Unassociated Document
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
DC 20549
Form
10-Q
(Mark
one)
x
|
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
ACT
OF 1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended March 31, 2006
OR
o
|
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the transition period from ______________ to
______________
Commission
file number 0-24230
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
California
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)
|
|
94-3021850
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
32000
Aurora Rd., Solon, OH
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
44139
(Zip
Code)
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code): (440)
715-1300
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. Yes x
No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant
is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated
filer.
See definition of accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
One).
Large
Accelerated Filer o
Accelerated Filer o
Non-Accelerated Filer x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell Company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o
No
x
The
number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.0001 par
value, as of April
30,
2006 was 11,350,876.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Part
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1
|
Financial
Statements:
|
|
|
|
|
|
a.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2006 (unaudited)
and
December 31, 2005
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
b.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2006
and 2005 (unaudited)
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
c.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Operations for the Three
Months
Ended
March
31, 2006
and 2005 (unaudited)
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
d.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2006
and 2005 (unaudited)
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
e.
|
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
Item
2
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
14
|
|
|
|
Item
3
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
17
|
|
|
|
Item
4
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
17
|
|
|
|
Part
II - OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
19
|
|
|
|
Item
1A
|
Risk
Factors
|
19
|
|
|
|
Item
6
|
Exhibits
|
28
|
|
|
|
|
Signatures
|
29
|
Item
1. Financial
Statements
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
(amounts
in thousands)
|
|
March
31,
2006
|
|
December
31,
2005
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
815
|
|
$
|
5,554
|
|
Short-term
investments
|
|
|
18,199
|
|
|
18,024
|
|
Accounts
receivable trade, net
|
|
|
7,154
|
|
|
6,287
|
|
Inventories,
net
|
|
|
7,926
|
|
|
7,852
|
|
Prepaid
and other current assets
|
|
|
589
|
|
|
879
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
34,683
|
|
|
38,596
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed
assets, net
|
|
|
3,876
|
|
|
3,422
|
|
Goodwill,
net
|
|
|
4,163
|
|
|
4,135
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
95
|
|
|
56
|
|
Total
assets
|
|
$
|
42,817
|
|
$
|
46,209
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
$
|
2,555
|
|
$
|
2,623
|
|
Accrued
liabilities
|
|
|
2,399
|
|
|
3,924
|
|
Short-term
bank borrowings
|
|
|
377
|
|
|
389
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
5,331
|
|
|
6,936
|
|
Long-term
bank borrowings
|
|
|
1,130
|
|
|
1,089
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
6,461
|
|
|
8,025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
|
|
52,525
|
|
|
52,452
|
|
Unearned
stock-based compensation
|
|
|
|
|
|
(397
|
)
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
|
|
184
|
|
|
41
|
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
|
|
(16,354
|
)
|
|
(13,913
|
)
|
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
|
|
36,356
|
|
|
38,184
|
|
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
|
$
|
42,817
|
|
$
|
46,209
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(amounts
in thousands except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
|
|
Three
months
ended
March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Net
sales
|
|
$
|
5,327
|
|
$
|
6,820
|
|
Cost
of sales
|
|
|
3,725
|
|
|
4,277
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
1,602
|
|
|
2,543
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
and development
|
|
|
456
|
|
|
477
|
|
Sales
and marketing
|
|
|
2,241
|
|
|
2,320
|
|
General
and administrative
|
|
|
1,078
|
|
|
811
|
|
Restructure
expense
|
|
|
442
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
4,217
|
|
|
3,608
|
|
Loss
from operations
|
|
|
(2,615
|
)
|
|
(1,065
|
)
|
Other
income (expense):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(expense)/income
|
|
|
(12
|
)
|
|
3
|
|
Interest
income (expense), net
|
|
|
135
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
before income taxes
|
|
|
(2,492
|
)
|
|
(1,066
|
)
|
Benefit
from income taxes
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
15
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(2,441
|
)
|
$
|
(1,051
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income loss per share – basic and diluted
|
|
$
|
(0.22
|
)
|
$
|
(0.14
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
used in computing net loss per share –
basic and
diluted
|
|
|
11,294
|
|
|
7,550
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS
(amounts
in thousands)
(unaudited)
|
|
Three
Months Ended
March
31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(2,441
|
)
|
$
|
(1,051
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
comprehensive income (loss)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
|
|
65
|
|
|
(104
|
)
|
Net
unrealized gain on securities
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
—
|
|
Comprehensive
loss
|
|
$
|
(2,298
|
)
|
$
|
(1,155
|
)
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(amounts
in thousands)
(unaudited)
|
|
Three
months Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(2,441
|
)
|
$
|
(1,051
|
)
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
226
|
|
|
270
|
|
Stock-based
compensation
|
|
|
163
|
|
|
33
|
|
Unrealized
gain from marketable securities
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
|
Changes
in assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
receivable
|
|
|
(847
|
)
|
|
(900
|
)
|
Inventories
|
|
|
(37
|
)
|
|
37
|
|
Prepaid
and other current assets
|
|
|
292
|
|
|
(9
|
)
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
(39
|
)
|
|
(3
|
)
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
|
(50
|
)
|
|
(785
|
)
|
Accrued
liabilities
|
|
|
(1,593
|
)
|
|
(343
|
)
|
Total
adjustments
|
|
|
(1,807
|
)
|
|
(1,700
|
)
|
Net
cash from used in operating activities
|
|
|
(4,248
|
)
|
|
(2,751
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of short-term investments
|
|
|
(32,403
|
)
|
|
|
|
Sale
of short-term investments
|
|
|
32,229
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisition
of fixed assets
|
|
|
(663
|
)
|
|
(325
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by investing activities
|
|
|
(837
|
)
|
|
(325
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
proceeds from exercise of stock options
|
|
|
245
|
|
|
339
|
|
Collection
of loan made to shareholder
|
|
|
62
|
|
|
|
|
Other
long-term liabilities
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
(11
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
323
|
|
|
328
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect
of exchange rate changes on cash
|
|
|
23
|
|
|
(32
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
(4,739
|
)
|
|
(2,780
|
)
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of period
|
|
|
5,554
|
|
|
3,609
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, end of period
|
|
$
|
815
|
|
$
|
829
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements
FIBERSTARS,
INC.
March
31, 2006
(Unaudited)
1.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Interim
Financial Statements (unaudited)
Although
unaudited, the interim financial statements in this report reflect all
adjustments, consisting of all normal recurring adjustments, which are, in
the
opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of financial position,
results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods covered and of
the
financial condition of Fiberstars, Inc. (the “Company”) at the interim balance
sheet date. The results of operations for the interim periods presented are
not
necessarily indicative of the results expected for the entire year.
For
comparative purposes, certain 2005 amounts have been reclassified to
conform to current year presentation.
Year-end
Balance Sheet
The
year-end balance sheet information was derived from audited financial statements
but does not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting
principles. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the
Company’s audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended
December 31, 2005, contained in the Company’s 2005 Annual Report on Form
10-K.
Short-term
Investments
The
Company’s short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale, which are
stated at estimated fair value. The Company has determined its short-term
investments are available to support current operations and, accordingly, has
classified such short-term investments as current assets without regard for
contractual maturities. These short-term investments are invested through a
major financial institution. The unrealized gains or losses on these short-term
investments are included in accumulated other comprehensive income as a separate
component of shareholder’s equity until realized.
Short-term
investments at March 31, 2006 were as follows(in
thousands):
|
|
Cost
|
|
Net
unrealized
gain
|
|
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
|
Money
Market Fund
|
|
$
|
4
|
|
$
|
–
|
|
$
|
4
|
|
Federal
National Mortgage Association
|
|
|
988
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
996
|
|
Federal
Home Loan
|
|
|
1,980
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
1,994
|
|
Federal
Farm Credit
|
|
|
1,619
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
1,639
|
|
Commercial
Paper
|
|
|
13,514
|
|
|
52
|
|
|
13,566
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
18,105
|
|
$
|
94
|
|
$
|
18,199
|
|
The
short-term investments maturing over the next year total $16,560,000.
The remaining short-term investments have scheduled maturity dates in October
2007 and consist of the Federal Farm Credit investments.
The
change in net unrealized holding gains on securities available for sale in
the
amount of $94,000 has been charged to other comprehensive income for the quarter
ended March 31, 2006. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific
identification method.
Proceeds
from the sale of available securities during 2006 were $32,229,000.
Gross
gains of $102,000 were realized on the sales of available for sale securities
during 2006.
