Item 1A. Risk Factors
A number of significant risk factors could materially affect our business operations and cause our performance to differ materially from any future results projected or implied by our prior statements, including those described below. Many of these risk factors are also identified in connection with the more specific descriptions of our business and results of operations contained throughout this report.
Customers and Revenue Growth Risks
We seek to generate new business revenues to support our ongoing operations.
We had a net loss of $1.6 million in 2023. We also generated negative operating cash flows of $11.1 million in 2023. We believe that we need to increase our revenues through new business generation in order to operate profitably. We are working to increase our revenues with new and existing customers. However, if we are not successful in maintaining or increasing our revenues, we may be unable to maintain the critical mass of capital investments or talented employees that are needed to succeed in our chosen markets or to maintain our existing facilities, which could result in restructuring or exit costs. As we work to expand our customers and our products, we must also effectively manage a more diverse production schedule to avoid slowing our production output. As we are awarded new products with new customers, we must onboard new operational processes in an effective and efficient manner. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in maintaining or increasing our revenues with new and existing customers to a level necessary to support our working capital requirements or to achieve profitability.
Even when we are chosen by a new or existing customer for new business, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete final contract negotiations on acceptable terms or at all. In many cases, we announce significant contract “orders”, “wins” or “awards” before final contract negotiations are complete, and there is a chance that these new announced contract orders, wins or awards may not result in a definitive agreement or the expected amount of revenues or profits. We cannot guarantee that any particular contract with a customer will result in the anticipated level of revenue or profitability.
We depend on a few key customers in challenging industries for most of our revenues.
Our five largest customers in 2023 were Sistemas, Northrop Grumman, Detroit Diesel, SubCom and ADI, which in the aggregate accounted for 70% of net revenue. The loss of any of these customers or any other significant customer, or the renewal of business on less favorable terms, would have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations. Due to our customer concentration, if one or more of our major customers were to experience difficulties in fulfilling their obligations to us, cease doing business with us, significantly reduce the amount of their purchases from us, favor competitors or new entrants or change their purchasing patterns, our business may be harmed.
The truck components and assemblies industry has experienced consolidation, credit risk, highly cyclical market demand, labor unrest, rising steel costs, extensive raw material lead-times, bankruptcies and other obstacles. The demand for our energy-related products lines, historically, has risen and fallen with the prices of oil and/or natural gas, as our customers’ capital expenditures budgets tend to be dependent upon energy prices. We depend on the continued growth and financial stability of customers in these industries and our core markets, as well as general economic conditions. Adverse changes affecting these customers, markets or economic conditions could harm our operating results.
The aerospace and defense electronics industry has experienced consolidation, increased competition, disruptive new technologies and uncertain funding levels. The aerospace and defense industry is also pressured by cyclicality, component obsolescence and shortages, rapid technological change, shortening product life cycles, decreasing margins, and government procurement and certification processes. Our aerospace and defense business must continue to replenish key legacy programs with new technologies if we are to successfully maintain or expand our market share. Our failure to address any of these factors could impair our ability to grow and diversify our base of customers in this segment.
There can be no assurance that any of our customers will not default on, delay or dispute payment of, or seek to reject our outstanding invoices in bankruptcy or otherwise. In addition, the existence of these factors may result in fewer customers in our target markets due to consolidation, bankruptcy, competitive or other market reasons, making it more difficult to obtain new clients and diversify our customer base in the near future.
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Customer contracts could be less profitable than expected.
We generally bear the risk that our contracts could be unprofitable or less profitable than planned, despite our estimates of revenues and future costs to complete such contracts.
A material portion of our business, historically, has been conducted under multi-year contracts, which generally include fixed prices or periodic price reductions without minimum purchase requirements. Over time, our revenues may not cover any increases in our operating costs which could adversely impact our results. Our financial results are at greater risk when we accept contractual responsibility for raw material or component prices, when we cannot offset price reductions, freight penalties, importation fees and cost increases with operating efficiencies or other savings, when we must submit contract bid prices before all key design elements are finalized or when we are subjected to other competitive pressures which erode our margins. The profitability of our contracts also can be adversely affected by unexpected start-up costs on new programs, inability to negotiate milestone billings, operating inefficiencies, scheduling constraints, ineffective capital investments, inflationary pressures or inaccurate forecasts of future unit costs.
Unexpected changes in our customers’ demand levels and our inability to execute our production efficiently have harmed our operating results in the past and could do so in the future. Many of our customers will not commit to firm production or delivery schedules. Inaccurate forecasting of our customers’ requirements can disrupt the efficient utilization of our manufacturing capacity, inventories or workforce and can cause increases in our inventory and working capital levels. If we receive unanticipated orders or rapid increases in demand, these incremental volumes could be unprofitable due to the higher costs of operating above our optimal capacity. Disagreements over pricing, quality, delivery, capacity, exclusivity or trade credit terms could disrupt order schedules. Orders may also fluctuate due to changing global capacity and demand, new products, changes in market share, reorganizations or bankruptcies, material shortages, labor disputes, freight costs, tariffs or other factors that discourage outsourcing. Unanticipated interruptions in our production schedule may limit our ability to satisfy customers’ contractual requirements and we could be responsible for lost profits or penalties for delays in delivery. These forces could increase, decrease, accelerate, delay or cancel our delivery schedules and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Congressional budgetary constraints or reallocations could reduce our government related sales.
Sypris Electronics serves as a contractor for large aerospace and defense companies such as Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, typically under federally funded programs, which represented approximately 31% and 28% of net revenue in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Budget uncertainty, the potential for U.S. Government shutdowns, the use of continuing resolutions, and the federal debt ceiling can adversely affect our industry and the funding for our programs. If appropriations are delayed or a government shutdown were to occur and were to continue for an extended period of time, we could be at risk of program cancellations and other disruptions and nonpayment. When the U.S. Government operates under a continuing resolution, new contract and program starts are restricted and funding for our programs may be unavailable, reduced or delayed. Shifting funding priorities or federal budget compromises, also could result in reductions in overall defense spending on an absolute or inflation-adjusted basis, which could adversely impact our business.
We expect to compete for follow-on business opportunities as a subcontractor on future builds of several existing government programs. However, the federal budget and debt ceiling are expected to continue to be the subject of considerable uncertainty and the impact on demand for our products and services and our business are difficult to predict.
Trends in oil and natural gas prices could adversely affect the level of exploration, development and production activity of certain of our customers and the demand for our services and products.
Demand for our services and products is sensitive to the level of exploration, development and production activity of, and the corresponding capital spending by, oil and natural gas companies, including national oil companies, regional exploration and production providers, and related service providers. The level of exploration, development and production activity is directly affected by trends in oil and natural gas prices, which historically have been volatile and are likely to continue to be volatile.
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Prices for oil and natural gas are subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty, and a variety of other economic factors that are beyond our control. Any prolonged reduction in oil and natural gas prices will depress the immediate levels of exploration, development and production activity, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even the perception of longer-term lower oil and natural gas prices by oil and natural gas companies and related service providers can similarly reduce or defer major expenditures by these companies and service providers given the long-term nature of many large-scale development projects. Oil prices are particularly sensitive to actual and perceived threats to global political stability and to changes in production from OPEC member states. The war in Ukraine could continue to contribute to the volatility in global oil and gas prices and continued sanctions against Russia could impact demand for our products and adversely affect our profitability. Additionally, potential climate change regulation, including a potential carbon tax, could adversely affect the level of exploration, development and production activity of certain of our customers and the demand for our services and products.
The Company’s operating results can be adversely affected by inflation, changes in the cost or availability of labor, raw materials, energy, transportation and other necessary supplies and services, as well as the impact of tariffs.
We are currently experiencing inflationary pressures on our operating costs. Competition for labor is becoming more acute and we have experienced increased labor costs as a result. For significant portions of our business, we purchase raw materials and component parts which have been designated or specified by our customers, at prices negotiated by our customers. Raw material price fluctuations and volatility in the commodity markets, including tariffs and trade restriction could impact prices in the future. In any event, for a growing part of our business, we arrange our own suppliers and we could be impacted by the risks of any price increases, trade restrictions or production delays. Increases in the costs of steel or other supplies could also increase our working capital requirements and scrap expenses. In addition, we have experienced increased costs for the transportation of our products. We may not be able to fully offset any cost increases through cost reduction programs or price increases of our products, especially given the competitive environment. If we are not able to sufficiently increase our pricing to offset these increased costs or if increased costs and prolonged inflation continue, it could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and profitability. Sustained price increases may lead to declines in volume. While we seek to project tradeoffs between price increases and volume, our projections may not accurately predict the volume impact of price increases. In addition, volatility in certain commodity markets could significantly affect our production cost.
Our business benefits from free trade agreements, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and efforts to withdraw from, or substantially modify such agreement in addition to the implementation of more restrictive trade policies, such as more detailed inspections, higher tariffs, import or export licensing requirements and exchange controls or new barriers to entry, could limit our ability to capitalize on current and future growth opportunities in international markets, impair our ability to expand the business by offering new technologies, products and services, and could adversely impact our production costs, customer demand and our relationships with customers and suppliers. Any of these consequences could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
In general, there can be no assurance that any price fluctuations relating to tariffs or trade restrictions will not reduce demand, slow production, delay shipments to our customers or increase our costs in the future, any of which could adversely affect our financial results.
Competition Risks
Increasing competition could limit or reduce our market share.
As an outsourced manufacturer, we operate in highly competitive environments that often include our customers’ internal capabilities. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets include the availability of manufacturing capacity, increasingly unfavorable currency exchange rates (especially in low-cost countries), technological strength, speed and flexibility in responding to design or schedule changes, price, quality, delivery, cost management and financial strength. Our earnings could decline if our competitors or customers can provide comparable speed and quality at a lower cost, or if we fail to adequately invest in the range and quality of products and manufacturing capabilities our customers require.
Most of our competitors are larger and have greater financial and organizational resources, geographic breadth and range of products, customer bases and brand recognition than we do. As a result, our competitors may respond more quickly to technological changes or customer needs, consume lower fixed and variable unit costs, negotiate reduced component prices, and obtain better terms for financing growth. If we fail to compete in any of these areas, we may lose market share and our business could be seriously harmed. There can be no assurance that we will not experience increased competition or that we will be able to achieve profitability as these new challenges arise.
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Our technologies could become obsolete, reducing our revenues and profitability.
The markets for our products are characterized by changing technology and continuing process development. The future of our business will depend in large part upon the continuing relevance of our technological capabilities. We could fail to make required capital investments, develop or successfully market products that meet changing customer needs and anticipate or respond to technological changes in a cost-effective and timely manner. Our inability to successfully launch or sustain new or next generation programs or product features, especially in accordance with budgets or committed delivery schedules, could materially adversely affect our financial results. We could encounter competition from new or developing technologies that render our technologies and equipment less profitable or obsolete in our chosen markets and our operating results may suffer. In particular, the Company is currently ramping production on certain programs and also continuing to pursue new programs in an attempt to increase Sypris Electronics’ revenues. However, the initial production phase of new programs and substantial increases in production volumes may be costly and can be slower than anticipated. Increasing production volumes to meet customer demand within Sypris Electronics may not be successful.
Execution Risks
Contract terminations or delays could harm our business.
