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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2002

 

Commission File Number 1-15147

 


 

OMNOVA Solutions Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Ohio

 

34-1897652

(State of Incorporation)

 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

175 Ghent Road, Fairlawn, Ohio

 

44333-3300

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (330) 869-4200

 


 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class


      

Name of each exchange

on which registered


Common Stock, par value 10¢ per share

      

The New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 


 

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  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes  x  No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant was $340,173,450, based on the closing price per share of $8.56 on May 31, 2002, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

 

As of February 3, 2003, there were 39,916,420 outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock, 10¢ par value.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the 2003 Proxy Statement of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. are incorporated into Part III of this Report.

 



Table of Contents

 

OMNOVA Solutions Inc.

 

Annual Report on Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended November 30, 2002

 

Table of Contents

 

Item

Number


     

Page


PART I

   

1

 

Business

 

1

2

 

Properties

 

10

3

 

Legal Proceedings

 

11

4

 

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

11

4A

 

Executive Officers of the Registrant

 

11

PART II

   

5

 

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

 

13

6

 

Selected Financial Data

 

13

7

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

14

7A

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

23

8

 

Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

23

9

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

48

PART III

   

10

 

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

 

49

11

 

Executive Compensation

 

49

12

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

 

49

13

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

 

50

14

 

Controls and Procedures

 

50

PART IV

   

15

 

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

 

50

   

Signatures

 

53


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PART I

 

Item 1.    Business

 

Introduction

 

OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (referred to in this report as OMNOVA Solutions, OMNOVA, the Company, we or our) became an independent publicly-traded company on October 1, 1999, when GenCorp Inc., our former parent company, distributed a dividend payable in one share of OMNOVA Solutions common stock for each share of GenCorp common stock held on the September 27, 1999 record date (the spin-off). OMNOVA Solutions is incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio, and its headquarters is located at 175 Ghent Road, Fairlawn, Ohio 44333.

 

OMNOVA Solutions is an innovator of decorative and functional surfaces, emulsion polymers and specialty chemicals for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential end uses. Our products provide critical performance and aesthetic attributes to materials that people use daily. Over 75% of our sales are generated in product categories in which we maintain leading positions. OMNOVA’s leading positions have been built through innovative products, customized product solutions, strong brands, strong technical expertise, well-established distribution channels and long-standing customer relationships. We offer over 1,000 products, which helps our more than 2,000 customers differentiate their products in the marketplace. We utilize 18 strategically located manufacturing, marketing, development and design facilities in North America, Europe and Asia to service our broad customer base.

 

OMNOVA operates in two business segments: Decorative & Building Products and Performance Chemicals. Of our fiscal 2002 net sales, approximately 56% were derived from the Decorative & Building Products segment and 44% were derived from the Performance Chemicals segment. (Financial information relating to the Company’s business segments is set forth in Note R to the Consolidated Financial Statements on pages 45 through 47 of this report).

 

Decorative & Building Products

 

Background

 

Our Decorative & Building Products business began in 1945 when GenCorp (then known as The General Tire & Rubber Company) purchased the Jeannette, Pennsylvania coated fabrics facility from the Pennsylvania Rubber Company. In 1963, a production facility was built in Columbus, Mississippi to increase General Tire’s capacity and product offerings in coated fabrics. The manufacturing of commercial wallcovering was added at that plant in the early 1970s.

 

Decorative & Building Products expanded its commercial wallcovering capabilities in 1991 through the acquisition of Canadian General Towers’ commercial wallcovering business. With the 1998 acquisition of Walker Greenbank’s U.K.-based Muraspec commercial wallcovering businesses, Decorative & Building Products grew its leadership position in this product category. Muraspec provides a European manufacturing base and a distribution business with sales offices throughout the U.K. and Europe. Muraspec also serves as a key European distribution platform for marketing coated fabrics and other surfacing products.

 

The Reneer Films Division of Goodyear was acquired in 1993, increasing vinyl film and decorative laminate capability for the Decorative & Building Products business and elevating its position in vinyl woodgrain laminates to number one in North America. In 1997, the Printworld business of Technographics, Inc. was acquired, adding paper laminates to our vinyl laminate portfolio and gaining entry into transfer printing for home furnishings and apparel.

