Business activities and summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2017

RF Industries, Ltd., together with its three wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, hereinafter the “Company”), primarily engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of interconnect products and systems, including coaxial and specialty cables, fiber optic cables and connectors, and electrical and electronic specialty cables. For internal operating and reporting purposes, and for marketing purposes, as of the end of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 the Company classified its operations into the following four divisions/subsidiaries: (i) The RF Connector and Cable Assembly division designs, manufactures and distributes coaxial connectors and cable assemblies that are integrated with coaxial connectors; (ii) Cables Unlimited, Inc., the subsidiary that manufactures custom and standard cable assemblies, complex hybrid fiber optic power solution cables, adapters, and electromechanical wiring harnesses for communication, computer, LAN, automotive and medical equipment; (iii) Comnet Telecom Supply, Inc., the subsidiary that manufactures and sells fiber optics cable, distinctive cabling technologies and custom patch cord assemblies, as well as other data center products; and (iv) Rel-Tech Electronics, Inc., the subsidiary that designs and manufacturers of cable assemblies and wiring harnesses for blue chip industrial, oilfield, instrumentation and military customers. Both the Cables Unlimited division and the Comnet Telecom division are Corning Cables Systems CAH Connections SM Gold Program members that are authorized to manufacture fiber optic cable assemblies that are backed by Corning Cables Systems’ extended warranty. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, RF Industries, Ltd. sold the Aviel Electronics division that designed, manufactured and distributed specialty and custom RF connectors, and discontinued the Bioconnect division that manufactured and distributed cabling and interconnect products to the medical monitoring market.

Use of estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Principles of consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of RF Industries, Ltd., Cables Unlimited, Inc. (“Cables Unlimited”), Comnet Telecom Supply, Inc. (“Comnet”), and Rel-Tech Electronics, Inc. (“Rel-Tech”), wholly-owned subsidiaries of RF Industries, Ltd. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Cash equivalents

The Company considers all highly-liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Revenue recognition

Four basic criteria must be met before revenue can be recognized: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services rendered; (3) the fee is fixed and determinable; and (4) collectability is reasonably assured. The Company recognizes revenue from product sales after purchase orders are received which contain a fixed price and for shipments with terms of FOB Shipping Point, revenue is recognized upon shipment, for shipments with terms of FOB Destination, revenue is recognized upon delivery and revenue from services is recognized when services are performed, and the recovery of the consideration is considered probable.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined using the weighted average cost of accounting. Cost includes materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead related to the purchase and production of inventories. We regularly review inventory quantities on hand, future purchase commitments with our suppliers, and the estimated utility of our inventory. If our review indicates a reduction in utility below carrying value due to damage, physical deterioration, obsolescence, changes in price levels, or other causes, we reduce our inventory to a new cost basis through a charge to cost of sales in the period in which it occurs. The determination of market value and the estimated volume of demand used in the lower of cost or market analysis requires significant judgment.

In June 2015, the Company acquired Rel-Tech, a company that valued its inventories using specific identification (last purchase price) on a FIFO basis. As of July 31, 2016, Rel-Tech prospectively values its inventories cost using the weighted average cost of accounting.

Property and equipment

Equipment, tooling and furniture are recorded at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives (generally 3 to 5 years) using the straight-line method. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operations in the period incurred.

Goodwill

Goodwill is recorded when the purchase price paid for an acquisition exceeds the estimated fair value of the net identified tangible and intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but is subject to impairment analysis at least once annually, which the Company performs in October, or more frequently upon the occurrence of an event or when circumstances indicate that a reporting unit’s carrying amount is greater than its fair value.

We assess whether a goodwill impairment exists using both qualitative and quantitative assessments at the reporting level. Our qualitative assessment involves determining whether events or circumstances exist that indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. If based on this qualitative assessment we determine it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we will not perform a quantitative assessment.

If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount or if we elect not to perform a qualitative assessment, we perform a quantitative assessment, or two-step impairment test, to determine whether a goodwill impairment exists at the reporting unit. The first step in our quantitative assessment identifies potential impairments by comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill (“Step 1”). If the carrying value exceeds estimated fair value, there is an indication of potential impairment and the second step is performed to measure the amount of impairment (“Step 2”).

For the fiscal year 2016, Cables Unlimited did not meet its sales volume and revenue goals, and the mix of product sold had lower margins than planned. These results, along with changes in the competitive marketplace and an evaluation of business priorities, led to a shift in strategic direction and reduced future revenue and profitability expectations for the business. The results of these changes and circumstances lead to the determination that Cables Unlimited did not pass our qualitative assessment and therefore a quantitative assessment was required.