We often provide products under contracts that contain detailed specifications, quality standards and other terms. If we are unable to perform in accordance with such terms, our customers might seek to terminate such contracts, demand price concessions or other financial consideration or downgrade our performance ratings or eligibility for new business. Moreover, many of our contracts are subject to termination for convenience or upon default. These provisions could provide only limited recoveries of certain incurred costs or profits on completed work and could impose liabilities for our customers’ costs in procuring undelivered items from another source. If any of our significant contracts were to be repudiated, terminated or not renewed, we could lose substantial revenues, and our operating results as well as prospects for future business opportunities could be adversely affected.
We are subject to various audits, reviews and investigations, including private party “whistleblower” lawsuits, relating to our compliance with federal and state laws. Should our business be charged with wrongdoing, or determined not to be a “presently responsible contractor,” we could be temporarily suspended or debarred from receiving new government-approved subcontracts.
We must operate more efficiently.
If we are unable to improve the cost, efficiency and yield of our operations, and if we are not able to control costs, our financial results could suffer and we could be forced to sell assets, take on additional debt at higher costs or take other measures to restructure our operations or capital structure. A number of major obstacles could include:
● increased borrowing due to declines in sales;
● the need to identify and eliminate our root causes of scrap;
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Our management or systems could be inadequate to support our existing or future operations. New customers or new contracts, particularly with new product offerings, could require us to invest in additional equipment or other capital expenditures which exceed our budgeted plans. We may have limited experience or expertise in installing or operating such equipment, which could negatively impact our ability to deliver products on time or with acceptable costs. In addition, a material portion of our manufacturing equipment requires significant ongoing maintenance to operate effectively, and we may experience maintenance and repair issues. Access to necessary supplies and component parts to support our equipment maintenance programs and repairs may not be available due to the age or complexity of the machinery and the timing or access to those supplies could impact our ability to meet production demands. The risk of technical failures, nonconformance with customer specifications, an inability to deliver next generation products or other quality concerns could materially impair our operating results. Similarly, expanding production for our energy-related products without effective process or quality controls could materially increase scrap rates and may impact the safety of our operating environment or expose our business to warranty risks and contractual violations.
Cyber security risks could negatively affect operations and result in increased costs.
Sypris Electronics, as a U.S. defense subcontractor, and our Company overall, face cyber security threats, threats to the physical security of our facilities and employees and terrorist or criminal acts, as well as the potential for business disruptions associated with information technology failures and natural disasters.
We routinely experience cyber security threats, threats to our information technology infrastructure and attempts to gain access to our sensitive information, as do our customers, vendors, suppliers and subcontractors, including the threat of ransomware attacks on our systems and the systems of third-party vendors and other parties with which we conduct business, all of which may become more pronounced in the event of geopolitical events and other uncertainties, such as the war in Ukraine or the Israel and Gaza conflict. Prior cyber attacks directed at us have resulted in security breaches, but to date have not had a material impact on our financial results. We have robust measures in place to address and mitigate cyber-related risks. However, we expect we will continue to experience additional attempted attacks in the future, including from nation states and criminal actors. We continue to invest in the cybersecurity and resiliency of our networks and products and to enhance our internal controls and processes, which are designed to help protect our systems and infrastructure, and the information they contain. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems are constantly evolving and often are not recognized until launched against a target, or even some time after. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques, implement adequate preventative measures or remediate any intrusion on a timely or effective basis even if our security measures are appropriate, reasonable, and/or comply with applicable legal requirements. Certain efforts may be state-sponsored and supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. Insider or employee cyber and security threats are also a significant concern for all companies, including ours. We depend on our customers, suppliers, and other business partners to implement adequate controls and safeguards to protect against and report cyber incidents. If they fail to deter, detect or report cyber incidents in a timely manner, we may suffer financial and other harm, including to our information, operations, performance, employees and reputation. Although we implement various measures and controls to monitor and mitigate risks associated with these threats and to increase the cyber resiliency of our infrastructure and products, there can be no assurance that these processes will be sufficient. Successful attacks could lead to losses or misuse of sensitive information or capabilities; theft or corruption of data; harm to personnel, infrastructure or products; financial costs and liabilities and protracted disruptions in our operations and performance.
Although we work cooperatively with our customers and our suppliers, subcontractors, vendors and other partners to seek to minimize the impacts of cyber threats, other security threats or business disruptions, we must rely on the safeguards put in place by those entities, and those safeguards might not be effective.
The costs related to cyber security or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. Additionally, obtaining external providers with expertise for assisting with the recovery from or defense against a cyber incident may not be obtainable on acceptable terms. Occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our internal operations, the products we provide to customers, loss of competitive advantages derived from our research and development efforts, early obsolescence of our products, our future financial results, our reputation or our stock price.
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Supplier Risks
Interruptions in the supply of key components and quality systems could disrupt production.
Some of our products require one or more components that are available from a limited number of providers or from sole-source providers. In the past, some of the materials we use, including steel, certain forgings or castings, capacitors and memory and logic devices, have been subject to industry-wide shortages or capacity allocations. As a result, suppliers have been forced to allocate available quantities among their customers, and we have not been able to obtain all of the materials desired. Some of our suppliers have struggled to implement reliable quality control systems which can negatively impact our operating efficiency and financial results. In downward business cycles, the tightening of credit markets has threatened the financial viability of an increasing number of suppliers of key components and raw materials and forced unanticipated shutdowns. Our inability to reliably obtain these or any other materials when and as needed has in the past and could in the future slow production or assembly, delay shipments to our customers, cause noncompliance with product certifications, impair the recovery of our fixed costs and increase the costs of recovering to customers’ schedules, including overtime, expedited freight, equipment maintenance, operating inefficiencies, higher working capital and the obsolescence risks associated with larger buffer inventories. Each of these factors could adversely affect operating results.
The conflict in Ukraine has increased global tensions and instability, highlighted threats and increased global demand, as well as further disrupted global supply chains. We may not be able to fully offset any cost increases or price increases of our products due to delays in production. More recently, the hostilities in Israel and the Gaza Strip have further heightened global tensions and instability. At this time, it is unknown whether hostilities in this region will escalate into an even larger conflict. We do not have a significant business presence in the region, and therefore do not anticipate significant adverse financial impacts directly from the current conflict.
Further, as discussed below, the Company experienced a liquidity shortfall in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. Suppliers may not sell to us given our liquidity position. If we are unable to purchase components from our suppliers, we may not be able to continue to service our customers which could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
Shortages or increased costs of utilities could harm our business and our customers.
We and our customers depend on a constant supply of electricity and natural gas from utility providers for the operation of our respective businesses and facilities. In the past, we have experienced power outages which reduced our ability to deliver products and meet our customers’ demand for those products. If we or our customers experience future interruptions in service from these providers, our production and/or delivery of products could be negatively affected. We have experienced increased costs due to the heavy consumption of energy in our production process, which have been offset through revised production schedules. However, if the cost of energy continues to increase, our results of operations and those of certain customers could be negatively impacted.
Access to Capital and Liquidity Risks
We may require additional financing to conduct our operations and to repay our outstanding debt obligations. We cannot be certain that additional capital will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, the Company reported a net loss of $1.6 million and cash used in operations of $11.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s net inventory increased from $42.1 million to $77.3 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily related to contracts with Sypris Electronics’ aerospace and defense customers. Shipments to customers on certain of these contracts were delayed beyond the initial delivery dates, which negatively impacted the cycle time to convert inventory to cash during the year ended December 31, 2023. As a result, the Company experienced a liquidity shortfall in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. The Company received the benefit of additional loans of $5.0 million from Gill Family Capital Management, Inc. (“GFCM”), an entity controlled by the Gill family that beneficially owns approximately 14.6% of our common stock, to help the Company manage its liquidity during those periods.
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Our ability to service our current liabilities and satisfy our debt obligations will require a significant amount of cash. If we are unable to achieve our forecasted revenue, or if our costs are higher than expected, we may be required to revise our plans to provide for additional cost-cutting measures, seek additional financing or to consider other strategic alternatives. We may not be able to secure additional financing on favorable terms, if at all.
Until we have returned to sustained levels of consistent profitability, our access to capital may be limited.
Until the Company is able to achieve and maintain consistent profitability, we may not be able to obtain financing. If we are unable to achieve and maintain profitability, we will need to use existing cash resources or liquidate other assets to fund operating losses. While we have borrowed from GFCM on acceptable terms in the past, there can be no assurances that any additional debt financing from GFCM will be available in the future.
Potential inquiries into or audits of our Paycheck Protection Program loan, as well as the results of any such inquiries or audits, could have a significant adverse effect on us and our financial condition.
The Company entered into a promissory note with BMO Harris Bank National Association (“BMO”), effective May 1, 2020, that provided for a loan in the amount of $3.6 million (the “PPP Loan”) pursuant to expansion of the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) 7(a) loan program (the “Paycheck Protection Program” or “PPP”), established under the CARES Act.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and SBA have announced that SBA will conduct audits for PPP loans that exceed $2 million. Should we be audited or reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the SBA as a result of the PPP Loan or filing an application for forgiveness or otherwise, such audit or review could result in the diversion of management’s time and attention, generate negative publicity and cause us to incur legal and reputational costs. If we were to be audited and receive an adverse outcome in such an audit, we could be required to return the full amount of the PPP Loan and may potentially be subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties. We may not have the resources to repay the PPP Loan if required to do so by the federal government.
On November 24, 2020, the Company submitted an application for forgiveness of the entire amount due on the PPP Loan. On June 28, 2021, the Company received notice from BMO that BMO had received confirmation from the SBA that the application for forgiveness of the PPP Loan had been approved. If it is subsequently determined that it must be repaid, we may be required to use a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations or proceeds from the sale of our assets to pay interest and principal on the PPP Loan. Any such repayment of the PPP Loan will reduce the funds available to us for working capital and other corporate purposes and may limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital or divert funds that are otherwise necessary to run our business. We cannot assure that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future financing will be available to us in amounts sufficient to enable us to make required and timely repayments on our indebtedness, or to fund our operations. Additionally, though we believe we were eligible recipients of the PPP Loan under the PPP and our use of PPP Loan proceeds was in compliance with PPP rules and guidance, our receipt of the PPP Loan and the use of PPP Loan proceeds could result in negative publicity, or expose us to claims or potential liability under the federal False Claims Act, which prohibits the known filing of a false claim or the known use of false statements to obtain payment from the federal government, if it is determined that we were in fact not eligible to take the PPP Loan in the first instance.
Our ability to finance expansion or new business opportunities may be limited.
Our future liquidity and capital requirements depend on numerous factors other than bank borrowings or debt financing, including the pace at which we can effectively cut costs, increase revenues or successfully launch new products. We have pursued strategies that rely on research and development efforts to develop and commercialize our new products. We may not have the financial resources or be able to raise funds necessary to pursue these strategies under any future debt agreements which could further limit our ability to replace the loss of revenues. We may be unable fully to exploit or adequately to protect intellectual property rights resulting from our development efforts, which could materially affect our ability to compete, our reputation and our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
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Labor Relations Risks
We must attract and retain qualified employees while successfully managing related costs.
Our future success in a changing business environment, including during rapid changes in the size, complexity or skills required of our workforce, will depend to a large extent upon the efforts and abilities of our executive, managerial and technical employees. The loss of key employees could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Our future success will also require an ability to attract and retain qualified employees, especially those with engineering or production expertise in our core business lines.
