UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended 12/31/02 |
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number 1-11499
WATTS INDUSTRIES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware (State of incorporation) |
04-2916536 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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815 Chestnut Street, North Andover, MA (Address of principal executive offices) |
01845 (Zip Code) |
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (978) 688-1811 |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Class A Common Stock, par value $.10 per share Name of exchange on which registered: New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None |
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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 ý No o
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. ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ý No o
Aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on June 28, 2002 was $353,381,531.
As of March 18, 2003, 18,873,740 shares of Class A Common Stock, $.10 par value, 8,185,224 shares of Class B Common Stock, $.10 par value, of the Registrant were outstanding.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 20, 2003, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
This annual report on Form 10-K contains statements which are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements contain projections of our future results of operations, our financial position or state other forward-looking information. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will" and "would" or similar words. You should not rely on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. These risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that might cause these differences are described under Item 7"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsCertain Factors Affecting Future Results." You should carefully review all of these factors, and you should be aware that there may be other factors that could cause these differences. These forward-looking statements were based on information, plans and estimates at the date of this report, and we do not promise to update any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, future events or other changes.
Overview
For more than 125 years, we have designed and manufactured valves and related products that promote the comfort and safety of people and the quality and conservation of water use in commercial, residential and light industrial applications. Watts has focused on the valve industry since our inception in 1874, when we were founded to design and produce steam regulators for New England textile mills and power plants. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1985.
Our primary objective is to increase sales and earnings by expanding into new markets, growing internal sales within existing and new markets, making selected acquisitions and reducing manufacturing costs.
We intend to expand into new markets by continually targeting selected new markets based on growth potential. For example, we entered the do-it-yourself (DIY) market through our acquisition of Jameco Industries in July 1994. Since then, we have increased our DIY sales to approximately $124 million, primarily through internal growth driven by merchandising and new product introduction.
We intend to grow internal sales within existing and new markets and continue to introduce products in both existing and new markets. We are focused on enhancing our preferred brands, developing new complementary products, promoting plumbing code development to drive sales of safety and water quality products and continuously improving merchandising in both the DIY and wholesale distribution channels. We promote the adoption of plumbing codes that often support the use of our products, such as thermostatic mixing valves, that reduce the risk of being scalded by water.
We are selective in making acquisitions and have completed nine acquisitions in the last two years. Our acquisitions have increased our market share in our core markets and provided us access to new complementary markets as well as access to lower-cost manufacturing operations worldwide. Our acquisition of F&R Foerster and Rothmann GmbH in July 2002 expanded our overall gauge product offering and increased our presence in both the French and German markets. Our acquisition of Hunter Innovations in May 2002 provided next-generation technology for backflow prevention devices for both the fire protection and plumbing markets. The improved product features include lighter weight, more compact design, better flow characteristics, improved serviceability and multiple end-connection options. Our acquisition of Powers Process Controls in September 2001 broadened our
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product line offering in the thermostatic mixing valves into the commercial and institutional facilities. Our acquisition of Premier Manufactured Systems in June 2001 marked our entry into the water filtration products market.
We have made a commitment to significantly reduce our manufacturing costs. We are consolidating factories and reducing our manufacturing capacity in both North America and Europe, while at the same time expanding our manufacturing capacity in lower cost areas of the world. In 2002, we established our second joint venture in China, as well as began construction of a wholly owned factory in Tianjin, China, which we expect to be operational during 2003. We will manufacture some of our traditional bronze water control valves and backflow prevention devices in this new facility. We acquired a factory in Tunisia during 2002, which currently manufactures our thermostatic control product line, and we will be transferring additional production from some of our European factories to Tunisia during 2003. We completed the expansion of our Bulgarian plant in 2002 and are currently manufacturing our line of temperature and pressure gauges at this facility. Most importantly, we have organized our manufacturing restructuring program in a manner that we believe ensures the continued quality and timely delivery of our products to customers, and we will continue to seek opportunities for further cost reductions.
Recent Developments
On August 7, 2002, we announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, Patrick S. O'Keefe, to replace Timothy P. Horne who retired as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Horne retired as an employee of the Company on December 31, 2002. Mr. Horne is a consultant to the Company and remains as a Director. The Board has nominated and elected Mr. Gordon W. Moran as its non-executive Chairman. Mr. Moran has served on the Board since 1990. Mr. O'Keefe has also been elected to the Board.
