Edgar Filing: KADANT INC

FORM S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 20, 2007

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

KADANT INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)


Delaware		52-1762325
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

One Technology Park Drive Westford, Massachusetts		01886
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

2006 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Sandra L. Lambert, Esq.

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

One Technology Park Drive

Westford, Massachusetts 01886

(Name and Address of Agent For Service)

978-776-2000

(Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


Title of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered(1)		Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share			Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price			Amount of Registration Fee
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (including the associated Preferred Stock Purchase Rights)	900,000 shares	(2)	$	26.85	(3)	$	24,165,000	(3)	$	741.87

(1)	In accordance with Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement shall be deemed to cover any additional securities that may from time to time be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(2)	Consists of 900,000 shares issuable under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan.

(3)	Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and based upon the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on April 16, 2007.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1.

Plan Information.

The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

Item 2.

Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.

Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The registrant is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The following documents, which are on file with the Commission, are incorporated in this registration statement by reference:

(a) The registrant’s latest annual report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or the latest prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act that contains audited financial statements for the registrant’s latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

(b) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the document referred to in (a) above.

(c) The description of the securities contained in the registrant’s registration statements on Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4.

Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

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Item 5.

Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

The validity of the common stock offered hereby has been passed upon by Sandra L. Lambert, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company. Ms. Lambert is a full-time employee and executive officer of the Company, and owns or has the right to acquire 30,543 shares of common stock of the Company.

Item 6.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Article SEVENTH of the registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director shall be personally liable for any monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent that the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breach of fiduciary duty.

Article EIGHTH of the registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that a director or officer (a) shall be indemnified by the registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement incurred in connection with any litigation or other legal proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of the registrant) brought against him by virtue of his position as a director or officer of the registrant if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the registrant, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful and (b) shall be indemnified by the registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and amounts paid in settlement incurred in connection with any action by or in the right of the registrant brought against him by virtue of his position as a director or officer of the registrant if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the registrant, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the registrant, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that a director or officer has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, including, without limitation, the dismissal of an action without prejudice, he is required to be indemnified by the registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection therewith. Expenses shall be advanced to a director or officer at his request, provided that he undertakes to repay the amount advanced if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification for such expenses.

Indemnification is required to be made unless the registrant determines that the applicable standard of conduct required for indemnification has not been met. In the event of a determination by the registrant that the director or officer did not meet the applicable standard of conduct required for indemnification, or if the registrant fails to make an indemnification payment within 60 days after such payment is claimed by such person, such person is permitted to petition the court to make an independent determination as to whether such person is entitled to indemnification. As a condition precedent to the right of indemnification, the director or officer must give the registrant notice of the action for which indemnity is sought and the registrant has the right to participate in such action or assume the defense thereof.

Article EIGHTH of the registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the indemnification provided therein is not exclusive, and provides that in the event that the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to expand the indemnification permitted to directors or officers the registrant must indemnify those persons to the fullest extent permitted by such law as so amended.

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Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlements actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he is or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

The registrant has directors and officers liability insurance for the benefit of its directors and officers.

The registrant has an indemnification agreement with each of its directors and officers under which it agrees to indemnify, under certain conditions, its directors and officers against certain liabilities.

Item 7.

Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8.

Exhibits.

The Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.

Undertakings.

1. Item 512(a) of Regulation S-K. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (i) and (ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

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(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

2. Item 512(b) of Regulation S-K. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. Item 512(h) of Regulation S-K. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Westford, Massachusetts, on this 20^th day of April, 2007.


KADANT INC.

By:		/s/ William A. Rainville
		William A. Rainville
		Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Kadant Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint William A. Rainville, Edward J. Sindoni and Thomas M. O’Brien, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Kadant Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Signature	Title	Date

/s/ William A. Rainville William A. Rainville	Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal executive officer)	April 20, 2007

/s/ Thomas M. O’Brien Thomas M. O’Brien	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial officer)	April 20, 2007

/s/ Michael J. McKenney Michael J. McKenney	Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal accounting officer)	April 20, 2007

/s/ John M. Albertine John M. Albertine	Director	April 20, 2007

/s/ John K. Allen John K. Allen	Director	April 20, 2007

/s/ Thomas C. Leonard Thomas C. Leonard	Director	April 20, 2007

/s/ Francis L. McKone Francis L. McKone	Director	April 20, 2007

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS


Number		Description
4.1(1)		Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant

4.2(1)		Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant

4.3(2)		Rights Agreement, dated as of July 16, 2001, between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent

5		Opinion of Sandra L. Lambert, Esq.

23.1		Consent of Sandra L. Lambert, Esq. (included in Exhibit 5)

23.2		Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

24		Power of attorney (included on the signature pages of this registration statement)

(1)	Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2001 (File No. 1-11406) and incorporated herein by reference.

(2)	Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 1-11406), filed on July 17, 2001 and incorporated herein by reference.