 

In 2001, OMNOVA Solutions acquired certain business lines and assets of Decorative Surfaces International, Inc. (DSI), including its commercial wallcovering, vinyl laminates and coated fabrics product lines.

 

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We have also pursued growth initiatives by entering into strategic alliances and joint ventures. In 1999, Decorative & Building Products formed a joint venture company with an affiliate of the Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Group. The joint venture acquired a Rayong, Thailand-based decorative film and coated fabrics business to serve the decorative film and coated fabric product based markets in the Asia-Pacific region and provide expanded product lines to North America and Europe. In 2000, we formed another joint venture with the Charoen Pokphand Group, which acquired a Shanghai, China-based coated fabrics business to further strengthen and expand our position in China and the Asia-Pacific region and provide expanded product lines to Europe. Also in 2000, we formed Muraspec N.A. LLC, a joint venture with Brewster Wallpaper Corp., to serve as a national distributor for three of our wallcovering brands, Genon, Muraspec and Guard, and a diverse offering of other decorative and functional wall surfacing manufactured by others.

 

Our GenFlex roofing systems business was started in 1980 when GenCorp began manufacturing a single-ply vinyl product line (PVC). This business has expanded over the years to include the manufacturing of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and sourcing of synthetic rubber (EPDM) membrane systems, making OMNOVA one of the largest suppliers of single-ply commercial roofing in North America. In 2001, we began production of single-ply roofing at a new manufacturing facility located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

 

Products

 

Our Decorative & Building Products segment develops, designs, produces and markets a broad line of decorative and functional surfacing products, including commercial wallcoverings, coated and performance fabrics, printed and solid color surface laminates, industrial films, transfer printed products and commercial roofing systems. These products are used in numerous applications, including building refurbishment and remodeling, new construction, furniture, cabinets, transportation, manufactured housing, retail display, consumer electronics, flooring and home furnishings. Our core competencies in design, coating, compounding, calendering, extruding, printing and embossing enable us to develop unique, aesthetically pleasing decorative surfaces that have functional properties that address specific customer needs. We have industry leading design capabilities, an extensive design library covering a broad range of styles, patterns, textures and colors and strong coating and processing capabilities to create product functionality solutions. Our broad range of products and end-use applications give us economies of scale in sourcing, manufacturing, design, technology and process development.

 

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The following table shows the products that our Decorative & Building Products segment develops, designs, produces and markets.

 

Product Category


  

% of Decorative & Building Products Fiscal 2002 Net Sales


 

Primary Products


 

End-uses


 

Brands names


Commercial Wallcoverings

  

31.5%

 

Vinyl wallcoverings, dry erasable surfaces

 

Decorative and protective wall surfacing for offices, hotels, hospital and medical offices, stores, schools, restaurants, public buildings

 

Bolta, Essex, Genon, Lanark, Tower, X-Quest, Muraspec, Murek, MemErase

Coated Fabrics

  

23.9%

 

Vinyl coated fabrics, urethane coated fabrics, performance woven fabrics

 

Decorative and protective surfacing for residential and commercial furniture, transportation seating, marine seating, interior construction, soft top covers

 

Endurion, Boltaflex, Diversiwall, PreFixx, Nautolex

Decorative Laminates

  

20.2%

 

Paper and vinyl laminates

 

Decorative and protective surfacing for residential furniture, office furniture, kitchen and bath cabinets, manufactured housing, recreational vehicles, interior partitions, consumer electronics, retail displays, floor and ceiling tile

 

Surf(x), Reneer, Rendura, Decotone, Deconeer, Elastotherm

Commercial Roofing

  

24.4%

 

EPDM, TPO and PVC single-ply roofing systems

 

Low-sloped and flat roofs on office complexes, shopping malls, stadiums, restaurants, factories, schools, government buildings

 

GenFlex

 

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Commercial Wallcoverings.    OMNOVA Solutions is the leading North American and European supplier of wallcoverings used in commercial applications. Our commercial wallcoverings are recognized for their leading designs as well as their strength, durability and cleanability. Our vinyl wallcoverings, in addition to their aesthetic appeal, reduce repair and maintenance costs for building owners by protecting wall surfaces, being easy to clean and having longer useful lives as compared to paint and paper wallcoverings. Applications for our commercial wallcoverings include refurbishment and new construction for the commercial office, hospitality, health care, retail, education and restaurant markets.