On July 29, 2002, we acquired F&R Foerster and Rothmann GmbH (F&R) located in Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany, for approximately $2.3 million in cash less assumed net debt of $0.8 million. F&R manufactures and distributes a line of gauges predominantly to the French and German OEM markets. F&R's annual revenue, prior to the acquisition, was approximately 4 million euro. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation consistent with the guidelines in Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 141, "Business Combinations" (FAS 141).
On July 15, 2002, we acquired ADEV Electronic SA (ADEV) located in Rosieres, France and its closely affiliated distributor, E.K. Eminent A.B. (Eminent) located in Gothenburg, Sweden for approximately $12.9 million in cash less assumed net debt of $3.5 million. ADEV also has a low cost manufacturing facility located in Tunisia. ADEV manufactures and distributes electronic systems predominantly to the OEM market. Their product lines include thermostats and controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, control systems for hydronic and electric floor warming systems, and controls for other residential applications. Eminent distributes electronic controls, mechanical thermostats and other electric control related products throughout the European Nordic countries. The two companies' combined annual revenue preceding the acquisition was approximately 30 million euro. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation consistent with the guidelines in FAS 141.
On May 9, 2002, we acquired Hunter Innovations of Sacramento, California for $25 million, of which approximately $10 million was paid in cash at the closing and the balance in interest bearing notes, payable in equal installments over the next four years. Hunter Innovations was founded in 1995 and has developed a line of large backflow prevention devices that represent a significant advance in technology. The improved product features that are important to the backflow prevention markets include lighter weight, more compact design, better flow characteristics, improved serviceability and multiple end-connection and shutoff valve options. Hunter Innovations' sales during the twelve months preceding the acquisition were approximately $1.5 million. Unlike most of our acquisitions, Hunter did
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not have significant historical revenues or earnings. Nonetheless, the purchase price was based on projected revenues and earnings as utilized in other acquisitions. During the quarter ending September 30, 2002, we obtained a third-party valuation to allocate the purchase price. Consistent with the guidelines in FAS 141, the allocation for goodwill was approximately $16.8 million and approximately $11.7 million was for intangibles, which are classified in "Other Assets: Other" in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2002. Of the $11.7 million of acquired intangible assets, $9.2 million was assigned to unpatented technology that is not currently subject to amortization and $2.5 million to patents (twenty-year useful life). The $16.8 million of goodwill was assigned to the North American segment, none of which is deductible for tax purposes.
On March 5, 2002, we entered into a joint venture with the Yuhuan County Cheng Guan Metal Hose Factory (Cheng Guan) located in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China. Cheng Guan, with annual sales prior to the transaction of approximately $15 million, is a manufacturer of a variety of plumbing products sold both into the Chinese domestic market and export markets. Its product lines were contributed to the joint venture and include hose, hose connectors, multi-layer tubing and stainless steel braided hose. The joint venture is owned 60% by us and 40% by our Chinese partner. We will invest $7.8 million to obtain this 60% interest, $5.0 million of which had been paid as of December 31, 2002. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation of the joint venture. The allocation for goodwill was approximately $3 million and approximately $2 million was for other amortizable intangibles, which are classified in "Other Assets: Other" in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2002.
We are in the process of implementing a plan to consolidate several of our manufacturing plants both in North America and Europe. At the same time we are expanding our manufacturing capacity in China and other low cost areas of the world. The implementation of this manufacturing restructuring plan began during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001. The projects for which charges were recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 are essentially complete. During 2002, we decided to expand the scope of the manufacturing restructuring plan and transfer certain production to low cost manufacturing plants in Tunisia and Bulgaria. The expanded plan is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2003. We anticipate that the pre-tax cost of the manufacturing restructuring plan will be $12.8 million. We recorded pre-tax manufacturing restructuring and other costs of $5.8 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 and $4.1 million for fiscal 2002. We anticipate recording additional pre-tax costs of approximately $2.9 million in fiscal 2003 as we continue to implement the program. The manufacturing restructuring and other costs recorded in 2001 and 2002 consist primarily of severance costs, asset write-downs and accelerated depreciation. The severance costs, which have been recorded as restructuring, are for 38 employees in manufacturing and administration groups, 26 of whom have been terminated as of December 31, 2002. Asset write-downs consist primarily of write-offs of inventory related to product lines that we have discontinued as part of this restructuring plan and they have been recorded in cost of goods sold. Accelerated depreciation is based on shorter remaining estimated useful lives of certain fixed assets and has been recorded in cost of goods sold. Other costs consist primarily of removal and shipping costs associated with relocation of manufacturing equipment and has been recorded in cost of goods sold. The tax benefits of costs incurred and asset write-downs will approximate the amount of cash outlays to implement this program, which would allow us to complete the restructuring plan with a minimum consumption of cash. Following the completion of the plan, we estimate an annual pre-tax savings of approximately $5.0 million at current production volume.