Foreign
Currency Translation
The
Company’s international subsidiaries use their local currency as their
functional currency. For those subsidiaries, assets and liabilities are
translated at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and income
and
expense accounts at average exchange rates during the year. Resulting
translation adjustments are recorded to a separate component of shareholders’
equity.
Earnings
Per Share
Basic
earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing income available to
shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for
the
period. Diluted EPS is computed by giving effect to all dilutive potential
common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common
shares consist of incremental shares upon exercise of stock options and
warrants.
A
reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted EPS is
provided as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):
|
|
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Numerator
- net loss
|
|
$
|
(2,441
|
)
|
$
|
(1,051
|
)
|
Denominator
- Basic and Diluted EPS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
|
|
11,294
|
|
|
7,550
|
|
Basic
and Diluted net loss per share
|
|
$
|
(0.22
|
)
|
$
|
(
0.14
|
)
|
At
March
31, 2006, options and warrants to purchase 1,427,000 shares of common stock
were
outstanding, but were not included in the calculation of diluted EPS because
their inclusion would have been antidilutive. Options and warrants to purchase
2,076,000 shares of common stock were outstanding at March 31, 2005, but were
not included in the calculation of diluted EPS because their inclusion would
have been antidilutive.
Stock-
Based Compensation
In
December 2004, the FASB issued FAS No. 123R, Share-Based Payment (“FAS No.
123R”). FAS No. 123R is a revision of FAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation (“FAS No. 123”), and supersedes Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (APB No.25”), and its related
implementation guidance. On January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the provisions
of FAS No. 123R using the modified prospective method. FAS No. 123R focuses
primarily on accounting for transactions in which an entity obtains employee
services in share-based payment transactions. The Statement requires entities
to
recognize compensation expense for awards of equity instruments to employees
based on the grant-date fair value of those awards (with limited exceptions).
FAS No. 123R also requires the benefits of tax deductions in excess of
recognized compensation expense to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather
than as an operating cash flow as prescribed under the prior accounting rules.
This requirement reduces net operating cash flows and increases net financing
cash flows in periods after adoption. Total cash flow remains unchanged from
what would have been reported under prior accounting rules. For the three months
ended March 31, 2006, the Company recorded compensation expense of $163,000.
At
December 31, 2005, the Company had unamortized compensation expense of
$397,000. This amount is now part of our total unearned
compensation of $1,907,000, after recording compensation expense, remaining
at March 31, 2006. These costs will be charged to expense in future
periods. These costs will be expensed in future periods in accordance with
our FAS 123R accounting. There were no options granted in three months ended
March 31, 2006.
Prior
to
2006, the Company accounted
for
stock-based compensation plans under the recognition and measurement principles
of APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees,
and
related Interpretations. The following table illustrates the effect on net
income (loss) and earnings per share if the Company had applied the fair value
recognition provisions of FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation,
to
stock-based employee compensation
for the
three
months ended March 31, 2005
(in
thousands, except per share amounts):
|
|
Three
months ended March
31,
|
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss, as reported
|
|
|
$
(1,051
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Add:
Stock-based employee compensation expense included in reported
net income
(loss), net of related tax effects
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deduct:
Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under
fair
value based method for all awards, net of tax related
effects
|
|
|
(116
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss, pro forma
|
|
|
$
(1,162
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
and Diluted net loss per share—As reported
|
|
|
$
(0.14
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
and Diluted net loss per share—Pro forma
|
|
|
$
(0.15
|
)
|
Product
Warranties
The
Company warrants finished goods against defects in material and workmanship
under normal use and service for periods of one to three years for illuminators
and fiber. A liability for the estimated future costs under product warranties
is maintained for products outstanding under warranty (in thousands):
|
|
March
31, 2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at the beginning of the period
|
|
$ |
393
|
|
$ |
430
|
|
Accruals
for warranties issued during the period
|
|
|
85
|
|
|
82
|
|
Settlements
made during the period (in cash or in kind)
|
|
|
(85
|
)
|
|
(119
|
)
|
Balance
at the end of the period
|
|
$ |
393
|
|
$ |
393
|
|
2.
Inventories
Inventories
are stated at the lower of standard cost (which approximates actual cost
determined using the first-in, first-out cost method) or market and consist
of
the following (in thousands):
|
|
March
31,
2006
|
|
December
31,
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raw
materials
|
|
$
|
6,069
|
|
$
|
6,431
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inventory
Reserve
|
|
|
(837
|
)
|
|
(859
|
)
|
Finished
goods
|
|
|
2,694
|
|
|
2,280
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,926
|
|
$
|
7,852
|
|
3.
Bank Borrowings
The
Company had a Loan and Security Agreement (Accounts Receivable and Inventory)
dated December 7, 2001, with Comerica Bank for $5 million through August
12,2005. The Company agreed to a new bank revolving line of credit agreement
with Silicon Valley Bank on August 15, 2005. This credit facility is for
$5million, bears interest equal to prime plus 1.75% per annum and is secured
by
accounts receivable. It has a minimum tangible net worth covenant which the
Company must meet going forward. On December 31, 2005 this agreement was amended
and restated to include an additional $3 million term-loan line of credit for
equipment purchases. This agreement calls for repayment of principal
in
equal
amounts over 4 years from the date of purchase of the equipment and has an
interest rate of prime plus 0.5% if the quick ratio is greater than 1.5 and
prime plus 1.5% if the quick ratio is at or below 1.5. Borrowings under the
Silicon Valley Agreement are collateralized by the Company’s assets and
intellectual property. Specific borrowings under the revolver are tied to
accounts receivable and inventory balances, and the Company is required to
comply with certain covenants with respect to effective net worth and financial
ratios, which the Company met as of March 31, 2006. The Company had no
borrowings under the revolving line of
credit
at March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively.
The
Company had total borrowings of $1,023,750 under the term-loan portion of the
agreement as of March 31, 2006, and $1,092,000 as of December 31, 2005. The
Company pays an unused line fee of 0.25% against any unused daily balance during
the year.
Through
its U.K. subsidiary, the Company maintains a bank overdraft facility
of
$
435,000 (in
UK
pounds sterling, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) under an
agreement with Lloyds Bank Plc. There were no borrowings against this facility
as of March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively. The facility is
renewed annually on January 1.
Through
its German subsidiary, the Company maintains a credit facility under an
agreement with Sparkasse Neumarkt Bank. This credit facility is in place to
finance our building of new offices in Berching, Germany, which is owned and
occupied by our German subsidiary. As of March 31, 2006 the Company had
borrowings of
$379,000 (in
Euros, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) against this credit
facility. In addition, our German subsidiary has a revolving line of credit
for
$182,000 (in
Euros, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) with Sparkasse Neumarkt
Bank. As of March 31, 2006 there were borrowings of $105,000 against this
facility and $47,000 against this facility at December 31, 2005. The revolving
facility is renewed annually on January 1.
4.
Comprehensive Operations
Comprehensive
income (loss) is defined as net income (loss) plus gains and losses that
under generally accepted accounting principles, are included in comprehensive
income (loss) but excluded from net income (loss). A separate statement of
comprehensive operations has been presented with this report.
5. |
Segments
and Geographic Information
|
The
Company operates in a single industry segment that manufactures, markets, and
sells fiber optic lighting products. The Company has two primary product lines:
the pool and spa lighting product line and the commercial lighting product
line,
each of which markets and sells fiber optic lighting products. The Company
markets its products for worldwide distribution primarily through independent
sales representatives, distributors and swimming pool builders in North America,
Europe and the Far East.
A
summary
of sales by geographic area is as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
United
States
|
|
$
|
3,483
|
|
$
|
4,887
|
|
Germany
|
|
|
677
|
|
|
709
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
|
|
1,023
|
|
|
1,040
|
|
Other
countries
|
|
|
144
|
|
|
184
|
|
|
|
$
|
5,327
|
|
$
|
6,820
|
|
Geographic
sales are categorized based on the location of the customer to whom the sales
are made.
A
summary
of sales by product line is as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pool
and Spa Lighting
|
|
$
|
2,796
|
|
$
|
3,688
|
|
Commercial
Lighting
|
|
|
2,531
|
|
|
3,132
|
|
|
|
$
|
5,327
|
|
$
|
6,820
|
|
A
summary
of geographic long-lived assets (fixed assets and goodwill) is as follows (in
thousands):
|
|
March
31,
2006
|
|
December
31,
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United
States Domestic
|
|
$
|
6,398
|
|
$
|
5,975
|
|
Germany
|
|
|
1,565
|
|
|
1,506
|
|
Other
Countries
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
|
$
|
8,039
|
|
$
|
7,557
|
|
6.