 

OMNOVA’s commercial wallcovering product lines include a broad range of fabric-backed vinyl and paper-backed vinyl wallcoverings. Our industry leading styling and design library covers a broad range of styles, patterns, textures and colors, both traditional and contemporary. In addition to leading design capabilities, our Decorative & Building Products segment’s strengths include its reputation for product durability and quality, its global distribution network, its extensive emboss and print roll library and its long-term customer relationships. In 2002, we became the first, and the only, commercial wallcovering producer to achieve GREENGUARD INDOOR AIR QUALITY CERTIFICATION for our low VOC commercial wallcovering. Through proprietary technology, this low emissions product enhances indoor air quality, an increasing concern among building owners, architects and specifiers. Commercial wallcoverings represented 17.6% of our net sales for fiscal 2002, 18.2% of our net sales for fiscal 2001 and 18.2% of our net sales for fiscal 2000.

 

Coated Fabrics.    OMNOVA Solutions is a leading North American supplier of vinyl and urethane coated fabrics for commercial applications. Our durable coated fabrics are well-suited for demanding, high-use environments and offer a cost-effective alternative to other surfacing materials, such as leather and textile fabrics. We also offer high-performance coated woven fabrics, including Endurion-coated fabrics, which we introduced in 2002. This new coating technology, developed jointly with our Performance Chemicals segment, provides repeatable cleanability and superior stain resistance for high-traffic interior environments. Applications for our coated fabrics include:

 

    residential furniture;

 

    commercial furniture (office, hospitality, health care and education markets);

 

    transportation seating (mass transit and marine markets);

 

    interior structures (office cubicles, walls and room dividers); and

 

    soft top covers (automotive market).

 

Decorative Laminates.    OMNOVA Solutions is a leading North American supplier of paper and vinyl decorative laminates for wood and metal surfaces. Our decorative laminates are used as alternatives to wood, paint and high-pressure laminates in markets where durability, design flexibility and cost are key requirements. We provide our customers with a broad range of aesthetically pleasing designs as well as proprietary coating technology that provides enhanced durability and scratch and stain resistance. Applications for our decorative laminates include manufactured housing and recreational vehicle interiors, kitchen and bath cabinets, office furniture, consumer electronics, retail display, flooring and ready-to-assemble furniture.

 

A key strength of our decorative products business is our coating technology, including ultraviolet, electron beam, thermal cured and others, which provides durable finishes for high-use products and superior scratch and stain resistance. In addition, our decorative products business has further differentiated itself in the decorative laminate market as a single-source supplier of integrated vinyl and paper laminate designs for the furniture and cabinet industries, building a unique library of matched vinyl and paper laminate design patterns and textures and developing rapid make-to-order production capabilities. In 2002, we introduced Surf(x) decorative laminates for three-dimensional applications for the office furniture and display fixture markets. Surf(x) laminates offer a cost-effective alternative to high pressure laminates and provide furniture makers with design flexibility in rounded surfaces, eliminating the need for unsightly and expensive edge-banding.

 

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Commercial Roofing.    OMNOVA Solutions is a major North American supplier of single-ply roofing systems for the new and replacement commercial roofing markets. We are one of the few suppliers of all three single-ply roofing systems: EPDM, TPO and PVC. We manufacture ENERGY STAR certified TPO and PVC roofing systems that provide building owners with significant energy efficiencies. Additionally, we were the first to develop, and are the only producer of, a twelve-foot wide single-ply roofing system, which reduces installation time and cost for our customers.

 

Our broad commercial roofing product line, which we market under the GenFlex brand name, meets virtually any commercial roofing application requirement. In 2001, we began production of GenFlex products at our state-of-the-art extrusion plant located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where we produce our twelve-foot wide single-ply TPO and PVC roofing systems. GenFlex roofing systems represented 13.7% of our net sales for fiscal 2002, 15.4% of our net sales for fiscal 2001 and 13.7% of our net sales for fiscal 2000.

