NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES. (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 27, 2014

NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation - The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Supreme Industries, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Fiscal Year End

Fiscal Year End - The Company’s fiscal year ends the last Saturday in December. The fiscal years ended December 27, 2014, December 28, 2013 and December 29, 2012 each contained 52 weeks.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  Significant estimates include but are not limited to, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory relief and valuation, fair value of assets held for sale, accrued insurance, and accrued warranties.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition - The production of specialized truck bodies, trolleys, and armored vehicles starts when an order is received from the customer, and revenue is recognized when the unit is shipped to the customer.  Revenue on certain customer-requested bill and hold transactions is recognized subsequent to when the customer is notified that the products have been completed according to customer specifications, have passed all of the Company’s quality control inspections, and are ready for delivery based upon established delivery terms. Net sales are net of cash discounts which the Company offers its customers in the ordinary course of business.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Concentration of Credit Risk - Concentration of credit risk is limited due to the large number of customers and their dispersion among many different industries and geographic regions. During the year-ended December 27, 2014, one large national fleet customer accounted for approximately 16% of the Company’s consolidated net sales.  The Company’s export sales are minimal.

Financial Instruments and Fair Values

Financial Instruments and Fair Values - The Company has utilized interest rate swap agreements to reduce the impact of changes in interest rates on certain of its floating rate debt.  The swap agreements are contracts to exchange the debt obligation’s LIBOR floating rate (exclusive of the applicable spread) for fixed rate interest payments over the term of the swap agreement without exchange of the underlying notional amounts.  The notional amounts of the interest rate swap agreements are used to measure interest to be paid or received and do not represent the amount of exposure of credit loss.  The differential paid or received under interest rate swap agreements is recognized as an adjustment to interest expense.

At December 27, 2014, the Company had an interest rate swap agreement outstanding with a notional amount of $5.0 million. The interest rate swap agreement provides for a 3.1% fixed interest rate and matures on December 19, 2017. The Company designated this swap agreement as a cash flow hedge on its variable rate debt and records the fair value of the swap agreement as an asset or liability on the balance sheet, with changes in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income (loss).

Fair value is the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.  The Company utilizes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.  The hierarchy is as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) on identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the entity has the ability to access as of the measurement date.

Level 2: Significant other observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3: Significant unobservable inputs that reflect a company’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and trade accounts payable approximated fair value as of December 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013 because of the relatively short maturities of these financial instruments.  The carrying amount of long-term debt, including current maturities, approximated fair value as of December 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, based upon terms and conditions available to the Company at those dates in comparison to the terms and conditions of its outstanding long-term debt.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents - The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Investments

Investments - The Company categorizes its investments as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity.  The Company’s investments are comprised of available-for-sale securities and are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, net of applicable income taxes, recorded within accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).  The Company determined fair values of investments available for sale by obtaining quoted prices on nationally recognized securities exchanges (Level 1 inputs).  Dividend and interest income are accrued as earned.  The Company reviews its investments quarterly for declines in market value that are other than temporary.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable - The Company accounts for trade receivables based on the amounts billed to customers.  Past due receivables are determined based on contractual terms.  The Company does not accrue interest on any of its trade receivables.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts - The allowance for doubtful accounts is determined by management based on the Company’s historical losses, specific customer circumstances, and general economic conditions.  Periodically, management reviews accounts receivable and adjusts the allowance based on current circumstances and charges off uncollectible receivables against the allowance when all attempts to collect the receivable have failed.

Inventories

Inventories - Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market with cost determined using the first-in, first-out method.

Assets Held For Sale

Assets Held For Sale - Assets are classified as held for sale upon meeting certain criteria as specified by accounting standards. Assets held for sale are not depreciated and are recorded at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. The Company evaluates the carrying value of property held for sale whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that a property’s carrying amount may not be recoverable. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to: (1) a significant decrease in the market value of an asset, or (2) a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used. The Company measures the carrying amount of the asset against the estimated undiscounted future cash flows associated with it. Should the sum of the expected future net cash flows be less than the carrying value of the asset being evaluated, an impairment loss would be recognized. The impairment loss would be calculated as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value.  As of December 27, 2014, the following locations were held for sale: one facility and two parcels of land in Goshen, Indiana.  As of December 28, 2013, the following locations were held for sale: St. Louis, Missouri; and one parcel of land in Goshen, Indiana.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment - Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost.  For financial reporting purposes, depreciation is provided based on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.  The useful life of each class of property is as follows:  land improvements (22 years); buildings (40 years); and machinery and equipment (3 to 10 years).