Recent pronouncements
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004) or FAS 123R,
“Share-Based Payments.” FAS 123R requires all entities to recognize compensation
expense in an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments, such
as
stock options granted
to
employees. We applied FAS 123R on a modified prospective method beginning in
2006. Under this method, we have recorded compensation expense (as previous
awards continue to vest) for the unvested portion of previously granted awards
that remain outstanding at January 1, 2006.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No.151, “Inventory Costs,”
which
amends part of ARB 43, “Inventory Pricing,” concerning the treatment of certain
types of inventory costs. The provisions of ARB
43
provided that
certain
inventory-related costs, such as double freight, re-handling, might be “so
abnormal” that they should be charged against current earnings rather than be
included in the cost of inventory and, that is capitalized to future periods.
As
amended by SFAS
No.
151,
the
“so-abnormal” criterion has been eliminated. Thus, all such (abnormal) costs are
required to be treated as current-period charges under all circumstances. In
addition, fixed production overhead should be allocated based on the normal
capacity of the production facilities, with unallocated overhead charged to
expense when incurred. SFAS 151 is required to be adopted for fiscal years
beginning after June 15, 2005. The impacts of adopting SFAS No.151did not have
a
material impact on our overall financial position.
7.
Goodwill and Acquired Intangibles
In
February 2000, the Company purchased certain assets of Unison Fiber Optic
Systems, Inc. and accounted for the acquisition as a purchase. Acquired
intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over the
estimated useful life of the assets ranging from 3 to 7 years. The company
annually reviews these assets for any impairment in their stated value in the
fourth quarter, unless events require an update. During the first quarter of
2006, no instances or events required any valuation or update.
8.
Income Taxes
A
full
valuation allowance is recorded against the Company’s U.S. deferred tax assets
as management cannot conclude, based on available objective evidence, when
the
gross value of its deferred tax assets will be realized. The Company accrues
foreign tax expenses or benefits as these are incurred.
9. |
Commitments
and Contingencies
|
On
December 20, 2005, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with
Sherwin-Williams Company (or Sherwin-Williams) and The Wagner Electric Sign
Company (or Wagner). The company was a third-party defendant in a lawsuit filed
in the court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, Ohio filed on September 21,
2004
for alleged breach of warranty and breach of contract in connection with an
allegedly defective sign manufactured and sold by Wagner. The settlement
agreement calls for certain payments to be made to Sherwin-Williams by the
defendant parties and for certain repairs to be made. These obligations were
fulfilled in the form of payments and delivered repairs in the first
quarter.
On
March
6, 2006, Ohms Electric, Inc. filed a complaint against Fiberstars, Inc. with
the
30th Judicial Circuit Court in the State of Michigan. The complaint requests
unspecified damages as a result of the Company’s product not working properly at
Neighborhood Cinema in Lansing, Michigan. Management does not believe the suit
will have a material affect on the Company’s financial position or results of
operations.
10.
Reorganization
In
June
2005, the Company announced its plans to close its Fremont, California office
and consolidate most of its operations in Solon, Ohio, where the Company already
had a local sales office and a manufacturing facility. The relocation was
expected to result in a restructuring charge of approximately $3.5 million
for
severance payments, redundancy, lease and inventory write-offs. The Company
recognized a $3,120,000 restructuring charge in the year ended December 31,
2005. During the first quarter, the Company charged to Operations $442,000
for
costs associated with the reorganization. The Company expects the total
restructuring charge to be near expected levels.
11.
Related Party Transactions
The
Company entered into a consulting agreement with Jeffrey H. Brite, a member
of
its Board of Directors, effective date of November 1, 2004. As a consultant
under this agreement, Mr. Brite is to assist Fiberstars, Inc.’s President and
Vice President of Sales in identifying, contacting and making introductions
to
key building project personnel in a position to facilitate the purchase of
Fiberstars, Inc. products. In return, Fiberstars, Inc. compensated Mr. Brite
with the award of an option for the acquisition of up to 40,000 shares of its
common stock at a per share exercise price of $7.23 and with annual aggregate
cash payments of $50,000 to be paid in quarterly installments during each of
the
years 2005, 2006 and 2007. Payments in the first quarter of 2006 to Brite
totalled $15,500.
Gensler
Architecture, Design & Planning, P.C., a New York Professional Corporation
(”Gensler”) provides contract services to the Company in the areas of fixture
design and marketing targeted at expanding the market for the Company’s EFO®
products. Mr. Jeffrey H. Brite, an employee of Gensler, is a member of the
Company’s Board of Directors. The Company entered into a three year consulting
agreement with Gensler, effective December 15, 2004. Gensler has agreed to
assist Fiberstars’ marketing group with matters of structure, procedure and
practices as they relate to the design, real estate and procurement communities,
and to advise Fiberstars on strategies to enhance its visibility and image
within the design and construction community as a manufacturer of preferred
technology. In return, Fiberstars compensated Gensler with a one-time cash
payment in 2005 of $60,750 for services delivered in advance of the completion
of the negotiation of the Consulting Agreement, $50,000 annual cash payments
to
be paid in quarterly installments of $12,500 in arrears for each of the calendar
years 2005, 2006 and 2007, and a one-time option award to acquire up to 75,000
shares of Fiberstars’ common stock at a per share exercise price of $6.57.
During the first quarter, the Company paid Gensler $12,500 compared to $50,000
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 for services performed.
On
July
1, 2005, David Ruckert, the Company’s CEO resigned as CEO and served as
President and Director through September 30, 2005 afterwhich he served as
Director. Mr. Ruckert signed a severance agreement with the Company which was
effective July 1, 2005, and which resulted in a payment in 2005 of $332,076
upon
his departure as an employee, October 1, 2005. Payments to Mr. Rucket in the
first quarter or 2006 totaled $26,000.
On
September 19, 2005, the Company entered into a master services agreement and
related ancillary agreements with Advanced Lighting Technologies, Inc. (“ADLT”).
These agreements include development agreements governing the provision of
research and development services by ADLT to the Company, and by the Company
to
ADLT, which agreements are subject to pre-determined cost limitations and the
ability of either party to terminate these agreements for convenience and with
proper notice, and under which the Company expect ADLT to develop new lamps
for
the Company’s energy efficient lighting system known as EFO®, and ADLT expects
the Company to adapt the Company’s patented CPC optic technology to certain ADLT
products; an equipment purchase and supply agreement governing the Company’s
purchase of manufacturing equipment from ADLT and the supply of support and
manufacturing services by ADLT related to the purchased equipment; a mutual
supply agreement governing the sale and purchase of the Company’s products by
ADLT and of ADLT’s products by the Company; and a cross license agreement
governing the mutual grant of rights and licenses between the Company and ADLT
for specified uses of intellectual property. These agreements became effective
upon ADLT’s sale of certain shares of the Company’s Common Stock on November 8,
2005, as described in a registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on September 19, 2005, in which ADLT
participated as a selling shareholder. Purchases from ADLT were $46,251, in
the
first quarter of 2006 and $1,478,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Purchases in 2005 included $1,092,000 in capital equipment. Sales to ADLT were
$69,670 in the first quarter of 2006 and $136,000 for the year ended
December 31, 2005. Accounts receivable with ADLT were $337,725 at March 31,
2006
including $300,000 for development work completed during the first quarter
of
2006 and $132,000 at December 31, 2005, respectively. These amounts are included
in the accounts receivable trade, net in the accompanying consolidated balance
sheets. Accounts payable were $80,145,at March 31, 2006, and $33,000 at December
31, 2005 respectively. Further, as part of our relocation of our bare opertions
from Fremont, California to Solon, Ohio we entered into a lease with ADLT to
rent a portion of their building in Solon, Ohio. Payments to ADLT in the first
quarter of 2006 for rent were $102,339. Subsequent
to the end of the first quarter of 2006, this lease has been assigned to a
non-related third party and extended through 2011.
This
site will be our corporate headquarters, Engineering, and Commercial sales
and
operations hub.
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of
operations should be read in conjunction with the Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report and
the
section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2005.
When
used in this discussion, the words "expects," "anticipates," "estimates,"
“plan,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. These statements, which include statements as to our expected sales
and gross profit margins, expected operating expenses and capital expenditure
levels, our sales and marketing expenses, our general and administrative
expenses, expected expenses related to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of
2002, the adequacy of capital resources and necessity to raise additional funds,
our critical accounting policies, expected restructuring charge related to
our
consolidation in Solon, Ohio, expected benefits from our consolidation and
statements regarding pending litigation are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.
