Used for Investing
Activities
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, net cash provided by investing activities
totaled $13.3 million, which represents an increase of $67.2 million from $53.9
million in cash used for investing activities for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2008, and an decrease of $33.7 million from $47.0 million in cash
provided by investing activities for the fiscal year ended September 30,
2007.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the $13.3 million in net cash provided by
investing activities was primarily due to $11.0 million received from the sale
of the Company’s investments, $2.7 million received from the sale of
available-for-sale securities and $0.7 million from the release of restricted
cash offset by $1.3 million in capital expenditures.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the $53.9 million in net cash usage from
investing activities was primarily due to $75.7 million paid to Intel
Corporation for the purchase of certain fiber optics-related assets, $17.2
million in capital expenditures, $1.5 million invested in unconsolidated
affiliates, and $7.0 million for the purchase of available-for-sale securities
offset by $33.4 million received from the sale of available-for-sale securities,
$13.1 million received from the sale of unconsolidated affiliates and $1.2
million received from an insurance recovery on equipment.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, the $47.0 million in net cash provided by
investing activities was primarily due to $98.3 million received from the sale
of available-for-sale securities and $3.0 million received from a notes
receivable offset by $4.1 million paid to purchase a fiber optics-related
business, $10.1 million in capital expenditures, $13.9 million invested in
unconsolidated affiliates, and $26.0 million for the purchase of
available-for-sale securities.
Net Cash Provided by
Financing Activities
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, net cash provided by financing activities
totaled $12.1 million, which represents a decrease of $89.3 million from $101.4
million in cash provided by financing activities for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2008 and an increase of $23.1 million from $11.0 million in cash
used in financing activities for the fiscal year ended September 30,
2007.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the $12.1 million in net cash provided by
financing activities consisted of $10.3 million in net borrowings under the
Company’s credit facility with Bank of America, $0.8 million in other borrowings
and $0.9 million in proceeds from the Company’s employee stock purchase
plan.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the $101.4 million in net cash provided by
financing activities consisted of $93.6 million received from the sale of common
stock and warrants, $7.0 million received from the exercise of employee stock
options and $0.7 million in proceeds from the Company’s employee stock purchase
plan.
For the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, the $11.0 million in net cash used in
financing activities consisted primarily of $11.4 million payment on the
Company’s convertible debt obligation.
Contractual
Obligations and Commitments
The
Company’s contractual obligations and commitments over the next five years are
summarized in the table below:
(in
thousands)
|
For the Fiscal Years Ended September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
2010
|
2011 to 2012
|
2013 to 2014
|
2015 and later
|
||||||||||||||||
Operating
lease obligations
|
$ | 8,403 | $ | 1,944 | $ | 2,886 | $ | 875 | $ | 2,698 | ||||||||||
Line
of credit
|
10,332 | 10,332 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Short-term
debt
|
842 | 842 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Purchase
obligations
|
22,722 | 22,691 | 25 | 6 | - | |||||||||||||||
Total
contractual obligations and commitments
|
$ | 42,299 | $ | 35,809 | $ | 2,911 | $ | 881 | $ | 2,698 |
Operating
leases
Operating
leases include non-cancelable terms and exclude renewal option periods, property
taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses on leased properties.
Loss on firm
commitments
In fiscal
2009, the Company was challenged with higher than expected inventory positions
in its Fiber Optics segment as quarterly sales were lower than internal
projections of many of our customers, which had a significant adverse effect on
results of operations. Management performed an analysis of the
Company’s inventory position, including a review of open purchase and sales
commitments, and determined that certain inventory was impaired which resulted
in a $8.5 million loss on purchase and sales commitments specifically related to
inventory during fiscal 2009. This impairment was recognized in cost
of revenue.
Line of
Credit
In
September 2008, the Company closed a $25 million asset-backed revolving credit
facility with Bank of America which can be used for working capital, letters of
credit and other general corporate purposes. Subsequently, the credit
facility was amended resulting in a reduction in the total loan availability to
$14 million. The credit facility matures in September 2011 and is
secured by virtually all of the Company’s assets. The credit facility
is subject to a borrowing base formula based on eligible accounts receivable and
provides for prime-based borrowings.
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had a $10.3 million prime rate loan outstanding,
with an interest rate of 8.25%, and approximately $2.8 million in outstanding
standby letters of credit under this credit facility.
The
facility is also subject to certain financial covenants which the Company was in
compliance with for the three months ended June 30, 2009 and September 30,
2009. For the three months ended December 31, 2008, the Company did
not meet the requirements under the EBITDA financial covenant and for the three
months ended March 31, 2009, the Company did not meet the requirements under the
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio and EBITDA financial covenants. During
the fiscal year, the Company has entered into several amendments to the credit
facility with Bank of America which has, among other things: (i) increased the
amount of eligible accounts receivable under the borrowing base formula, (ii)
waived certain events of default of financial covenants by the Company, (iii)
decreased the total maximum loan availability amount to $14 million, (iv)
increased applicable interest rates with respect to loans and letters of credit,
and (v) adjusted certain financial covenants. Adjustments were also
made to the borrowing base formula and the calculation of eligible accounts
receivable which, generally resulted in greater loan availability against
accounts receivable subject to the $14 million overall loan
limit. Depending on the Company’s operating results in fiscal 2010,
the Company may not continue to be compliant with the credit facility’s
financial covenants.
Short-term
Debt
In
December 2008, the Company borrowed $0.9 million from UBS that is collateralized
with $1.4 million of auction rate securities. The average interest
rate on the loan is approximately 1.4% and the term of the loan is dependent
upon the timing of the settlement of the auction rate securities with UBS which
is expected to occur by June 2010 at 100% par value.
Letters of
credit
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had 10 standby letters of credit issued and
outstanding which totaled approximately $3.4 million, of which $2.8 million was
issued against the Company’s credit facility with Bank of America and the
remaining $0.6 million in standby letters of credit are collateralized with
other financial institutions and are listed on the Company’s balance sheet as
restricted cash.
Other
In
February 2010, the Company’s 2000 Stock Option Plan
is scheduled to expire. Management is currently developing a new
10-year equity compensation plan, which may include both stock options and other
forms of equity compensation.
Recent Accounting
Pronouncements
In the
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, see Footnote 3 for details
related to recent accounting pronouncements.
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.
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.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
EMCORE CORPORATION
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008 and 2007
(in
thousands, except loss per share)
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
$ | 168,300 | $ | 227,780 | $ | 147,931 | ||||||
Service
revenue
|
8,056 | 11,523 | 21,675 | |||||||||
Total
revenue
|
176,356 | 239,303 | 169,606 | |||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
173,877 | 203,164 | 124,481 | |||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
6,253 | 6,244 | 14,757 | |||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
180,130 | 209,408 | 139,238 | |||||||||
Gross
(loss) profit
|
(3,774 | ) | 29,895 | 30,368 | ||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Selling,
general, and administrative
|
46,579 | 43,460 | 57,844 | |||||||||
Research
and development
|
27,100 | 39,483 | 29,980 | |||||||||
Impairments
|
60,781 | 22,233 | - | |||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
134,460 | 105,176 | 87,824 | |||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(138,234 | ) | (75,281 | ) | (57,456 | ) | ||||||
Other
(income) expense:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(84 | ) | (862 | ) | (4,120 | ) | ||||||
Interest
expense
|
542 | 1,580 | 4,985 | |||||||||
Foreign
exchange loss (gain)
|
154 | 746 | (13 | ) | ||||||||
Gain
from sale of investments
|
(3,144 | ) | (7,384 | ) | - | |||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
367 | 1,461 | - | |||||||||
Loss
on disposal of equipment
|
- | 1,064 | 210 | |||||||||
Stock-based
expense from tolled options
|
- | 4,316 | - | |||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
- | 4,658 | - | |||||||||
Loss
from early redemption of convertible subordinated
notes
|
- | - | 561 | |||||||||
Gain
from insurance proceeds
|
- | - | (357 | ) | ||||||||
Total
other (income) expense
|
(2,165 | ) | 5,579 | 1,266 | ||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (136,069 | ) | $ | (80,860 | ) | $ | (58,722 | ) | |||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss per basic and diluted share
|
$ | (1.72 | ) | $ | (1.20 | ) | $ | (1.15 | ) | |||
Weighted-average
number of basic and diluted shares outstanding
|
79,140 | 67,568 | 51,001 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
As
of September 30, 2009 and 2008
(in
thousands)
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 14,028 | $ | 18,227 | ||||
Restricted
cash
|
1,521 | 1,854 | ||||||
Available-for-sale
securities
|
1,350 | 2,679 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance of $7,125 and $2,377,
respectively
|
39,417 | 60,313 | ||||||
Inventory,
net
|
34,221 | 64,617 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
4,712 | 7,100 | ||||||
Total
current assets
|
95,249 | 154,790 | ||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
55,028 | 83,278 | ||||||
Goodwill
|
20,384 | 52,227 | ||||||
Other
intangible assets, net
|
12,982 | 28,033 | ||||||
Investments
in unconsolidated affiliates
|
- | 8,240 | ||||||
Available-for-sale
securities, non-current
|
- | 1,400 | ||||||
Long-term
restricted cash
|
163 | 569 | ||||||
Other
non-current assets, net
|
753 | 741 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 184,559 | $ | 329,278 | ||||
LIABILITIES
and SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Borrowings
from credit facility
|
$ | 10,332 | $ | - | ||||
Short-term
debt
|
842 | - | ||||||
Accounts
payable
|
24,931 | 52,266 | ||||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
21,687 | 23,290 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
57,792 | 75,556 | ||||||
Other
long-term liabilities
|
104 | - | ||||||
Total
liabilities
|
57,896 | 75,556 | ||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
||||||||
Shareholders’
equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.0001 par, 5,882 shares authorized; no shares
outstanding
|
- | - | ||||||
Common
stock, no par value, 200,000 shares authorized; 80,982 shares issued and
80,823 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2009; 77,920 shares issued
and 77,761 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2008
|
688,844 | 680,020 | ||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(560,833 | ) | (424,764 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
735 | 549 | ||||||
Treasury
stock, at cost; 159 shares as of September 30, 2009 and
2008
|
(2,083 | ) | (2,083 | ) | ||||
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
126,663 | 253,722 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
$ | 184,559 | $ | 329,278 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION
Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Loss
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008 and 2007
(in
thousands)
Shares of Common
Stock
|
Value of Common Stock
|
Accumulated Deficit
|
Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income
|
Treasury Stock
|
Total Shareholders’
Equity
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance
as of 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 related to early redemption of subordinated
notes
|
- | 293 | - | - | - | 293 | ||||||||||||||||||
Proceeds
from management related to mispriced stock options
|
- | 276 | - | - | - | 276 | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance
as of 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 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
11,278 | 11,278 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
option exercises
|
1,659 | 7,047 | 7,047 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
178 | 1,282 | 1,282 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion
of subordinated notes
|
12,187 | 85,429 | 85,429 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock from private placement transaction
|
8,000 | 93,647 | 93,647 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for Intel acquisitions
|
4,422 | 36,085 | 36,085 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for acquisition of Opticomm
|
145 | 707 | 707 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock - ESPP
|
121 | 679 | 679 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Proceeds
from Section 16 officer
|
- | 31 | 31 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cumulative
adjustment related to the implementation of a new accounting standard
related to income taxes (ASC 740)
|
(326 | ) | (326 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
77,761 | $ | 680,020 | $ | (424,764 | ) | $ | 549 | $ | (2,083 | ) | $ | 253,722 | |||||||||||
Net
loss
|
(136,069 | ) | (136,069 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Translation
adjustment
|
186 | 186 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
- | - | (136,069 | ) | 186 | - | (135,883 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
7,017 | 7,017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
option exercises
|
11 | 32 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
756 | 841 | 841 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock - ESPP
|
995 | 894 | 894 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for acquisitions
|
1,300 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Costs
incurred related to issuance of equity
|
40 | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2009
|
80,823 | $ | 688,844 | $ | (560,833 | ) | $ | 735 | $ | (2,083 | ) | $ | 126,663 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE CORPORATION
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008 and 2007
(in
thousands)
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (136,069 | ) | $ | (80,860 | ) | $ | (58,722 | ) | |||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Impairments
|
60,781 | 22,233 | - | |||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
7,017 | 11,278 | 5,939 | |||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
16,082 | 13,617 | 10,122 | |||||||||
Provision
for inventory
|
13,572 | 9,597 | 3,027 | |||||||||
Provision
for losses on firm commitments
|
8,515 | - | - | |||||||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
5,065 | 2,126 | 1,341 | |||||||||
Provision
for product warranty
|
2,578 | 4,479 | 1,460 | |||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
367 | 1,461 | - | |||||||||
Loss
on disposal of equipment
|
367 | 1,064 | 210 | |||||||||
Compensatory
stock issuances
|
841 | 1,282 | 787 | |||||||||
Gain
from sale of investments
|
(3,144 | ) | (7,384 | ) | - | |||||||
Reduction
of note receivable due for services received
|
- | 520 | 521 | |||||||||
Accretion
of loss from convertible subordinated notes
|
- | 41 | 198 | |||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
- | 1,169 | 561 | |||||||||
Forgiveness
of shareholders’ notes receivable
|
- | - | 82 | |||||||||
Total
non-cash adjustments
|
112,041 | 61,483 | 24,248 | |||||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of
acquisitions:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
15,967 | (24,296 | ) | (10,407 | ) | |||||||
Related
party receivable
|
- | 332 | - | |||||||||
Inventory
|
16,849 | (11,904 | ) | (8,274 | ) | |||||||
Prepaid
and other current assets
|
2,324 | (2,646 | ) | 358 | ||||||||
Other
assets
|
(742 | ) | (1,896 | ) | (631 | ) | ||||||
Accounts
payable
|
(27,428 | ) | 29,581 | 2,187 | ||||||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
(12,504 | ) | (11,736 | ) | 4,859 | |||||||
Total
change in operating assets and liabilities
|
(5,534 | ) | (22,565 | ) | (11,908 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(29,562 | ) | (41,942 | ) | (46,382 | ) | ||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Proceeds
from sale of unconsolidated affiliates
|
11,017 | 13,080 | - | |||||||||
Purchase
of plant and equipment
|
(1,323 | ) | (17,238 | ) | (10,065 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from insurance recovery on equipment
|
- | 1,189 | 362 | |||||||||
Investments
in unconsolidated affiliates
|
- | (1,503 | ) | (13,891 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds
from employee notes receivable
|
- | - | 121 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from notes receivable
|
- | - | 3,000 | |||||||||
Purchase
of businesses
|
- | (75,707 | ) | (4,097 | ) | |||||||
Purchase
of available-for-sale securities
|
- | (7,000 | ) | (26,000 | ) | |||||||
Sale
of available-for-sale securities
|
2,729 | 33,392 | 98,300 | |||||||||
Funding
(use) of restricted cash
|
738 | (316 | ) | (800 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds
from disposals of equipment
|
106 | 162 | 22 | |||||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
$ | 13,267 | $ | (53,941 | ) | $ | 46,952 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
EMCORE
CORPORATION
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
For
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008 and 2007
(in
thousands)
(Continued
from previous page)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Proceeds
from borrowings from credit facility
|
$ | 137,146 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Payments
on borrowings from credit facility
|
(126,814 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Proceeds
from borrowings on short-term debt
|
2,610 | - | - | |||||||||
Payments
on borrowings on short-term debt
|
(1,768 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options
|
32 | 7,047 | 202 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from employee stock purchase plan
|
894 | 679 | - | |||||||||
Proceeds
from private placement, net of issuance costs
|
- | 93,647 | - | |||||||||
Proceeds
from senior management related to common stock
|
- | 31 | 276 | |||||||||
Payment
on convertible debt obligation
|
- | - | (11,428 | ) | ||||||||
Payments
on capital lease obligations
|
- | (11 | ) | (44 | ) | |||||||
- | ||||||||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
12,100 | 101,393 | (10,994 | ) | ||||||||
Effect
of foreign currency
|
(4 | ) | 566 | (17 | ) | |||||||
Net
(decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
(4,199 | ) | 6,076 | (10,441 | ) | |||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
18,227 | 12,151 | 22,592 | |||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of year
|
$ | 14,028 | $ | 18,227 | $ | 12,151 | ||||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
||||||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for interest
|
$ | 582 | $ | 3,314 | $ | 4,836 | ||||||
Cash
paid during the period for income taxes
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
NON-CASH
INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||||||
Acquisition
of equipment under capital leases
|
$ | 46 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Issuance
of common stock for purchase of Opticomm Corporation
|
$ | $ | 707 | $ | - | |||||||
Issuance
of common stock for purchase of assets acquired from Intel
Corporation
|
$ | 1,183 | $ | 36,085 | $ | - | ||||||
Issuance
of common stock for conversion of subordinated notes
|
$ | - | $ | 85,429 | $ | - | ||||||
Purchase
of equipment on account
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | 390 |
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 (the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “EMCORE”) is a provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optics and solar
power markets. We were established in 1984 as a New Jersey
corporation and have two reporting segments: Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics. Our 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. Our Photovoltaics segment provides solar products for
satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, we offer
high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based multi-junction solar cells, covered
interconnected cells (“CICs”) and fully integrated solar panels. For
terrestrial applications, we offer concentrating photovoltaic (“CPV”) power
systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications as well as
high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells and integrated CPV components for use
in other solar power concentrator systems.