Changes in our labor costs such as salaries, wages and benefits, or the cost of providing pension and other employee benefits, changes in health care costs, investment returns on plan assets and discount rates used to calculate pension and related liabilities or other requirements to accelerate the level of our pension fund contributions to reduce or eliminate underfunded liabilities, could lead to increased costs or disruptions of operations in any of our business units.
Disputes with labor unions could disrupt our business plans.
As of December 31, 2023, we had collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 406 employees (all of which were in Sypris Technologies), or 54% of our total employees. Excluding certain Mexico employees covered under an annually ratified agreement, there are no collective bargaining agreements expiring within the next twelve months. Certain Mexico employees are covered by an annually ratified collective bargaining agreement. These employees in Mexico represented approximately 51% of the Company’s workforce, or 382 employees at December 31, 2023. Our ability to maintain our workforce depends on our ability to attract and retain new and existing customers as well as maintain good relations with our employees and labor unions. We could experience a work stoppage or other disputes which could disrupt our operations or the operations of our customers and could harm our operating results.
Regulatory Risks
Environmental, natural disasters, health and safety risks could expose us to potential liability.
We are subject to a variety of environmental regulations relating to the use, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous chemicals and substances used in our operations. If we fail to comply with present or future regulations, we could be forced to alter, suspend or discontinue our manufacturing processes and pay substantial fines or penalties.
Groundwater and other contamination has occurred at certain of our current and former facilities during the operation of those facilities by their former owners, and this contamination may occur at future facilities we operate or acquire. There is no assurance that environmental indemnification agreements we have secured from the former owners of certain of these properties will be adequate to protect us from liability. Additionally, certain property we sold which was designated as Brownfields is under development by the current owners and could expose us to future costs.
Our business is also subject to potential liabilities with respect to health and safety matters. We are required to comply with federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations governing the health and safety of our workforce, and we could be held liable for damages arising out of human exposure to hazardous substances or other dangerous working conditions. Health and safety laws and regulations are complex and change frequently. As a result, our future costs to comply with such laws or the liabilities incurred in the event of any violations may increase significantly.
A natural disaster could disrupt our operations, or our customers’ or suppliers’ operations and could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Although we have plans designed to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on our operations, those plans may be insufficient, and any catastrophe may disrupt our ability to manufacture and deliver products to our customers, resulting in an adverse impact on our business and results of operations. In addition, our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises, such as pandemics, epidemics, and quarantines or shutdowns related to public health crisis and other catastrophic events, which could harm our business and cause our operating results to suffer. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in travel disruption, trade disruption and adversely affected our operations.
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Changes in interest rates and asset returns could increase our pension funding obligations and reduce our profitability.
We have unfunded obligations under certain of our defined benefit pension plans. The valuation of our future payment obligations under the plans and the related plan assets are subject to significant adverse changes if the credit and capital markets cause interest rates and projected rates of return to decline. Such declines could also require us to make significant additional contributions to our pension plans in the future. A material increase in the unfunded obligations of these plans could also result in a significant increase in our pension expense in the future.
We may incur additional tax expense or become subject to additional tax exposure.
Our provision for income taxes and the cash outlays required to satisfy our income tax obligations in the future could be adversely affected by numerous factors. These factors include changes in the level of earnings in the tax jurisdictions in which we operate, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in our plans to repatriate the earnings of our non-U.S. operations to the U.S. and changes in tax laws and regulations.
Our income tax returns are subject to examination by federal, state and local tax authorities in the U.S. and tax authorities outside the U.S. The results of these examinations and the ongoing assessments of our tax exposures could also have an adverse effect on our provision for income taxes and the cash outlays required to satisfy our income tax obligations.
Adverse regulatory developments or litigation could harm our business.
Our businesses operate in heavily regulated environments. We must successfully manage the risk of changes in or adverse actions under applicable law or in our regulatory authorizations, licenses and permits, governmental security clearances or other legal rights to operate our businesses, to manage our work force or to import and export goods and services as needed. Our business activities expose us to the risks of litigation with respect to our customers, suppliers, creditors, stockholders or from warranty claims or product liability, environmental or asbestos-related matters. We also face the risk of other adverse regulatory actions, compliance costs or governmental sanctions, as well as the costs and risks related to our ongoing efforts to design and implement effective internal controls. While we maintain insurance coverage with respect to certain product liability claims or other legal claims, we may not be able to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, and any such insurance may not provide adequate coverage against product liability claims. In addition, product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant periods of time, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Furthermore, even if we are successful in defending against a claim relating to our products, claims of this nature could cause our customers to lose confidence in our products and us.
General Risks
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates have increased, and could continue to increase, our operating costs.
We have manufacturing operations located in Mexico. Excluding the cost of steel used in production, a significant portion of our operating expenses are denominated in the Mexican Peso. Currency exchange rates fluctuate daily as a result of a number of factors, including changes in a country's political and economic policies. Volatility in the currencies of our entities and the United States dollar, as well as inflationary costs, could seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition. The primary impact of currency exchange fluctuations is on the cash, payables and expenses of our Mexican operating entities. The Company does not currently hedge our Mexican Peso denominated expenses. Unexpected losses have occurred from increases in the value of the Mexican Peso relative to the United States dollar and further unexpected losses could occur, which could be material to our business, financial results, or operations.
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Risks associated with climate change and other environmental impacts, and increased focus and evolving views of our customers, shareholders and other stakeholders on climate change issues, could negatively affect our business and operations.
The effects of climate change create short and long-term financial risks to our business, both in the U.S. and Mexico. We have significant operations located in regions that have been, and may in the future be, exposed to significant weather events and other natural disasters. Climate related changes can increase variability in or otherwise impact natural disasters, including weather patterns, with the potential for increased frequency and severity of significant weather events (e.g., flooding, hurricanes and tropical storms), natural hazards (e.g., increased wildfire risk), rising mean temperature and sea levels, and long-term changes in precipitation patterns (e.g., drought, desertification, and/or poor water quality). We expect climate change will continue to affect our facilities, operations, employees and communities in the future, particularly our Sypris Electronics facility. Our suppliers are also subject to natural disasters that could affect their ability to deliver or perform under our contracts, including as a result of disruptions to their workforce and critical infrastructure. Disruptions also impact the availability and cost of materials needed for manufacturing and could increase insurance and other operating costs.
Increased worldwide focus on climate change has led to legislative and regulatory efforts to combat both potential causes and adverse impacts of climate change, including regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. New or more stringent laws and regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions and other climate change related concerns may adversely affect us, our suppliers and our customers. Some of our facilities are, for example, engaged in manufacturing processes that produce greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, or rely on products from others that do so. New and evolving laws and regulations could mandate different or more restrictive standards, could require capital investments to transition to low carbon technologies, could adversely impact our ongoing operations, and could require changes on a more accelerated time frame. Our suppliers may face similar challenges and incur additional compliance costs that are passed on to us. These direct and indirect costs may adversely impact our results.
The market price for our common stock has been volatile.
The market price of our common stock has been subject to wide price fluctuations in the past and could be subject to fluctuations in the future, in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control and may be unrelated to our financial condition, operating performance, prospects or other indicators of value. These factors may include technical factors in the public trading market for our stock that may produce price movements that may or may not comport with macro, industry or company-specific fundamentals, including, without limitation, the sentiment of retail investors (including as it may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites), the amount and status of short interest in our securities, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on our common stock, fractional share trading and other technical trading factors or strategies.
Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover all significant risk exposures.
We carry a range of insurance policies intended to protect our assets and operations, including general liability insurance and property damage insurance. While we endeavor to purchase insurance coverage appropriate to our risk assessment, we are unable to predict with certainty the frequency, nature or magnitude of claims for direct or consequential damages, and as a result our insurance program may not fully cover us for losses we may incur. In addition, as a result of a number of catastrophic weather and other events in the United States, insurance companies have incurred substantial losses and accordingly in many cases they have substantially reduced the nature and amount of insurance coverage available to the market, have broadened exclusions, and/or have substantially increased the cost of such coverage. It is likely that the tight insurance market will continue into the foreseeable future. Our business requires that we maintain various types of insurance. If such insurance is not available or not available on economically acceptable terms, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
Our insurance coverage, customer indemnifications or other liability protections may be unavailable or inadequate to cover all of our significant risks, which could adversely affect our profitability and overall financial position. We endeavor to obtain insurance from financially solid, responsible, highly rated counterparties in established markets to cover significant risks and liabilities (including, for example, natural disasters, space launches and on-orbit operations, cyber security, hazardous operations, energetics and products liability). Not every risk or liability can be insured, and insurance coverage is not always reasonably available. The policy limits and terms of coverage reasonably obtainable may not be sufficient to cover actual losses or liabilities. Even if insurance coverage is available, we are not always able to obtain it at a price or on terms acceptable to us or without increasing exclusions. Disputes with insurance carriers over the availability of coverage, and the insolvency of one or more of our insurers has affected and may continue to affect the availability or timing of recovery, as well as our ability to obtain insurance coverage at reasonable rates in the future. In some circumstances we may be entitled to certain legal protections or indemnifications from our customers through contractual provisions, laws or otherwise. However, these protections are not always available, are difficult to negotiate and obtain, are typically subject to certain terms or limitations, including the availability of funds, and may not be sufficient to cover our losses or liabilities. If insurance coverage, customer indemnifications and/or other legal protections are not available or are not sufficient to cover risks or losses, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
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We face other factors which could seriously disrupt our operations.
Many other risk factors beyond our control could seriously disrupt our operations, including: risks relating to war, future terrorist activities, or political uncertainties; risks relating to another pandemic, natural disasters or other casualties which could shut down our domestic or foreign facilities, disrupt transportation of products or supplies, increase the costs under our self-insurance program or change the timing and availability of funding in our aerospace and defense electronics markets; risks inherent in operating abroad, including foreign currency exchange rates, adverse regulatory developments, and miscommunications or errors due to inaccurate foreign language translations or currency exchange rates; or our failure to anticipate or to adequately insure against other risks and uncertainties present in our businesses including unknown or unidentified risks.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Risk Management and Strategy
We maintain a cybersecurity and information security program, which leverages the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) 800-171. Risks from cybersecurity threats are regularly evaluated as part of our broader risk management activities and as a fundamental component of our internal control system. The scope of our evaluation encompasses risks that may be associated with both our internally managed IT systems and key business functions and sensitive data operated or managed by third-party service providers.
Key personnel receive cybersecurity training regularly. Our IT team engages third-party vendors to assist with providing timely cybersecurity threat alerts in addition to monitoring cybersecurity threats and our defenses against cyberattacks. This monitoring includes the proactive identification of vulnerabilities in our systems with threat intelligence. The employees within our IT team who specialize in cybersecurity operations are responsible for coordinating and overseeing the activities of these third-party vendors.
Sypris has a managed service provider (MSP) for incident response of cybersecurity threats and cybersecurity incidents and is managed by the Director of IT, who coordinates activities and monitors response performance. The Director of IT prepares briefings to the Board of Directors, and other relevant committees. Our IT team evaluates security alerts received from our MSP, and any alert or threat that the MSP or the IT team identifies as a cybersecurity incident (such as a data security breach) is promptly escalated for further assessment and immediate remediation. Upon confirmation that a cybersecurity incident has occurred, our IT team will coordinate with our MSP and representatives from other internal departments, legal counsel and other service providers as needed. The Director of IT directs the development of a coordinated response strategy, entailing risk containment, notification processes, system restoration, incident documentation and assessment.
The Director of IT will notify the other members of our senior management team and the Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee of our Board of Directors as needed.
Cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected and we believe are not reasonably likely to affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. We and our third-party service providers have frequently been the target of cybersecurity threats and expect them to continue, and for an additional description of these cybersecurity risks and potential related impacts on us, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Governance
Board of Directors and Board Committees. In accordance with our Guidelines on Corporate Governance, the Board of Directors, both directly and through its committees, oversees the proper functioning of our risk management process. In particular, the Audit and Finance Committee assists the Board in its oversight of management’s responsibility to assess, manage and mitigate risks associated with the Company’s business and operational activities, including data privacy and cybersecurity concerns. The Board and Committee each meet at regularly scheduled and special meetings throughout the year at which meetings management reports to the Board concerning the results of its risk management activities, as well as external factors that may change the levels of business risk to which we are exposed. Specifically, the Audit and Finance Committee receives regular updates from the Director of IT, as often as necessary but at least once per year, with respect to our cybersecurity threats and responses to any cybersecurity incidents.
Management’s Responsibilities. Management has implemented risk management structures, policies and procedures, and manages our risk exposure on a day-to-day basis. Accordingly, management assesses and responds to cybersecurity threats as part of our ongoing risk assessment and as an internal control over financial reporting. The Director of IT directs our cybersecurity operations and risk responses. The Director of IT meets with the MSP at least once every quarter to review and assess cybersecurity incidents and non-incident threats (and response measures undertaken) to determine if any adjustment to our cybersecurity managed services is required.
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Item 2. Properties
Our principal manufacturing operations are engaged in electronics manufacturing for our aerospace and defense customers and industrial manufacturing for our truck components and assemblies and oil and gas pipeline component customers. The following chart indicates the significant facilities that we own or lease, the location and size of each such facility and the manufacturing certifications that each facility possesses. The facilities listed below (other than the corporate office) are used principally as manufacturing facilities.
Corporate Office:
Manufacturing Facilities:
Below is a listing and description of the various manufacturing certifications or specifications that we utilize at various of our facilities.
Certification/Specification Description
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Certification/Specification Description
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Groundwater and other contamination has occurred at certain of our current and former facilities during the operation of those facilities by their former owners, and this contamination may occur at future facilities we operate or acquire. There is no assurance that environmental indemnification agreements we have secured from the former owners of certain of these properties will be adequate to protect us from liability. No administrative or judicial proceedings with respect to these or any other environmental regulations or conditions are pending against the Company or known by the Company to be contemplated by Government authorities.
The Company is subject to other legal proceedings and claims that have not been fully resolved and that have arisen in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the final disposition of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, cash flows or results of operations.
The information set forth in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
We are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K and thus are not required to provide the performance graph required in paragraph (e) of Item 201 of Regulation S-K.
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “SYPR.”
As of March 15, 2024, there were 554 holders of record of our common stock. No cash dividends were declared during 2023 or 2022.
Dividends may be paid on common stock only when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion. We do not anticipate paying dividends in 2024.
There were no shares of common stock repurchased during the three months ended December 31, 2023.
Item 6. [Reserved]
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The following discussion of our consolidated results of operations and financial condition should be read together with the other financial information and consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a diversified provider of truck components, oil and gas pipeline components and aerospace and defense electronics. We offer a wide range of manufactured products, often under multi-year sole-source contracts.
We are organized into two business segments, Sypris Technologies and Sypris Electronics. Sypris Technologies, which is comprised of Sypris Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries, generates revenue primarily from the sale of forged, machined, welded and heat-treated steel components primarily for the heavy commercial vehicle and high-pressure energy pipeline applications. Sypris Electronics, which is comprised of Sypris Electronics, LLC, generates revenue primarily through circuit card and full “box build” manufacturing, high reliability manufacturing, systems assembly and integration, design for manufacturability and design to specification work.
We focus on those markets where we believe we have the expertise, qualifications and leadership position to sustain a competitive advantage. We target our resources to support the needs of industry participants that embrace technological innovation and flexibility, coupled with multi-year contractual relationships, as a strategic component of their supply chain management. These contracts, many of which are sole-source by part number, have historically created opportunities to invest in leading-edge processes or technologies to help our customers remain competitive. The productivity and innovation that can result from such investments helps to differentiate us from our competition when it comes to cost, quality, reliability and customer service.
Economic Conditions
Our operations are impacted by global economic conditions, including inflationary increases of certain raw materials, as well as logistics, transportation, utilities and labor costs, supply chain constraints and increased interest rates. While we have taken pricing actions and implemented transformation initiatives that we expect to improve productivity and offset these cost increases, we expect supply chain pressures and inflationary cost increases to continue throughout 2024, which may continue thereafter and could negatively impact our results of operations.
Sypris Technologies Outlook
Conditions have remained relatively stable for the North American Class 4-8 commercial vehicle market in addition to the automotive, sport utility vehicle and off-highway markets also served by Sypris Technologies. During 2023, production of Class 8 trucks in North America increased 8% over 2022. The outlook for 2024 is for continued strong demand for production during the first quarter of 2024 with a significant decrease starting in the second quarter of 2024. We believe that the market diversification Sypris Technologies has accomplished over recent years by adding new programs in the automotive, sport-utility and off-highway markets has benefited and will continue to benefit the Company as the demand cycles for our products in these markets differs from than the Class 8 commercial vehicle market, thereby reducing volatility in our revenue profile.
Reduced travel, business closures, and other economic impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic suppressed oil and natural gas demand, thereby adversely impacting the oil and gas markets served by our Tube Turns® brand of engineered products. This caused major pipeline developers to significantly scale back near-term capital investments in new pipeline infrastructure, which resulted in reduced demand for our products for the oil and gas markets in early 2022. Sales in this market are dependent on, among other things, the level of worldwide oil and natural gas demand, the price of crude oil and natural gas and capital spending by exploration and production companies and drilling contractors. As production activity increased in 2022, particularly in liquefied natural gas shipments to Europe, customer demand in this market increased and remained at a higher level in 2023 compared to early 2022. However, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the war between Russia and Ukraine and recessionary fears have also led to disruption, instability and volatility in global markets and industries that could negatively impact our operations.
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We will continue to pursue new business in a wide variety of markets from light automotive to new pressure vessel and pipeline applications to achieve a more balanced portfolio across our customers, markets and products.
Sypris Electronics Outlook
Supply chain challenges and delays continued to impact business in 2023. The majority of the government aerospace and defense programs that we support require certain specific components that are sole-sourced to specific suppliers; therefore, the resolution of supplier constraints requires coordination with our customers or the end-users of the products. We have partnered with our customers to qualify alternative components or suppliers and will continue to focus on our supply chain to attempt to mitigate the impact of component supply shortages on our business. Electronic component shortages may continue to be a challenge during 2024. We may not be successful in addressing these shortages and other supply chain issues.
During 2022 and 2023, we announced new program awards and releases for Sypris Electronics, with certain programs continuing into 2025. In addition to contract awards from Department of Defense (“DoD”) prime contractors related to weapons systems, electronic warfare and infrared countermeasures in our traditional aerospace and defense markets, we have also been awarded subcontracts for manufacturing services to the communication and navigation markets, which require our advanced capabilities for delivering products for complex, high cost of failure platforms.
On March 9, 2023, President Biden's Administration submitted to Congress the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget request, which proposed $886 billion in total national defense spending, of which $842 billion was for the base budget of the DoD.
On June 3, 2023, the President signed H.R. 3746 “The Fiscal Responsibility Act” (FRA) into law. The legislation suspended the debt ceiling until January 1, 2025, and, among other provisions, capped national defense spending at $886 billion for FY 2024 (President’s Budget Request level) and $895 billion for FY 2025. Supplemental funding legislation is not subject to the budget caps. If a continuing resolution is enacted and still in effect and Congress does not pass all twelve defense and non-defense discretionary appropriations bills by April 30, 2024, the FRA will result in a decrease in government spending for FY 2024 by one percent from FY 2023 enacted levels.
The House and Senate continue the legislative process on the FY 2024 budget. On December 22, 2023, the President signed the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The NDAA authorizes funding at the FRA cap of $886 billion for National Defense.
Recently, the President signed a continuing resolution that extends funding of six appropriations bills to March 22, 2024 and the remaining six to September 30, 2024. This will provide Congress additional time to work on enacting all twelve FY 2024 appropriations bills based on the overarching U.S. Government spending agreement reached by House and Senate leaders on January 7, 2024, which comports with the FRA cap of $886 billion for national defense in FY 2024.
Under the continuing resolution, funding at amounts consistent with appropriated levels for FY 2023 are available, subject to certain restrictions, but new contract and program starts are not authorized. We expect our key programs will continue to be supported and funded under the continuing resolution. However, during periods covered by continuing resolutions, we may experience delays in new awards of our products and services, and those delays may adversely affect our results of operations.
On October 20, 2023, the President submitted a $106 billion supplemental funding request to Congress for assistance to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, related U.S. restock of capacity transfers to Ukraine and Israel, and U.S. border security. Congress has not yet acted on this request, which is part of the broader debate on FY 2024 U.S. Government funding and border security policy. Supplemental and emergency funding are not subject to the FRA cap. If enacted, this could ease DoD funding limits under the FRA or other limiting scenarios such as a prolonged continuing resolution.
On March 11, 2024, the President’s FY 2025 budget request was submitted to Congress, initiating the FY 2025 defense authorization and appropriations legislative process, which proposed $850 billion for the base budget of the DoD.
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If Congress is not able to enact FY 2024 appropriations bills or extend the continuing resolution, the U.S. Government will enter a whole or partial shutdown. The impact of any government shutdown is uncertain. However, if a government shutdown were to occur and were to continue for an extended period, we could be at risk of reduced orders, program cancellations, schedule delays, production halts and other disruptions and nonpayment, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Further, if any one of the 12 appropriations bills is under a continuing resolution as of April 30, 2024, USG funding levels will reset to FY 2023 enacted levels minus 1% for the remainder of FY 2024 or until all 12 appropriations are enacted.
Overall congressional sentiment remains strong for supporting the DOD’s National Defense Strategy and defense spending. However, we anticipate that the federal budget will continue to be subject to debate and compromise shaped by, among other things, heightened political tensions, the global security environment, inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions. The result may be shifting funding priorities, which could have material impacts on defense spending broadly, and the effect on individual programs or our results cannot be predicted at this time.
We expect to compete for follow-on business opportunities as a subcontractor on future builds of several existing government programs. However, the federal budget and debt ceiling are expected to continue to be the subject of considerable uncertainty and the impact on demand for our products and services and our business are difficult to predict.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. Changes in facts and circumstances could have a significant impact on the resulting estimated amounts included in our consolidated financial statements. We believe the following critical accounting estimates are those estimates made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We also have other policies that we consider to be key accounting policies, such as our policies for revenue recognition for Sypris Technologies, including cost of sales; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting estimates because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty. The following discussion of accounting estimates is intended to supplement the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies presented as Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8.
Net Revenue and Cost of Sales. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of a promised product or rendering a service to a customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the product or service (the “transaction price”). The Company’s transaction price in its contracts with customers is generally fixed; no payment discounts, rebates or refunds are included within its contracts. The Company does not provide service-type warranties, nor does it allow customer returns. In connection with the sale of various parts to customers, the Company is subject to typical assurance warranty obligations covering the compliance of the electronics parts produced to agreed-upon specifications (See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). Customer returns, when they occur, relate to quality rework issues and are not connected to any repurchase obligation of the Company.
