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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO
SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2010
Commission File #0-6072
EMS TECHNOLOGIES,
INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Georgia
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58-1035424
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(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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(IRS Employer ID Number)
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660 Engineering Drive,
Norcross, Georgia
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30092
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(Address of principal executive offices)
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(Zip Code)
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Registrants telephone number, including area code:
(770) 263-9200
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of Class
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Exchange on Which
Registered
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Common Stock, $.10 par value
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Nasdaq Global Select Market
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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 o No x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file
reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the
Act: Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed
all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past
90 days: Yes x No o
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 o No o
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 registrants 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: o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated
filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of
large accelerated filer, accelerated
filer and smaller reporting company in Rule
12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one): Large accelerated
filer o Accelerated
filer x
Non-accelerated
filer o
Smaller reporting
company o
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company
(as defined in
Rule 12b-2
of the Exchange
Act): Yes o No x
The aggregate market value of voting stock held by persons other
than directors or executive officers as of July 3, 2010 was
$218 million, based on a closing price of $14.35 per share.
The basis of this calculation does not constitute a
determination by the registrant that all of its directors and
executive officers are affiliates as defined in Rule 405.
As of February 26, 2011, the number of shares of the
registrants common stock outstanding was
15,330,143 shares.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain information contained in the Companys definitive
proxy statement for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of
the registrant is incorporated herein by reference in
Part III of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
The discussions of the Companys business in this Report,
including under the captions Business in Item 1
and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7, and in
other public documents or statements that may from time to time
incorporate or refer to these disclosures, contain various
statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as plan,
expect, believe, anticipate,
estimate, will, should,
could and other words and terms of similar meaning,
typically identify such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
1. statements about what the Company or management believes
or expects,
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2.
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statements about anticipated technological developments or
anticipated market response to or impact of current or future
technological developments or product offerings,
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3. statements about potential or anticipated benefits of
recent acquisitions,
4. statements about trends in markets that are served or
pursued by the Company,
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5.
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statements implying that the Companys technology or
products are well-suited for particular markets, and
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6. statements about the Companys plans for product
developments or market initiatives.
These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by
us in light of our experience and our perception of historical
trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as
well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the
circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those
suggested in any forward-looking statements as a result of a
variety of factors, including those risks and uncertainties set
forth under the caption Risk Factors in
Item 1A. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation
or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to
these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that occur or arise or are anticipated to occur or
arise after the date of this Report except as may be required by
law.
PART I
Overview
In this report, unless the context otherwise requires,
we, us, our, and the
Company refer to the continuing operations of EMS
Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Unless
otherwise indicated, all financial and statistical information
pertains solely to our continuing operations.
We are a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions
addressing the enterprise mobility,
communications-on-the-move,
tracking and in-flight connectivity markets for both commercial
and government users. We focus on the needs of the mobile
information user and the increasing demand for wireless
broadband communications. Our products and services enable
communications across a variety of coverage areas, ranging from
global to regional to within a single facility.
Our business provides product solutions and services that enable
aviation in-cabin wireless and satellite-based connectivity,
security, vehicle and maritime tracking, and military
RADAR/space and
communication-on-the-move
applications. We also provide product solutions and support
services for use in supply chain management networks for
warehousing, distribution and ports, as well as new markets such
as field services and agriculture.
In 2010, our business operated in four segments, Aviation,
Defense & Space (D&S), LXE, and
Global Tracking. Each of our segments is focused on a different
application of wireless technology. These segments share a
common foundation in broadband and other advanced wireless
technologies, which provides important
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technical and marketing synergies and contributes to our ability
to continually develop and commercialize new products for use in
a wide array of mobile communications.
Founded in 1968 as Electromagnetic Sciences, Inc., we initially
concentrated on microwave components, products and technology
and subsequently developed subsystems for one of the first
electronically steerable antennas deployed in space. The
expertise and technology we have developed during the past
42 years in this original business remain directly
applicable to a range of our current defense and commercial
products, including products for satellite, ground and airborne
communications, as well as RADAR, signal intelligence and
electronic countermeasure systems.
In the early 1980s, we developed a line of wireless mobile
computers and local-area network products for use in
materials-handling applications. These products enable our
industrial customers to connect mobile employees to central data
networks and take advantage of sophisticated enterprise software
and automatic-identification technologies such as bar-code
scanning.
Beginning in the mid-1990s and continuing through to
present day, we have expanded into several new markets through
the development or acquisition of additional product lines. We
have established an industry-leading position in the market for
high-speed, two-way satellite communications solutions for use
on aircraft and other mobile platforms, and we develop and
market antennas, terminals and support services for use by
search-and-rescue
and emergency management organizations around the world.
Today, our connectivity and tracking offerings serve the
aeronautical, defense, maritime, commercial space and
auto-identification/data capture markets making possible
mobility, visibility and intelligence. For example, our Aviation
segment supplies both high- and low-speed data communications
equipment, which enable voice,
e-mail,
tracking, video conferencing and Internet capabilities on
aircraft. Our D&S segment provides data links, RADAR,
Satcom and space systems for military and commercial
applications to allow real-time intelligence integrated across
multiple platforms. Our LXE segment develops supply chain
logistics solutions with our wireless network infrastructure and
rugged mobile computers. Our Global Tracking segment provides
the capability to track, monitor and control remote assets,
regardless of whether they are fixed, semi-fixed or mobile. More
than 18 governments worldwide rely on this segments
software and hardware for emergency management applications.
In February 2011, we formed EMS Global Resource Management,
which is a combination of the LXE and Global Tracking segments.
This new group was created to align the strengths of, and gain
more strategic coordination between, our LXE and Global Tracking
businesses, especially in addressing the growing need for
in-transit visibility solutions for international markets. We
have also begun the alignment of Aviation and D&S as the
AeroConnectivity group, which have common long-term strategic
interests such as
Ka-band
connectivity.
Competitive
Strengths
Technological
Leadership
Since our founding in 1968, we have been an innovative leader in
the development and commercialization of wireless communications
technologies. Early in our history, we pioneered the use of
ferrite materials for electronic beam forming, a practice that
remains important in many sophisticated defense communications
applications. Our more recent innovations include the following
products, which we believe were the first in their respective
markets: airborne terminals and antennas for high-speed, two-way
data transmission via satellite for the communication of voice
and data in the military, business and air transportation
markets; airborne computer and networking systems; antenna
systems allowing commercial airlines to provide satellite
television to passengers, and satellite anti-jam systems to
protect commercial communication satellites from jamming and
transponder hijackings.
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Commitment
to Research and Development
We continually devote significant resources to research and
development that enhances and maintains our technological
advantages, and enables us to overcome the substantial technical
barriers that are often encountered in the commercialization of
sophisticated wireless communications equipment. Over the past
three years, we have invested an aggregate of $60 million
in company-sponsored research and development. In addition, our
work under government and commercial contracts for new wireless
communications equipment often leads to innovations that benefit
us on future contracts and product development efforts.
Approximately 30% of our employees hold science and engineering
degrees, and our engineers actively participate in professional
and industry technical conferences and working groups. As of
December 31, 2010, our personnel have been awarded, and
have assigned to us, 59 currently active U.S. patents and
33 foreign patents. In addition, as of December 31, 2010,
we had pending applications for approximately 7 U.S. and 17
foreign patents covering various technology improvements and
other current or potential products.
Technological
Synergies
Although we conduct our businesses through separately managed
segments, we have established a variety of processes that
facilitate technical exchanges and cooperation among them. Our
shared knowledge base and core expertise in wireless
technologies create synergies among our various businesses. We
believe this provides us advantages in research and development,
manufacturing, and sales and marketing, and better positions us
as an important supplier of connectivity and tracking systems
and services to a diverse base of military and commercial
customers. An example is the technical collaboration of
engineering teams within our Aviation and LXE business units to
develop a smart handset for future aero-connectivity systems.
Strong
Customer Relationships
During our 42 years of operation, we have developed
cooperative and on-going relationships with important commercial
and government customers. We build and strengthen these
relationships by anticipating and recognizing our
customers needs, by working with them to understand how we
should focus our internal innovation efforts, and by providing
customers with technologically advanced and cost-effective
solutions coupled with excellent customer service. We continue
to receive important orders and contracts from companies that
have been our customers or industrial partners for many years.
In example, within the Aviation segment, those firms include
Airbus, Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, Panasonic Avionics and
Aircell. And, within the D&S segment, those firms include
Lockheed Martin, Northorp Grumman, Harris, L3 Communications,
Boeing, Thales and Panasonic.
Diverse
Global Customer Base
We offer multiple wireless product lines to a diverse customer
base through facilities in 13 countries. Sales to no individual
customer exceeded more than 10% of our annual net sales during
any of the years ended December 31, 2010 or 2008. Sales to
one of our customers during the year ended December 31,
2009 exceeded 10% of our annual net sales, with sales of
$37.9 million, mainly due to a significant order received
by our D&S segment that is not expected to reoccur. Sales
to various customers for U.S. government end use accounted
for 23.7% of our net sales in 2010, 29.7% of our net sales in
2009 and 26.3% of our net sales for 2008. Additionally,
approximately 31.5%, 29.8% and 39.6% of our net sales for 2010,
2009 and 2008, respectively, were derived from sales to
customers outside the U.S. We believe our geographically
diverse customer base and broad range of products provide us
ample opportunity to grow our business and help mitigate the
effects of a downturn in any one of our markets.
Strong
Manufacturing Capabilities
We manufacture certain of our products in our manufacturing
facilities, and for others, we source components from foreign
and domestic suppliers, and primarily perform final assembly and
test functions. For our defense applications, we have developed
our own highly specialized domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Through efforts to improve our manufacturing and sourcing
processes, we have reduced costs and improved production
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efficiencies of certain of our products in recent years. These
efforts have enhanced our ability to compete for new business
and improved our profitability.
Our
Markets and Products
Our business is the design, manufacture and sale of advanced
wireless communications products. We participate in selected
markets within the broad wireless communications industry that
typically require a high level of technical expertise,
innovative product development and, in many cases, specialized
manufacturing capabilities. Although our businesses share a
common heritage and focus on wireless communications, they
address a variety of markets with different technical and
manufacturing requirements, distribution channels, customers and
purchasing processes.
Accordingly, as of December 31, 2010, we were organized
into four separately managed reporting segments, as follows:
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Segment
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Primary Operations
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Percentage of Net Sales
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2010
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2009
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2008
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Aviation
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Connectivity and in-cabin infrastructure equipment for a broad
range of commercial and military aircraft, including satellite
communications antennas, terminals and networking equipment,
rugged data storage and data recording/replay
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30.1
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34.5
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27.7
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Defense & Space
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Engineered hardware for satellites, defense and electronics
applications (defense and commercial)
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19.1
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25.4
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22.9
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LXE
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Rugged mobile terminals and related equipment for wireless data
collection (predominantly commercial)
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39.8
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30.4
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43.5
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Global Tracking
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End-to-end tracking and mapping equipment and services for
security, land tracking, and maritime markets, as well as,
satellite ground stations for emergency management operations
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11.0
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9.7
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5.9
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Aviation
Industry
Our Aviation segment serves the business jet, air-transport,
general aviation, and military aviation markets. Aviation
designs and develops satellite-based communications solutions
through a broad array of terminals and antennas for the
aeronautical market. The segment also builds in-cabin connection
devices and computers to process data on board aircraft,
including rugged data storage, airborne connectivity,
air-to-ground
connectivity, and data recording and replay equipment.
In the air-transport market, Aviation delivers its equipment and
technology through partners such as Panasonic Avionics, Aircell,
OnAir, Aeromobile, Row44, and LiveTV. Aviations equipment
and technology enables in-flight connectivity on more than 40
airlines, including Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, Airtran,
Continental, Emirates, Air France, Ryanair, and TAP, to name a
few. In the business jet and general aviation markets,
Aviations terminals, antennas and networking equipment
provide a globally capable solution for a broad variety of
aircraft. One variant provides office-like communications
capabilities to the cabin while providing critical safety
communications capabilities to the cockpit. Aviations
CNX®
Cabin Gateway family of networking products is widely used for
airborne networking equipment, and variations of this product
line offer compression and acceleration of data, which
significantly reduces the users airtime costs.
Aviations antennas are mounted on the fuselage or on the
tail to accommodate a variety of aircraft, including the
Bombardier Global Express, Dassault Falcon 7X, Gulfstream G550,
and Airbus A320. More than 1,300 of Aviations antennas
have been installed on more than 35 different types of aircraft.
Aviation also sells an antenna specifically for military use.
This antenna is mounted in the forward hatch of a C-130 military
cargo aircraft and, when connected to the transceiver, provides
instant communications that can be rolled on and off the
aircraft.
Aviation markets and sells most of its hardware through
distributor channels. Third-party distributors sell directly to
end-users, such as the aircraft manufacturers. One of
Aviations most significant distribution
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channels relates to technology components or avionics terminal
systems sold through leading airframe and avionics
manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus, Honeywell, Rockwell
Collins, and Thales.
Products
and Services
Aviations products enable customers in aircraft and other
mobile platforms to communicate over satellite networks at a
variety of data speeds. Most of its growth and major product
expansions have occurred since 2004. The demand for mobile
communications has driven the rise of aero-connectivity system
use on business and commercial jets around the world. Aviation
continues to lead the industry as a key supplier of Inmarsat
Swift64 and SwiftBroadband products that support airborne
communications at DSL speeds, as well as Iridium-based messaging
and tracking for airplanes and helicopters. Aviations
high-speed data terminals, antennas and networking products are
designed for use in the aeronautical market. We believe that we
are the top supplier of Swift64 high-speed data communications
equipment, garnering more than an estimated 90% of the
high-speed data Satcom market for military aircraft.
Aviations eNfusion
Broadbandtm
line of aeronautical products enable voice,
e-mail,
videoconferencing and internet capabilities on a broad variety
of aircraft. Aviation directly sells equipment and technology
under the eNfusion, aspire, and Sky Connect brand names, and
also sells indirectly as a supplier to leading airframe and
avionics manufacturers and other aviation players. Aviation
customers include Fortune 100 companies and the
U.S. Governments VIP Fleet, as well as the United
States leading airborne emergency medical service
transport, air taxi, airborne firefighting and offshore oil
transport companies.
Business
Strategy
Aviation will continue to serve the business jet, air-transport,
general aviation and military aviation markets as well as the
broader aeronautical market with innovative connectivity
solutions. Advances in technology, upgrades in satelite
constellations, the demand for higher bandwidth serving
applications, and the continued demand for mobile information
users to stay connected anywhere will help to drive the future
growth in this business. Aviation is well positioned in the
market place with core competencies in mobile connectivity to
take advantage of these changes.
The Aviation segment was formed in early 2010 to further align
the synergies of our recently acquired aviation businesses with
our Canadian-based aviation business. In 2010, steps were taken
to integrate the core processes
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of these businesses including moving the manufacturing and
administrative functions from our Takoma Park, MD facility to
our Moorsetown, NJ facility.
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Products/Services
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Key Features/Benefits
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Selected Applications
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Customers
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Aeronautical Antennas
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Mechanically and electronically-steered antennas for two-way
communications connected to an aircrafts Satcom, steerable
antenna systems for live television from broadcast satellites
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Corporate aircraft, government and military aircraft, commercial
airlines
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Gulfstream, Bombardier, Honeywell, Dassault, Thales, L3
Communications, Boeing, Panasonic Avionics
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Aeronautical Tracking
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Lightweight, autonomous tracking terminals provide GPS-based
location and status reporting from anywhere on or in-flight over
the globe
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Off-shore Oil; Air Medical Transport; Fire Patrol and
Suppression; Paramilitary Drug Interdiction; Pipeline Patrol
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Bristow, Air Methods, Chevron, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. State
Department, Military
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Aeronautical
Telephony and
E-mail
Services
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Narrowband telephony provides in-flight voice and
e-mail
access to cabin telephones and cockpit interface devices
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Corporate aircraft, Commercial airlines, helicopters, general
aviation
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El Al, Qantas, Pfizer, ALCOA, Merrill Lynch, Omniflight
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Aeronautical
Terminals
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Provide aircraft operators with two-way high-speed data
(broadband) capability
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Corporate aircraft, government and military aircraft, commercial
airlines
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Corporate aircraft modification centers, U.S. Department of
Defense, Northrop Grumman, L3 Communications, Boeing, Rockwell
Collins, Honeywell, Thales
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Avionics Data
Networking Products
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Data servers, routers, switches, and storage devices to manage
Internet, entertainment and operational data aboard aircraft
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Corporate aircraft, government and military aircraft, commercial
airlines
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Airbus, Boeing, Rockwell Collins, AirCell, Row44, Northrop
Grumman, L3
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Defense &
Space
Industry
EMS Defense & Space (D&S) is a
leading supplier of antenna and radio frequency (RF)
beam management systems for a broad range of military and
commercial applications, including mobile network-centric
operations, RADAR for battlefield visibility and precision
strike, satellite
sub-systems,
and commercial aero connectivity.
Defense markets are vital to D&S. The U.S. Department
of Defense (DoD) is continually developing or
significantly upgrading secure communications, intelligence and
surveillance systems to achieve information
dominance over adversaries, and D&S products are
included in that effort. Our D&S facilities meet
requirements for performing on classified military programs and
more than 250 of our personnel hold U.S. DoD security
clearances. D&S also performs research and development
services directly for the U.S. DoD.
D&S products are sold primarily to space and defense prime
contractors or commercial communications systems integrators
rather than to end-users, and are deployed on airborne, naval,
terrestrial and space platforms.
Products
and Services
D&S provides government and military customers with
critical RF systems and subsystems for terrestrial, airborne and
space-based communication; RADAR and electronic warfare systems;
and advanced surveillance, electronic counter-measure and secure
communications capabilities. Our products are also used in a
number of commercial and civil applications. D&S products
are grouped into four product families: Space, RADAR, Satellite
Communications (Satcom) and Data Links.
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Our Data Links and Satcom antenna products provide secure
inter-connectivity across war-fighter elements. D&S offers
light weight, low profile, low RADAR signature (stealth), high
performance antenna systems, RF electronics and positioning
systems to assure two-way and tactical communications to
soldiers on foot and moving platforms such as aircraft, unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAVs), ground mobile and shipboard
systems. D&S also designs and manufactures Satcom antenna
systems for the commercial aviation market.
D&S designs and manufactures line-replacable units
(LRUs), subsystems and full beam managed solutions
for active and passive RADAR and electronic warfare systems. Our
expertise in low loss/high power ferrites, high-power switching,
antenna design, mechanical packaging, manufacturing and test
ensures our RADAR front-end products exceed the most demanding
performance requirements.
D&S Space hardware systems include microwave subsystems
capable of high-frequency, low noise, high-power and fast
switching to facilitate jam-resistant, secure mobile
communications. Our Space products enable the lowest receive
path noise and highest transmit power in space with unmatched
performance and reliability from L-band through W-band.
Business
Strategy
In 2010, D&S has taken steps to broaden its business
opportunities to include product-based offerings. D&S also
began taking new approaches to the design and development of
high-demand products to incorporate
off-the-shelf
(OTS) methodologies and better enable volume
manufacturing.
The D&S product and customer-based sales model enables the
organization to market core products directly to key prime
contractors with the intent of deploying our products on
multiple platforms for multiple applications. Our prime
contractor customers complement our marketing efforts with
inroads to end users.
With the U.S. DoDs budget constraints leading to
greater focus on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,
D&S is well-positioned for long-term growth with the
organizations core communications-enabling technologies
and products. Additionally, the transformation to a product
orientation will enable D&S to capitalize on opportunities
for repeatable business.
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Products/Services
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Key Features/Benefits
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Selected Applications
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Programs
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Communications-
On-The
Move
Data Link
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Light weight, low profile, low RADAR signature (stealth), high
performance and agile beam antennas, RF electronics, and
positioning systems
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Military tactical communications (airborne, ship, ground mobile,
and soldier)
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F-22 Intra-Flight Data Link, High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE)
Datalink, Hawklink MH-60 Datalink, WIN-T Army Mobile DataLinks,
Navy Airborne Data Links, Panasonic
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Satcom Antenna
Systems
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Military and commercial SATCOM communications (airborne, ground
mobile, and soldier)
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Manpack Portable GBS Suite, Panasonic Antenna
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RADAR
Microwave Systems
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Low loss, high power ferrite components and electronic systems,
and RF front end RADAR panels and conformal millimeter wave
RADAR antenna systems that allow for co-boresighting of laser
and EO/IR for tri-mode missile seekers
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Defense electronic surveillance and countermeasure and Precision
strike air-to-ground missiles
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EW - F-16, AQL-211 RADAR - Phalanx, JSTARS, TPQ-37 and
Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM), Small Diameter Bomb II
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Space Hardware
Systems
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Microwave subsystems capable of high-frequency, low noise,
high-power and fast switching, facilitating jam-resistant,
secure mobile communications
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High-rate commercial and secure military communications
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Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS), Advanced EHF (AEHF), National
Security Programs, W2A, Skynet 5, Hylas 2, Yahsat
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LXE
Industry
LXE competes in the mobile communications industry, providing
rugged mobile computers and wireless networks at approximately
10,000 sites worldwide, including the facilities of many Fortune
500 companies and some of the worlds largest
materials-handling installations. In 2010, 2009 and 2008,
approximately 43%, 51% and 56% of LXEs net sales were
generated outside the U.S., respectively.
A typical system consists of LXE mobile computers that
incorporate WLAN radios, wireless access points that provide a
radio link to the wired network and associated host computers,
and software that manages and facilitates the communications
process with the database. LXEs systems generally
incorporate barcode scanning, or other automatic-identification
capabilities, and are primarily based on 802.11 Wi-Fi RF open
system standards.
LXE products are used in conjunction with IT infrastructure
provided by others, such as host computer systems and
inventory-management or other data collection applications
software. Uses of these systems include employment of real-time
data communications in directing and tracking inventory movement
in a large warehouse, manufacturing facility, or container yard.
Products
and Services
As a leading provider of advanced mobility devices, networks and
services LXEs computers are grouped into three product
families: handheld units, hands-free units, and units that are
vehicle-mounted predominantly on a forklift or truck.
All are ruggedized to withstand harsh conditions in warehouses,
port facilities and outdoor environments. The latest generation
of LXE mobile computers supports
WindowsMobile®,
Windows
CE®
and Windows
XP®
operating systems, contain multiple wireless technologies such
as wide-area GPRS and CDMA cellular, local area 802.11Wi-Fi, and
Bluetooth®
short range wireless. Radio access points and other
infrastructure products and accessories are generally acquired
from third parties for resale and installation by LXE and its
partners.
LXE has made a substantial commitment to the use of alternative
auto-identification technologies, including barcode imaging and
voice recognition in the execution of data collection tasks.
Innovations in wearable computer ergonomics and sophisticated
voice recognition technology have enabled the rapid market
growth of hands-free picking, warehousing applications.
LXEs equipment is marketed directly to end-users, through
distributors, and to integrators (such as value-added resellers)
who incorporate them with their products and services for sale
and delivery to end users. Resellers and distributors each have
their own sales organizations which complement and extend
LXEs sales function.
Business
Strategy
In 2009, LXE began placing greater emphasis on mobility
solutions outside its core warehousing, manufacturing and
intermodal markets. The introduction of ultra-rugged handheld
computers which support WWAN data communication in a terrestrial
cellular network, and the addition of WWAN support in the
vehicle-mount computers were the first steps to migrating the
product line in this direction. These products allow LXE to sell
into a wider range of potential markets including industrial
field service, manufacturing, professional services,
transportation, utilities and public safety.
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LXE believes that long-term growth opportunities exist within
these targeted markets as companies globally continue to look to
increase productivity and derive benefits from mobilizing their
applications and workforce.
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Products/Services
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Key Features/Benefits
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Selected Applications
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Customers
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Handheld Terminals
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Small, lightweight and rugged, providing true mobility
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Warehousing, Logistics
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Vehicle-Mounted
Terminals
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Heavier-duty design for use on forklifts, cranes, and other
material handling vehicles
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Wearable Terminals
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Very small and lightweight with ergonomic schemes for mounting
on operators
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Warehouse order picking
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Wireless Networks
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Communications link between mobile computers and local network,
primarily based on 802.11 standard
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Consumer product manufacturers, Third-party logistics providers,
Retailers, Container port operators
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Host connectivity software;
accessory products;
maintenance services
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Industry-standard connectivity to various host computers;
enhanced system functionality; extended service on either a
contract or pay-as-you-go basis
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Global
Tracking
Industry
Global Tracking provides satellite-based communication products
and services for telematics and micro telemetry applications
into global markets. Global Trackings tracking products
and services enable its clients to locate, track, communicate,
and safeguard mobile assets, fleets, cargo and personnel, as
well as to monitor fixed assets in hostile and remote terrains.
Global Tracking markets its tracking products and services to
three vertical markets land tracking, security, and
maritime and its customers include a broad range of corporate
clients as well as national defense organizations, the United
Nations and non-government organizations. In addition, Global
Tracking is the leading provider of an integrated emergency
management solution under an internationally recognized
Cospas-Sarsat system. This emergency management solution enables
effective planning and coordination of rescue operations
worldwide and has more than a 75% market share. Global Tracking
markets its emergency management products directly to end-users
in government, military and coastguard agencies.
Products
and Services
Global Trackings products include standard and
battery-enhanced terminals, and the Osprey Portable tracker, a
robust lightweight device (350g) offering 2-way tracking for
individuals and fleets in remote or dangerous locations. The
terminal products are used in conjunction with the Inmarsat
IsatM2M service. This service is based on a geostationary
satellite system which provides a highly accurate global
positioning capability with a very high level of service
reliability.
In addition to these products, Global Tracking provides airtime
services across the Inmarsat satellite network. This service
offers better than 99.9% availability across the in-house
maintained network. Currently, there are over 100,000 active
terminals within the customer base. Global Trackings
hardware products are supported by ViewPoint, a web-based
application for the management of these terminals, which
provides highly extendable and interactive mapping features,
using Bing and Google-base layer maps. These maps can be
customized using
points-of-interest
and can provide multiple geofence options.
Business
Strategy
The strategy of the business is to move from being a supplier of
hardware terminals, to being a solutions provider to our
customers. By offering an integrated suite of hardware, airtime
and application software, we can provide customers with an
end-to-end
solution to their tracking requirements. For customers with
special
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requirements, such as in many military applications, we are
uniquely positioned to customize applications to their specific
needs, having in-house dedicated software and application
engineers ready to provide solutions to customer demands.
The business is also developing additional channels to market.
We are expanding our sales reach into new regions such as
Australia, Russia, the Middle East, and South Africa. In
conjunction with our direct sales channels, we are also
developing relationships with value-added-resellers to sell and
support our products in regions where they have particular
expertise or customer relationships.
Global Tracking has demonstrated significant growth in sales and
profitability in recent years and believes that by developing
enduring relationships and by providing a solutions
approach to its customers, that it can continue to build on this
success.
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Products/Services
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Key Features/Benefits
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Selected Applications
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Customers
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Very Low Data Rate:
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SAT202 &
TAM242
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Fourth-generation IsatM2M terminal, smaller, lighter, engineered
in-house
Near global operation
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Tracking, M2M communications, fleet management, rapid alerting,
ship ID and position
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Maritime commercial and private trucking fleets, tuna fishing
fleets, logistics security
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Osprey Personnel
Tracking Terminal
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Cost effective messaging for small data payloads
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Lone worker, Corporate Duty of Care, Personnel Security
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NGOs, Private Security Firms, Risk Management, Government,
Military
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Low Data Rate:
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Satellite Packet Data
Terminals
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Iridium, Skyterra, and Inmarsat-based, two-way messaging, micro telemetry, geo fencing, security/panic alarm
Both regional and global services available
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Transportation, Public Safety, Workforce Automation, Oil and Gas
Remote Monitoring and Control, Force Tracking
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NGOs, Long-Haul Trucking Companies, NATO, EU, U.S. Department of
Defense
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Emergency
Management Products
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Hardware and software for search and rescue (SAR) systems
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Rescue and Mission Control Centers
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Over 18 Governments Worldwide
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Services and Support
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24/7 global operations in 5 countries, lifecycle support
maintenance, in-field subject-matter consulting expertise,
network and airtime services
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Additional information regarding our revenues, earnings and
total assets for each of our reportable operating segments, and
the revenues and assets for each major geographic area for 2010,
2009 and 2008, is included in Note 5 of our consolidated
financial statements included immediately following the
signature page to this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Acquisitions
Completed in 2009
Formation
We acquired Formation, Inc. (Formation) of
Moorestown, NJ on January 9, 2009. At that time, Formation
had approximately 110 employees. Formation designs and
manufactures equipment and software products and provides
related engineering services for the defense, aviation, data
communications and transportation industries. Its products
include rugged hard disks, advanced integrated recorders,
avionics-class servers, and rugged wired and wireless networks.
Formations fastest-growing products are its rugged servers
and cabin Wireless Access Points (WAPs), which
enable aircraft broadband systems to extend connectivity to
laptops and personal digital assistants
(PDAs). Formations equipment supports
in-flight communications regardless of whether the connectivity
is through terrestrial or satellite-based networks. Formation is
an approved direct supplier to Airbus and also is a major
supplier to Rockwell Collins, Aircell and Panasonic. Formation
and
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other EMS businesses have common supplier relationships and
complementary customer bases in the avionics, defense and
transportation markets.
Acquiring Formation signaled our continued investment in its
aero-connectivity strategy to become a more comprehensive
solutions provider. Our goal is to meet the growing demand for
aeronautical communications from airlines and business aircraft
owners, as well as governments. With Formation, we cover the
spectrum of aero-connectivity solutions, delivering the
platforms and systems that airlines can use across multiple
satellite platforms. Formations financial results, since
its acquisition, are included in our Aviation segment.
Satamatics
We acquired Satamatics Global Limited (Satamatics)
on February 13, 2009. At that time, Satamatics had
approximately 50 employees. Satamatics is a global
telematics company, providing customized,
end-to-end
tracking and monitoring solutions that will work anywhere in the
world. Operating with Inmarsats IsatM2M satellite service,
Satamatics enables land transport, security, maritime and oil
and gas organizations to locate, track and communicate with
mobile assets, to safeguard fleets, cargo and personnel, and to
monitor fixed assets in the worlds most hostile and remote
areas. Founded in 2001, Satamatics has an extensive worldwide
distribution network of value-added resellers, but also supplies
direct to end users complete tracking and monitoring solutions
(equipment, airtime and mapping) for land transport, oil and
gas, and maritime industries.
The Satamatics acquisition complements our existing Iridium- and
Inmarsat-based tracking solutions. Acquiring Satamatics extended
our satellite capabilities into the growing M2M market using
low-cost satellite data terminals, and further strengthened EMS
as a market leader in satellite-based applications for tracking
people and assets worldwide. We anticipate significant synergies
with our current satellite-based helicopter and military-vehicle
tracking businesses. In particular, we expect promising growth
for security and logistics applications in the road transport
market, particularly in South America, Africa and the Middle
East. Satamatics financial results, since its acquisition,
are included in our Global Tracking segment.
With these acquisitions, we believe we have the capabilities to
adapt products and technologies from one aero-connectivity
application to another, enabling us to get to market faster and
more profitably than companies entering the market today.
Acquisitions
Completed in 2008
Akerstroms
Trux
We acquired Akerstroms Trux AB (Trux) of Bjorbo,
Sweden in February 2008. At that time, Trux had approximately
20 employees. Trux was an international company with focus
on development, sales and marketing of robust and reliable
vehicle-mount computing solutions for warehousing and production
environments in the Nordic region. The acquisition of Trux
brought us a new, market-ready Windows XP-based product line
targeted at customers running advanced wireless applications in
demanding warehousing and production environments. Since its
acquisition, Truxs product line, manufacturing process,
employees and financial results have been integrated into our
LXE operating segment.
Sky
Connect
We acquired Sky Connect, LLC (Sky Connect) of Takoma
Park, MD in August 2008. At that time, Sky Connect had
approximately 20 employees. Sky Connects products
offer a range of satellite-based tracking, text messaging, and
telephone systems for airborne, ground-based, and marine
applications in both the commercial and government markets. Sky
Connect provides automated flight tracking with true worldwide
coverage. Aircraft phone systems support headset interfaces plus
corded or cordless handsets. Sky Connect uses the Iridium
satellite network for complete earth coverage and mission
effectiveness.
Sky Connects innovative and flexible offering provides
100 percent global coverage on the Iridium satellite
network and continues to lead the industry in the development of
integrated
Machine-to-Machine
(M2M)
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and voice applications. Iridium is the platform of choice for
tracking of aviation, marine and land-mobile assets on the move,
with over 50,000 M2M data units deployed.
Acquiring Sky Connect complemented our aero-connectivity
strategy by adding Iridium hardware and a services business
targeting the growing general aviation market. In addition, Sky
Connects efforts with Qantas, Air New Zealand and El Al
paralleled our similar expansion into the air transport market.
Sky Connects financial results, since its acquisition, are
included in our Aviation segment.
To further align the businesses within our Aviation segment,
significant strides were made in 2010 to align and integrate the
operations of our Formation, Sky Connect and Canadian-based
aviation businesses. Sales efforts, manufacturing processes, and
administrative support staff have been combined to leverage
Aviations strengths and resources. As a result, at the end
of 2010, we ceased operations at the Takoma Park, MD facility.
In addition, as of 2011, we no longer consider Formation and Sky
Connect as separate reporting units but instead consider the
Aviation segment as the reporting unit for all of the
segments assets.
Sales and
Marketing
Aviation markets its products and services to a variety of
customers including major airframe manufacturers, avionics
original equipment manufacturers (OEM), aircraft
operators and owners. It provides products and solutions through
key integrators, a network of completion centers that install
aeronautical products and value-added resellers.
Our D&S unit produces highly technical products that are
often co-engineered with the customer. For these products,
internal personnel with strong science and engineering
backgrounds conduct significant sales efforts. D&S also
utilizes independent marketing representatives, both in the
U.S. and internationally, selected for their knowledge of
local markets and their ability to provide technical support and
on-going, direct contact with current and potential customers.
The development of major business opportunities for D&S
often involves significant
bid-and-proposal
effort. This work often requires complex pre-award engineering
to determine the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of
various design approaches.
The markets for space and defense electronics comprise a
relatively small number of large customers, which are typically
first or second-tier contractors. Our D&S marketing efforts
rely on on-going communications with this base of potential
customers, to determine customers future needs and to
inform customers of our capabilities and recent developments.
Technical support and service after the sale are also important
factors that affect our ability to maintain strong relationships
and generate additional sales.
LXE markets its products and services through distributors and
integrators (such as value-added resellers who provide inventory
management software) that incorporate their products and
services with LXEs for sale and delivery to end users. LXE
also markets its products and services directly to end users
through a direct sales force and through independent marketing
representatives. The direct sales force is located in North
America and in seven international subsidiaries (six in Europe),
all assisted by inside sales and sales support staff.
Global Tracking markets its tracking products and services to
three vertical markets land tracking, security, and
maritime and its customers include a broad range of corporate
clients as well as national defense organizations, the United
Nations and non-government organizations
(NGOs). Global Tracking markets its emergency
management products directly to end-users in the military and
government agencies.