Products
We are a leading supplier of products for use in the water quality, water safety, water flow control and water conservation markets in both North America and Europe. We believe that, within a majority
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of the markets we serve, we have the broadest product lines in terms of design distinction, size and configuration. Our principal product lines include:
Customers and Markets
We sell our products to plumbing, heating and mechanical wholesale distributors, major DIY chains and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Wholesalers. Approximately 67% of our 2002 sales were to wholesale distributors for both commercial and residential applications. We rely on commissioned representative organizations, some of which maintain a consigned inventory of our products, to market our product lines.
DIY retail. Approximately 20% of our 2002 sales were to DIY retail customers, primarily in North America. Our DIY customers demand less technical products, but are highly receptive to innovative designs and new product ideas. Our DIY retail sales over the past several years have increased dramatically as a result of our development of unique new products and successful merchandising efforts.
OEMs. Approximately 13% of our 2002 sales were to OEMs in both North America and Europe. In North America, our typical OEM customers are water heater manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, who need flow control devices, and water systems manufacturers, who need backflow preventers. Our sales to OEMs in Europe are primarily to boiler manufacturers and radiant systems manufacturers.
Our largest customer, The Home Depot, Inc., accounted for approximately $63.0 million, or 10.2%, of our total net sales in 2002. Our second largest customer represented approximately 3.5% of our total net sales in 2002. Our top ten customers accounted for approximately 25.4% of our total net sales in 2002; thousands of other customers comprised the remaining 74.6%.
Marketing and Sales
We rely primarily on commissioned, independent representatives, some of which maintain a consigned inventory of our products, to market our product lines. These representatives sell primarily to plumbing and heating wholesalers or service DIY store locations in North America. We also sell products for the residential construction and home repair and remodeling industries through DIY plumbing retailers, national catalog distribution companies, hardware stores, building material outlets and retail home center chains and through our existing plumbing and heating wholesalers. In addition, we sell products directly to certain large OEMs and private label accounts.
Manufacturing
We have fully integrated and highly automated manufacturing capabilities, including bronze and iron foundries, machining, plastic injection molding and assembly operations. Our foundry operations include metal pouring systems, automatic core making, yellow brass forging and brass and bronze die
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castings. Our machining operations feature computer-controlled machine tools, high-speed chucking machines with robotics and automatic screw machines for machining bronze, brass and steel components. We have invested heavily in recent years to expand our manufacturing base and to ensure the availability of the most efficient and productive equipment. We are committed to maintaining our manufacturing equipment at a level consistent with current technology in order to maintain high levels of quality and manufacturing efficiencies.
Our capital expenditure budget for fiscal 2003 is $18.0 million, primarily for manufacturing machinery and equipment. We have substantially completed our implementation of an integrated enterprise-wide software system (ERP) in our U.S. and Canadian locations with a focus on inventory management, production scheduling and electronic data interchange. This has enabled us to provide better service to our customers, improve working capital management, lower transaction costs and improve e-commerce capabilities.
Capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization for the following historical periods were as follows:
| Period |
Capital Expenditures |
Depreciation and Amortization |
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| Twelve months ending December 31, 2002 | $ | 19.6 million | $ | 22.3 million | ||
| Twelve months ending December 31, 2001 | $ | 16.0 million | $ | 23.7 million | ||
| Twelve months ending December 31, 2000 | $ | 14.2 million | $ | 20.1 million | ||
Raw Materials
The three most significant raw materials used in our production processes are bronze ingot, brass rod and cast iron. While we historically have not experienced significant difficulties in obtaining these commodities in quantities sufficient for our operations, there have been significant changes in their prices. Our gross profit margins are adversely affected to the extent that the selling prices of our products do not increase proportionately with increases in the cost of bronze ingot, brass rod and cast iron. Any significant unanticipated increase or decrease in the prices of these commodities could materially affect our results of operations. We manage this risk by monitoring related market prices, working with our suppliers to achieve the maximum level of stability in their costs and related pricing, seeking alternative supply sources when necessary and passing increases in commodity costs to our customers, to the maximum extent possible, when they occur. Additionally, on a limited basis, we use commodity futures contracts to manage this risk. We did not purchase any commodity futures contracts during fiscal 2002. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk."
Code Compliance
Products representing a majority of our sales are subject to regulatory standards and code enforcement which typically require that these products meet stringent performance criteria. Standards are established by such industry test and certification organizations as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E.), the Canadian Standards Association (C.S.A.), the American Society of Sanitary Engineers (A.S.S.E.), the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (I.A.P.M.O.), Factory Mutual (FM) and Underwriters Laboratory (UL). These standards are incorporated into state and municipal plumbing and heating, building and fire protection codes.
European regulatory standards vary by country. The major standards which our products must meet are AFNOR (France), DVGW (Germany), UNI (Italy), KIWA (Netherlands) and WRAS (United Kingdom). Certain products must be approved by The European Committee for Standardization (CEN).
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Together with our manufacturers' representative organizations, we have consistently advocated the development and enforcement of plumbing codes. We maintain stringent quality control and testing procedures at each of our manufacturing facilities in order to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements. We believe that significant product development, product testing capability and investment in plant and equipment is needed to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements. Additionally, a majority of our manufacturing facilities are ISO 9000, 9001 or 9002 certified by the International Organization for Standardization.
Product Development and Engineering
We maintain our own product development and design teams in North America, Europe and Asia that continuously enhance our existing products and develop new products. We maintain sophisticated product development and testing laboratories. Our efforts in this area have been particularly successful in the retail DIY market, which values innovation in product design.
Competition
The domestic and international markets for valves are intensely competitive and require us to compete against some companies possessing greater financial, marketing and other resources than ours. Our management considers brand preference, engineering specifications, plumbing code requirements, price, technological expertise, delivery times and breadth of product offerings to be the primary competitive factors. We believe that new product development and product engineering are also important to success in the valve industry and that our position in the industry is attributable in significant part to our ability to develop new and innovative products quickly and to adapt and enhance existing products. We continue to develop new and innovative products to enhance market position and are continuing to implement manufacturing and design programs to reduce costs. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop new products will be successful or that our customers will accept our new products. Although we own certain patents and trademarks that we consider to be of importance, we do not believe that our business and competitiveness as a whole are dependent on any one of our patents or trademarks or on patent or trademark protection generally.
Backlog
Backlog was $42.7 million at February 14, 2003 and $25.1 million at February 8, 2002. We do not believe that our backlog at any point in time is indicative of future operating results.
Employees
As of December 31, 2002, our domestic and foreign operations employed approximately 3,765 people, plus 1,282 employees in our joint ventures in China. None of our employees in North America is covered by collective bargaining agreements. Our European employees are subject to the traditional national collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our employee relations are good.
Available Information
We maintain a website with the address www.wattsind.com. The information contained on our website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other than an investor's own internet access charges, we make available free of charge through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Executive Officers and Directors
Set forth below are the names of our executive officers and directors, their respective ages and positions with our Company and a brief summary of their business experience for the past five years:
| Name |
Age |
Position |
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Patrick S. O'Keefe |
50 |
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director |
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William C. McCartney |
48 |
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
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Ernest E. Elliott |
50 |
Executive Vice President of Wholesale Sales and Marketing |
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Jeffrey A. Polofsky |
43 |
Executive Vice President of Retail Sales and Marketing |
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Robert T. McLaurin |
71 |
Corporate Vice President of Asian Operations |
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Paul A. Lacourciere |
47 |
Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing |
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Dennis Cawte |
51 |
Group Managing Director Europe |
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Lester J. Taufen |
59 |
General Counsel, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant Secretary |
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Timothy P. Horne |
64 |
Director |
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Kenneth J. McAvoy(1) |
62 |
Director |
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Gordon W. Moran(1)(2) |
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Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Director |
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Daniel J. Murphy, III(1)(2) |
60 |
Director |
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Roger A. Young(1) |
56 |
Director |
Patrick S. O'Keefe joined our Company in August 2002. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. O'Keefe served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Industrial Distribution Group, a supplier of maintenance, repair, operating and production products, from 1999 to 2001. He was Chief Executive Officer of Zep Manufacturing, a unit of National Service Industries and a manufacturer of specialty chemicals throughout North America, Europe and Australia, from 1997 to 1999. He has also held various senior management positions with Crane Co. from 1994 to 1997.
William C. McCartney joined our Company in 1985 as Controller. He was appointed our Vice President of Finance in 1994 and served as our Corporate Controller from April 1988 to December 1999. Mr. McCartney was appointed Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary on January 1, 2000.
Ernest E. Elliott joined our Company in 1986, serving in a variety of sales and marketing roles. Mr. Elliott was appointed Vice President of Sales in 1991 and Executive Vice President of Wholesale Sales and Marketing in 1996. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Elliott was Vice President of BTR Inc.'s Valve Group, a diversified manufacturer of industrial and commercial valve products.