Liquidity and Capital
Resources
The
Company incurred a net loss of $136.1 million for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2009, which included a non-cash impairment charge of $60.8 million
related to the write-down of fixed assets, goodwill and intangible assets
associated with the Company’s Fiber Optics segment. The Company’s
operating results for future periods are subject to numerous uncertainties and
it is uncertain if the Company will be able to reduce or eliminate its net
losses for the foreseeable future. Although total revenue had
increased sequentially over the past several years prior to 2009, the Company
has not been able to sustain historical revenue growth rates due to material
adverse changes in market and economic conditions. If management is
not able to increase revenue and/or manage operating expenses in line with
revenue forecasts, the Company may not be able to achieve
profitability.
As of
September 30, 2009, cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities and
restricted cash totaled approximately $16.9 million. Historically, the Company
has consumed cash from operations. During fiscal 2009, we consumed
cash from operations of approximately $29.6 million, with the rate of cash
consumption declining each quarter.
Management Actions and
Plans
Historically,
management has addressed liquidity requirements through a series of cost
reduction initiatives, capital markets transactions and the sale of
assets. Management anticipates that the current recession in the
United States and internationally may continue to impose formidable challenges
for the Company’s businesses in the near term.
The
Company’s management has believed for some time that, due to significant
differences in operating strategy between the Company’s Fiber Optics and
Photovoltaics businesses, they would provide greater value to shareholders if
they were operated as two separate business entities. Over the past
two years, the Company has completed several acquisitions to strengthen one or
both of these businesses with a view toward their eventual separation. On April
4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had formally
authorized management to prepare a comprehensive operational and strategic plan
for the separation of these businesses into separate
corporations. Management began assessing alternative methods for
achieving this goal; however, the subsequent onset of the recent worldwide
economic and financial crisis has had a significant adverse impact on these
plans. A dramatic reduction in customer demand for many of the
Company’s Fiber Optics products through June 2009 has significantly lowered
revenue and cash flow in that business unit, while a shortage of debt and equity
capital, a decline in the price of conventional energy sources, and a generally
cautious and conservative attitude in all business sectors has delayed the
opportunities for expanded deployment of the Company’s terrestrial photovoltaic
products and systems. As a result, while the Company is continuing to
pursue strategic alternatives for separating its two operating segments, the
Company has also instituted a series of initiatives aimed at conserving and
generating cash over the next twelve months.
During
fiscal 2009, management implemented a series of measures and continues to
evaluate opportunities intended to align the Company’s cost structure with its
revenue forecasts. Such measures included establishing a line of
credit with Bank of America, several workforce reductions, salary reductions,
the elimination of executive and employee merit increases, and the elimination
or reduction of certain discretionary expenses. The Company has also
significantly lowered its spending on capital expenditures and focused on
improving the management of its working capital. During fiscal 2009,
the Company monetized approximately $16.8 million of inventory, generated $16.0
million in cash from lowering its accounts receivable balances and achieved
positive cash flow from operations during the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and
September 30, 2009.
In fiscal
2010, the Company will continue to remain focused on cash flow while accessing a
range of strategic options for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value,
including joint-venture business opportunities and the potential sale of certain
assets.
With
respect to measures taken to generate cash, the Company sold its minority
ownership positions in Entech Solar, Inc. and Lightron Corporation in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. In April 2009, the Company amended the terms
of its asset-backed revolving credit facility with Bank of America which reduced
the total loan availability to $14 million but also generally resulted in higher
borrowing capacity against any given schedule of accounts
receivable. On October 1, 2009, the Company entered into an equity
line of credit arrangement with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd.
(“Commerce Court”). Upon issuance of a draw-down request by the
Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchasing up to $25 million worth of
shares of the Company’s common stock over the 24-month term of the purchase
agreement, provided that the number of shares the Company may sell under the
facility is limited to no more than 15,971,169 shares of common stock or that
would result in the beneficial ownership of more than 9.9% of the then issued
and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock.
Conclusion
We
believe that our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents, and
available-for-sale securities, together with the cash expected to be generated
from operations, amounts expected to be available under our revolving credit
facility with Bank of America and the equity line of credit agreement with
Commerce Court will provide us with sufficient financial resources to meet our
cash requirements for operations, working capital, and capital expenditures for
the next 12 months. However, in the event of unforeseen
circumstances, or unfavorable market or economic developments, we may have to
raise additional funds by any one or a combination of the following: issuing
equity, debt or convertible debt, or selling certain product lines and/or
portions of our business. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to
raise additional funds on terms acceptable to us, or at all. A significant
contraction in the capital markets, particularly in the technology sector, may
make it difficult for us to raise additional capital if or when it is required,
especially if we experience disappointing operating results. If
adequate capital is not available to us as required, or is not available on
favorable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations may
be adversely affected.
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 the assets, liabilities, equity, and
operating results of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All
intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in
consolidation. The Company is not the primary beneficiary of, nor
does it hold a significant variable interest in, any variable interest
entity.
Use of
Estimates. The preparation of the consolidated financial
statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management of the Company to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, as of the date
of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses
during the reported period. The accounting estimates that require our
most significant, difficult, and subjective judgments include:
|
-
|
the
valuation of inventory, goodwill, intangible assets, and stock based
compensation;
|
|
-
|
assessment
of recovery of long-lived assets;
|
|
-
|
revenue
recognition associated with the percentage of completion method;
and
|
|
-
|
the
allowance for doubtful accounts and warranty
accruals.
|
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. The Company’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 the Company to
concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents,
available-for-sale securities, and accounts receivable. The Company’s
cash and cash equivalents and available-for-sale 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. The Company has established guidelines relative to
credit ratings, diversification and maturities that seek to maintain safety and
liquidity. From time to time, the Company 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 or similar type money market funds which act as collateral supporting
the issuance of letters of credit and performance bonds for the benefit of third
parties and bank controlled deposits on account. As of September 30,
2009, the Company had 10 standby letters of credit issued and outstanding which
totaled approximately $3.4 million, of which $2.8 million was issued against the
Company’s credit facility with Bank of America and the remaining $0.6 million in
standby letters of credit are collateralized with other financial institutions
and are listed on the Company’s balance sheet as restricted cash.
Available-for-Sale
Securities. Investments in securities with remaining
maturities in excess of three months, which are held for purposes of funding
current operations, are classified as available-for-sale securities and reported
at fair value in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 320,
Investments – Debt and Equity
Securities. As of September 30, 2009, the Company’s
available-for-sale securities consisted of auction rate securities totaling $1.4
million. During the three months ended December 31, 2008, the Company
entered into an agreement with its investment broker for the settlement of these
auction rate securities at 100% par value by June 2010.
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 of collection. 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. See Footnote 7 - Receivables for further
details.
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 conditions exist that may not allow the inventory to be sold for
its intended purpose or the inventory is determined to be excess or obsolete
based on the Company’s forecasted future revenue. 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. We have incurred, and may in
the future incur charges to write-down our inventory. See Footnote 8
- - Inventory for further details.
Property, Plant, and
Equipment. Property, plant, and equipment are recorded at
cost. Plant and equipment are 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
facility 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. See Footnote 9 - Property, Plant, and Equipment for
further details.
Goodwill. Goodwill
represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the
fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities
assumed. As required by ASC 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other,
the Company evaluates its goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, or
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of
a reporting unit may exceed its fair value. Management has elected
December 31st as
the annual assessment date. Circumstances that could trigger an
interim impairment test include but are not limited to: a significant adverse
change in the market value of the Company’s common stock, 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.
In
performing goodwill impairment testing, the Company determines the fair value of
each reporting unit using a weighted combination of a market-based approach and
a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) approach. The market-based approach
relies on values based on market multiples derived from comparable public
companies. In applying the DCF approach, management forecasts cash flows over
the remaining useful life of its primary asset using assumptions of current
economic conditions and future expectations of earnings. This
analysis requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgments
about appropriate discount rates based on the assessment of risks inherent in
the amount and timing of projected future cash flows. The derived
discount rate may fluctuate from period to period as it is based on external
market conditions. All of these assumptions are critical to the
estimate and can change from period to period. Updates to these
assumptions in future periods, particularly changes in discount rates, could
result in different results of goodwill impairment tests. See
Footnote 10 - Goodwill for further details.
Other Intangible
Assets. Our intangible assets consist primarily of
intellectual property that has been internally developed or
purchased. Purchased intangible assets include existing 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. See Footnote 11 - Intangible Assets for further
details.
Valuation of Long-lived
Assets. Long-lived assets consist primarily of property,
plant, and equipment and also goodwill and intangible assets. Because
most of the Company’s long-lived assets are subject to amortization, the Company
reviews these assets for impairment in accordance with the provisions of ASC
360, Property, Plant, and
Equipment. As part of internal control procedures, the Company
reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be
recoverable. Our impairment testing of long-lived assets consists of
determining whether the carrying amount of the long-lived asset (asset group) is
recoverable, in other words, whether the sum of the future undiscounted cash
flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset
(asset group) exceeds its carrying amount. The determination of
the existence of impairment involves judgments that are subjective in nature and
may require the use of estimates in forecasting future results and cash flows
related to an asset or group of assets. In making this determination,
the Company uses certain assumptions, including estimates of future cash flows
expected to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional
assumptions such as asset utilization, the length of service that assets will be
used in our operations, and estimated salvage values. See
Footnote 9 - Property, Plant, and Equipment and Footnote 11 - Intangible Assets
for further details.
Asset Retirement and
Environmental Obligations. In accordance with the provisions
of ASC 410, Asset Retirement
and Environmental Obligations, the Company accounts for asset retirement
and environmental obligations by recording the estimated discounted value of
future cost obligations. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, no asset
retirement or environmental obligation liabilities existed. An asset
retirement obligation is recorded when there is a legal obligation associated
with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset and the fair value of the
liability can reasonably be estimated. Upon initial recognition of an
asset retirement obligation, the Company increases the carrying amount of the
long-lived asset by the same amount as the liability. Over time, the liabilities
are accreted for the change in their present value through charges to operations
costs. The initial capitalized costs are depleted over the useful lives of the
related assets through charges to depreciation, depletion, and amortization. If
the fair value of the estimated asset retirement obligation changes, an
adjustment is recorded to both the asset retirement obligation and the asset
retirement cost. Revisions in estimated liabilities can result from revisions of
estimated inflation rates, escalating retirement costs, and changes in the
estimated timing of settling asset retirement obligations. The Company also has
known conditional asset retirement conditions, such as certain asset
decommissioning and removal from rented facilities to be performed in the
future, that are not reasonably estimable due to insufficient information about
the timing and method of settlement of the obligation. Accordingly,
these obligations have not been recorded in the Company’s consolidated financial
statements. In addition, there may be environmental obligations that
we have not yet discovered and therefore, these obligations also have not been
included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Investments. The
Company accounts for its investments in common stock over which it has the
ability to exercise significant influence, using the equity method of
accounting. The Company accounts for similar investments that do not
permit the Company to exercise significant influence over the entity in which
the Company 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. The Company 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, the Company writes down the value of the investment to
its fair value. See Footnote 6 - Investments for further
details.
Fair Value of Financial
Instruments. The Company accounts for its financial
instruments in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures. The carrying amounts of cash and cash
equivalents, available-for-sale securities, accounts receivable, accounts
payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate fair value
because of the short maturity of these instruments. See Footnote 20 -
Fair Value Accounting for further details.