Research,
Development and Intellectual Property
We spent $21.0 million, $18.9 million and
$20.1 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, on
company-sponsored research and development. In addition, we are
also reimbursed under government and commercial contracts for
the development of new intellectual property that we own, which
often leads to innovations that benefit us on future contracts
and product development efforts; most of the costs for this work
are included with the overall manufacturing costs for specific
orders.
We use both patents and trade-secret procedures to protect our
technology and product development efforts. With respect to
patents, as of December 31, 2010, we owned 59 currently
active U.S. patents, expiring 2011
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through 2027, and 33 foreign patents expiring 2012 through 2022.
We do not expect that any impending patent expirations to have a
material effect on our business. In addition, as of
December 31, 2010, we had pending applications for
approximately seven U.S. and 17 foreign patents, covering
various technology improvements and other current or potential
products. While we expect to continue to expand our patent
activities, we also believe that many of our processes and much
of our know-how are more efficiently and effectively protected
as trade secrets, and we seek to maintain that protection
through the use of employee and third-party non-disclosure
agreements, physical controls and
need-to-know
restrictions.
In some cases, we rely on licenses from third parties under
patent rights that could otherwise restrict our ability to
market significant products. The principal instances of such
licenses involve the integration of bar code scanners in certain
LXE terminals under license from Motorola, and the development
and sale of laser and imager-based products by LXE under license
from Intermec Corporation (Intermec). In each case,
the licenses are non-exclusive, and are noncancelable for the
lives of the relevant patents except upon default by us.
Backlog
The backlog of firm orders related to continuing operations as
of December 31, 2010, was $155.7 million, compared
with $178.2 million as of December 31, 2009. We had
$151.7 million of funded backlog and $4.0 million of
unfunded backlog as of December 31, 2010, as compared with
$155.7 million of funded backlog and $22.5 million of
unfunded backlog as of December 31, 2009.
Backlog is very important for our D&S segment due to the
long delivery cycles for its projects. The backlog for D&S
as of December 31, 2010 was $73.1 million compared
with $89.6 million as of December 31, 2009. Many
customers of our LXE segment typically require short delivery
cycles. As a result, LXE usually converts orders into revenues
within a few weeks, and it generally does not build up a
significant order backlog that extends substantially beyond one
fiscal quarter except for annual or multi-year maintenance
service agreements. Our Aviation and Global Tracking segments
have projects with both short delivery cycles, and delivery
cycles that extend beyond the next twelve months. Of the orders
in backlog as of December 31, 2010, the following are
expected to be filled in 2011: Aviation 90%;
LXE 75%; D&S 55%; and Global
Tracking 75%.
Manufacturing
We have manufacturing operations in four facilities; three in
the U.S., and one in Canada. We manufacture certain of our
products in our manufacturing facilities, and for others, we
source components from foreign and domestic suppliers, and
primarily perform final assembly and test functions. For our
defense applications, we perform extensive manufacturing
operations, including the production of advanced integrated
electronic circuitry, the formulation and fabrication of unique
ferrite-based ceramic materials, and precision machining. Our
manufacturing strategy is:
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to perform those functions for which we have special
capabilities and that are most critical to quality and timely
performance;
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to equip ourselves with the modern tools we need to perform our
manufacturing functions efficiently;
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to use outside sources for functions requiring special skills
that we do not have, or that do not offer attractive potential
returns, or to perform standard tasks at a competitive price
leaving our internal resources to focus on providing quicker
response for tasks that require special needs and
skills; and
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to further improve the cost-effectiveness and
time-to-market
of our manufacturing operations.
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All of our production activities have been ISO 9001:2000
certified, and are AS9100 certified where applicable. Our
facilities, equipment and processes enable us to meet all
quality and process requirements applicable to our products
under demanding military and space hardware standards, and we
are also certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration and Transport Canada to manufacture equipment for
installation on commercial aircraft.
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Materials
We believe we have adequate sources for the supply of raw
materials and components for our manufacturing and service
needs. Electronic components and other raw materials used in the
manufacture of our products are generally available from several
suppliers. However, LXE systems include barcode scanners in
almost all orders, and a significant number of the scanners are
purchased from an LXE competitor, Motorola. There are
alternative suppliers that manufacture and sell barcode
scanners, either independently or under license agreements with
Motorola. We believe that many of LXEs competitors also
rely on scanning equipment purchased from or licensed by
Motorola. In addition, LXE has a license agreement with Motorola
that allows us to utilize Motorolas patented integrated
scanning technology in certain products.
Our advanced technology products often require sophisticated
subsystems supplied or cooperatively developed by third parties
having specialized expertise, production skills and economies of
scale. Important examples include critical specialized
components and subsystems required for successful completion of
certain D&S programs, and application-specific integrated
circuitry and computers incorporated into LXE products. In such
cases, the performance, reliability and timely delivery of our
products can be heavily dependent on the effectiveness of those
third parties.
Materials used in D&S products consist of magnetic
microwave ferrites, metals such as aluminum and brass, permanent
magnet materials and electronic components. Most of the raw
materials for the formulation of magnetic microwave ferrite
materials are purchased from two suppliers, while permanent
magnet materials and space-qualified electronic components are
purchased from a limited number of suppliers. Other electronic
components and metals are available from a larger number of
suppliers and manufacturers.
We believe that the loss of any supplier or subassembly
manufacturer would not have a material adverse effect on our
business as a whole. Generally, shortages of supplies and delays
in the receipt of necessary components have not had a material
adverse effect on shipments of our established products,
although in 2009 and 2010 we did encounter delays in supplies of
certain component parts needed to fill pending orders at LXE. We
believe this situation reflected temporary capacity reductions
in response to the slow economy rather than longer-term
capacity reductions. In addition, from time to time the rollout
of new standard products and our performance on certain programs
at our D&S and Aviation segments have been adversely
affected by quality and scheduling problems with
developers/suppliers of critical subsystems. In some cases,
these problems have resulted in significant additional costs to
us and in difficulties with our customers. Such problems could
have a material adverse effect on us if they recur in the future.
Competition
We believe that each of our reportable segments is an important
supplier in our principal markets. However, these markets are
highly competitive, and some of our competitors have substantial
resources that exceed ours. We also compete against smaller,
specialized firms.
In Aviations markets, our competitors include
Thrane & Thrane, Chelton, Ltd., Tecom, Qualcomm, and
VP Miltope. D&S competes with specialized divisions of
large U.S. industrial concerns, such as Boeing, Lockheed
Martin, L3 Communications, DRS Technologies, Inc., Northrop
Grumman, Harris Corporation and BAE, as well as with companies
outside the U.S., such as COMDEV. LXEs principal
competitors include Intermec, Motorola, and Psion Teklogix.
Global Trackings competitors include Skywave on Inmarsat
based solutions, and Skybitz and Numerex on Iridium based
solutions. Some of these companies, as well as others, are both
potential competitors for certain contracts and potential
customers on other contracts. In addition, D&S occasionally
experiences competition from existing or potential customers
when these customers choose to develop and manufacture products
internally rather than purchasing them from us.
We believe that the key competitive factors in all of our
reportable segments are product performance (including quality
and reliability), technical expertise and on-going support to
customers,
time-to-market,
time-to-ship
and adherence to delivery schedules and price.
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Employees
As of December 31, 2010, we had approximately
1,160 employees. Approximately 62% of our personnel are
directly involved in engineering or manufacturing activities. No
employees are represented by a labor union. Management believes
that our relationship with our employees is good.
Regulatory
Matters
Certain of our products are subject to regulation by various
agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Our airborne satellite
communications products used in civil aviation applications are
subject to continued compliance with applicable regulatory
requirements. Our airborne products sold in the U.S. are
required to comply with Federal Aviation Administration
regulations, and similar agencies in other countries in which
those systems are sold that govern production and quality
systems, airworthiness and installation approvals, repair
procedures and continuing operational safety. Some of our
products, such as radio frequency transmitters and receivers,
must also comply with U.S. Federal Communications
Commission regulations governing authorization and operational
approval of telecommunications equipment.
Our products used in defense applications are subject to a
variety of federal regulations. Our contract costs and
accounting practices are audited periodically by the Defense
Contract Audit Agency. Audits and investigations are conducted
from time to time to determine if the performance and
administration of our U.S. Government contracts are
compliant with applicable contractual terms, including federal
procurement regulations and statutes which include, in many
cases, security requirements related to classified military
programs.
Our products for use in defense applications and on satellites
are subject to the U.S. State Departments
International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and as a result we
must obtain licenses in order to export these products or to
disclose their non-public design features to persons who are not
citizens or permanent residents of the United States. We have
trained internal personnel to monitor compliance, to educate our
personnel on the restrictions and procedures and to process
license applications. The licensing process occasionally
prevents us from working with suppliers outside the U.S. on
European or Asian space programs, and it also affects the extent
to which we can involve our engineers from foreign locations on
D&S programs, or use D&S engineers and capabilities to
assist our
non-U.S. operations
on their products or programs.
Greenhouse gas emissions have increasingly become the subject of
a large amount of international, national, regional, state and
local attention. At this time, we do not believe that existing
or pending climate change legislation, regulation, or
international treaties or accords are reasonably likely to have
a material effect in the foreseeable future on our business or
markets that we serve, or on our results of operations, capital
expenditures or financial position. However, the enactment of
cap-and-trade
proposals would likely increase the cost of energy, including
purchases of electricity, and of certain raw materials that we
use. In addition, future environmental regulatory developments
related to climate change, whether pursuant to future treaty
obligations or statutory or regulatory changes, are possible,
and could increase our operating, manufacturing and delivery
costs.
We believe that our products and business operations are in
material compliance with current standards and regulations.
However, governmental standards and regulations may affect the
design, cost and schedule for new products. In addition, future
regulatory changes could require modifications in order to
continue to market certain of our products.
AVAILABLE
INFORMATION
EMS Technologies, Inc. makes available free of charge, on or
through its website at www.ems-t.com, its annual,
quarterly and current reports, and any amendments to those
reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically
filing such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Information contained on our website is not part of this report.
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EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Information concerning the executive officers of the Company is
set forth below:
Neilson A. Mackay, age 69, became President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company in November 2009. He
served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President
from July 2008, and as Executive Vice President - Strategy
from December 2007. From March 2007 until December 2007, he held
the positions of Vice President - Corporate Development and
President, and from 2001 to 2007, he served as Senior Vice
President and General Manager of the Companys aviation
business in Canada, formerly known as SATCOM. He joined the
Company in January 1993, when the Company acquired an Ottawa,
Ontario-based space satellite communications business of which
he served as President.
Gary B. Shell, age 56, was appointed Senior
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Company in May 2008. He previously served as Vice President,
Finance from November 2007 and as Vice President, Corporate
Finance
(2004-2007),
and in those capacities was the Companys chief accounting
officer. He had served as Director, Corporate Finance from 1998
to 2004. He joined the Company in 1983 as Corporate Financial
Analyst. Mr. Shell is a certified public accountant, having
formerly served on the audit staff of KPMG LLP.
Timothy C. Reis, age 53, became Vice
President and General Counsel of the Company in August 2005. He
is responsible for the legal affairs of the Company and its
operating subsidiaries. Mr. Reis first joined the Company
in 2001 as Assistant General Counsel. Previously, he was engaged
in the private practice of law with King & Spalding
and as in-house counsel for United Parcel Service and for
Manufacturers Hanover, a New York bank, focusing his
practice on intellectual property and technology transactions.
Nils A. Helle, age 58, was appointed Vice President
and Chief of Staff of the Company in September 2010. In this
role, he oversees corporate development for EMS, which comprises
of mergers, acquisitions and integration activities, strategic
planning, corporate communications and information technology.
From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Helle served as Vice President,
Strategic Initiatives leading the business development and
acquisitions efforts for the Company. He joined EMS
Canadian-based aviation business in 2002 and until 2006 he
served that business in various positions including Director of
Programs and Director of Marketing. Prior to joining EMS,
Mr. Helle was Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for
Stratos Global, a leading global provider of Mobile Satellite
Services (MSS) to aeronautical, maritime and remote land users.
David M. Sheffield, age 49, became Vice President,
Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of the Company in August
2008. From 2005 until 2008, Mr. Sheffield served as Vice
President, Finance and Accounting, for Allied Systems Holdings,
Inc., a vehicle-hauling company providing a range of logistics
and other support services to the automotive industry. From 2003
to 2005, he served as Vice President and Chief Accounting
Officer for Matria Healthcare, Inc. Mr. Sheffield, a
certified public accountant, also held senior accounting and
finance positions with Rubbermaid, Gulfstream Aerospace and
Safety-Kleen, after beginning his career with
Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Constandino Koutrouki, age 44, was appointed Vice
President and General Manager of the Companys EMS Global
Resource Management business unit in February 2011, a newly
formed group created to align the strengths of, and gain more
strategic coordination between, our LXE and Global Tracking
businesses. He joined EMS in February 2009 following the
Companys acquisition of Satamatics Global Limited, a
global telematics solutions provider, and served as Vice
President and General Manager of the Companys Global
Tracking segment. Mr. Koutrouki joined Satamatics as Chief
Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer in April 2006,
and was named Chief Executive Officer in November 2007. Prior to
joining Satamatics, he held various international management
positions with Marconi Groups telecom data networking
equipment business, now a part of Ericsson.
Stephen M. Newell, age 43, became Vice
President and General Manager of the Companys LXE division
in April 2009. He joined the Companys Canadian-based
aviation business in January 2003, and since then has been given
assignments of increasing responsibilities, including
appointment as Director, Military Aeronautical
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Sales in 2004, Vice President, Military Sales in May 2006, and
Vice President, Sales from May 2006 to March 2007 for that
business. Prior to joining EMS, Mr. Newell was Manager of
Avionics Systems at AIRIA, Inc. from November 2000 to January
2003, where he was responsible for the development of the
Companys Inmarsat-based aeronautical television system.
John C. Jarrell, age 50, was appointed Vice
President and General Manager of the Companys Aviation
segment in November 2010. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Jarrell
worked for Sensis Corporation, a world leader in aviation
automation, where he served most recently as Vice President and
General Manager of Air Traffic Systems and oversaw Sensis
aviation business strategy. From 1998 to 2008, Mr. Jarrell
held various positions at Societe Internationale De
Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA), the
worlds leading provider of air transport-focused
applications, communications and information technology
infrastructure. In his most recent position at SITA, he served
as Senior Vice President, Airport & Desktop Services
and Regional Customer Service and Operation.
Marion H. Van Fosson, age 52, became Vice President
and General Manager of the Companys D&S segment in
August 2010. From 2008 until 2010, Mr. Van Fosson served as
Vice President and General Manager of the Military Vehicle
Systems business unit for BAE Systems, Inc., the
U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, a world leader in the
global defense market. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Director,
Business Development of the Vehicle Systems business unit for
BAE Systems, Inc. Prior to joining BAE, he held senior
leadership positions of increasing responsibility with Northrop
Grumman Corp.s Electro-Optical Systems division (formerly
Litton Electro-Optical Systems), most recently as the Present of
that division. Mr. Van Fosson served 22 years in the
U.S. Army, retiring as a Colonel.
Adoption
of Shareholder Rights Plan
On July 27, 2009, the Companys Board of Directors
adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan (the Plan) to
replace a similar plan adopted in 1999 that expired on
August 6, 2009. Under the Plan, a dividend distribution of
one right for each of the Companys outstanding common
shares was made to shareholders of record at the close of
business on August 7, 2009. Upon the occurrence of certain
triggering events, as set forth in the Plan, the rights would
become exercisable. On January 4, 2011, the Board of
Directors adopted an amendment to the Plan, which eliminated the
concept of disinterested directors and related
provisions effective January 4, 2011. Under the original
Plan, any person affiliated or associated with a person or group
who beneficially owns more than 20% of our outstanding shares
would not qualify as a disinterested director. The original Plan
required the consent of a majority of these disinterested
directors to take significant actions under the Plan, including
the amendment of the Plan or the redemption of the Rights under
the Plan prior to specified triggering events. The amended Plan
also includes other conforming changes consistent with the
removal of the concept of disinterested directors.
Our business is subject to certain risks, including the risks
described below. This Item 1A does not describe all risks
applicable to our business and is intended only as a summary of
the most significant factors that affect our operations and the
industries in which we operate. More detailed information
concerning these and other risks is contained in other sections
of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
The risks described below, as well as the other risks that are
generally set forth in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K,
and other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or
that we currently consider immaterial, could materially and
adversely affect our business, results of operations and
financial condition. Readers of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K
should take such risks into account in evaluating any investment
decision involving our common stock. At any point, the trading
price of our common stock could decline, and investors could
lose all or a portion of their investment.
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Risks
Related to Our Operations
In addition to general economic conditions, both domestic and
foreign, which can change unexpectedly and generally affect
U.S. businesses with worldwide operations, we are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties that are specific to us
or the businesses we operate:
Decisions
by our customers about the timing and scope of capital spending,
particularly on major programs, can have a significant effect on
our net sales and earnings.
Each of our businesses is dependent on our customers
capital spending decisions, which are affected by numerous
factors, such as general economic conditions, end-user demand
for their particular products, capital availability, and
comparative anticipated returns on their capital investments. In
addition, large defense programs are an important source of our
current and anticipated future net sales, especially in
D&S. Customer decisions as to the nature and timing of
their capital spending, and developments affecting these large
defense programs, can have a significant effect on us. Our net
sales and earnings would decline in the event of general
reductions in capital spending by our customers, or delay in the
implementation of, or significant reduction in the scope of, any
of the current or major anticipated programs in which we
participate.
Unfavorable
economic or financial market conditions or other developments
may affect the fair value of one or more of our business units
and increase the potential for additional asset impairment
charges that could adversely affect our earnings.
As of December 31, 2010, we had approximately
$60.5 million of goodwill and $41.3 million of other
intangible assets on our consolidated balance sheet,
collectively representing approximately 27% of our total assets.
We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth
quarter of the year. We are also required to test goodwill and
other long-lived assets on an interim basis if an event occurs
or circumstances change which indicate that an asset might be
impaired. A significant amount of judgment is involved in
determining if an indicator of impairment has occurred. Such
indicators may include a sustained, significant decline in our
share price and market capitalization, a decline in expected
future cash flows for one or more of our business units, a
significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business
climate, unanticipated competition
and/or
slower-than-expected
growth rates, among others. Our tests in the fourth quarter of
2010 did not indicate an impairment. However, the estimated fair
value of our Formation reporting unit did not exceed the
carrying amount by a significant amount. If we are required to
recognize an impairment loss in the future related to goodwill
or long-lived assets, the related charge, although a noncash
charge, could materially reduce reported earnings or result in a
loss from continuing operations for the period in which the
impairment loss is recognized.
If our
commercial customers fail to find adequate funding for major
potential programs, or our government customers do not receive
necessary funding approvals, our net sales would
decline.
To proceed with major programs, such as upgrades for satellite
data-communications systems, our customers typically must obtain
substantial amounts of capital, from either governmental or
private sources. The availability of this capital is directly
affected not only by general economic conditions, but also by
political developments and by conditions in the private capital
markets, which at times in recent years have been very unstable.
If adequate funds are not available to our targeted customers
for these programs, our expected net sales may be adversely
affected. Large defense programs are often funded in multiple
phases, requiring periodic further funding approvals, which may
be withheld for a variety of political, budgetary or technical
reasons, including the effects of defense budget pressures on
near-term spending priorities. Such multi-year programs can also
be terminated or modified by the government in ways adverse to
us and, in many cases, with limited notice and without penalty.
These developments would reduce our net sales below the levels
we would otherwise expect.
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We may
encounter technical problems or contractual uncertainties, which
can cause delays, added costs, lost sales and liability to
customers.
From time to time we have encountered technical difficulties
that have caused delays and additional costs in our technology
development efforts. We are particularly exposed to this risk in
new product development efforts and in fixed-price contracts on
technically advanced programs at D&S and Aviation that
require novel approaches and solutions. In these cases, the
additional costs that we incur may not be covered by revenue
commitments from our customers, and therefore reduce our
earnings. In addition, technical difficulties can cause us to
miss expected delivery dates for new product offerings, which
could cause customer orders to fall short of expectations.
Some of our products perform mission-critical functions in space
applications. If we experience technical problems and are unable
to adhere to a customers schedule, the customer could
experience costly launch delays or re-procurements from other
vendors. The customer may then be contractually entitled to
substantial financial damages from us. The customer would also
be entitled to cancel future deliveries, which would reduce our
future revenues and could make it impossible for us to recover
our design, tooling or inventory costs, or our remaining
commitments to third-party suppliers.
Due to technological uncertainties in new or unproven
applications of technology, our contracts may be broadly defined
in their early stages, with a structure to accommodate future
changes in the scope of work or contract value as technical
development progresses. In such cases, management must evaluate
these contract uncertainties and estimate the future expected
levels of scope of work and likely contract-value changes to
determine the appropriate level of revenue associated with costs
incurred. Actual changes may vary from expected changes,
resulting in a reduction of net sales and earnings recognized in
future periods.
Our
products are subject to a variety of certification requirements
of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), including stringent standards
for performance, reliability and manufacturing processes. Our
failure to meet any of these standards, which may involve
complex testing and technical issues, could limit our ability to
market these products and thereby reduce our sales and earnings.
Our sales and earnings may also be adversely affected by the
costs and delays associated with meeting these standards and
obtaining the required certifications.
Products that we sell for installation on aircraft must receive
approvals and certifications from the FAA, and generally must be
produced in facilities that are themselves FAA-certified. In
addition, many of the products we sell require FCC approval or
certification before our customers are permitted to use them.
The applicable standards are rigorous, can be costly to meet,
and must be met on a continuing basis. The approval and
certification standards for our aviation products require that
we meet standards for performance and reliability, as well as
for the appropriateness of products for particular aircraft
types, and our facilities must meet standards for consistent and
reliable production processes. FCC certification of our products
requires that we demonstrate technical performance in accordance
with certain required RF characteristics. We have generally been
successful in obtaining required product approvals and
certifications, and the facilities in which we produce aviation
products currently hold all required certifications. However, in
the past we have addressed, or we currently are addressing,
technical issues raised by the FAA and the FCC with respect to
certain products, and such technical issues or changes in
applicable standards could affect any of these certifications,
or cause us to incur significant expense or delays in marketing
our products.
If we
cannot continue to rapidly develop, manufacture and market
innovative products and services that meet customer requirements
for performance and reliability, we may incur development costs
that we cannot recover and our net sales and earnings will
suffer.
The process of developing new wireless communications products
is complex and uncertain, and failure to anticipate
customers changing needs and emerging technological trends
accurately, or to develop or obtain appropriate intellectual
property, could significantly harm our results of operations. In
many instances we must
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make long-term investments and commit significant resources
before knowing whether our investments will eventually result in
products that the market will accept. If our new products are
not accepted by the market, our net sales and earnings will
decline.
Competing
technology could be superior to ours, and could cause customer
orders and net sales to decline.
The markets in which we compete are very sensitive to
technological advances. As a result, technological developments
by competitors can cause our products to be less desirable to
customers, or even to become obsolete. Those developments could
cause our customer orders and net sales to decline.
Our
competitors marketing and pricing strategies could make
their products more attractive than ours. This could cause
reductions in customer orders or our profits.
We operate in highly competitive technology markets, and some of
our competitors have substantially greater resources and
facilities than we do. As a result, our competition may be able
to pursue aggressive marketing strategies, such as significant
price discounting. These competitive activities could cause our
customers to purchase our competitors products rather than
ours, or cause us to increase marketing expenditures or reduce
prices, in any such case, causing a reduction of net sales and
earnings below expected levels.
Our
transitions to new product offerings can be costly and
disruptive, and could adversely affect our net sales or
profitability.
Because our businesses involve constant efforts to improve
existing technology, we regularly introduce new generations of
products. During these transitions, customers may reduce
purchases of older equipment more rapidly than we expect, or may
choose not to migrate to our new products, which could result in
lower net sales and excessive inventories. In addition, product
transitions create uncertainty about both production costs and
customer acceptance. These potential problems are generally more
severe if our product introduction schedule is delayed by
technical development issues. These problems could cause our net
sales or profitability to be less than expected.
Our
products may inadvertently infringe third-party patents, which
could create substantial liability to our customers or the
third-party patent owners.
As we regularly develop and introduce new technology, we face
risks that our new products or manufacturing techniques may
infringe valid patents held, or currently being processed, by
others. The earliest that the U.S. Patent Office publishes
patents is 18 months after their initial filing, and
exceptions exist so that some applications are not published
before they issue as patents. Thus, we may be unaware of a
pending patent until well after we have introduced an infringing
product. In addition, questions of whether a particular product
infringes a particular patent can involve significant
uncertainty. As a result of these factors, third-party patents
may require us to redesign our products and to incur both added
expense and delays that interfere with marketing plans. We may
also be required to make significant expenditures from time to
time to defend or pay damages or royalties on infringement
claims, or to respond to customer indemnification claims
relating to third-party patents. Such costs could reduce our
earnings.
We may
not be successful in protecting our intellectual
property.
Our unique intellectual property is a critical resource in our
efforts to produce and market technically advanced products. We
primarily seek to protect our intellectual property, including
product designs and manufacturing processes, through patents and
as trade secrets. If we are unable to obtain enforceable patents
on certain technologies, or if information we protect as trade
secrets becomes known to our competitors, then competitors may
be able to copy or otherwise appropriate our technology, we
would lose competitive advantages, and our net sales and
operating income could decline. In any event, litigation to
enforce our
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intellectual property rights could result in substantial costs
and diversion of resources that could have a material adverse
effect on our operations regardless of the outcome of the
litigation. We may also enter into transactions in countries
where intellectual property laws are not well developed and
legal protection of our rights may be ineffective.
Our
success depends on our ability to attract and retain a highly
skilled workforce.
Because our products and programs are technically sophisticated,
we must attract and retain employees with advanced technical and
program-management skills. Many of our senior management
personnel also possess advanced knowledge of the business in
which we operate and are otherwise important to our success.
Other employers also often recruit persons with these skills,
both generally and in focused engineering fields. If we are
unable to attract and retain skilled employees and senior
management, our performance obligations to our customers could
be affected and our net sales could decline.
We
depend on highly skilled suppliers, who may become unavailable
or fail to achieve desired levels of technical
performance.
In addition to our requirements for basic materials and
electronic components, our advanced technological products often
require sophisticated subsystems supplied or cooperatively
developed by third parties. To meet those requirements, our
suppliers must have specialized expertise, production skills and
economies of scale, and in some cases there are only a limited
number of qualified potential suppliers. Our ability to perform
according to customer contract requirements, or to introduce new
products on the desired schedule, can be heavily dependent on
our ability to identify and engage appropriate suppliers, and on
the effectiveness of those suppliers in meeting our development
and delivery objectives. If these highly skilled suppliers are
unavailable when needed, or fail to perform as expected, our
ability to meet our performance obligations to our customers
could be affected and our net sales and earnings could decline.
Changes
in regulations that limit the availability of licenses or
otherwise result in increased expenses could cause our net sales
or earnings to decline.
Many of our products are incorporated into wireless
communications systems that are regulated in the U.S. by
the Federal Communications Commission and internationally by
other government agencies. Changes in government regulations
could reduce the growth potential of our markets by limiting
either the access to or availability of frequency spectrum. In
addition, other changes in government regulations could make the
competitive environment more difficult by increasing costs or
inhibiting our customers efforts to develop or introduce
new technologies and products. Also, changes in government
regulations could substantially increase the difficulty and cost
of compliance with government regulations for both our customers
and us. All of these factors could result in reductions in our
net sales and earnings.
Additional
environmental regulation could increase costs and adversely
affect our future earnings.
Greenhouse gas emissions have increasingly become the subject of
a large amount of international, national, regional, state and
local attention. Any enactment of
cap-and-trade
proposals would likely increase the cost of energy, including
purchases of electricity, and of certain raw materials used by
us. In addition, future environmental regulatory developments
related to climate change, whether pursuant to future treaty
obligations or statutory or regulatory changes, are possible,
and could increase our operating, manufacturing and delivery
costs.
The
export license process for space products is uncertain,
increasing the chance that we may not obtain required export
licenses in a timely or cost-effective manner.
Our products for use on commercial satellites are included on
the U.S. Munitions List of the U.S. International
Traffic in Arms Regulations and are subject to U.S. State
Department licensing requirements. The licensing
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process for our products for use on commercial satellite and
many of our other products is time-consuming, and political
considerations can increase the time and difficulty of obtaining
licenses for export of technically advanced products. The
license process may prevent particular sales, and generally has
created schedule uncertainties that encourage foreign customers,
such as those in Western Europe, to develop internal or other
foreign sources rather than use U.S. suppliers. If we are
unable to obtain required export licenses when we expect them or
at the costs we expect, our net sales and earnings could be
adversely affected.
Export
controls on space technology restrict our ability to hold
technical discussions with foreign customers, suppliers and
internal engineering resources, which reduces our ability to
obtain sales from foreign customers or to perform contracts with
the desired level of efficiency or profitability.
U.S. export controls severely limit unlicensed technical
discussions with any persons who are not U.S. citizens or
permanent residents. As a result, we are restricted in our
ability to hold technical discussions between
U.S. personnel and current or prospective customers or
suppliers outside the U.S., between Canadian personnel and
current or prospective U.S. customers or suppliers, and
between U.S. employees and our other employees outside the
U.S. These restrictions reduce our ability to win
cross-border space work, to utilize cross-border supply sources,
and to deploy technical expertise in the most effective manner.
Economic
or political conditions in other countries could cause our net
sales or earnings to decline.
International sales significantly affect our financial
performance. Approximately $111.9 million,
$107.2 million and $132.5 million, or 31.5%, 29.8% and
39.6% of our net sales for 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively,
were derived from customers residing outside of the
U.S. Adverse economic conditions in our customers
countries, mainly in Western Europe, Latin America and the
Pacific Rim, have affected us in the past, and could adversely
affect future international revenues in all of our businesses,
especially LXE. Unfavorable currency exchange rate movements can
adversely affect the marketability of our products by increasing
the
local-currency
cost. In addition to these economic factors directly related to
our markets, there are risks and uncertainties inherent in doing
business internationally that could have an adverse effect on
us, such as potential adverse effects of political instability
or changes in governments, changes in foreign income tax laws,
and restrictions on funds transfers by us or our customers, as
well as unfavorable changes in laws and regulations governing a
broad range of business concerns, including proprietary rights,
legal liability, and employee relations. All of these factors
could cause significant harm to our net sales or earnings.
Unfavorable
currency exchange rate movements could result in foreign
exchange losses and cause our earnings to decline.
We have international operations, and we use forward currency
contracts to reduce the earnings risk from holding certain
assets and liabilities denominated in different currencies, but
we cannot entirely eliminate those risks. In addition, our
Canada-based business derives a major portion of its sales from
agreements in U.S. dollars; but its costs are predominately
in Canadian dollars; as a result, a stronger Canadian dollar
would increase our costs relative to our U.S. net sales,
and we are unlikely to recover these increased costs through
higher U.S. dollar prices due to competitive conditions.
For our LXE segments international subsidiaries, most
trade payables are in U.S. dollars and relate to their
purchases of equipment from LXEs U.S. operations for
sale in Europe; when the U.S. dollar weakens against the
Euro or other international currencies, the value of the LXE
subsidiaries trade payable decreases in the local currency
and foreign exchange gains result. When the dollar strengthens,
the opposite effects occur on the trade receivables and on the
trade payables and foreign exchange gains and losses result. As
a result of these factors, our financial results will continue
to have an element of risk related to foreign currency exchange
rates.
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Our
net sales in certain markets depend on the availability and
performance of other companies with which we have marketing
relationships.
With respect to some applications, including mobile satellite
communications, we seek to develop marketing relationships with
other companies that have superior direct customer access from
advantages such as specialized software and established customer
service systems. For example, the marketing of our line of
high-speed commercial airline communications products is
dependent on the success of our direct customers in the sale of
our products as a complementary offering with their own lines of
avionics products. In other markets, such as wireless local-area
networks, a major element of our distribution channels is a
network of value-added retailers and independent distributors.
In foreign markets for many of our products, we are often
dependent on successful working relationships with local
distributors and other business personnel. If we are unable to
identify and structure effective relationships with other
companies that are able to market our products, our net sales
could fail to grow in the ways we expect.
Customer
orders in backlog may not result in sales.
Our order backlog represents firm orders for products and
services. However, our customers may cancel or defer orders for
products and services, in most cases without penalty.
Cancellation or deferral of an order in our D&S segment
typically involves penalties and termination charges for costs
incurred to date, but these termination penalties would still be
considerably less than what we would have expected to earn if
the order could have been completed. We make management
decisions based on our backlog, including hiring of personnel,
purchasing of materials, and other matters that may increase our
production capabilities and costs whether or not the backlog is
converted into revenue. Cancellations, delays or reductions of
orders could adversely affect our results of operations and
financial condition.
We are
exposed to the credit risk of some of our customers and to
credit exposures in weakened markets, which could cause our
earnings to decline.
Most of our sales are on an open credit basis, with typical
payment terms of up to 60 days in the U.S. and,
because of local customs or conditions, longer in some markets
outside the U.S. In the past, certain of our customers have
experienced credit problems, up to and including bankruptcy.
Future losses, if incurred, could harm our business and have an
adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Additionally, to the degree that conditions in the credit
markets make it more difficult for some customers to obtain
financing, our customers ability to pay could be adversely
impacted, which in turn could have an adverse impact on our
business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our
products typically carry warranties, and the costs to us to
repair or replace defective products could exceed the amounts we
have experienced historically.
Most of our products carry basic warranties of between one and
five years, depending on the type of product. For certain
products, customers can purchase warranty coverage for specified
additional periods. If our products are returned for repair or
replacement under warranty or otherwise under circumstances in
which we assume responsibility, particularly if at a higher rate
than we expect based on historical experience, we can incur
significant costs that may be in excess of the allowances that
we have established based on our historical warranty cost
levels, which would reduce our earnings.
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Our
business could be negatively affected as a result of a proxy
contest.
MMI Investments, L.P. and certain of its affiliates have begun a
proxy contest relating to our 2011 annual meeting of
shareholders, and they have nominated their own slate of four
nominees for election to our board of directors. If the proxy
contest continues, our business could be adversely affected
because:
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responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist
shareholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupting our
operations and diverting the attention of management and our
employees;
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perceived uncertainties as to our future direction may result in
the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it
more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and
business partners; and
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the election to our board of directors of individuals with a
specific agenda may adversely affect our ability to effectively
and timely implement our strategic plan and create additional
value for our shareholders.
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Changes
in our consolidated effective income tax rate and the related
effect on our results can be difficult to predict.
We earn taxable income in various tax jurisdictions around the
world. The rates of income tax that we pay can vary
significantly by jurisdiction, due to differing income tax rates
and benefits that may be available in some jurisdictions and not
in others. In particular, our earnings in Canada are subject to
very low income taxes due to research-related tax incentives. As
a result, our overall effective income tax rate depends upon the
relative annual income that we earn in each of the tax
jurisdictions where we do business, and the rate reported in our
quarterly financial results depends on our expectations for such
relative earnings for the balance of the year. Thus, even though
our actual or expected consolidated earnings before taxes could
remain unchanged, our income tax expenses and net earnings may
still increase or decrease, depending upon changes in the
jurisdictions in which we have generated or expect to generate
those earnings. Additionally, changes in judgment regarding the
realizability of deferred tax assets can also affect our income
tax expense.
We may
not effectively manage possible future growth, which could
result in reduced earnings.
