PART I.

 

General

Our business consists principally of marketing, manufacturing and selling floorcovering products to high-end residential and commercial customers through our various sales forces and brands. We focus exclusively on the upper-end of the floorcovering market where we believe we have strong brands and competitive advantages with our style and design capabilities and customer relationships. Our Fabrica, Masland, and Dixie HomeDH Floors brands have a significant presence in the high-end residential floorcovering markets. Our Atlas Carpet Mills and Masland Contract brands participate in the upper-end specified commercial marketplace. Dixie International sells all of our brands outside of the North American market.

Our business is primarily concentratedparticipates in areas of themarkets for soft floorcovering marketsfloorcoverings, which include broadloom carpet carpet tiles and rugs.  However, over the past few years, thererugs, and hard surfaces, which include luxury vinyl flooring (LVF) and engineered wood. There has been a significant shift in the flooring marketplace as hard surface products have grown at a rate much faster than soft surface products. We have respondedcontinue to respond to this accelerated shift to hard surface flooring by launching several initiatives in bothhard surface offerings. TRUCOR™ and TRUCOR Prime™ offers a wide range of LVF products. We continue to introduce new products in our residential1866 by Masland and commercial brands. Our commercial brands offerDecor by Fabrica collections, which are targeted at high end, luxury vinyl flooring (“LVF”) products under the Calibré brand in the commercial markets. Our residential brands, Dixie Homesoft surface markets including wool broadloom and Masland Residential, offer Stainmaster® PetProtect™ luxury vinyl flooring. Beginning in 2018, our residential brand, Fabrica, will offer a high-end engineered wood line.decorative rugs.

We have one reportable segment, Floorcovering which is comprised of two operating segments, Residential and Commercial. We have aggregated the two operating segments into one reporting segment because they have similar economic characteristics, and the operating segments are similar in all of the following areas: (a) the nature of the products and services; (b) the nature of the production processes; (c) the type or class of customer for their products and services; (d) the methods used to distribute their products or provide their services; and (e) the nature of the regulatory environment.Floorcovering.

Our Brands

Our brands are well known, highly regarded and complementary; by being differentiated, we offer meaningful alternatives to the discriminating customer.

Industry

 

The carpet and rug category has two primary markets, residential and commercial, with the residential market making up the largest portion of the industry's sales. A substantial portion of industry shipments is made in response to replacement demand. Residential products consist of broadloom carpets and rugs in a broad range of styles, colors and textures.textures and hard surface products such as wood, luxury vinyl flooring, stone and ceramic tile. Commercial products consist primarily of broadloom carpet and modular carpet tile for a variety of institutional applications such as office buildings, restaurant chains, schools and other commercial establishments. The carpet industry also manufactures carpet for the automotive, recreational vehicle, small boat and other industries.

The Carpet and Rug Institute (the "CRI") is the national trade association representing carpet and rug manufacturers. Information compiled by the CRI suggests that the domestic carpet and rug industry is comprised of fewer than 100 manufacturers, with a significant majority of the industry's production concentrated in a limited number of manufacturers focused on the lower end of the price curve. We believe that this industry focus provides us with opportunities to capitalize on our competitive strengths in selected markets where innovative styling, design, product differentiation, focused service and limited distribution add value.

Competition

 

The floorcovering industry is highly competitive. We compete with other carpet, rug and rug manufacturers and other types of floorcoverings.hard surface manufacturers. In addition, the industry provides multiple floorcovering surfaces such as luxury vinyl tile and wood. Though soft floorcovering is still the dominant floorcovering surface, it has gradually lost market share to hard floorcovering surfaces over the last 25 years. We believe our products are among the leaders in styling and design in the high-end residential and high-end commercial carpet markets. However, a number of manufacturers produce competitive products and some of these manufacturers have greater financial resources than we do.

We believe the principal competitive factors in our primary floorcovering markets are styling, color, product design, quality and service. In the high-end residential and commercial markets, we compete with various other floorcovering suppliers. Nevertheless, we believe we have competitive advantages in several areas. We have an attractive portfolio of brands that we believe are well known, highly regarded by customers and complementary; by being differentiated, we offer meaningful alternatives to the discriminating customer. We believe our investment in new yarns such as Stainmaster's® LiveWell™ and PetProtect™, and innovative tufting and dyeing technologies, strengthens our ability to offer product differentiation to our customers. In addition, we have established longstanding relationships with key suppliers such as the providers of Stainmaster® for which we utilize both branded yarns and luxury vinyl flooring and with significant customers in most of our markets. Finally, our reputation for innovative design excellence and our experienced management team enhance our competitive position. See "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of this report.

Backlog

 

Sales order backlog is not material to understanding our business, due to relatively short lead times for order fulfillment in the markets for the vast majority of our products.