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 and 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. Revenue is recognized in proportion to actual costs
incurred compared to total anticipated costs expected to be incurred for
each contract. 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. If estimates of costs to complete long-term
contracts indicate a loss, a provision is made for the total loss
anticipated. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company had
accrued $0.1 million and $0.8 million, respectively, related to estimated
contract losses on certain CPV system-related orders. Unbilled
accounts receivable represents revenue recognized but not yet billed
pursuant to contract terms or accounts billed after the period
end. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, unbilled accounts
receivable totaled $6.1 million and $5.0 million,
respectively.
|
|
§
|
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 split 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. The Company provides its customers with limited
rights of return for non-conforming shipments and warranty claims for certain
products. In accordance with ASC 450, 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. See Footnote 12 - Accrued Expenses and Other Current
Liabilities for further details.
Research and
Development. Research and development costs are charged as an expense
when incurred.
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 in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation. 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 the Company’s historical stock
prices.
Income
Taxes. In accordance with ASC 740, 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. The Company records valuation allowances against
all deferred tax assets for amounts which are considered less likely to be
realized. See Footnote 16 - Income Taxes for further
details.
Comprehensive Loss.
ASC 220, 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. The Company’s
comprehensive loss consists of both net loss and foreign currency translation
adjustments and it is presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of
shareholders' equity.
Loss Per Share. The
Company’s loss per share was calculated by dividing net loss applicable to
common stock by the weighted average number of common stock shares outstanding
for the period and it is presented in the accompanying consolidated statements
of operations. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008,
and 2007, stock options representing 10,788,174, 8,929,453, and 5,697,766 shares
of common stock, respectively, and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009
and 2008, warrants representing 1,400,003 shares of common stock for both
periods, and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, 12,186,656 shares of
common stock reserved for the conversion of convertible subordinated notes to
equity, were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share since
the Company incurred a net loss for these periods and any effect would have been
anti-dilutive.
Subsequent
Events. We have evaluated subsequent events, as defined by ASC
855, Subsequent Events,
through the date that the financial statements were issued on December 29,
2009. See Footnote 23 - Subsequent Event for further
details.
NOTE
3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
ASC 105 – Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles. On October 1,
2009, the Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC 105 which
establishes the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting
Standards Codification as the sole source of authoritative accounting principles
recognized by the FASB to be applied by all nongovernmental entities in the
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The
adoption of ASC 105 did not impact the Company’s results of operations or
financial condition, but it revised the reference of accounting pronouncements
within this Annual Report.
ASC 350 – Intangibles
– Goodwill and Other. On October 1,
2009, the Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC 350 which
amends the factors an entity should consider in developing renewal or extension
assumptions used in determining the useful life of recognized intangible
assets and the
period of expected cash flows used to measure the fair value of intangible
assets under ASC 805, Business
Combinations. Management is currently assessing the potential
impact that the adoption of this new guidance could have on the Company’s
financial statements in fiscal 2010.
ASC 470 – Debt. On October 1, 2009, the
Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC 470 that requires the
proceeds from the issuance of certain 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 it is required to be applied retrospectively to
prior periods. Management is currently assessing the potential impact
that the adoption of this new guidance could have on the Company’s financial
statements in fiscal 2010.
ASC 605 – Revenue
Recognition. In October 2009, the Financial FASB issued
authoritative guidance on revenue recognition related to arrangements with
multiple deliverables that will become effective for fiscal year 2011, with
earlier adoption permitted. Under the new guidance, when vendor
specific objective evidence or third party evidence for deliverables in an
arrangement cannot be determined, a best estimate of the selling price is
required to separate deliverables and allocate arrangement consideration using
the relative selling price method. The new guidance includes new disclosure
requirements on how the application of the relative selling price method affects
the timing and amount of revenue recognition. Management is currently
assessing the potential impact that the adoption of this new authoritative
guidance could have on the Company’s financial statements.
ASC 805 – Business
Combinations. On October 1,
2009, the Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC 805 which
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. It 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 this accounting
principle). In addition, the accounting principle’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. ASC 805 also requires 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 provides guidance on the impairment
testing of acquired research and development intangible assets and assets that
the acquirer intends not to use. ASC 805 applies prospectively to
business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after October 1,
2009, therefore, the adoption of ASC 805 did not have any impact on the
Company’s historical financial statements.
ASC 810 – Consolidation. – On October 1,
2009, the Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC 810 which
establishes 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. ASC 810 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. ASC 810 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. The adoption of ASC 810 did not have any impact on the
Company’s historical financial statements.
ASC 855 – Subsequent
Events.
– On June 30, 2009, the Company adopted ASC 855 which establishes general
standards of accounting for and disclosure of events that occur after the
balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued or available to be
issued. In particular, it sets forth: (1) the period after the
balance sheet date during which management of a reporting entity should evaluate
events or transactions that may occur for potential recognition or disclosure in
the financial statements; (2) the circumstances under which an entity should
recognize events or transactions occurring after the balance sheet date in its
financial statements; and (3) the disclosures that an entity should make about
events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date. The adoption
of ASC 855 did not impact the Company’s results of operations or financial
condition. See Footnote 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting
Policies and Footnote 23 - Subsequent Event for further details.
NOTE
4. Equity
Stock
Options
The Company provides
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.
The Company maintains two stock option plans: the 1995 Incentive and
Non-Statutory Stock Option Plan (“1995 Plan”) and the 2000 Stock Option Plan
(“2000 Plan” and, together with the 1995 Plan, the “Option Plans”). The 1995
Plan authorizes the grant of stock options up to 2,744,118 shares of the
Company's common stock. On April 30, 2009, the Company’s shareholders
approved an increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the
2000 Plan from 12,850,000 to 15,850,000 shares of the Company’s common
stock. As of September 30, 2009, no stock options were available for
issuance under the 1995 Plan and 1,417,607 stock 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. The Company 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 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 | ||||||||||
Granted
|
3,700,439 | 1.25 | ||||||||||
Exercised
|
(10,675 | ) | 3.02 | |||||||||
Forfeited
|
(1,243,825 | ) | 6.98 | |||||||||
Cancelled
|
(587,218 | ) | 4.64 | |||||||||
Outstanding
as of September 30, 2009
|
10,788,174 | $ | 4.85 | $ | 7.88 | |||||||
Exercisable
as of September 30, 2009
|
3,950,777 | $ | 5.87 | $ | 5.84 | |||||||
Vested
and expected to vest as of September 30, 2009
|
6,347,589 | $ | 5.08 | $ | 7.11 |
As of
September 30, 2009 there was approximately $6.8 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 3.1 years.
Intrinsic
value for stock options represents the “in-the-money” portion or the positive
variance between a stock option’s exercise price and the underlying stock
price. The intrinsic value related to stock options exercised during
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009 was less than $10,000. The
total intrinsic value related to stock options exercised during the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2008, and 2007 was approximately $11.6 million, and $0.3
million, respectively. The intrinsic value related to fully vested
and expected to vest stock options as of September 30, 2009 totaled
approximately $0.1 million and there was no intrinsic value related to
exercisable stock options as of September 30, 2009.
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
|
5,277,474 | 8.05 | $ | 1.93 | 1,628,598 | $ | 2.96 | ||||||||||||||
>=$5.00
to <$10.00
|
5,386,180 | 7.80 | 7.38 | 2,225,059 | 7.38 | ||||||||||||||||
>10.00 | 124,520 | 2.77 | 18.21 | 97,120 | 20.18 | ||||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
10,788,174 | 7.88 | $ | 4.85 | 3,950,777 | $ | 5.87 |
Stock-based
compensation expense is measured at the stock option grant date, based on the
fair value of the award, and is recorded to cost of sales, sales, general, &
administrative, and research and development expense based on individual
employee’s responsibility and function over the requisite service
period. 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
was as follows:
(in
thousands, except per share data)
|
For The Fiscal Years
|
|||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense by award type:
|
||||||||||||
Employee
stock options
|
$ | 6,309 | $ | 6,455 | $ | 5,939 | ||||||
Employee
stock purchase plan
|
708 | 507 | - | |||||||||
Former
employee stock options tolled
|
- | 4,316 | - | |||||||||
Total
stock-based compensation expense
|
$ | 7,017 | $ | 11,278 | $ | 5,939 | ||||||
Net
effect on net loss per basic and diluted share
|
$ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.17 | ) | $ | (0.12 | ) |
Tolled Stock
Options
Under the
terms of the Company’s stock option agreements issued under the Option Plans, employees that
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, employees and terminated employees were
precluded from exercising stock options until the Company became compliant with
its SEC filings and the registration of the stock option shares was once again
effective (the “Blackout Period”). In April 2007, the Company’s Board
of Directors approved a stock option grant “modification” for terminated
employees by extending the normal 90-day exercise period after date of
termination to a date after which the Blackout Period was lifted. The
Company communicated the terms of the stock option grant modification 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”). Terminated
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 terminated employees were impacted
by this modification. All tolled stock options were either exercised
or expired by January 29, 2008.
To
account for a stock option grant modification, when the rights conveyed by a
stock-based compensation award are no longer dependent on the holder being an
employee, the award ceases to be accounted for under ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation
and becomes subject to the recognition and measurement requirements of
ASC 815, Derivatives and
Hedging, which results in liability classification and measurement of the
award. On the date of modification, stock options that receive
extended exercise terms are initially measured at fair value and expensed as if
the stock options awards were new grants. Subsequent changes in
fair value are reported in earnings and disclosed in the financial statements as
long as the stock options remain classified as liabilities.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2007, the Company incurred a non-cash
expense of $4.4 million associated with the modification of stock options issued
to terminated employees which was calculated using the Black-Scholes option
valuation model. The modified stock options were 100% vested at the
time of grant with an estimated life of no greater than 90 days. When
the stock options classified as liabilities were ultimately settled in stock,
any gains or losses on those stock options were included in additional paid-in
capital. For unexercised stock options that ultimately expired in
January 2008, the liability was relieved with a gain of $0.1 million recorded in
current earnings.
Since
these modified stock options were issued to terminated employees of the Company,
and therefore no services were required to receive this grant and no contractual
obligation existed at the Company to issue these modified stock options, the
Company concluded it was more appropriate to classify this non-cash expense
within “other income and expense” in the Company’s statement of
operations.
Tender
Offer
As a
result of the Company's previously announced voluntary inquiry into its
historical stock option granting practices, which was concluded in 2007, the
Company determined that an incorrect grant date was used in the granting of
certain stock options. As a result, certain stock options were determined to be
granted at an exercise price below the fair market value of the Company's common
stock as of the correct measurement grant date. Consequently, employees holding
these stock options faced a potential tax liability under Section 409A of the
Internal Revenue Code and similar sections of certain state tax codes, unless
remedial action was taken to adjust the exercise price of these stock options
prior to December 31, 2008.
In
November 2008, the Company announced that it had commenced a tender offer for
164,088 stock options outstanding under its 2000 Plan which was held by 91 of
its then current non-officer employees. Under the terms of the tender
offer, employees holding such stock 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 stock options in return for a cash payment for each
tendered stock option equal to the difference between the original exercise
price and the new exercise price. The tender offer remained open
until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on December 17, 2008. As a result of
the tender offer, a total of 163,838 stock options were tendered, approximately
$44,000 in cash payments were paid in January 2009, and the non-cash stock-based
expense due to the modification of stock options was determined to be
immaterial.
Valuation
Assumptions
The fair
value of each stock 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 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 weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options
granted during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008, and 2007 was
$1.25, $7.40, and $6.24, respectively.
Black-Scholes
Weighted-Average Assumptions
|
For The Fiscal Years
|
|||||||||||
Stock
Options
|
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Expected
dividend yield
|
- | % | - | % | - | % | ||||||
Expected
stock price volatility
|
97.9 | % | 71.0 | % | 94.0 | % | ||||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
2.4 | % | 3.1 | % | 4.5 | % | ||||||
Expected
term (in years)
|
4.5 | 5.0 | 6.0 | |||||||||
Estimated
pre-vesting forfeitures
|
32.5 | % | 17.4 | % | 24.9 | % |
Black-Scholes
Weighted-Average Assumptions
Employee
Stock Purchase Plan
|
For the Six Month
Period Commencing
|
|||||||||||||||
Jul 1, 2009
|
Jan 1, 2009
|
Jul 1, 2008
|
Jan 1, 2008
|
|||||||||||||
Expected
dividend yield
|
- | % | - | % | - | % | - | % | ||||||||
Expected
stock price volatility
|
113.0 | % | 112.0 | % | 74.1 | % | 66.4 | % | ||||||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
0.3 | % | 0.3 | % | 2.1 | % | 3.3 | % | ||||||||
Expected
term (in months)
|
6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
Expected Dividend
Yield: The Black-Scholes valuation model calls for a single
expected dividend yield as an input. The Company 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 the Company’s historical stock price.
Risk-Free Interest
Rate: The Company 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 notes with an equivalent remaining term.
Where the expected term of stock-based awards do not correspond with the terms
for which interest rates are quoted, the Company performed a straight-line
interpolation to determine the rate from the available maturities.
Expected Term: Expected term
represents the period that the Company’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, the Company considers voluntary termination
behavior as well as workforce reduction programs.
Common
Stock
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.
Preferred
Stock
The
Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the Board of
Directors to issue up to 5,882,352 shares of preferred stock upon such terms and
conditions having such rights, privileges, and preferences as the Board of
Directors may determine. As of September 30, 2009 and 2008, no shares
of preferred stock were issued or outstanding.
Warrants
As of
September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company had 1,400,003 warrants outstanding from
the private placement transaction that closed on February 20,
2008. The warrants grant the holder the right to purchase one
share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $15.06 per
share. The warrants are immediately exercisable and remain
exercisable for a period of 5 years from the closing date. See
Footnote 23 - Subsequent Event for details related to additional warrants issued
by the Company in October 2009.
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 to investors deemed to be “accredited
investors” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act or “qualified
institutional buyers” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act,
through a private placement transaction exempt from the SEC’s registration
requirements pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Rule
506 of Regulation D. 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. 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 the Company 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. 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. Warrants issued to the investors were
accounted for as an equity transaction with a value of $9.8 million recorded to
common stock. As part of the sale documentation each investor
provided representations and warranties in the securities purchase agreement,
upon which the Company relied, with respect to such investor’s status as an
“accredited investor” or “qualified institutional buyer”. No party
acted as underwriter for this transaction. Total agent fees
incurred were 5.75% of the gross proceeds, or $5.8 million. The total
cost associated with this equity offering was approximately $6.3 million which
was recorded against the issuance of common stock. The Company used
the proceeds from this private placement transaction to acquire the
telecom-related assets of Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division in
2008.
Employee Stock Purchase
Plan
In fiscal
2000, the Company adopted an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The ESPP
provides employees of the Company 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 of the Company'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. On April 30, 2009, the
Company’s shareholders approved an increase in the number of shares reserved for
issuance under the ESPP from 2.0 million to 4.5 million
shares. The Company issues new shares of common stock to
satisfy the issuance of shares under this stock-based compensation
plan.