Upon completion of our Step 1 test, we found that the results indicated that Cables Unlimited’s carrying value exceeded its estimated fair value, and as a result, the Step 2 test was performed specific to Cables Unlimited. Under Step 2, the fair value of all assets and liabilities were estimated, including customer list and backlog, for the purpose of deriving an estimate of the fair value of goodwill. The fair value of the goodwill was then compared to the recorded goodwill to determine the amount of the impairment. Assumptions used in measuring the value of these assets and liabilities included the discount rates used in valuing the intangible assets, and consideration of the market environment in valuing the tangible assets.

Upon completion of our Step 2 test, our Cables Unlimited division’s goodwill was determined to be impaired. As of October 31, 2016, the Company recorded a $2.6 million impairment charge to goodwill. Cables Unlimited’s goodwill is included in the Custom Cabling Manufacturing and Assembly segment.

No other instances of impairment were identified as of October 31, 2016 and no instances of goodwill impairment were identified during the year ended October 31, 2017.

On June 15, 2011, the Company completed its acquisition of Cables Unlimited. Goodwill related to this acquisition is included within the Cables Unlimited reporting unit. Effective November 1, 2014, the Company also completed its acquisition of Comnet. Goodwill related to this acquisition is included within the Comnet reporting unit. As of May 19, 2015, the Company completed its acquisition of the CompPro product line. Goodwill related to this acquisition is included within the Connector and Cable Assembly Division. Effective June 1, 2015, the Company completed its acquisition of Rel-Tech. Goodwill related to this acquisition is included within the Rel-Tech reporting unit.

Long-lived assets

The Company assesses property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, which are considered definite-lived assets for impairment. Definite-lived assets are reviewed when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company measures recoverability of these assets by comparing the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If property and equipment and intangible assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized equals the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair market value. The Company has made no material adjustments to our long-lived assets in any of the years presented.

The Company amortizes its intangible assets with definite useful lives over their estimated useful lives and reviews these assets for impairment.

In addition, the Company tests our trademarks and indefinite-lived asset for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that these assets may be impaired.

In 2016, upon completion of our Step 2 test (see “Goodwill” above), our Cables Unlimited division’s trademark was determined to be impaired. As of October 31, 2016, the Company recorded a $150,000 impairment charge to its trademark. Cables Unlimited’s trademark is included in the Custom Cabling Manufacturing and Assembly segment.

No instances of impairment were identified as of October 31, 2017 and no other instances of impairment were identified as of October 31, 2016.

Earn-out liability

The purchase agreement for the Rel-Tech acquisition provides for earn-out payments of up to $800,000 in the aggregate, last installment of which is payable May 31, 2018. The initial earn-out liability was valued at its fair value using the Monte Carlo simulation and is included as a component of the total purchase price. The earn-out was and will continue to be revalued quarterly using a present value approach and any resulting increase or decrease will be recorded into selling and general expenses. Any changes in the assumed timing and amount of the probability of payment scenarios could impact the fair value. Significant judgment is employed in determining the appropriateness of the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of the earn-out as of the acquisition date. Accordingly, significant variances between actual and forecasted results or changes in the assumptions can materially impact the amount of contingent consideration expense we record in future periods.

The Company measures at fair value certain financial assets and liabilities. U. S. GAAP specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company's market assumptions. These two types of inputs have created the following fair-value hierarchy:

Level 1— Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

Level 2— Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and

Level 3— Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

The contingent consideration liability represents future earn-out liability that we may be required to pay in conjunction with the acquisition of Rel-Tech and Comnet. The Company estimates the fair value of the earn-out liability using a probability-weighted scenario of estimated qualifying earn-out gross profit related to Rel-Tech and EBITDA related to Comnet calculated at net present value (level 3 of the fair value hierarchy).

The following table summarizes our financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2017 (in thousands):

Description		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
Earn-out liability		$	-		$	-		$	236

The following table summarizes our financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2016 (in thousands):

Description		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
Earn-out liability		$	-		$	-		$	835

The following table summarizes the Level 3 transactions for the years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

	Level 3
	2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	835	$	1,527
Payments		(578)		(790)
Change in value		(21)		98
Ending Balance	$	236	$	835

Intangible assets

Intangible assets consist of the following as of October 31 (in thousands):

	2017		2016
Amortizable intangible assets:
Non-compete agreements (estimated lives 3 - 5 years)	$	310	$	310
Accumulated amortization		(310)		(273)
		-		37

Customer relationships (estimated lives 7 - 15 years)		5,099		5,099
Accumulated amortization		(2,186)		(1,644)
		2,913		3,455

Patents (estimated life 14 years)		142		142
Accumulated amortization		(25)		(15)
		117		127

Totals	$	3,030	$	3,619

Non-amortizable intangible assets:
Trademarks	$	1,237	$	1,237

Amortization expense for the years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016 was $589,000 and $649,000, respectively.