Jeffrey A. Polofsky joined our Company in October 1998 as the Vice President and General Manager of Anderson Barrows Metals Company. He was named Executive Vice President of Retail
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Sales and Marketing in January 2000. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Polofsky was employed at Desa International, a manufacturer of consumer hard goods, from 1988 to 1998.
Robert T. McLaurin was appointed Corporate Vice President of Asian Operations in August 1994. He served as the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing of Watts Regulator Co. from 1983 to August 1994. He joined Watts Regulator Company as Vice President of Manufacturing in 1978.
Paul A. Lacourciere joined our Company in 1986 and became Vice President of New Hampshire operations in 1989. He was appointed Vice President of Manufacturing for our Watts Regulator division in 1991 and moved to corporate as Executive Vice President in 1993. Mr. Lacourciere served as President of the Watts Regulator division for two years before taking over as Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing in 1997.
Dennis Cawte joined our Company in October 2001 and was appointed Group Managing Director Europe. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Cawte was President of Precision Castparts Corp., a manufacturer of components and castings to the aeronautical industry, from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Cawte had also worked for Keystone Valve International, a manufacturer and distributor of industrial valves, for 20 years, his most recent position was the Director of Northern European Operations.
Lester J. Taufen joined our Company in January 1999 as Associate Corporate Counsel. He was appointed General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs, and Assistant Secretary in January 2000. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Taufen was employed for 13 years at Elf Atochem North America, a chemical manufacturing company, serving as Senior Counsel.
Timothy P. Horne has been a Director since 1962. Mr. Horne was employed by Watts since September 1959 and served as our President from 1976 to 1978, from 1994 to April 1997 and from October 1999 to August 2002. He served as Chief Executive Officer from 1978 to August 2002, and he served as Chairman of our Board of Directors from April 1986 to August 2002. Mr. Horne retired from Watts on December 31, 2002.
Kenneth J. McAvoy was Controller of the Company from 1981 to 1986 and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from 1986 to 1999. He also served the offices of Vice President of Finance from 1984 to 1994; Executive Vice President of European Operations from 1994 to 1996; and Secretary from 1985 to 1999. Mr. McAvoy retired from our Company on December 31, 1999.
Gordon W. Moran has been the Chairman of Hollingsworth & Vose Company, a paper manufacturer, since 1997, and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 1983 to 1998.
Daniel J. Murphy, III has been the Chairman of Northmark Bank, a commercial bank, since August 1987. Prior to forming Northmark Bank in 1987, Mr. Murphy was a Managing Director of Knightsbridge Partners, a venture capital firm, from January to August 1987, and President and a Director of Arltru Bancorporation, a bank holding company, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Arlington Trust Company from 1980 to 1986. Mr. Murphy is a Director of Bay State Gas Company and CIRCOR International.
Roger A. Young has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bay State Gas Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NiSource, since 1996 and has served on its Board since 1975. Mr. Young was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Bay State Gas Company in 1981 and Chief Executive Officer in 1990, serving in such positions until 1999. Mr. Young has also been a Director of NiSource since 1999.
Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters
We are subject to a variety of potential liabilities connected with our business operations, including potential liabilities and expenses associated with possible product defects or failures and compliance with environmental laws. We maintain product liability and other insurance coverage, which we believe to be generally in accordance with industry practices. Nonetheless, such insurance coverage may not be
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adequate to protect us fully against substantial damage claims, which may arise from product defects and failures.
James Jones Litigation
On June 25, 1997, Nora Armenta (the Relator) sued James Jones Company, Watts Industries, which formerly owned James Jones, Mueller Co. and Tyco International (U.S.) in the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County. By this complaint and an amended complaint filed on November 4, 1998 (First Amended Complaint), Armenta, a former employee of James Jones, sued on behalf of 34 municipalities as a qui tam plaintiff under the California False Claims Act (the Armenta case). Late in 1998, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) intervened. In December 2000, the court allowed the Relator to file a Second Amended Complaint, which added a number of new cities and water districts as plaintiffs and brought the total number of plaintiffs to 161. On June 3, 2002, the California Superior Court excluded 47 cities from this total of 161. The Relator was not able to obtain appellate modification of this order. To date, 14 of the total number of plaintiffs have intervened.
The First Amended Complaint alleges that our former subsidiary (James Jones Company) sold products that did not meet contractually specified standards used by the named municipalities for their water systems and falsely certified that such standards had been met. The Relator claims that these municipalities were damaged by their purchase of these products and seeks treble damages, legal costs, attorneys' fees and civil penalties under the False Claims Act.