These
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risks discussed
below, as well as our ability to manage expenses, our ability to reduce
manufacturing overhead and general and administrative expenses as a percentage
of sales, our ability to collect on doubtful accounts receivable, our ability
to
increase cash balances in future quarters, the cost of enforcing or defending
intellectual property, unforeseen adverse competitive, economic or other factors
that may impact our cash position, risks associated with raising additional
funds, and risks associated with our pending litigation. These forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any
obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any
forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our
expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or
circumstances on which any such statement is based.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Net
sales
decreased 22 % to $5,327,000 the quarter ended March 31, 2006, as compared
to
the same quarter a year ago. The decrease was primarily the result of lower
sales in the traditional lighting products, pool and spa sales ($892,000) and
decorative commercial sales ($554,000). We expect net sales
for
2006 to
be
comparable to 2005 as a result of an increase in EFO sales offsetting a decline
in pool and spa sales. However, the market for our products is highly dependent
upon general economic conditions.
On
March
31, 2006, we announced that we had received funding from the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, “DARPA” for $2.1 million to develop and install our
high efficiency distributed lighting systems as a “commercial” product on three
US Navy ships. This project will result in revenue being recognized as the
project is completed over the next two years.
Gross
profit was $1,602,000 the first quarter of fiscal 2006, a 37% decrease compared
to the same period in the prior year. The gross profit margin as a percentage
of
sales decreased from 37% for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 to 30% for the
first quarter of 2006. Gross profit margin declined for Commercial Lighting
due
to higher fixed manufacturing costs as a percentage of sales, partially due
to
lower sales.
We
expect gross profit margins for the full 2006 year to be lower than
2005.
Research
and development expenses were $456,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2006,
a
decrease of $ 21,000 compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2005. Our
research and development expense are reduced by credits received for achieving
milestones under a development contract with the Department of Energy, “DOE”,
that was signed in 2005 for a total of $1.5 million. In addition, further
credits were taken for a Small Business Innovative Research award with the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, “DARPA” totaling $200,000 signed in
October 2005. The gross research and development spending along with credits
from government contracts is shown in the table:
|
|
Three
months ended
March
31,
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
expenses for research and development
|
|
$
|
880
|
|
$
|
938
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deduct:
credits from DARPA, DOE & SBIR contracts
|
|
|
(424
|
)
|
|
(461
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
research and development expense
|
|
$
|
456
|
|
$
|
477
|
|
We
expect
research and development expense to increase for the full year 2006 compared
to
2005 due to reduced DARPA credits and recording option expense under FAS
123R..
Sales
and
marketing expenses decreased by 3% to $2,241,000 in the first quarter of fiscal
2006 as compared to $2,320,000 for the same period in fiscal 2005. We expect
sales and marketing expenses to increase for the full year 2006 as we anticipate
increasing our sales and marketing efforts for our new products and recording
option expense under FAS123R.
General
and administrative costs were $ 1,078,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2006,
an increase of 33% compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The increase
was due to higher administrative, accounting and legal costs and the impact
of
expense recognized under FAS123R. We believe we will be required to comply
with
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for December 31, 2006 subject
to
our market capitalization and any future rules to be issued. Estimates of costs
required in order to comply with Section 404 for a company of our size range
in
the order of $600,000 or higher, independent of additional audit fees. These
additional expenses will be incurred in the remainder of fiscal year 2006.
We
expect general and administrative expenses to continue to increase in 2006
as
compared to 2005 due to anticipated higher administration accounting costs
and
expenses associated with the impact of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002 and
option expense under FAS123R.
In
June
2005, we announced its plans to close its Fremont, California office and
consolidate most of its operations in Solon, Ohio, where we already had a local
sales office and a manufacturing facility. The relocation was expected to result
in a restructuring charge of approximately $3.5 million for severance payments,
redundancy, lease and inventory write-offs. We recognized a $3,120,000
restructuring charge in the year ended December 31, 2005. During the first
quarter, we charged to operations $442,000 for costs associated with the
reorganization. We expect the total restructuring charge to be near expected
levels. It is expected that the cost savings from the restructuring will be
between $1.5 million and $2 million on an annual basis, with the savings
beginning in Q3 of 2006. These savings will be reflected largely in reduced
cost
of sales with a lesser amount in operating expenses. These savings may be offset
by expense increases as a result of building production capacity and increasing
expenses for the development, sales and marketing of new products, primarily
EFO.
We
recorded a net loss of $2,441,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 as
compared to a net loss of $1,051,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The
higher net loss in 2006 was due primarily to soft sales, reduced margin from
changes in product mix, and higher operating expenses.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Cash
and cash equivalents
At
March
31, 2006, our cash and cash equivalents were $815,000 as compared to $5,554,000
at December 31, 2005, a net cash decrease of $4,739,000 during the first three
months of 2006. This compares to a net cash decrease of $2,780,000 for the
same
period in 2005, and an ending cash balance of $829,000 as of March 31,
2005.
Due
to
seasonality in the sales of our pool lighting products, our cash balances tend
to decrease in the first half of the year and increase in the second half of
the
year. While we expect to see the same pattern this year, the market of our
products is highly dependent upon general economic conditions.
Cash
was
used in the quarter to pay other accruals from December 31, 2005 relating to
costs incurred in 2005 for our restructuring and resolution of legal
commitments.
Cash
Used in Investing Activities
Investing
activities used cash of $837,000 during the first three months of 2006, compared
to a use of cash of $325,000 for the same period of 2005. During both periods,
cash was used for the acquisition of fixed assets. The increase was due to
additional fixed assets required in order to move forward with the EFO product
line and future R & D efforts.
Cash
Provided by Financing Activities
Financing
activities contributed $323,000 to cash during the first three months of 2006.
This net contribution was due primarily to the proceeds from the exercise of
employee stock options for $245,000. For the same period in 2005, financing
activities, from the exercise of warrants and employee stock options, were
$339,000.
The
Company has a $5,000,000 Loan and Security Agreement (Accounts Receivable and
Inventory) dated August 15, 2005, with Silicon Valley Bank bearing interest
equal to prime plus 1.75% per annum computed daily. On December 31, 2005 this
agreement was amended and restated to include an additional $3 million term-loan
line of credit for equipment purchases. This agreement calls for repayment
of
principal in equal amounts over 4 years from the date of purchase of the
equipment and has an interest rate of prime plus 0.5% if the quick ration is
greater than 1.5 and prime plus 0.5% if the quick ration is at or below 1.5.
Borrowings
under this Agreement are collateralized by its assets and intellectual
property. Specific borrowings are tied to accounts receivable and inventory
balances, and the Company is required to comply with certain covenants with
respect to effective net worth . The Company had no borrowings against the
Loan and Security Agreement as of March 31, 2006 and December 31,
2005. The Company was in conformity with the bank covenants of the Silicon
Valley Bank agreement as of March 31, 2006. Prior to August 15, 2005, the
Company had a bank line of credit agreement with Comerica Bank and had no
borrowings as of December 31, 2005 under this facility. The Company had total
borrowings of $1,023,750 under the term-loan portion of the agreement as of
March 31, 2006, and $1,092,000 as of December 31, 2005.
Through
its U.K. subsidiary, we maintain a bank overdraft facility of
$
435,000 (in
UK
pounds sterling, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) under an
agreement with Lloyds Bank Plc. There were no borrowings against this facility
as of March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively. The facility is
renewed annually on January 1 and bears an interest rate of 7%.
Through
its German subsidiary, we maintain a credit facility under an agreement with
Sparkasse Neumarkt Bank. This credit facility is in place to finance our
building of new offices in Berching, Germany, which is owned and occupied by
our
German subsidiary. As of March 31, 2006 we had borrowings of
$379,000 (in
Euros, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) against this credit
facility. In addition, our German subsidiary has a revolving line of credit
for
$182,000 (in
Euros, based on the exchange rate at March 31, 2006) with Sparkasse Neumarkt
Bank. As of March 31, 2006, there were borrowings of $105,000 against this
facility and $47,000 against this facility at December 31, 2005. The facility
is
renewed annually on January 1 and bears an interest rate of 8.75%.
We
believe that our existing cash balances and funds available to us through our
bank lines of credit together with funds that we anticipate generating from
our
operations, will be sufficient to finance our currently anticipated working
capital requirements and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve
months. However, a sudden increase in product demand requiring a
significant increase in manufacturing capability, or unforeseen adverse
competitive, economic or other factors may impact our cash position, and thereby
affect operations. From time to time we may be required to raise
additional funds through public or private financing, strategic relationships
or
other arrangements. There can be no assurance that such funding, if
needed, will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
Furthermore, any additional equity financing may be dilutive to shareholders,
and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. Strategic
arrangements, if necessary to raise additional funds, may require that we
relinquish rights to certain of our technologies or products. Failure to
generate sufficient revenues or to raise capital when needed could have an
adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition,
as
well as our ability to achieve intended business objectives.
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004) or FAS 123R,
“Share-Based Payments.” FAS 123R requires all entities to recognize compensation
expense in an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments, such
as
stock options granted to employees. We applied FAS 123R on a modified
prospective method January 1, 2006. Under this method, we have recorded
compensation expense (as previous awards continue to vest) for the unvested
portion of previously granted awards that remain outstanding at the date of
adoption.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No.151, “Inventory Costs,”
which
amends part of ARB 43, “Inventory Pricing,” concerning the treatment of certain
types of inventory costs. The provisions of ARB
No.
43 provided
that
certain
inventory-related costs, such as double freight, re-handling, might be “so
abnormal” that they should be charged against current earnings rather than be
included in the cost of inventory and, that is capitalized to future periods.
As
amended by SFAS
No.
151,
the
“so-abnormal” criterion has been eliminated. Thus, all such (abnormal) costs are
required to be treated as current-period charges under all circumstances. In
addition, fixed production overhead should be allocated based on the normal
capacity of the production facilities, with unallocated overhead charged to
expense when incurred. SFAS 151 is required to be adopted for fiscal years
beginning after June 15, 2005. The adoption of SFAS No.15 did not have a
material impact on our overall financial position.
Item
3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
As
of
March 31, 2006, we had $812,000 in cash held in foreign currencies based on
the
exchange rates at March 31, 2006. The balances for cash held overseas in foreign
currencies are subject to exchange rate risk. We have a policy of maintaining
cash balances in local currencies unless an amount of cash is occasionally
transferred in order to repay inter-company debts.
As
of
March 31, 2006, we had a total borrowing of $379,000 (in Euros, based on the
exchange rate at March 31, 2006) against a credit facility secured by real
property owned by our German subsidiary. As of December 31, 2005, we had
$331,000 (in Euros, based on the exchange rate at December 31, 2005) borrowed
against this credit facility. In addition, there were borrowings of $105,000
against a revolving credit line of $182,000 (in Euros, based on the exchange
rate at March 31, 2006) compared to $47,000 at December 31, 2005.
Item
4. Controls
and Procedures
(a) Evaluation
of disclosure controls and procedures.
We
maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined in Rule
13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), that
are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in
reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and
Exchange Commission rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated
and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and
procedures, management recognized that disclosure controls and procedures,
no
matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not
absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and
procedures are met. Our disclosure controls and procedures have been designed
to
meet, and management believes they meet, reasonable assurance standards.
Additionally, in designing disclosure controls and procedures, our management
necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit
relationship of possible disclosure controls and procedures. The design of
any
disclosure controls and procedures also is based in part upon certain
assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance
that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential
future conditions.
Based
on
their evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report
on
Form 10-Q, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have
concluded that, subject to the limitations noted above, our disclosure controls
and procedures were effective to ensure that material information relating
to
us, including our consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to them by others
within those entities, particularly during the period in which this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q was being prepared.
(b) Changes
in internal control over financial reporting.
There
was
no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule
13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) identified in connection with the evaluation
during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
On
December 20, 2005, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with
Sherwin-Williams Company (or Sherwin-Williams) and The Wagner Electric Sign
Company (or Wagner). The company was a third-party defendant in a lawsuit filed
in the court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, Ohio filed on September 21.
2004
for alleged breach of warranty and breach of contract in connection with an
allegedly defective sign manufactured and sold by Wagner. The settlement
agreement calls for certain payments to be made to Sherwin-Williams by the
defendant parties and for certain repairs to be made. These obligations were
fulfilled in the form of payments and delivered repairs in the first
quarter.
On
March
6, 2006, Ohms Electric, Inc. filed a complaint against Fiberstars, Inc. with
the
30th Judicial Circuit Court in the State of Michigan. The complaint requests
unspecified damages as a result of the Company’s product not working properly at
Neighborhood Cinema in Lansing, Michigan. Management does not believe the suit
will have a material affect on our financial position or results of
operations.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
There
are
no significant changes in risk factors from our December 31, 2005 filed
10-K.
We
have recently changed the focus of our business and may be unsuccessful or
experience difficulties in implementing this change. If this occurs, we may
not
be able to achieve operating profitability.
In
connection with the reorganization and restructuring of Fiberstars, we intend
to
shift the primary focus of our business from our pool and spa products to
products using our EFO technology. While we intend to continue designing and
manufacturing pool and spa products, we plan to allocate significant resources
to the development, marketing and distribution of our EFO system in the accent
lighting market. We have a limited operating history in this market, and our
shift in focus may affect our ability to accurately forecast sales, establish
adequate reserves, estimate amounts of warranty and returns and other similar
expenses. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability depends on our
ability to successfully implement our new business strategy.
Our
operating results are subject to fluctuations caused by many factors that could
result in decreased revenue and a decline in the price of our common
stock.
Our
quarterly operating results can vary significantly depending upon a number
of
factors including:
· the
lighting market’s acceptance of, and demand for, our products;
· the
level
and seasonality of orders and the delivery of new products;
·
the
continued availability of our current manufacturing channels and raw material
suppliers;
· the
continued availability of our distributors or the availability of replacement
distribution channels;
· fluctuations
in our sales volumes and mix of low and high margin products;
· product
development and marketing expenditures, which are made well in advance of
potential resulting revenue;
· increased
expenses in research and development if we are not able to meet certain
milestones in our Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA,
contracts;
·
the
seasonality of the construction industry, which results in a substantial portion
of our historical quarterly sales in the last month of each of the second and
fourth quarters of the year;
· a
significant portion of our expenses are relatively fixed, and if sales fall
below our expectations, we will not be able to make any significant adjustment
in our operating expenses; and
·
the
impact of natural disasters, terrorist acts and other unforeseeable catastrophic
events.
Although
we attempt to control our expense levels, these levels are based, in part,
on
anticipated revenue. Therefore, we may not be able to control spending in a
timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall.
You
should not rely on period-to-period comparisons of our operating results as
an
indication of future performance. The results may be below the expectations
of
market analysts or investors, which would likely cause our share price to
decline.
EFO
is a
relatively new and unproven type of lighting that may not achieve acceptance
by
lighting designers or other consumers of lighting products. Our potential retail
customers are widespread and independent, and their decisions are influenced
by
a variety of factors which are often unique to each customer. These customers
have multiple choices in lighting designs and products, including incandescent
and fluorescent technologies, and may be averse to adopting new technology
or
incurring the costs of utilizing new technologies. In addition, these
alternative lighting products are manufactured by large, established companies
with significantly greater resources than us for developing energy efficient
lighting. As a result, even if potential customers choose to adopt new lighting
technologies, our products still may not be utilized. Even if some customers
utilize our products on a limited basis, there is no guarantee that they will
expand their use of or continue to utilize our products.
One
of
our significant markets is large-scale new construction, including retail and
grocery stores. Effective lighting by these customers is a critical element
in
showcasing merchandise and promoting sales. As a result, these customers are
reluctant to change current lighting products for fear of losing sales. In
order
to penetrate these markets, we must persuade this customer base that the
adoption of our EFO systems will not negatively impact their business. This
process is slow, time-consuming and expensive. If our EFO system is not adopted
by this customer base, we may not generate sufficient revenue to offset the
cost
of bringing our EFO technology into these target markets.
Finally,
successful penetration in certain markets or geographic regions does not
guarantee that we will be able to achieve successful penetration into the accent
lighting market or that our acceptance will be geographically
widespread.
Our
EFO
system offers a new full spectrum lamp that closely simulates daylight for
use
in retail stores. If our new daylight color spectrum lamp is not as effective
as
we anticipate or does not meet the specific needs of this target customer base,
we may need to expend additional resources to make technological changes to
the
spectrum. If our new daylight color spectrum is not accepted or if we are unable
to make the changes necessary for customer acceptance, this could negatively
impact sales of our EFO system.
We
plan on allocating a significant amount of resources to the research and
development of our EFO lighting technology. If our EFO lighting system is not
accepted in our target market, we may not recoup these
expenses.
We
plan
on devoting a substantial portion of our research and development resources
to
developing new products using our EFO lighting technology and marketing it
in
our target markets. Because our EFO lighting system is a relatively new product,
we do not know if we will be successful in penetrating our target markets.