Impairment to trademarks for the years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016 was $0 and $150,000, respectively.

Estimated amortization expense related to finite lived intangible assets is as follows (in thousands):

Year ending
October 31,	Amount

2018	$	553
2019		553
2020		553
2021		413
2022		413
Thereafter		545
Total	$	3,030

Advertising

The Company expenses the cost of advertising and promotions as incurred. Advertising costs charged to operations were approximately $130,000 and $156,000 in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Research and development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. The Company’s research and development expenses relate to its engineering activities, which consist of the design and development of new products for specific customers, as well as the design and engineering of new or redesigned products for the industry in general. During the years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recognized $845,000 and $747,000 in engineering expenses, respectively.

Income taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, based on the income tax laws and rates in the jurisdictions in which operations are conducted and income is earned. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. Developing the provision (benefit) for income taxes requires significant judgment and expertise in federal, international and state income tax laws, regulations and strategies, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, if necessary, any valuation allowances that may be required for deferred tax assets. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Management’s judgments and tax strategies are subject to audit by various taxing authorities.

The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense.

Stock options

For stock option grants to employees, the Company recognizes compensation expense based on the estimated fair value of the options at the date of grant. Stock-based employee compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company issues previously unissued common shares upon the exercise of stock options.

For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016, charges related to stock-based compensation amounted to approximately $214,000 and $206,000, respectively. For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016, stock-based compensation classified in cost of sales amounted to $13,000 and $28,000 and stock-based compensation classified in selling and general and engineering expense amounted to $201,000 and $178,000, respectively.

Earnings per share

Earnings (loss) per share

Basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The calculation of diluted earnings (loss) per share is similar to that of basic earnings (loss) per share, except that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if all potentially dilutive common shares, principally those issuable upon the exercise of stock options, were issued and the treasury stock method had been applied during the period. The greatest number of shares potentially issuable by the Company upon the exercise of stock options in any period for the years ended October 31, 2017 and 2016, that were not included in the computation because they were anti-dilutive, totaled 737,512 and 824,441, respectively.

The following table summarizes the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:

	2017		2016
Numerators:
Consolidated net income (loss) (A)	$	382,000	$	(4,089,000)

Denominators:
Weighted average shares outstanding for basic earnings (loss) per share (B)		8,840,895		8,786,510
Add effects of potentially dilutive securities - assumed exercise of stock options		74,869		-

Weighted average shares outstanding for diluted earnings (loss) per share (C)		8,915,764		8,786,510

Basic earnings (loss) per share (A)/(B)	$	0.04	$	(0.47)

Diluted earnings (loss) per share (A)/(C)	$	0.04	$	(0.47)

Recent accounting standards

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted:

In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The new standard will change the classification of certain cash payments and receipts within the cash flow statement. Specifically, payments for debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, including third-party costs, premiums paid, and other fees paid to lenders that are directly related to the debt prepayment or debt extinguishment, excluding accrued interest, will now be classified as financing activities. Previously, these payments were classified as operating expenses. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted, and will be applied retrospectively. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases. This ASU requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets related to the rights and obligations created by those leases. The ASU also requires additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures related to the nature, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this new standard will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation. The new standard will modify several aspects of the accounting and reporting for employee share-based payments and related tax accounting impacts, including the presentation in the statements of operations and cash flows of certain tax benefits or deficiencies and employee tax withholdings, as well as the accounting for award forfeitures over the vesting period. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this new standard will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements effective for the quarter ending January 31, 2018.

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This guidance will supersede Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, in addition to other industry-specific guidance, once effective. The new standard requires a company to recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods and services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, as a revision to ASU 2014-09, which revised the effective date to fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted but not prior to periods beginning after December 15, 2016 (i.e., the original adoption date per ASU 2014-09). In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Principal versus Agent Considerations, which clarifies certain aspects of the principal-versus-agent guidance, including how an entity should identify the unit of accounting for the principal versus agent evaluation and how it should apply the control principle to certain types of arrangements, such as service transactions. The amendments also reframe the indicators to focus on evidence that an entity is acting as a principal rather than as an agent. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, which clarifies how an entity should evaluate the nature of its promise in granting a license of intellectual property, which will determine whether it recognizes revenue over time or at a point in time. The amendments also clarify when a promised good or service is separately identifiable (i.e., distinct within the context of the contract) and allow entities to disregard items that are immaterial in the context of a contract. The Company continues to assess the impact this new standard may have on its ongoing financial reporting. The Company has identified its revenue streams both by contract and product type and is assessing each for potential impacts. For the revenue streams assessed, the Company does not anticipate a material impact in the timing or amount of revenue recognized.

In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other, which simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairments by eliminating step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if “the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.” The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this new standard will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements.