Research and development expenses increased $106 during the first six months of fiscal 2011 when compared to the first six months of fiscal 2010. The Company’s research and development expenditures will fluctuate based on the products under development at any given point in time and that fluctuation often does not necessarily coincide with sales cycles. Research and development expenses have increased as we continue to have a record number of engineering projects under development and to meet the higher demand; we have added three additional engineers who are working on customer specific projects. Overall, we expect research and development expenses to increase slightly over fiscal 2010 levels due to additional new product design projects.
Selling expenses decreased $43 during the six months ended March 31, 2011 as compared with the six months ended March 31, 2010 mainly due to reduction in wage expenses in our European sales office.
Administration expenses for the first six months of fiscal 2011 increased $826 when compared with the same period in fiscal 2010. Administration expenses in the first six months of fiscal 2011 include $219 in legal fees associated with settlement of an old outstanding claim against the Company by a former employee, whereas the first six months of fiscal 2010 includes $380 in legal fees associated with the Cuesta class action lawsuit, which was settled in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. In the first six months of fiscal 2011, administration expenses included $409 related to a potential acquisition that the Company considered but ultimately decided to terminate during due diligence, as well as costs associated with our India facility which was opened during the third quarter of fiscal 2010. As sales volumes continue to improve, we are filling positions left vacant during the economic downturn experienced in late 2009 through 2010 resulting in administration wage expenses increasing $134 in the first six months of fiscal 2011 as compared to the same period in fiscal 2010.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2010, the Company recorded a $775 liability which represents the Company’s best estimate of the ultimate liability related to the Cuesta class action lawsuit discussed in Note 13 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, the $775 was paid for full settlement and release of any future obligations related to this lawsuit.
Other expense was $41 in the first six months of fiscal 2011, compared to other income of $57 in the first six months of fiscal 2010. Other income in the first six months of fiscal 2010 consisted of a $64 gain from the extinguishment of old outstanding accounts payable balances of various insolvent subsidiaries.
Tax (benefit) expense reflects an effective tax rate of 33.7% for the first six months of fiscal 2011 compared to an effective tax rate of 82.3% for the comparable period in fiscal 2010. The effective tax rate fluctuations are primarily due to the jurisdictions in which pretax income (loss) is being earned and income tax rate differences between the domestic and foreign jurisdictions. The decrease in the tax rate from 2010 to 2011 is also due to a discrete tax benefit recognized during the six months ended March 31, 2010 associated with the class action lawsuit, partially offset by the
recognition of a valuation allowance against the Company’s Indian subsidiary’s deferred tax assets during the six months ended March 31, 2011, that the Company determined did not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold.
The income tax (benefit) expense was positively affected by $98 and $209 as a result of a tax holiday in the People’s Republic of China during the six months ended March 31, 2011 and March 31, 2010, respectively.
Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources
At March 31, 2011, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1,158. During the third quarter of fiscal 2010 we entered into a revolving loan facility with U.S. Bank and as of March 31, 2011 we had $5,298 available under such revolving loan facility. Although no assurances can be given, we believe that our $1,158 in cash plus available borrowings of $5,298 under our revolving loan facility will be adequate to sustain the Company throughout the fiscal year.
The first six months of fiscal 2011 operating activities used cash of $1,465, whereas the first six months of fiscal 2010 generated cash from operating activities of $1,284. Net income plus non cash charges for depreciation and stock based compensation contributed $2,398 in the first six months of fiscal 2011 compared to $1,312 in the first six months of fiscal 2010.
Changes in working capital items used cash of $3,837 in the first six months of fiscal 2011 compared to a generation of cash of $13 in the first six months of fiscal 2010. Changes in receivables for the first six months of fiscal 2011 was a use of cash of $956 compared to a use of cash of $1,736 for the first six months of fiscal 2010. Changes in receivables between periods are primarily impacted by changes in sales volumes from period to period and timing of collections. Inventories increased $1,147 in the first six months of fiscal 2011 from the fourth fiscal quarter in 2010 compared to inventories remaining relatively flat in the first six months of fiscal 2010 when compared to the fourth fiscal quarter in 2009. The fiscal 2011 increase primarily relates to increasing inventory levels in line with anticipated sales volumes increases throughout fiscal 2011 as compared to fiscal 2010 and building inventories at our India facility ahead of the start of production at that facility. Accounts payable and accrued expenses decreased in the first six months of fiscal 2011 from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, primarily due to timing of payments on accounts payable, increased seasonal payments over the fourth fiscal quarter of 2010 and a reduction in our warranty provision of $392 related to payments to one customer for prior warranty claims. Accounts payable and accrued expenses increased in the first six months of fiscal 2010 from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, primarily due to increases in purchases of inventory in line with increased sales levels over those in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, increases in our warranty provision related to claims with one customer and the accrual of the Cuesta legal settlement, which was paid during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. These increases in accounts payable and accrued expenses were partially offset by reductions due to increased seasonal payments over the fourth fiscal quarter of 2009. Cash flows from operations for the six months of fiscal 2011 included payments to our pension plans of $614 compared to $142 for the first six months of fiscal 2010. We believe it is likely we will continue to generate positive cash from operations during fiscal 2011, however, depending on the continued uncertainty in the world-wide economic market, we could experience periods of negative cash flow from operations.
Cash used in investing activities was $1,662 for the first six months of fiscal 2011 and $981 for the six months ended March 31, 2010 and was comprised primarily of purchases of equipment for both periods. We expect our cash use for investing activities to increase throughout fiscal year 2011 as we continue to make purchases of capital equipment. We currently anticipate spending approximately $4,000 in capital expenditures in fiscal 2011. This is a higher capital spending level than what we experienced last year as we have a number of new projects and we are expanding our test and development facilities to handle the increased activity. In addition, with the opening of our Pune, India manufacturing facility, we will incur higher than normal capital expenditures during the year.