Historically, we have experienced broad fluctuations in demand
for our products and services. These changes in demand have
depended on many factors and have been difficult to predict. In
recent years, there has also been an increasing complexity in
the technologies and applications in certain of our businesses.
These changes in our businesses place significant demands on
both our management personnel and our management systems for
information, planning and control. If we are to achieve further
strong growth on a profitable basis, our management must
identify and exploit potential market opportunities for our
products and technologies, while continuing to manage our
current businesses effectively. Furthermore, our management
systems must support the changes to our operations resulting
from our business growth. If our management and management
systems fail to meet these challenges, our business and
prospects will be adversely affected.
We may
make acquisitions and investments that could adversely affect
our earnings or otherwise fail to perform as
expected.
To support growth, we have made and may continue to make
acquisitions of and investments in businesses, products and
technologies that could complement or expand our businesses.
However, if we should be unable to successfully negotiate with a
potential acquisition candidate, finance the acquisition, or
effectively integrate the acquired businesses, products or
technologies into our existing business and products, our net
sales and earnings could be adversely affected. Furthermore, to
complete future acquisitions, we may issue equity securities,
incur debt, assume contingent liabilities or the risk of unknown
liabilities, or we may incur amortization expenses or
write-downs of acquired assets as a result of future
acquisitions, all of which could
25 of 107
cause our earnings or earnings per share to decline. We also may
acquire businesses that do not perform as we expect, are subject
to undisclosed or unanticipated liabilities, or are otherwise
dilutive to our earnings.
Risks
Related to our Common Stock
In addition to risks and uncertainties related to our
operations, there are investment risks that could adversely
affect the return to an investor in our common stock and could
adversely affect our ability to raise capital for financing
future operations.
Our
operating results are volatile and difficult to predict. If our
quarterly or annual operating results fall short of market
expectations, or our guidance, the market value of our shares is
likely to decline.
The quarterly net sales and earnings contributions of some of
our segments are heavily dependent on customer orders or product
shipments in the final weeks or days of the quarter. Due to some
of the risks related to our business discussed above, it can be
difficult for us to predict the timing of receipt of major
customer orders, and we are unable to control timing decisions
made by our customers. As a result, our quarterly operating
results are difficult to predict even in the near term and a
delay in an anticipated sale past the end of a particular
quarter may negatively impact our results of operations for that
quarter, or in some cases, that year. If our revenue or
operating results fall below the expectations of investors or
securities analysts or below any guidance we may provide to the
market the price of our common stock could decline
substantially. Such a stock price decline could also occur when
we have met our publicly stated revenue
and/or
earnings guidance.
Our
share price may fluctuate significantly, and an investor may not
be able to sell our shares at a price that would yield a
favorable return on investment.
The market price of our stock will fluctuate in the future, and
such fluctuations could be substantial. Price fluctuations may
occur in response to a variety of factors, including:
|
|
|
|
|
actual or anticipated operating results;
|
|
|
|
the limited average trading volume and public float for our
stock, which means that orders from a relatively few investors
can significantly impact the price of our stock, independently
of our operating results,
|
|
|
|
announcements of technological innovations, new products or new
contracts by us, our customers, our competitors or our
customers competitors;
|
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|
|
government regulatory action;
|
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|
|
developments with respect to wireless and satellite
communications; and
|
|
|
|
general market conditions.
|
In addition, the stock market has from time to time experienced
significant price and volume fluctuations that have particularly
affected the market prices for the stocks of technology
companies, and that have been unrelated to the operating
performance of particular companies.
Future
sales of our common stock may cause our stock price to
decline.
Our outstanding shares are freely tradable without restriction
or further registration, and shares reserved for issuance upon
exercise of stock options will also be freely tradable upon
issuance, in each case unless held by affiliates. Sales of
substantial amounts of common stock by our shareholders,
including those who have acquired a significant number of shares
in connection with business acquisitions or private investments,
or even the potential for such sales, may depress the market
price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise
capital through the sale of our equity securities.
26 of 107
Provisions
in our governing documents and law could prevent or delay a
change of control not supported by our Board of
Directors.
Our shareholder rights plan and provisions of our amended and
restated articles of incorporation and amended bylaws could make
it more difficult for a third party to acquire us. These
documents include provisions that:
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|
|
|
allow our shareholders the right to acquire common stock from us
at discounted prices in the event a person acquires 20% or more
of our common stock, or announces an attempt to do so, without
our Board of Directors prior consent;
|
|
|
|
authorize the issuance of up to 10,000,000 shares of
blank check preferred stock by our Board of
Directors without shareholder approval, which stock could have
terms that could discourage or thwart a takeover attempt;
|
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|
|
limit who may call a special meeting of shareholders;
|
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|
|
require unanimous written consent for shareholder action without
a meeting;
|
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|
|
establish advance notice requirements for nominations for
election to the Board of Directors or for proposing matters that
can be acted upon at shareholder meetings;
|
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|
adopt the fair price requirements and rules regarding business
combinations with interested shareholders set forth in
Article 11, Parts 2 and 3 of the Georgia Business
Corporation Code; and
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|
require approval by the holders of at least 75% of the
outstanding common stock to amend any of the foregoing
provisions.
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Item 1B.
|
Unresolved
Staff Comments
|
None.
Our corporate headquarters, and D&Ss and LXEs
domestic operations, are located in four buildings, three of
which we own comprising approximately 290,000 square feet
of floor space on 21 acres, as well as one that is leased
totaling approximately 30,000 square feet (lease expires in
2015), all located in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. These
facilities include drafting and design facilities, engineering
laboratories, assembly and test areas, materials storage and
control areas, and offices.
We lease approximately 160,000 square feet of office and
manufacturing space for our Aviation segment, with the majority
located in Ottawa, Ontario (lease to expire in 2017), with other
facilities located in Moorestown, NJ (lease to expire in 2013),
and Tewkesbury, UK (lease to expire in 2012). At the end of
2010, we transferred the operations from our facility in Takoma
Park, MD (lease to expire in 2011) to our facility in
Moorestown, NJ.
We lease several small sites in the U.S., Europe, Singapore, the
UAE, and China for LXE sales offices. If any of these leases are
terminated, we believe we could arrange for comparable
replacement facilities on similar terms.
|
|
Item 3.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
We are involved in various claims and legal actions arising in
the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management,
the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a
material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position,
results of operations or cash flows.
27 of 107
PART II
|
|
Item 5.
|
Market
for Registrants Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters
and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
|
The common stock of EMS Technologies, Inc. is traded on the
NASDAQ Global Select Market (symbol ELMG). At March 7,
2011, there were approximately 420 shareholders of record;
however, we believe that there were approximately 2,200
beneficial shareholders, based upon broker requests for
distribution of Annual Meeting materials. The price range of the
stock is shown below:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010 Price Range
|
|
2009 Price Range
|
|
|
High
|
|
Low
|
|
High
|
|
Low
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
$
|
16.82
|
|
|
|
12.42
|
|
|
$
|
26.48
|
|
|
|
17.07
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
17.70
|
|
|
|
13.78
|
|
|
|
21.45
|
|
|
|
16.93
|
|
Third Quarter
|
|
|
19.11
|
|
|
|
14.24
|
|
|
|
23.17
|
|
|
|
17.55
|
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|
|
20.51
|
|
|
|
16.81
|
|
|
|
20.37
|
|
|
|
12.00
|
|
We have never paid a cash dividend with respect to shares of our
common stock, and have retained our earnings to provide cash for
the operation and expansion of our business. We cannot currently
declare or make any cash dividends without the consent of the
lenders in our revolving credit agreement. Future dividends, if
any, will be determined by the Board of Directors in light of
the circumstances then existing, including our earnings and
financial requirements and general business conditions.
28 of 107
SHAREHOLDER
RETURN
The following performance graph and supporting data were not
filed as part of the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2010. However, this
information is furnished as part of the Companys 2010
Annual Report to Shareholders to comply with the requirements of
Item 201(e) of
Regulation S-K.
The annual changes for the five-year period shown in the graph
are based on the assumption that $100 had been invested in the
common stock of EMS Technologies, Inc. and each index on
December 31, 2005.
29 of 107
|
|
Item 6.
|
Selected
Financial Data
|
The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial
data with respect to our operations. The data should be read in
conjunction with Item 7. Managements Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations and the consolidated financial statements and
notes thereto, which appear immediately following the signature
page of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
The statement of operations data for each of the five years
ended December 31, 2010, and the related balance sheet data
have been derived from the audited consolidated financial
statements (in thousands, except per share data).
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Net sales
|
|
$
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
287,879
|
|
|
|
261,119
|
|
Cost of sales
|
|
|
225,706
|
|
|
|
242,080
|
|
|
|
213,885
|
|
|
|
175,278
|
|
|
|
164,611
|
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
90,080
|
|
|
|
86,481
|
|
|
|
81,426
|
|
|
|
74,561
|
|
|
|
66,335
|
|
Research and development expenses
|
|
|
20,970
|
|
|
|
18,947
|
|
|
|
20,110
|
|
|
|
18,773
|
|
|
|
15,816
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill and related charges
|
|
|
384
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Acquistion-related items
|
|
|
563
|
|
|
|
7,206
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss)
|
|
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
|
|
19,267
|
|
|
|
14,357
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
498
|
|
|
|
207
|
|
|
|
2,430
|
|
|
|
5,403
|
|
|
|
2,254
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(1,904
|
)
|
|
|
(2,181
|
)
|
|
|
(1,679
|
)
|
|
|
(1,953
|
)
|
|
|
(1,921
|
)
|
Foreign exchange loss, net
|
|
|
(192
|
)
|
|
|
(808
|
)
|
|
|
(586
|
)
|
|
|
(1,390
|
)
|
|
|
(710
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
15,924
|
|
|
|
(17,415
|
)
|
|
|
19,789
|
|
|
|
21,327
|
|
|
|
13,980
|
|
Income tax (expense) benefit
|
|
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
|
|
(2,080
|
)
|
|
|
1,823
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
(13,149
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
19,247
|
|
|
|
15,803
|
|
Discontinued operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from discontinued operations before income taxes
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(10,917
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(585
|
)
|
|
|
24,427
|
|
Income tax benefit (expense)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4,001
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
82
|
|
|
|
(7,222
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(6,916
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(503
|
)
|
|
|
17,205
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
18,744
|
|
|
|
33,008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss) per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From continuing operations
|
|
$
|
0.93
|
|
|
|
(0.87
|
)
|
|
|
1.32
|
|
|
|
1.25
|
|
|
|
1.08
|
|
From discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.45
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.03
|
)
|
|
|
1.18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.93
|
|
|
|
(1.32
|
)
|
|
|
1.32
|
|
|
|
1.22
|
|
|
|
2.26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From continuing operations
|
|
$
|
0.92
|
|
|
|
(0.87
|
)
|
|
|
1.31
|
|
|
|
1.24
|
|
|
|
1.08
|
|
From discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.45
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.03
|
)
|
|
|
1.17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.92
|
|
|
|
(1.32
|
)
|
|
|
1.31
|
|
|
|
1.21
|
|
|
|
2.25
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
15,191
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,452
|
|
|
|
15,354
|
|
|
|
14,621
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
15,250
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,628
|
|
|
|
15,482
|
|
|
|
14,679
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Working capital related to continuing operations
|
|
$
|
125,531
|
|
|
|
98,147
|
|
|
|
165,419
|
|
|
|
198,491
|
|
|
|
176,570
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
372,944
|
|
|
|
374,145
|
|
|
|
327,365
|
|
|
|
323,800
|
|
|
|
291,684
|
|
Long-term debt, including current installments
|
|
|
28,972
|
|
|
|
27,750
|
|
|
|
10,552
|
|
|
|
13,720
|
|
|
|
14,857
|
|
Shareholders equity
|
|
|
257,020
|
|
|
|
237,091
|
|
|
|
242,742
|
|
|
|
247,126
|
|
|
|
213,083
|
|
No cash dividends have been declared or paid during any of the
periods presented.
30 of 107
|
|
Item 7.
|
Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
We have included forward-looking statements in
managements discussion and analysis of financial condition
and results of operations. All statements, other than statements
of historical fact, included in this report that address
activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate
will or may occur in the future, or that necessarily depend upon
future events, including such matters as our expectations with
respect to future financial performance, future capital
expenditures, business strategy, competitive strengths, goals,
expansion, market and industry developments and the growth of
our businesses and operations, are forward-looking
statements.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in
conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and
related notes and other financial information appearing
elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in
the forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of
factors, including those addressed at the end of this item and
those discussed under the caption Risk Factors in
Item 1A. of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
The historical results of operations are not necessarily
indicative of future results.
Overview
We are a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions
over satellite and terrestrial networks. We keep people and
systems connected wherever they are on land, at sea,
in the air or in space. Serving two broad markets,
AeroConnectivity and Global Resource Management, our products
and services enable universal mobility, visibility and
intelligence. In 2009, our continuing operations included three
reportable operating segments, Communications &
Tracking, LXE and Defense & Space. In 2010, we
realigned our business segments for strategic growth and
replaced Communications & Tracking with two new
segments, Aviation and Global Tracking. The following is a
summary of our reportable operating segments for 2010:
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation Includes the aviation
business in Canada, and the Sky Connect and Formation
businesses, which were acquired in August 2008 and January 2009,
respectively. Aviation serves the AeroConnectivity market. It
designs and develops satellite-based communications solutions
through a broad array of terminals and antennas for the
aeronautical market that enable end-users in aircraft to
communicate over satellite and
air-to-ground
links. This segment also builds in-cabin connection devices and
computers to process data on board aircraft, including rugged
data storage, airborne connectivity,
air-to-ground
connectivity, and data recording and replay;
|
|
|
|
Defense & Space
(D&S) Supplies highly
engineered subsystems for defense electronics and sophisticated
satellite applications to the AeroConnectivity market.
D&S products, applications and services support four
major areas Space, RADAR, Satellite Communications
(Satcom) and Datalinks which provide military
communications, surveillance, electronic warfare, and
countermeasures, as well as commercial communications
technologies and subsystems in support of high-definition
television, satellite radio, and live TV for innovative airlines;
|
|
|
|
LXE Provides rugged mobile
terminals and wireless data networks used for logistics
applications such as distribution centers, warehouses and
container ports. LXE serves the Global Resource Management broad
market, and operates mainly in three target markets: the
Americas market, which is comprised of North, South and Central
America; and the International market, which is comprised of all
other geographic areas, with the highest concentration in
Europe; and direct sales to original equipment manufacturers
(OEM); and
|
|
|
|
Global Tracking Includes the
asset tracking and emergency management operations of our
Aviation business in Canada, and the Satamatics business, which
was acquired in February 2009. Global Tracking serves the Global
Resource Management market and provides satellite-based
machine-to-machine
mobile communications equipment and services to track, monitor
and control remote, mobile
|
31 of 107
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|
|
|
and fixed assets. Additionally, Global Tracking provides
equipment for the Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue system and
incident management software for rescue coordination worldwide.
|
In February 2011, we formed EMS Global Resource Management,
which is a combination of the LXE and Global Tracking segments.
We have also begun the alignment of Aviation and D&S as the
AeroConnectivity group. We have included the sales, cost of
sales percentages, operating income and Adjusted EBITDA for
these two groups in the section entitled
Supplemental Information following the
segment analysis below.
We sell LXE and the majority of Global Tracking and Aviation
products for commercial applications. Aviation and Global
Tracking also sell products for military applications. We sell
D&S products primarily for defense and space applications.
Sales of products for U.S. government end-use comprised
23.7%, 29.7% and 26.3% of our net sales in 2010, 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
Our sales to customers in the U.S. accounted for 68.5%,
70.3% and 60.4% of our consolidated net sales in 2010, 2009 and
2008, respectively. The remainder of our sales were to customers
in markets outside of the U.S. Net sales from our markets
outside the U.S. have generally increased when the Euro and
other local functional currencies have increased in value as
compared with the U.S. dollar.
Financial
and Performance Highlights of 2010
Following is a summary of significant factors affecting our
business in 2010:
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated net sales reached $355.2 million in 2010 and
though down slightly from 2009 were the Companys second
highest level in its history. The recovery in the North American
markets fueled the resurgence of LXEs logistic business in
2010, which recorded a $31.8 million increase (nearly 30%)
in net sales compared with 2009. Net sales from our Global
Tracking business were also higher, but to a lesser extent.
These increases were offset by lower net sales at D&S and
Aviation. The lower net sales at D&S were primarily a
result of a significant military research project that was
concluded in 2009 and, therefore, did not contribute to net
sales in 2010. Aviations lower net sales reflect the
effects of the global economic slow-down on the markets served
by that segment. Aviations markets were slower to feel the
effects of the recession and have been slower to recover.
|
|
|
|
Operating income from continuing operations was
$17.5 million in 2010, with positive operating profits
contributed by each of our four operating segments. LXE returned
to profitability in 2010 mainly due to a higher volume of
product shipments to the North American markets in 2010. 2009
included a large goodwill impairment charge and higher
acquisition costs than 2010. Managements cost reduction
efforts in 2010 and in previous years also led to higher
profitability in 2010 compared with the previous year. Improved
margin contribution on the same level of net sales as 2009, and
controlled spending on selling, marketing and administrative
expenses also allowed for a higher level of investment in
research and development efforts than in previous years.
|
|
|
|
Certain of our markets continue to see the unfavorable impact of
the economy and they are not immune to increasing pressures and
risks. We expect that we will continue to be faced with these
economic pressures through 2011. The economy and other factors
could cause a decline in expected future cash flows for one or
more of our business units and it is reasonably possible that we
may be required to recognize impairment losses related to
goodwill or other long-lived assets.
|
Description
of Net Sales, Costs and Expenses
Net
sales
The amount of net sales is generally the most significant factor
affecting our operating income in a period. We recognize
product-related sales under most of our customer agreements when
we ship completed units or complete the installation of our
products. If multiple deliverables are involved in a revenue
arrangement, or if
32 of 107
software included in an offering is more than incidental to a
product as a whole, we recognize revenue in accordance with ASC
Subtopic
605-25,
Revenue Recognition-Multiple-Element Arrangements, or ASC
Subtopic
985-605,
Software-Revenue Recognition, as applicable. If the
customer agreement is in the form of a long-term development and
production contract, we generally recognize revenue under the
percentage-of-completion
method, using the ratio of cost-incurred-to-date to
total-estimated-cost-at-completion as the measure of
performance. Estimated
cost-at-completion
for each of these contracts is reviewed on a routine periodic
basis, and adjustments are made periodically to the estimated
cost-at-completion
based on actual costs incurred, progress made, and estimates of
the costs required to complete the contractual requirements.
When the estimated
cost-at-completion
exceeds the contract value, the entire estimated loss resulting
from the projected cost overruns is immediately recognized.
We also generate sales from product-related service contracts,
repair services, airtime and mapping services, and engineering
services projects. We recognize revenue from product-related
service contracts and extended warranties ratably over the life
of the contract. We recognize revenue from repair services and
tracking, voice, and data services as services are rendered. We
recognize revenue from contracts for engineering services using
the
percentage-of-completion
method for fixed price contracts, or as costs are incurred for
cost-reimbursement contracts.
Cost of
sales
Product cost of sales includes the cost of materials, payroll
and benefits for direct and indirect manufacturing labor,
engineering and design costs, outside costs such as
subcontracts, consulting or travel related to specific
contracts, and manufacturing overhead expenses such as
depreciation, utilities and facilities maintenance. We also
include amortization of intangible assets for developed
technologies in cost of sales.
We sell a wide range of advanced wireless communications
products into markets with varying competitive conditions, and
cost of sales as a percentage of net sales varies by product.
Consequently, the mix of products sold in a given period is a
significant factor affecting our operating income.
The
cost-of-sales
percentage is principally a function of competitive conditions
as well as product and customer mix, but Aviation, LXE and to a
lesser extent Global Tracking, are also affected by changes in
foreign currency exchange rates. The impact from foreign
currency exchange rates is mainly because our Canadian-based
Aviation and Global Tracking businesses derive most of its net
sales from contracts denominated in U.S. dollars, but
incurs most of its costs in Canadian dollars. When the
U.S. dollar weakens against the Canadian dollar, our
reported manufacturing costs for our Canadian-based business
increase relative to its net sales, which increases the
cost-of-sales
percentage. When the U.S. dollar strengthens, the opposite
effect generally results. Our LXE business derives a significant
portion of its net sales from international markets, mainly in
Euros, but incurs most of its costs in U.S. dollars. When
the U.S. dollar weakens against the Euro and other
international currencies, our reported net sales generally
increase relative to our costs, which decreases the
cost-of-sales
percentage. When the U.S. dollar strengthens, the opposite
effect generally results.
Service cost of sales is based on labor and other costs
recognized as incurred to fulfill obligations under most of our
service contracts, and the cost of airtime for providing
tracking, voice and data services. Cost of sales for long-term
engineering services contracts are based on labor and other
costs incurred.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A)
expenses include salaries, commissions, bonuses and related
overhead costs for our personnel engaged in sales,
administration, finance, information systems and legal
functions. Also included in SG&A expenses is amortization
of intangible assets for trademarks, trade names and customer
lists as well as costs of engaging outside professionals for
consultation on legal, accounting, tax and management
information system matters, auditing and tax compliance, and
general corporate expenditures
33 of 107
to other outside suppliers and service providers. Certain costs
that are clearly related to production constitute a part of
inventory costs and are included in cost of sales when the
related products are sold.
Research
and development expenses
Research and development (R&D) expenses
represent the cost of our development efforts, net of
reimbursement under specific customer-funded R&D agreements
and government assistance programs. R&D expenses include
salaries of engineers and technicians and related overhead
expenses, the cost of materials utilized in research, and
additional engineering or consulting services provided by
independent companies. R&D costs are expensed as they are
incurred. We also often incur significant development costs to
meet the specific requirements of customer contracts in
D&S, and Aviation and we report these costs in the
consolidated statements of operations as cost of sales if the
underlying research efforts are to meet specific requirements of
customer contracts. Otherwise, they are recorded as a reduction
of research and development expense.
Acquisition-related
items
Acquisition-related items include the costs of engaging outside
professionals for legal, due diligence, business valuation, and
integration services related to business combinations. The
category also includes adjustments related to changes in the
fair value of the earn-out liability associated with one
acquisition completed in 2009.
Impairment
loss on goodwill
An impairment loss on goodwill is recognized to the extent that
a reporting units carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the
implied fair value of its goodwill, determined in accordance
with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other.
Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually, and between
annual tests if an event or changes in circumstances indicate
that the goodwill might be impaired. We complete our annual
evaluation of goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of
each fiscal year.
Interest
income
Interest income is earned primarily from our investments in
government-obligations money market funds, other money market
instruments, and interest-bearing deposits.
Interest
expense
We incur interest expense principally related to mortgages on
certain facilities and our revolving credit facility.
Foreign
exchange gains and losses
We recognize foreign exchange gains and losses at any of our
subsidiaries that have assets and liabilities that are
denominated in a currency different than its local functional
currency. For our Canada-based Aviation and Global Tracking
businesses, most trade receivables are denominated in
U.S. dollars; when the U.S. dollar weakens against the
Canadian dollar, the value of trade receivables decreases in the
local currency and foreign exchange losses result. For our LXE
segments international subsidiaries, most trade payables
are in U.S. dollars and relate to their purchases of
equipment from LXEs U.S. operations for sale in
Europe; when the U.S. dollar weakens against the Euro or
other international currencies, the value of the LXE
subsidiaries trade payables decreases in the local
currency and foreign exchange gains result. When the
U.S. dollar strengthens, the opposite effects occur on the
trade receivables and on the trade payables and foreign exchange
gains and losses result.
We regularly assess our exposures to changes in foreign currency
exchange rates and as a result, we enter into forward currency
contracts to reduce those exposures. The notional amount of each
forward currency contract is based on the amount of exposure for
net assets or liabilities subject to changes in foreign currency
exchange
34 of 107
rates. We record changes in the fair value of these contracts in
foreign exchange gains and losses in our consolidated statements
of operations.
Income
taxes
Typically, the main factor affecting our effective income tax
rate each year is the relative proportion of taxable income that
we expect to earn in Canada, where the effective rate is lower
than in the U.S. and other locations. The lower effective
rate in Canada results from certain Canadian tax benefits for
research-related expenditures.
Income tax expense can also be impacted by items that are
reflected as expenses for financial reporting purposes, but are
not deductible for income tax reporting purposes, and by
judgments regarding any uncertain tax positions. Additionally,
changes in judgment regarding the realizability of deferred tax
assets can also affect the income tax expense.
The tax effects of discontinued operations are reflected in
discontinued operations in the consolidated statement of
operations.
Discontinued
operations
Prior to 2008, we disposed of our Space &
Technology/Montreal (S&T/Montreal), Satellite
Networks (SatNet) and EMS Wireless divisions. The
losses reported in discontinued operations relate directly to
the resolution of various contingencies, representations or
warranties as specified under the standard indemnification
provisions of the sales agreements. We record a liability
related to a contingency, representation or warranty when
management considers that the liability is both probable and can
be reasonably estimated.
35 of 107
Results
of Operations
The following table sets forth items from the consolidated
statements of operations as reported and as a percentage of net
sales (or product net sales and service net sales for product
cost of sales and service cost of sales, respectively) for each
period (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Product net sales
|
|
$
|
297,354
|
|
|
|
83.7
|
%
|
|
$
|
281,153
|
|
|
|
78.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
273,268
|
|
|
|
81.6
|
%
|
Service net sales
|
|
|
57,871
|
|
|
|
16.3
|
|
|
|
78,819
|
|
|
|
21.9
|
|
|
|
61,777
|
|
|
|
18.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net sales
|
|
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product cost of sales
|
|
|
201,206
|
|
|
|
67.7
|
|
|
|
194,443
|
|
|
|
69.2
|
|
|
|
175,837
|
|
|
|
64.4
|
|
Service cost of sales
|
|
|
24,500
|
|
|
|
42.3
|
|
|
|
47,637
|
|
|
|
60.4
|
|
|
|
38,048
|
|
|
|
61.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of sales
|
|
|
225,706
|
|
|
|
63.5
|
|
|
|
242,080
|
|
|
|
67.3
|
|
|
|
213,885
|
|
|
|
63.8
|
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
90,080
|
|
|
|
25.4
|
|
|
|
86,481
|
|
|
|
24.0
|
|
|
|
81,426
|
|
|
|
24.3
|
|
Research and development expenses
|
|
|
20,970
|
|
|
|
5.9
|
|
|
|
18,947
|
|
|
|
5.3
|
|
|
|
20,110
|
|
|
|
6.0
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill and related charges
|
|
|
384
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
|
|
5.5
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Acquisition-related items
|
|
|
563
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
7,206
|
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss)
|
|
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
4.9
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
(4.1
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
|
|
5.9
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
498
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
207
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
2,430
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(1,904
|
)
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
|
|
(2,181
|
)
|
|
|
(0.6
|
)
|
|
|
(1,679
|
)
|
|
|
(0.5
|
)
|
Foreign exchange (loss) gain, net
|
|
|
(192
|
)
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
(808
|
)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
|
|
(586
|
)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
15,924
|
|
|
|
4.5
|
|
|
|
(17,415
|
)
|
|
|
(4.8
|
)
|
|
|
19,789
|
|
|
|
5.9
|
|
Income tax (expense) benefit
|
|
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
(0.5
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
(13,149
|
)
|
|
|
(3.7
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
6.1
|
|
Loss from discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(6,916
|
)
|
|
|
(1.9
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
(5.6
|
)%
|
|
$
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
6.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years
ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
Net sales of $355.2 million in 2010 were just slightly
below net sales in 2009. LXEs net sales in 2010 were
$31.8 million higher than in 2009, an increase of 29.0%,
mainly due to higher product shipments in the Americas market.
LXEs product sales were also higher, but to a lesser
extent, in the International market, and from a new source of
revenue from direct sales to OEMs. The increase in net sales at
Global Tracking was primarily a result of the timing of the
acquisition of our asset-tracking product line February 2009 and
additional airtime revenues. Net sales were lower at D&S
mainly due to the conclusion of work performed on a significant
military communications research project in the fourth quarter
of 2009, and therefore not included in the 2010 results. Net
sales were lower at Aviation primarily due to a lower volume of
shipments of connectivity products and Inmarsat high-speed-data
and antenna products reflecting the slow-down in the Aviation
commercial business since the third quarter of 2009.
Product net sales of $297.4 million in 2010 were 5.8%
higher than in 2009. Product net sales were higher in 2010
mainly due to a higher volume of terminals shipped by LXE
partially offset by the lower product net sales at Aviation.
Aviations product net sales were lower due to a lower
volume of shipments of our connectivity products and Inmarsat
high-speed-data and antenna products to commercial markets.
Service net sales of $57.9 million in 2010 were 26.6% lower
than service net sales in 2009 mainly due to the conclusion
36 of 107
of significant work performed on a military communications
research project by D&S. As a result, product net sales
comprised a higher percentage of total net sales in 2010
compared with 2009.
Overall cost of sales as a percentage of consolidated net sales
was lower in 2010 compared with 2009 due to lower
cost-of-sales
percentages reported by three of our four reportable operating
segments, and a higher percentage of net sales generated from
our LXE and Global Tracking segments which have lower
cost-of-sales
percentages than our other two segments. Product cost of sales
and service cost of sales as a percentage of their respective
net sales were lower in 2010 compared with 2009. Product cost of
sales was lower in three of our four segments mainly due to cost
reduction efforts targeted at reducing certain product costs at
Global Tracking, a higher production volume at LXE, a more
favorable product mix, and improved program execution at
D&S. The lower service
cost-of-sales
percentage was mainly due to a lower proportion of service
revenues generated from our D&S segment, which has a higher
service
cost-of-sales
percentage than our other three reportable operating segments.
Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of
consolidated net sales increased in 2010 compared with 2009.
Actual expenses were $3.6 million higher in 2010 compared
with the same period in 2009 mainly due to additional marketing
and selling costs related to the higher sales at LXE, which has
a higher commission structure than our other operating segments,
additional costs related to the acquired product lines that were
included for a full year in 2010, the net unfavorable effect of
changes in foreign currency exchange rates on our international
operations, and higher incentive compensation costs due to the
improved performance of the Company in 2010 compared with 2009.
These higher costs were partially offset by managements
cost reduction efforts mainly at our Aviation and D&S
segments, and a $0.9 million decrease in severance charges
in 2010. SG&A costs could increase in 2011 due to potential
costs associated with a recent announcement by one of our
shareholders that it intends to nominate four directors to the
EMS Board.
Research and development expenses were $2.0 million higher
in 2010 than in 2009 mainly for the development of new product
offerings, as well as certain product enhancements. A higher
proportion of these expenditures were recoverable in 2010
compared with the same period in 2009 from the Canadian
government and certain commercial contracts which partially
offset the higher research and development expenditures. The
unfavorable effects of changes in foreign currency exchange
rates on our Canadian operations also contributed to the higher
expenses in 2010.
Acquisition-related items of $0.6 million in 2010 were
primarily for professional fees related to acquired research and
development tax credits and an adjustment in the earn-out
liability for changes in payments to be made for one of the
acquisitions completed in the first quarter of 2009.
Acquisition-related charges were $7.2 million in 2009.
These costs were primarily related to professional fees for
legal, due-diligence, valuation, and integration services for
the acquisition of our Formation and Satamatics businesses (see
Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements in this
Annual Report for additional information on these business
combinations).
Interest expense was $0.3 million lower in 2010 than in
2009 mainly due to lower average outstanding borrowings under
our revolving credit facility in 2010.
Our foreign exchange net loss was $0.6 million lower in
2010 than in 2009. These net losses were from the conversion of
assets and liabilities not denominated in the functional
currency and changes in the fair value of forward contracts used
to hedge against currency exposure.
We recognized income tax expense of $1.9 million 2010 equal
to 12% of earnings from continuing operations before income
taxes. The Companys effective income tax rate is generally
less than the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal
income tax rate of 34% due to a portion of earnings being earned
in Canada, where the Companys effective rate is much lower
than the rate in the U.S. due to research-related tax
benefits. In the year ended December 31, 2010, the rate was
higher than it otherwise would have been since tax benefits for
certain loss jurisdictions have not been recognized. We
recognized an income tax benefit of $4.3 million for
continuing operations in 2009. Earnings were generated in
Canada, where we have a much lower effective rate than in the
U.S. or other locations due to research-related tax
benefits. Other jurisdictions incurred losses, which generated a
tax benefit. In addition we recognized a change in estimate of
$1.9 million for prior-year
37 of 107
research and development credits in the U.S. after
completion of an Internal Revenue Service examination. No tax
benefit was recognized for the loss on impairment of goodwill in
2009.
Years
ended December 31, 2009 and 2008:
Net sales increased by 7.4% to $360.0 million from
$335.0 million in 2009 compared with 2008, reflecting
growth in net sales from three of our four reportable operating
segments, Aviation, D&S and Global Tracking, with increases
of 33.6%, 19.5% and 77.0%, respectively. Net sales were higher
in our Aviation and Global Tracking segments as a result of our
air-to-ground
and asset tracking product lines acquired in 2009. Net sales
from Aviations organic product lines in 2009 were lower
than 2008, and 2009 included no revenue from the Inmarsat
development project that was concluded in 2008. D&Ss
net sales were higher in 2009 mainly due to significant work
performed on a military communications research project and
increased activity on both military and commercial programs.
LXEs net sales in 2009 were $36.4 million lower than
the same period in 2009, a decrease of 25.0%, with a decrease in
net sales in both the Americas and International markets, both
impacted by the global economic recession in 2009.
Product net sales increased by 2.9% to $281.2 million in
2009 compared with 2008. This was primarily due to the product
net sales generated from our recently acquired product lines and
increased activity on both defense and commercial programs,
including significant work to supply phase-shifter products for
a military program, and antennas for systems that provide
connectivity to the internet, live television programs and
cellular services on-board commercial aircraft. These increases
were partially offset by a lower number of terminals shipped by
LXE in both the International and Americas markets and lower
sales of high-speed-data aeronautical products from the organic
product lines by Aviation. Service net sales increased by 27.6%
to $78.8 million in 2009 as compared with the same period
in 2008, mainly due to significant work performed on a military
communications research project by D&S, and the service
revenue generated from our newly acquired product lines at
Aviation and Global Tracking. As a result, service net sales
comprised a higher percentage of total net sales in 2009 as
compared with 2008.
Overall cost of sales as a percentage of consolidated net sales
was higher in 2009 compared with 2008 due to higher
cost-of-sales
percentages reported by three of our four reportable operating
segments. Product cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was
higher in 2009 compared with 2008. The increase in product cost
of sales as a percentage of net sales was mainly due to the
acquisition of our new product lines in 2009 at Aviation and
Global Tracking, which had higher
cost-of-sales
percentages than most of our organic product lines, primarily
due to the amortization of intangible assets. Another factor
contributing to the higher product-cost-of sales percentage in
2009 was a higher percentage of net sales generated by our
D&S segment, which has a higher
cost-of-sales
percentage than our other three reportable operating segments.
LXE also contributed to the higher product
cost-of-sales
percentage with the lower production volume over which fixed
costs were absorbed. 2009 also had an unfavorable effect of
changes in foreign currency exchange rates and additional
severance costs of $1.8 million. The additional severance
costs recorded in 2009 were for a reduction in workforce across
all divisions to realign the staffing needs of the businesses
with the economic conditions at that time. Service cost of sales
as a percentage of net sales was lower in 2009 compared with
2008. The decrease in the service
cost-of-sales
percentage was mainly due to an increase in service revenue from
our asset tracking product line acquired at Global Tracking
which had a lower
cost-of-sales
percentage than our other three operating segments. Service cost
of sales as a percentage of net sales was also lower in 2009
compared with 2008 due to lower volume of repairs experienced
under existing maintenance contracts at our D&S and LXE
segments in 2009.
Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of
consolidated net sales decreased slightly in 2009 compared with
2008. Actual expenses grew by $5.1 million in 2009 compared
with 2008 mainly due to the additional costs related to the
acquired product lines, including additional amortization of
intangible assets. These additional costs were partially offset
by the impact of managements continued cost reduction
efforts and the favorable effect of changes in foreign currency
exchange rates on our LXE international and Canadian operations.
Research and development expenses were $1.2 million lower
in 2009 than in 2008 mainly due to additional funding received
from the Canadian government under a program to encourage
technology development in
38 of 107
areas such as satellite communications, reduced spending due to
cost control measures, and the completion of certain internal
development programs at Aviation and LXE in 2009. Research and
development expenses were also affected by the favorable effect
of changes in foreign currency exchange rates in 2009. These
decreases in expenses were partially offset by additional
research and development expenses related to our recently
acquired product lines.
An impairment loss on goodwill of $19.9 million was
recorded by our LXE segment in 2009. We completed our annual
evaluation for goodwill impairment in the fourth quarter of 2009
and concluded that the goodwill of our LXE segment might be
impaired since the estimated fair value of the reporting unit
was less than the carrying amount. The amount of the impairment
loss was determined by comparing the carrying amount of the
goodwill for the reporting unit to the implied fair value of the
goodwill determined in accordance with current accounting
standards. While the carrying amount exceeded the estimated fair
value by only $6.0 million, the impairment loss was
measured as $19.9 million. The requirements to determine
the impairment loss stipulate that the estimated fair value of
all assets and liabilities of the reporting unit be determined
similar to the method used in a business combination. The
aggregate fair value of the assets and liabilities, including
those not reflected in the carrying amount, is compared to the
estimated reporting unit fair value with the difference being
implied goodwill. The excess of goodwill on the balance sheet
over this implied goodwill is the impairment loss. For a
reporting unit with unrecognized intangible assets or other
assets whose fair value exceeds the carrying amount, the amount
of the impairment loss will exceed the reporting unit fair value
deficiency since the accounting rules do not allow for a step up
in fair value for these other assets in this process.
Acquisition-related charges of $7.2 million in 2009 were
primarily for professional fees for legal, due-diligence,
valuation, and integration services for the acquisition of our
Formation and Satamatics businesses, as well as increases in the
estimated fair value of the earn-out liability associated with
one of the acquisitions. The fair value increased by
$3.2 million during 2009 primarily related to accretion in
the liability from the acquisition date, changes in the expected
earn-out payments based on the results of 2009, and an agreement
between the Company and the sellers of the acquired entity to
set the 2010 earn-out at a fixed amount, which settled the
contingency.
Interest income was $2.2 million lower in 2009 than in 2008
mainly as a result of lower average investment balances and, to
a lesser extent, lower average interest rates earned on our
investment balances.
Interest expense was $0.5 million higher in 2009 than in
2008 mainly due to borrowings under our revolving credit
facility incurred in the first quarter of 2009 to partially fund
business acquisitions.
Our foreign exchange net loss was $0.2 million higher in
2009 than in 2008. Included in 2009, was a $1.4 million
foreign exchange loss related to the funding of the Satamatics
acquisition, which was required to be paid in British pounds
sterling. The loss resulted from changes in foreign currency
exchange rates from the date we funded the transaction to the
date the acquisition was completed. Partially offsetting this
loss in the period were net gains from the conversion of assets
and liabilities not denominated in the functional currency and
changes in the fair value of forward contracts used to hedge
against currency exposure.
We recognized an income tax benefit of $4.3 million for
continuing operations in 2009. Earnings were generated in
Canada, where we have a much lower effective rate than in the
U.S. or other locations due to research-related tax
benefits. Other jurisdictions incurred losses, which generated a
tax benefit. In addition, we recognized a change in estimate of
$1.9 million for prior-year research and development
credits in the U.S. after completion of an Internal Revenue
Service examination. No tax benefit was recognized for the loss
on impairment of goodwill. Income tax for 2008 was a net benefit
of $0.7 million. A $0.9 million tax benefit was
recognized in 2008 related to revised estimates for research and
development costs qualifying for U.S. Federal tax credits
from prior years. We also recognized a $1.3 million benefit
in 2008 from the reduction of the valuation allowance against
deferred tax assets based upon the expected continuing
profitability of our Canadian business.
39 of 107
Segment
Analysis
Our net sales,
cost-of-sales
(as a percentage of respective segment net sales), operating
income (loss), and Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended
December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 were as follows for each
of our reportable operating segments (in thousands, except
percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Percentage
|
|
|
|
Years Ended
|
|
|
Increase (Decrease)
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2010 vs 2009
|
|
|
2009 vs 2008
|
|
|
Net sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
106,787
|
|
|
|
123,909
|
|
|
|
92,724
|
|
|
|
(13.8
|
)%
|
|
|
33.6
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
67,906
|
|
|
|
91,579
|
|
|
|
76,643
|
|
|
|
(25.8
|
)
|
|
|
19.5
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
141,217
|
|
|
|
109,441
|
|
|
|
145,885
|
|
|
|
29.0
|
|
|
|
(25.0
|
)
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
40,676
|
|
|
|
35,043
|
|
|
|
19,793
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less intercompany sales
|
|
|
(1,361
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
(1.3
|
)
|
|
|
7.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of sales percentage:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
|
64.3
|
%
|
|
|
63.0
|
|
|
|
54.9
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
8.1
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
75.3
|
|
|
|
80.1
|
|
|
|
77.0
|
|
|
|
(4.8
|
)
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
59.7
|
|
|
|
63.6
|
|
|
|
60.3
|
|
|
|
(3.9
|
)
|
|
|
3.3
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
49.4
|
|
|
|
59.6
|
|
|
|
76.2
|
|
|
|
(10.2
|
)
|
|
|
(16.6
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
63.5
|
|
|
|
67.2
|
|
|
|
63.8
|
|
|
|
(3.7
|
)
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
6,299
|
|
|
|
10,959
|
|
|
|
15,315
|
|
|
|
(42.5
|
)
|
|
|
(28.4
|
)
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
6,092
|
|
|
|
7,314
|
|
|
|
6,381
|
|
|
|
(16.7
|
)
|
|
|
14.6
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
7,522
|
|
|
|
(26,531
|
)
|
|
|
2,861
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
1,540
|
|
|
|
424
|
|
|
|
(1,128
|
)
|
|
|
263.2
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(3,931
|
)
|
|
|
(6,799
|
)
|
|
|
(3,805
|
)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted
EBITDA(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
14,254
|
|
|
|
20,166
|
|
|
|
19,918
|
|
|
|
(29.3
|
)
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
9,521
|
|
|
|
10,905
|
|
|
|
9,641
|
|
|
|
(12.7
|
)
|
|
|
13.1
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
11,339
|
|
|
|
(3,184
|
)
|
|
|
6,950
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
(145.8
|
)
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
5,323
|
|
|
|
4,324
|
|
|
|
(647
|
)
|
|
|
23.1
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(160
|
)
|
|
|
3,480
|
|
|
|
443
|
|
|
|
(104.6
|
)
|
|
|
685.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
40,277
|
|
|
|
35,691
|
|
|
|
36,305
|
|
|
|
12.8
|
|
|
|
(1.7
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not defined with
generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in
the United States. See section entitled Adjusted
EBITDA for an explanation of this measure and a
reconciliation to net earnings.
|
|
(2)
|
The percentage change is not calculable or not meaningful.
|
Aviation: Net sales were $17.1 million
lower in 2010 compared with 2009 mainly due to a lower volume of
shipments of Aviations
air-to-ground
connectivity products. Shipments were lower for Aviations
air-to-ground
connectivity products into the air transport market due to
delays in customer orders resulting from changes in the
airlines rollout schedule of connectivity, and to a
transition to a new buying pattern by our customer to
40 of 107
acquire inventory as needed to meet scheduled installations
instead of maintaining a stock of inventory on-hand. Another
contributing factor to the lower net sales in 2010 was a lower
volume of shipments of Aviations Inmarsat high-speed-data
terminal and antenna products reflecting the slow-down in the
Aviation commercial business beginning in the third quarter of
2009. Net sales were $31.2 million higher in 2009 compared
with 2008. The increase was mainly due to the sales generated
from our
air-to-ground
aero-connectivity product line acquired in 2009, which
contributed $41.3 million of additional net sales in that
year. This increase in net sales was partially offset by lower
net sales of high-speed-data aeronautical products into the
military and air transport markets in 2009 compared with 2008.
Net sales from the business jet market were also lower in 2009
compared with 2008. Sales of new corporate aircraft declined in
2009 due to general economic conditions and a high level of
inventory of used aircraft. Positive customer acceptance of new
equipment offerings in 2009 helped to fuel sales of
SwiftBroadband products. Revenues for 2008 included the
development of the Inmarsat global satellite/GSM phone, which
was concluded in 2008 and, therefore, had no effect on the
results of 2009.
Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was higher in 2010
compared with 2009 mainly due to a higher concentration of
revenues generated from engineering services in 2010, which has
a lower
cost-of-sales
percentage than Aviations other service offerings.
Aviations product
cost-of-sales
percentage remained relatively unchanged in 2010 compared with
2009. A more favorable product mix offset the impact of lower
production volumes, the negative impact of a net increase in
estimated costs on long-term production and development
projects, and the unfavorable effects of changes in foreign
currency exchange rates that affected our reported international
costs in 2010 compared with 2009. The cost of sales as a
percentage of net sales was higher in 2009 compared with 2008
mainly due to a less favorable product mix and higher
amortization costs of intangible assets from our new product
line acquired in 2009.
Operating income was lower by $4.7 million in 2010 compared
with 2009. The lower operating income was mainly due to a lower
margin contribution from the decrease in net sales generated in
2010. The lower operating income was also lower due to a less
favorable
cost-of-sales
percentage, and higher research and development expenses in
2010, partially offset by lower selling, general and
administrative expenses. These lower selling, general and
administrative expenses were mainly a result of staff reductions
made in the second quarter of 2010, and from certain cost
centers that supported the Aviation segment in 2009 that began
supporting Global Tracking in 2010. The higher research and
development expenses were primarily a result of additional
spending on the development of new satellite connectivity
products, and modifications to existing products to expand our
current product offerings into other avionics platforms.
Selling, general and administrative expenses and research and
development expense were also impacted by the unfavorable
effects of foreign currency exchange rates in 2010. Operating
income was $4.4 million lower in 2009 as compared with
2008. This was primarily as a result of higher selling, general
and administrative expenses, additional intangible asset
amortization costs from our new product line, and severance
charges of approximately $0.7 million in 2009, which offset
the higher margin contribution from an increase in net sales
generated, and the favorable effects of foreign currency
exchange rates in 2009. Operating income as a percentage of net
sales was 5.9%, 8.8% and 16.5% in 2010, 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA of $14.3 million in 2010 was
$5.9 million lower than 2009 primarily due to lower
operating income contributed by our
air-to-ground
connectivity products and a $1.0 million unfavorable change
in foreign currency gains and losses in 2010 compared with 2009.
Adjusted EBITDA of $20.2 million in 2009 was
$0.2 million higher than 2008 mainly due the operating
income contributed by our
air-to-ground
connectivity product line acquired in 2009, and a
$1.2 million favorable change in foreign currency gains and
losses
year-over-year.
These increases in Adjusted EBITDA in 2009 were partially offset
by lower operating income contributed by Aviations organic
product line reflecting the slow-down in the Aviation market in
2009 compared with 2008.
Defense & Space: Net sales were
$23.7 million lower in 2010 than 2009 and were
$14.9 million higher in 2009 compared with 2008. The work
performed on a large military satellite communications research
project was an individually significant contributor to the net
sales increase in 2009 but the work was completed in the fourth
quarter of 2009 and did not contribute to net sales in 2010. As
a result, D&S reduced capacity through an operational
transition and workforce reduction in the fourth quarter of 2009
resulting in a lower cost-
41 of 107
structure for its business for 2010. In comparing 2009 to 2008
more work was performed on both defense and commercial programs,
including significant work to supply phase-shifter products for
a military program, and antennas for systems that provide
connectivity to the internet, live television programs and
cellular services on-board commercial aircraft. Order backlog of
long-term development and production contracts was
$73.1 million at December 31, 2010, a decrease of
$16.5 million from December 31, 2009. Orders slowed
during 2010 mainly as a result of delays in customer funding.
The delay in customer orders and a less favorable contract mix
in the near-term is expected to cause operating profit to be
significantly lower for D&S in 2011 as compared with 2010.
Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was lower in 2010
compared with 2009. The lower
cost-of-sale
percentage was mainly due to a net decrease in estimated costs
to complete long-term development and production programs
resulting from improved program execution, and production
efficiencies gained on certain projects, and lower severance
charges by approximately $1.3 million in 2010 compared with
2009. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was higher in
2009 as compared with 2008 mainly due to an unfavorable mix of
contracts and an increase in costs from a higher volume of
subcontracted projects utilized to meet scheduling demands for
certain military programs. Cost of sales as a percentage of net
sales was also higher in 2009 as compared with 2008 due to
unfavorable contract performance experienced on certain programs
in 2009.
Operating income was lower by $1.2 million in 2010 as
compared with 2009. The lower operating income was mainly due to
the decrease in net sales generated in 2010 and higher research
and development expenses. These effects were partially offset by
lower selling, general and administrative expenses from
managements cost reduction efforts initiated in 2009 to
realign D&Ss cost structure with the expected needs
of its business. Operating income improved by $0.9 million
in 2009 as compared with 2008. Operating income improved mainly
due to the increase in net sales generated in 2009, and lower
selling, general and administrative expenses. These effects were
partially offset by additional severance charges of
approximately $1.6 million in 2009. The lower selling,
general and administrative costs were mainly a result of a lower
cost structure resulting from workforce reductions that occurred
in 2009. Research and development expenses were higher by
$0.3 million in both 2010 and 2009 compared with the
previous year due to increased efforts to expand our product
offerings. Our R&D efforts included development toward new
antenna products, advanced technology to improve tracking and
stabilization for satcom and data links antennas, and core
elements for next generation RADAR systems, among several other
research and development efforts. We believe the investments in
these products and technologies will enable D&S to provide
next generation
off-the-shelf
products and product building blocks for antenna systems and
volume manufacturing capabilities. Operating income as a
percentage of net sales was 9.0% in 2010, 8.0% in 2009 and 8.3%
in 2008.
Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $1.4 million in 2010 as
compared with 2009 mainly due to a decrease in operating income
in 2010. Adjusted EBITDA increased by $1.3 million in 2009
as compared with the previous year mainly due to an increase in
operating income in 2009.
LXE: Net sales were $141.2 million in
2010, the second highest level of annual net sales ever reported
by LXE. Net sales increased by $31.8 million, or 29.0%, in
2010 compared with 2009, mainly due to an increase in net sales
in the Americas market, reflecting a recovery in the overall
market in 2010. Net sales were also higher in 2010 in the
International market. The increase in net sales in the Americas
market resulted primarily from a higher volume of terminals
shipped in that market, in response to a higher demand for
rugged handheld computer products. The increase in net sales in
the International market was mainly due to a higher volume of
terminals shipped in that market partially offset by an
unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates
on the reported net sales. Sales generated from handheld
computer products introduced in the fourth quarter of 2009 to
the OEM market gained acceptance in certain service industries
in 2010 and represented $9.7 million, or 6.9%, of net sales
in 2010. Net sales in 2009 were $36.4 million lower, a
decline of 25.0%, compared with 2008, reflecting the impact of
the slowdown in the global economy. Net sales were lower in both
the International and Americas markets in 2009 primarily from a
lower number of terminals shipped in both markets. Net sales
were unfavorably impacted in 2009 compared with 2008 by the
foreign currency translation effect on the reported net sales
for LXEs International market.
42 of 107
Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was lower in 2010
compared with 2009 mainly due to managements cost
reduction efforts, and a higher production volume over which
fixed costs were absorbed. Another factor affecting the cost of
sales as a percentage of net sales in 2010 was a
$1.3 million reduction in cost of sales for purchased items
previously included in accounts payable that were determined to
no longer be liabilities. The effects of these reductions in
cost of sales as a percentage of net sales were partially offset
by an unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange
rates that affected our reported International net sales in
2010. Revenues are generally denominated in the local functional
currency but product costs are denominated in the
U.S. dollar, which was stronger relative to the foreign
currencies in 2010 compared with 2009. Cost of sales as a
percentage of net sales was higher in 2009 compared with 2008,
mainly due to lower production volume over which fixed costs
were absorbed, a higher percentage of net sales generated from
indirect channels which have a higher
cost-of-sales
percentage than net sales generated from direct sales channels,
and an unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency
exchange rates that affected our reported International net
sales.
LXE generated operating income of $7.5 million in 2010, an
operating loss of $26.5 million in 2009, and operating
income of $2.9 million in 2008. In 2009, LXE recorded an
impairment loss on goodwill that reduced its operating income in
that year by $19.9 million which explains the majority of
the improvement in operating income in 2010. The remaining
improvement in operating income was primarily a result of the
higher margin contributed by the increase in net sales and the
more favorable
cost-of-sales
percentage. In addition, foreign currency exchange rates
resulted in lower reported costs in 2010 compared with 2009 and
severance charges were $1.3 million higher in 2009 than
2010. Partially offsetting these favorable effects in 2010 were
higher research and development expenses reflecting the
development of three new products to be released in 2011, higher
commissions and other selling expenses as a result of the higher
net sales, and additional marketing expenses in preparation for
the roll-out of these new products. The goodwill impairment
charge in 2009 accounts for the majority of the drop in
operating income in 2009 compared with 2008. Other significant
factors contributing to the less favorable performance were the
lower net sales recorded in 2009 and a less favorable
cost-of-sales
percentage. These impacts were partially offset by lower
selling, general and administrative expenses and lower research
and development expenses. Selling, general and administrative
expenses and research and development expenses were lower in
2009 by $8.6 million as compared with the same periods in
2008 reflecting the impact of managements efforts to
control spending. Lower selling, general and administrative
expenses were primarily a result of staff reductions to realign
LXEs cost structure with the expected needs of its
business, and the favorable effect of changes in foreign
currency exchange rates on reported costs, partially offset by
higher severance expenses. Lower research and development
expenses were mainly a result of controlled spending through
headcount reductions, redeploying development efforts offshore
and the completion of certain internal development programs in
2009. Operating income as a percentage of net sales was 5.3%, a
negative 24.2% and 2.0% in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA increased in 2010 by $14.5 million compared
to 2009 and decreased in 2009 by $10.1 million compared
with 2008. The fluctuations were consistent with the
fluctuations in operating income.
Global Tracking: Net sales were
$5.6 million higher in 2010 compared with 2009 mainly due
to the timing of the acquisition of, and higher airtime revenue
generated from, our new tracking product line (acquired on
February 13, 2009), which contributed $4.1 million of
additional net sales in 2010 compared to 2009. The increase in
airtime revenue in 2010 was a result of a higher number of
terminals in use by customers, and a more favorable mix of
airtime contracts reflecting the migration of existing customers
to current network platforms which yield higher airtime rates,
and higher average airtime usage from new customers. As a
result, the average revenue generated per terminal by the new
asset-tracking product line has grown in 2010 compared with
2009. Net sales also included a higher concentration of product
shipments to the security market in 2010 compared with 2009,
reflecting growth in that market. Net sales were
$15.3 million higher in 2009 compared with 2008 mainly due
to the net sales generated by our asset-tracking product line
acquired in 2009, which contributed $18.9 of net sales during
that year. This increase in net sales in 2009 was partially
offset by lower revenues generated from emergency management
projects due to the completion of two significant projects in
2008 that triggered revenue recognition in that period.
43 of 107
Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was lower in both
2010 and 2009 compared with the previous year. In 2010, the
cost-of-sales
percentage included a more favorable product mix, the effects of
managements efforts to lower costs on certain hardware
products targeted for improvement, and a higher proportion of
airtime revenue, which has a lower
cost-of-sales
percentage than product net sales. The
cost-of-sales
percentage was also affected by lower intangible asset
amortization expense in 2010. Cost of sales as a percentage of
net sales was lower in 2009 compared with 2008 primarily due to
a more favorable product mix in 2009 from the acquisition of our
asset-tracking product line in that period.
Operating income was higher by $1.1 million and
$1.6 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively, compared with
the previous year primarily as a result of the higher gross
margin contributed from higher net sales and the lower
cost-of-sales
percentage, partially offset by higher selling, general and
administrative and research and development expenses. The higher
selling, general and administrative costs in 2010 compared with
2009 were mainly from certain cost centers that supported the
Aviation segment in 2009 that began supporting Global Tracking
in 2010, and the timing of the acquisition of our new line of
business in the first quarter of 2009; the costs related to the
newly acquired business were included in the operating results
of our Global Tracking segment in 2009 from the date of
acquisition, but were included in the full year for 2010. The
higher selling, general and administrative costs in 2009
compared with 2008 resulted from the acquisition of our new
asset tracking product business in 2009, including additional
intangible asset amortization costs for that business. Research
and development expenses were higher in 2010 and 2009 compared
with 2009 and 2008, respectively, due to increased efforts on
development projects for next generation products. Operating
income as a percentage of net sales was 3.8%, 1.2% and a
negative 5.7% in 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA increased by $1.0 million, and
$5.0 million in 2010, and 2009, respectively, compared with
the previous year primarily due to an increase in earnings in
both 2010 and 2009 contributed by our asset tracking business
acquired in 2009. The improvement in Adjusted EBITDA in 2009
compared to 2008 was more than the improvement in operating
income since 2009 included amortization of intangible assets
from the acquisition of our new asset tracking business in 2009.
Supplemental
Information
In February 2011, we formed EMS Global Resource Management,
which is a combination of the LXE and Global Tracking segments.
We also have begun the alignment of Aviation and D&S as the
AeroConnectivity group. We have included the net sales,
cost-of-sales
(as a percentage of respective market net sales), operating
44 of 107
income and Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31,
2010, 2009 and 2008 for these groups as follows (in thousands,
except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Net sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
106,787
|
|
|
|
123,909
|
|
|
|
92,724
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
67,906
|
|
|
|
91,579
|
|
|
|
76,643
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AeroConnectivity
|
|
|
174,693
|
|
|
|
215,488
|
|
|
|
169,367
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
141,217
|
|
|
|
109,441
|
|
|
|
145,885
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
39,315
|
|
|
|
35,043
|
|
|
|
19,793
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Global Resource Management
|
|
|
180,532
|
|
|
|
144,484
|
|
|
|
165,678
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of sales percentage:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
|
64.3
|
%
|
|
|
63.0
|
|
|
|
54.9
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
75.3
|
|
|
|
80.1
|
|
|
|
77.0
|
|
AeroConnectivity
|
|
|
68.6
|
|
|
|
70.3
|
|
|
|
64.9
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
59.7
|
|
|
|
63.6
|
|
|
|
60.3
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
49.4
|
|
|
|
59.6
|
|
|
|
76.2
|
|
Global Resource Management
|
|
|
57.4
|
|
|
|
62.6
|
|
|
|
62.2
|
|
Total
|
|
|
63.5
|
|
|
|
67.2
|
|
|
|
63.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Operating income (loss):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
6,299
|
|
|
|
10,959
|
|
|
|
15,315
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
6,092
|
|
|
|
7,314
|
|
|
|
6,381
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AeroConnectivity
|
|
|
12,391
|
|
|
|
18,273
|
|
|
|
21,696
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
7,522
|
|
|
|
(26,531
|
)
|
|
|
2,861
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
1,540
|
|
|
|
424
|
|
|
|
(1,128
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Global Resource Management
|
|
|
9,062
|
|
|
|
(26,107
|
)
|
|
|
1,733
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(3,931
|
)
|
|
|
(6,799
|
)
|
|
|
(3,805
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
14,254
|
|
|
|
20,166
|
|
|
|
19,918
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
9,521
|
|
|
|
10,905
|
|
|
|
9,641
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AeroConnectivity
|
|
|
23,775
|
|
|
|
31,071
|
|
|
|
29,559
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
11,339
|
|
|
|
(3,184
|
)
|
|
|
6,950
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
5,323
|
|
|
|
4,324
|
|
|
|
(647
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Global Resource Management
|
|
|
16,662
|
|
|
|
1,140
|
|
|
|
6,303
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(160
|
)
|
|
|
3,480
|
|
|
|
443
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
40,277
|
|
|
|
35,691
|
|
|
|
36,305
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45 of 107
Adjusted
EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure)
In addition to traditional financial measures determined in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
(GAAP), we also measure our performance based on the
non-GAAP financial measure of earnings before interest expense,
income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and before
discontinued operations, impairment loss on goodwill and related
charges, stock-based compensation, acquisition-related items and
acquisition-related foreign exchange adjustment (Adjusted
EBITDA). The following table is a reconciliation of net
earnings (loss) (which is the most directly comparable GAAP
operating performance measure) and earnings (loss) from
continuing operations before income taxes by segment to Adjusted
EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and
2008 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Global
|
|
|
Corp &
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
|
D&S
|
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
Tracking
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,065
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,859
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
$
|
5,849
|
|
|
|
6,100
|
|
|
|
7,762
|
|
|
|
1,596
|
|
|
|
(5,383
|
)
|
|
|
15,924
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
1,897
|
|
|
|
1,904
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
8,138
|
|
|
|
3,195
|
|
|
|
3,320
|
|
|
|
3,651
|
|
|
|
1,241
|
|
|
|
19,545
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill and related charges
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
384
|
|
|
|
384
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
263
|
|
|
|
226
|
|
|
|
257
|
|
|
|
73
|
|
|
|
1,138
|
|
|
|
1,957
|
|
Acquisition-related items
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
563
|
|
|
|
563
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
$
|
14,254
|
|
|
|
9,521
|
|
|
|
11,339
|
|
|
|
5,323
|
|
|
|
(160
|
)
|
|
$
|
40,277
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(20,065
|
)
|
Loss from discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,916
|
|
Income tax benefit from continuing operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(4,266
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
$
|
11,383
|
|
|
|
7,315
|
|
|
|
(26,708
|
)
|
|
|
758
|
|
|
|
(10,163
|
)
|
|
|
(17,415
|
)
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
93
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2,020
|
|
|
|
2,181
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
8,577
|
|
|
|
3,367
|
|
|
|
3,345
|
|
|
|
3,540
|
|
|
|
1,160
|
|
|
|
19,989
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
138
|
|
|
|
223
|
|
|
|
195
|
|
|
|
26
|
|
|
|
1,887
|
|
|
|
2,469
|
|
Acquisition-related items
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
7,206
|
|
|
|
7,206
|
|
Acquisition-related foreign exchange adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,370
|
|
|
|
1,370
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
$
|
20,166
|
|
|
|
10,905
|
|
|
|
(3,184
|
)
|
|
|
4,324
|
|
|
|
3,480
|
|
|
$
|
35,691
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
20,471
|
|
Income tax benefit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(682
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) before income taxes
|
|
$
|
15,098
|
|
|
|
6,347
|
|
|
|
2,955
|
|
|
|
(1,127
|
)
|
|
|
(3,484
|
)
|
|
|
19,789
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
62
|
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
|
406
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,171
|
|
|
|
1,679
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
4,609
|
|
|
|
3,023
|
|
|
|
3,363
|
|
|
|
480
|
|
|
|
1,023
|
|
|
|
12,498
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
149
|
|
|
|
231
|
|
|
|
226
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,733
|
|
|
|
2,339
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
$
|
19,918
|
|
|
|
9,641
|
|
|
|
6,950
|
|
|
|
(647
|
)
|
|
|
443
|
|
|
$
|
36,305
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46 of 107
We believe that earnings that are based on this non-GAAP
financial measure provide useful information to investors,
lenders and financial analysts because (i) this measure is
more comparable with the results for prior fiscal periods, and
(ii) by excluding the potential volatility related to the
timing and extent of nonoperating activities, such as
acquisitions or revisions of the estimated value of post-closing
earn-outs, such results provide a useful means of evaluating the
success of our ongoing operating activities. Also, we use this
information, together with other appropriate metrics, to set
goals for and measure the performance of our operating
businesses, and to assess our compliance with debt covenants.
Management further considers Adjusted EBITDA an important
indicator of operational strengths and performance of our
businesses. EBITDA measures are used historically by investors,
lenders and financial analysts to estimate the value of a
company, to make informed investment decisions and to evaluate
performance. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA
facilitates comparisons of our results of operations with those
of companies having different capital structures. In addition, a
measure similar to Adjusted EBITDA is a component of our bank
lending agreement, which requires certain levels of Adjusted
EBITDA to be achieved. This information should not be considered
in isolation or in lieu of our operating and other financial
information determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition,
because EBITDA and adjustments to EBITDA are not determined
consistently by all entities, Adjusted EBITDA as presented may
not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other
companies.
Discontinued
Operations:
In 2010 and 2008, discontinued operations had no effect on our
net earnings. Our discontinued operations reported a loss before
income taxes of $10.9 million in 2009. The loss was mainly
a result of a $9.2 million liability recorded in 2009 for
costs awarded for warranty claims under the provisions of the
sales agreement of our former EMS Wireless division, and for
legal costs associated with the defense of these claims.
Prior to 2008, we disposed of our S&T/Montreal, SatNet, and
EMS Wireless divisions. The sales agreements for each of these
disposals contained standard indemnification provisions for
various contingencies that could not be resolved before the
dates of closing and for various representations and warranties
provided by us and the purchasers. The purchaser of EMS Wireless
asserted claims under such representations and warranties. The
parties agreed to arbitration, which commenced in the third
quarter of 2009. In March of 2010, we received an interim
decision from the arbitrator on these claims awarding the
purchaser a total of approximately $9.2 million under the
warranty provisions of the purchase agreement. As a result, we
accrued a liability for the awarded costs in discontinued
operations in the fourth quarter of 2009. On April 30,
2010, the arbitrator issued the final decision awarding the
purchaser of our former EMS Wireless division $8.6 million.
Based on this final award, we reduced our estimated liability by
$0.6 million in 2010. This favorable adjustment in
discontinued operations in 2010 was offset by additional charges
related to estimated contingent liabilities associated with
other divisions disposed of prior to 2008.
We had an agreement with the purchaser of the former
S&T/Montreal division to acquire a license for
$8 million in payments over a seven-year period, beginning
in December 2008, for the rights to a certain satellite
territory. We had a corresponding sublicense agreement that
granted the territory rights back to the purchaser, under which
we were to receive a portion of the satellite service revenues
from the specific market territory over the same period. The
purchaser had previously guaranteed that the revenues derived
under the sublicense would equal or exceed the acquisition cost
of the license. As part of the agreement to sell the net assets
of S&T/Montreal, we released the purchaser from this
guarantee. Without the guarantee, we estimated that our portion
of the satellite service revenues would be less than the
acquisition cost, and we had accordingly reflected a liability
for the net cost in our consolidated balance sheet. In the
fourth quarter 2010, we finalized a settlement under these
agreements for $3.8 million. The settlement of these
agreements also eliminated our existing contractual requirement
to warrant approximately $3 million of specified in-orbit
failures of the Radarsat-2 payload.
Prior to 2008, we completed the sale of our former SatNet
division. The asset purchase agreement (APA)
provided for the payment of $2.3 million of the aggregate
consideration in an interest-bearing note to be repaid over a
three-year period beginning in May 2007. As of December 31,
2010, approximately $1.1 million of this
47 of 107
note receivable, excluding accrued interest, remained unpaid.
The purchaser has indicated that it believes it has claims that
offset the unpaid balance. We do not believe that these claims
are valid according to the terms of the APA and have filed an
arbitration demand with the purchaser. We believe that the
purchaser has the ability to pay the remaining balance of this
note receivable, and that the receivable recorded in the
consolidated balance sheet is fully collectible.
Backlog
Backlog is very important for our D&S segment due to the
long delivery cycles for its projects. Many customers of our LXE
segment typically require short delivery cycles. As a result,
LXE usually converts orders into revenues within a few weeks,
and it generally does not build up a significant order backlog
that extends substantially beyond one fiscal quarter except for
annual or multi-year maintenance service agreements. Our
Aviation and Global Tracking businesses have projects with both
short delivery cycles, and delivery cycles that extend beyond
the next twelve months. Our segment backlog as of
December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 was as follows
(in millions):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
38,049
|
|
|
|
49,826
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
73,058
|
|
|
|
89,596
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
29,106
|
|
|
|
22,019
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
15,449
|
|
|
|
16,807
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
155,662
|
|
|
|
178,248
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Included in the backlog of firm orders for our D&S segment
was approximately $4.0 million and $22.5 million of
unfunded orders, mainly for military contracts, as of
December 31, 2010, and December 31, 2009,
respectively. Of the orders in backlog as of December 31,
2010, the following are expected to be filled in 2011:
Aviation 90%; LXE 75%;
D&S 55%; and Global Tracking 75%.
LXEs backlog has grown as its business has expanded and
the industry has experienced supply chain challenges obtaining
certain key components on a timely basis. To address the
shortage of component parts, LXE has increased its critical
parts inventories, and increased its purchase commitments with
certain suppliers to address extended lead-time requirements of
electronic component manufacturers.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
During 2010, cash and cash equivalents increased by
$8.8 million to $55.9 million as of December 31,
2010. Strong cash flow generated from operating activities in
continuing operations of $39.1 million offset payments made
for the contingent consideration agreement related to one of the
acquisitions completed in 2009 ($9.8 million included in
financing activities), $8.6 million for award costs to the
purchaser of our former EMS Wireless division related to claims
made by the purchaser, $3.8 million for the settlement of
satellite territory license agreements related to the sale of
our S&T/Montreal division, and $11.0 million for
purchases of capital equipment. The purchases of capital
equipment in 2010 were mainly to upgrade the enterprise
reporting system at LXE, and to upgrade test equipment at
Aviation used to develop new or enhance existing products. Each
of our four operating segments provided cash from operating
activities in continuing operations in 2010.
Of the $55.9 million of cash as of December 31, 2010,
$53.8 million is held by subsidiaries outside of the
U.S. These undistributed earnings are considered to be
permanently reinvested and are not available for use in the U.S.
During 2009, cash and cash equivalents decreased by
$39.8 million to $47.2 million as of December 31,
2009. The primary factor contributing to the decrease during the
period was cash utilized for our Formation and Satamatics
acquisitions.
48 of 107
Operating activities from continuing operations contributed
$42.3 million in positive cash flows in 2009. Although we
reported a loss from continuing operations of $13.1 million
in 2009, that loss included noncash charges for depreciation and
amortization of $20.0 million and an impairment loss on
goodwill of $19.9 million. We experienced good customer
collections during 2009 and were able to lower inventory levels.
Acquisition-related charges of $3.1 million paid in 2009
are included as reductions of cash provided by operating
activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Discontinued operations used cash of $0.6 million mainly
for legal fees to defend us against claims made by the purchaser
of our EMS Wireless division, net of tax benefits.