Trademarks

 

Our floorcovering businesses own a variety of trademarks under which our products are marketed.  Among such trademarks, the names "Fabrica", "Masland", "Dixie Home", “Atlas Carpet Mills”, “Masland Contract”"DH Floors" and "Masland Hospitality"TRUCOR™ are of greatest importance to our business. We believe that we have taken adequate steps to protect our interest in all significant trademarks.

 

We do not have any single class of products that accounts for more than 10 percent10% of our sales. However, sales of our floorcovering products may be classified by significant end-user markets into which we sell, and such information for the past three years is summarized as follows:

Seasonality

 

Our sales historically have normally reached their highest level in the second quarter (approximately 26% of our annual sales) and their lowest levellevels in the first quarter (approximately 23% of our annual sales), with the remaining sales being distributed relatively equally amongbetween the second, third and fourth quarters. Working capital requirements have normally reached their highest levels in the thirdsecond and fourththird quarters of the fiscal year.

Environmental

 

Our operations are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of materials into the environment. The costs of complying with environmental protection laws and regulations have not had a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations in the past. See "Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.

Raw Materials

 

Our primary raw material is bulk continuous filament for yarn. Nylon is the primary yarn we utilize and, to a lesser extent, wool and polyester yarn is used. Additionally, we utilize polypropylene carpet backing, latex, dyes and chemicals, and man-made topical applications in the construction of our products. The volatility of petroleum prices could adversely affect our supply and cost of synthetic fibers. Our synthetic yarns are purchased primarily from domestic fiber suppliers and wool is purchased from a number of international sources. Our other raw materials are purchased primarily from domestic suppliers, although the majority of our luxury vinyl tile is sourced outside the United States. Where possible,Normally, we pass raw material price increases through to our customers; however, there can be no assurance that pricecost increases can be passed through to customers and that increases in raw material prices will not have an adverse effect on our profitability. See "Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report. We purchase a significant portion of our primary raw material (nylon yarn) from one supplier. We believe thereThere are othermultiple sources of nylon yarn; however, an unanticipated termination or interruption of our supply arrangements could adversely affect our supplies of raw materials and could have a material effect on our operations. See "Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.

Utilities

 

We use electricity as our principal energy source, with oil or natural gas used in some facilities for dyeing and finishing operations as well as heating. We have not experienced any material problemsignificant problems or issues in obtaining adequate supplies of electricity, natural gas or oil. Energy shortages of extended duration could have an adverse effect on our operations, and price volatility could negatively impact future earnings. See "Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.

Working Capital

 

We are required to maintain significant levels of inventory in order to provide the enhanced service levels demanded by the nature of our business and our customers, and to ensure timely delivery of our products. Consistent and dependable sources of liquidity are required to maintain such inventory levels. Failure to maintain appropriate levels of inventory could materially adversely affect our relationships with our customers and adversely affect our business. See "Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.

 

Available Information

 

Our internet address is www.thedixiegroup.com. We make the following reports filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission available, free of charge, on our website under the heading "Investor Relations":

In addition to the other information provided in this Report, the following risk factors should be considered when evaluating the results of our operations, future prospects and an investment in shares of our Common Stock. Any of these factors could cause our actual financial results to differ materially from our historical results, and could give rise to events that might have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The floorcovering industry is sensitive to changes in general economic conditions and a decline in residential or commercial construction activity or corporatehome remodeling and refurbishment could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The floorcovering industry, in which we participate, is highly dependent on general economic conditions, such as interest rate levels, consumer confidence and income, corporate and government spending, interest rate levels, availability of credit and demand for housing. We derive a majority of our sales from the replacement segment of the market. Therefore, unfavorable economic changes, thatsuch as an economic recession, could result in a significant or prolonged decline in spending for remodeling and replacement activities which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The residential floorcovering industrymarket is highly dependent on constructionhousing activity, including new construction, which is cyclical in nature.remodeling. The U.S. and global economies, along with the residential and commercial markets in such economies, can negatively impact the floorcovering industry and our business. Although the impact of a decline in new constructionhousing activity is typically accompanied by an increase in remodeling and replacement activity, these activities typically lag during a cyclical downturn. Although the difficult economic conditions have improved since the last cyclical downturn in 2008, there may be additionalAdditional or extended downturns that could cause the industry to deteriorate in the foreseeable future.prolonged deterioration. A significant or prolonged decline in residential or commercial constructionhousing activity could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We have had significant levels of sales in certain channels of distribution and reduction in sales through these channels could adversely affect our business.