As a
result, we may not generate a sufficient amount of revenue from the sales of
our
EFO lighting systems to offset the costs necessary to bring our EFO lighting
systems to market. Our gross margins and operating results will suffer if our
EFO lighting systems are not accepted in our target markets.
We
manufacture our large core fiber through a unique proprietary process and
currently have one machine that manufactures this fiber, located at the facility
we lease in Solon, Ohio. This large core fiber is used in a majority of our
EFO
systems. As a result, we are subject to manufacturing delays due to facility
shutdown, power loss or labor difficulties. If our facility were to experience
temporary shutdown, or be unable to function at predicted capacity, we may
be
unable to meet our demand in a cost efficient manner, if at all. Furthermore,
our ability to modify our production output for custom orders is limited by
our
having one machine at a single facility. In addition, our alternative method
is
not cost effective. We recently entered into an agreement, with ADLT to purchase
a coating machine and the supply of certain coatings which will be operated
and
maintained by a third party. If this machine is not operated or maintained
properly we may experience delays in our manufacturing process.
The
principal advantage of our EFO technology over competing lighting technologies
is energy efficiency. Factors compelling our target customers to utilize more
energy efficient lighting technologies include increasing energy costs and
federal and state government regulations requiring lower wattage per square
foot
such as ASHRAE-IESNA Standard 90.1, which limits electricity consumption for
lighting per square foot to 1.9 watts for both new construction and renovations
requiring building permits for retail buildings in the United States. If the
need for increasingly energy efficient lighting technologies by our target
customer base declines, the attractiveness of our technology would also
decline.
Mitsubishi
is the sole supplier of our small diameter stranded fiber, which is used
extensively in our fiber pool and spa lighting products, and to a lesser extent,
in our EFO systems. We also rely on a sole source for some of our EFO lamps.
The
loss of one or both of these suppliers could result in delays in the shipment
of
products, additional expense associated with redesigning products, impaired
margins, reduced production volumes, strained customer relations and loss of
business or could otherwise harm our results of operations.
ADLT
supplies us with certain lamps, including our EFO lamps, reflectors and coatings
used in our products, including our EFO systems. ADLT came out of bankruptcy
proceedings in December 2003, and while it has been financially viable
since then, there can be no assurances that this will continue. In addition,
ADLT can terminate for convenience its obligations to supply us with components
and related services for the coating machine purchased from them upon nine
months notice to us. As a result, we have identified alternative suppliers
for
these components, but there could be an interruption of supply and increased
costs if a transition to a new supplier were required. We could lose current
or
prospective customers as a result of supply interruptions. Increased costs
and
delays would negatively impact our gross margins and results of
operations.
We
recently signed a development agreement with ADLT pursuant to which it agreed
to
provide us with certain consulting, research and development services, including
the development of lamps to be used in our current and potential EFO system
projects. Our ability to make timely research improvements or develop new
products may be negatively effected if ADLT fails to meet specified milestones
under our agreement. In addition, ADLT’s obligations are subject to mutually
agreed upon cost limitations, which may impair the level of service we receive.
ADLT may also terminate these obligations for convenience upon ninety days
notice to us.
While
we
have historically been able to fund cash needs from operations, bank lines
of
credit or from capital markets transactions, due to competitive, economic or
other factors there can be no assurance that we will continue to be able to
do
so. If our capital resources are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity
requirements and overall business objectives we may seek to sell additional
equity securities or obtain debt financing. Adverse business conditions due
to a
weak economic environment or a weak market for our products have led to and
may
lead to continued negative cash flow from operations, which may require us
to
raise additional financing, including equity financing. Any equity financing
may
be dilutive to shareholders, and debt financing, if available, will increase
expenses and may involve restrictive covenants. We may be required to raise
additional capital at times and in amount which are uncertain, especially under
the current capital market conditions. Under these circumstances, if we are
unable to acquire additional capital or are required to raise it on terms that
are less satisfactory than desired, it may harm our financial condition, which
could require us to curtail our operations significantly, sell significant
assets, seek arrangements with strategic partners or other parties that may
require us to relinquish significant rights to products, technologies or
markets, or explore other strategic alternatives including a merger or sale
of
our company.
In
connection with our relocation, we need to hire additional accounting personnel
that can provide us with the depth of accounting experience necessary to
maintain adequate disclosure controls and procedures. We may not be able to
attract the necessary personnel in a timely fashion or with the requisite
experience. As a result, we may not have the review and oversight capabilities
necessary to maintain legally required disclosure controls and
procedures.
We
sell products into a marketplace where our competitors often have lower initial
product pricing. If we are unable to provide customers with long term cost
savings, we may not be able to successfully penetrate our target markets, which
could harm our revenue and gross profits.
Customers
in our target markets currently use conventional lighting technologies,
including incandescent, halogen and fluorescent lighting. The initial cost
of
using these traditional lighting technologies is relatively low. Historically,
we have not been able to price our EFO lighting system to compete with these
traditional lighting products. As a result, in order to gain market share,
our
EFO lighting system must provide our target customers with longer life cycles.
This is achieved through reduced maintenance costs, reduced energy costs and
providing customers with the desired lighting effect without resulting in damage
to or loss of goods. If we are not able to persuade potential customers of
the
long-term cost savings in using our EFO lighting system, we may not be able
to
successfully compete in our target markets. Our financial results will suffer
if
we are not able to penetrate these target markets and gain market share.
Additionally, MR-16 halogen lamp pricing is declining, and in order to remain
competitive and broaden our market targets to include compact fluorescent lamps
and other lamp types, we believe we must continue to reduce EFO costs and
pricing.
Competition
is increasing in the commercial decorative and accent lighting and pool lighting
markets, as well as in the energy efficient lighting markets. A number of
companies offer directly competitive products, including color halogen lighting
for swimming pools and incandescent and fluorescent lighting for commercial
decorative and accent lighting. We also compete with LED products in water
lighting and in neon and other lighted signs. In addition, many of our
competitors in the pool and spa market bundle their lighting products with
other
pool and spa related products, which many customers find to be an attractive
alternative. Our competitors include large and well-established companies such
as General Electric, Sylvania, Philips, Schott, 3M, Bridgestone, Pentair,
Mitsubishi and OSRAM/Siemens.
Many
of
our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and marketing
resources than we do. We may not be able to adequately respond to technological
developments or fluctuations in competitive pricing. We anticipate that any
future growth in fiber optic lighting will be accompanied by continuing
increases in competition, which could adversely affect our operating results
if
we cannot compete effectively. To stay competitive we must continue to allocate
our resources to research and development, which could negatively impact our
gross margins. If we are unable to provide more efficient lighting technology
than our competitors, our operating results will be adversely
affected.
We
currently hold 43 patents in the United States, and three corresponding patents
in Japan and one corresponding patent in Australia. We also have 14 patents
pending in the United States. There can be no assurance, however, that our
issued patents are valid or that any patents applied for will be issued. We
have
a policy of seeking to protect our key intellectual property through, among
other things, the prosecution of patents with respect to certain of our
technologies. There are many issued patents and pending patent applications
in
the field of fiber optic technology, and some of our competitors hold and have
applied for patents related to fiber optic and non-fiber optic lighting. We
have
in the past received communications from third parties asserting rights in
our
patents or that our technology infringes intellectual property rights held
by
such third parties. For example, we were recently involved in patent litigation
with Pentair with respect to our FX Pool Light product, which was subsequently
settled. Litigation to determine the validity of any third-party claims or
claims by us against such third party, whether or not determined in our favor,
could result in significant expense and divert the efforts of our technical
and
management personnel, regardless of the outcome of such litigation. In addition,
we do not know whether our competitors will in the future apply for and obtain
patents that will prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, use,
sell or import our products. Although we may seek to resolve any potential
future claims or actions, we may not be able to do so on reasonable terms,
or at
all. If, following a successful third-party action for infringement, we cannot
obtain a license or redesign our products, we may have to stop manufacturing
and
marketing our products and our business would suffer as a result.
One
of
our significant markets is large-scale new construction and the length of our
sales cycle in this market can be anywhere from nine months to as long as three
years. Decisions about lighting products utilized in large-scale new
construction are made at multiple levels by our current and potential customers,
including merchandising and purchasing personnel, the chief financial officer
and the chief executive officer. These decisions are influenced by a number
of
factors including cost, reliability of the product and reliability of its
source. In addition, some of these customers function autonomously and decisions
with respect to construction, including lighting, are made by each store, even
if part of a large chain. As a result, with respect to such customers, we often
must meet with all the decision makers at each store where we want to install
our EFO systems. Furthermore, such decisions are made significantly in advance
of the utilization of the actual product. As a result, if we are unable to
access the multiple decision makers or convince them to adopt our products
and
utilize them on a widespread basis, we may be unable to successfully penetrate
these markets. We may also be required to invest significant time and resources
into marketing to these customers before we are able to determine if we will
be
able to sell such customers our products.