 

Markets and Customers

 

We believe that our Decorative & Building Products segment is a leader in its targeted product categories. The wallcovering, coated fabrics, decorative laminates, commercial roofing and other Decorative & Building Products categories are highly competitive based on decorative content, functional performance, price, quality, customer service, brand name recognition, distribution networks and reputation. Decorative & Building Products markets its products under numerous brand names to different industries. Certain of our better-known customers of this segment include Steelcase, LA-Z-Boy, Ashley, Patrick Industries and Herculite Products.

 

Marketing and Distribution

 

Our Decorative & Building Products segment distributes its products through a variety of channels. Commercial wallcoverings and commercial roofing products are marketed primarily through independent distributors to building owners, contractors, architects and other specifiers. Most of our wallcovering distributors are national in scope, providing us with the capability to cost-effectively market wallcovering products to regional commercial purchasers as well as those with a nationwide presence. Coated fabrics and decorative laminates are sold directly and through agents to manufacturers of cabinets, furniture, seating and other products. Many of our Decorative & Building Products segment’s products have strong, well-recognized brand names that are promoted through trade shows, industry periodicals and other media.

 

Competition

 

OMNOVA’s Decorative & Building Products segment competes with numerous companies, many of which are smaller and privately-owned. Key competitors in each product group include:

 

    Commercial Wallcovering—RJF International, US Vinyl, J. Josephson, and paint systems

 

    Coated Fabrics—Morbern and Hi-Tex

 

    Decorative Laminates—Chiyoda, Dai Nippon and Toppan

 

    Commercial Roofing—Carlisle, Firestone and Manville

 

Performance Chemicals

 

Background

 

Our Performance Chemicals business began in 1952 as a segment of GenCorp (then known as The General Tire & Rubber Company). Initially, the business focused on the manufacture of styrene butadiene latex (or SB latex), an emulsion polymer, for the paper industry and SB vinyl pyridine latex for tire cord adhesives in its Mogadore, Ohio facility. During the 1960s, the business began expanding its product lines for the paper and carpet industries, and in 1993 started a SB latex plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin to better serve the needs of its paper customers in the upper Midwest. In 1996, SB latex capacity at the Mogadore, Ohio facility was substantially expanded.

 

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Performance Chemicals broadened its offerings to the paper industry with the 1996 acquisition of Morton International’s Lytron plastic pigment product line. The 1998 acquisition of Goodyear’s Calhoun, Georgia latex business provided additional manufacturing capacity, a strong presence in the southeast and an expanded customer base. In 1998, Performance Chemicals also acquired Sequa Chemicals’ U.S. specialty chemicals business, adding acrylic, vinyl acrylic and vinyl acetate latex, expanding existing emulsion polymer market positions and providing entry into new specialty chemical markets.

 

The fiscal year 1999 acquisition of PolymerLatex’s U.S. acrylics latex business in Fitchburg, Massachusetts provided a key northeast production location while strengthening and diversifying served markets in specialty acrylic emulsions. The 1999 acquisition of Morton International’s global floor care polymer business provided Performance Chemicals with several new emulsion polymer product lines and customers, based on complementary manufacturing technology.

 

On May 1, 2002, OMNOVA Solutions and the Rohm and Haas Company formed RohmNova, a joint venture for the purpose of marketing, selling and servicing latex binders, synthetic pigments and specialty chemical additives for coatings in the paper and paperboard industry. The joint venture has reduced our costs while providing total solutions capability to customers and offers a strong portfolio of complementary coating products for the paper and paperboard industry.