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or render a service to a customer and is the unit of account to which the transaction price is allocated under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. When a contract contains multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to the individual performance obligations using the price at which the promised goods or services would be sold to customers on a standalone basis. For most sales within our Sypris Technologies segment and a portion of sales within Sypris Electronics, control transfers to the customer at a point in time. Indicators that control has transferred to the customer include the Company having a present right to payment, the customer obtaining legal title and the customer having the significant risks and rewards of ownership. The Company’s principal terms of sale are FOB Shipping Point, or equivalent, and, as such, the Company primarily transfers control and records revenue for product sales upon shipment.
For contracts where Sypris Electronics serves as a subcontractor for aerospace and defense companies under federally funded programs, we generally recognize revenue over time as we perform due to the continuous transfer of control to the customer. This continuous transfer of control to the customer is supported by clauses in the contracts that allow the customer to unilaterally terminate the contract for convenience, pay us for costs incurred plus a reasonable profit and take control of any work in process. Because control is transferred over time, revenue and gross profit is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. We use labor hours incurred as a measure of progress for these contracts because it best depicts the Company’s performance of the obligation to the customer, which occurs as we incur labor on our contracts. Under this measure of progress, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of labor hours incurred to date to the total estimated labor hours at completion of the performance obligation.
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Long-lived asset impairment. We perform periodic impairment analysis on our long-lived amortizable assets whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. When indicators are present, we compare the estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the operations to which the assets relate to their carrying amount. If the operations are unable to recover the carrying amount of their assets, the long-lived assets are written down to their estimated fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows, third party appraisals or other methods that provide appropriate estimates of value. A considerable amount of management judgment and assumptions are required in performing the impairment test, principally in determining whether an adverse event or circumstance has triggered the need for an impairment review. The Company did not have any long-lived assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as of December 31, 2023 or 2022.
Pension Plan Funded Status. Our U.S. defined benefit pension plans are closed to new entrants and an insignificant amount of service-related cost was recorded in 2023 related to a small number of participants who are still accruing benefits in the Louisville Hourly and Salaried Plans. Changes in our net obligations are principally attributable to changing discount rates and the performance of plan assets. Pension obligations are valued using discount rates established annually in consultation with our outside actuarial advisers using a theoretical bond portfolio, adjusted according to the timing of expected cash flows for our future obligations. Plan liabilities at December 31, 2023 are based upon a discount rate of 5.10% which reflects the Above Mean Mercer Yield Curve rate as of December 31, 2023 rounded to the nearest 5th basis point. Declining discount rates increase the present value of future pension obligations; a 25 basis point decrease in the discount rate would increase our U.S. pension liability by about $0.4 million. As indicated above, when establishing the expected long-term rate of return on our U.S. pension plan assets, we consider historical performance and forward-looking return estimates reflective of our portfolio mix and investment strategy. Based on the most recent analysis of projected portfolio returns, we concluded that the use of 3.3% for the Louisville Hourly Plan, 3.55% for the Marion Plan and 2.95% for the Louisville Salaried Plan as the expected return on our U.S. pension plan assets for 2023 was appropriate. A change in the assumed rate of return on plan assets of 100 basis points would result in a $0.2 million change in the estimated 2024 pension expense.
At December 31, 2023, we have $8.8 million of unrecognized losses relating to our U.S. pension plans. Actuarial gains and losses, which are primarily the result of changes in the discount rate and other assumptions and differences between actual and expected asset returns, are deferred in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income and amortized to expense following the corridor approach. We use the average remaining service period of active participants unless almost all of the plan’s participants are inactive, in which case we use the average remaining life expectancy for all active and inactive participants.
Based on the current funded status of our U.S. plans, we expect to contribute $0.8 million during 2024, which represents the minimum funding amounts required by federal law.
Reserve for Excess, Obsolete and Scrap Inventory. We record inventory at the lower of cost, determined under the first-in, first-out method, or net realizable value, and we reserve for excess, obsolete or scrap inventory. These reserves are primarily based upon management’s assessment of the salability of the inventory, historical usage of raw materials, historical demand for finished goods and estimated future usage and demand. An improper assessment of salability or improper estimate of future usage or demand, or significant changes in usage or demand could result in significant changes in the reserves and a positive or a negative impact on our consolidated results of operations in the period the change occurs.
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Stock-based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with the fair value recognition provisions using the Black-Scholes option-pricing method, which requires the input of several subjective assumptions. The Company uses historical Company and industry data to estimate the expected price volatility. Due to the lack of sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to otherwise estimate the expected term of the stock options, the Company uses the simplified method to estimate the expected term. Under the simplified method, the expected term of an option is presumed to be the mid-point between the vesting date and the end of the contractual term. The dividend yield is assumed to be zero as we have not paid dividends nor do we anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for the estimated life of the option. Forfeitures are recorded as they occur. Changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate of stock-based compensation and consequently, the related expense recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
Income Taxes. We account for income taxes as required by the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities measured using enacted tax rates.
Management judgment is required in determining income tax expense and the related balance sheet amounts. In addition, under ASC 740-10, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, judgments are required concerning the ultimate outcome of uncertain income tax positions. Actual income taxes paid may vary from estimates, depending upon changes in income tax laws, actual results of operations and the final audit of tax returns by taxing authorities. Tax assessments may arise several years after tax returns have been filed. We believe that our recorded income tax liabilities adequately provide for the probable outcome of these assessments.
Deferred tax assets are also recorded for operating losses and tax credit carryforwards. However, ASC 740 requires that a valuation allowance be recorded when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. This assessment is largely dependent upon projected near-term profitability including the effects of tax planning. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined separately for each tax jurisdiction in which we conduct our operations or otherwise incur taxable income or losses. The Company evaluates its deferred tax position on a quarterly basis and valuation allowances are provided as necessary. During this evaluation, the Company reviews its forecast of income in conjunction with other positive and negative evidence surrounding the realizability of its deferred tax assets to determine if a valuation allowance is needed. Based on its current forecast, the Company believes it will have sufficient future taxable income to realize the deferred tax assets recorded by its Mexican subsidiary.
Based on its current forecast, the Company has established a valuation allowance against all U.S. deferred tax assets. Until an appropriate level and characterization of profitability is attained, the Company expects to continue to maintain a valuation allowance on its net deferred tax assets related to future U.S. tax benefits. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount, an adjustment to reduce the valuation allowance would increase net income in the period that such determination is made.
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Results of Operations
We operate in two segments, Sypris Technologies and Sypris Electronics. The table presented below compares our segment and consolidated results of operations from 2023 to 2022. The table presents the results for each year, the change in those results from one year to another in both dollars and percentage change and the results for each year as a percentage of net revenue.
In addition, as used in the table, “NM” means “not meaningful.”
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Year Over Results as Percentage of
Year Over Year Net Revenue for the
Year Ended Year Percentage Year Ended
December 31, Change Change December 31,
Favorable Favorable
(in thousands, except percentage data)
Net revenue:
Cost of sales:
Gross profit:
Net Revenue. Sypris Technologies derives its revenue from the sale of forged and finished steel components and subassemblies and high-pressure closures and other fabricated products. Net revenue for Sypris Technologies increased $8.7 million from the prior year to $77.9 million in 2023. The net revenue increase was primarily attributable to increased sales volumes of $3.7 million attributable to the commercial vehicle market, $1.9 million from the automotive, sport utility vehicle and off-highway markets and $3.1 million in energy product sales. Revenue for Sypris Technologies is expected to decrease slightly in 2024, due to the anticipated decline in the commercial vehicle market, partially offset by higher energy component sales and new program expansion with existing customers in the commercial vehicle market.
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Sypris Electronics derives its revenue primarily from circuit card and full “box build” manufacturing, high reliability manufacturing and systems assembly and integration. Net revenue for Sypris Electronics increased $17.4 million to $58.3 million in 2023. The increase in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily related to the ramping of production during the year for two follow-on programs and an increase in sales to customers serving the communications market. Additionally, material availability improved compared to the prior year period, which resulted in an increase in sales. The order backlog for Sypris Electronics is expected to support an increase in revenue during 2024.
Gross Profit. Sypris Technologies’ gross profit increased $0.7 million to $9.2 million in 2023 as compared to $8.6 million in the prior year. The net increase in volumes contributed to an increase in gross profit of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from the prior year. Partially offsetting this increase was the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates for our Mexican subsidiary, resulting in a decrease in gross profit of $2.4 million.
Sypris Electronics’ gross profit increased $1.7 million to $8.0 million as compared to $6.3 million in the prior year. The increase in gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily a result of the increase in revenue which also had a positive impact on overhead absorption. The expected increase in revenue during 2024 attributable to order backlog is expected to favorably impact overhead absorption and the contribution margin from higher volumes is further expected to generate gross profit expansion.
Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $1.8 million to $16.3 million in 2023 as compared to $14.5 million in 2022. The increase in selling general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily as a result of an increase in headcount to support the increase in volumes for Sypris Electronics and increased insurance costs. Additionally, the Company experienced higher employee medical insurance claim expense during 2023. Selling, general and administrative expense decreased as a percentage of revenue to 12.0% for the year ended December 31, 2023 from 13.2% for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Interest Expense, Net. Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 decreased $0.3 million due to a decrease in the weighted average debt outstanding partially offset by an increase in the weighted average interest rate. Our weighed average debt outstanding under the Note decreased to $5.0 million during 2023 from $6.5 million during 2022. The weighted average interest rate increased to 8.7% in 2023 from 8.0% in 2022.
Other Expense, Net. Other expense, net, was $1.1 million in 2023 as compared to $0.8 million for 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized pension related expense of $1.0 million. Foreign currency related expenses were not material for the year ended December 31, 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized pension expense of $0.6 million. Foreign currency related expenses were not material for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Income Taxes. The 2023 income tax provision consists of current tax expense of $0.6 million and deferred tax expense of $0.1 million. The 2022 income tax provision consists of current tax expense of $0.6 million and deferred tax expense of $0.3 million. The current tax expense in 2023 and 2022 includes taxes paid by our Mexican subsidiary and domestic state income taxes and adjustments. The 2023 and 2022 deferred tax expense includes net changes in the foreign deferred tax assets during the year.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined separately for each tax jurisdiction in which we conduct our operations or otherwise incur taxable income or losses. The Company evaluates its deferred tax position on a quarterly basis and valuation allowances are provided as necessary. During this evaluation, the Company reviews its forecast of income in conjunction with other positive and negative evidence surrounding the realizability of its deferred tax assets to determine if a valuation allowance is needed. Based on its current forecast, the Company believes it will have sufficient future taxable income to realize the deferred tax assets recorded by its Mexican subsidiary.
Based on its current forecast, the Company has established a valuation allowance against all U.S. deferred tax assets. Until an appropriate level and characterization of profitability is attained, the Company expects to continue to maintain a valuation allowance on its net deferred tax assets related to future U.S. tax benefits. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount, an adjustment to reduce the valuation allowance would increase net income in the period that such determination is made.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, the Company reported a net loss of $1.6 million and cash used in operating activities of $11.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s net inventory increased from $42.1 million to $77.3 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily related to contracts with Sypris Electronics’ aerospace and defense customers. Shipments to customers on certain of these contracts were delayed beyond the initial delivery dates, which negatively impacted the cycle time to convert inventory to cash during the year ended December 31, 2023. As a result, the Company experienced a liquidity shortfall in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. The shipment delays also contributed to an increase in trade payable balances with certain suppliers. The Company has entered into negotiations with these suppliers to amend payment and other terms. The Company received the benefit of additional loans of $5.0 million from GFCM to help the Company manage its liquidity during those periods. This additional $5.0 million loaned to the Company by GCFM in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 was approved by the Audit Committee and provided the Company necessary liquidity.
Our ability to service our current liabilities will require a significant amount of cash. Management has evaluated our ability to generate this cash to meet our obligations for the next twelve months. Our primary sources of funds to meet our liquidity and capital requirements include cash on hand, funds generated through continued revenue growth from the Company’s consolidated operations and reductions in the Company’s investment in working capital. Based upon our current forecast, we believe that we will have sufficient liquidity to finance our operations for the next twelve months.
Although we believe the assumptions underlying our current forecast are reasonable, management is also prepared to implement contingency plans that include other cost reduction initiatives to improve profitability and cash flow, or management can take additional steps such as adjusting the timing and amount of certain operating expenses as well as capital expenditures or the issuance of new debt. If we are unable to achieve our forecasted revenue, or if our costs are higher than expected, we may be required to revise our plans to provide for additional cost-cutting measures, seek additional financing or to consider other strategic alternatives. We may not be able to secure additional financing on favorable terms, if at all.
Cash Balance. At December 31, 2023, we had approximately $7.9 million of cash and cash equivalents, of which $6.1 million was held in jurisdictions outside of the U.S. that, if repatriated, could result in withholding taxes. We expect existing cash and cash flows from operations to continue to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities, such as capital expenditures, for at least the next twelve months. Significant changes from our current forecasts, including, but not limited to: (i) meaningful shortfalls in our projected revenues, (ii) unexpected costs or expenses, and/or (iii) operating difficulties which cause unexpected delays in scheduled shipments, could require us to seek additional financing or force us to make further reductions in spending, extend payment terms with suppliers, liquidate assets where possible and/or suspend or curtail planned programs. Any of these actions could materially harm our business, results of operations and future prospects. And as noted above, additional financing may not be available to us.
Material Cash Requirements
Gill Family Capital Management Note. The Company has received the benefit of loans from GFCM in the form of secured promissory note obligations totaling $6.5 million in principal as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. GFCM is an entity controlled by the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey T. Gill and one of our directors, R. Scott Gill. GFCM, Jeffrey T. Gill and R. Scott Gill are significant beneficial stockholders of the Company.
29
During the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2023, the Company and GFCM amended the Note to, among other things: (i) increase the principal amount by $2.5 million to $6.5 million, (ii) extend the maturity dates for $2.0 million of the obligation to April 1, 2025, $2.0 million to April 1, 2026 and the balance to April 1, 2027 (iii) adjust the interest rate beginning on November 10, 2023 and on each April 1 thereafter, to reflect the greater of 8% or 500 basis points above the five-year Treasury note average during the previous 90-day period, and (iv) allow for the deferral of payment for up to 60% of the interest due on the Note to April 1, 2025 On February 7, 2024, the Company further amended the Note to increase the principal amount due on April 1, 2027 by another $2.5 million. The amendment increased the aggregate amount previously loaned by GFCM to the Company from $6.5 million to $9.0 million. This additional $5.0 million loaned to the Company in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 was approved by the Audit Committee and provided the Company necessary liquidity.
The Note provides for a first security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets, including those in Mexico (see Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K).
Finance Lease Obligations. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $3.2 million outstanding under finance lease obligations for both property and machinery and equipment with maturities through 2026 and a weighted average interest rate of 8.8%.
Equipment Financing Obligations. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $2.0 million outstanding under equipment financing facilities, with payments due through 2028, and a weighted average interest rate of 6.8%.
Purchase Commitments. We had purchase commitments totaling approximately $39.8 million at December 31, 2023, primarily for inventory, which are due through 2025.
Cash Flows from Operating, Investing and Financing Activities
Operating Activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $11.1 million in 2023, as compared to cash provided by operating activities of $13.8 million in 2022. The aggregate increase in accounts receivable in 2023 resulted in a usage of cash of $1.1 million as a result of the increase in revenue for Sypris Technologies and Sypris Electronics over the prior year. This cash usage was reduced by an early payment from a Sypris Technologies customer. The increase in inventory in 2023 resulted in a usage of cash of $34.7 million. The increase in inventory is primarily in support of new program revenue growth for Sypris Electronics. A significant portion of the inventory receipts were funded through prepayments from customers of Sypris Electronics in 2022 and 2023, which are recorded as contract liabilities and are the primary component of the $13.6 million increase in accrued and other liabilities during 2023. Accounts payable also increased during 2023, primarily associated with the inventory additions, providing a source of cash of $9.0 million. Prepaid expenses and other current assets increased during 2023 resulting in a cash use of $1.1 million primarily as a result of increased contract assets and capitalized costs associated with programs in the startup phase of production at Sypris Electronics partially offset by a decrease in taxes refundable in Mexico.
Investing Activities. Net cash used in investing activities was comprised of capital expenditures of $2.1 million and $3.0 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Financing Activities. Net cash used in financing activities was $0.6 million in 2023 as compared to $1.4 million in 2022. Net cash used in financing activities in 2023 included principal payments on finance lease and equipment financing obligations of $1.7 million and payments of $0.1 million for minimum statutory tax withholdings on stock-based compensation. This was partially offset by proceeds from a working capital line of credit in Mexico of $0.5 million and $0.7 million in proceeds received from an equipment financing obligation. Net cash used in financing activities in 2022 included principal payments on finance lease and equipment financing obligations of $1.3 million and payments of $0.1 million for minimum statutory tax withholdings on stock-based compensation.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the respective dates of adoption and effects on our results of operations and financial condition.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K and thus are not required to provide the quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk specified in Item 305 of Regulation S-K.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 173) 32
Consolidated Statements of Operations 34
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) 35
Consolidated Balance Sheets 36
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 37
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity 38
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 39
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Sypris Solutions, Inc.
Louisville, Kentucky
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Sypris Solutions, Inc. (the "Company") as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Net revenue and gross profit recognized over time
As more fully described in Notes 1 and 3 to the financial statements, for contracts where the Company serves as a contractor for aerospace and defense companies under federally funded programs, revenue and gross profit is recognized over time due to the continuous transfer of control to the customer based upon the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. The Company uses labor hours incurred as the measure of progress as it best depicts the Company’s performance of the obligation to the customer. Under this measure of progress, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of labor hours incurred to date to the total estimated labor hours to complete the performance obligation. Revenue and gross profit are recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation.
We identified auditing the revenue and gross profit recognized over time as a critical audit matter due to the significant audit effort involved in auditing the percentage of completion calculation. Our audit procedures related to revenue and gross profit recognized over time included the following substantive testing procedures:
32
/s/ Crowe LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014.
San Francisco, California
April 1, 2024
33
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except for per share data)
Year ended December 31,
Loss before income taxes (933 ) (1,546 )
Income tax expense, net 663 948
Loss per common share:
Cash dividends per common share $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Weighted average shares outstanding:
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
34
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(in thousands)
Year ended December 31,
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax expense 2,589 982
Employee benefit related, net of tax expense 1,189 1,167
Comprehensive income (loss) $ 2,182 $ (345 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
35
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except for share data)
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets:
Operating lease right-of-use assets 3,309 4,251
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities, current portion 1,068 1,168
Finance lease obligations, current portion 1,327 1,102
Equipment financing obligations, current portion 618 398
Working capital line of credit 500 0
Note payable – related party, current portion 0 2,500
Operating lease obligations, net of current portion 2,642 3,710
Finance lease obligations, net of current portion 1,852 2,536
Equipment financing obligations, net of current portion 1,333 738
Stockholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (17,067 ) (20,845 )
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 129,342 $ 104,144
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
36
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
Year ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 3,259 3,088
Deferred income taxes 54 329
Deferred loan costs amortized 3 6
Provision for excess and obsolete inventory (167 ) 65
Other noncash items (56 ) (148 )
Contributions to pension plans (16 ) (60 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets (1,105 ) (3,072 )
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (11,089 ) 13,793
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of assets 0 10
Net cash used in investing activities (2,139 ) (3,031 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from equipment financing obligations 710 0
Proceeds from working capital line of credit 500 0
Proceeds from Note Payable – related party 2,500 0
Principal payments on finance lease obligations (1,168 ) (982 )
Principal payments on equipment financing obligations (551 ) (352 )
Principal payments on Note Payable – related party (2,500 ) 0
Net cash used in financing activities (614 ) (1,383 )
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash balances 75 649
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (13,767 ) 10,028
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 21,648 11,620
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $ 7,881 $ 21,648
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
37
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands, except for share data)
Shares Amount Capital Deficit Loss Stock
Employee benefit related, net of tax 0 0 0 0 1,167 0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax 0 0 0 0 982 0
Employee benefit related, net of tax 0 0 0 0 1,207 0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax 0 0 0 0 2,571 0
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023 and 2022
(1) Organization and Significant Accounting Policies
Consolidation Policy
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Sypris Solutions, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Sypris” or the “Company”) and have been prepared by the Company in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company’s operations are domiciled in the United States (U.S.) and Mexico and serve a wide variety of domestic and international customers. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Nature of Business
Sypris is a diversified provider of truck components, oil and gas pipeline components and aerospace and defense electronics. The Company produces a wide range of manufactured products, often under multi-year, sole-source contracts with corporations and government agencies. The Company offers such products through its two business segments, Sypris Technologies, Inc. (“Sypris Technologies”) and Sypris Electronics, LLC (“Sypris Electronics”). Sypris Technologies derives its revenue primarily from the sale of forged, machined, welded and heat-treated steel components primarily for heavy commercial vehicle and high-pressure energy pipeline applications. Sypris Electronics derives its revenue primarily from circuit card and box build manufacturing, high reliability manufacturing and systems assembly and integration, primarily for aerospace and defense, communications and space applications. Most products are built to the customer’s design specifications. The Company also provides engineering design services and repair or inspection services. See Note 20 for additional information regarding our segments.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. Changes in facts and circumstances could have a significant impact on the resulting estimated amounts included in our consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Fair Value Estimates
The Company estimates fair value of its financial instruments utilizing an established three-level hierarchy. The hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date as follows: Level 1 – Valuation is based upon unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Level 2 – Valuation is based upon quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, or other inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments. Level 3 – Valuation is based upon other unobservable inputs that are significant to the fair value measurements.
Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents include all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased.
Inventory
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value. Costs for raw materials, work in process and finished goods is determined under the first-in, first-out method. Indirect inventories, which include perishable tooling, repair parts and other materials consumed in the manufacturing process but not incorporated into finished products are classified as raw materials.
The Company’s reserve for excess and obsolete inventory is primarily based upon forecasted demand for its product sales, and any change to the reserve arising from forecast revisions is reflected in cost of sales in the period the revision is made.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is generally computed using the straight-line method over their estimated economic lives. For land improvements, buildings and building improvements, the estimated economic life is generally 40 years. Estimated economic lives range from three to fifteen years for machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their economic life or the respective lease term using the straight-line method. Expenditures for maintenance, repairs and renewals of minor items are expensed as incurred. Major rebuilds and improvements are capitalized. Also included in plant and equipment are assets under finance lease, which are stated at the present value of minimum lease payments.