Our
future success will depend to a large extent on the continued contributions
of
certain employees, such as our current chief executive officer, chief financial
officer and chief technical officer. These and other key employees would be
difficult to replace. Our future success will also depend on our ability to
attract and retain qualified technical, sales, marketing and management
personnel, for whom competition is intense. The loss of or failure to attract,
hire and retain any such persons could delay product development cycles, disrupt
our operations or otherwise harm our business or results of operations. In
addition, we plan to build a new internal sales force, which may not generate
the anticipated net sales and may incur unanticipated expenses.
In
order
to control costs, we are continually seeking offshore supply of components
and
assemblies. We currently import supplies from, or have products assembled in,
Mexico, India, China, Taiwan, Japan and some European countries. This results
in
longer lead times for deliveries, which can mean less responsiveness to sudden
changes in market demand for the products involved. Some of the countries where
components are sourced may be less stable politically than the United States
or
may be subject to natural disasters or diseases, and this could lead to an
interruption in the delivery of key components. Delays in the delivery of key
components could result in delays in product shipments, additional expenses
associated with locating alternative component sources or redesigning products,
impaired margins, reduced production volumes, strained customer relations and
loss of customers, any of which could harm our results of operations.
Furthermore, we bear the risk of theft or damage to our products with certain
of
our offshore partners, particularly with regard to our assembly facilities
in
Mexico.
Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports
and
effectively prevent fraud. We have in the past discovered, and may in the future
discover, areas of our internal controls that need improvement. For example,
in
connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for 2004,
our
independent registered public accounting firm informed us that it believed
that
inadequate segregation of duties in our financial reporting process and our
information technology governance controls, and a number of adjustments to
financial statements during the course of the audit process, constituted
significant deficiencies that aggregated to form a material weakness in our
internal controls. In addition, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002 requires us to evaluate and report on our internal controls over financial
reporting and have our independent registered public accounting firm annually
attest to our evaluation, as well as issue their own opinion on our internal
control over financial reporting, which we expect will be required for the
first
time in connection with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2006. We are preparing for compliance with
Section 404 by strengthening, assessing and testing our system of internal
controls to provide the basis for our report. However, the continuous process
of
strengthening our internal controls and complying with Section 404 is
expensive and time consuming, and requires significant management attention.
We
cannot be certain that these measures will ensure that we will maintain adequate
control over our financial processes and reporting. If we or our independent
registered public accounting firm discover a material weakness, the disclosure
of that fact, even if quickly remedied, could reduce the market’s confidence in
our financial statements and harm our stock price. In addition, future
non-compliance with Section 404 could subject us to a variety of
administrative sanctions, including the suspension or delisting of our common
stock from The NASDAQ National Market and the inability of registered
broker-dealers to make a market in our common stock, which would further reduce
our stock price. Estimates of our costs, independent of additional audit fees,
required to comply with Section 404 are $600,000 or higher. While we expect
these costs to increase our operating expenses significantly, we cannot predict
or estimate the amount of future additional costs we may incur or the timing
of
such costs.
EFO
system includes components that are difficult to manufacture and procure in
large quantities in the short term. These components include lamps and optical
and electronic components. Furthermore, if these components are in limited
supply, our suppliers may allocate their supply to larger customers. If an
increase in demand outpaces the projected expansion of our manufacturing
capabilities, or if larger quantities are needed in a shorter time frame than
anticipated, we may not be able to meet customers’ requirements and our ability
to market our EFO system may be adversely affected. Our inability to meet
customers’ requirements may also negatively affect our ability to gain market
share and acceptance among lighting designers and other repeat customers of
lighting products.
Historically,
approximately 60% of our EFO research and development efforts have been
supported directly by government funding. In 2005, for example, approximately
59% of our EFO research and development funding came from DARPA and all our
current funding from DARPA is set to expire in February 2006 without any
guarantee of renewal or replenishment. If government funding were to be reduced
or eliminated, there is no guarantee we would be able to continue to fund our
research and development efforts in EFO technology and products at their current
levels, if at all. If we are unable to support our EFO research and development
efforts, there is no guarantee we would be able to develop enhancements to
our
current products or develop new products.
We
prepare our financial statements to conform with generally accepted accounting
principles, or GAAP, in the United States. These accounting principles are
subject to interpretation by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, the Securities and Exchange Commission and various bodies formed
to
interpret and create appropriate accounting policies. A change in those policies
can have a significant effect on our reported results and may affect our
reporting of transactions completed before a change is announced. Changes to
those rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect
our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business. For example,
accounting policies affecting many aspects of our business, including
rules relating to employee stock option grants, have recently been revised
or are under review. The Financial Accounting Standards Board and other agencies
have finalized changes to GAAP that will require us, starting in our first
quarter of 2006, to record a charge to earnings for employee stock option grants
and other equity incentives. We may have significant and ongoing accounting
charges resulting from option grant and other equity incentive expensing that
could reduce our overall net income. In addition, because we historically have
used equity-related compensation as a component of our total employee
compensation program, the accounting change could make the use of equity-related
compensation less attractive to us and therefore make it more difficult to
attract and retain employees.
Most
of
our decorative and special effects lighting systems are sold through lighting
representatives, and we do not have long-term contracts with our distributors.
If these distributors significantly change their terms with us or change their
historical pattern of ordering products from us, there could be a significant
adverse impact on our net sales and operating results.
In
connection with the restructuring and reorganization, we also made changes
to
our senior management, including the appointment of a new chief executive
officer and chief technology officer. These changes could negatively affect
our
operations and our relationships with our suppliers, customers, employees,
distributors and strategic partners. In addition, our senior management has
limited experience as officers of a publicly traded company. If the integration
of new members to our senior management team does not go as smoothly as
anticipated, it could negatively affect our ability to execute our business
plan.
Construction
levels are affected by general economic conditions, real estate market, interest
rates and the weather. Sales of commercial lighting products depend
significantly upon the level of new building construction and renovation. Sales
of our pool and spa lighting products, which currently are available only with
newly constructed pools and spas, depend substantially upon the level of new
construction of pools. Because of the seasonality of construction, our sales
of
swimming pool and commercial lighting products, and thus our overall revenues
and income, have tended to be significantly lower in the first and the third
quarters of each year. Various economic and other trends may alter these
seasonal trends from year to year, and we cannot predict the extent to which
these seasonal trends will continue.
We
expect
to introduce new products each year in the pool and spa lighting market and
the
commercial lighting market. We depend on various components and raw materials
for use in the manufacturing of our products from sole and foreign suppliers.
We
may not be able to successfully manage price fluctuations due to market demand
or shortages. Significant increases in the costs, or sustained interruptions
in
our receipt of adequate amounts, of necessary components and raw materials
could
harm our margins, result in manufacturing halts, harm our reputation and
relationship with our customers and negatively impact our results of operations.
In addition, we could have difficulties manufacturing these new products as
a
result of our inexperience with them or the costs could be higher than expected
and delivery of these products may cause us to incur additional unexpected
research and development expenses. Furthermore, in order to competitively price
our products and achieve broader market acceptance, we may need to redesign
our
manufacturing process to produce our products in higher volume and at a reduced
cost. Furthermore, any delays in the introduction of these new products could
result in lost sales, loss of customer confidence and loss of market share.
Also, it is difficult to predict whether the market will accept these new
products. If any of these new products fails to meet expectations, our operating
results will be adversely affected.
We
sell a
significant portion of our pool and spa lighting products through SCP. SCP
accounted for approximately 11%, 10% and 11% of our net sales in 2003, 2004
and
2005, respectively. If SCP ceases to purchase or substantially decreases its
volume of purchases, this could significantly reduce the availability of our
products to end users, which could negatively impact our net sales and operating
results. Furthermore, because SCP is the largest distributor in the United
States, we may not be able to increase sales to our other distributors
sufficiently to offset the loss resulting from SCP’s reduction or cessation in
sales.
We
rely
on key sales representatives and outside sales agents for a significant portion
of our sales. These sales representatives and outside sales agents have unique
relationships with our customers and would be difficult to replace. The loss
of
a key sales representative or outside sales agent could interfere with our
ability to maintain customer relationships and result in declines in our net
sales and operating results. In addition, these sales representatives and sales
agents carry multiple products lines, including those of our competitors.