Cash generated from financing activities was $1,269 for the first six months of fiscal 2011 and $12 for the first six months of fiscal 2010. Cash generated for financing activities for the first six months of fiscal 2011 primarily relates to net borrowings on our revolving loan facility of $1,240 and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $29. Cash generated from financing activities for the first six months of fiscal 2010 relates to proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $12. In the second quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company announced a quarterly dividend policy. The first dividend of $0.12 per common share under this new policy was declared in the second quarter and is payable on May 12, 2011 to stockholders of record on May 2, 2011. This policy is subject to review and adjustment by the Board of Directors and may be modified or cancelled at any time.
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Contractual Obligations as of March 31, 2011
At March 31, 2011, our contractual obligations consisted of operating lease obligations and a license agreement. We did not have any material letters of credit, or debt guarantees outstanding at March 31, 2011. Maturities of these contractual obligations consist of the following:
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| | Payments due by period | |
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| | Total | | Less than 1 year | | 1 – 3 years | | 3 – 5 years | |
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Operating lease obligations | | $ | 1,256 | | $ | 666 | | $ | 590 | | $ | — | |
MMT license - minimum | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
royalties | | | 235 | | | 85 | | | 150 | | | — | |
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| | $ | 1,491 | | $ | 751 | | $ | 740 | | $ | — | |
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Certain liabilities, including those related to our pension and post-retirement benefit plans, are reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets but are not reflected in the table above due to the absence of stated maturities. We have net obligations at March 31, 2011 related to our pension plans and post-retirement medical plan of $5,969 and $2,508, respectively. We funded $614 to our pension plans during the first six months of fiscal 2011 and $142 during the first six months of fiscal 2010. We expect to make payments to our pension plans of $429 throughout the rest of fiscal 2011.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and changes in the market value of investments.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company has a revolving loan facility with U.S. Bank, which expires on June 30, 2012.
As of March 31, 2011, there was an outstanding balance of $1,240 on the revolving loan. The Company does not believe a hypothetical 10% change in end of period interest rates or changes in future interest rates on these variable rate obligations would have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The Company has not hedged its exposure to interest rate fluctuations.
Foreign Currency Risk:
We sell our products to customers in the heavy truck, transit bus and off-road equipment industries. For the first six months of fiscal 2011 and 2010, the Company had foreign sales of approximately 46% and 39% of net sales, respectively. All worldwide sales in the first six months of fiscal 2011 and 2010, with the exception of $1,540 and $1,325, respectively, were denominated in U.S. dollars. We have a manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China and sales offices in Shanghai, China and Munich, Germany and during fiscal 2010; we established a manufacturing facility in Pune, India. We purchase components internationally for use in both our products whose sales are denominated in U.S. dollars and other currencies. Although the Company is expanding its international exposure, it does not believe that changes in future exchange rates would have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows at this time. As a result, the Company has not entered into forward exchange or option contracts for transactions to hedge against foreign currency risk. The Company will continue to assess its foreign currency risk as its international operations, international purchases and sales increase.
Investment Risk:
The Company does not use derivative financial or commodity instruments. The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and long-term obligations. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable balances are short-term in nature, and, thus, the Company believes they are not exposed to material investment risk.
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely manner, and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Controls
There has been no change in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
Internal control systems, no matter how well designed and operated, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even a system which is determined to be effective cannot provide absolute assurance that all control issues have been detected or prevented. Our systems of internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
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PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
We are a party to various pending judicial and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Our management and legal counsel have reviewed the probable outcome of these proceedings, the costs and expenses reasonably expected to be incurred, the availability and limits of our insurance coverage, and our established liabilities. While the outcome of the pending proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, based on our review, we believe that any unrecorded liability that may result is not likely to have a material effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2011, we entered into a complete and final settlement agreement regarding a lawsuit brought by a former Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The total cost of the settlement was $250 and consisted of a cash payment of $200 and issuance of 4,613 shares of common stock. The stock was issued and payment was made during the third quarter of fiscal 2011.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no significant changes in risk factors for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. See the information set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None
Item 4. Reserved
Item 5. Other Information
None
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Item 6. Exhibits
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Exhibit Number | | Description |
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3.01(a) | | Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 (a) to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006) |
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3.01(b) | | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, dated February 27, 1995(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 (b) to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006) |
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3.01(c) | | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, dated October 28, 2004(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 (c) to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006) |
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3.01(d) | | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, dated February 22, 2005(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 (d) to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006) |
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3.01(e) | | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, dated March 2, 2006(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 (e) to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006) |
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3.02 | | Restated By-Laws of the Registrant as amended July 1, 2002(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to the Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q, Commission File No. 000-18083, for the quarter ended June 30, 2002) |
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31.01 | | Certification of Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)(Filed herewith) |
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31.02 | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)(Filed herewith) |
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32.01 | | Certification of Patrick W. Cavanagh Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002(Filed herewith) |
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32.02 | | Certification of Dennis E. Bunday Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002(Filed herewith) |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements 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.
| | | |
| | WILLIAMS CONTROLS, INC. |
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Date: | May 12, 2011 | /s/ PATRICK W. CAVANAGH |
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| | Patrick W. Cavanagh |
| | President and Chief Executive Officer |
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Date: | May 12, 2011 | /s/ DENNIS E. BUNDAY |
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| | Dennis E. Bunday |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
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