During 2009, we used $87.3 million of cash to acquire our
Formation and Satamatics businesses. These acquisitions were
partially funded with approximately $33.8 million of
borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We subsequently
repaid approximately $15.3 million of borrowings under our
revolving credit facility in 2009. We used $13.4 million
for purchases of capital equipment, the expansion of
D&Ss facility, and to upgrade the enterprise
reporting system at LXE in 2009.
During 2008, cash and cash equivalents decreased by
$47.0 million to $87.0 million as of December 31,
2008. The primary uses of cash during the period included
$31.6 million of cash used to acquire our Trux and Sky
Connect businesses, $13.9 million for purchases of capital
equipment and the expansion of D&Ss facility, and
$10.0 million to repurchase common shares under our share
repurchase program.
Continuing operating activities contributed $16.5 million
in positive cash flows in 2008. Net earnings of
$20.5 million and noncash charges, primarily depreciation
and amortization of $12.5 million and stock-based
compensation of $2.3 million, were partially offset by
increases in working capital.
We have a revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of banks.
Under the agreement, we have $60 million total capacity for
borrowing in the U.S. and $15 million total capacity
for borrowing in Canada. The agreement also has a provision
permitting an increase in the total borrowing capacity of up to
an additional $50 million with additional commitments from
the current lenders or from new lenders. The existing lenders
have no obligation to increase their commitments. The credit
agreement provides for borrowings through February 28,
2013, with no principal payments required prior to that date.
The credit agreement is secured by substantially all of our
tangible and intangible assets, with certain exceptions for real
estate that secures existing mortgages, other permitted liens
and for certain assets in foreign countries.
As of December 31, 2010, we had $21.0 million of
borrowings outstanding under this facility. We had
$2.9 million of outstanding letters of credit at
December 31, 2010, and the net total available for
borrowing under our revolving credit facility was
$51.1 million.
We expect that capital expenditures in 2011 will range from
$10 million to $15 million, excluding acquisitions of
businesses. These expenditures will be used to purchase
equipment that increases or enhances capacity and productivity.
Management believes that existing cash and cash equivalent
balances, cash provided from operations, and borrowings
available under our credit agreement will provide sufficient
liquidity to meet the operating and capital expenditure needs
for existing operations during the next twelve months.
Our Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program
for up to $20 million of our common shares. As of
December 31, 2010, we had repurchased approximately 495,000
of our common shares for approximately $10.1 million.
Further repurchases are no longer permitted under the terms of
our credit agreement. There were no repurchases under the
program during 2010.
Cash payments of $13.1 million were made in 2010, and an
additional $0.9 million was paid in the first quarter of
2011, related to an acquisition completed in 2009 based upon the
achievement of performance targets in 2009, and an agreement to
settle the 2010 earn-out amount. Refer to Note 2 of the
consolidated financial statements for additional information on
these acquisitions.
49 of 107
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We have $2.9 million of standby letters of credit
outstanding under our revolving credit facility to satisfy
performance guarantee requirements under certain customer
contracts. While these obligations are not normally called, they
could be called by the beneficiaries at any time before the
expiration date, if we failed to meet certain contractual
requirements. After deducting the outstanding letters of credit,
at December 31, 2010 we had $38.2 million available
for borrowing in the U.S. and $12.9 million available
for borrowing in Canada under the revolving credit facility.
Commitments
and Contractual Obligations
Following is a summary of our material contractual cash
commitments as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments due by period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less than
|
|
|
1-3
|
|
|
4-5
|
|
|
After 5
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1 year
|
|
|
years
|
|
|
years
|
|
|
years
|
|
|
Purchase commitments (1)
|
|
$
|
50,724
|
|
|
|
50,379
|
|
|
|
345
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Long-term debt, excluding capital lease obligations (2)
|
|
|
27,476
|
|
|
|
1,613
|
|
|
|
23,922
|
|
|
|
1,941
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Operating lease obligations
|
|
|
20,942
|
|
|
|
4,639
|
|
|
|
7,307
|
|
|
|
5,181
|
|
|
|
3,815
|
|
Acquisition costs for earn-out provisions
|
|
|
944
|
|
|
|
944
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Uncertain tax positions
|
|
|
3,410
|
|
|
|
3,410
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Deferred compensation agreements
|
|
|
571
|
|
|
|
138
|
|
|
|
84
|
|
|
|
25
|
|
|
|
324
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Purchase commitments primarily represent existing commitments
under purchase orders or contracts to purchase inventory and raw
materials for our products. Most of these purchase orders and
contracts can be terminated for a fee that is either fixed or
based on when termination occurs. |
|
(2) |
|
Excludes interest payments on long-term debt. Future interest
expense is unpredictable and varies depending on the level of
borrowings outstanding, and the timing of repayments, and
therefore has not been included in the above table. Interest
payments in 2010 were approximately $1.7 million. There was
approximately $40,000 of accrued interest as of
December 31, 2010. |
Critical
Accounting Policies
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles, which often require the judgment of management in
the selection and application of certain accounting principles
and methods. We consider the following accounting policies to be
critical to understanding our consolidated financial statements,
because the application of these policies requires significant
judgment on the part of management, and as a result, actual
future developments may be different from those expected at the
time that we make these critical judgments. We have discussed
these critical accounting policies with the Audit Committee.
Revenue
recognition
Revenue recognition for fixed-price, long-term development and
production contracts is a critical accounting policy involving
significant management estimates by D&S, and to a lesser
extent at Aviation and Global Tracking. Long-term development
and production contracts use the ratio of cost-incurred-to-date
to total-estimated-cost-at-completion as the measure of
performance that determines how much revenue should be
recognized each period
(percentage-of-completion
method of accounting).
The determination of total estimated cost relies on estimates of
the cost to complete the contract, with allowances for
identifiable risks and uncertainties. If the estimated costs to
complete the contract are revised
50 of 107
in a future period, the amount of revenue recognized under the
percentage-of-completion
method of accounting in the period of the change is affected by
the revisions. If changes in estimates result in an increase in
the estimated total cost of the contract, but not an overall
loss on the contract, then revenue
recognized-to-date
will be adjusted accordingly based on the application of the
percentage-of-completion
method. If changes in estimates result in the total estimated
cost-at-completion
in excess of total contract value, the entire estimated loss is
immediately recognized. Estimates are frequently reviewed and
updated; however, unforeseen problems can occur to substantially
reduce the future profitability of a contract.
Billings under a long-term development and production contracts
are often subject to the accomplishment of contractual
milestones or specified billing arrangements that are not
directly related to the rate of costs being incurred under a
contract. As a result, revenue recognized under the
percentage-of-completion
method of accounting for any particular period may vary from
billings for the same period. As of December 31, 2010, we
had recognized a cumulative total of $30.6 million in
revenues under
percentage-of-completion
accounting, for which revenues were unbilled as of that date due
to the billing criteria specified in the respective customer
contracts. The amount expected to be billed and collected within
twelve months is included in costs and estimated earnings in
excess of billings on long-term contracts, a current asset, and
the remaining amount is included in other noncurrent assets in
our consolidated balance sheets. We had also recognized
$8.6 million in billings in excess of contract costs and
estimated earnings on long-term contracts, included in current
liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.
Under cost-reimbursement contracts, D&S is reimbursed for
its costs and receives a fixed fee
and/or an
award fee. Net sales under cost-reimbursement contracts are
recorded as costs are incurred and include an estimate of fees
earned under specific contract terms. Costs incurred include
overhead, which is applied at rates approved by the customer.
Fixed fees are earned ratably over the life of a contract as
costs are incurred. Award fees are based upon achievement of
objective criteria for technical product performance or delivery
milestones, although such fees may also be based upon subjective
criteria (for example, the customers qualitative
assessment of our project management). In all cases related to
award fee arrangements, we do not record revenue until the fee
has been earned under the terms of the contract.
We recognize revenue from product-related service contracts and
extended warranties ratably over the life of the contract.
Amounts paid by customers at the inception of the service or
extended warranty period are reflected as deferred revenue with
the portion estimated to be recognized as revenue within the
next twelve months reflected in current liabilities in the
consolidated balance sheets and the remainder reflected in other
noncurrent liabilities. We recognize revenue from repair
services and tracking, voice and data services as services are
rendered. We recognize revenue from contracts for engineering
services using the
percentage-of-completion
method for fixed price contracts, or as costs are incurred for
cost-reimbursment type contracts.
Net sales are typically recognized when units are shipped or
services are performed, unless multiple deliverables are
involved or software is more than incidental to a product as a
whole (mainly experienced at Aviation), in which case we
recognize revenue in accordance with either ASC Subtopic
605-25,
Revenue Recognition-Multiple-Element Arrangements, or ASC
Subtopic
985-605,
Software-Revenue Recognition, as applicable.
In a multiple-element revenue arrangement, we recognize revenue
separately for each separate unit of accounting. To recognize
revenue for an element that has been delivered when other
elements within the arrangement have not been delivered, the
delivered element must be determined to be a separate unit of
accounting. For a delivered item to qualify as a separate unit
of accounting, it must have standalone value apart from the
undelivered item and there must be objective evidence of the
fair value of the undelivered item. For software items, the
undelivered item must have vendor-specific objective evidence of
fair value. When a delivered item is considered to be a separate
unit of accounting, the amount of revenue recognized upon
delivery (assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are
met) is generally based on an allocation of the arrangement
consideration based on the relative fair value of the delivered
item to the aggregate fair value of all deliverables. If we can
not determine the fair value of the delivered item, we use the
residual method to
51 of 107
determine the amount of the arrangement consideration to
allocate to the delivered item. When a delivered item is not
considered a separate unit of accounting, revenue is deferred
and generally recognized as the undelivered item qualifies for
revenue recognition. The determination of the units of
accounting and the allocation of arrangement consideration
requires significant management judgment and estimation.
Net sales do not include sales tax collected.
Inventory
valuation
We reduce the carrying amount of our inventory for estimated
obsolete and slow-moving inventory to its estimated net
realizable value based on assumptions about future demand and
market conditions. If actual market conditions are less
favorable than those projected by management, additional
adjustments could be required. Such adjustments reduce the
inventorys cost basis, and the cost basis is not increased
upon any subsequent increases in estimated net realizable value.
Evaluation
of fair value measurements
We measure financial and non-financial assets and liabilities in
accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures. This guidance indicates that fair value is an
exit price, representing the amount that would be received to
sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly
transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is
a market-based measurement that should be determined based on
assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an
asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions,
the new guidance establishes a three-tier fair-value hierarchy,
which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as
follows:
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1 Observable inputs consisting of quoted
prices in active markets;
|
|
|
|
Level 2 Inputs, other than quoted prices in
active markets, that are observable either directly or
indirectly; and
|
|
|
|
Level 3 Unobservable inputs in which there is
little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to
develop its own assumptions.
|
Business
combinations
We account for business combinations in accordance with the
provisions of ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations
(ASC 805). The provisions of ASC 805 were
previously contained in Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards (SFAS) No. 141(R), Business
Combinations. These provisions require that identifiable
assets acquired and liabilities assumed be reported at fair
value as of the acquisition date of a business combination.
Transaction costs are expensed as incurred, and are classified
within cash flows from operating activities in the consolidated
statement of cash flows. Costs associated with restructuring or
exit activities of an acquired entity are also expensed when
incurred. Contingent consideration in a business combination is
recognized at fair value at the acquisition date as a liability
or as equity. Subsequent adjustments of an amount recognized as
a liability, including accretion of the discounted liability,
are recognized in the statement of operations in determining net
earnings.
ASC 805 requires that we recognize and measure deferred tax
assets or liabilities arising from assets acquired and
liabilities assumed in accordance with the provisions of ASC
Topic 740, Income Taxes, with appropriate allowances for
uncertain tax positions and valuation allowances against
deferred tax assets. Subsequent changes to allowances for
uncertain tax positions and valuation allowances against
deferred tax assets after the measurement period are recognized
as an adjustment to income tax expense.
An intangible asset is recognized as an asset apart from
goodwill if it arises from contractual or other legal rights or
if it is separable, that is, it is capable of being separated or
divided from the acquired entity and sold,
52 of 107
transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged. Goodwill is
recognized as a result of a business combination to the extent
the consideration transferred exceeds the acquisition-date
amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed,
determined in accordance with the provisions of ASC 805.
In accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles
Goodwill and Other (ASC 350), goodwill and
intangible assets acquired in a business combination and
determined to have indefinite useful lives are not being
amortized, but instead are evaluated for impairment annually,
and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances
change that indicate that the asset might be impaired.
ASC 350 requires that if the fair value of a reporting unit is
less than its carrying amount, including goodwill, further
analysis is required to measure the amount of the impairment
loss, if any. The amount by which the reporting units
carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of
the reporting units goodwill, determined in accordance
with ASC 350, is to be recognized as an impairment loss.
The Company completes its annual evaluation of goodwill for
impairment in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year.
In accordance with ASC 350, intangible assets, other than
those determined to have an indefinite life, are amortized to
their estimated residual values on a straight-line basis, or on
the basis of expected economic benefit, over their estimated
useful lives. These intangible assets are reviewed for
impairment in accordance with ASC Subtopic
360-35,
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, whenever
events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying
amounts may not be recoverable. Recoverability of an asset to be
held and used is measured by comparing its carrying amount to
the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be
generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset
exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge
would be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount
of the asset exceeds its fair value. An asset to be disposed of
would be reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair
value less costs to sell and would no longer be depreciated.
Cash flow projections, although subject to uncertainty, are
based on managements estimates of future performance,
giving consideration to existing and anticipated competitive and
economic conditions.
Evaluation
of long-lived assets for impairment
We periodically review the carrying value of our long-lived
assets for impairment. This review is based upon our projections
of anticipated future cash flows. We record impairment losses on
long-lived assets used in operations when events and
circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the
undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those
assets are less than the carrying amount of those items. Our
cash flow estimates are based on historical results adjusted to
reflect our best estimate of future market and operating
conditions. While we believe that our estimates of future cash
flows are reasonable, different assumptions regarding such cash
flows could materially affect our evaluations. The net carrying
amount of assets not recoverable are reduced to their fair value.
Evaluation
of goodwill for impairment
We have four reporting units with goodwill from prior
acquisitions reported on the balance sheet at December 31,
2010. In completing the annual test for impairment in the fourth
quarter of 2010, the estimated fair value of each reporting unit
with goodwill exceeded the carrying amount. The determination of
estimated fair value includes a number of assumptions that drive
the value and these assumptions inherently include a level of
uncertainty. Future events, circumstances, or both, could have a
negative effect on the fair value of any or all of the reporting
units which could result in the fair value not exceeding the
carrying amount in future tests. If this were to occur, we would
be required to measure the amount, if any, of an impairment loss
of goodwill.
In 2009 we recognized a loss on impairment of $19.9 million
related to LXE. At December 31, 2010 only $1.9 million
of goodwill remained on the balance sheet for LXE. For purposes
of the goodwill impairment testing in the fourth quarter of
2010, we determined that a detailed estimate of fair value was
not required
53 of 107
since the likelihood that the current fair value determination
would be less than the carrying amount was remote.
The estimated fair value of both Satamatics ($23.4 million
of goodwill at December 31, 2010) and Sky Connect
($11.0 million of goodwill at December 31,
2010) exceeded the carrying amount of the reporting unit by
more than 25%. However, the estimated fair value of Formation
($24.1 million of goodwill at December 31,
2010) only exceeded its carrying amount by 4%.
Formation was recently acquired. At the acquisition date, the
carrying amount of a reporting unit is equal to its purchase
price. Therefore, a significant excess would generally not be
expected for a recently acquired reporting unit. The key
assumptions that drive the estimated fair value for Formation
include future cash flows from operations, the discount rate
applied to those future cash flows, determined from a
weighted-average cost of capital calculation that includes
managements assessment of the risks inherent in the
projected future cash flows, and EBITDA and revenue multiples
using guideline comparable companies. The future cash flows
include additional key assumptions relating to revenue growth
rates, margins and costs. The estimated revenue growth rates for
Formation are in excess of anticipated inflation and general
industry forecasts in general since its revenues of these
reporting units have been negatively impacted by the global
economic environment in recent years in the Aviation sector, so
we expect a recovery to impact revenues favorably. Furthermore,
Formation operates in a growing market. In addition, Formation
is introducing new products in the near future that we expect to
be well received in the market. In the near term, we believe
that Formation will see the impact of a rebounding economy over
the next two years that will support such growth projections.
Actual future results could differ materially from these
estimates which could have a negative effect on fair value.
Particularly, if the markets served do not expand as we expect,
the fair value of one or more of our reporting units could be
determined to be below the carrying amount.
Evaluation
of contingencies related to discontinued
operations
Prior to 2008, we disposed of S&T/Montreal, SatNet, and EMS
Wireless, all of which have been reported as discontinued
operations. The costs reported under discontinued operations in
2009 mainly related to the resolution of various contingencies,
representations or warranties under standard indemnification
provisions in the sales agreements. We record a liability
related to a contingency, representation or warranty when
management considers that the liability is both probable and can
be reasonably estimated.
The purchaser of EMS Wireless asserted claims under such
representations and warranties. The parties agreed to
arbitration, which commenced in the third quarter of 2009. In
March of 2010, we received an interim decision from the
arbitrator on these claims awarding the purchaser a total of
approximately $9.2 million under the warranty provisions of
the purchase agreement. As a result, we accrued a liability for
the award costs, based on the interim decision, in discontinued
operations in 2009. In April 2010, the arbitrator issued the
final decision awarding the purchaser of our former EMS Wireless
division $8.6 million. Based on this final award, we
reduced our estimated liability by $0.6 million in 2010.
This favorable adjustment in discontinued operations was offset
by additional charges related to estimated contingent
liabilities associated with other divisions disposed of prior to
2008.
Participation
payments
We occasionally make cash payments and other incentives under
long-term contractual arrangements to customers in return for a
secured position of one or more of our products on an aircraft
program of a commercial aircraft manufacturer. Participation
payments are capitalized as other assets if recovery is
considered probable and objectively supportable. Participation
payments are amortized as a reduction of net sales over the
estimated number of production units to be shipped over the
programs production life which reflects the pattern in
which the economic benefits of the participation payments are
consumed. The carrying amount of participation payments is
evaluated for recovery at least annually or when other
indicators of impairment occur such as a change in the estimated
number of units or the economics of the program. If such
54 of 107
estimates change, amortization expense is adjusted prospectively
and/or an
impairment charge is recorded, as appropriate, for the effect of
the revised estimates.
Risks inherent in recovering the carrying amount of the
participation payments include, but are not limited to, the
following:
|
|
|
|
|
Changes in market conditions could affect product sales under a
program. In particular, the commercial aerospace market has been
historically cyclical and subject to downturns during periods of
weak economic conditions, which could be prompted or exacerbated
by political or other domestic or international events;
|
|
|
|
Bankruptcy or other significant financial difficulties of our
customers; and
|
|
|
|
Our ability to produce products according to the customers
design specifications.
|
While we believe our participation payments are recoverable over
time, the cancellation of a program by a customer would
represent the most significant factor affecting recovery. Due to
the long-term nature of the procurement cycle and the
significant investment to bring a program to market in the
aerospace industry, we believe the likelihood of a customer or
aircraft manufacturer abruptly cancelling a program is remote.
Income
taxes
As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial
statements, we are required to determine income taxes related to
each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process
involves estimating current tax expense, together with assessing
temporary differences resulting from differences between the
financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and
liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss
and tax credit carryforwards. These differences result in
deferred tax assets and liabilities in our consolidated balance
sheet.
For all deferred tax assets that exist in relation to an
uncertain tax position, we must determine the amount of that
benefit to recognize in accordance with the recognition and
measurement provisions of ASC Subtopic
740-10-05,
Income Taxes. This determination requires judgments to be
made regarding the likelihood that the position would be
sustained upon examination based on the technical merits of the
position and estimates of the amount to be realized upon
settlement. A portion of the unrecognized tax benefits that
exist at December 31, 2010 would affect our effective tax
rate in the future if recognized.
We must also assess the likelihood that the deferred tax assets
in each jurisdiction will be recovered from taxable income and,
to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must
establish a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets.
In determining the required level of valuation allowance, we
consider whether it is more likely than not that all or some
portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. This
assessment is based on managements expectations as to
whether sufficient taxable income of an appropriate character
will be realized within tax carryback and carryforward periods.
Our assessment involves estimates and assumptions about matters
that are inherently uncertain, and unanticipated events or
circumstances could cause actual results to differ from these
estimates. Should we change our estimate of the amount of
deferred tax assets that we would be able to realize, a change
to the valuation allowance would result in an increase or
decrease to the provision for income taxes in the period in
which such change in estimate is made.
Our most significant amount of deferred tax assets relates to
our Canadian operations, primarily from research-related tax
benefits. A valuation allowance has been established for a
portion of the Canadian deferred tax assets. We had reserved
substantially all the net deferred tax assets associated with
these research-related tax benefits because the extent to which
these deferred income tax assets were to be realized in the
future was uncertain. With the disposal of unprofitable
operations beginning in 2005 and the improving profitability of
continuing operations in Canada, we have reassessed the required
amount of valuation allowance against our research-related
deferred tax assets in Canada each year. We have made
adjustments each year in which we concluded that it was more
likely than not that additional tax benefits would be realized
based on an
55 of 107
assessment of all available evidence. The valuation allowance
could be increased or decreased in the future, which would
result in an income tax expense or benefit in future
consolidated statements of operations. A benefit could result if
profitability expectations for our Canadian operations increase.
We also have net deferred tax assets in the U.S., including net
operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards
from acquired companies. We completed our assessment in 2010 and
determined that no valuation allowance was necessary for those
deferred tax assets based on a consideration of all available
evidence about sources of taxable income. We will make an
evaluation of the likelihood of realization each reporting
period in the future, and we could determine that a valuation
allowance is necessary against all, or a portion, of the these
deferred tax assets.
Stock-based
compensation
We measure compensation expense based on estimated fair values
of all share-based awards to our employees and directors. We
estimate the fair value of stock options on the date of grant
using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The
Black-Scholes option valuation model requires estimates and
assumptions, including expected stock price volatility and
expected term. Our estimated expected volatility is based on
historical volatility of our stock over a period equal to the
expected term. The expected term of options granted is based on
historical data and represents the period of time that options
granted are expected to be outstanding. Stock-based compensation
is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite
service period for each separately vesting portion of an award
as if the award was, in substance, multiple awards. We estimate
future forfeitures based on historical experience and review
such estimates periodically and adjust expense recognition
accordingly.
Risk
Factors and Forward-Looking Statements
The Company has included forward-looking statements in
managements discussion and analysis of financial condition
and results of operations. Actual results could differ
materially from those suggested in any forward-looking
statements as a result of a variety of factors. Such factors
include, but are not limited to:
|
|
|
|
|
economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad and their effect
on capital spending in our principal markets;
|
|
|
|
difficulty predicting the timing of receipt of major customer
orders, and the effect of customer timing decisions on our
results;
|
|
|
|
our successful completion of technological development programs
and the effects of technology that may be developed by, and
patent rights that may be held or obtained by, competitors;
|
|
|
|
U.S. defense budget pressures on near-term spending
priorities;
|
|
|
|
uncertainties inherent in the process of converting contract
awards into firm contractual orders in the future;
|
|
|
|
volatility of foreign currency exchange rates relative to the
U.S. dollar and their effect on purchasing power by
international customers, and on the cost structure of our
operations outside the U.S., as well as the potential for
realizing foreign exchange gains and losses associated with
assets or liabilities denominated in foreign currencies;
|
|
|
|
successful resolution of technical problems, proposed scope
changes, or proposed funding changes that may be encountered on
contracts;
|
|
|
|
changes in our consolidated effective income tax rate caused by
the extent to which actual taxable earnings in the U.S., Canada
and other taxing jurisdictions may vary from expected taxable
earnings, changes in tax laws, and the extent to which
determined tax assets are considered realizable;
|
56 of 107
|
|
|
|
|
successful transition of products from development stages to an
efficient manufacturing environment;
|
|
|
|
changes in the rates at which our products are returned for
repair or replacement under warranty;
|
|
|
|
customer response to new products and services, and general
conditions in our target markets (such as logistics and
space-based communications) and whether these responses and
conditions develop according to our expectations;
|
|
|
|
the increased potential for asset impairment charges as
unfavorable economic or financial market conditions or other
developments might affect the estimated fair value of one or
more of our business units;
|
|
|
|
the success of certain of our customers in marketing our line of
high-speed commercial airline communications products as a
complementary offering with their own lines of avionics products;
|
|
|
|
the availability of financing for various mobile and high-speed
data communications systems;
|
|
|
|
risk that the unsettled conditions in the credit markets may
make it more difficult for some customers to obtain financing
and adversely affect their ability to pay, which in turn could
have an adverse impact on our business, operating results and
financial condition;
|
|
|
|
development of successful working relationships with local
business and government personnel in connection with
distribution and manufacture of products in foreign countries;
|
|
|
|
the demand growth of various mobile and high-speed data
communications services;
|
|
|
|
our ability to attract and retain qualified senior management
and other personnel, particularly those with key technical
skills;
|
|
|
|
our ability to effectively integrate our acquired businesses,
products or technologies into our existing businesses and
products, and the risk that any such acquired businesses,
products or technologies do not perform as expected, are subject
to undisclosed or unanticipated liabilities, or are otherwise
dilutive to our earnings;
|
|
|
|
the potential effects, on cash and results of discontinued
operations, of final resolution of potential liabilities under
warranties and representations that we made, and obligations
assumed by purchasers, in connection with our dispositions of
discontinued operations;
|
|
|
|
the availability, capabilities and performance of suppliers of
basic materials, electronic components and sophisticated
subsystems on which we must rely in order to perform according
to contract requirements, or to introduce new products on the
desired schedule;
|
|
|
|
uncertainties associated with U.S. export controls and the
export license process, which restrict our ability to hold
technical discussions with customers, suppliers and internal
engineering resources and can reduce our ability to obtain sales
from customers outside the U.S. or to perform contracts
with the desired level of efficiency or profitability;
|
|
|
|
Our ability to maintain compliance with the requirements of the
Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications
Commission, and with other government regulations affecting our
products and their production, service and functioning; and
|
|
|
|
Costs associated with a recent shareholder announcement that it
intends to nominate four directors to our Board.
|
Additional information concerning these and other potential risk
factors is included in Item 1A. of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K
under the caption Risk Factors.
57 of 107
Effect of
New Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Issued Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In October 2009 the FASB issued two accounting standards updates
(ASU) that could result in revenue being recognized
earlier in certain revenue arrangements with multiple
deliverables. Both updates are effective for us in the first
quarter of 2011. We are evaluating the effect the adoption will
have on our consolidated financial statements. We do not
currently anticipate that the adoption will have a material
effect on our consolidated financial statements since
historically we have not had significant aggregate deferrals of
revenue related to multiple-element arrangements for which
revenue would be recognized earlier under the new ASUs. However,
since we expect to adopt these ASUs on a prospective basis, the
effect will depend on the specific types of multiple-element
arrangements into which we enter in the future and the terms and
conditions contained therein.
ASU 2009-13,
Revenue Recognition Multiple-Deliverable Revenue
Arrangements, amends the accounting for revenue arrangements
with multiple deliverables. Among other things, ASU
2009-13:
|
|
|
|
|
Eliminates the requirement for objective evidence of fair value
of an undelivered item for treatment of the delivered item as a
separate unit of accounting;
|
|
|
|
Requires use of the relative selling price method for allocating
total consideration to elements of the arrangement instead of
the relative-fair-value method or the residual method;
|
|
|
|
Allows the use of an estimated selling price for any element
within the arrangement to allocate consideration to individual
elements when vendor-specific objective evidence or other third
party evidence of selling price do not exist; and
|
|
|
|
Expands the required disclosures.
|
ASU 2009-14,
Software Certain Revenue Arrangements That
Include Software Elements, amends the guidance for revenue
arrangements that contain tangible products and software
elements. ASU
2009-14
redefines the scope of arrangements that fall within software
revenue recognition guidance by specifically excluding tangible
products that contain software components that function together
to deliver the essential functionality of the tangible product.
Under current guidance, products that contain software that is
more than incidental to the product as a whole fall within the
scope of software revenue recognition guidance, which requires,
among other things, the existence of vendor-specific objective
evidence of fair value of all undelivered items to allow a
delivered item to be treated as a separate unit of accounting.
Such tangible products excluded from the requirements of
software revenue recognition requirements under ASU
2009-14
would follow the revenue recognition requirements for other
revenue arrangements, including the new requirements for
multiple-deliverable arrangements contained in ASU
2009-13.
In April 2010, the FASB issued ASU
2010-17,
Milestone Method of Revenue Recognition, which provides
guidance on defining a milestone and determining when it may be
appropriate to apply the milestone method of revenue recognition
for research and development arrangements in which one or more
payments are contingent upon achieving uncertain future events
or circumstances. This update is effective for us in the first
quarter of 2011. We are evaluating the effect, if any, the
adoption will have on our consolidated financial statements.
Refer to Note 1 of our consolidated financial statements in
this Annual Report for additional information on accounting
changes recently adopted, and recently issued pronouncements not
yet adopted.
58 of 107
|
|
Item 7A.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
As of December 31, 2010, we had the following market-risk
sensitive instruments (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
Government-obligations money market funds, other money market
instruments, and interest-bearing time deposits, with maturity
dates of less than 3 months interest payable monthly at
variable rates (a weighted-average rate of 0.95% at
December 31, 2010)
|
|
$
|
24,472
|
|
Revolving credit agreement with U.S. and Canadian banks,
maturing in February 2013, interest payable quarterly at a
variable rate (3.75% at December 31, 2010)
|
|
$
|
21,000
|
|
A 100 basis point change in the interest rates of our
market-risk sensitive instruments would have changed interest
income by approximately $181,000 for the year based upon their
respective average outstanding balances.
Our revolving credit agreement includes variable interest rates
based on the lead banks prime rate or the then- published
LIBOR for the applicable borrowing period. As of
December 31, 2010, we had approximately $21.0 million
of borrowings outstanding in the U.S., and no borrowings
outstanding in Canada under our revolving credit agreement. A
100 basis point change in the interest rate on our
revolving credit agreement would have changed interest expense
by approximately $230,000 for the year based upon the average
outstanding borrowings under these obligations.
At December 31, 2010, we also had intercompany accounts
that eliminate in consolidation but that are considered
market-risk sensitive instruments because they are denominated
in a currency other than the local functional currency. These
include short-term amounts due to the parent (payable by
international subsidiaries arising from purchase of the
parents products for sale), intercompany sales of products
from foreign subsidiaries to a U.S. subsidiary, cash
advances to foreign subsidiaries, and intercompany payables
between subsidiaries.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exchange Rate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency per
|
|
|
USD
|
|
Currency
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
Denominated
|
|
|
Equivalent
|
|
Denomination
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
AUD
|
|
|
|
0.9786
|
|
|
$
|
3,934
|
|
USD
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
0.9946
|
|
|
|
1,896
|
|
USD
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
|
0.7479
|
|
|
|
1,849
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
|
1.1647
|
|
|
|
1,632
|
|
USD
|
|
|
SEK
|
|
|
|
6.7204
|
|
|
|
1,342
|
|
SEK
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
|
0.1113
|
|
|
|
901
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
|
0.8586
|
|
|
|
283
|
|
USD
|
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
|
0.6411
|
|
|
|
195
|
|
Other currencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
184
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
12,216
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
59 of 107
We had accounts receivable and accounts payable balances
denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of
the local entity at December 31, 2010 as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exchange Rate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency per
|
|
|
USD
|
|
Currency
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
Denominated
|
|
|
Equivalent
|
|
Denomination
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts Receivable
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
0.9946
|
|
|
$
|
15,619
|
|
USD
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
|
0.7479
|
|
|
|
1,046
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
|
1.1647
|
|
|
|
456
|
|
USD
|
|
|
SEK
|
|
|
|
6.7204
|
|
|
|
387
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
1.3319
|
|
|
|
278
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
|
0.8586
|
|
|
|
259
|
|
Other currencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
174
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,219
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts Payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
0.9946
|
|
|
$
|
949
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
|
1.5598
|
|
|
|
227
|
|
Other currencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
220
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,396
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We also had cash accounts denominated in currencies other than
the functional currency of the local entity at December 31,
2010 as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exchange Rate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency per
|
|
|
USD
|
|
Currency
|
|
Functional
|
|
|
Denominated
|
|
|
Equivalent
|
|
Denomination
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
Currency
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
0.9946
|
|
|
$
|
2,311
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
1.5513
|
|
|
|
2,210
|
|
GBP
|
|
|
USD
|
|
|
|
1.5598
|
|
|
|
936
|
|
AUD
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
1.0180
|
|
|
|
412
|
|
EUR
|
|
|
CAD
|
|
|
|
1.3319
|
|
|
|
320
|
|
Other currencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
897
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,086
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60 of 107
We enter into foreign currency forward and option contracts in
order to mitigate the risks associated with currency
fluctuations on future fair values of foreign denominated assets
and liabilities. At December 31, 2010, we had forward
contracts as follows (in thousands, except average contract
rate):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
|
|
Fair
|
|
|
Notional
|
|
Contract
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
Rate
|
|
(USD)
|
|
Foreign currency forward contracts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. dollars (sell for Canadian dollars)
|
|
|
18,500 USD
|
|
|
|
1.0197
|
|
|
$
|
467
|
|
|
|
Item 8.
|
Financial
Statements and Supplementary Data
|
Information required for this item is contained in the
Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements included immediately after the Signature
Page of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K
and incorporated herein by this reference.
|
|
Item 9.
|
Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
|
None.
|
|
Item 9A.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
|
|
(a)
|
Conclusion
Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and
Procedures
|
The Company has established disclosure controls and procedures
to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to
be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 is (i) recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in the SECs
rules and forms, and (ii) accumulated and communicated to
our management, including the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) and Chief Financial Officer(CFO),
as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure. A
controls system cannot provide absolute assurance that the
objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation of
controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues,
errors and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have
been detected.
The Companys management, including the CEO and CFO,
evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the
Companys disclosure controls and procedures as of
December 31, 2010, as defined in
Rules 13a-15(e)
and
15d-15(e)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Based on
that evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that the
Companys disclosure controls were effective as of
December 31, 2010.
|
|
(b)
|
Managements
Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial
Reporting
|
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and
maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting
as defined in
Rule 13a-15(f)
and
15d-15(f)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Companys
internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide
reasonable assurance to the Companys management and board
of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of
published financial statements for external purposes, in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Management conducted its evaluation of the effectiveness of the
Companys internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2010 using the criteria set forth by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
in Internal ControlIntegrated Framework, and concluded
that the Companys internal control over financial
reporting was effective as of December 31, 2010 based on
these criteria.
61 of 107
KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that
audited the consolidated financial statements of the Company,
has issued an audit report on the Companys internal
control over financial reporting. The report is included in
Item 9A.(d) under the heading Report of Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm.