The
amounts of shares issued for the ESPP are as follows:
Number of Common Stock
Shares
|
Purchase Price per Share of Common
Stock
|
|||||||
Amount
of shares reserved for the ESPP
|
4,500,000 | |||||||
|
||||||||
Number
of shares issued for calendar years 2000 through
2006
|
(1,000,000 | ) | $ | 1.87 - $40.93 | ||||
Number
of shares issued for the first half of calendar year
2007
|
(123,857 | ) | $ | 6.32 | ||||
Number
of shares issued for the first half of calendar year
2008
|
(120,791 | ) | $ | 5.62 | ||||
Number
of shares issued for the second half of calendar year
2008
|
(471,798 | ) | $ | 0.88 | ||||
Number
of shares issued for the first half of calendar year
2009
|
(522,924 | ) | $ | 0.92 | ||||
|
||||||||
Remaining
shares reserved for the ESPP
|
2,260,630 |
Future
Issuances
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had reserved a total of 15.9 million shares of
its common stock for future issuances as follows:
Number of Common Stock Shares
Available
|
||||
For
exercise of outstanding common stock options
|
10,788,174 | |||
For
future issuances to employees under the ESPP
|
2,260,630 | |||
For
future common stock option awards
|
1,446,607 | |||
For
future exercise of warrants
|
1,400,003 | |||
Total
reserved
|
15,895,414 |
NOTE
5. Acquisitions
Intel Corporation’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 $75.0 million in
cash and $10.0 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 was subject to
adjustment based on an inventory true-up, plus specifically assumed
liabilities. Direct transaction costs totaled approximately $0.8
million. This acquisition was financed through proceeds received from
the $100 million private placement of common stock and warrants that closed on
February 20, 2008.
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 valued at $26.1 million. These shares were
valued based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on April 18,
2008 of $7.05 per share. Any discount due to restrictions was deemed
to be immaterial to the consolidated financial statements.
On April
20, 2009, the Company issued an additional 1.3 million shares of unrestricted
common stock to Intel, valued at $1.2 million using the closing share price of
$0.91, as consideration for the final purchase price adjustment related to this
asset acquisition. This contingency payment was based solely on
performance of the Company’s stock price subsequent to the
transaction. Accordingly, resolution of a stock price-based
contingency does not result in additional purchase price
consideration.
Acquired
Assets
The
acquired inventory included raw materials and finished goods. The raw
materials were valued based on replacement cost, and considered reserve
adjustments associated with components not expected to be used. The
finished goods were valued utilizing the comparative sales and income
methods. Based on these methods, the expected selling prices of the
finished goods to customers in the ordinary course of business were used as a
starting point. Adjustments were then applied for other factors,
including:
|
-
|
The
time that would be required to dispose of the
inventory;
|
|
-
|
The
expenses that would be expected to be incurred in the disposition and sale
of the inventory; and,
|
|
-
|
A
profit commensurate with the amount of investment in the assets and the
degree of risk.
|
The
Company determined the fair value of the acquired fixed assets utilizing the
cost approach, which is based on measuring the benefits related to an asset by
the cost to reconstruct or replace it with another of like
utility. The fixed asset valuation considered:
|
-
|
Estimation
of the current replacement cost of the assets by indexing historical
capitalized costs based on asset type and acquisition date;
and,
|
|
-
|
Physical
depreciation and certain obsolescence
adjustments.
|
The
acquired intangible assets included core and developed technologies and customer
relationships. The core and developed technologies considered the
underlying technologies associated with the various products associated with the
acquired businesses, including optical transceivers and optical cable
connects. Developed technology related to product-specific aspects
for product versions released or technologically feasible at the acquisition
date. Core technology considered non-product specific technology and
designs which are incorporated in a variety of products. The core and
developed technologies and customer relationships were valued utilizing an
“excess earnings” income approach, which estimates value based on the net
present value of expected future after-tax cash earnings, after charges for
required contributory assets.
Purchase Price
Allocation
On May 7,
2008, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K/A which included a
preliminary purchase price allocation based on management’s best estimate using
observable available information. A significant variance
between the preliminary purchase price and the final purchase price allocation
related to the valuation of acquired intangible assets offset primarily by a
corresponding variance in goodwill. Initially, the Company estimated
that the fair value of the intangible assets would approximate 10% of the total
purchase price. Subsequent to the filing of the Form 8-K/A, the
Company completed its review of the purchase price allocation which resulted in
approximately $14 million of additional intangible asset value.
The final
purchase price was allocated as follows:
(in
thousands)
Intel
Corporation’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:
(in
thousands)
Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division
|
||||
Inventory
|
$ | 33,287 | ||
Fixed
assets
|
19,878 | |||
Intangible
assets
|
26,279 | |||
Net
assets acquired
|
$ | 79,444 |
As of the
date of the acquisition, the $26.3 million of acquired intangible assets had a
weighted average life of approximately eight years. The intangible
assets that made up this amount included customer lists of $7.5 million (8 to 10
year useful life) and developed and core technology of $18.8 million (6 to 10
year useful life). See Footnote 10 - Goodwill and Footnote 11 -
Intangible Assets, for information on impairment charges recorded by the Company
in connection with assets acquired from these acquisitions.
In
connection with this acquisition, Intel and the Company entered into a
Transition Services Agreement (the “TSA”), which facilitated Intel’s ability 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 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 the OPD business, 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)
|
For the Year Ended
September 30, 2008
|
For the Year 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. 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.
The final
purchase price was allocated as follows:
(in
thousands)
Opticomm
Corporation
|
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:
(in
thousands)
Opticomm
Corporation
|
Preliminary
|
Adjustments
|
Final
|
|||||||||
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; 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 businesses are part of the Company’s Fiber
Optics reporting segment.
NOTE
6. Investments
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. As of September
30, 2008, the Company had approximately $3.1 million in 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 at 100% par value in November 2008. The
remaining $1.4 million of auction rate securities is expected to be settled by
June 2010 and it is classified as a current asset based on its expected
settlement date. Since the Company believes it will receive the full
amount of its remaining $1.4 million investment, the Company has not recorded
any impairment on this investment as of September 30, 2009.
Lightron Equity
Securities
In April
2008, the Company invested approximately $1.5 million in Lightron Corporation, a
Korean company that is 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 and
another $0.4 million “other than temporary” impairment loss on this investment
as of December 31, 2008. During the quarter ended March 31, 2009, the
Company sold its interest in Lightron Corporation, via several transactions, for
a total of $0.5 million in cash. The Company recorded a gain on the
sale of this investment of approximately $21,000, after consideration of
impairment charges recorded in previous periods, and the Company also recorded a
foreign exchange loss of $0.1 million due to the conversion from Korean Won to
U.S. dollars.
Velox
Corporation
In
September 2008, the Company recorded full impairment against its $1.0 million
investment in Velox Corporation and also fully reserved against a receivable
balance of $0.2 million owed from Velox Corporation. The Company
recorded these charges due to the financial and operational condition of Velox
Corporation.
Entech Solar,
Inc. and Velox Corporation
See
Footnote 19 – Related Party Transactions for a discussion regarding the
Company’s investment in Entech Solar, Inc. (formally named WorldWater &
Solar Technologies Corporation) and Velox Corporation.
NOTE
7. Receivables
The
components of accounts receivable consisted of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
September 30,
2009
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||||
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
$ | 40,474 | $ | 57,703 | ||||
Accounts
receivable – unbilled
|
6,068 | 4,987 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, gross
|
46,542 | 62,690 | ||||||
Allowance
for doubtful accounts
|
(7,125 | ) | (2,377 | ) | ||||
|
||||||||
Total
accounts receivable, net
|
$ | 39,417 | $ | 60,313 |
The
Company records receivables from certain solar panel and solar power systems
contracts using the percentage-of-completion method. The term of the
contracts associated with this type of receivable usually exceeded a period of
one year. As of September 30, 2009, the Company had $12.8 million of
accounts receivable recorded using the percentage of completion
method. Of this amount, $9.7 million was invoiced and $3.1 million
was unbilled as of September 30, 2009. Unbilled accounts receivable
represents revenue recognized but not yet billed or accounts billed after the
period ended. Billings on contracts using the
percentage-of-completion method usually occurs upon completion of predetermined
contract milestones or other contract terms, such as customer
approval. The allowance for doubtful accounts specifically related to
receivables recorded using the percentage-of-completion method totaled $2.6
million as of September 30, 2009. The allowance is based on the age
of receivables and a specific identification of receivables considered at risk
of collection.
All of
the Company’s accounts receivable as of September 30, 2009 is expected to be
collected within the next twelve months.
The
following table summarizes the changes in the allowance for doubtful
accounts:
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$ | 2,377 | $ | 802 | $ | 552 | ||||||
Expense
- charge to provision
|
5,065 | 2,126 | 1,340 | |||||||||
Write-offs
- deductions against receivables
|
(317 | ) | (551 | ) | (1,090 | ) | ||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$ | 7,125 | $ | 2,377 | $ | 802 |
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $5.1 million in
bad debt expense, of which $0.7 million related to the Fiber Optics segment and
$4.4 million related to the Photovoltaics segment, primarily related to
receivables from the sale of terrestrial solar power products.
NOTE
8. Inventory
The
components of inventory consisted of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
September 30,
2009
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||||
|
||||||||
Raw
materials
|
$ | 27,607 | $ | 38,304 | ||||
Work-in-process
|
6,496 | 7,293 | ||||||
Finished
goods
|
9,998 | 31,645 | ||||||
Inventory,
gross
|
44,101 | 77,242 | ||||||
|
||||||||
Less:
valuation allowance
|
(9,880 | ) | (12,625 | ) | ||||
|
||||||||
Total
inventory, net
|
$ | 34,221 | $ | 64,617 |
The
Company reclassified a net $0.4 million account balance as of September 30, 2008
to both finished goods and the valuation allowance to conform to the current
period presentation.
The
following table summarizes the changes in the valuation allowance
accounts:
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September
30,
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
|
$
|
12,625
|
|
|
$
|
8,225
|
|
$
|
6,320
|
||
Expense
- charge to provision
|
13,572
|
9,597
|
3,027
|
|||||||||
Write-offs
- deductions against inventory
|
|
|
(16,317
|
)
|
|
|
(5,197
|
)
|
|
|
(1,122
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Balance
at end of year
|
|
$
|
9,880
|
|
|
$
|
12,625
|
|
$
|
8,225
|
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $13.6 million in
inventory write-downs, of which $10.3 million related to the Fiber Optics
segment and $3.3 million related to the Photovoltaics
segment. The significant portion of the inventory write-downs
in fiscal 2009 was related to inventory acquired from the acquisition of Intel
Corporation’s Optical Platform Division.
NOTE
9. Property, Plant, and Equipment
The
components of property, plant, and equipment consisted of the
following:
(in
thousands)
|
September 30,
2009
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||||
|
||||||||
Land
|
$ | 1,502 | $ | 1,502 | ||||
Building
and improvements
|
34,922 | 44,607 | ||||||
Equipment
|
98,693 | 106,536 | ||||||
Furniture
and fixtures
|
3,065 | 3,127 | ||||||
Computer
hardware and software
|
2,660 | 2,687 | ||||||
Leasehold
improvements
|
1,094 | 478 | ||||||
Construction
in progress
|
3,031 | 4,395 | ||||||
|
||||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, gross
|
144,967 | 163,332 | ||||||
Less:
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(89,939 | ) | (80,054 | ) | ||||
|
||||||||
Total
property, plant and equipment, net
|
$ | 55,028 | $ | 83,278 |
The
Company reclassified $2.7 million as of September 30, 2008 to computer hardware
and software from furniture and fixtures and equipment to conform to the current
period presentation.
As of
September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company did not have any significant capital
lease agreements.
Depreciation
expense was $12.0 million, $10.1 million, and $7.8 million for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively. During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company disposed of approximately
$2.1 million of fully amortized fixed assets.
See
Footnote 11 - Intangible Assets, for information on impairment charges recorded
by the Company in connection with plant and equipment related to the Fiber
Optics segment.
NOTE
10. Goodwill
Goodwill
The
following table sets forth changes in the carrying value of goodwill by
reporting segment:
(in
thousands)
|
|
Fiber Optics
|
Photovoltaics
|
Total
|
||||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
31,843
|
|
20,384
|
|
52,227
|
|
||||||
Goodwill
impairment
|
(31,843
|
)
|
-
|
(31,843
|
)
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2009
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
20,384
|
|
$
|
20,384
|
|
As
disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2008, as a result of the unfavorable macroeconomic environment and
a significant reduction in our market capitalization since the completion of the
asset acquisitions from Intel Corporation (the “Intel Acquisitions”), the
Company reduced its internal revenue and profitability forecasts and revised its
operating plans to reflect a general decline in demand and average selling
prices, especially for the Company’s recently acquired telecom-related fiber
optics component products. The Company also performed an interim test
as of September 30, 2008 to determine whether there was impairment of its
goodwill. The fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units was
determined by using a weighted average of the Guideline Public Company,
Guideline Merged and Acquired Company, and the DCF methods. Due to
uncertainty in the Company’s business outlook arising from the ongoing financial
liquidity crisis and the current economic recession, management believed the
most appropriate approach would be an equally weighted approach, amongst the
three methods, to arrive at an indicated value for each of the reporting
units. The indicated fair value of each of the reporting units was
then compared with the reporting unit’s carrying value to determine whether
there was an indication of impairment of goodwill under ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and
Other. As a result, the Company determined that the goodwill
related to one of its Fiber Optics reporting units may be
impaired. Since the second step of the Company’s goodwill impairment
test was not completed before the fiscal year-end financial statements were
issued and a goodwill impairment loss was probable and could be reasonably
estimated, management recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $22.0
million, as a best estimate, during the three months ended September 30,
2008.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2008, there was further deterioration of the
Company’s market capitalization, significant adverse changes in the business
climate primarily related to product pricing and profit margins, and an increase
in the discount rate. The Company performed its annual goodwill
impairment test as of December 31, 2008 and management weighted the market-based
approach heavier than the DCF method using information that was available at the
time.
|
-
|
Based
on this analysis, the Company determined that goodwill related to its
Fiber Optics reporting units was fully impaired. As a result,
the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $31.8 million and the
Company’s balance sheet no longer reflects any goodwill associated with
its Fiber Optics reporting units.
|
|
-
|
The
Company’s annual impairment test as of December 31, 2008, indicated that
there was no impairment of goodwill for the Photovoltaics reporting
unit. Based upon revised operational and cash flow forecasts,
the Photovoltaics reporting unit’s fair value exceeded its carrying
value.
|
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company performed an interim goodwill impairment test on
its remaining goodwill based on revised operational and cash flow
forecasts. The impairment testing indicated that no impairment
existed and that fair value exceeded carrying value by approximately
40%.