Generally, a sales representative or sales agent will primarily sell products
from one well-established company and supplement these sales with products
from
smaller companies, such as Fiberstars. As a result, if we lost a key sales
representative or sales agent, we may have difficulty replacing the sales
representative or sales agent, if at all, which could negatively impact our
net
sales.
As
we
attempt to reduce manufacturing expenses, we are becoming increasingly dependent
upon offshore companies for the manufacturing and final assembly of many of
our
pool and spa products. To do so, we must advance certain raw materials,
inventory and production costs to these off-shore manufacturers. The supply
of
finished goods from these companies, and the raw materials, inventory and funds
that we advance to them may be at risk depending upon the varying degrees of
stability of the local political, economic and social environments in which
they
operate, and the financial strength of the manufacturing companies
themselves.
Our
business is currently dependent on a limited number of significant customers,
and we anticipate that we will continue to rely on a limited number of
customers. For example, in 2005, SCP, our largest pool and spa customer,
accounted for approximately 11% of our net sales. We expect these customers
to
continue to represent a significant portion of our net sales in the future.
The
loss of any of these significant customers would harm our net sales and
operating results. Customer purchase deferrals, cancellations, reduced order
volumes or non-renewals from any particular customer could cause our quarterly
operating results to fluctuate or decline and harm our business. In addition,
volume discounts granted to significant customers from time to time could lead
to reduced profit margins, and negatively impact our operating
results.
In
the
past, we have experienced design defects and product failure. For example,
in
our EFO systems, we experienced defects related to the power supply and the
illuminator. In our pool and spa products, we experienced defects with our
circuit sequencing color wheel. We cannot guarantee that we will not experience
defects or compatibility issues in components or products in the future. Errors
or defects in our products may arise in the future, and, if significant or
perceived to be significant, could result in rejection of our products, product
returns or recalls, damage to our reputation, lost revenue, diverted development
resources and increased customer service and support costs and warranty claims.
Errors or defects in our products could also result in product liability claims.
We estimate warranty and other returns and accrue reserves for such costs at
the
time of sale. Any estimates, reserves or accruals may be insufficient to cover
sharp increases in product returns, and such returns may harm our operating
results. In addition, customers may require design changes in our products
in
order to suit their needs. Losses, delays or damage to our reputation due to
design or defect issues would likely harm our business, financial condition
and
results of operations.
In
order
to arrange for the manufacture of sufficient quantities of products and avoid
excess inventory we need to accurately predict market demand for each of our
products. Significant unanticipated fluctuations in demand could cause problems
in our operations. We may not be able to accurately predict market demand in
order to properly allocate our manufacturing and distribution resources among
our products, especially with respect to the manufacturing of our large core
fiber, as we use one machine to manufacture this fiber. As a result, we may
experience declines in sales and lose, or fail to gain, market share.
Conversely, if we overbuild inventories we run the risk of having inventory
write-offs due to obsolescence.
Our
research and development efforts include collaboration with third parties.
Many
of these third parties are not bound by any material contractual commitment
leaving them free to end their collaborative efforts at will. Loss of these
collaborative efforts could adversely affect our research and development
efforts and could have a negative effect on our competitive position in the
market. In addition, arrangements for joint development efforts may require
us
to make royalty payments on sales of resultant products or enter into licensing
agreements for the technology developed, which could increase our costs and
negatively impact our results of operations.
The
United States and international economies are cyclical and therefore difficult
to predict. A sustained economic recovery is uncertain. In particular, recent
increases in the cost of oil, increases in energy costs, terrorist acts and
similar events, continued turmoil in the Middle East or war in general could
contribute to a slowdown of the market demand for products that require
significant initial capital expenditures, including new residential and
commercial buildings. In addition, increases in interest rates may increase
financing costs to customers, which in turn may decrease building rates and
associated demand for our products. If the economic recovery slows down as
a
result of the recent economic, political and social turmoil, or if there are
further terrorist attacks in the United States or elsewhere, we may experience
decreases in the demand for our products, which may harm our operating
results.
In
late
August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the coast of a number of states on
the Gulf of Mexico, including Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It is not
possible at this time to determine either the effects Hurricane Katrina will
have on the general economy and our business. We have, however, experienced
delays in orders for our EFO system in Houston and Florida. We are unable to
predict whether these delays will continue or what additional effects the recent
hurricanes will have on our business. Damages and higher prices caused by
hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina could have an adverse effect on the
financial condition of our current and potential customers located in the Gulf
Coast region and elsewhere in the United States, which could result in lower
or
delayed sales. It is also possible that we could experience greater costs
related to disruptions to the supply chain which would negatively impact our
results of operations.
We
have
significant international activities and customers, and plan to continue these
efforts, which subject us to additional business risks, including logistical
complexity, political instability and the general economic conditions in those
markets. Sales outside the United States accounted for approximately 30% of
our
net sales in 2003, 33% of our net sales in 2004 and 33% of our net sales in
2005. Because the market for our products tends to be highly dependent upon
general economic conditions, a decline in general economic conditions would
likely harm our operating results.
Risks
we
face in conducting business internationally include:
· multiple,
conflicting and changing laws and regulations, export and import restrictions,
employment laws, regulatory requirements and other government approvals, permits
and licenses;
· difficulties
and costs in staffing and managing foreign operations such as our offices in
Germany and the United Kingdom;
· difficulties
and costs in recruiting and retaining individuals skilled in international
business operations;
· increased
costs associated with maintaining international marketing efforts;
· potentially
adverse tax consequences; • political and economic instability, including wars,
acts of terrorism, political unrest, boycotts, curtailments of trade and other
business restrictions; and
· currency
fluctuations.
In
addition, in the Asia/Pacific region generally, we face risks associated with
a
recurrence of SARS, spreading of Asian bird flu, tensions between countries
in
that region, such as political tensions between China and Taiwan, the ongoing
discussions with North Korea regarding its nuclear weapons program, potentially
reduced protection for intellectual property rights, government-fixed foreign
exchange rates, relatively uncertain legal products and developing
telecommunications infrastructures. In addition, some countries in this region,
such as China, have adopted laws, regulations and policies which impose
additional restrictions on the ability of foreign companies to conduct business
in that country or otherwise place them at a competitive disadvantage in
relation to domestic companies.
Item
6. Exhibits
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
of Documents
|
|
|
|
3(ii)
|
|
Certificate
of Amendment of Bylaws dated April 27, 2005 (incorporated by reference
to
the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 27,
2005).
|
10.1
|
|
Consulting
Agreement by and between Registrant and David N. Ruckert dated as
of
February 3, 2006.
|
31.1
|
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
|
31.2
|
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
|
|
|
|
32.1**
|
|
Statement
of Chief Executive Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2003 (18 U.S.C. §1350).
|
32.2**
|
|
Statement
of Chief Financial Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2003 (18 U.S.C. §1350).
|
** In
accordance with item 601(b)(32)(ii) of Regulation S-K and SEC Release Nos.
33-8238 and 34-47986, Final Rule: Management’s Reports on Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic
Reports, the certifications furnished in Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 hereto are
deemed to accompany this Form 10-Q and will not be deemed "filed" for purposes
of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. Such certications will not be deemed to
be
incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates
it by reference.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
|
|
FIBERSTARS,
INC. |
|
|
|
Date:
May 15, 2006
|
By: |
/s/
John M. Davenport
|
|
John
M. Davenport
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/
Robert A. Connors
|
|
Robert
A. Connors
Chief
Financial Officer
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
|
|
|
Exhibit
Index
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
of Documents
|
3(ii)
|
|
Certificate
of Amendment of Bylaws dated April 27, 2005 (incorporated by reference
to
the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 27,
2005).
|
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Consulting
Agreement by and between Registrant and David N. Ruckert dated as
of
February 3, 2006.
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
|
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
|
|
|
|
32.1**
|
|
Statement
of Chief Executive Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2003 (18 U.S.C. §1350).
|
|
|
|
32.2**
|
|
Statement
of Chief Financial Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2003 (18 U.S.C. §1350).
|
** In
accordance with item 601(b)(32)(ii) of Regulation S-K and SEC Release Nos.
33-8238 and 34-47986, Final Rule: Management’s Reports on Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic
Reports, the certifications furnished in Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 hereto are
deemed to accompany this Form 10-Q and will not be deemed "filed" for purposes
of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. Such certifications will not be deemed to
be
incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates
it by reference.