We have significant levels of indebtedness that could result in negative consequences to us.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness relative to our equity. Insufficient cash flow, profitability, or the value of our assets securing our loans could materially adversely affecthave a material adverse effect on our ability to generate sufficient funds to satisfy the terms of our senior loan agreements and other debt obligations. Our senior loan agreement and term loans include certain compliance, affirmative, and financial covenants. The impact of continued operating losses on our liquidity position could affect our ability to comply with these covenants by our primary lenders. Additionally, the inability to access debt or equity markets at competitive rates in sufficient amounts to satisfy our obligations could adversely impact our business. Significant increases in interest rates tied to our floating rate debt could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Further, our trade relations depend on our economic viability and insufficient capital could harm our ability to attract and retain customers and or supplier relationships.

Uncertainty in the credit market or downturns in the economy and our business could affect our overall availability and cost of credit.

Economic factors, including an economic recession, could have a material adverse effect on demand for our products and on our financial condition and operating results. Uncertainty in the credit markets could affect the availability and cost of credit. Despite recent improvementIf banks and financial institutions with whom we have banking relationships enter receivership or become insolvent in overall economic conditions, marketthe future, we may be unable to access, and we may lose, some or all of our existing cash and cash equivalents to the extent those funds are not insured or otherwise protected by the FDIC. Market conditions could impact our ability to obtain financing in the future, including any financing necessary to refinance existing indebtedness. The cost and terms of such financing is uncertain. Continued operating losses could affect our ability to continue to access the credit markets under our current terms and conditions. These

The market price of our common stock has historically experienced and may continue to experience significant volatility. Our progress in restructuring our business, our quarterly operating results, our perceived prospects, lack of securities analysts’ recommendations or earnings estimates, changes in general conditions in the economy or the financial markets, adverse events related to our strategic relationships, significant sales of our common stock by existing stockholders, and other economic factorsdevelopments affecting us or our competitors could have a material adverse effect on demandcause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. In addition, in recent years, the stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has affected the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and may adversely affect the price of our products and oncommon stock. Such market price volatility could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.ability to raise additional capital.

We face intense competition in our industry, which could decrease demand for our products and could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.

The floorcovering industry is highly competitive. We face competition from a number of domestic manufacturers and independent distributors of floorcovering products and, in certain product areas, foreign manufacturers. Significant consolidation within the floorcovering industry has caused a number of our existing and potential competitors to grow significantly larger and have greater

We require substantial amounts of raw materials to produce our products, including nylon and polyester yarn, as well as wool yarns, synthetic backing, latex, and dyes. Substantially all of the raw materials we require are purchased from outside sources. The prices of raw materials and fuel-related costs varyhave increased significantly withdue to market conditions.conditions and inflationary pressures, the duration and extent of which is difficult to predict. The fact that we source a significant amount of raw materials means that several months of raw materials and work in process are moving through our supply chain at any point in time. We are sourcing the majority of our new luxury vinyl flooring and wood product lines from overseas. We are not able to predict whether commodity costs will significantly increase or decrease in the future. If commodity costs continue to increase in the future and we are not able to reduce or eliminate the effect of the cost increases by reducing production costs or implementing price increases, our profit margins could decrease. If commodity costs decline, we may experience pressures from customers to reduce our selling prices. The timing of any price reductions and decreases in commodity costs may not align. As a result, our margins could be affected.

Disruption to suppliers of nylon yarnraw materials could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our businesses rely on sophisticated systems to obtain, rapidly process, analyze and manage data. We rely on these systems to, among other things, facilitate the purchase, manufacture and distribution of our products; receive, process and ship orders on a timely basis; and to maintain accurate and up-to-date operating and financial data for the compilation of management information. We rely on our computer hardware, software and network for the storage, delivery and transmission of data to our sales and distribution systems, and certain of our production processes are managed and conducted by computer. Any damage by unforeseen events or system failure which causes interruptions to the input, retrieval and transmission of data or increase in the service time, whether caused by human error, natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, intentional acts of vandalism, various forms of cybercrimescyber crimes including and not limited to hacking, ransomware, intrusions and malware or otherwise, could disrupt our normal operations. ThereDepending upon the severity of the incident, there can be no assurance that we can effectively carry out our disaster recovery plan to handle thea failure of our information systems, or that we will be able to restore our operational capacity within sufficient time to avoid material disruption to our business. The occurrence of any of these events could cause unanticipated disruptions in service, decreased customer service and customer satisfaction and harm to our reputation, which could result in loss of customers, increased operating expenses and financial losses. Any such events could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

The long-term performance of our business relies on our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified personnel.

To be successful, we must attract, develop and retain qualified and talented personnel in management, sales, marketing, product design and operations. We compete with other floorcovering companies for these employees and invest resources in recruiting, developing, motivating and retaining them. The failure to attract, develop, motivate and retain key employees could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may experience certain risks associated with internal expansion, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic investments.