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|
(c)
|
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
|
There were no changes in internal control over financial
reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2010 that
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, the Companys internal control over financial
reporting (as defined in Rule 13a 15(f) under
the Exchange Act).
|
|
(d)
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
EMS Technologies, Inc.:
We have audited EMS Technologies, Inc.s (the Company)
internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in
Internal ControlIntegrated Framework issued by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(COSO). The Companys 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
Managements Annual Report on Internal Control over
Financial Reporting (Item 9A.(b)). Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on the Companys 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, and testing and evaluating the
design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on
the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other
procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
A companys internal control over financial reporting is a
process designed 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 companys
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
companys assets that could have a material effect on the
financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over
financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.
Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future
periods are subject to the risk that controls may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree
of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
62 of 107
In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material
respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as
of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in
Internal ControlIntegrated Framework issued by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
consolidated balance sheets of EMS Technologies, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the
related consolidated statements of operations,
shareholders equity and comprehensive income (loss), and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 31, 2010, and our report dated March 15, 2011
expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial
statements.
Atlanta, Georgia
March 15, 2011
63 of 107
|
|
Item 9B.
|
Other
Information.
|
None.
PART III
|
|
Item 10.
|
Directors,
Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance
|
The information concerning directors and the Audit Committee
financial expert called for by this Item will be contained in
our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
We have a written Code of Business Ethics and Conduct that
applies to our directors and to all of our employees, including
our CEO and CFO. Our Code of Business Ethics and Conduct has
been distributed to all employees, is available free of charge
on our website at www.ems-t.com, under the link for
Investor Relations.
The information concerning executive officers called for by this
Item is set forth under the caption Executive Officers of
the Registrant in Item 1 hereof.
|
|
Item 11.
|
Executive
Compensation
|
The information called for by this Item will be contained in our
definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
64 of 107
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
and Related Shareholder Matters
The following table sets forth certain information about our
equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2010:
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of securities
|
|
|
|
Number of securities
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
remaining available for
|
|
|
|
to be issued upon
|
|
|
Weighted average
|
|
|
future issuance under
|
|
|
|
exercise of
|
|
|
exercise price of
|
|
|
equity compensation
|
|
|
|
outstanding options,
|
|
|
outstanding options,
|
|
|
(excluding securities
|
|
Plan Category
|
|
warrants and rights
|
|
|
warrants and rights
|
|
|
reflected in
column(a))
|
|
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
|
|
|
1,074,734
|
|
|
$
|
19.18
|
|
|
|
1,290,350
|
|
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
|
|
82,700
|
|
|
|
17.43
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1,157,434
|
|
|
$
|
19.06
|
|
|
|
1,290,350
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All other information called for by this Item will be contained
in our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
Item 13.
|
Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions and Director
Independence
|
The information called for by this Item will be contained in our
definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
Item 14.
|
Principal
Accountant Fees and Services
|
Information on the Audit Committees pre-approval policy
for the independent registered public accounting firms
services, and information on the principal accountants
fees and services called for by this Item will be contained in
our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV
|
|
Item 15.
|
Exhibits,
Financial Statement Schedules
|
(a) 1. Financial Statements
The consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements, appearing
immediately after the Signature Page, are filed as part of this
Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
(a) 2. Financial Statement Schedule
Schedule II. Valuation and Qualifying Accounts - Years
ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
All other schedules are omitted as the required information is
inapplicable, or the information is presented in the financial
statements or related notes.
65 of 107
SCHEDULE II
VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
(in
thousands):
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
|
|
|
|
|
Additions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at
|
|
charged to
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
|
|
|
beginning
|
|
costs and
|
|
|
|
|
|
at end
|
Classification
|
|
of year
|
|
expenses
|
|
Deductions
|
|
Other
|
|
of year
|
|
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
1,104
|
|
|
|
333
|
|
|
|
(653
|
)(a)
|
|
|
72
|
(b)
|
|
|
856
|
|
2009
|
|
|
856
|
|
|
|
921
|
|
|
|
(679
|
)(a)
|
|
|
110
|
(b)
|
|
|
1,208
|
|
2010
|
|
|
1,208
|
|
|
|
661
|
|
|
|
(480
|
)(a)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,389
|
|
Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
49,094
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(20,545
|
)(c)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
28,549
|
|
2009
|
|
|
28,549
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
9,302
|
(d)
|
|
|
37,851
|
|
2010
|
|
|
37,851
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2,874
|
(e)
|
|
|
40,725
|
|
(a) Deductions represent receivables that were charged off
to the allowance or recovered during the year.
(b) Includes the balances at the date of acquisition for
new businesses acquired during 2008 and 2009.
(c) The decrease in the valuation allowance in 2008 was
attributable primarily to utilization of carryforwards with
current period taxable income ($4.1 million), reduction of
existing carryforwards as a result of revisions to amounts
available ($5.9 million), the effect of changes in foreign
currency exchange rates ($9.2 million) and a release of a
portion of the
beginning-of-the-year
valuation allowance based on revisions to projected taxable
income in the relatively near term ($1.3 million),
supported by actual continuing profitability in the past several
years.
(d) The valuation allowance increase in 2009 was
attributable primarily to Canada including the effect of changes
in foreign currency exchange rates ($4.3 million),
revaluing the deferred tax asset to reflect future lower tax
rates in the period the asset will be includable in taxable
income ($3.5 million), the generation of additional
deferred tax assets ($5.1 million), and revision in
estimate of prior year deferred tax assets ($7.4 million).
These increases were partially offset by utilization of carry
forwards with current period taxable income ($9.3 million)
and a revision in estimated utilization of deferred tax assets
in the prior year ($4.9 million). The remaining increase is
due to business acquisitions and other jurisdictions with
deferred tax assets for which realization is not more likely
than not.
(e) The valuation allowance increased by $2.9 million
in 2010. The primary driver of the increase was the effect of
changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the Canadian
valuation allowance. The valuation allowance also increased
since the tax benefits of losses in 2010 in certain other
jurisdictions could not be recognized.
a) 3. Exhibits
The following exhibits are filed as part of this report:
2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of
December 11, 2008, by and among EMS Technologies, Inc., EMS
Acquisitions, Inc., Formation, Inc., and Nim Evatt solely as
Stockholder Representative (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 2.1 to our Report on
Form 8-K
dated January 9, 2009).
2.2 Share Purchase Agreement dated as of November 20,
2008, by and among the Company, EMS Acquisition Company Limited,
Satamatics Global Limited, and other various parties
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to our Report on
Form 8-K
dated February 13, 2009).
3.1 Second Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
of EMS Technologies, Inc., effective March 22, 1999
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Quarterly
Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended April 4, 2009).
66 of 107
3.2 Bylaws of EMS Technologies, Inc. as amended and
restated through November 5, 2010 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3.2 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended October 2, 2010).
4.1 Third amendment, dated April 21, 2009, to Credit
Agreement among EMS Technologies, Inc. and EMS Technologies
Canada, LTD., the lenders party thereto, and Bank of America as
Domestic and Canadian Administrative Agent (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2009).
4.2 Second amendment dated February 13, 2009, to EMS
Technologies, Inc.s Credit Agreement, dated as of
February 29, 2008, among EMS Technologies, Inc. and EMS
Technologies Canada, LTD., the lenders from time to time party
thereto, and Bank of America as Domestic and Canadian
Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.1 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended April 4, 2009).
4.3 EMS Technologies, Inc. Shareholder Rights Plan as
amended and restated as of January 4, 2011 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our report on
Form 8-A/A
dated January 7, 2011).
4.4 Waiver agreement, dated March 31, 2010, to Credit
Agreement among EMS Technologies, Inc. and EMS Technologies
Canada, Inc. and Bank of America as Domestic and Canadian
Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.1 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended April 3, 2010).
4.5 First amendment, dated July 29, 2008, to Credit
Agreement among the Company and EMS Technologies Canada, LTD.,
the lenders party thereto, and Bank of America as Domestic and
Canadian Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.1 to the Companys Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended September 27, 2008).
4.6 Credit Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2008,
among the Company and EMS Technologies Canada, LTD., the lenders
from time to time party thereto, and Bank of America as Domestic
and Canadian Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.01 to the Companys Report on
Form 8-K
dated March 6, 2008).
4.7 Domestic Revolving Note, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.5 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
4.8 Domestic Pledge Agreement, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008(incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.6 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
4.9 Domestic Security Agreement, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.7 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
4.10 Canadian Revolving Note, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.8 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
4.11 Canadian Pledge Agreement, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.9 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
4.12 Canadian Security Agreement, dated February 29, 2008,
issued by the Company, pursuant to the credit agreement dated as
of February 29, 2008 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.10 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.1 Summary of compensation arrangements with non-employee
members of the Board of Directors, as revised on
December 5, 2010. *
67 of 107
10.2 Compensation Arrangements with Certain Executive
Officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our
Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended April 3, 2010).
10.3 Letter dated July 30, 2010 between the Company
and Marion Van Fosson concerning the terms of his employment as
General Manager of D&S (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended October 2, 2010).
10.4 Form of Agreement between the Company and each of its
executive officers, related to certain
change-of-control
events (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006).
10.5 Form of Amendment, dated December 15, 2008, to
Agreement between the Company and each of its executive officers
other than the Chief Executive Officer, related to certain
change-of-control
events (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.6 EMS Technologies, Inc. Officers Deferred
Compensation Plan, as amended and restated October 30, 2008
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.7 EMS Technologies, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan for
Non-Employee Directors, as amended and restated October 30,
2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.8 Form of Restricted Stock Award Memo evidencing shares
of stock issued, subject to certain restrictions, to employees
under the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, together with related Terms
of Restricted Stock,
Form 5-02-08
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.9 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted automatically to non-employee members of the Board of
Directors upon their initial election to the Board, under the
EMS Technologies, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007).
10.10 EMS Technologies, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan,
effective May 18, 2007 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2007).
10.11 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted automatically to non-employee members of the Board of
Directors, upon each election to an additional one-year term of
service, under the EMS Technologies, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive
Plan, together with related Terms of Director Stock Option,
Form 5-18-07
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007).
10.12 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted to executive officers under the EMS Technologies, Inc.
2007 Stock Incentive Plan, together with related Term of Officer
Stock Options,
Form 5/18/07
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007).
10.13 Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Company
and each of its directors (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.22 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.14 Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Company
and each of Timothy C. Reis, Gary B. Shell, Neilson A. Mackay
and the Companys Vice President and Chief Accounting
Officer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
68 of 107
10.15 EMS Technologies, Inc. Executive Annual Incentive
Compensation Plan, as amended and restated May 18, 2007
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly
Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended June 30, 2007).
10.16 Form of Restricted Stock Award Restriction Agreement
under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan, entered between the Company
and Gary B. Shell, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer, and in substantially similar form with its Vice
President and Chief Accounting Officer and one of its
non-executive employees (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.31 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.17 Severance Agreement dated December 2, 2010,
between EMS Technologies, Inc. and Nim Evatt. *
10.18 Severance Agreement dated August 17, 2009, and
effective September 17, 2009, between EMS Technologies,
Inc. and David A. Smith (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.1 to our Report on
Form 8-K
dated September 17, 2009).
10.19 EMS Technologies, Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan, as
adopted January 24, 1997, and amended through May 10,
2004 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our
Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended July 3, 2004).
10.20 Form of Restricted Stock Award Restriction Agreement,
dated July 28, 2006, under the 1997 Stock Incentive Plan,
entered between the Company and Neilson A. Mackay, Executive
Vice President of the Company (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended September 30, 2006).
10.21 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted after 2000 (other than in 2005) to executive
officers under the EMS Technologies, Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive
Plan, together with related Terms of Officer Stock Option,
Form 1/25/01
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007).
10.22 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted in 2005 to executive officers under the EMS
Technologies, Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan, together with
related Terms of Officer Stock Option,
Form 1/25/01
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005).
10.23 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted automatically to non-employee members of the Board of
Directors, upon each election to an additional one-year term of
service, under the EMS Technologies, Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive
Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005).
10.24 EMS Technologies, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005).
10.25 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted in 2005 to employees under the EMS Technologies, Inc.
2000 Stock Incentive Plan, together with related Terms of Stock
Option,
Form 02/16/00
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005).
10.26 Form of Stock Option Agreement evidencing options
granted (other than in 2005) to employees under the EMS
Technologies, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, together with
related Terms of Stock Option,
Form 02/16/00
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005).
10.27 Letter dated March 19, 2007 concerning
compensation arrangements with President and Chief Executive
Officer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our
Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended March 31, 2007).
69 of 107
18 Preferability letter from KPMG on change in date of
annual goodwill impairment testing performed by the Company
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 18 to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2009).
21.1 Subsidiaries of the registrant. *
23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm. *
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
32 Certification of the Companys Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
* Filed herewith
70 of 107
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
|
|
|
EMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: /s/ Neilson A. Mackay
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Date: 3/15/2011
|
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 and in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.
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Signature
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Title
|
|
Date
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/s/ Neilson
A. Mackay
Neilson
A. Mackay
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President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive
Officer)
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Gary
B. Shell
Gary
B. Shell
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Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer
(Principal Financial Officer)
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3/15/2011
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/s/ David
M. Sheffield
David
M. Sheffield
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Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal
Accounting Officer)
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3/15/2011
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/s/ John
R. Bolton
John
R. Bolton
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Hermann
Buerger
Hermann
Buerger
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Joseph
D. Burns
Joseph
D. Burns
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ John
R. Kreick
John
R. Kreick
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ John
B. Mowell
John
B. Mowell
|
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Director, Chairman of the Board
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Thomas
W. OConnell
Thomas
W. OConnell
|
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Bradford
W. Parkinson
Bradford
W. Parkinson
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ Norman
E. Thagard
Norman
E. Thagard
|
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Director
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3/15/2011
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/s/ John
L. Woodward, Jr.
John
L. Woodward, Jr.
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Director
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3/15/2011
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71 of 107
INDEX TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
72 of 107
REPORT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
EMS Technologies, Inc.:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of
EMS Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries (the
Company) as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and
the related consolidated statements of operations,
shareholders equity and comprehensive income (loss), and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 31, 2010. (In connection with our audits of the
consolidated financial statements, we also have audited the
financial statement schedule included in Item 15(a)2.)
These consolidated financial statements (and financial statement
schedule) are the responsibility of the Companys
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
consolidated financial statements (and financial statement
schedule) 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, the consolidated financial statements referred
to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of EMS Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of their
operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 2010, in conformity
with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. (Also
in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when
considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial
statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material
respects, the information set forth therein.)
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial
statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for
business combinations in 2009 due to the adoption of
SFAS 141(R), Business Combinations (incorporated
into ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations).
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), EMS
Technologies, Inc.s internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria
established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated March 15,
2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of
the Companys internal control over financial reporting.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
March 15, 2011
73 of 107
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Product net sales
|
|
$
|
297,354
|
|
|
|
281,153
|
|
|
|
273,268
|
|
Service net sales
|
|
|
57,871
|
|
|
|
78,819
|
|
|
|
61,777
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net sales
|
|
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
Product cost of sales
|
|
|
201,206
|
|
|
|
194,443
|
|
|
|
175,837
|
|
Service cost of sales
|
|
|
24,500
|
|
|
|
47,637
|
|
|
|
38,048
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of sales
|
|
|
225,706
|
|
|
|
242,080
|
|
|
|
213,885
|
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
90,080
|
|
|
|
86,481
|
|
|
|
81,426
|
|
Research and development expenses
|
|
|
20,970
|
|
|
|
18,947
|
|
|
|
20,110
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill and related charges
|
|
|
384
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Acquistion-related items
|
|
|
563
|
|
|
|
7,206
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss)
|
|
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
498
|
|
|
|
207
|
|
|
|
2,430
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(1,904
|
)
|
|
|
(2,181
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)
|
|
|
(1,679
|
)
|
Foreign exchange loss, net
|
|
|
(192
|
)
|
|
|
(808
|
)
|
|
|
(586
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
15,924
|
|
|
|
(17,415
|
)
|
|
|
19,789
|
|
Income tax (expense) benefit
|
|
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
(13,149
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
Discontinued operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss from discontinued operations before income taxes
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(10,917
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Income tax benefit
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4,001
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss from discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(6,916
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss) per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From continuing operations
|
|
$
|
0.93
|
|
|
|
(0.87
|
)
|
|
|
1.32
|
|
From discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.45
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.93
|
|
|
|
(1.32
|
)
|
|
|
1.32
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From continuing operations
|
|
$
|
0.92
|
|
|
|
(0.87
|
)
|
|
|
1.31
|
|
From discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.45
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.92
|
|
|
|
(1.32
|
)
|
|
|
1.31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
15,191
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,452
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
15,250
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,628
|
|
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
74 of 107
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
Current assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
55,938
|
|
|
|
47,174
|
|
Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful account
of $1,389 in 2010 and $1,208 in 2009
|
|
|
68,691
|
|
|
|
60,959
|
|
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on long-term
contracts
|
|
|
21,980
|
|
|
|
25,290
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
41,649
|
|
|
|
40,655
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
|
3,891
|
|
|
|
4,306
|
|
Other current assets
|
|
|
7,319
|
|
|
|
19,117
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
199,468
|
|
|
|
197,501
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property, plant and equipment:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land
|
|
|
1,150
|
|
|
|
1,150
|
|
Buildings and leasehold improvements
|
|
|
19,115
|
|
|
|
18,792
|
|
Machinery and equipment
|
|
|
117,855
|
|
|
|
107,712
|
|
Furniture and fixtures
|
|
|
10,850
|
|
|
|
10,542
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
148,970
|
|
|
|
138,196
|
|
Less accumulated depreciation
|
|
|
100,587
|
|
|
|
90,256
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
48,383
|
|
|
|
47,940
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
|
11,845
|
|
|
|
9,421
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
|
60,474
|
|
|
|
60,336
|
|
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of
$28,079 in 2010 and $18,817 in 2009
|
|
|
41,319
|
|
|
|
49,256
|
|
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on long-term
contracts
|
|
|
8,611
|
|
|
|
7,771
|
|
Other assets
|
|
|
2,844
|
|
|
|
1,920
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
$
|
372,944
|
|
|
|
374,145
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
75 of 107
EMS
TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS,
continued
(in thousands, except share data)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current installments of long-term debt
|
|
$
|
1,496
|
|
|
|
1,398
|
|
Accounts payable
|
|
|
24,979
|
|
|
|
27,333
|
|
Billings in excess of contract costs and estimated earnings on
long-term contracts
|
|
|
8,593
|
|
|
|
7,100
|
|
Accrued compensation and retirement costs
|
|
|
20,626
|
|
|
|
13,946
|
|
Deferred service revenue
|
|
|
10,897
|
|
|
|
11,670
|
|
Contingent consideration arrangement liability
|
|
|
944
|
|
|
|
13,729
|
|
Other current liabilities
|
|
|
6,002
|
|
|
|
23,763
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
73,537
|
|
|
|
98,939
|
|
Long-term debt, excluding current installments
|
|
|
27,476
|
|
|
|
26,352
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
|
4,859
|
|
|
|
5,757
|
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
10,052
|
|
|
|
6,006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
115,924
|
|
|
|
137,054
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred stock of $1.00 par value per share; Authorized
10,000 shares; none issued
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Common stock of $.10 par value per share; Authorized
75,000 shares, issued and outstanding 15,311 in 2010 and
15,249 in 2009
|
|
|
1,531
|
|
|
|
1,525
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
138,138
|
|
|
|
136,112
|
|
Accumulated other comprehensive income foreign
currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
9,898
|
|
|
|
6,066
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
|
107,453
|
|
|
|
93,388
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
257,020
|
|
|
|
237,091
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and shareholders equity
|
|
$
|
372,944
|
|
|
|
374,145
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
76 of 107
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Cash flows from operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings (loss)
|
|
$
|
14,065
|
|
|
$
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to net cash
provided by operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
19,545
|
|
|
|
19,989
|
|
|
|
12,498
|
|
Impairment loss on goodwill
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
19,891
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
|
(2,512
|
)
|
|
|
(4,629
|
)
|
|
|
(2,400
|
)
|
Gain (loss) on sale of assets
|
|
|
120
|
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
(64
|
)
|
Loss from discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
6,916
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Stock-based compensation expense
|
|
|
1,957
|
|
|
|
2,470
|
|
|
|
2,339
|
|
Tax benefit for exercise of stock options
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
133
|
|
|
|
203
|
|
Change in fair value of contingent cosideration liability
|
|
|
304
|
|
|
|
3,229
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(23
|
)
|
|
|
(75
|
)
|
Payment for acquisition of businesses under contingent
consideration arrangements
|
|
|
(3,260
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of
acquisitions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade accounts receivable
|
|
|
(7,656
|
)
|
|
|
12,575
|
|
|
|
(5,584
|
)
|
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on long-term
contracts
|
|
|
3,246
|
|
|
|
1,628
|
|
|
|
(7,991
|
)
|
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on long-term
contracts
|
|
|
1,707
|
|
|
|
1,062
|
|
|
|
1,582
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
(446
|
)
|
|
|
6,957
|
|
|
|
(7,801
|
)
|
Accounts payable
|
|
|
(3,034
|
)
|
|
|
(5,026
|
)
|
|
|
1,076
|
|
Income taxes
|
|
|
3,881
|
|
|
|
893
|
|
|
|
(993
|
)
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
|
3,524
|
|
|
|
(31
|
)
|
|
|
3,588
|
|
Accrued compesation and retirement costs
|
|
|
6,543
|
|
|
|
(1,994
|
)
|
|
|
819
|
|
Other
|
|
|
1,092
|
|
|
|
(1,786
|
)
|
|
|
(1,217
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities in continuing
operations
|
|
|
39,077
|
|
|
|
42,267
|
|
|
|
16,451
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities in discontinued operations
|
|
|
(12,574
|
)
|
|
|
(555
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
26,503
|
|
|
|
41,712
|
|
|
|
16,451
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
(10,954
|
)
|
|
|
(13,433
|
)
|
|
|
(13,869
|
)
|
Payments for acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(87,264
|
)
|
|
|
(32,354
|
)
|
Proceeds from sales of assets
|
|
|
305
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
1,371
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(10,649
|
)
|
|
|
(100,639
|
)
|
|
|
(44,852
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net borrowings under revolving credit facility
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
18,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Repayment of other debt
|
|
|
(1,276
|
)
|
|
|
(1,294
|
)
|
|
|
(3,159
|
)
|
Deferred financing costs paid
|
|
|
(27
|
)
|
|
|
(251
|
)
|
|
|
(1,254
|
)
|
Payment for acquisition of business under contingent
consideration arrangement
|
|
|
(9,829
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Payments for repurchase and retirement of common shares
|
|
|
(61
|
)
|
|
|
(374
|
)
|
|
|
(9,963
|
)
|
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
23
|
|
|
|
75
|
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
|
|
|
135
|
|
|
|
620
|
|
|
|
925
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
|
|
(8,558
|
)
|
|
|
17,224
|
|
|
|
(13,376
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect of changes in exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
1,468
|
|
|
|
1,898
|
|
|
|
(5,203
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
8,764
|
|
|
|
(39,805
|
)
|
|
|
(46,980
|
)
|
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
|
47,174
|
|
|
|
86,979
|
|
|
|
133,959
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
$
|
55,938
|
|
|
$
|
47,174
|
|
|
|
86,979
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for interest
|
|
$
|
1,729
|
|
|
$
|
1,839
|
|
|
|
1,094
|
|
Cash paid for income taxes
|
|
|
768
|
|
|
|
983
|
|
|
|
2,289
|
|
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
77 of 107
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Years Ended December 31, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accum-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ulated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compre-
|
|
|
compre-
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional
|
|
|
hensive
|
|
|
hensive
|
|
|
|
|
|
share-
|
|
|
|
Common Stock
|
|
|
paid-in
|
|
|
income
|
|
|
income
|
|
|
Retained
|
|
|
holders
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
capital
|
|
|
(loss)
|
|
|
(loss)
|
|
|
earnings
|
|
|
equity
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2007
|
|
|
15,581
|
|
|
$
|
1,558
|
|
|
|
139,727
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12,859
|
|
|
|
92,982
|
|
|
|
247,126
|
|
Net earnings
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
|
|
20,471
|
|
Tax benefit for exercise of stock options
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
203
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
203
|
|
Exercise of common stock options
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
989
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
995
|
|
Redemption of shares upon exercise of common stock options
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(70
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(70
|
)
|
Repurchases of common stock
|
|
|
(480
|
)
|
|
|
(48
|
)
|
|
|
(9,915
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(9,963
|
)
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
34
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
2,336
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2,339
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(18,359
|
)
|
|
|
(18,359
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(18,359
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive income for 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,112
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2008
|
|
|
15,188
|
|
|
|
1,519
|
|
|
|
133,270
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(5,500
|
)
|
|
|
113,453
|
|
|
|
242,742
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(20,065
|
)
|
|
|
(20,065
|
)
|
Tax benefit for exercise of stock options
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
133
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
133
|
|
Exercise of common stock options
|
|
|
48
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
663
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
668
|
|
Redemption of shares upon exercise of common stock options
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(47
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(47
|
)
|
Repurchases of common stock
|
|
|
(27
|
)
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
(373
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(376
|
)
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
42
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
2,466
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2,470
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
11,566
|
|
|
|
11,566
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
11,566
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive loss for 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(8,499
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2009
|
|
|
15,249
|
|
|
|
1,525
|
|
|
|
136,112
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,066
|
|
|
|
93,388
|
|
|
|
237,091
|
|
Net earnings
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
|
|
14,065
|
|
Tax benefit for exercise of stock options
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Exercise of common stock options
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
134
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
135
|
|
Repurchases of common stock
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(61
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(61
|
)
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
57
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
1,952
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,957
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3,832
|
|
|
|
3,832
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3,832
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive income for 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,897
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance December 31, 2010
|
|
|
15,311
|
|
|
$
|
1,531
|
|
|
|
138,138
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,898
|
|
|
|
107,453
|
|
|
|
257,020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
78 of 107
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
(1) BASIS
OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
EMS Technologies, Inc. (EMS) designs, manufactures
and markets products of wireless connectivity solutions over
satellite and terrestrial networks. EMS keeps people and systems
connected, wherever they are on land, at sea, in the
air or in space. EMSs products and services are focused on
the needs of the mobile information user, with an increasing
emphasis on broadband applications for high-data-rate,
high-capacity wireless communications. EMSs products and
services enable universal mobility, visibility and intelligence.
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
EMS Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries, each of which is a
wholly owned subsidiary of EMS (collectively, the
Company). All significant intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. There are no
other entities controlled by the Company, either directly or
indirectly. Certain reclassifications have been made to the
prior year consolidated financial statements to conform to the
2010 presentation.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements included
herein have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and are based
on the Securities and Exchange Commissions
(SEC)
Regulation S-X
and its instructions to
Form 10-K.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP
requires management to make a number of estimates and
assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities
and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of
the balance sheet date and reporting of revenue and expenses
during the period. Actual future results could differ materially
from those estimates. We have also performed an evaluation of
subsequent events through the date the financial statements were
issued.
Following is a summary of the Companys significant
accounting policies:
Revenue
Recognition
Net sales are derived from sales of the Companys products
to end-users, value-added resellers, other manufacturers or
systems integrators and distributors; services to support such
products; and design and development arrangements under specific
requirements of customer contracts. Net sales are generally
recognized when completed units are shipped and as services are
performed, unless multiple deliverables are involved or software
is more than incidental to a product as a whole, in which case
the Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Financial
Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting
Standards
Codificationtm
(ASC) Subtopic
605-25,
Revenue Recognition-Multiple-Element Arrangements, or ASC
Subtopic
985-605,
Software-Revenue Recognition, as applicable. The Company
recognizes revenue from product-related service contracts and
extended warranties ratably over the life of the contract.
Amounts paid by customers at the inception of the service or
extended warranty period are reflected as deferred revenue with
the portion estimated to be recognized as revenue within the
next twelve months reflected in other current liabilities in the
consolidated balance sheets and the remainder reflected in other
noncurrent liabilities. The Company recognizes revenue from
repair services and tracking, voice and data services as
services are rendered. The Company recognizes revenue from
contracts for engineering services using the
percentage-of-completion
method for fixed price contracts, or generally as costs are
incurred for cost-type contracts.
Net sales under certain long-term development and production
contracts, many of which provide for periodic payments, are
recognized under the
percentage-of-completion
method using the ratio of cost incurred to total estimated cost
as the measure of performance. Estimated costs at completion for
these contracts are reviewed on a routine periodic basis, and
adjustments are made to the estimated costs at completion based
on actual costs incurred, progress made, and estimates of the
costs required to complete the contractual requirements. When
the estimated
cost-at-completion
exceeds the contract value, the entire estimated loss is
immediately recognized.
79 of 107
In applying the
percentage-of-completion
method of accounting, certain contracts may have revenue
recognized in excess of billings (costs and estimated earnings
in excess of billings), and other contracts may have billings in
excess of revenue recognized (billings in excess of contract
costs and estimated earnings). Under long-term development and
production contracts, the prerequisites for billing the customer
for periodic payments generally involve the Companys
achievement of contractually specific, objective milestones
(e.g., completion of design, testing, or other engineering
phase, delivery of test data or other documentation or delivery
of an engineering model or flight hardware). Costs and estimated
earnings in excess of billings under long-term contracts are
usually billed and collected within one year. Such amounts are
reflected in current assets on the consolidated balance sheet.
The amounts estimated to be collected after one year of
$8.6 million as of December 31, 2010, and
$7.8 million as of December 31, 2009 are included in
other noncurrent assets in the consolidated balance sheet.
Under cost-reimbursement contracts, the Company is reimbursed
for its costs and receives a fixed fee
and/or an
award fee. A fixed fee is recognized as revenue over the
performance of the contract in the same ratio as the costs
incurred to date to the total target contract costs at
completion. This ratio is also used for billing the customer.
Estimated costs at completion for these contracts are reviewed
and revised on a routine periodic basis, and adjustments are
made to the fixed fee ratio and the fee recognized as revenue
accordingly. If the contract includes a clause for partial
withholding of the fee pending specific acceptance or
performance criteria, then the amount of withheld fee to be
recognized will depend upon managements evaluation of the
likelihood of the withheld fee amount being paid. An award fee
is usually variable based upon specific performance criteria
stated in the contract. Award fees are recognized only upon
achieving the contractual criteria and after the customer has
approved or granted the award.
In a multiple-element revenue arrangement, the Company
recognizes revenue separately for each separate unit of
accounting. To recognize revenue for an element that has been
delivered when other elements within the arrangement have not
been delivered, the delivered element must be determined to be a
separate unit of accounting. For a delivered item to qualify as
a separate unit of accounting, it must have standalone value
apart from the undelivered item, and there must be objective
evidence of the fair value of the undelivered item. For
arrangements that include software that is more than incidental,
the undelivered item must have vendor-specific objective
evidence of fair value. When a delivered item is considered to
be a separate unit of accounting, the amount of revenue
recognized upon delivery (assuming all other revenue recognition
criteria are met) is generally an allocation of the arrangement
consideration based on the relative fair value of the delivered
item to the aggregate fair value of all deliverables. If the
Company cannot determine the fair value of the delivered item,
the residual method is used to determine the amount of the
arrangement consideration to allocate to the delivered item.
When a delivered item is not considered a separate unit of
accounting, revenue is deferred and generally recognized as the
undelivered item qualifies for revenue recognition.
Customer-Funded
Development Arrangements
Occasionally, a customer will fund a portion of a design and
development project that the Company is conducting. The Company
recognizes the costs under such development programs as an
expense as incurred, except to the extent that a contractual
guarantee of reimbursement exists, in which case such costs are
recognized as an asset as incurred. The Company considers
reimbursement to be contractually guaranteed only under a
legally enforceable agreement in which the amount of
reimbursement can be objectively measured and verified. The
Company only capitalizes such costs if the likelihood of the
project being successfully completed to the customers
specification is considered probable. Reimbursements expected
within twelve months are reflected in other current assets in
the consolidated balance sheet and remaining amounts are
reflected in noncurrent assets.
80 of 107
Government
Research Incentives
Government-sponsored research incentives are received in the
form of cash reimbursement for a portion of certain qualified
research expenditures. These incentives are recorded as other
current assets in the consolidated balance sheets when the
qualified expenditures are made.
Participation
Payments
The Company occasionally makes cash payments and provides other
incentives under long-term contractual arrangements to customers
in return for a secured position of one or more of the
Companys products on an aircraft program of a commercial
aircraft manufacturer. Participation payments are capitalized as
other assets if recovery is considered probable and objectively
supportable. Participation payments are amortized as a reduction
of net sales over the estimated number of production units to be
shipped over the programs production life which reflects
the pattern in which the economic benefits of the participation
payments are consumed. The carrying amount of participation
payments is evaluated for recovery at least annually or when
other indicators of impairment occur such as a change in the
estimated number of units or the economics of the program. If
such estimates change, amortization expense is adjusted
prospectively
and/or an
impairment charge is recorded, as appropriate, for the effect of
the revised estimates.
Cash
Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with
initial or remaining maturities of three months or less when
purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents as of
December 31, 2010 and 2009 included investments of
$24.5 million and $18.2 million, respectively, in
government-obligations money market funds, in other money market
instruments, and in interest-bearing deposits.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost
(first-in,
first-out) or market (net realizable value).
Work-in-process
consists of raw material and production costs, including
indirect manufacturing costs. We reduce the carrying amount of
our inventory for estimated obsolete and slow-moving inventory
to its estimated net realizable value based on assumptions about
future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions
are less favorable than those projected by management,
additional adjustments could be required. Such adjustments
reduce the inventorys cost basis, and the cost basis is
not increased upon any subsequent increases in estimated net
realizable value.
Property,
Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less
accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided primarily
using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives
of the respective assets which are as follows:
|
|
|
Buildings
|
|
20 to 40 years
|
Machinery and equipment
|
|
3 to 8 years
|
Furniture and fixtures
|
|
4 to 10 years
|
Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their
estimated useful lives or the terms of the respective leases.
Total depreciation expense was $10.5 million,
$10.3 million, and $10.0 million for 2010, 2009, and
2008, respectively.
81 of 107
Long-Lived
Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying
amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability
of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the
carrying amount of an asset group to future net cash flows
expected to be generated by the asset group. If such assets are
considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is
measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the
assets exceeds their fair value. If assets are to be disposed
of, such assets are reported at the lower of carrying amount or
fair value less costs to sell, and no longer depreciated.
Business
combinations
Prior to 2009, the Company recorded business combinations in
accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 141,
Business Combinations. The cost of the acquired entities
was allocated based on the fair value of the underlying assets
and liabilities, which included identifiable intangible assets.
Goodwill represented the excess of the cost over the net of the
amounts allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed.
As of January 1, 2009, the Company records business
combinations in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 805,
Business Combinations, previously referred to as
SFAS No. 141(R), Business Combinations. These
provisions require that identifiable assets acquired and
liabilities assumed be reported at fair value as of the
acquisition date of a business combination. Transaction costs
are expensed as incurred, and are classified within cash flows
from operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash
flows. Costs associated with restructuring or exit activities of
an acquired entity are also expensed when incurred. Contingent
consideration in a business combination is recognized at fair
value at the acquisition date as a liability or as equity.
Subsequent adjustments of an amount recognized as a liability,
including accretion of the discounted liability, are recognized
in the statement of operations in determining net earnings.