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SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – CONTINUED
Cloud Computing Arrangements
The Company capitalizes implementation costs incurred in cloud computing (i.e., hosting arrangements) during the application development phase and depreciates the costs over the non-cancellable term of the cloud computing arrangements plus any option renewal periods that are reasonably certain to be exercised or for which the exercise is controlled by the service provider. The Company classifies the amortization of capitalized implementation costs in the same line item in the statement of operations as the fees associated with the hosting service (i.e., operating and SG&A expense) and classifies the related payments in the statement of cash flows in the same manner as payments made for fees associated with the hosting service (i.e. cash flows from operating activities). In addition, the capitalization of implementation costs is reflected in the balance sheet consistent with the location of prepayment of fees for the hosting element (i.e., within prepaid expenses and other current assets). As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $156,000 and $204,000 recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was not material.
Long-lived Assets
The Company reviews the carrying value of amortizable long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held for sale and held for use is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of the asset to the undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or groups of assets, as applicable, is impaired, the long-lived asset or groups of long-lived assets are written down to their estimated fair value.
Leases
Our lease portfolio represents leases of real estate, including manufacturing, assembly and office facilities, while the remainder represents leases of personal property, including manufacturing and information technology equipment. We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are accounted for as a single lease component. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet, and we recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Generally, we use our incremental borrowing rate in determining the present value of lease payments, unless the implicit rate is readily available.
Stock-based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with the fair value recognition provisions using the Black-Scholes option-pricing method, which requires the input of several subjective assumptions. These assumptions include estimating the length of time employees will retain their vested stock options before exercising them (expected term) and the estimated volatility of our common stock price over the expected term. Changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate of stock-based compensation and consequently, the related expense is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
Income Taxes
The Company uses the liability method in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements, using the statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized.
In the ordinary course of business there is inherent uncertainty in quantifying the Company’s income tax positions. The Company assesses its income tax positions and records tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon management’s evaluation of the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting dates. For those tax positions where it is more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will be sustained, the Company has recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the financial statements. Where applicable, associated interest has also been recognized.
40
SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – CONTINUED
The Company recognizes liabilities or assets for the deferred tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets or liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes. The Company recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Penalties, if incurred, would be recognized as a component of income tax expense.
Net Revenue and Cost of Sales
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of a promised product or rendering a service to a customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the product or service (the “transaction price”). The Company’s transaction price in its contracts with customers is generally fixed; no payment discounts, rebates or refunds are included within its contracts. The Company does not provide service-type warranties nor does it allow customer returns. In connection with the sale of various parts to customers, the Company is subject to typical assurance warranty obligations covering the compliance of the electronics parts produced to agreed-upon specifications. Customer returns, when they occur, relate to quality rework issues and are not connected to any repurchase obligation of the Company.
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or render a service to a customer and is the unit of account to which the transaction price is allocated under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). When a contract contains multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to the individual performance obligations using the price at which the promised goods or services would be sold to customers on a standalone basis. For most sales within our Sypris Technologies segment and a portion of sales within Sypris Electronics, control transfers to the customer at a point in time. Indicators that control has transferred to the customer include the Company having a present right to payment, the customer obtaining legal title and the customer having the significant risks and rewards of ownership. The Company’s principal terms of sale are FOB Shipping Point, or equivalent, and, as such, the Company primarily transfers control and records revenue for product sales upon shipment.
For contracts where Sypris Electronics serves as a contractor for aerospace and defense companies under federally funded programs, we generally recognize revenue over time as we perform due to the continuous transfer of control to the customer. This continuous transfer of control to the customer is supported by clauses in the contracts that allow the customer to unilaterally terminate the contract for convenience, pay us for costs incurred plus a reasonable profit and take control of any work in process. Because control is transferred over time, revenue and gross profit is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. We use labor hours incurred as a measure of progress for these contracts because it best depicts the Company’s performance of the obligation to the customer, which occurs as we incur labor on our contracts. Under this measure of progress, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of labor hours incurred to date to the total estimated labor hours at completion of the performance obligation.
Allowance for Credit Losses
Trade accounts receivable are reported net of the allowance for credit losses in the consolidated balance sheets. We provide an allowance for credit losses on trade receivables based on historical loss experience, aging analysis, and any specific, known troubled accounts. Accounts deemed uncollectible are written off against the allowance after management deems the account to be uncollectible.
Product Warranty Costs
The provision for estimated warranty costs is recorded at the time of sale and is periodically adjusted to reflect actual experience. The Company’s warranty liability, which is included in accrued liabilities in the accompanying balance sheets, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, was $805,000 and $690,000, respectively. The Company’s warranty expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $350,000 and $251,000, respectively.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments which potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of accounts receivable. The Company’s customer base consists of a number of customers in diverse industries across geographic areas, primarily in North America and Mexico, and aerospace and defense companies under contract with the U.S. Government. The Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and does not require collateral on its commercial accounts receivable. Credit losses are provided for in the consolidated financial statements and consistently have been within management’s expectations. Approximately 30% of accounts receivable outstanding at December 31, 2023 is due from two customers. More specifically, SubCom and Gastech Engineering, LLC comprise 16% and 14%, respectively, of December 31, 2023 outstanding accounts receivable. Approximately 31% of accounts receivable outstanding at December 31, 2022 is due from two customers. More specifically, SubCom and Detroit Diesel comprise 18% and 13%, respectively, of December 31, 2022 outstanding accounts receivable. No other single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2023 or 2022.
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SYPRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – CONTINUED
The Company’s largest customers for the year ended December 31, 2023 were Sistemas, Northrop Grumman, Detroit Diesel, and Subcom, which represented approximately 22%, 17%, 13% and 10%, respectively, of the Company’s total net revenue. Detroit Diesel and Sistemas are both customers within the Sypris Technologies segment and Northrop Grumman and Subcom are customers within the Sypris Electronics segment. The Company’s largest customers for the year ended December 31, 2022 were Sistemas, Detroit Diesel and Northrop Grumman, which represented approximately 22%, 18% and 14%, respectively, of the Company’s total net revenue. No other single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 or 2022.
Foreign Currency Translation
The functional currency for the Company’s Mexican subsidiary is the Mexican peso. Assets and liabilities are translated at the period end exchange rate, and income and expense items are translated at the weighted average exchange rate. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded in comprehensive loss as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. Remeasurement gains or losses for U.S. dollar denominated accounts of the Company’s Mexican subsidiary are included in other income, net.
Collective Bargaining Agreements
Approximately 406, or 54% of the Company’s employees, all within Sypris Technologies, were covered by collective bargaining agreements as of December 31, 2023. Excluding certain Mexico employees covered under an annually ratified agreement, there are no employees covered by collective bargaining agreements that expire within the next twelve months. Certain Mexico employees are covered by an annually ratified collective bargaining agreement. These employees represented approximately 51% of the Company’s workforce, or 382 employees as of December 31, 2023.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Credit Losses – Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, new guidance for the accounting for credit losses on certain financial instruments. This guidance introduces a new approach to estimating credit losses on certain types of financial instruments and modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2023, which had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280). The guidance enhances reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. The guidance becomes effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the guidance on our financial statement disclosures.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. This guidance requires disaggregated income tax disclosures on the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. The guidance becomes effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the guidance on our financial statement disclosures.
Liquidity
As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, the Company reported a net loss of $1,596,000 and cash used in operating activities of $11,089,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s net inventory increased from $42,133,000 to $77,314,000 as of December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily related to contracts with Sypris Electronics’ aerospace and defense customers. Shipments to customers on certain of these contracts were delayed beyond the initial delivery dates, which negatively impacted the cycle time to convert inventory to cash during the year ended December 31, 2023. As a result, the Company experienced a liquidity shortfall in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. The shipment delays also contributed to an increase in trade payable balances with certain suppliers. The Company has entered into negotiations with these suppliers to amend payment and other terms.
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During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company amended its promissory note obligation with Gill Family Capital Management, Inc. (the “GFCM Note”) to, among other things, increase the principal amount by $2,500,000 to $6,500,000 and extend the maturity dates for $2,000,000 of the obligation to April 1, 2025, $2,000,000 to April 1, 2026 and $2,500,000 to April 1, 2027 (See Note 12). On February 7, 2024, the Company further amended the GFCM Note to increase the principal amount by $2,500,000 to $9,000,000, with the additional balance due on April 1, 2027 (see Note 21). The additional $5,000,000 loaned to the Company by GFCM in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 was approved by the Audit Committee and provided the Company necessary liquidity.
Our ability to service our current liabilities will require a significant amount of cash. Management has evaluated our ability to generate this cash to meet our obligations for the next twelve months. Our primary sources of funds to meet our liquidity and capital requirements include cash on hand funds generated through continued revenue growth from the Company’s consolidated operations and reductions in the Company’s investment in working capital. Based upon our current forecast, we believe that we will have sufficient liquidity to finance our operations for the next twelve months.
Although we believe the assumptions underlying our current forecast are reasonable, management is also prepared to implement contingency plans that include other cost reduction initiatives to improve profitability and cash flow, or management can take additional steps such as adjusting the timing and amount of certain operating expenses as well as capital expenditures or the issuance of new debt. If we are unable to achieve our forecasted revenue, or if our costs are higher than expected, we may be required to revise our plans to provide for additional cost-cutting measures, seek additional financing or to consider other strategic alternatives.
(2) Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. The Company has entered into operating leases for real estate. These leases have initial terms which range from 10 years to 11 years, and often include one or more options to renew. These renewal terms can extend the lease term by 5 years and will be included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the option. The Company’s existing leases do not contain significant restrictive provisions; however, certain leases contain provisions for payment of real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance costs by the Company. The lease agreements do not contain any residual value guarantees. Some of the real estate lease agreements include periods of rent holidays and payments that escalate over the lease term by specified amounts. All operating lease expenses are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For finance leases, interest expense is recognized on the lease liability and the right-of-use asset is amortized over the lease term.
Some leases may require variable lease payments based on factors specific to the individual agreements. Variable lease payments for which we are typically responsible include real estate taxes, insurance and common area maintenance expenses based on the Company’s pro-rata share, which are excluded from the measurement of the lease liability. Additionally, one of the Company’s real estate leases has lease payments that adjust based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). The leases that are dependent upon CPI are initially measured using the index or rate at the commencement date and are included in the measurement of the lease liability. Incremental payments due to changes in the index are treated as variable lease costs and expensed as incurred.
These operating leases are included in “Operating lease right-of-use assets” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and represent the Company’s right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The Company’s obligations to make lease payments are included in “Operating lease liabilities, current portion” and “Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As of December 31, 2023, total right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities were approximately $3,309,000 and $3,710,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, total right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities were approximately $4,251,000 and $4,878,000, respectively.
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We primarily use our incremental borrowing rate, which is updated quarterly, based on the information available at commencement date, in determining the present value of lease payments. If readily available, we would use the implicit rate in a new lease to determine the present value of lease payments. The Company has certain contracts for real estate which may contain lease and non-lease components which it has elected to treat as a single lease component.