The
Company continues to report goodwill related to its Photovoltaics reporting unit
and the Company believes the remaining carrying amount of goodwill as of
September 30, 2009 is not impaired. However, if there is further
erosion of the Company’s market capitalization or the Photovoltaics reporting
unit is unable to achieve its projected cash flows, management may be required
to perform additional impairment tests of its remaining goodwill. The
outcome of these additional tests may result in the Company recording additional
goodwill impairment charges.
NOTE
11. Intangible Assets
The
following table sets forth changes in the carrying value of intangible assets by
reporting segment:
(in
thousands)
|
September 30,
2009
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Gross
Assets
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
Net
Assets
|
Gross
Assets
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
Net
Assets
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
$ | 24,494 | $ | (12,341 | ) | $ | 12,153 | $ | 35,991 | $ | (8,502 | ) | $ | 27,489 | ||||||||||
Photovoltaics
|
1,459 | (630 | ) | 829 | 956 | (412 | ) | 544 | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 25,953 | $ | (12,971 | ) | $ | 12,982 | $ | 36,947 | $ | (8,914 | ) | $ | 28,033 |
As
disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2008, as a result of reductions to our internal revenue and
profitability forecasts, changes to our internal operating forecasts and a
significant reduction in our market capitalization since the completion of the
Intel Acquisitions, the Company tested for impairment of its long-lived assets
and other intangible assets. The sum of future undiscounted cash
flows exceeded the carrying value for each of the reporting units’ long-lived
and other intangible assets. Accordingly, no impairment existed under
ASC 360, Property, Plant, and
Equipment as of September 30, 2008. As the long-lived asset
(asset group) met the recoverability test, no further testing was required or
performed.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2008, the Company recorded a non-cash
impairment charge totaling $1.9 million related to certain intangible assets
that were acquired from the Intel Acquisitions that were subsequently
abandoned.
As of
December 31, 2008, due to further changes in estimates of future operating
performance and cash flows that occurred during the quarter, the Company tested
for impairment of its long-lived assets and other intangible assets and based on
that analysis, determined that no impairment existed.
As of
June 30, 2009, the Company performed an evaluation of its Fiber Optics segment
asset group for impairment. The impairment test was triggered by a
determination that it was more likely than not those certain assets would be
sold or otherwise disposed of before the end of their previously estimated
useful lives. As a result of the evaluation, it was determined that
an impairment existed, and a charge of $27.0 million was recorded to write down
the long-lived assets to an estimated value, which was determined based on a
combination of guideline public company comparisons and future undiscounted cash
flows. Of the total impairment charge, $17.2 million related to plant
and equipment and $9.8 million related to intangible assets.
The
current adverse economic conditions had a significant negative effect on the
Company’s assessment of the value of the Fiber Optics segment asset
group. The impairment charge primarily resulted from the combined
effect of the current slowdown in product orders and lower pricing exacerbated
by currently high discount rates used in estimating values and the effects of
recent declines in market values of debt and equity securities of comparable
public companies. This impairment charge in combination with other non-cash
charges will not cause the Company to be in default under any of its financial
covenants associated with its credit facility nor will it have a material
adverse impact on the Company’s liquidity position or cash flows.
The
determination of enterprise value involved a number of assumptions and
estimates. The Company uses a combination of two value inputs to estimate
enterprise value of its reporting units: internal future undiscounted cash flow
analyses (income approach) and comparable company equity
values. Recent pending and/or completed relevant transactions method
was not used due to lack of recent transactions. The income approach involved
estimates of future performance that reflected assumptions regarding, among
other things, sales volumes and expected margins. Another key variable in the
income approach was the discount rate, or weighted average cost of capital. The
determination of the discount rate takes into consideration the capital
structure, debt ratings and current debt yields of comparable companies as well
as an estimate of return on equity that reflects historical market returns and
current market volatility for the industry. Enterprise value estimates based on
comparable company equity values involve using trading multiples of revenue of
those selected companies to derive appropriate multiples to apply to the revenue
of the reporting units. This approach requires an estimate, using historical
acquisition data, of an appropriate control premium to apply to the reporting
unit values calculated from such multiples. Critical judgments include the
selection of comparable companies and the weighting of the two value inputs in
developing the best estimate of enterprise value.
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company performed impairment tests on its long-lived
assets for its asset groups based on revised operational and cash flow
forecasts. The impairment testing indicated that no impairment
existed and that future undiscounted cash flows exceeded carrying value by over
7% for each of the Company’s asset groups.
The
Company believes the carrying amount of its long-lived assets and intangible
assets as of September 30, 2009 are recoverable. However, if there is
further erosion of the Company’s market capitalization or the Company is unable
to achieve its projected cash flows, management may be required to perform
additional impairment tests of its remaining long-lived assets and intangible
assets. The outcome of these additional tests may result in the
Company recording additional impairment charges.
Amortization
expense related to intangible assets is generally included in SG&A on the
consolidated statements of operations. Amortization expense was $4.1
million, $3.6 million, and $2.0 million for the fiscal years ended September 30,
2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively. Based on the carrying amount of
the intangible assets as of September 30, 2009, the estimated future
amortization expense is as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
|
Estimated Future Amortization
Expense
|
||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2010
|
$
|
2,819
|
||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2011
|
2,432
|
|||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2012
|
2,108
|
|||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2013
|
1,772
|
|||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2014
|
1,237
|
|||
Thereafter
|
2,614
|
|||
|
||||
Total
future amortization expense
|
$
|
12,982
|
NOTE
12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
The
components of accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the
following:
(in
thousands)
|
|
September 30,
2009
|
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||
Compensation-related
|
$
|
5,861
|
$
|
6,640
|
||||
Warranty
|
4,287
|
4,640
|
||||||
Loss
on firm commitments
|
3,821
|
-
|
||||||
Professional
fees
|
1,839
|
2,099
|
||||||
Royalty
|
1,937
|
1,414
|
||||||
Self
insurance
|
1,272
|
1,044
|
||||||
Deferred
revenue and customer deposits
|
886
|
1,422
|
||||||
Income
and other taxes
|
625
|
3,555
|
||||||
Inventory
obligation
|
-
|
982
|
||||||
Accrued
program loss
|
51
|
843
|
||||||
Restructuring
accrual
|
395
|
331
|
||||||
Other
|
713
|
320
|
||||||
Total
accrued expenses and other current liabilities
|
$
|
21,687
|
$
|
23,290
|
See
Footnote 15 - Commitments and Contingencies, for information regarding the loss
on firm commitments recorded by the Company.
The
following table summarizes the changes in the product warranty accrual
accounts:
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September
30,
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
|
$
|
4,640
|
|
|
$
|
1,310
|
|
$
|
1,074
|
||
Expense
- charge to provision
|
2,578
|
4,479
|
1,460
|
|||||||||
Utilization
of warranty accrual
|
|
|
(2,931
|
)
|
|
|
(1,149
|
)
|
|
|
(1,224
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Balance
at end of year
|
|
$
|
4,287
|
|
|
$
|
4,640
|
|
$
|
1,310
|
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company recorded $1.1 million in
product warranty reserves in its Photovoltaics segment that was primarily
related to older generation CPV-related product launches.
During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the majority of the product warranty
accrual related to the Photovoltaics reporting segment, specifically
terrestrial-related products. The Company identified potential
failures related to materials used in the manufacturing process which could
experience failures in the field.
NOTE
13. Restructuring Charges
In
accordance with ASC 420, Exit
or Disposal Cost Obligations, SG&A expenses recognized as
restructuring charges include costs associated with the integration of business
acquisitions and overall cost-reduction efforts.
The
Company has undertaken several cost cutting initiatives intended to conserve
cash including recent reductions in force, employee furloughs, temporary
reduction of salaries, the elimination of fiscal 2009 merit increases, a
significant reduction in discretionary expenses and capital expenditures and a
greater emphasis on improving its working capital management. These
initiatives are intended to conserve or generate cash in response to the
uncertainties associated with the recent deterioration in the global
economy.
Restructuring
charges consisted of the following:
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||
Employee
severance-related expense
|
$ | 1,710 | $ | 593 | $ | 2,798 | ||||||
Other
restructuring-related expense
|
340 | 95 | 822 | |||||||||
Total
restructuring charges
|
$ | 2,050 | $ | 688 | $ | 3,620 |
The
following table sets forth changes in the severance and restructuring-related
accrual accounts:
(in
thousands)
|
Severance-related
Accrual
|
Restructuring-related
Accrual
|
Total
|
|||||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2006
|
$ | 14 | $ | 242 | $ | 256 | ||||||
Additional
accruals
|
2,798 | 822 | 3,620 | |||||||||
Cash
payments or otherwise settled
|
(1,239 | ) | (440 | ) | (1,679 | ) | ||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2007
|
1,573 | 624 | 2,197 | |||||||||
Additional
accruals
|
593 | 95 | 688 | |||||||||
Cash
payments or otherwise settled
|
(1,879 | ) | (468 | ) | (2,347 | ) | ||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
287 | 251 | 538 | |||||||||
Additional
accruals
|
1,710 | 340 | 2,050 | |||||||||
Cash
payments or otherwise settled
|
(1,771 | ) | (196 | ) | (1,967 | ) | ||||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2009
|
$ | 226 | $ | 395 | $ | 621 |
The
severance-related and restructuring–related accruals are recorded as accrued
expenses within current liabilities since they are expected to be settled with
the next twelve months. We may incur additional restructuring charges
in the future for employee severance, facility-related or other exit
activities.
NOTE
14. Debt
Line of
Credit
In
September 2008, the Company closed a $25 million asset-backed revolving credit
facility with Bank of America which can be used for working capital, letters of
credit and other general corporate purposes. Subsequently, the credit
facility was amended resulting in a reduction in the total loan availability to
$14 million. The credit facility matures in September 2011 and is
secured by virtually all of the Company’s assets. The credit facility
is subject to a borrowing base formula based on eligible accounts receivable and
provides for prime-based borrowings.
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had a $10.3 million prime rate loan outstanding,
with an interest rate of 8.25%, and approximately $2.8 million in outstanding
standby letters of credit under this credit facility.
The
facility is also subject to certain financial covenants which the Company was in
compliance with for the three months ended June 30, 2009 and September 30,
2009. For the three months ended December 31, 2008, the Company did
not meet the requirements under the EBITDA financial covenant and for the three
months ended March 31, 2009, the Company did not meet the requirements under the
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio and EBITDA financial covenants. During
the fiscal year, the Company has entered into several amendments to the credit
facility with Bank of America which has, among other things: (i) increased the
amount of eligible accounts receivable under the borrowing base formula, (ii)
waived certain events of default of financial covenants by the Company, (iii)
decreased the total maximum loan availability amount to $14 million, (iv)
increased applicable interest rates with respect to loans and letters of credit,
and (v) adjusted certain financial covenants. Adjustments were also
made to the borrowing base formula and the calculation of eligible accounts
receivable which, generally resulted in greater loan availability against
accounts receivable subject to the $14 million overall loan limit.
Short-term
Debt
In
December 2008, the Company borrowed $0.9 million from UBS that is collateralized
with $1.4 million of auction rate securities. The average interest
rate on the loan is approximately 1.4% and the term of the loan is dependent
upon the timing of the settlement of the auction rate securities with UBS which
is expected to occur by June 2010 at 100% par value.
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. As an incentive to holders to convert their Notes, the Company made
cash payments to such holders equal to 4% of the principal amount of the Notes
converted (the “Incentive Payment”), 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 related
to the Incentive Payment and $1.2 million related to the accelerated write-off
of capitalized finance charges associated with the convertible
notes. Interest expense incurred on the Notes totaled $1.6 million
and $5.0 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
NOTE
15. Commitments and Contingencies
The
Company leases certain land, facilities, and equipment under non-cancelable
operating leases. The leases typically 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
totaled approximately $2.8 million, $1.9 million, and $2.2 million for the
fiscal years ended September 30, 2009, 2008, and 2007,
respectively.
Estimated
future minimum rental payments under the Company's non-cancelable operating
leases with an initial or remaining term of one year or more as of September 30,
2009 are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
Estimated
Future Minimum Lease Payments
|
|||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2010
|
$ | 1,944 | ||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2011
|
1,814 | |||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2012
|
1,072 | |||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2013
|
799 | |||
Fiscal
year ended September 30, 2014
|
76 | |||
Thereafter
|
2,698 | |||
|
||||
Total
minimum lease payments
|
$ | 8,403 |
Loss on firm
commitments
In fiscal
2009, the Company was challenged with higher than expected inventory positions
in its Fiber Optics segment as quarterly sales were lower than internal
projections of many of our customers, which had a significant adverse effect on
results of operations. Management performed an analysis of the
Company’s inventory position, including a review of open purchase and sales
commitments, and determined that certain inventory was impaired which resulted
in a $8.5 million loss on purchase and sales commitments specifically related to
inventory during fiscal 2009. This impairment was recognized in cost
of revenues.
Legal
Proceedings
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, then the operating results of that
particular reporting period could be materially adversely
affected. During fiscal year 2009, the Company settled certain
matters that did not individually, or in the aggregate, have a material impact
on the Company’s results of operations.
a)
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, currently part of Finisar
Corporation (Optium) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania for patent infringement of certain patents associated with our
Fiber Optics segment. 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. 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
February 18, 2009, the Company’s motion for a summary judgment dismissing
Optium’s declaratory relief action was granted, and on March 11, 2009, the
Company was notified that Optium intended to file an appeal of this order. In
October 2009 the consolidated matters were tried before a jury, which found that
all patents asserted against Optium were valid, that all claims asserted were
infringed, and that such infringement by Optium was willful where willfulness
was asserted. The jury awarded EMCORE and JDSU monetary damages
totaling approximately $3.4 million. Post trial motions are currently
pending, including EMCORE’s request for enhanced damages and an
injunction.
b)
Avago-related 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 (Avago Technologies U.S.,
Inc., et al., Emcore
Corporation, et al.,
Case No.: C08-3248 JW). 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.
On
December 5, 2008, the Company 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. (Avago Technologies Singapore et al., Emcore Corporation,
et al., Case
No.: C08-5394 EMC). This matter has been stayed pending
resolution of the International Trade Commission matter described
immediately below.
