PART I
Item 1. Business.
General Development of the Business.
Universal Forest Products, Inc. (now known as UFP Industries) is a holding company with subsidiaries throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia that supply wood, wood composite and other products to three markets: retail, industrial, and construction. The Company is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information about Universal Forest Products, Inc., or its affiliated operations, go to www.ufpi.com.
Information relating to current developments in our business is incorporated by reference from our Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2019 ("2019 Annual Report") under the caption "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Selected portions of the 2019 Annual Report are filed as Exhibit 13 with this Form 10-K Report.
Financial Information About Segments.
ASC 280, Segment Reporting (“ASC 280”) defines operating segments as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance.
Our operating segments that are stand-alone reportable segments consist of our Northern, Southern, and Western divisions. Our operating segments that are aggregated into the All Other reportable segment are the Alternative Materials, International, idX, and Corporate business units.
Beginning on January 1, 2020, management of the Company’s operations has been re-organized around the markets it serves (as described below) rather than based on geography.
Narrative Description of Business.
We design, manufacture and market wood and wood-alternative products for national home centers and other retailers, structural lumber and other products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for residential and commercial construction, specialty wood packaging, components and packing materials for various industries, and customized interior fixtures used in a variety of retail and commercial structures. Our locations generally serve customers in multiple markets. Each of our markets, Retail, Industrial and Construction, are discussed in the paragraphs that follow.
Retail. The customers comprising this market are national home center retailers, retail-oriented regional lumberyards and contractor-oriented lumberyards. Generally, terms of sale are established for annual or bi-annual periods, and orders are placed with our regional facilities in accordance with established terms. One customer, The Home Depot, accounted for approximately 19% of our total sales in fiscal 2019, 2018 and 2017.
We currently supply customers in this market from many of our locations. These regional facilities are able to supply mixed truckloads of products which can be delivered to customers with rapid turnaround from receipt of an order. Freight costs are a factor in the ability to competitively service this market, especially with treated wood products because of their heavier weight. The close proximity of our regional facilities to the various outlets of these customers is a factor when negotiating annual sales programs.
The products offered to customers in this market include dimensional lumber (both preserved and unpreserved) and various "value-added products," some of which are sold under our trademarks. In addition to our conventional lumber products, we offer a large portfolio of outdoor living products, including wood and wood composite decking and related accessories and decorative lawn and garden products. Products sold to this market include those sold under the following trademarks: ProWood, Deckorators, UFP-Edge, Outdoor Essentials, Dimensions, and ProWood FR. We also sell engineered wood