The LADWP's intervention, filed on December 9, 1998, adopted the First Amended Complaint and added claims for breach of contract, fraud and deceit, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. The LADWP also sought past and future reimbursement costs, punitive damages, contract difference in value damages, treble damages, civil penalties under the False Claims Act and costs of the suit.
One of the First Amended Complaint's allegations is the suggestion that because some of the purchased James Jones products are out of specification and contain more lead than the `85 bronze specified, a risk to public health might exist. This contention is predicated on the average difference of about 2% lead content in `81 bronze (6% to 8% lead) and `85 bronze (4% to 6% lead) alloys and the assumption that this would mean increased consumable lead in public drinking water. The evidence and discovery available to date indicate that this is not the case.
In addition, bronze that does not contain more than 8% lead, like `81 bronze, is approved for municipal and home plumbing systems by municipalities and national and local codes, and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency defines metal for pipe fittings with no more than 8% lead as "lead free" under Section 1417 of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
In June 2001, we and the other defendants reached a proposed settlement with the LADWP, one of the plaintiffs, which was approved by the California Superior Court on October 31, 2001 and by the Los Angeles City Council on December 14, 2001.
The Relator seeks three times an unspecified amount of actual damages and alleges that the municipalities have suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The Relator also seeks civil penalties of $10,000 for each false claim and alleges that defendants are responsible for tens of thousands of false claims. We settled with the City of Los Angeles, by far the most significant city, for $5.7 million plus the Relator's statutory share and attorneys' fees. Co-defendants will contribute $2.0 million toward this settlement. The court has required the Relator to select cities with the strongest claims to be tried first. After we settled with the City of Los Angeles, the Relator made an offer to settle the balance of this case for $121.9 million, which we have rejected. We have a reserve in the amount of $10.5 million after-tax with respect to the James Jones Litigation in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2002. We believe on the basis of all available information, that this reserve is adequate to cover our probable and reasonably estimable losses resulting from the James
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Jones Litigation. However, litigation is inherently uncertain, and we believe that there exists a reasonable possibility that we may ultimately incur losses in the James Jones Litigation in excess of the amount accrued. We are currently unable to make an estimate of the range of any additional losses.
On February 14, 2001, we filed a complaint in the California Superior Court against our insurers for coverage of the claims in the Armenta case. The James Jones Company filed a similar complaint, the cases were consolidated, and on October 30, 2001 the California Superior Court made a summary adjudication ruling that Zurich American Insurance Company must pay all reasonable defense costs incurred by us in the Armenta case since April 23, 1998 as well as our future defense costs in this case until its final resolution. On September 5, 2002, in compliance with the October 30, 2001 ruling and a subsequent California Superior Court order, Zurich paid us approximately $9.5 million for defense costs with 10% interest that we had previously submitted to Zurich for payment. On October 24, 2002, the California Superior Court made another summary adjudication ruling that Zurich must indemnify and pay us for the amounts we must pay under the settlement agreement with the City of Los Angeles, and, on January 16, 2003, Zurich paid us $2.7 million in compliance with this order. Zurich has asserted that all amounts paid are subject to reimbursement under Deductible Agreements between the Company and Zurich and as such we have not recorded income associated with these payments. Management and counsel anticipate that we will still be challenged but that we will ultimately prevail on this issue. Zurich has sought appellate review of the orders requiring it to pay the $9.5 million of defense costs and to indemnify us for the settlement with the City of Los Angeles, and the California Court of Appeal has agreed to review the orders that require payment of defense costs. We are currently unable to predict the outcome of the litigation relating to the Los Angeles indemnification coverage. We intend to continue to contest vigorously this insurance coverage case and the related litigation.
Based on management's assessment, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of the James Jones case will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. While this assessment is based on all available information, litigation is inherently uncertain, and the actual liability to us to fully resolve this litigation cannot be predicted with any certainty. We intend to continue to contest vigorously the James Jones case and the related litigation.
Environmental
Certain of our operations generate solid and hazardous wastes, which are disposed of elsewhere by arrangement with the owners or operators of disposal sites or with transporters of such waste. Our foundry and other operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental quality. Compliance with these laws and regulations requires us to incur expenses and monitor our operations on an ongoing basis. We cannot predict the effect of future requirements on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position due to any changes in federal, state or local environmental laws, regulations or ordinances.