Payment of contingent consideration amounts, as originally
estimated at the acquisition date, are included in the financing
activities section of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Payment of contingent consideration amounts in addition to those
originally estimated are included in the operating activities
section of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Deferred tax assets or liabilities arising from assets acquired
and liabilities assumed in business combinations are recognized
and measured in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 740,
Income Taxes, with appropriate allowances for uncertain
tax positions and valuation allowances against deferred tax
assets. Subsequent changes to allowances for uncertain tax
positions and valuation allowances against deferred tax assets
after the measurement period are recognized as an adjustment to
income tax expense.
Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill is recognized as a result of a business combination to
the extent the consideration transferred exceeds the
acquisition-date amounts of identifiable assets acquired and
liabilities assumed, determined in accordance with the
provisions of ASC Topic 805. An intangible asset is recognized
as an asset apart from goodwill if it arises from contractual or
other legal rights or if it is separable, that is, it is capable
of being separated or divided from the acquired entity and sold,
transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged. Such identifiable
intangible assets are recorded at fair value at the date of
acquisition. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a
business combination and determined to have indefinite useful
lives are not being amortized, but instead are evaluated for
impairment annually, and between annual tests if an event occurs
or circumstances change that indicate that the asset might be
impaired.
The Company completes its annual evaluation of goodwill for
impairment in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. ASC Topic
350, Intangibles Goodwill and Other requires
that if the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its
carrying amount, including goodwill, further analysis is
required to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any.
The amount by which the reporting units carrying amount of
goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the reporting
units goodwill, determined in accordance with ASC Topic
350, is to be recognized as an impairment loss. As a result of
the Companys annual evaluation of goodwill in 2009, the
82 of 107
Company recorded an impairment charge of $19.9 million. The
2009 impairment charge related to the Companys LXE
segment. Refer to Note 3 for additional information.
In accordance with ASC Topic 350, intangible assets, other than
those determined to have an indefinite life, are amortized to
their estimated residual values on a straight-line basis, or on
the basis of economic benefit, over their estimated useful
lives. The useful life of the intangible asset is the period
over which the asset is expected to contribute directly or
indirectly to the entitys future cash flows. These
intangible assets are reviewed for impairment in accordance with
ASC Topic
360-10-05,
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, whenever
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying
amounts of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable.
Recoverability of an asset or asset group to be held and used is
measured by comparing its carrying amount to the estimated
undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the
asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated
future cash flows, an impairment charge would be recognized for
the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its
fair value. An asset to be disposed of would be reported at the
lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell,
and would no longer be depreciated. Cash flow projections,
although subject to uncertainty, are based on managements
estimates of future performance, giving consideration to
existing and anticipated competitive and economic conditions.
Unfavorable economic or financial market conditions or other
developments may affect the fair value of one or more of the
Companys business units and it is reasonably possible that
the Company may be required to record additional asset
impairment charges in the future. As of December 31, 2010,
the Company had approximately $60.5 million of goodwill and
$41.3 million of other intangible assets on the
consolidated balance sheet, collectively representing
approximately 27% of total assets. A significant amount of
judgment is involved in determining if an indicator of
impairment has occurred. Such indicators may include a
sustained, significant decline in the Companys share price
and market capitalization, a decline in expected future cash
flows for one or more business units, a significant adverse
change in legal factors or in the business climate,
unanticipated competition
and/or
slower-than-expected
growth rates, among others. If the Company is required to
recognize an additional impairment loss related to goodwill or
long-lived assets, the related charge, although a noncash
charge, could materially impact reported earnings or loss from
continuing operations for the period in which the impairment
loss is recognized.
Loss
Contingencies
We record a liability for a loss contingency when the loss is
considered probable to occur and can be reasonably estimated.
Legal costs related to a loss contingency are recorded when
costs are incurred.
Income
Taxes
The Company provides for income taxes using the asset and
liability method. Under the asset and liability method, deferred
tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax
consequences attributable to differences between the financial
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities
and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured
using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in
the years in which those temporary differences are expected to
be recovered or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are
classified as current or noncurrent based upon the nature of the
underlying temporary differences. The effect on deferred taxes
of a change in tax rates is recognized in earnings in the period
that includes the enactment date. The Company does not provide
for U.S. federal and state income taxes on the cumulative
undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries because such
earnings are deemed to be indefinitely reinvested.
The Company assesses the recoverability of deferred tax assets
based on estimates of future taxable income and establishes a
valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets in a
jurisdiction if it believes that it is more likely than not that
the deferred tax assets will not be recoverable.
The Company assesses the amount of benefit to recognize for
uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax
return by applying a prescribed recognition measurement model.
The evaluation of a tax position in accordance with this model
is a two-step process. In the first step, recognition, the
Company determines
83 of 107
whether it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be
sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related
appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits
of the position. The second step addresses measurement of a tax
position that meets the more-likely-than-not criteria. The tax
position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is
greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon
ultimate settlement.
The Companys policy is to include interest and penalties
related to unrecognized tax benefits within the income tax
expense line item in its consolidated statements of operations.
Earnings
Per Share
Basic earnings per share is the per-share allocation of income
available to common shareholders based only on the
weighted-average number of common shares actually outstanding
during the period. Diluted earnings per share represents the
per-share allocation of income attributable to common
shareholders based on the weighted-average number of common
shares actually outstanding plus all potential common share
equivalents outstanding during the period, if dilutive. The
Company uses the treasury stock method to determine diluted
earnings per share.
The following table is a reconciliation of the denominator for
basic and diluted earnings per share calculations for the years
ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands). Potential
dilutive shares were excluded from the computation of diluted
net loss per share for the year ended December 31, 2009,
because the effect of their inclusion would have been
anti-dilutive:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding
|
|
|
15,191
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,452
|
|
Dilutive potential shares using the treasury share method
|
|
|
59
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
176
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding
|
|
|
15,250
|
|
|
|
15,169
|
|
|
|
15,628
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares that were not included in computation of diluted earnings
per share that could potentially dilute future basic earnings
per share because their effect on the periods were antidilutive
|
|
|
619
|
|
|
|
1,045
|
|
|
|
341
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-Based
Compensation
Stock-based compensation is recognized on a straight-line basis
over the requisite service period for each separately vesting
portion of an award as if the award was, in substance, multiple
awards. The Company estimates future forfeitures based on
historical experience, reviews such estimates periodically and
adjusts expense recognition accordingly.
Foreign
Currency Translation
The functional currency is generally the local currency for each
of the Companys subsidiaries. The assets and liabilities
of the Companys foreign subsidiaries are translated into
U.S. dollars using current exchange rates in effect at the
balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated using
average monthly exchange rates. The resulting translation
adjustments are recorded as other comprehensive income in the
accompanying consolidated statements of shareholders
equity and comprehensive income.
Certain transactions produce receivables or payables denominated
in a currency other than the functional currency. Any subsequent
changes in exchange rates between the functional currency and
the currency in which a transaction is denominated generates a
foreign currency transaction gain or loss that is generally
84 of 107
included in determining net earnings. However, gains or losses
resulting from intercompany foreign currency transactions that
are of a long-term-investment nature (that is, settlement is not
planned or anticipated in the foreseeable future) are reported
in the same manner as translation adjustments.
Comprehensive
Income
Comprehensive income consists of net earnings and foreign
currency translation adjustments and is presented in the
consolidated statements of shareholders equity and
comprehensive income (loss).
Derivative
Financial Instruments
The Company uses derivative financial instruments (foreign
currency forward contracts) to economically hedge currency
fluctuations in future cash flows denominated in foreign
currencies, thereby limiting the Companys risk that would
otherwise result from changes in exchange rates. The Company has
established policies and procedures for risk assessment and for
the approval, reporting and monitoring of derivative financial
instrument activities. The Company does not enter into
derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative
purposes.
None of the derivative financial instruments are designated as a
hedge for accounting purposes. Therefore, each instrument is
reflected at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet with
the change in fair value reflected in earnings.
Warranties
The Company provides a limited warranty for a variety of its
products. The specific terms and conditions of the warranties
vary depending upon the specific products and markets in which
the products are sold. The Company records a liability at the
time of sale for the estimated costs to be incurred under
warranties, based on historical, as well as expected,
experience. The warranty liability is periodically reviewed for
adequacy and adjusted as necessary.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2010, the FASB issued guidance amending and
clarifying requirements for fair value measurements and
disclosures in the Accounting Standards Update (ASU)
2010-06,
Improving Disclosures About Fair Value Measurements. The
new guidance requires disclosure of transfers in and out of
Level 1 and Level 2 and a reconciliation of all
activity in Level 3. The guidance also requires detailed
disaggregation disclosure for each class of assets and
liabilities in all levels, and disclosures about inputs and
valuation techniques for Level 2 and Level 3. The
guidance was effective for the Company in the first quarter of
2010 and the disclosure reconciliation of all activity in
Level 3 is effective for the Company in the first quarter
of 2011. The adoption of ASU
2010-06 is
not expected to have a material impact on the Companys
consolidated financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet
Adopted
In December 2010, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2010-29,
Disclosure of Supplementary Pro Forma Information for
Business Combinations. The amendments in this update specify
that if a public entity presents comparative financial
statements, the entity should disclose revenue and earnings of
the combined entity as though the business combination(s) that
occurred during the current year had occurred as of the
beginning of the comparable prior annual reporting period only.
The amendments also expand the supplemental pro forma
disclosures under ASC Topic 805 to include a description of the
nature and amount of material, nonrecurring pro forma
adjustments directly attributable to the business combination
included in the reported pro forma revenue and earnings. The
amendments in this Update are effective prospectively for
business combinations
85 of 107
for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of
the first annual reporting period beginning on or after
December 15, 2010. Early adoption is permitted.
For additional information on accounting pronouncements recently
issued but not yet adopted, refer to the caption Effect of
New Accounting Pronouncements within Item 7,
Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations in this Annual Report.
(2) BUSINESS
COMBINATIONS
The Company has expanded its technology base by acquiring
various companies or their assets.
During 2009, the Company completed the acquisitions of all of
the equity interest in two businesses; Formation, Inc.
(Formation), of Moorestown, New Jersey on
January 9, 2009; and Satamatics Global Limited
(Satamatics) of Tewkesbury, UK, on February 13,
2009.
Formations core product lines are rugged disk data storage
products, wireless access points, advanced integrated recorders,
terminal data loaders, and avionics and media file servers.
Acquiring Formation is part of the Companys continued
investment in its aero-connectivity strategy to become a more
comprehensive solutions provider. The Companys goal is to
meet the growing demand for aeronautical communications from
airlines and business aircraft owners, as well as governments.
With the inclusion of Formation in its product portfolio, the
Company covers the spectrum of air-connectivity solutions for
those markets across multiple satellite platforms.
Satamatics core products include satellite data
communications terminals for mobile asset tracking and
monitoring, and related airtime services. This acquisition
complements the Companys existing Iridium- and
Inmarsat-based tracking solutions, extends the Companys
satellite capabilities into a new market, and further
strengthens the Companys market position in
satellite-based applications for tracking people and assets
worldwide.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial
statements, the Company was required to adopt
SFAS No. 141(R), which is now included in ASC Topic
805, effective January 1, 2009, and these acquisitions were
reflected in the consolidated financial statements in accordance
with these revised standards.
The aggregate cash purchase price for these two entities was
approximately $90.7 million paid in 2009. In addition, one
of the purchase agreements included a contingent consideration
arrangement of up to $15 million. Management estimated that
the fair value of the contingent consideration arrangement at
the acquisition date was approximately $10.5 million. The
estimated fair value of the contingent consideration liability
increased by $3.2 million in 2009 primarily related to
accretion in the liability from the acquisition date, changes in
the expected earn-out payments based on the results of 2009, and
an agreement between the Company and the sellers of the acquired
entity to set the 2010 earn-out at a fixed amount. The fair
value of the contingent consideration liability was increased by
$0.3 million in 2010 to reflect the final agreement of the
2010 earn-out amount, which settled the contingency. These net
charges were recorded in acquisition-related items in the
consolidated statement of operations. $13.1 million of the
contingent consideration liability was paid in cash to the
sellers in 2010, and $0.9 million was paid in the first
quarter of 2011. In the consolidated statement of cash flows,
the amount of the payments that represented the estimated fair
value of the contingent consideration arrangement at the
acquisition date is reflected in the financing activities
section. The remaining amount of the payments in 2010 that
represents changes in the estimated fair value, primarily
accretion in the liability from the acquisition date, is
included in the operating activities from continuing operations
section.
ASC Topic 805 requires that identifiable assets acquired and
liabilities assumed be reported at fair value as of the
acquisition date of a business combination. Including the
contingent consideration as originally estimated, the aggregate
estimated fair value of the consideration for these two
entities, as of their respective acquisition dates, was
approximately $101.2 million. This included identifiable
intangible assets of approximately $46.4 million and
goodwill totaling approximately $47.5 million. These
intangible assets are subject to amortization based on expected
useful lives that range from one to thirteen years. The Company
did not incur
86 of 107
costs to renew or extend the term of acquired intangible assets
during the period ended December 31, 2010. The valuation
methods and assumptions used to determine fair value of major
classes of assets acquired and liabilities assumed were in
accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures.
The goodwill results from the application of ASC Topic 805 since
it requires that the acquirer subsume into goodwill the value of
any acquired intangible asset that is not identifiable and the
value attributed to items that do not qualify for separate
recognition as assets at the acquisition date. The revised
standard on accounting for business combinations prohibits
separate recognition for certain acquired intangible assets that
do not arise from contractual or other legal rights or do not
meet specified separation criteria (e.g., assembled workforce).
In addition, value is attributed by management to certain items
that do not qualify as assets at the acquisition date, such as
future technologies that management expects to be developed
based on a track record of the acquired entities meeting market
demands. Management also believes that synergies exist between
these newly acquired product lines and the Companys
existing aero and connectivity businesses that allow the
opportunity for promising growth. The goodwill resulting from
the acquisition of Satamatics was assigned to the Satamatics
reporting unit and the Global Tracking reporting segment. The
goodwill resulting from the acquisition of Formation was
originally assigned to the Formation reporting unit and the
Aviation reporting segment.
The Company included the operating results of Formation in its
Aviation segment and the operating results of Satamatics in its
Global Tracking segment in the consolidated statement of
operations since the acquisition date for each respective
entity. The results for 2010 and 2009 included net sales of
$51.3 million and $60.2 million, respectively, and a
loss from continuing operations before taxes of
$2.6 million and $0.2 million, respectively. During
2010, the Company recognized net acquisition-related charges of
$0.6 million. During 2009, the Company recognized net
acquisition-related charges of $7.2 million. These net
charges were principally a result of the adoption of
SFAS No. 141(R), including transaction costs, and a
net charge related to an increase in the earn-out liability.
Also included in 2009, was a $1.4 million foreign exchange
loss related to the funding of the Satamatics acquisition, which
was required to be paid in British pounds sterling. The loss
resulted from changes in foreign currency exchange rates from
the date the Company funded the transaction to the date the
acquisition was completed.
The following table provides unaudited supplemental pro forma
information of the Company for 2009 and 2008 as if these
acquisitions had been completed on January 1 of the respective
years. The results were prepared based on the historical
financial statements of the Company and the acquired entities
and include pro forma adjustments to reflect the effects of the
transactions and the provisions of SFAS No. 141(R) as
if it had been in effect at these hypothetical acquisition dates
(in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
Net sales
|
|
$
|
362,970
|
|
|
|
383,584
|
|
(Loss) earnings from continuing operations
|
|
|
(19,475
|
)
|
|
|
6,397
|
|
During 2008, the Company completed acquisitions of two entities.
Akerstroms Trux AB (Trux) of Bjorbo, Sweden was
acquired on February 8, 2008, and Sky Connect, LLC
(Sky Connect) of Takoma Park, MD was acquired on
August 15, 2008. Trux manufactures and markets
vehicle-mount computing solutions for warehousing and production
environments in the Nordic region, and Sky Connect is a leading
provider of Iridium-based combined tracking and voice systems
for the aviation market.
The aggregate purchase price for the entities acquired in 2008
was approximately $33 million. The cost of the acquired
entities was allocated based on the fair value of the underlying
assets and liabilities, which included identifiable intangible
assets of approximately $8.4 million. Intangible assets are
subject to amortization based on expected useful lives that
range mainly from three to five years. Goodwill, totaling
approximately $22.4 million, represented the excess of the
cost over the net of the amounts allocated to the assets
acquired
87 of 107
and liabilities assumed. Approximately $11.0 million of the
acquired goodwill is deductible over a
15-year
period for income tax purposes.
Sky Connect is included in the Companys Aviation
reportable operating segment, and Trux is included in the
Companys LXE reportable operating segment. Their operating
results are being included in the Companys results of
operations from their respective dates of acquisition. The
Company recognized a loss on impairment of goodwill of
$19.9 million in 2009 at the LXE reporting unit (see
Note 3 for additional information). A proportional share of
the loss was allocated to the goodwill resulting from the
acquisition of Trux.
Pro forma financial statements and information have not been
included for either of the 2008 acquisitions since they were not
considered significant acquisitions individually or in aggregate
in relation to the Companys consolidated financial
statements.
To further align the businesses within the Aviation segment,
significant strides were made in 2010 to align and integrate the
operations of the Formation, Sky Connect and Canadian-based
aviation businesses. Sales efforts, manufacturing processes, and
administrative support staff have been combined to leverage
Aviations strengths and resources. As a result, at the end
of 2010, the Company ceased operations at the Takoma Park, MD
facility. In addition, as of 2011, the Company no longer
considers Formation and Sky Connect as separate reporting units
but instead considers the Aviation segment as the reporting unit
for all of the segments assets.
(3) GOODWILL
AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
As discussed in Note 2, the Company completed two business
combinations during 2009, and two during 2008. The consolidated
financial statements include the identifiable intangible assets
and goodwill resulting from these business combinations in
addition to amounts from acquisitions of businesses completed
prior to 2008.
The following table presents the changes in the carrying amount
of goodwill during 2009 and 2010 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Balance as of December 31, 2008
|
|
$
|
11,007
|
|
|
|
20,395
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
31,402
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Goodwill acquired during year
|
|
|
24,101
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
23,429
|
|
|
|
47,530
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,295
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,295
|
|
Impairment loss
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(19,891
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(19,891
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance as of December 31, 2009
|
|
|
35,108
|
|
|
|
1,799
|
|
|
|
23,429
|
|
|
|
60,336
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
138
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
138
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance as of December 31, 2010
|
|
$
|
35,108
|
|
|
|
1,937
|
|
|
|
23,429
|
|
|
|
60,474
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Company had four reporting units with goodwill from prior
acquisitions reported on the balance sheet at December 31,
2010. In completing the annual evaluation for impairment in the
fourth quarter of 2010, the estimated fair value of each of the
Companys four reporting units with goodwill exceeded the
carrying amount. In 2009, we recognized a loss on impairment of
$19.9 million related to LXE. At December 31, 2010
only $1.9 million of goodwill remained on the balance sheet
for LXE. For purposes of the goodwill impairment testing in the
fourth quarter of 2010, we determined that a detailed estimate
of fair value was not required since the likelihood that the
current fair value determination would be less than the carrying
amount was remote.
The estimated fair value of both Satamatics ($23.4 million
of goodwill at December 31, 2010) and Sky Connect
($11.0 million of goodwill at December 31,
2010) exceeded the carrying amount of the reporting unit by
more than 25%. However, the estimated fair value of Formation
($24.1 million of goodwill at December 31,
2010) only exceeded its carrying amount by 4%.
88 of 107
The goodwill for Formation was the result of a recent
acquisition. At the acquisition date, the carrying amount of a
reporting unit is equal to its purchase price. Therefore, a
significant excess would generally not be expected for a
recently acquired reporting unit. The key assumptions that drive
the estimated fair value for Formation include future cash flows
from operations, the discount rate applied to those future cash
flows, determined from a weighted-average cost of capital
calculation that includes managements assessment of the
risks inherent in the projected future cash flows, and EBITDA
and revenue multiples using guideline comparable companies. The
future cash flows include additional key assumptions relating to
revenue growth rates, margins and costs. Actual future results
could differ materially from these estimates which could have a
negative effect on fair value. Particularly, if the markets
served do not expand as we expect, the fair value of one or more
of our reporting units could be determined to be below the
carrying amount.
The Company estimated the fair value of each of its reporting
units in a manner similar to the method used in a business
combination. The Company utilized both the income approach and
the market approach in the determination of fair value. Under
the income approach, estimated fair value is based on the cash
flow method. The key assumptions that drive the estimated fair
value of the reporting units under the income approach are
level 3 inputs and include future cash flows from
operations and the discount rate applied to those future cash
flows, determined from a weighted-average cost of capital
calculation. The future cash flows include additional key
assumptions relating to revenue growth rates, margins and costs.
Under the market approach, the value of invested capital is
derived through industry multiples and other assumptions. The
key assumptions that drive the estimated fair value of the
reporting units under the market approach include EBITDA and
revenue multiples using guideline companies, the majority of
which are level 3 inputs.
There were no accumulated impairment losses for the
Companys goodwill as of December 31, 2008. After the
impairment loss recorded on LXEs goodwill in 2009, the
Company had $19.5 million and $20.2 million of
accumulated impairment losses on goodwill including foreign
currency translation adjustments as of December 31, 2009,
and December 31, 2010, respectively.
The following table presents the gross carrying amounts and
accumulated amortization, in total and by major intangible asset
class, for the Companys intangible assets subject to
amortization as of December 31, 2010 and December 31,
2009 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31, 2010
|
|
|
|
Gross
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
|
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Developed technology
|
|
$
|
41,525
|
|
|
|
19,039
|
|
|
|
22,486
|
|
Customer relationships
|
|
|
19,164
|
|
|
|
4,787
|
|
|
|
14,377
|
|
Trade names and trademarks
|
|
|
6,281
|
|
|
|
1,961
|
|
|
|
4,320
|
|
Other
|
|
|
2,428
|
|
|
|
2,292
|
|
|
|
136
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
69,398
|
|
|
|
28,079
|
|
|
|
41,319
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31, 2009
|
|
|
|
Gross
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
|
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Developed technology
|
|
$
|
40,385
|
|
|
|
13,460
|
|
|
|
26,925
|
|
Customer relationships
|
|
|
19,052
|
|
|
|
2,493
|
|
|
|
16,559
|
|
Trade names and trademarks
|
|
|
6,208
|
|
|
|
1,052
|
|
|
|
5,156
|
|
Other
|
|
|
2,428
|
|
|
|
1,812
|
|
|
|
616
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
68,073
|
|
|
|
18,817
|
|
|
|
49,256
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
89 of 107
Amortization expense related to these intangible assets for 2010
and 2009 was $8.5 million and $9.4 million,
respectively. Amortization expense of $3.7 million and
$5.5 million was included in cost of sales,
$4.8 million and $3.6 million was included in selling,
general and administrative expenses, and $0.6 million and
$0.2 million was included in research and development
expenses in the Companys consolidated statements of
operations for 2010 and 2009, respectively. Expected
amortization expense for the five succeeding years is as
follows: 2011 $7.7 million, 2012
$7.9 million, 2013 $7.3 million,
2014 $3.9 million, and 2015
$3.6 million.
In-process research and development assets of $0.3 million
from acquisitions made by the Company in 2009 were determined to
have no future value and were written-off in 2010.
(4) FAIR
VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company measures financial and non-financial assets and
liabilities in accordance with ASC Topic 820. This guidance
indicates that fair value is an exit price, representing the
amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to
transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market
participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement
that should be determined based on assumptions that market
participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a
basis for considering such assumptions, the guidance establishes
a three-tier fair-value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs
used in measuring fair value as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1 Observable inputs consisting of quoted
prices in active markets;
|
|
|
|
Level 2 Inputs, other than quoted prices in
active markets, that are observable either directly or
indirectly; and
|
|
|
|
Level 3 Unobservable inputs in which there is
little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to
develop its own assumptions.
|
Assets
and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring
Basis
The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, trade
accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses
approximate their fair values because of the short-term maturity
of these instruments.
The Company uses derivative financial instruments, primarily in
the form of foreign currency forward contracts, in order to
mitigate the risks associated with currency fluctuations on
future fair values of foreign denominated assets and
liabilities. The Companys policy is to execute such
instruments with creditworthy financial institutions, and it
does not enter into derivative contracts for speculative
purposes. The fair values of foreign currency contracts of
$467,000 net asset at December 31, 2010 and
$39,000 net asset at December 31, 2009 are based on
quoted market prices for similar instruments using the income
approach (a level 2 input per the provisions of ASC Topic
820) and are recorded in other current assets in the
Companys consolidated balance sheets.
The Company has two fixed-rate, long-term mortgages and has
borrowings under its revolving credit facility. One mortgage has
an 8.0% rate and a carrying amount as of December 31, 2010
and December 31, 2009 of $5.7 million and
$6.4 million, respectively. The other mortgage has a 7.1%
rate and a carrying amount as of December 31, 2010 and
December 31, 2009 of $2.3 million and
$2.9 million, respectively. The Companys borrowings
under its revolving credit facility were $21.0 million and
$18.5 million as of December 31, 2010, and
December 31, 2009, respectively. The estimated fair value
of the Companys total debt was $28.3 million and
$26.5 million at December 31, 2010 and
December 31, 2009, respectively, and is based on quoted
market prices for similar instruments (a level 2 input).
Mortgage debt and borrowings under the Companys credit
facility are recorded in current and long-term debt on the
Companys consolidated balance sheets.
Management believes that these assets and liabilities can be
liquidated without restriction.
90 of 107
The Company had a contingent consideration liability for
earn-out provisions resulting from an acquisition completed in
2009 (Refer to Note 1 for additional information). The
contingency has since been settled and an additional
$13.1 million was paid in cash for the acquisition in 2010,
and $0.9 million was paid the first quarter of 2011. The
estimated fair value of this contingent consideration liability
was determined by applying a form of the income approach (a
level 3 input) based on the probability-weighted projected
payment amounts discounted to present value at a rate
appropriate for the risk of achieving the milestones.
The table below includes a summary of the change in estimated
fair value of the contingent consideration liability (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
|
|
December 31,
2010
|
|
|
December 31,
2009
|
|
|
Balance at the beginning of the period
|
|
$
|
13,729
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Acquisitions
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
10,500
|
|
Fair value adjustment, including accretion
|
|
|
304
|
|
|
|
3,229
|
|
Settlements
|
|
|
(13,089
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at the end of the period
|
|
$
|
944
|
|
|
|
13,729
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
During 2010 and 2009, the fair value adjustment was an increase
of $0.3 million and $3.2 million, respectively,
reflecting changes in its expected payments based on the results
of 2009, and an agreement to settle the 2010 earn-out amount.
Assets
and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis
Subsequent to the Initial Recognition
In 2009, goodwill for our LXE segment was written down to its
implied fair value of $1.8 million in accordance with the
provisions of ASC Topic 350. Prior to the write-down, the
carrying amount of LXEs goodwill was $21.7 million.
The goodwill impairment charge of $19.9 million was
included in loss from continuing operations in 2009. The
estimated fair value used in the Companys impairment
testing evaluation was determined by applying the income
approach and market approach, both level 3 inputs. Refer to
Note 3 for additional information including the valuation
techniques used in the Companys goodwill impairment
evaluation.
ASC Topic 805 requires that identifiable assets acquired and
liabilities assumed be reported at fair value as of the
acquisition date of a business combination completed on or after
January 1, 2009. The Company completed two acquisitions in
2009. Refer to Note 2 for additional information on the
estimated fair values of, and the valuation techniques used, for
the assets and liabilities acquired in these two acquisitions.
(5) BUSINESS
SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA INFORMATION
The Company is organized into four reportable segments:
Aviation, Defense & Space (D&S), LXE
and Global Tracking. The Company determines operating segments
in accordance with the Companys internal management
structure, which is organized based on products and services
that share distinct operating characteristics. Each segment is
separately managed and is evaluated primarily upon operating
income.
The Aviation segment designs and develops satellite-based
communications solutions through a broad array of terminals and
antennas for the aeronautical market that enable end-users in
aircraft to communicate over satellite and
air-to-ground
links. This segment also designs equipment to process data on
board aircraft, including rugged data storage, cabin-wireless
connectivity, and
air-to-ground
connectivity equipment. The manufacturing cycle for each order
is generally just a few days, and revenues are recognized upon
shipment of hardware. Aviation also derives a portion of its net
sales from performance on development and production contracts.
Net sales on these contracts are generally accounted for using
the
percentage-of-completion
method
91 of 107
accounting. Aviation service revenue is generated mainly from
product-related service contracts, extended warranty
arrangements, and from airtime services. Products and services
are marketed to a variety of customers including major airframe
manufacturers, avionics original equipment manufacturers
(OEM), aircraft operators and owners.
The Defense & Space segment manufactures
custom-designed, highly engineered subsystems and provides
design and development services on research projects for defense
electronics and satellite applications. These applications
include products from military communications, RADAR,
surveillance and countermeasures to high-definition television,
satellite radio, and live TV for commercial airlines. Orders
typically involve development and production schedules that can
extend a year or more, and most revenues are recognized under
the
percentage-of-completion
long-term contract accounting method. D&S service
revenue is mainly generated from projects that are limited to
design and development-related services, and from
product-related service contracts. Products and services are
typically sold to prime contractors or systems integrators
rather than to end-users.
The LXE segment manufactures mobile terminals and wireless data
collection equipment for logistics management systems. LXE
operates mainly in three target markets: the Americas market,
which is comprised of North, South and Central America; the
International market, which is comprised of all other geographic
areas with the highest concentration in Europe; and direct sales
to original equipment manufacturers (OEM). The
manufacturing cycle for each order is generally just a few days,
and revenues are generally recognized upon shipment of products.
LXEs service revenue is mainly generated from
product-related repair contracts and extended warranty
arrangements. Products and services are marketed directly to
end-users, through distributors, and integrators (such as
value-added resellers who provide inventory management software)
that incorporate it with their products and services for sale
and delivery to end users.
The Global Tracking segment provides satellite-based
machine-to-machine
mobile communications equipment and services to track, monitor
and control remote, mobile and fixed assets. Additionally,
Global Tracking provides equipment for the Cospas-Sarsat
search-and-rescue
system and incident-management solutions for rescue coordination
worldwide. The manufacturing cycle for each order is generally
just a few days, and revenues are recognized upon shipment of
hardware. Global Tracking also derives a portion of its net
sales from performance on long-term development and production
contracts. Net sales on these contracts are generally accounted
for using the
percentage-of-completion
method accounting. Global Tracking service revenue is mainly
generated from airtime service contracts. Products and services
are marketed through a worldwide distribution network of
value-added resellers, and also directly to end users.
Prior to 2010, the Company operated under three reportable
operating segments: Communications & Tracking,
D&S and LXE. The Aviation and Global Tracking segments were
previously included in our Communications & Tracking
segment. The Companys historical financial data has been
recast in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K
to conform to its 2010 segment presentation.
Accounting policies for segments are the same as those described
in the summary of significant accounting policies.
92 of 107
The following segment data is presented in thousands:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Net sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
106,787
|
|
|
|
123,909
|
|
|
|
92,724
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
67,906
|
|
|
|
91,579
|
|
|
|
76,643
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
141,217
|
|
|
|
109,441
|
|
|
|
145,885
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
40,676
|
|
|
|
35,043
|
|
|
|
19,793
|
|
Less intercompany sales
|
|
|
(1,361
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
6,299
|
|
|
|
10,959
|
|
|
|
15,315
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
6,092
|
|
|
|
7,314
|
|
|
|
6,381
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
7,522
|
|
|
|
(26,531
|
)
|
|
|
2,861
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
1,540
|
|
|
|
424
|
|
|
|
(1,128
|
)
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(3,931
|
)
|
|
|
(6,799
|
)
|
|
|
(3,805
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
17,522
|
|
|
|
(14,633
|
)
|
|
|
19,624
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income, net of foreign exchange losses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
(446
|
)
|
|
|
492
|
|
|
|
(154
|
)
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
240
|
|
|
|
(84
|
)
|
|
|
500
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
59
|
|
|
|
334
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
445
|
|
|
|
(1,344
|
)
|
|
|
1,492
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
306
|
|
|
|
(601
|
)
|
|
|
1,844
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
4
|
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
62
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
40
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
93
|
|
|
|
406
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
1,897
|
|
|
|
2,020
|
|
|
|
1,171
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1,904
|
|
|
|
2,181
|
|
|
|
1,679
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
5,849
|
|
|
|
11,383
|
|
|
|
15,099
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
6,100
|
|
|
|
7,315
|
|
|
|
6,347
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
7,762
|
|
|
|
(26,708
|
)
|
|
|
2,955
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
1,596
|
|
|
|
758
|
|
|
|
(1,128
|
)
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
(5,383
|
)
|
|
|
(10,163
|
)
|
|
|
(3,484
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
15,924
|
|
|
|
(17,415
|
)
|
|
|
19,789
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The results from continuing operations before income taxes for
Global Tracking include selling, general and administrative
expenses for certain cost centers that began supporting Global
Tracking in 2010 that had supported the Aviation segment in 2009
and 2008. The results from continuing operations before income
taxes for Corporate & Other include corporate expenses
that are not allocated to operating segments in the financial
data reviewed by the chief operating decision maker. In
addition, the results from continuing operations before income
taxes for 2009 includes a $1.4 million foreign exchange
loss related to the funding of the Satamatics acquisition and a
net charge of $7.2 million for acquisition-related items.
The acquisition-related items were principally a result of the
adoption of SFAS No. 141(R), including transaction
costs, and the accretion of an
93 of 107
earn-out liability related to one of the Companys recent
acquisitions recorded at estimated fair value on a discounted
basis, an increase in the estimated fair value of the earn-out
liability in 2009 reflecting changes in the expected earn-out
payments based on the results of 2009, and an agreement between
the Company and the sellers of the acquired entity to settle the
2010 earn-out provisions. The results from continuing operations
before income taxes for LXE include an impairment loss on
goodwill of $19.9 million for the year ended
December 31, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Capital expenditures:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
3,014
|
|
|
|
2,822
|
|
|
|
4,090
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
158
|
|
|
|
5,966
|
|
|
|
6,105
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
6,566
|
|
|
|
3,726
|
|
|
|
2,957
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
496
|
|
|
|
254
|
|
|
|
295
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
720
|
|
|
|
665
|
|
|
|
422
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
10,954
|
|
|
|
13,433
|
|
|
|
13,869
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and amortization:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
8,138
|
|
|
|
8,577
|
|
|
|
4,609
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
3,195
|
|
|
|
3,367
|
|
|
|
3,023
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
3,320
|
|
|
|
3,345
|
|
|
|
3,363
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
3,651
|
|
|
|
3,540
|
|
|
|
480
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
1,241
|
|
|
|
1,160
|
|
|
|
1,023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
19,545
|
|
|
|
19,989
|
|
|
|
12,498
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
|
|
$
|
149,834
|
|
|
|
144,486
|
|
Defense & Space
|
|
|
45,968
|
|
|
|
53,883
|
|
LXE
|
|
|
78,588
|
|
|
|
71,632
|
|
Global Tracking
|
|
|
80,103
|
|
|
|
75,919
|
|
Corporate & Other
|
|
|
18,451
|
|
|
|
28,225
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
372,944
|
|
|
|
374,145
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Following is a summary of enterprise-wide information (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Net sales to customers in the following regions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United States
|
|
$
|
243,369
|
|
|
|
252,749
|
|
|
|
202,520
|
|
Other foreign countries
|
|
|
111,856
|
|
|
|
107,223
|
|
|
|
132,525
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
355,225
|
|
|
|
359,972
|
|
|
|
335,045
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
94 of 107
Net sales are attributed to individual countries based on the
customers country of origin at the time of the sale.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Long-lived assets (excluding goodwill) are located in the
following countries:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United States
|
|
$
|
50,123
|
|
|
|
54,372
|
|
United Kingdom
|
|
|
21,637
|
|
|
|
24,442
|
|
Canada
|
|
|
9,094
|
|
|
|
8,820
|
|
Other foreign countries
|
|
|
8,848
|
|
|
|
9,562
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
89,702
|
|
|
|
97,196
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concentration of net assets by geographic region:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United States
|
|
$
|
77,006
|
|
|
|
72,826
|
|
Canada
|
|
|
68,677
|
|
|
|
62,239
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
101,880
|
|
|
|
97,216
|
|
Other
|
|
|
9,457
|
|
|
|
4,810
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
257,020
|
|
|
|
237,091
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales to no individual customer exceeded 10% of our annual net
sales during the years ended December 31, 2010 or 2008.