 

Products

 

OMNOVA Solutions’ Performance Chemicals segment produces a broad range of emulsion polymers and specialty chemicals based primarily on styrene butadiene, styrene butadiene acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic, glyoxal, and fluorochemical chemistries. We are North America’s second largest producer of SB latex and operate advanced, strategically located low-cost production facilities, which we believe provide us with an advantaged conversion cost position relative to our competitors. Our custom-formulated products are tailored for coatings, binders and adhesives, which are used in paper, carpet, nonwovens, textiles, construction, floor care, tape, tires, plastic parts and various other specialty chemical applications. Our products provide a variety of functional properties to enhance our customers’ products, including greater strength, adhesion, dimensional stability, water resistance, flow and leveling, improved processibility and enhanced appearance. Our Performance Chemicals segment is recognized for its core capabilities in emulsion polymer technology and for its ability to rapidly develop highly-customized products that provide innovative, cost-effective customer solutions.

 

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The following table shows the products that our Performance Chemicals segment produces and markets.

 

Product Category


  

% of Performance Chemicals Fiscal 2002 Net Sales


 

Primary Products


 

End markets


 

Brands names


Specialty Chemicals

  

38.9%

 

Styrene butadiene, styrene butadiene acrylonitrile, acrylic, vinyl acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl pyridine and vinyl acetate emulsion polymers, glyoxal, polyethylene resins, fluorochemicals

 

Nonwovens (such as diapers, engine filters, resilient flooring, and roofing mat), floor care, tapes, tires, plastic parts, graphic arts and textiles.

 

GenFlo, GenCryl, Sequabond, Suncryl, Secoat, Secryl, Mor-Glo, Mor-Shine, Mor-Flo, AcryGen, Mykon, Permafresh, PolyFox

Paper Chemicals

  

39.7%

 

SB and SBA latex coating binders and paper chemicals including crosslinkers, lubricants and other paper chemical additives

 

High gloss magazines, catalogs, direct mail advertising, brochures, food cartons, household and other consumer and industrial packaging

 

GenFlo, GenCryl, Sequaflow, AcryPrint, Sunkote, Sunbond, Sunkem, UniQ-Print, Sequapel, Sequabond,

Sunrez, Sequarez

Carpet Chemicals

  

21.4%

 

SB latex carpet backing adhesive

 

Residential and commercial carpet manufacturing

 

GenCal, GenFlo, OmnaBloc, OmnaTuf

 

Specialty Chemicals.    OMNOVA is a leading supplier of specialty polymers and chemicals for a variety of niche product categories. Applications for our custom formulated specialty polymers and chemicals include nonwovens (such as diapers, engine filters, resilient flooring, and roofing mat), floor polish, tire cord adhesive and plastic part coatings. Our focus is developing unique products and customized applications that address specific customer needs, including enhanced functionality, improved environmental performance and lower cost through substitution of higher-cost materials.

 

A targeted growth area for Performance Chemicals is our proprietary fluorochemical technology platform known as PolyFox. PolyFox has unique properties as a surfactant for flow, leveling and wetting and as a surface modifier for stain and scratch resistance. PolyFox-enhanced products are being sold for floor care products, dry erasable wallcovering and decorative laminates. PolyFox is also environmentally-preferred as a replacement for competitive perfluorooctane sulfonate fluorochemicals-based products, some of which have been withdrawn from the market over environmental concerns. In fiscal 2001, we formed a strategic alliance with Daikin Industries, a leading fluorochemicals supplier, focused on developing proprietary fluorochemical raw materials for our PolyFox technology platform.

 

Paper Chemicals.    OMNOVA is a leading North American supplier of custom-formulated SB latex for paper and paperboard coatings. In addition, we produce a broad variety of specialty chemical additives for coating applications in the paper industry. Our products for the paper industry improve the strength, gloss, opacity, moisture resistance and printability of coated papers and paperboard. Applications for our products include paper and paperboard coatings used in magazines, catalogs, direct mail advertising, brochures, food cartons, household and other consumer and industrial packaging. Paper and paperboard coatings represented 17.5% of our net sales for fiscal 2002, 18.8% of our net sales for fiscal 2001 and 17.8% of our net sales for fiscal 2000.

 

 

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Carpet Chemicals.    OMNOVA is a leading North American supplier of custom-formulated SB latex used as carpet backing adhesive. Our products for the carpet industry secure carpet fibers to the carpet backing and meet the stringent manufacturing, environmental, odor, flammability and flexible installation requirements of our customers. Our strong historic position in residential carpeting has been recently enhanced by new product innovations in commercial carpeting backing adhesive that provide moisture barrier properties and can replace higher-cost polyurethanes.

 

Markets and Customers

 

The paper coating and carpet backing adhesive product categories are highly competitive based on price, quality, customer service, product performance, field technical support and product innovations. Major paper and carpet customers include International Paper, Shaw and Stora Enso.

 

Marketing and Distribution

 

Our Performance Chemicals segment primarily sells its products directly to manufacturers through an internal marketing, sales and technical service team focused on providing customized solutions.

 

Competition

 

Performance Chemicals competes with several large global chemical companies including Dow, BASF and Rohm and Haas, some of which are vertically integrated in one or more major raw materials. Performance Chemicals also competes with a variety of other suppliers of specialty chemicals including Noveon, Para-Chem, Air Products, National Starch and Johnson Polymers. Depending on the products involved and markets served, the basis of competition varies and may include price, quality, customer and technical service, product performance and innovation and industry recognition. Overall, our Performance Chemicals segment regards its products to be competitive in its major categories and we believe that we are a leader in several North American categories, including SB latex paper coatings and carpet backing binders, nonwoven binders and vinyl pyridine tire cord adhesives.

 

International Operations

 

Net sales from our foreign operations were $53.2 million in fiscal 2002, $61.4 million in fiscal 2001 and $65.5 million in fiscal 2000. These net sales represented 7.8% of our total net sales in fiscal 2002, 8.3% of our total net sales in fiscal 2001 and 8.5% of our total net sales in fiscal 2000. Long-lived assets consist of net property, plant and equipment and net goodwill. Long-lived assets of our foreign operations totaled $51.4 million at November 30, 2002 and $90.9 million at November 30, 2001. Our consolidated long-lived assets totaled $269.7 million at November 30, 2002 and $429.1 million at November 30, 2001.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We regard patents, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property as important to our success, and we rely on them in the United States and foreign countries to protect our investments in products and technology. Patents to which we have rights expire at various times, but we believe that the loss or expiration of any individual patent would not materially affect our business. We, like any other company, may be subject to claims of alleged infringement of the patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights of third parties from time to time in the ordinary course of business.

 

Seasonal Factors

 

We historically experience stronger sales and income in our second, third and fourth fiscal quarters, comprised of the three-month periods ending May 31, August 31 and November 30. Our performance in the first

 

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fiscal quarter (December through February) has historically been weaker due to generally lower levels of construction and industrial activity over the holidays and cold weather months.

 

Environmental Matters

 

Our business operations, like those of other companies in the industries in which we operate, are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations. These laws and regulations not only affect our current operations, but also could impose liability on us for past operations that were conducted in compliance with then applicable laws and regulations. A discussion of capital and noncapital expenditures incurred in 2002 and forecasted for 2003 for environmental compliance is included under the heading Environmental Matters on page 21 of this report and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Employees

 

We employed approximately 2,400 employees at November 30, 2002 at offices, plants and other facilities located principally throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. At November 30, 2002, approximately 29% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements with none of those employees covered by collective bargaining agreements due to expire within one year.

 

Raw Materials

 

Our Decorative & Building Products segment utilizes a variety of raw materials that are generally available from multiple suppliers. Key raw materials include polyvinyl chloride resins, textiles, plasticizers, paper and titanium dioxide. Textiles and polyvinyl chloride resins represent approximately 40% of our total raw materials purchased on a dollar basis in fiscal 2002 for this segment.

 

Our Performance Chemicals segment also utilizes a variety of raw materials, primarily monomers, in the manufacture of our products, all of which are generally available from multiple suppliers. Monomer costs are a major component of the emulsion polymers produced by the business. Key monomers include styrene, butadiene, acrylates and vinyl acetate. These monomers represented approximately 59% of our total raw materials purchased on a dollar basis in fiscal 2002 for this segment.

 

The cost of these raw materials has a significant impact on our profitability. We generally attempt to pass increased raw material prices on to our customers in the form of price increases. The success of attempted price increases depends on a variety of factors including the competitive environment. Under certain circumstances, we are not able to pass along the increase. In addition, if accepted by customers, price increases generally lag the increase in raw material costs.