On March
5, 2009, the Company was notified that, based on a complaint filed by Avago
alleging the same patent infringement that formed the basis of the complaint
previously filed in the Northern District of California, the U.S. International
Trade Commission had determined to begin an investigation titled “In the Matter
of Certain Optoelectronic Devices, Components Thereof and Products Containing
the Same”, Inv. No. 337-TA-669. This matter was tried before an
administrative law judge of the International Trade Commission from November
16-20, 2009, and final briefings have been completed but no decision has yet
been rendered.
The
Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations of all of the Avago
complaints.
c)
Green and Gold related litigation
On
December 23, 2008, Plaintiffs Maurice Prissert and Claude Prissert filed a
purported stockholder class action (the “Prissert Class 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 Company and the Individual Defendants violated certain
provisions of the federal securities laws, including Section 10(b) 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 Photovoltaics business segment. The
Complaint in the Class Action seeks, among other things, an unspecified amount
of compensatory damages and other costs and expenses associated with the
maintenance of the Action.
On or
about February 12, 2009, a second purported stockholder class action (Mueller v. EMCORE Corporation et
al., Case No. 1:09cv 133 (D.N.M.)) was filed in the United States
District Court for the District of New Mexico against the same defendants named
in the Prissert Class Action, based on substantially the same facts and
circumstances, containing substantially the same allegations and seeking
substantially the same relief. Plaintiffs in both class actions have
moved to consolidate the matters into a single action, and several alleged
EMCORE shareholders have moved to be appointed lead class plaintiff of the to-be
consolidated action. Selection of a lead plaintiff in this matter is
currently pending before the Court.
On
January 23, 2009, Plaintiff James E. Stearns filed a purported stockholder
derivative action (the “Stearns Derivative 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
Superior Court of New Jersey, Atlantic County, Chancery Division (James E. Stearns, derivatively on
behalf of EMCORE Corporation v. Thomas J. Russell, Robert Bogomolny,
Charles Scott, John Gillen, Reuben F. Richards, Jr., Hong Q. Hou, Adam Gushard,
David Danzilio and Thomas Werthan, Case No. Atl-C-10-09). This
action is based on essentially the same factual contentions as the Class Action,
and alleges that the Individual Defendants engaged in improprieties and
violations of law in connection with the reporting of the GGE
backlog. The Derivative Action seeks several forms of relief,
allegedly on behalf of the Company, including, among other things, damages,
equitable relief, corporate governance reforms, an accounting of, rescission of,
restitution of, and costs and disbursements of the lawsuit.
On March
11, 2009, Plaintiff Gary Thomas filed a second purported shareholder derivative
action (the “Thomas Derivative Action”; together with the Stearns Derivative
Action, the “Derivative Actions”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of
New Mexico against the Company and certain of the Individual
Defendants (Gary Thomas, derivatively on behalf
of EMCORE Corporation v. Thomas J. Russell, Robert Bogomolny, Charles
Scott, John Gillen, Reuben F. Richards, Jr., Hong Q. Hou, and EMCORE
Corporation, Case No. 1.09-cv-00236, (D.N.M.)). The Thomas
Derivative Action makes the same allegations as the Stearns Derivative Action
and seeks essentially the same relief.
The
Stearns Derivative Action and the Thomas Derivative action have been
consolidated before a single judge in Somerset County, New Jersey, and have been
stayed pending the Class Actions.
The
Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations of both the Class
Actions and the Derivative Action.
d)
Securities Matters
|
-
|
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 the Company'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 Photovoltaics segment backlog the Company reported to
the public. Since that time, the Company has provided documents
to the staff of the SEC and met with the staff on December 12, 2008 to
address this matter. On June 10, 2009, the SEC staff requested
that the Company voluntarily provide documentary backup for certain
information presented at the December 2008 meeting, which was provided on
July 17, 2009, and arrange for a telephone interview with one former
employee, which has been completed. On August 24, 2009, in a
telephone call with the Company’s counsel, the staff posed certain
questions relating to the material provided on July 17, 2009, which were
answered via the production of additional information and documentation on
October 9, 2009.
|
|
-
|
NASDAQ
Communication. On or about November 13, 2008, the Company
received a letter from the NASDAQ Listings Qualifications group (“NASDAQ”)
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. To date, the Company has received
three additional requests for information from NASDAQ (the latter 2 of
which requested updates on the SEC matter). The Company has
complied with each of NASDAQ’s requests. In early November 2009
the NASDAQ orally requested to be advised of developments in the SEC
matter.
|
As of
September 30, 2009 and the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, no
amounts have been accrued for any litigation item discussed above since no
estimate of loss can be made at this time.
NOTE
16. Income Taxes
The
Company, incorporated in the state of New Jersey, incurred no income tax expense
during the three years ended September 30, 2009. 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 is as follows:
(in
millions)
|
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Income
tax benefit computed at U.S. Federal statutory rate
|
$ | (46.3 | ) | $ | (27.5 | ) | $ | (19.5 | ) | |||
State
tax benefits, net of U.S. Federal effect
|
(4.5 | ) | (4.1 | ) | (3.4 | ) | ||||||
Debt
conversion
|
- | 1.6 | - | |||||||||
Other
|
4.6 | 0.8 | - | |||||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
46.3 | 29.2 | 22.9 | |||||||||
Income
tax expense - current
|
$ | 0.1 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Effective
tax rate
|
0 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % |
Significant
components of the Company’s deferred tax assets are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
|
September 30,
2009
|
|
September 30,
2008
|
||||
Deferred
tax assets (liabilities):
|
||||||||
Federal
net operating loss carryforwards
|
$
|
134,389
|
$
|
110,963
|
||||
Foreign
net operating loss carryforwards
|
2,536
|
1,814
|
||||||
Research
credit carryforwards (state and U.S. Federal)
|
2,338
|
2,338
|
||||||
Inventory
reserves
|
3,645
|
5,200
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable reserves
|
1,728
|
992
|
||||||
Accrued
warranty reserve
|
1,626
|
1,937
|
||||||
State
net operating loss carryforwards
|
13,217
|
20,128
|
||||||
Investment
write-down
|
5,317
|
6,461
|
||||||
Legal
reserves
|
476
|
426
|
||||||
Deferred
compensation
|
1,483
|
1,756
|
||||||
Tax
reserves
|
50
|
663
|
||||||
Other
|
3,343
|
1,471
|
||||||
Fixed
assets and intangibles
|
19,964
|
3,901
|
||||||
Total
deferred tax assets
|
190,112
|
158,050
|
||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(190,112
|
)
|
(158,050
|
)
|
||||
Net
deferred tax assets
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
As of
September 30, 2009, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for U.S.
Federal income tax purposes of approximately $395.3 million, which expire
beginning in the year 2021 through 2028. The Company has foreign net
operating loss carryforwards of $10.3 million and state net operating loss
carryforwards of approximately $335.9 million, which begin to expire in
2009. The Company 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 the Company’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.
On
October 1, 2007, the Company adopted certain accounting principles within ASC
740, Income Taxes, and
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 fiscal years ended September 30, 2009
and 2008, there were no material increases or decreases in unrecognized tax
benefits and management does not anticipate any material increases or decreases
in the amounts of unrecognized tax benefits over the next twelve
months. As of September 30, 2009, the Company had approximately
$139,000 of interest and penalties accrued as tax liabilities on the balance
sheet.
A
reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized gross tax
benefits is as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
$ | 338 | ||
Additions
based on tax positions related to the current year
|
19 | |||
Additions
for tax positions of prior years
|
17 | |||
Balance
as of September 30, 2009
|
$ | 374 |
As of
September 30, 2009, management does not anticipate any material increases or
decreases in the amounts of unrecognized tax benefits over the next twelve
months.
The
Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal, state and local
jurisdictions and, currently, no federal, state, and local income tax returns
are under examination. Certain income tax returns for fiscal years 2005 through
2008 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 2005 for U.S. federal; after fiscal year 2004 for the state of
California and after fiscal year 2005 for the state of New Mexico.
NOTE
17. Segment Data and Related Information
The
Company has five operating segments: (1) EMCORE Digital Fiber Optics Products,
(2) EMCORE Broadband Fiber Optics 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. 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. Photovoltaics revenue is derived primarily from the
sales of solar power conversion products for the space and terrestrial markets,
including solar cells, covered interconnected solar cells, solar panel
concentrator solar cells and concentrating photovoltaic systems (“CPV”) and
receiver assemblies. The Company evaluates its reportable segments in accordance
with ASC 280, Segment
Reporting. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is the Chief Operating
Decision Maker pursuant to ASC 280, and he allocates resources to segments based
on their business prospects, competitive factors, net revenue, operating results
and other non-GAAP financial ratios. Operating income or expense that
is not specifically related to an operating segment is charged to a separate
unallocated corporate division.
The
following table sets forth the revenue and percentage of total revenue
attributable to each of the Company’s reporting segments.
Segment
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||
Fiber
Optics
|
|
$
|
114,134
|
65
|
%
|
|
$
|
171,276
|
|
|
|
72
|
%
|
|
$
|
110,377
|
|
|
|
65
|
%
|
|||
Photovoltaics
|
|
|
62,222
|
35
|
|
|
68,027
|
|
|
|
28
|
|
|
|
59,229
|
|
|
|
35
|
|
||||
Total
revenue
|
|
$
|
176,356
|
100
|
%
|
|
$
|
239,303
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
$
|
169,606
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth the Company’s consolidated revenue by geographic
region with revenue assigned to geographic regions based on our customers’
billing address.
Geographic
Revenue
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
Revenue
|
% of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||
United
States
|
|
$
|
108,563
|
62
|
%
|
|
$
|
134,796
|
|
|
|
56
|
%
|
|
$
|
124,012
|
|
|
|
73
|
%
|
|||
Asia
|
|
|
50,973
|
29
|
|
|
73,311
|
|
|
|
31
|
|
|
|
34,574
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
||||
Europe
|
|
|
8,878
|
5
|
|
|
20,420
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
10,821
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
||||
Other
|
|
|
7,942
|
4
|
|
|
10,776
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
199
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
||||
Total
revenue
|
|
$
|
176,356
|
100
|
%
|
|
$
|
239,303
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
$
|
169,606
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth our significant customer, defined as customers that
represented greater than 10% of total consolidated revenue, by reporting
segment.
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
|
For the Fiscal Years
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Fiber
Optics – related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Cisco
|
15 | % | 18 | % | 12 | % | ||||||
Motorola
|
- | - | 13 | % | ||||||||
Photovoltaics
– related customer:
|
||||||||||||
Loral
Space & Communications
|
14 | % | 10 | % | - | |||||||
Confidential
U.S. government-related customer
|
- | - | 11 | % |
The
following table sets forth operating losses attributable to each of the
Company’s reporting segments and Corporate division.
Statement
of Operations Data
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||
Operating
loss:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiber
Optics segment
|
|
$
|
(124,184
|
)
|
|
$
|
(49,903
|
)
|
|
$
|
(25,877
|
)
|
Photovoltaics
segment
|
|
|
(14,050
|
)
|
|
|
(25,238
|
)
|
|
|
(11,202
|
)
|
Corporate
division
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(140
|
)
|
|
|
(20,377
|
)
|
|
Operating
loss
|
|
$
|
(138,234
|
)
|
|
$
|
(75,281
|
)
|
|
$
|
(57,456
|
)
|
The
following table sets forth the depreciation and amortization attributable to
each of the Company’s reporting segments and Corporate division.
Segment
Depreciation and Amortization
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||
Fiber
Optics segment
|
|
$
|
10,314
|
|
|
$
|
9,067
|
|
|
$
|
6,991
|
|
Photovoltaics
segment
|
|
|
5,768
|
|
|
|
4,472
|
|
|
|
2,860
|
|
Corporate
division
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
271
|
|
Total
depreciation and amortization
|
|
$
|
16,082
|
|
|
$
|
13,617
|
|
|
$
|
10,122
|
|
Long-lived
assets consist primarily of property, plant, and equipment and also goodwill and
intangible assets. The following table sets forth long-lived assets
for each of the Company’s reporting segments and Corporate
division.
Long-lived
Assets
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiber
Optics segment
|
|
$
|
37,399
|
|
|
$
|
107,684
|
|
Photovoltaics
segment
|
|
|
50,169
|
|
|
|
55,232
|
|
Corporate
division
|
|
|
826
|
|
|
|
622
|
|
Total
long-lived assets
|
|
$
|
88,394
|
|
|
$
|
163,538
|
NOTE
18. Employee Benefit Plans
The
Company 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 the Company's common stock. For the fiscal years ended September 30,
2009, 2008, and 2007, the Company contributed approximately $0.6 million, $1.0
million, and $1.0 million, respectively, in common stock to the savings
plan.
NOTE
19. Related Party Transactions
Entech Solar,
Inc. (formerly
named WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation)
On
November 29, 2006, the Company invested $13.5 million, and incurred $0.4 million
in transaction costs, in a company formerly named WorldWater & Solar
Technologies Corporation, now named Entech Solar, Inc. As of September 30, 2007,
the Company held an approximately 21% equity ownership in Entech
Solar. In connection with the investment, the Company received two
seats on Entech Solar’s Board of Directors. In accordance with ASC
323, Investments – Equity
Method and Joint Ventures, although the investment in Entech Solar
provided the Company with the ability to exercise significant influence over the
operating and financial policies of Entech Solar, since the investment did not
qualify as in-substance common stock, the equity method of accounting was 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 characteristic of the
Company’s investment was not substantially similar to Entech Solar’s common
stock because the Company’s investment liquidation preference was considered
substantive. Therefore, the Company
accounted for the investment in Entech Solar under the cost method of accounting
and evaluated 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 Entech Solar, together with 200,000 warrants to a significant shareholder of
both the Company and Entech Solar 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 Entech Solar which approximated a 16%
ownership.
In
January 2009, the Company announced that it completed the closing of a two step
transaction involving the sale of its remaining interests in Entech Solar. The
Company sold its remaining shares of Entech Solar Series D Convertible Preferred
Stock and warrants to a significant shareholder of both the Company and Entech
Solar, for approximately $11.6 million, which included additional consideration
of $0.2 million as a result of the termination of certain operating agreements
between the Company and Entech Solar. During the three months ended
March 31, 2009, the Company recognized a gain on the sale of this investment of
approximately $3.1 million.