Sales to one of our customers during the year ended
December 31, 2009 exceeded 10% of our annual net sales,
with sales of $37.9 million, mainly due to a significant
order received by our D&S segment.
(6) INVENTORIES
Inventories as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 included the
following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Parts and materials
|
|
$
|
24,996
|
|
|
|
25,221
|
|
Work-in-process
|
|
|
6,127
|
|
|
|
5,142
|
|
Finished goods
|
|
|
10,526
|
|
|
|
10,292
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
41,649
|
|
|
|
40,655
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs included in inventories related to long-term development
and production programs or contracts are primarily for materials
and work performed on programs awaiting funding, or on contracts
not yet finalized. Such costs were $0.9 million at
December 31, 2010, and $1.1 million at
December 31, 2009.
95 of 107
(7) LONG-TERM
DEBT
The following is a summary of long-term debt as of
December 31, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Revolving credit loan with a syndicate of banks in the U. S.,
which matures in February 2013, interest payable monthly at a
variable rate (3.75% at December 31, 2010)
|
|
$
|
21,000
|
|
|
|
18,500
|
|
Promissory note, secured by a first mortgage on the
Companys headquarters facility, maturing in 2016,
principal and interest payable in equal monthly installments of
$104 with a fixed interest rate of 8.0%
|
|
|
5,670
|
|
|
|
6,370
|
|
Term loan with an insurance company, secured by a U.S. building,
maturing in February 2014, principal and interest payable in
equal monthly installments of $68 with a fixed interest rate of
7.1%
|
|
|
2,302
|
|
|
|
2,878
|
|
Capital lease agreements, secured by machinery and equipment,
computer hardware, software and peripherals, with various terms
through 2010, due in quarterly installments with implicit
interest rates of 4.2%
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total long-term debt
|
|
|
28,972
|
|
|
|
27,750
|
|
Less current installments of long-term debt
|
|
|
1,496
|
|
|
|
1,398
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, excluding current installments
|
|
$
|
27,476
|
|
|
|
26,352
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Company has a revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of
banks. Under this agreement, the Company has $60 million
total capacity for borrowing in the U.S. and
$15 million total capacity for borrowing in Canada. The
agreement also has a provision permitting an increase in the
total borrowing capacity of up to an additional $50 million
with additional commitments from the current lenders or from new
lenders. The existing lenders have no obligation to increase
their commitments. The credit agreement provides for borrowings
through February 28, 2013, with no principal payments
required until maturity. The credit agreement is secured by
substantially all of the Companys tangible and intangible
assets, with certain exceptions for real estate that secures
existing mortgages, for other permitted liens, and for certain
assets in foreign countries.
Interest will be, at the Companys option, a function of
either the lead banks prime rate or the then-published
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) for the
applicable borrowing period. A commitment fee equal to 0.30% per
annum of the average daily unused credit is payable quarterly.
As of December 31, 2010, the Company had $21.0 million
of borrowings outstanding under this revolving credit facility.
The credit agreement includes a financial covenant that
establishes a maximum ratio of total funded debt to historical
consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and
amortization (EBITDA). The credit agreement also
establishes a minimum ratio of consolidated EBITDA less capital
expenditures and taxes paid to specific fixed charges, primarily
interest, scheduled principal payments under all debt agreements
and dividends. The credit agreement includes various other
covenants that are customary in such borrowings. The agreement
also restricts the ability of the Company to declare or pay cash
dividends. As of December 31, 2010, the Company was in
compliance with the covenants under its credit agreement.
The Company has $2.9 million of standby letters of credit
to satisfy performance guarantee requirements under certain
customer contracts. While these obligations are not normally
called, they could be called by the beneficiaries at any time
before the expiration date should the Company fail to meet
certain contractual requirements. After deducting outstanding
letters of credit, as of December 31, 2010, the Company had
$38.2 million available for borrowing in the U.S. and
$12.9 million available for borrowing in Canada under the
revolving credit agreement.
96 of 107
Following is a summary of the combined principal maturities of
all long-term debt (in thousands) as of December 31, 2010:
|
|
|
|
|
2011
|
|
$
|
1,496
|
|
2012
|
|
|
1,613
|
|
2013
|
|
|
22,740
|
|
2014
|
|
|
1,182
|
|
2015
|
|
|
1,133
|
|
Thereafter
|
|
|
808
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total principal maturities
|
|
$
|
28,972
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Included in these totals are principal payments to be made under
the Companys capital lease agreements.
8) STOCK-BASED
COMPENSATION
The Company has granted nonqualified stock options and nonvested
restricted stock to key employees and directors under several
stock award plans.
All outstanding options have been granted with an exercise price
equal to the fair market value of the stock on the grant date.
The principal vesting requirement for all options granted prior
to and after 2006 was satisfaction of a service condition. The
vesting requirements for options granted in 2006 included
service-based and performance-based conditions. Grants to
executives are made from a shareholder-approved plan. Grants to
individuals other than executives are made from a plan that has
not been subject to shareholder approval. As of
December 31, 2010, there were options exercisable under all
plans for approximately 807,000 shares of common stock, and
there were approximately 1,290,000 shares available for
future option grants. The Companys policy is to issue new
shares when options are exercised.
The grants of restricted stock are valued on the date of grant
at the intrinsic value of the underlying stock. Typically, the
only restriction related to these grants is a service condition.
As of December 31, 2010, the Company had granted 196,000
nonvested shares to employees of which 22,000 shares vested
in 2010, and 14,000 shares were forfeited.
Stock-based compensation is recognized on a straight-line basis
over the requisite service period for each separately vesting
portion of an award as if the award was, in substance, multiple
awards. The Company recognized charges to income of $1,957,000
in 2010, $2,470,000 in 2009, and $2,339,000 in 2008, before
income tax benefit, for all the Companys stock awards. The
Company also recognized related income tax benefits of $553,000,
$846,000, and $955,000 for the same periods, respectively.
97 of 107
Following is a summary of options outstanding as of
December 31, 2010 (shares in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding
|
|
Exercisable
|
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Weighted Average
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Weighted Average
|
|
Range of
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
of
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
Exercise Prices
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Exercise Price
|
|
|
Contractual Life
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Exercise Price
|
|
|
Contractual Life
|
|
|
$
|
11.63 - 13.89
|
|
|
|
209
|
|
|
$
|
13.59
|
|
|
|
|
|
46
|
|
|
$
|
13.15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.90 - 14.93
|
|
|
|
99
|
|
|
|
14.08
|
|
|
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
|
14.22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.94 - 15.80
|
|
|
|
61
|
|
|
|
15.60
|
|
|
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
15.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15.81 - 18.98
|
|
|
|
195
|
|
|
|
17.57
|
|
|
|
|
|
174
|
|
|
|
17.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18.99 - 20.00
|
|
|
|
156
|
|
|
|
19.33
|
|
|
|
|
|
142
|
|
|
|
19.30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20.01 - 22.74
|
|
|
|
196
|
|
|
|
21.13
|
|
|
|
|
|
181
|
|
|
|
21.05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22.75 - 28.67
|
|
|
|
241
|
|
|
|
26.06
|
|
|
|
|
|
159
|
|
|
|
26.61
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
11.63 - 28.67
|
|
|
|
1,157
|
|
|
$
|
19.06
|
|
|
3.24 years
|
|
|
807
|
|
|
$
|
19.87
|
|
|
|
2.62 years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options with service-based vesting only
The principal vesting requirement for all options granted prior
to and after 2006 is a service condition that requires service
to be rendered to the Company for a specified period of time.
Vesting periods range from six months to four years, and
substantially all of these options have graded vesting over
these periods. Options provide for accelerated vesting if there
is a change of control, as defined in the plans. All outstanding
options expire from six to ten years after the date of grant.
Following is a summary of activity for 2010 for options with
only service-based vesting (shares and aggregate intrinsic value
in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Contractual
|
|
|
Aggregate
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
Exercise
|
|
|
Life
|
|
|
Intrinsic
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
(in years)
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Options outstanding at December 31, 2009
|
|
|
868
|
|
|
$
|
20.82
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
279
|
|
|
|
14.29
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised
|
|
|
(9
|
)
|
|
|
14.97
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forfeited or expired
|
|
|
(92
|
)
|
|
|
22.15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options outstanding at December 31, 2010
|
|
|
1,046
|
|
|
|
19.01
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
$
|
1,925
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options exercisable at December 31, 2010
|
|
|
695
|
|
|
|
19.93
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
|
|
811
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The fair value of each option is estimated on the date of grant
using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the assumptions
noted in the table below. Expected volatilities are based on
historical volatilities of the Companys stock over a
period equal to the expected term. The Company uses historical
data to estimate option exercise and post-vesting termination
behavior. The expected term of options granted is based on
historical data and represents the period of time that options
granted are expected to be outstanding. The risk-free interest
rate for the expected term of the option is based on the
U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of the
grant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
Expected volatility
|
|
45%
|
|
47%
|
|
45% - 46%
|
Expected term (in years)
|
|
4.6
|
|
4.6
|
|
4.8 - 5.0
|
Risk-free rate
|
|
1.2% - 2.3%
|
|
1.5% - 2.1%
|
|
2.9% - 3.0%
|
Expected dividend yield
|
|
None
|
|
None
|
|
None
|
98 of 107
The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options with only
service-based vesting granted in years 2010, 2009, and 2008 was
$5.76, $9.15, and $12.02, respectively. The total intrinsic
value for service-based options exercised during the years ended
December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $33,000, $370,000 and
$501,000, respectively.
As of December 31, 2010, there was $974,000 of total
unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested options with
only service-based vesting granted under the Companys
plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a
weighted-average period of 1.1 years.
Options with performance-based and service-based vesting
In 2006, the Company issued options that included both
performance-based and service-based vesting conditions. Each
option became exercisable as to 25% of the shares beginning on
the first anniversary of the grant and continuing on the
subsequent three anniversaries, provided that the Company or, in
the case of segment employees, the employees principal
segment during the year, had achieved, certain earnings targets.
These options expire on the sixth anniversary of the date of
grant. All other terms and conditions of these option grants are
similar to options with only service-based vesting.
Following is a summary of option activity for options with both
performance-based and service-based vesting conditions for 2010
(shares and aggregate intrinsic value in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Contractual
|
|
|
Aggregate
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
Exercise
|
|
|
Life
|
|
|
Intrinsic
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
(in years)
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Options outstanding at December 31, 2009
|
|
|
126
|
|
|
$
|
19.28
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forfeited or expired
|
|
|
(14
|
)
|
|
|
18.05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options outstanding at December 31, 2010
|
|
|
112
|
|
|
|
19.44
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options exercisable at December 31, 2010
|
|
|
112
|
|
|
|
19.44
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The grant-date fair value of all options vested during the years
ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 was
$1.0 million, $2.2 million, and $1.3 million,
respectively. The Company received $0.1 million,
$0.5 million, and $0.9 million from all share options
exercised, net of withholding taxes, during 2010, 2009, and
2008, respectively.
Nonvested stock awards
Following is a summary of nonvested stock activity for 2010
(shares in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
Grant-Date
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Fair Value
|
|
|
Nonvested stock outstanding at December 31, 2009
|
|
|
71
|
|
|
$
|
21.77
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
71
|
|
|
|
14.25
|
|
Vested
|
|
|
(22
|
)
|
|
|
22.23
|
|
Forefeited
|
|
|
(14
|
)
|
|
|
18.87
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonvested stock outstanding at December 31, 2010
|
|
|
106
|
|
|
$
|
16.97
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
99 of 107
Nonvested stock valued at $1,015,000, $818,000, and $206,000 was
granted during 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. The only
restriction on the stock is the completion of specified service
periods. As of December 31, 2010, there was $816,000 of
total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock
awards. That cost is expected to be recognized on a
straight-line basis over a weighted-average two-year service
period.
9) INCOME
TAXES
Total income tax (expense) benefit provided for in the
Companys consolidated financial statements consists of the
following for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and
2008 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Income tax benefit (expense), continuing operations
|
|
$
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
Income tax benefit, discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4,001
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Income tax benefit resulting from exercise of stock options
credited to shareholders equity
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
133
|
|
|
|
203
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
(1,858
|
)
|
|
|
8,400
|
|
|
|
885
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The components of income tax (expense) benefit for continuing
operations for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and
2008 were (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Current:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Federal
|
|
$
|
(1,181
|
)
|
|
|
(42
|
)
|
|
|
(1,460
|
)
|
State
|
|
|
(237
|
)
|
|
|
(128
|
)
|
|
|
(176
|
)
|
Foreign
|
|
|
(2,953
|
)
|
|
|
(193
|
)
|
|
|
(689
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
(4,371
|
)
|
|
|
(363
|
)
|
|
|
(2,325
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Federal
|
|
|
1,489
|
|
|
|
4,646
|
|
|
|
1,569
|
|
State
|
|
|
232
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
Foreign
|
|
|
791
|
|
|
|
(22
|
)
|
|
|
1,429
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
2,512
|
|
|
|
4,629
|
|
|
|
3,007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total income tax (expense) benefit
|
|
$
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100 of 107
Income tax (expense) benefit for continuing operations differed
as follows from the amounts computed by applying the
U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 34% to (earnings)
loss from continuing operations before income taxes for the
years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively
(in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
(Expense) benefit computed at the federal statutory rate
|
|
$
|
(5,414
|
)
|
|
|
5,921
|
|
|
|
(6,728
|
)
|
Effect of:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State income taxes, net of federal income tax effects
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
(81
|
)
|
|
|
(110
|
)
|
Tax credits from research activities
|
|
|
4,355
|
|
|
|
7,359
|
|
|
|
1,716
|
|
Difference in effective foreign tax rates
|
|
|
734
|
|
|
|
(41
|
)
|
|
|
222
|
|
Valuation allowance
|
|
|
(1,253
|
)
|
|
|
(168
|
)
|
|
|
5,518
|
|
Foreign permanent differences
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
341
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
Foreign income inclusions
|
|
|
(220
|
)
|
|
|
(52
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Nondeductible goodwill impairment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(6,763
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Nondeductible acquisition-related items
|
|
|
(191
|
)
|
|
|
(2,450
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
33
|
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income tax (expense) benefit
|
|
$
|
(1,859
|
)
|
|
|
4,266
|
|
|
|
682
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to
significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax
liabilities as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are presented
below (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Deferred tax assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inventories
|
|
$
|
1,636
|
|
|
|
1,353
|
|
Accrued compensation costs
|
|
|
1,721
|
|
|
|
2,499
|
|
Accrued warranty costs
|
|
|
1,277
|
|
|
|
1,278
|
|
Foreign research expense and tax credit carryforwards
|
|
|
41,341
|
|
|
|
40,241
|
|
U.S. and foreign net operating loss carryforwards
|
|
|
5,569
|
|
|
|
4,932
|
|
Credit for corporate minimum tax
|
|
|
668
|
|
|
|
709
|
|
U.S. research and development credit carryforwards
|
|
|
8,115
|
|
|
|
7,714
|
|
Stock-based compensation
|
|
|
2,667
|
|
|
|
2,283
|
|
Other
|
|
|
3,097
|
|
|
|
2,388
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total gross deferred tax assets
|
|
|
66,091
|
|
|
|
63,397
|
|
Valuation allowance
|
|
|
(40,725
|
)
|
|
|
(37,851
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,366
|
|
|
|
25,546
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred tax liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
3,188
|
|
|
|
3,715
|
|
Intangible assets
|
|
|
10,862
|
|
|
|
13,132
|
|
Other
|
|
|
439
|
|
|
|
729
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,489
|
|
|
|
17,576
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net deferred tax assets
|
|
$
|
10,877
|
|
|
|
7,970
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The net change in the valuation allowance for 2010, 2009 and
2008 was an increase of $2.9 million, an increase of
$9.3 million, and a decrease of $20.5 million,
respectively. The majority of the valuation allowance is
necessary for the deferred tax assets in Canada, primarily the
research expense and tax credit carryforwards.
101 of 107
The primary driver of the increase in 2010 was the effect of
changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the Canadian
valuation allowance. The valuation allowance also increased
since the tax benefits of losses in 2010 in certain other
jurisdictions could not be recognized. The Canadian increase in
the valuation allowance in 2009 was attributable primarily to
the effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates
($4.3 million), revaluing the deferred tax asset to reflect
future lower tax rates in the period the asset will be
includable in taxable income ($3.5 million), generation of
additional deferred tax assets ($5.1 million) and revision
in estimate of prior year deferred tax assets
($7.4 million). These increases were partially offset by
utilization of carryforwards with current period taxable income
($9.3 million) and revision in estimated utilization of
deferred tax assets in the prior year ($4.9 million). The
remaining increase in the valuation allowance in 2009 is due to
business acquisitions and other jurisdictions with deferred tax
assets for which realization is not more likely than not. The
decrease in the valuation allowance in 2008 was attributable
primarily to utilization of carryforwards with current period
taxable income ($4.1 million), reduction of existing
carryforwards as a result of revisions to amounts available
($5.9 million), the effect of changes in foreign currency
exchange rates ($9.2 million) and a release of a portion of
the
beginning-of-the-year
valuation allowance based on revisions to projected taxable
income in the relatively near term ($1.3 million),
supported by actual continuing profitability in the past several
years.
In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets,
management considers whether it is more likely than not that
some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be
realized. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets is
dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during
the periods in which those temporary differences become
deductible, or prior to expiration of carryforward items.
Management considers the expected reversal of deferred tax
liabilities, expected levels of future taxable income and tax
planning strategies in making this assessment. Based on these
considerations, management believes it is more likely than not
that the Company will realize the benefits of these deferred tax
assets, net of the existing valuation allowances as of
December 31, 2010. In most jurisdictions, recent levels of
earnings are sufficient to realize the benefits of the deferred
tax assets, net of the valuation allowance, over a relatively
short period of time. Due to the length of time until all of the
deferred tax assets would be realized and the uncertainty that
exists in the current global economy, no additional benefit was
realized in Canada in 2010. The valuation allowance may be
reduced further in the future resulting in an income tax benefit
to future consolidated statements of operations if profitability
expectations for the future increase or the certainty of such
projections increases. The amount of deferred tax asset
considered realizable, however, could be reduced in the future
if estimates of future taxable income during the carryforward
period are reduced.
The Company has Investment Tax Credit carryforwards in Canada
with a
20-year
expiration carryforward period. The net amount of the deferred
tax benefit is $41.3 million with the majority of the
amount offset by a valuation allowance. The specific
carryforward periods for the Investment Tax Credits extend from
years 2019 through 2030 from amounts generated from tax years
1999 through 2010. The Company has $18.2 million of net
foreign operating loss carryforwards in multiple jurisdictions.
Despite an unlimited expiration carryforward period, the Company
has close to a full valuation allowance placed on these benefits
as it is more likely than not that the attributes will not be
utilized in the future. The Company also has net
$8.1 million of U.S. research and development credits.
This amount includes estimated credits for 2010 of approximately
$1.0 million that was recognized as a reduction to income
tax expense in the fourth quarter of 2010 when the
U.S. Congress extended the provision for the tax credit for
2010 and 2011. The specific carryforward period of the
U.S. research and development credits extends from years
2020 through 2030 from amounts generated from tax years 2000
through 2010. The Company has not placed a valuation allowance
against these U.S. Federal and state benefits as it is more
likely than not the attributes will be utilized in the future
based on projected future taxable income net of reversal of
deferred tax liabilities.
The U.S. operations are consolidated for federal income tax
purposes. These U.S. operations had income from continuing
operations before income taxes of $0.1 million in 2010.
However, U.S. taxable income for income tax reporting is
expected to be approximately $6.8 million primarily due to
items that are not deductible for U.S. federal income tax
purposes. The U.S. operations had losses before income
taxes of $19.5 million in 2009, and income before income
taxes of $4.5 million in 2008. The continuing combined
foreign operations
102 of 107
reported earnings before income taxes of $15.9 million,
$2.1 million, and $15.3 million in 2010, 2009, and
2008, respectively. The loss for discontinued operations in 2009
was primarily within the U.S.
As of December 31, 2010, the Company had $3.4 million
of unrecognized tax benefits, all of which would affect the
Companys effective tax rate if recognized. The following
table summarizes the activity related to the Companys
unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, for
the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Balance as of January 1
|
|
$
|
2,019
|
|
|
|
2,949
|
|
Increases related to current year tax positions
|
|
|
1,354
|
|
|
|
917
|
|
Increases related to prior year tax positions
|
|
|
66
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
Decreases related to lapsing of statute of limitations
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
Decreases related to settlements with taxing authorities
|
|
|
(9
|
)
|
|
|
(1,915
|
)
|
Changes in foreign currency exchange rate
|
|
|
(16
|
)
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance as of December 31
|
|
$
|
3,410
|
|
|
|
2,019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In filing its tax returns in one of its jurisdictions for 2009,
the Company recognized a tax deduction related to the exercise
of stock options granted by a business acquired by the Company
in 2009. While this is a valid deductible item in the tax
jurisdiction, uncertainty exists related to which of the
acquired legal entities is entitled to the tax deduction.
Management concluded the uncertainty surrounding this position
was such that the position did not meet the more-likely-than-not
criteria for recognizing uncertain tax positions. This was the
most significant increase to the Companys unrecognized tax
benefits during 2010.
In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to
audits from the federal, state, provincial and other tax
authorities regarding various tax liabilities. The Company
records refunds from audits when receipt is assured and records
assessments when a loss is probable and estimable. These audits
may alter the timing or amounts of taxable income or deductions,
or the allocation of income among tax jurisdictions. The amount
ultimately paid upon resolution of issues raised may differ from
the amounts accrued. The Company is generally no longer subject
to income tax examination by tax authorities for years before
2004.
The Company settled a Canada provincial audit for 2008 and 2009
in the fourth quarter 2010 without a material change to the tax
benefit recognized in the consolidated financial statements. The
Company settled a Canadian federal level audit for years 2006
and 2007 during 2010 without a material change to the tax
benefit recognized. The Company settled an audit by the Internal
Revenue Service for the tax year 2006 in 2009. The Company also
settled a Canada provincial audit for 2004 and 2005 in 2009. The
settlement of these audits resulted in a decrease in
unrecognized tax benefits of $1.9 million in 2009 as noted
above. The Company is under a Canadian federal level audit for
years 2008 and 2009, as well as a German audit for years 2006
through 2008. The Company expects to complete the audits in the
next twelve months. Any related unrecognized tax benefits could
be adjusted based on the results of the audits. The Company
cannot estimate the range of the change that is reasonably
possible at this time.
(10) DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS
Prior to 2009, the Company disposed of its S&T/Montreal,
SatNet, and EMS Wireless divisions. The sales agreements for
each of these disposals contained standard indemnification
provisions for various contingencies that could not be resolved
before the dates of closing and for various representations and
warranties provided by the Company and the purchasers. The
purchaser of EMS Wireless asserted claims under such
103 of 107
representations and warranties. The parties agreed to
arbitration, which commenced in the third quarter of 2009. In
March of 2010, the Company received an interim decision from the
arbitrator on these claims awarding the purchaser a total of
approximately $9.2 million under the warranty provisions of
the purchase agreement. As a result, the Company accrued a
liability for the award costs, based on the interim decision, in
discontinued operations in the fourth quarter of 2009. On
April 30, 2010, the arbitrator issued the final decision
awarding the purchaser of the Companys former EMS Wireless
division $8.6 million. Based on this final award, the
Company reduced its estimated liability by $0.6 million in
2010. This favorable adjustment in discontinued operations in
2010 was offset by additional charges related to estimated
contingent liabilities associated with other divisions disposed
of prior to 2009. The Company paid the final award of
$8.6 million in the second quarter of 2010.
The Company had an agreement with the purchaser of the former
S&T/Montreal division to acquire a license for
$8 million in payments over a seven-year period, beginning
in December 2008, for the rights to a certain satellite
territory. The Company and the purchaser had a corresponding
sublicense agreement that granted the territory rights back to
the purchaser, under which the Company was to receive a portion
of the satellite service revenues from the specific market
territory over the same period. The purchaser had previously
guaranteed that the revenues derived under the sublicense would
equal or exceed the acquisition cost of the license. As part of
the agreement to sell the net assets of S&T/Montreal, the
Company released the purchaser from this guarantee. Without the
guarantee, the Company estimated that its portion of the
satellite service revenues would be less than the acquisition
cost, and the Company had accordingly reflected a liability for
the net cost in its consolidated balance sheet. The parties
finalized a settlement under these agreements and the Company
paid $3.8 million to the purchase of the former
S&T/Montreal division in the fourth quarter of 2010. The
settlement of these agreements also eliminated the
Companys existing contractual requirement to warrant
approximately $3 million of specified in-orbit failures of
the Radarsat-2 payload.
Prior to 2008, the Company completed the sale of its former
SatNet division. The asset purchase agreement (APA)
provided for the payment of $2.3 million of the aggregate
consideration in an interest-bearing note to be repaid over a
three-year period beginning in May 2007. As of December 31,
2010, approximately $1.1 million of this note receivable,
excluding accrued interest, remained unpaid. The purchaser has
indicated that it believes it has claims that offset the unpaid
balance. The Company does not believe that these claims are
valid according the terms of the APA and has filed an
arbitration demand with the purchaser. Management believes that
the purchaser has the ability to pay the remaining balance of
this note receivable, and that the receivable recorded in the
consolidated balance sheet is fully collectible.
In 2010 and 2008, discontinued operations had no effect on the
Companys net earnings. The Companys discontinued
operations reported a loss before income taxes of
$10.9 million in 2009. The loss was mainly a result of a
$9.2 million liability recorded in 2009 for costs awarded
for warranty claims under the provisions of the sales agreement
of our former EMS Wireless division, and for legal costs
associated with the defense of these claims.
(11) RETIREMENT
PLANS
The Companys retirement program for employees in the
United States consists of two tax-qualified defined contribution
plans, including a 401(k) plan with a Company match and the
Retirement Benefit Plan (RBP) described below. Under
the 401(k) plan, all employees may contribute up to the
IRS-specified maximums. For 2008 and a portion of 2009, the
Company matched to the extent of
662/3%
of the individuals contribution, up to a maximum
contribution of 4% of eligible compensation. The match was
suspended in August 2009, but reinstated at 2%, or one-half the
former level, for the last three months of 2010.
In 2008 the Company began phasing out the RBP. Under the RBP,
the Company contributes a percentage of eligible compensation to
a participants account, and that percentage depends on
both the Companys overall contribution level and his or
her age, with older employees receiving a progressively greater
share. As part of the phase-out, participation was frozen at
December 31, 2007, and Company contributions were factored
down to reflect attained age of less than 50 and attained
years-of-service
of less than 15 as of that date.
104 of 107
Contributions are also limited by various nondiscrimination
rules, and cannot be made against that portion of an
executives salary exceeding stated amounts. The total
amount contributed by the Company to the plan is determined each
year by the Board of Directors.
The Companys employees in Canada may participate in a
tax-qualified defined contribution plan whereby each participant
may contribute up to 10% of base salary and the Company matches
100% of individuals contributions, up to a maximum
contribution of 4% of eligible compensation.
The Companys retirement program for employees in the
United Kingdom consists of a tax-qualified defined contribution
plan. Under the plan, the Company contributes a percentage of
each employees eligible compensation to the plan.
Employees may also make contributions to the plan up to
specified maximums.
The Companys total expense for all of these plans was
$2.2 million in 2010, $2.7 million in 2009, and
$3.6 million in 2008.
(12) OTHER
EQUITY MATTERS
On July 29, 2008, the Companys Board of Directors
authorized a stock repurchase program for up to $20 million
of the Companys common shares. As of December 31,
2010, the Company had repurchased 495,000 common shares for
approximately $10.1 million. Further repurchases are no
longer permitted under the terms of the Companys principal
credit agreements. There were no repurchases of common shares
under this program during 2010.
On July 27, 2009, the Companys Board of Directors
adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan (the Plan) to
replace a similar plan adopted in 1999 that expired on
August 6, 2009. Under the Plan, a dividend distribution of
one right for each of the Companys outstanding common
shares was made to shareholders of record at the close of
business on August 7, 2009. Upon the occurrence of certain
triggering events, as set forth in the Plan, the rights would
become exercisable. On January 4, 2011, the Board of
Directors adopted an amendment to the Plan, which eliminated the
concept of disinterested directors and related
provisions effective January 4, 2011. Under the original
Plan, any person affiliated or associated with a person or group
who beneficially owns more than 20% of our outstanding shares
would not qualify as a disinterested director. The original Plan
required the consent of a majority of these disinterested
directors to take significant actions under the Plan, including
the amendment of the Plan or the redemption of the Rights under
the Plan prior to specified triggering events. The amended Plan
also includes other conforming changes consistent with the
removal of the concept of disinterested directors.
The Company has agreements with certain of its executives under
which the executives would be entitled to certain payments for
severance and incentive plans, continuation of other benefits
and acceleration of vesting of any unvested stock options in the
event of a change in control.
(13) COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
The Company is committed under several noncancelable operating
leases for office space, computer and office equipment and
automobiles. Minimum annual lease payments under such leases
having initial or remaining terms in excess of one year are
$4,639,000 in 2011, $4,017,000 in 2012, $3,290,000 in 2013,
$2,778,000 in 2014, $2,403,000 in 2015 and $3,815,000
thereafter. The Company also has short-term leases for regional
sales offices, equipment and automobiles. Total rent expense
under all operating leases was $5,516,000, $5,377,000, and
$4,518,000 in 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.
The Companys Aviation business in Canada has received
cost-sharing assistance from the Government of Canada under
several programs that support the development of new commercial
technologies and products. This funding is repayable in the form
of royalties, the level of which will depend upon future revenue
earned by the Canadian business above a certain threshold. These
royalties accrue at rates generally less than one percent of
sales and typically require growth in revenue for amounts to be
payable. As a result, although the
105 of 107
Company cannot accurately estimate the level of future possible
royalties, the Company does not believe that such royalties will
have a material adverse effect on future results of operations.
The Company is also required to pay royalties through LXE, and
to a lesser extent through Global Tracking and D&S. These
royalty fees are based on the sales of specific products and are
calculated at fixed percentages on their net selling price. In
total, the Company incurred costs of $1.9 million,
$1.2 million, and $1.3 million related to royalty fees
in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
The Company periodically enters into agreements with customers
and suppliers that include limited intellectual property
indemnification obligations that are customary in the industry.
These guarantees generally require the Company to compensate the
other party for certain damages and costs incurred as a result
of third-party intellectual property claims arising from these
transactions. The nature of the intellectual property
indemnification obligations prevents the Company from making a
reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount for which it
could be obligated.
The Company provides a limited warranty for a variety of its
products. The basic warranty periods vary from one to five
years, depending upon the type of product. The Company records a
liability for the estimated costs to be incurred under basic
warranties, which is included in other current liabilities on
the Companys consolidated balance sheets. The amount of
this liability is based upon historical, as well as expected,
rates of warranty claims. The warranty liability is periodically
reviewed for adequacy and adjusted as necessary. Following is a
summary of the activity for the periods presented related to the
Companys liability for limited warranties (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years Ended December 31
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Balance at beginning of the period
|
|
$
|
4,085
|
|
|
|
2,789
|
|
|
|
2,647
|
|
Additions at dates of acquisition for businesses acquired during
period
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
464
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Accruals for warranties issued during the period
|
|
|
3,131
|
|
|
|
4,858
|
|
|
|
3,308
|
|
Settlements made during the period
|
|
|
(3,011
|
)
|
|
|
(4,026
|
)
|
|
|
(3,166
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at end of period
|
|
$
|
4,205
|
|
|
|
4,085
|
|
|
|
2,789
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Company has agreements with certain of its executives under
which the executives would be entitled to certain payments for
severance and incentive plans, continuation of other benefits
and acceleration of vesting of any unvested stock option in the
event of a change in control.
(14) LITIGATION
The Company is involved in various claims and legal actions
arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of
management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not
have a material adverse effect on the Companys
consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
106 of 107
(15) SELECTED
QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
(UNAUDITED)
Following is a summary of interim financial information for the
years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands,
except net earnings (loss) per share):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010 Quarters Ended
|
|
|
|
April 3
|
|
|
July 3
|
|
|
October 2
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
Net sales
|
|
$
|
82,902
|
|
|
|
88,477
|
|
|
|
85,723
|
|
|
|
98,123
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
1,924
|
|
|
|
5,174
|
|
|
|
4,268
|
|
|
|
6,155
|
|
Net earnings
|
|
|
591
|
|
|
|
3,868
|
|
|
|
3,471
|
|
|
|
6,135
|
|
Net earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
$
|
0.04
|
|
|
|
0.25
|
|
|
|
0.23
|
|
|
|
0.40
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
0.04
|
|
|
|
0.25
|
|
|
|
0.23
|
|
|
|
0.40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009 Quarters Ended
|
|
|
|
April 4
|
|
|
July 4
|
|
|
October 3
|
|
|
December 31
|
|
|
Net sales
|
|
$
|
92,278
|
|
|
|
96,938
|
|
|
|
85,731
|
|
|
|
85,025
|
|
Operating (loss) income
|
|
|
(1,942
|
)
|
|
|
3,355
|
|
|
|
2,566
|
|
|
|
(18,612
|
)
|
(Loss) earnings from continuing operations
|
|
|
(2,968
|
)
|
|
|
3,186
|
|
|
|
5,989
|
|
|
|
(19,356
|
)
|
Loss from discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(709
|
)
|
|
|
(6,207
|
)
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
|
(2,968
|
)
|
|
|
3,186
|
|
|
|
5,280
|
|
|
|
(25,563
|
)
|
Net (loss) earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing operations
|
|
$
|
(0.20
|
)
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
|
|
(1.27
|
)
|
Discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.05
|
)
|
|
|
(0.41
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
$
|
(0.20
|
)
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.34
|
|
|
|
(1.68
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing operations
|
|
$
|
(0.20
|
)
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
|
|
(1.27
|
)
|
Discontinued operations
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(0.05
|
)
|
|
|
(0.41
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
$
|
(0.20
|
)
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.34
|
|
|
|
(1.68
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The sum of the earnings per share information on an interim
basis in the two tables above may not equal the earnings per
share information for the full year due to rounding differences.
107 of 107