For several years, the New York Attorney General (NYAG) has threatened to bring suit against approximately 16 Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), including Watts for incurred remediation costs and for operation and maintenance costs that will be incurred in connection with the cleanup of a landfill site in Babylon, Long Island. The NYAG has identified recovery numbers between $19 million and $24 million, but it is too early to know what the final recovery number will be, what the final number of PRPs will be or what proportion of the final costs may be allocated to us.
In addition to the Babylon Site, we are currently a party to or otherwise involved in various administrative or legal proceedings under federal, state or local environmental laws or regulations involving a limited number of sites. Based on facts presently known to us, we do not believe that the outcome of these environmental proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Given the nature and scope of our manufacturing operations, there can be no assurance that we will not become subject to other environmental proceedings and liabilities
11
in the future which may be material to us. See Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Asbestos Litigation
As of December 31, 2002, we are a defendant in approximately 60 actions filed in Mississippi and New Jersey state courts and alleging injury or death as a result of exposure to asbestos. These filings typically name multiple defendants, and are filed on behalf of many plaintiffs. They do not identify any particular products of ours as a source of asbestos exposure, and there is no reason to conclude that these filings will have a material effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.
Chinese Joint Venture
In the course of the audit of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002, we became aware of a number of unauthorized actions taken by our joint venture partner in Tianjin Tanggu Watts Valve Company Limited, or TWT, our joint venture located in Tianjin, China, that may result in liability to us.
First, our joint venture partner diverted cash from and diverted cash receipts into an account designated to cover various employee benefit obligations of TWT, to pay other expenses, including payment of other TWT expenses and for other purposes. We believe that this unauthorized activity commenced in 1994 and continued through the year ended December 31, 2002. In the quarter ended December 31, 2002, we recorded a charge, net of tax benefit, of $164,368 to account for unrecorded expenses and other identified liabilities resulting from the unauthorized activity in the account over the eight-year period.
Second, our joint venture partner, acting without our authorization, appears to have obtained from the Chinese government business licenses on behalf of a number of distributors of TWT products that may cause TWT to be liable for unsatisfied obligations, if any, of these distributors of TWT products. At this time, we are unable to estimate the amount of any such liabilities. We are taking action to rescind any unauthorized transactions and to minimize any liability to us that may arise as a result of these actions.
We are continuing to gather information with respect to these matters. Management does not believe the contingencies relating to either the account noted above or the liabilities arising from the business licenses will result in a material impact on the Company's financial statements. See Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Other Litigation
Other lawsuits and proceedings or claims, arising from the ordinary course of operations, are also pending or threatened against us and our subsidiaries. Based on the facts currently known to us, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these other litigation matters will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operation. See Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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We maintain 40 facilities worldwide with our corporate headquarters located in North Andover, Massachusetts. The manufacturing operations include five casting foundries, two of which are located in the United States, one in Europe and two in Tianjin, China, and we maintain one yellow brass forging foundry located in Italy. Castings and forgings from these foundries and other components are machined and assembled into finished valves at 25 manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada, Europe and China. Many of these facilities contain sales offices or warehouses from which we ship finished goods to customers and commissioned representative organizations. All our operating facilities and the related real estate are owned by us, except the buildings and land located in Tianjin, China which are leased by our joint venture, with a remaining term of approximately 23 years, the land on which our manufacturing facility is located in Taizhou, China, with a remaining term of 50 years and except for the following facilities, each of which is leased:
| Type of Facility |
Location |
Lease Expiration |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Springfield, MO | 2004 | ||
| Manufacturing | Phoenix, AZ | 2010 | ||
| Manufacturing | Woodland, CA | 2008 | ||
| Manufacturing | Sacramento, CA | 2005 | ||
| Warehouse | Reno, NV | 2003 | ||
| Sales Office | Kennesaw, GA | 2007 | ||
| Sales Office | Des Plaines, IL | 2008 | ||
| Manufacturing | Rosieres, France | 2015 | ||
| Manufacturing | Monastir, Tunisia | 2004 | ||
| Manufacturing | Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany | 2004 | ||
| Manufacturing | Barcelona, Spain | 2004 | ||
| Sales Office | Evesham, UK | 2016 | ||
| Sales Office | Molndal, Sweden | 2007 | ||
| Sales Office | Gliwice, Poland | 2003 | ||
| Sales Office | Vilnius, Lithuania | 2003 | ||
| Warehouse | Wingene, Belgium | 2003 | ||
| Warehouse | Chartres, France | 2004 |
Certain of our facilities are subject to mortgages and collateral assignments under loan agreements with long-term lenders. In general, we believe that our properties, including machinery, tools and equipment, are in good condition, well maintained and adequate and suitable for their intended uses. We believe that our manufacturing facilities are currently operating at a level that our management considers normal capacity. This utilization is subject to change as a result of increases or decreases in sales.
| Item 3(a). | We are from time to time involved in various legal and administrative procedures. See Part I, Item 1, "BusinessProduct Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters". | |
Item 3(b). |
See Part I, Item 1, "BusinessProduct Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters". |
Item 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.