We have recently embarked on severalcontinually look for strategic and tactical initiatives, including aggressive internal expansion, acquisitions and investment in new products, to strengthen our future and to enable us to return to sustained growth and to achieve profitability. Growth through expansion and acquisition involves risks, many of which may continue to affect us after the acquisition or expansion. An acquired company, operation or internal expansion may not achieve the levels of revenue, profitability and production that we expect. The combination of an acquired company’s business with ours involves risks. Further, internally generated growth that involves expansion involves risks as well. Such risks include the integration of computer systems, alignment of human resource policies and the retention of valued talent. Reported earnings may not meet expectations because of goodwill and intangible asset impairment, other asset impairments, increased interest costs and issuance of additional securities or debt as a result of these acquisitions. We may also face challenges in consolidating functions and integrating our organizations, procedures, operations and product lines in a timely and efficient manner.

We are subject to various environmental, safety and health regulations that may subject us to costs, liabilities and other obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to various environmental, safety and health and other regulations that may subject us to costs, liabilities and other obligations which could have a material adverse effect on our business. The applicable requirements under these laws are subject to amendment, to the imposition of new or additional requirements and to changing interpretations of agencies or courts. We could incur material expenditures to comply with new or existing regulations, including fines and penalties and increased costs of our operations. Additionally, future laws, ordinances, regulations or regulatory guidelines could give rise to additional compliance or remediation costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For example, producer responsibility regulations regarding end-of-life disposal could impose additional cost and complexity to our business.

Various federal, state and local environmental laws govern the use of our current and former facilities. These laws govern such matters as:

Our operations also are governed by laws relating to workplace safety and worker health, which, among other things, establish noise standards and regulate the use of hazardous materials and chemicals in the workplace. We have taken, and will continue to take, steps to comply with these laws. If we fail to comply with present or future environmental or safety regulations, we could be subject to future liabilities. However, we cannot ensure that complying with these environmental or health and safety laws and requirements will not adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be exposed to litigation, claims and other legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business relating to our products or business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to a variety of work-related and product-related claims, lawsuits and legal proceedings, including those relating to product liability, product warranty, product recall, personal injury, and other matters that are inherently subject to many uncertainties regarding the possibility of a loss to our business. Such matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition if we are unable to successfully defend against or resolve these matters or if our insurance coverage is insufficient to satisfy any judgments against us or settlements relating to these matters. Although we have product liability insurance, the policies may not provide coverage for certain claims against us or may

Our business operations could suffer significant losses from natural disasters, catastrophes, fire or other unexpected events.

Many of our business activities involve substantial investments in manufacturing facilities and many products are produced at a limited number of locations. These facilities could be materially damaged by natural disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes, or by fire or other unexpected events such as adverse weather conditions or other disruptions to our facilities, supply chain or our customer's facilities. We could incur uninsured losses and liabilities arising from such events, including damage to our reputation, and/or suffer material losses in operational capacity, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The following table lists our facilities according to location, type of operation and approximate total floor space as of February 23, 2018:

In our opinion, our manufacturing facilities are well maintained and our machinery is efficient and competitive. Operations of our facilities generally vary between 120 and 168 hours per week. Substantially all of our owned properties are subject to mortgages, which secure the outstanding borrowings under our senior credit facilities.these mortgages.

We have been sued together with the 3M Company and approximately 3015 other carpet manufacturers, by the Gadsden (Alabama) Water Worksdefendants in the circuit court of Etowah County Alabama [The Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Gadsden v. 3M Company, et al,a civil action No. 31-CV-2016-900676.00] and by the Town of Centre (Alabama) Water Works in the circuit court of Cherokee County Alabama [The Water Works and Sewer Board of the Town of Centre v. 3M Company, et al, civil action No. 13-CV-2017-900049.00]. Both cases seek monetary damages and injunctive relief related to the use of certain chemical compounds in the manufacture and finishing of carpet products “in and around Dalton Georgia.” On motion of the defendants, the cases were removed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (Middle Division) Case No. 4:16-CV-01755-SGC and Case No. 4:17-CV-01026-KOB. Subsequently, the Gadsden Water Works filed a motion to have the case remanded back to the state court and such motion has been granted. The lawsuits allege that perflourinated compounds (“PFC”), perflourinated acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (“PFOS”) manufactured by 3M were used in certain finishing and treatment processes by the defendants and, as a consequence of such use, were subsequently either discharged into or leached into the water systems around Dalton, Georgia. The Complaints seeks damages that exceed $10,000, but are otherwise unspecified in amount in addition to injunctive relief and punitive damages. We intend to defend the matters vigorously and are unable to estimate our potential exposure to loss, if any, at this time.