NOTE
20. Fair Value Accounting
ASC 820,
Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures, establishes a valuation hierarchy for disclosure of the
inputs to valuation used to measure fair value. Valuation techniques used to
measure fair value under ASC 820 must maximize the use of observable inputs and
minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The standard describes a fair value
hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered
observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value
which are the following:
|
-
|
Level
1 inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical
assets or liabilities.
|
|
-
|
Level
2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active
markets or inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either
directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the
full term of the financial
instrument.
|
|
-
|
Level
3 inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to
measure assets and liabilities at fair value. A financial asset or
liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the
lowest level input that is significant to the fair value
measurement.
|
The
following table provides the Company’s financial assets and liabilities,
consisting of the following types of instruments, measured at fair value on a
recurring basis:
(in
thousands)
|
As of September 30,
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical
Assets
|
Significant Other Observable Remaining
Inputs
|
Significant Unobservable
Inputs
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||
[Level 1]
|
[Level 2]
|
[Level 3]
|
||||||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||||||
Money
market fund deposits
|
$ | 14,028 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 14,028 | ||||||||
Restricted
fund deposits
|
1,684 | - | - | 1,684 | ||||||||||||
Asset-backed
auction rate securities
|
- | 1,350 | - | 1,350 | ||||||||||||
Total
assets measured at fair value
|
$ | 15,712 | $ | 1,350 | $ | - | $ | 17,062 |
The
following table provides the Company’s financial assets and liabilities,
measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, as presented on our
consolidated balance sheet:
(in
thousands)
|
As of September 30,
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical
Assets
|
Significant Other Observable Remaining
Inputs
|
Significant Unobservable
Inputs
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||
[Level 1]
|
[Level 2]
|
[Level 3]
|
||||||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 14,028 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 14,028 | ||||||||
Restricted
cash
|
1,521 | - | - | 1,521 | ||||||||||||
Available-for-sale
securities, non current
|
- | 1,350 | - | 1,350 | ||||||||||||
Long-term
restricted cash
|
163 | - | - | 163 | ||||||||||||
Total
assets measured at fair value
|
$ | 15,712 | $ | 1,350 | $ | - | $ | 17,062 |
The
Company classifies investments within Level 1 if quoted prices are available in
active markets. Level 1 assets include instruments valued based on
quoted market prices in active markets which generally could include money
market funds, corporate publicly traded equity securities on major exchanges and
U.S. Treasury notes with quoted prices on active markets.
The
Company classifies items in Level 2 if the investments are valued using
observable inputs to quoted market prices, benchmark yields, reported trades,
broker/dealer quotes or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of
price transparency. These investments could include: government agencies,
corporate bonds, commercial paper, and auction rate securities.
The
Company did not hold financial assets and liabilities which were valued using
unobservable inputs as of September 30, 2009.
The
carrying amounts of accounts receivable, short-term debt including borrowings
under the Company’s credit facility, accounts payable, accrued expenses and
other current liabilities approximate fair value because of the short maturity
of these instruments.
NOTE
21. Restatements
The
Company identified errors in the classification of service and product revenues
and related costs of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations in
fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007. The following table reflects the effects
of the restatement on the consolidated statements of operations for the fiscal
years ended September 30, 2008 and 2007. These misclassifications did
not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated gross profit, operating loss,
or net loss.
(in
thousands)
|
For the Fiscal Year
Ended September 30,
2008
|
For the Fiscal Year
Ended September 30,
2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
As previously reported
|
Adjustment
|
As restated
|
As previously reported
|
Adjustment
|
As restated
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Product
revenue
|
$ | 228,977 | $ | (1,197 | ) | $ | 227,780 | $ | 148,334 | $ | (403 | ) | $ | 147,931 | ||||||||||
Service
revenue
|
10,326 | 1,197 | 11,523 | 21,272 | 403 | 21,675 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
239,303 | - | 239,303 | 169,606 | - | 169,606 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost
of product revenue
|
208,963 | (5,799 | ) | 203,164 | 124,480 | 1 | 124,481 | |||||||||||||||||
Cost
of service revenue
|
445 | 5,799 | 6,244 | 14,758 | (1 | ) | 14,757 | |||||||||||||||||
Total
cost of revenue
|
209,408 | - | 209,408 | 139,238 | - | 139,238 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
$ | 29,895 | $ | - | $ | 29,895 | $ | 30,368 | $ | - | $ | 30,368 |
The
Company identified errors in the disclosure of net facility and equipment
rent expense in fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007. As previously disclosed,
net facility and equipment rent expense in fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007 totaled
approximately $1.6 million for both years. The
previously disclosed amounts excluded rent expense incurred on certain
international facilities and other leased equipment. As restated, net
facility and equipment rent expense in fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007 totaled
approximately $1.9 million and $2.2 million,
respectively. These corrections did not have an impact on the
Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows.
The
Company identified errors in the disclosure of significant customers in
fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007. In prior years, the Company did not
disclose the name of its significant customers and the Company did not
consolidate revenue from a significant customer that had previously acquired
another company whom the Company also had revenue from. The following
table reflects the effects of the restatement on the Company’s disclosure of
significant customers for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2008 and
2007. These corrections did not have an impact on the Company’s
consolidated results of operations or cash flows.
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
For
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008
|
||||||||
As previously disclosed
|
As restated
|
|||||||
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
|||||||
Customer
A
|
14%
|
Cisco
|
18%
|
|||||
Customer
B
|
12%
|
|||||||
Photovoltaics-related
customer:
|
||||||||
Loral
Space & Communications
|
10%
|
Significant
Customers
As
a percentage of total consolidated revenue
For
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007
|
||||||||
As previously disclosed
|
As restated
|
|||||||
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
Fiber
Optics-related customers:
|
|||||||
Cisco
|
12%
|
|||||||
Customer
C
|
13%
|
Motorola
|
13%
|
|||||
Photovoltaics-related
customer:
|
Photovoltaics-related
customer:
|
|||||||
Customer
E
|
11%
|
Confidential
U.S. government-related customer
|
11%
|
The
Company also identified errors in the consolidated statements of cash flows in
fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007. In particular, provision for inventory
and product warranty was not appropriately classified as a reconciling item to
reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating activities. In
addition, certain other assets and accounts receivable were improperly
classified as reconciling items to reconcile net loss to net cash used for
operating activities. The following table reflects the effects of the
restatement on the consolidated statements of cash flows for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2008 and 2007. These misclassifications did not
have an impact on net cash used in operating activities.
(in
thousands)
|
For the Fiscal Year
Ended September 30,
2008
|
|||||||||||
As previously
reported
|
Adjustment
|
As restated
|
||||||||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
$
|
13,616
|
$
|
1
|
$
|
13,617
|
||||||
Provision
for inventory
|
5,053
|
4,544
|
9,597
|
|||||||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
1,892
|
234
|
2,126
|
|||||||||
Provision
for product warranty
|
-
|
4,479
|
4,479
|
|||||||||
Total
non-cash adjustments
|
52,225
|
9,258
|
61,483
|
|||||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of
acquisitions:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(24,062
|
)
|
(234
|
)
|
(24,296
|
)
|
||||||
Inventory
|
(7,360
|
)
|
(4,544
|
)
|
(11,904
|
)
|
||||||
Other
assets
|
(1,895
|
)
|
(1
|
)
|
(1,896
|
)
|
||||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
(7,257
|
)
|
(4,479
|
)
|
(11,736
|
)
|
||||||
Total
change in operating assets and liabilities
|
|
(13,307
|
)
|
(9,258
|
)
|
(22,565
|
)
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
$
|
(41,942
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(41,942
|
)
|
(in
thousands)
|
For the Fiscal Year
Ended September 30,
2007
|
|||||||||||
As previously
reported
|
Adjustment
|
As Restated
|
||||||||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Provision
for inventory
|
3,513
|
(486
|
)
|
3,027
|
||||||||
Provision
for product warranty
|
-
|
1,460
|
1,460
|
|||||||||
Total
non-cash adjustments
|
23,274
|
974
|
24,248
|
|||||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of
acquisitions:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(10,408
|
)
|
1
|
(10,407
|
)
|
|||||||
Inventory
|
(8,760
|
)
|
486
|
(8,274
|
)
|
|||||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
6,320
|
(1,461
|
)
|
4,859
|
||||||||
Total
change in operating assets and liabilities
|
|
(10,934
|
)
|
(974
|
)
|
(11,908
|
)
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
$
|
(46,382
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(46,382
|
)
|
NOTE
22. Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)
The
following tables present the Company’s unaudited consolidated results of
operations for the eight most recently ended quarters. The Company
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. The Company’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. The Company has experienced and expects to
continue to experience significant fluctuations in quarterly
results.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
Fiscal
2009
(in
thousands, except loss per share)
|
|
Quarter 1
December 31,
2008
|
Quarter 2
March 31,
2009
|
Quarter 3
June 30,
2009
|
Quarter 4
September 30,
2009
|
|||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
54,056
|
$
|
43,284
|
$
|
38,489
|
$
|
40,527
|
||||||||
Cost
of revenue
|
52,467
|
50,289
|
40,917
|
36,457
|
||||||||||||
Gross
profit (loss)
|
1,589
|
(7,005
|
)
|
(2,428
|
)
|
4,070
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Selling,
general, and administrative
|
12,159
|
11,966
|
10,914
|
11,540
|
||||||||||||
Research
and development
|
8,110
|
6,891
|
5,654
|
6,445
|
||||||||||||
Impairments
|
33,781
|
-
|
27,000
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
54,050
|
18,857
|
43,568
|
17,985
|
||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(52,461
|
)
|
(25,862
|
)
|
(45,996
|
)
|
(13,915
|
)
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Other
expense (income):
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(50
|
)
|
(30
|
)
|
(3
|
)
|
(1
|
)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
195
|
143
|
105
|
99
|
||||||||||||
Foreign
exchange loss (gain)
|
472
|
908
|
(745
|
)
|
(481
|
)
|
||||||||||
Gain
from sale of investments
|
-
|
(3,144
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
367
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Total
other expense (income)
|
984
|
(2,123
|
)
|
(643
|
)
|
(383
|
)
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(53,445
|
)
|
$
|
(23,739
|
)
|
$
|
(45,353
|
)
|
$
|
(13,532
|
)
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss per basic and diluted share
|
$
|
(0.69
|
)
|
$
|
(0.30
|
)
|
$
|
(0.57
|
)
|
$
|
(0.17
|
)
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average
number of basic and diluted shares outstanding
|
77,816
|
78,384
|
79,700
|
80,647
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
Fiscal
2008
(in
thousands, except loss per share)
|
|
Quarter 1
December 31,
2007
|
Quarter 2
March 31,
2008
|
Quarter 3
June 30,
2008
|
Quarter 4
September 30,
2008
|
|||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
46,887
|
$
|
56,279
|
$
|
75,502
|
$
|
60,635
|
||||||||
Cost
of revenue
|
36,784
|
49,631
|
61,856
|
61,137
|
||||||||||||
Gross
profit (loss)
|
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
|
||||||||||||
Impairments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
22,233
|
||||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
19,283
|
19,593
|
25,288
|
41,012
|
||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(9,180
|
)
|
(12,945
|
)
|
(11,642
|
)
|
(41,514
|
)
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Other
expense (income):
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(427
|
)
|
(227
|
)
|
(124
|
)
|
(84
|
)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
1,205
|
375
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Foreign
exchange (gain) loss
|
(12
|
)
|
(186
|
)
|
(104
|
)
|
1,048
|
|||||||||
Gain
from sale of investments
|
-
|
-
|
(3,692
|
)
|
(3,692
|
)
|
||||||||||
Impairment
of investment
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,461
|
||||||||||||
Loss
on disposal of equipment
|
86
|
-
|
-
|
978
|
||||||||||||
Stock-based
expense from tolled options
|
4,374
|
(58
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Loss
from conversion of subordinated notes
|
-
|
4,658
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Total
other expense (income)
|
5,226
|
4,562
|
(3,920
|
)
|
(289
|
)
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(14,406
|
)
|
$
|
(17,507
|
)
|
$
|
(7,722
|
)
|
$
|
(41,225
|
)
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Per
share data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss per basic and diluted share
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.27
|
)
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.53
|
)
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average
number of basic and diluted shares outstanding
|
52,232
|
64,560
|
76,582
|
77,734
|
Significant Accounting
Transactions:
Fiscal
2009:
|
-
|
In
December 2008, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges totaling
$33.8 million related to goodwill and intangible assets in the Fiber
Optics segment.
|
|
-
|
In
January 2009, the Company sold its remaining interest in Entech Solar Inc
(formerly WorldWater and Solar Technologies Corporation) for a gain of
$3.1 million.
|
|
-
|
In
June 2009, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge totaling
$27.0 million related to long-lived assets in the Fiber Optics
segment.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2009, the Company incurred the following significant non-cash
expenses within operations:
|
|
-
|
Additional
inventory provisions related to excess, obsolete, and lower of cost or
market valuation adjustments totaling $13.6
million;
|
|
-
|
Provisions
for losses on firm purchase agreements totaling $8.5 million;
and,
|
|
-
|
Additional
provisions for doubtful accounts totaling $5.1
million.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2009, the Company incurred $2.0 million related to severance and
restructuring charges and $5.6 million related to legal expenses
associated with certain patent and other litigation, all of which was
recorded as SG&A expense.
|
Fiscal
2008:
|
-
|
In
February 2008, the Company redeemed all of its outstanding convertible
notes. The Company recognized a loss totaling $4.7 million
related to the conversion of notes to
equity.
|
|
-
|
In
February 2008, the Company completed the sale of $100 million of
restricted common stock and warrants. The Company used
the proceeds from this private placement transaction to acquire the
telecom-related assets of Intel Corporation's Optical Platform Division in
2008.
|
|
-
|
In
February and April 2008, the Company acquired the telecom, datacom, and
optical cable interconnects-related assets of Intel Corporation’s Optical
Platform Division for $112 million in cash and the Company’s common
stock.
|
|
-
|
In
June and July 2008, the Company sold a portion of its investment in Entech
Solar for a total gain of $7.4
million.
|
|
-
|
In
September 2008, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge totaling
$22.0 million related to goodwill in the Fiber Optics
segment.
|
|
-
|
In
September 2008, the Company recorded a $1.5 million non-cash impairment
charge related to investments.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2008, the Company incurred the following significant non-cash
expenses within operations:
|
|
-
|
Additional
inventory provisions related to excess, obsolete, and lower of cost or
market valuation adjustments totaling $9.6 million;
and,
|
|
-
|
Additional
provisions for doubtful accounts totaling $2.1
million.
|
|
-
|
Fiscal
2008 operating expenses also included $4.8 million related to transition
service agreement charges associated with the fiber optics businesses
acquired from Intel Corporation.
|
|
-
|
In
fiscal 2008, the Company incurred non-cash expense totaling $4.3 million
associated with the modification of stock options issued to terminated
employees.
|
NOTE
23. Subsequent Event
On
October 1, 2009, the Company entered into an equity line of credit arrangement
with Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd. (“Commerce
Court”). The Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase
Agreement”) provides that upon certain terms and conditions, and the issuance of
a draw-down request by the Company, Commerce Court has committed to purchasing
up to $25 million worth of shares of the Company’s common stock over the
24-month term of the Purchase Agreement; provided, however, in no event may the
Company sell under the Purchase Agreement more than 15,971,169 shares of common
stock, which is equal to one share less than twenty percent of the Company’s
outstanding shares of common stock on the closing date of the Purchase
Agreement, less the number of shares of common stock the Company issued to
Commerce Court on the closing date in partial payment of its commitment fee, or
more shares that would result in the beneficial ownership or more than 9.9% of
the then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock.