 

Research and Development

 

The OMNOVA Solutions Technology Center in Akron, Ohio supports research and development efforts across our business and develops technologies focused on significant functionality enhancement in existing products as well as new product platforms. Information relating to research and development expense is set forth in Note G to the Consolidated Financial Statements on page 37 of this report.

 

Available Information

 

We make available free of charge on our website, www.omnova.com, all materials that we file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the SEC.

 

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Item 2.    Properties

 

The Company’s significant operating, manufacturing, distribution, research, design and/or sales and marketing facilities are set forth below:

 

Corporate Headquarters:

   

OMNOVA Solutions Inc.

*175 Ghent Road

Fairlawn, OH

 

OMNOVA Solutions Technology Center

2990 Gilchrist Road

Akron, OH

 

Decorative & Building Products:

    

Headquarters:

*175 Ghent Rd

Fairlawn, OH

  

Manufacturing Facilities:

Auburn, PA

Columbus, MS

Jeannette, PA

Kent, England

Monroe, NC

*Muscle Shoals, AL

*Rayong, Thailand

*Shanghai, China

  

Sales/Marketing/Design/Distribution:

*Asnieres, France

*Bangkok, Thailand

*Boston, MA

*Charlotte, NC

*Columbus, OH

*Dubai, UAE

*Hertfordshire, England

*Maumee, OH

*New York, NY

*Paris, France

*Rayong, Thailand

*Salem, NH

*São Paulo, Brazil

*Shanghai, China

*Warsaw, Poland

Performance Chemicals:

Headquarters:

*175 Ghent Road

Fairlawn, OH

  

Sales/Manufacturing/Technical/Distribution:

Akron, OH

Calhoun, GA

Chester, SC

*Dalton, GA

Fitchburg, MA

Green Bay, WI

Hertfordshire, England

Mogadore, OH


*   An asterisk next to a facility listed above indicates that it is a leased property.

 

For a further discussion of our leased properties, please refer to Note N to the Consolidated Financial Statements appearing on page 42 of this report.

 

During fiscal 2002, we generally made effective use of our productive capacity. We believe that the quality and productive capacity of our properties are sufficient to maintain our competitive position for the foreseeable future.

 

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Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

 

On October 12, 2000, a group of former GenCorp employees who retired from GenCorp facilities filed a purported class action lawsuit in Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against GenCorp Inc. and us, and certain retiree medical plans of both companies, seeking certain retiree medical benefits. The retirees seek to certify a class consisting of all eligible retirees at 12 plants formerly represented by the United Rubber Workers. The plaintiffs’ claims are based primarily on certain GenCorp labor agreements, which expired in the mid-1990’s or earlier, and GenCorp’s adoption of a replacement retiree health care plan that capped benefit levels. The court recently denied our motion for summary judgement. We believe we have meritorious defenses to this lawsuit as well as a right of indemnification from GenCorp. We believe that the likelihood that we will incur liability materially affecting our consolidated financial condition is remote.

 

We are subject to various legal actions, governmental investigations and proceedings relating to a wide range of matters. In the opinion of our management, after reviewing the information that is currently available with respect to these matters and consulting with counsel, any liability that may ultimately be incurred with respect to these matters will not materially affect our consolidated financial condition. The effect of resolution of these matters on results of operations cannot be predicted because any such effect depends on both future results of operations and the amount and timing of the resolution of such matters.

 

Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of OMNOVA Solutions’ security holders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise, during the quarter ended November 30, 2002.

 

Item 4A.    Executive Officers of the Registrant

 

The following information is given as of February 1, 2003, and except as otherwise indicated, each individual has held the same office during the preceding five-year period.

 

Kevin M. McMullen, age 42, Mr. McMullen has been Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company since February 2001. Prior to that, Mr. McMullen served as Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company from December 2000 and as a Director from March 2000. From January 2000 until December 2000, Mr. McMullen served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and from September 1999 to January 2000, Mr. McMullen served as Vice President of the Company and President, Decorative & Building Products. Previously, Mr. McMullen was Vice President of GenCorp Inc. and President of GenCorp’s Decorative & Building Products business unit from September 1996 until the spin-off of OMNOVA Solutions in October 1999. Prior to that, Mr. McMullen was General Manager of General Electric Corporation’s Commercial & Industrial Lighting business from 1993 to 1996 and General Manager of General Electric Lighting’s Business Development and Strategic Planning activities from 1991 to 1993.