Upon sale or other disposition of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations (included in other income in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income).  Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred.  Betterments and major renewals are capitalized and recorded in the appropriate asset accounts.

Evaluation of Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Evaluation of Impairment of Long-Lived Assets - The Company evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets whenever significant events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets may be impaired.  The Company evaluates potential impairment of long-lived assets by comparing the carrying value of the assets to the expected undiscounted future cash flows resulting from use of the assets. The Company determined there were no such impairments in 2014, 2013, and 2012.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation - The Company records all stock-based payments, including grants of stock options and restricted stock, in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income based on their fair values at the date of grant.

Restricted stock awards are valued based upon the closing market price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. The Company currently uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of stock options.  The determination of the fair value of stock-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables.  These variables include expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends.

The risk-free interest rate is determined based on observed U.S. Treasury yields in effect at the time of grant for maturities equivalent to the expected life of the option.  The expected life of the option (estimated average period of time the option will be outstanding) is estimated based on the historical exercise behavior of grantees with executives displaying somewhat longer holding periods than other grantees.  Expected volatility is based on historical volatility measured daily for a time period equal to the expected life of the option ending on the day of grant.  The expected dividend yield is estimated based on the dividend yield at the time of grant as adjusted for expected dividend increases and historical payout policy.

Compensation expense (net of estimated forfeitures) relative to stock-based awards (see Note 8), included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 27, 2014, December 28, 2013, and December 29, 2012, was $488,277, $402,363 and $294,195, respectively. There were no stock options issued during the years ended December 27, 2014, December 28, 2013, and December 29, 2012.

Warranty

Warranty - The Company provides limited product warranties for periods of up to five years from the date of retail sale.  Estimated warranty costs are provided at the time of sale and are based upon historical experience.  Warranty activity for the years ended December 27, 2014, December 28, 2013, and December 29, 2012 was as follows:

	2014			2013			2012
Accrued warranty, beginning of year	$	1,432,000		$	1,609,000		$	1,588,000
Warranty expense	605,413			1,170,983			1,361,626
Warranty claims paid	(589,413		)	(1,347,983		)	(1,340,626		)
Shuttle bus divestiture	(499,000		)	—			—
Accrued warranty, end of year	$	949,000		$	1,432,000		$	1,609,000

Income Taxes

Income Taxes - 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.  Deferred tax assets, including tax loss and credit carryforwards, 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.  The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.  Deferred income tax expense represents the change during the period in the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities.  The components of the deferred tax assets and liabilities are individually classified as current and non-current based on their characteristics.  Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Earnings (Loss) Per Share - Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding plus the dilutive effect of stock options and restricted stock awards.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive Income - Other comprehensive income (loss) refers to revenues, expenses, gains, and losses that, under generally accepted accounting principles, are included in comprehensive income (loss) but are excluded from net income since these amounts are recorded directly as an adjustment to stockholders’ equity.  The Company’s other comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of unrealized gains and losses on hedge activities and available-for-sale securities, net of tax.

Segment Information

Segment Information - The Company’s principal business is manufacturing specialized vehicles.  Management has not separately organized the business beyond specialized vehicles (includes three categories of products) and manufacturing processes.  The fiberglass manufacturing subsidiary constitutes a segment, however this segment does not meet the quantitative thresholds for separate disclosure.  The fiberglass manufacturing subsidiary’s net sales are less than ten percent of consolidated net sales, the absolute amount of its net income (loss) is less than ten percent of the absolute amount of consolidated net income, and finally, its assets are less than ten percent of consolidated assets.

Net sales consist of the following:

	2014		2013		2012
Specialized vehicles:
Trucks	$	211,975,917	$	225,778,360	$	211,971,626
Trolley	8,414,833		6,928,018		7,995,898
Specialty vehicles	13,791,906		11,929,635		16,180,244
	234,182,656		244,636,013		236,147,768
Fiberglass products	2,126,264		2,169,954		2,963,095
	$	236,308,920	$	246,805,967	$	239,110,863

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement - In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued guidance on recognizing revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance supersedes existing U.S. GAAP and industry-specific guidance related to revenue recognition. The Company has the option to apply the provisions of the guidance using one of the following two methods: (1) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented, or (2) retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial adoption. The guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption of the guidance is not permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the provisions of this guidance and has not yet determined the impact, if any, that the implementation of this guidance will have on its results of operations or financial condition.

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