As
payment of a portion of Commerce Court’s fees in connection with the Purchase
Agreement, the Company agreed to issue to Commerce Court upon the execution of
the Purchase Agreement 185,185 shares of common stock and three warrants
representing the right to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,600,000 shares of
common stock, as follows:
|
-
|
a
warrant, pursuant to which Commerce Court may purchase up to 666,667
shares of common stock at an initial exercise price of $1.69, which is
equal to 125% of the average of the volume weighted average price of
common stock for the three trading days immediately preceding the
execution date of the Purchase
Agreement,
|
|
-
|
a
warrant, pursuant to which Commerce Court may purchase from up to 666,667
shares of common stock at an initial exercise price of $2.02, which is
equal to 150% of the average of the volume weighted average price of
common stock for the three trading days immediately preceding the
execution date of the Purchase Agreement,
and
|
|
-
|
a
warrant, pursuant to which Commerce Court may purchase up to 266,666
shares of common stock at an initial exercise price of $2.36, which is
equal to 175% of the average of the volume weighted average price of
common stock for the three trading days immediately preceding the
execution date of the Purchase
Agreement.
|
The
warrants may be exercised at any time or from time to time between April 1, 2010
and April 1, 2015. The warrants may not be offered for sale, sold,
transferred or assigned without our consent, in whole or in part, to any person
other than an affiliate of Commerce Court. If after April 1, 2010,
the Company’s common stock trades at a price greater than 140% of the exercise
price of any warrant for a period of 10 consecutive trading days and the Company
meets certain equity conditions, then the Company has the right to effect a
mandatory exercise of such warrant.
From time
to time over the term of the Purchase Agreement, and at the Company’s sole
discretion, the Company may present Commerce Court with draw down notices to
purchase common stock over ten consecutive trading days or such other period
mutually agreed upon by the Company and Commerce Court (the “draw down period”)
with each draw down subject to limitations based on the price of the Company’s
common stock and a limit of the amount in the applicable fixed amount request,
or 2.5% of the Company’s market capitalization at the time of such draw down,
whichever is less.
The
Company is able to present Commerce Court with up to 24 draw down notices during
the term of the Purchase Agreement, with only one such draw down notice allowed
per draw down period and a minimum of five trading days required between each
draw down period.
Once
presented with a draw down notice, Commerce Court is required to purchase a pro
rata portion of the shares on each trading day during the trading period on
which the daily volume weighted average price for the common stock exceeds a
threshold price determined by the Company for such draw down. The per share
purchase price for these shares will equal the daily volume weighted average
price of the common stock on each date during the draw down period on which
shares are purchased, less a discount of 5%. If the daily volume weighted
average price of the common stock falls below the threshold price on any trading
day during a draw down period, the Purchase Agreement provides that Commerce
Court will not be required to purchase the pro-rata portion of shares of common
stock allocated to that day. However, at its election, Commerce Court may buy
the pro-rata portion of shares allocated to that day at the threshold price less
the discount described above.
The
Purchase Agreement also provides that, from time to time and at the Company’s
sole discretion, the Company may grant Commerce Court the right to exercise one
or more options to purchase additional shares of common stock during each draw
down period for an amount of shares specified by the Company based on the
trading price of the common stock. Upon Commerce Court’s exercise of an option,
the Company would sell to Commerce Court the shares of common stock subject to
the option at a price equal to the greater of the daily volume weighted average
price of the common stock on the day Commerce Court notifies the Company of its
election to exercise its option or the threshold price for the option determined
by the Company, less a discount calculated in the same manner as it is
calculated in the draw down notices.
In
addition to the issuance of shares of common stock to Commerce Court pursuant to
the Purchase Agreement, the registration statement filed with the SEC also
covers the sale of those shares from time to time by Commerce Court to the
public.
The
Company has paid $45,000 of Commerce Court’s attorneys’ fees and expenses
incurred by Commerce Court in connection with the preparation, negotiation,
execution and delivery of the Purchase Agreement and related transaction
documentation. The Company has also agreed to pay certain fees and
expenses incurred by Commerce Court up to $5,000 in connection with any
amendments, modifications or waivers of the Purchase Agreement, ongoing due
diligence of our company and other transaction expenses associated with fixed
requests made by the Company from time to time during the term of the Purchase
Agreement, provided that the Company shall not be required to pay any
reimbursement for any such expenses in any calendar quarter in which the Company
provides a fixed request notice.
Further,
if the Company issues a draw down notice and fails to deliver the shares to
Commerce Court on the applicable settlement date, and such failure continues for
ten trading days, the Company has agreed to pay Commerce Court liquidated
damages in cash or restricted shares of common stock, at Commerce Court’s
option.
Upon each
sale of common stock to Commerce Court under the Purchase Agreement, the Company
has also agreed to pay Reedland Capital Partners, an Institutional Division of
Financial West Group, a placement fee equal to 1% of the aggregate dollar amount
of common stock purchased by Commerce Court.
The
warrants issued on October 1, 2009 by the Company were classified as a liability
since the contract meets the classification requirement for liability accounting
in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and
Hedging. The Company expects an impact to the Consolidated
Statement of Operations when it records an adjustment to fair value of the
warrants at the end of each quarterly reporting period going
forward.
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, 2009 and 2008, and the related
consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' equity and comprehensive
loss, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September
30, 2009. 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, 2009 and 2008, and the results of their operations and their cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2009, in
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
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, 2009, 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 29, 2009 expressed an
unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial
reporting.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche
LLP
Deloitte
& Touche LLP
Dallas,
Texas
December
29, 2009
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.
Attached
as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K are certifications of the
Company’s Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), which are required in
accordance with Rule 13a-14 of the Act. This Disclosure Controls and Procedures
section includes information concerning management’s evaluation of disclosure
controls and procedures referred to in those certifications and, as such, should
be read in conjunction with the certifications of the Company’s Chief Executive
Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal
Financial Officer).
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
during the three months ended September 30, 2009 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 the Company 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.
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, 2009, 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, 2009. In its
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as
of September 30, 2009, management determined that the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2009.
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, 2009, 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, 2009, 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, 2009 of the Company and our report dated
December 29, 2009 expressed an unqualified opinion
on those financial statements.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche
LLP
Deloitte
& Touche LLP
Dallas,
Texas
December
29, 2009
ITEM
9B. Other Information
On
December 15, 2009, the Company issued a press release disclosing its unaudited
financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30,
2009. Subsequent to the issuance of this press release, the
Company’s financial statements were revised by the following
adjustment:
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-
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The
Company reclassified an amount related to controlled deposits on account
with Bank of America totaling $1.2 million from cash and cash equivalents
to restricted cash.
|
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 the Company’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, 2009. 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 the Company. 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 the Company’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
Director Independence
Matters
The Board
of Directors meets annually to determine the independence of the directors as
required by the Nasdaq rules. The Board’s determination regarding the
independence of the full board of directors will be included in the Company’s
proxy statement or in an amendment to its Annual Report on Form
10-K. At a meeting held on December 8, 2009, the Board reviewed and
discussed certain services provided by the accounting firm of Gillen and
Johnson, P.A., in which Mr. John Gillen is a partner. Based on
a determination that the services do not fall under any of the objective tests
of the Nasdaq rules and that, in the opinion of the Board, they would not
interfere with Mr. Gillen’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of a director, the Board affirmatively determined that Mr.
Gillen is an independent director within the requirements of the Nasdaq
rules.
The
relationships considered by the Board in making its determination
were:
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For
each of the last three years, the accounting firm of Gillen and Johnson,
P.A. has prepared the individual U.S. tax returns for Dr. Russell for a
fee of approximately $2,500 per year, which was paid directly by Dr.
Russell to Gillen and Johnson, P.A
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-
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Until
December 31, 2007, Gillen and Johnson, P.A. prepared the tax returns for
Rectrix Aviation and Aerodrome Centers (“Rectrix”), a company owned by Dr.
Russell, for a fee of approximately $10,000 per year, which was paid
directly by Rectrix to Gillen and Johnson,
P.A.
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-
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Since
January 1, 2009, Mr. Gillen has acted as trustee of the Morningside Trust,
which was established by Dr. Russell and owns approximately 2 million
shares of the Company’s common stock for the benefit of Avery Russell, who
is the daughter of Dr. Russell. Gillen and Johnson, P.A.
performed filing services for the Morningside Trust, for which it was paid
a fee of $500. Mr. Gillen was not paid any fees in connection
with his service as trustee of Morningside
Trust.
|
In
addition to the requirements of the Nasdaq rules, the Company’s By-laws require
that a majority of the Board be independent within the requirements of certain
tests that are not included within the requirements of the Nasdaq
rules. The additional tests contained in the Company’s By-laws
include a requirement that a director is not considered independent for purposes
of the By-laws if a director has received any remuneration as an advisor or
consultant to any other directors of the Company. In light of Mr.
Gillen’s position as a partner of Gillen and Johnson, P.A. and the fees that
were paid to Gillen and Johnson, P.A. in connection with the services described
above, the Board determined at its meeting held on December 8, 2009 to initiate
a search for a new director who is independent within the scope of the
additional independence tests of the Company’s By-laws in order to establish a
board composition that is in compliance with those requirements.
In light
of Mr. Gillen’s position as a partner of Gillen and Johnson, P.A. and the fees
that were paid to Gillen and Johnson, P.A. in connection with the services
described above, the Board determined at its meeting held on December 8, 2009 to
initiate a search for one or more new directors who were independent within the
scope of the additional independence tests of the Company’s By-laws in order to
establish a board composition that is in compliance with those
requirements. On December 18, 2009, the Nominating Committee
recommended, and the Board elected, Mr. Sherman McCorkle to fill a current
vacancy on the Company’s Board. Mr. McCorkle is currently President
and Chief Executive Officer of Technology Ventures Corporation, in which
capacity he has served since that company’s inception in 1993. Mr.
McCorkle was previously the co-founder and Charter Director of New Mexico Bank
and Trust and First Community Bank, and served as CEO & President of Sunwest
Credit Services Corp. from 1988 to 1993. He was also a co-founder and
Charter Director of Plus Systems Incorporated, the original platform that
enabled national and international electronic banking and ATM
systems.
Mr.
McCorkle was elected as a Class B director of the Company and as such will stand
for re-election in 2010.
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)
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Financial
Statements
|
Included
in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
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-
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Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009,
2008, and 2007
|
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-
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Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2009 and
2008
|
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-
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Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Loss for the fiscal
years ended September 30, 2009, 2008, and
2007
|
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-
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Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009,
2008, and 2007
|
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-
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Notes
to Consolidated Financial
Statements
|
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-
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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).
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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).
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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).
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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).
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2.5
|
Loan
and Security Agreement dated as of September 29, 2008, between Bank of
America, N.A. and Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 to
Registrant’s Form 10-K filed December 30, 2008).
First
Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement with Bank of America, N.A.,
dated February 16, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to
Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on February 17, 2009).
Third
Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement with Bank of America, N.A.,
dated April 30, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to
Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 6,
2009).
Fourth
Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement with Bank of America, N.A.,
dated May 8, 2009 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to
Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed on August 17, 2009).
Fifth
Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement with Bank of America, N.A.,
dated November 30, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3,
2009).
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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)
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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)
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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).
Common
Stock Purchase Agreement dated October 1, 2009 by and between EMCORE
Corporation and Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd. (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on October 1, 2009).
Form
of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 1, 2009).
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2.9
|
Common
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated October 1, 2009, between EMCORE
Corporation and Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd. (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on October 2, 2009).
Warrant
to Purchase Common Stock Agreement, dated October 1, 2009, between EMCORE
Corporation and Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd. (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on October 2, 2009).
First
Amendment to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement with Commerce Court Small
Cap Value Fund, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 25,
2009).
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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).
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3.2
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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).
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4.1
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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)
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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)
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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).
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10.1†
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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).
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10.2†
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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).
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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).
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10.4†
|
EMCORE
Corporation 2000 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated on April 30,
2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on May 6, 2009).
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10.5†
|
EMCORE
Corporation 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended and restated on
April 30, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 6, 2009).
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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.
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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).
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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).
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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).
|
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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).
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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).
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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).
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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).
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|
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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).
|
|
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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).
|
|
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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
“*****”.
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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).
|
|
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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).
|
|
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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).
|
|
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10.20†
|
Mr.
John M. Markovich Offer Letter dated August 7, 2008 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.20 to Registrant’s Form 10-K filed December 30,
2008).
|
|
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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).
|
|
|
Subsidiaries
of the Registrant.
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
|
|
|
|
Certificate
of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 29, 2009.
|
|
|
|
Certificate
of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 29, 2009.
|
|
Certificate
of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 29, 2009.
|
|
|
|
Certificate
of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, dated December 29,
2009.
|
__________
* 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 29,
2009
|
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 29, 2009.
|
Signature
|
Title
|
|
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|
|
/s/ Thomas Russell
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||
|
Thomas
J. Russell, Ph.D
|
Chairman
Emeritus and Lead Director
|
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|
|
/s/ Reuben Richards
|
||
|
Reuben
F. Richards, Jr.
|
Executive
Chairman & Chairman of the Board
|
|
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|
|
/s/ Hong Hou
|
||
|
Hong
Q. Hou, Ph.D
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive
Officer)
|
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|
|
|
/s/ John M. Markovich
|
||
|
John
M. Markovich
|
Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
|
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|
|
|
/s/ Charles Scott
|
||
|
Charles
T. Scott
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ John Gillen
|
||
|
John
Gillen
|
Director
|
|
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|
|
|
|
/s/ Robert Bogomolny
|
||
|
Robert
Bogomolny
|
Director
|
|
Sherman
McCorkle
|
Director
|
109