The Company has entered into various short-term operating leases, primarily for office equipment with an initial term of twelve months or less. Lease payments associated with short-term leases are expensed as incurred and are not recorded on the Company’s balance sheet. The related lease expense for short-term leases was not material for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
The following table presents information related to lease expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):
December 31,
Finance lease expense
Amortization expense $ 757 $ 677
The following table presents supplemental cash flow information related to leases (in thousands):
December 31,
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 1,776 $ 1,713
Operating cash flows from finance leases 284 338
Financing cash flows from finance leases 1,168 982
The annual future minimum lease payments as of December 31, 2023 are as follows (in thousands):
Operating Finance
Leases Leases
Thereafter 0 0
Less imputed interest (539 ) (371 )
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The following table presents certain information related to lease terms and discount rates for leases as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
December 31,
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years):
Operating leases 3.6 4.4
Finance leases 2.2 3.0
Weighted-average discount rate (percentage):
Operating leases 8.0 8.0
Finance leases 8.8 8.5
(3) Revenue from Contracts with Customers
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of a promised product or rendering a service to a customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the product or service (the “transaction price”). The Company’s transaction price in its contracts with customers is generally fixed; no payment discounts, rebates or refunds are included within its contracts. The Company also does not provide service-type warranties, nor does it allow customer returns. In connection with the sale of various parts to customers, the Company is subject to typical assurance warranty obligations covering the compliance of the electronics parts produced to agreed-upon specifications. Customer returns, when they occur, relate to quality rework issues and are not connected to any repurchase obligation of the Company.
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or render a service to a customer and is the unit of account to which the transaction price is allocated under ASC 606. When a contract contains multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to the individual performance obligations using the price at which the promised goods or services would be sold to customers on a standalone basis. For most sales within our Sypris Technologies segment and a portion of sales within Sypris Electronics, control transfers to the customer at a point in time. Indicators that control has transferred to the customer include the Company having a present right to payment, the customer obtaining legal title and the customer having the significant risks and rewards of ownership. The Company’s principal terms of sale are FOB Shipping Point, or equivalent, and, as such, the Company primarily transfers control and records revenue for product sales upon shipment.
For contracts where Sypris Electronics serves as a contractor for aerospace and defense companies under federally funded programs, we generally recognize revenue over time as we perform because of continuous transfer of control to the customer. This continuous transfer of control to the customer is supported by clauses in the contracts that allow the customer to unilaterally terminate the contract for convenience, pay us for costs incurred plus a reasonable profit and take control of any work in process. Because control is transferred over time, revenue and gross profit is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. We use labor hours incurred as a measure of progress for these contracts because it best depicts the Company’s performance of the obligation to the customer, which occurs as we incur labor on our contracts. Under this measure of progress, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of labor hours incurred to date to the total estimated labor hours at completion of the performance obligation.
Some of Sypris Electronics’ contractual arrangements with customers are for one year or less. For the remaining population of non-cancellable contracts greater than one year we had $100,891,000 of remaining performance obligations as of December 31, 2023, all of which were long-term Sypris Electronics’ contracts. We expect to recognize approximately 68% of our remaining performance obligations as revenue in 2024 and the balance in 2025.
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Disaggregation of Revenue
The following table summarizes revenue from contracts with customers for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
December 31,
Sypris Technologies – transferred point in time $ 77,920 $ 69,259
Sypris Electronics – transferred point in time 15,463 10,400
Sypris Electronics – transferred over time 42,840 30,462
Differences in the timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections results in billed accounts receivable, unbilled receivables (contract assets) and deferred revenue, customer deposits and billings in excess of revenue recognized (contract liabilities) on the consolidated balance sheets.
Contract assets – Contract assets include unbilled amounts typically resulting from sales under contracts where revenue is recognized over time and revenue recognized exceeds the amount billed to the customer, and the right to payment is subject to conditions other than the passage of time. Contract assets are generally classified as current assets in the consolidated balance sheet. The balance of contract assets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $4,638,000 and $2,393,000, respectively, and are included within other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Contract liabilities – Some of the Company’s contracts within Sypris Electronics are billed as work progresses in accordance with the contract terms and conditions, either at periodic intervals or upon achievement of certain milestones. Often this results in billing occurring prior to revenue recognition resulting in contract liabilities. Additionally, the Company occasionally receives cash payments from customers in advance of the Company’s performance resulting in contract liabilities. These contract liabilities are classified as either current or long-term in the consolidated balance sheet based on the timing of when the Company expects to recognize revenue. As of December 31, 2023, the contract liabilities balance was $53,537,000, of which $49,738,000 was included within accrued liabilities and $3,799,000 was included within other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2022, the contract liabilities balance was $40,391,000, of which $27,909,000 was included within accrued liabilities and $12,482,000 was included within other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Payments received from customers in advance of revenue recognition are not considered to be significant financing components because they are used to meet working capital demands that can be higher in the early stages of a contract.
The Company recognized revenue from contract liabilities of $19,919,000 and $14,165,000 during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Practical expedients and exemptions
Sales commissions are expensed when incurred because the amortization period would have been one year or less. These costs are recorded in selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with original expected lengths of one year or less.
(4) Other Expense, Net
The Company recognized other expense of $1,125,000 during the year ended December 31, 2023, which included pension expense of $1,036,000. Foreign currency related expenses were not material for the year ended December 31, 2023.
The Company recognized other expense of $800,000 during the year ended December 31, 2022, which included pension expense of $562,000. Foreign currency related expenses were not material for the year ended December 31, 2022.
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(5) Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable consists of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Allowance for credit losses (306 ) (75 )
(6) Inventory
Inventory consists of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Reserve for excess and obsolete inventory (1,649 ) (1,866 )
(7) Other Current Assets
Other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Included in other current assets are income and VAT taxes refundable, tools, spare parts and other items, none of which exceed 5% of total current assets.
(8) Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment consists of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Land and land improvements $ 43 $ 43
Buildings and building improvements 8,507 8,044
Machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures 74,588 66,037
Property plant and equipment, net $ 17,133 $ 15,532
Depreciation expense, including amortization of assets recorded under finance leases, totaled approximately $3,259,000 and $3,088,000 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Capital expenditures included in accounts payable or accrued liabilities were not material as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
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Included within property, plant and equipment were assets under finance leases as follows (in thousands):
December 31,
Buildings and building improvements $ 3,490 $ 3,045
Machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures 4,046 3,432
Accumulated depreciation (3,799 ) (2,712 )
(9) Other Assets
Other assets consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Long-term spare parts $ 598 $ 497
(10) Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Salaries, wages, employment taxes and withholdings $ 1,994 $ 1,644
Accrued professional fees 764 734
Income, property and other taxes 300 201
Deferred gain from sale-leaseback 349 305
Included in other accrued liabilities are accrued operating expenses, accrued warranty expenses, accrued interest, and other items, none of which exceed 5% of total current liabilities.
(11) Other Liabilities
Other liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Noncurrent pension liability $ 3,823 $ 4,332
Deferred gain from sale leaseback 407 660
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Long-term obligations consists of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Current:
Finance lease obligation, current portion $ 1,327 $ 1,102
Equipment financing obligations, current portion 618 398
Note payable – related party, current portion 0 2,500
Working capital line of credit 500 0
Current portion of long-term debt and finance lease obligations $ 2,445 $ 4,000
Long-Term:
Finance lease obligations $ 1,852 $ 2,536
Equipment financing obligations 1,333 738
Less unamortized debt issuance and modification costs (16 ) (11 )
The Company had no capitalized interest in 2023 or 2022.
Note Payable – Related Party
The Company has received the benefit of loans from GFCM in the form of secured promissory note obligations totaling $6,500,000 in principal as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (the “Note”). GFCM is an entity controlled by the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey T. Gill and one of our directors, R. Scott Gill. GFCM, Jeffrey T. Gill and R. Scott Gill are significant beneficial stockholders of the Company.
During the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2023, the Company and GFCM amended the Note to, among other things: (i) increase the principal amount by $2,500,000 to $6,500,000, (ii) extend the maturity dates for $2,000,000 of the obligation to April 1, 2025, $2,000,000 to April 1, 2026 and the balance to April 1, 2027 (iii) adjust the interest rate beginning on November 10, 2023 and on each April 1 thereafter, to reflect the greater of 8% or 500 basis points above the five-year Treasury note average during the previous 90-day period, and (iv) allow for the deferral of payment for up to 60% of the interest due on the Note to April 1, 2025. On February 7, 2024, the Company further amended the Note to increase the principal amount due on April 1, 2027 by another $2,500,000. The amendment increased the aggregate amount previously loaned by GFCM to the Company from $6,500,000 to $9,000,000 (see Note 21).
The weighted average interest rate for the Note as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 was 8.7% and 8.0%, respectively. Interest paid on the Note during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 totaled approximately $479,000 and $526,000, respectively.
Obligations under the promissory note are guaranteed by all of the subsidiaries and are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all assets of the Company, including those in Mexico.
Finance Lease Obligations
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $3,179,000 outstanding under finance lease obligations for both property and machinery and equipment with maturities through 2026 and a weighted average interest rate of 8.8%.
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Equipment Financing Obligations
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1,951,000 outstanding under equipment financing facilities, with a weighted average interest rate of 6.8% and payments due through 2028. Payments on the Company’s equipment financing obligations are due as follows (in thousands):
Thereafter 0
Less imputed interest (259 )
Total equipment financing obligations $ 1,951
(13) Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are reflected in the consolidated financial statements at their carrying amount which approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of those instruments. The carrying amount of debt outstanding at December 31, 2023 approximates fair value, and is based upon a market approach (Level 2).
(14) Employee Benefit Plans
Sypris Technologies sponsors noncontributory defined benefit pension plans (the “Pension Plans”) covering certain of its employees. The Pension Plans covering salaried and management employees provide pension benefits that are based on the employees’ highest five-year average compensation within ten years before retirement. The Pension Plans covering hourly employees and union members generally provide benefits at stated amounts for each year of service. All of the Company’s pension plans are frozen to new participants and certain plans are frozen to additional benefit accruals. The Company’s funding policy is to make the minimum annual contributions required by the applicable regulations. The Pension Plans’ assets are primarily invested in equity securities and fixed income securities.
The following table details the components of pension (income) expense (in thousands):
Year ended December 31,
Service cost $ 0 $ 5
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation 1,236 839
Net amortization of actuarial loss 526 560
Expected return on plan assets (726 ) (837 )
Net periodic benefit cost $ 1,036 $ 567
The net periodic cost of the defined benefit pension plans incurred during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 are reflected in the following captions in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):
Year ended December 31,
Service cost:
Selling, general and administrative expenses $ 0 $ 5
Other net periodic benefit costs:
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The following are summaries of the changes in the benefit obligations and plan assets and of the funded status of the Pension Plans (in thousands):
December 31,
Change in benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 24,791 $ 32,756
Service cost 0 5
Benefit obligation at end of year $ 23,588 $ 24,791
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year $ 22,843 $ 30,051
Actual return on plan assets 1,334 (4,768 )
Company contributions 16 66
Fair value of plan assets at end of year $ 21,808 $ 22,843
Underfunded status of the plans $ (1,780 ) $ (1,948 )
Balance sheet assets (liabilities):
Accrued liabilities (922 ) (16 )
Net amount recognized $ (1,780 ) $ (1,948 )
Pension plans with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets:
Projected benefit obligation and net periodic pension cost assumptions:
Discount rate – projected benefit obligation 5.10 % 5.40 %
Discount rate – net periodic pension cost 5.40 2.70
Rate of compensation increase N/A N/A
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets 2.95 – 3.55 2.35 – 3.40
December 31,
Weighted average asset allocation:
Equity securities 17 % 16 %