 

Michael E. Hicks, age 44, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. since its formation. Prior to the spin-off of OMNOVA Solutions in October 1999, Mr. Hicks served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of GenCorp Inc. from February 1999 and as Treasurer of GenCorp from September 1994 to February 1999.

 

James J. Hohman, age 54, Vice President of the Company since November 2001 and President, Paper & Carpet Chemicals since December 2000; Vice President, Specialty Chemicals from March 2000 until November 2000; and Vice President, Paper Chemicals from the spin-off of the Company from GenCorp Inc. in October 1999 until March 2000. Prior to the spin-off, Mr. Hohman served for GenCorp Inc. as Vice President, Paper Chemicals from November 1998 until October 1999 and as Director, Strategic Business Development, Performance Chemicals business unit from March 1996 until October 1998. Previously, Mr. Hohman held several key business and marketing management positions at BP Chemicals from 1982 until 1996, most recently serving as General Manager, Barex Resins.

 

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Table of Contents

 

James C. LeMay, age 46, Senior Vice President, Business Development; General Counsel of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. since December 1, 2000; previously Senior Vice President, Law and General Counsel of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. since its formation. Prior to the spin-off of OMNOVA Solutions in October 1999, Mr. LeMay also served as Assistant General Counsel of GenCorp Inc. from May 1997, and as Senior Counsel of GenCorp from May 1990 to May 1997.

 

Gregory T. Troy, age 47, Senior Vice President, Human Resources of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. since September 1999. Mr. Troy served as Director, Human Resources of GenCorp Inc.’s Performance Chemicals business unit from December 1996 until the spin-off of OMNOVA Solutions in October 1999. Previously, Mr. Troy served as Director, Human Resources, of Bosch Braking Systems (formerly AlliedSignal) from 1995 to December 1996, and Employee Relations Area Manager, Manufacturing, of Mobil Corporation’s Plastics division from 1994 to 1995.

 

Douglas E. Wenger, age 46, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Company since November 2001. Prior to joining OMNOVA in October 2001, Mr. Wenger served as Director, Global I/T Strategy and Architecture from 2000 until 2001; as Global Program Director, Enterprise Business Applications from 1996 until 2000; Director, Business Information Development, Worldwide Research & Development from 1993 until 1996; and as Director, North American Information Systems and Database Development from 1991 until 1993, in each case for Kellogg Company, a manufacturer and marketer of ready-to-eat cereal and convenience foods.

 

The Company’s executive officers generally hold terms of office of one year and/or until their successors are elected.

 

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Table of Contents

 

PART II

 

Item 5.    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

 

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol OMN. At December 31, 2002, there were approximately 10,100 holders of record of the Company’s common stock. The Company has not paid a quarterly cash dividend since the second quarter of 2001. Previously, the Company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. Information regarding the high and low quarterly sales prices of the Company’s common stock is contained in the Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) which appears on page 48 of this report and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Information concerning long-term debt appears in Note M to the Consolidated Financial Statements and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

 

The following table sets forth the Company’s selected historical financial data. The selected historical financial data as of November 30, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998 and for each of the five years in the period ended November 30, 2002 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The Company was spun off from GenCorp Inc. as an independent public company as of October 1, 1999.

 

<
    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


    

1999


    

1998


 
    

(Dollars in millions, except per-share data)

 

Net Sales

                                            

Decorative & Building Products

  

$

381.8

 

  

$

416.1

 

  

$

429.8

 

  

$

443.5

 

  

$

398.6

 

Performance Chemicals

  

 

299.4

 

  

 

320.9

 

  

 

343.5

 

  

 

323.9

 

  

 

225.6

 

    


  


  


  


  


    

$

681.2

 

  

$

737.0

 

  

$

773.3

 

  

$

767.4

 

  

$

624.2

 

    


  


  


  


  


Segment Operating Profit