There were no matters submitted during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report to a vote of security holders through solicitation of proxies or otherwise.
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Item 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
Market Information
The following tabulation sets forth the high and low sales prices of our Class A Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange during fiscal 2002, fiscal 2001 and fiscal 2000 and cash dividends paid per share.
| |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
High |
Low |
Dividend |
High |
Low |
Dividend |
High |
Low |
Dividend |
||||||||||||||||||
| First Quarter | $ | 17.22 | $ | 13.82 | $ | 0.06 | $ | 17.20 | $ | 11.75 | $ | 0.06 | $ | 15.50 | $ | 12.38 | $ | .0875 | |||||||||
| Second Quarter | 20.00 | 16.05 | 0.06 | 18.10 | 14.15 | 0.06 | 13.38 | 10.50 | 0.06 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Third Quarter | 20.12 | 15.82 | 0.06 | 16.30 | 11.70 | 0.06 | 13.00 | 9.56 | 0.06 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fourth Quarter | 18.30 | 14.80 | 0.06 | 15.40 | 12.75 | 0.06 | 13.88 | 9.75 | 0.06 | ||||||||||||||||||
There is no established public trading market for our Class B Common Stock, which is held exclusively by members of the Horne family and management. The principal holders of such stock are subject to restrictions on transfer with respect to their shares. Each share of our Class B Common Stock (10 votes per share) is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock (1 vote per share).
Aggregate common stock dividend payments for fiscal 2002, 2001 and 2000 were $6,490,000, $6,422,000 and $7,107,000, respectively. While we presently intend to continue to pay cash dividends, the payment of future cash dividends depends upon the Board of Directors' assessment of our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors.
The number of record holders of our Class A Common Stock as of February 14, 2003 was 140. We believe that the number of beneficial shareholders of our Class A Common Stock was approximately 2,459 as of February 14, 2003. The number of record holders of our Class B Common Stock as of February 14, 2003 was 11.
14
Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.
The selected financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, related Notes thereto and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included herein.
FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL SUMMARY
(Amounts in thousands, except per share information)
| |
Twelve(1) Months Ended 12/31/02 |
Twelve(2) Months Ended 12/31/01 |
Twelve(3) Months Ended 12/31/00 |
Six(4)(5)(6) Months Ended 12/31/99 |
Twelve(3)(5) Months Ended 6/30/99 |
Twelve(5) Months Ended 6/30/98 |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Data | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 615,526 | $ | 548,940 | $ | 516,100 | $ | 261,019 | $ | 477,869 | $ | 444,735 | ||||||
| Income from continuing operations | 32,622 | 26,556 | 31,171 | 16,468 | 29,454 | 28,123 | ||||||||||||
| Income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes | | | (7,170 | ) | (1,226 | ) | 6,502 | 25,246 | ||||||||||
| Net income | 32,622 | 26,556 | 24,001 | 15,242 | 35,956 | 53,369 | ||||||||||||
| Total assets | 634,512 | 520,470 | 482,025 | 487,078 | 637,742 | 552,896 | ||||||||||||
| Long-term debt, net of current portion | 56,276 | 123,212 | 105,377 | 123,991 | 118,916 | 71,647 | ||||||||||||
| Income per share from continuing operations-diluted | 1.21 | 0.99 | 1.17 | 0.61 | 1.10 | 1.03 | ||||||||||||
| Income/(loss) per share from discontinued operations-diluted | | | (0.27 | ) | (0.05 | ) | 0.24 | 0.92 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share-diluted | 1.21 | 0.99 | 0.90 | 0.56 | 1.34 | 1.95 | ||||||||||||
| Cash dividends declared per common share | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.268 | $ | 0.175 | $ | 0.35 | $ | 0.33 | ||||||
15
Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
Recent Developments
On August 7, 2002, we announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, Patrick S. O'Keefe, to replace Timothy P. Horne who retired as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Horne retired as an employee of the Company on December 31, 2002. Mr. Horne is a consultant to the Company and remains as a Director. The Board has nominated and elected Mr. Gordon W. Moran as its non-executive Chairman. Mr. Moran has served on the Board since 1990. Mr. O'Keefe has also been elected to the Board.
On July 29, 2002, we acquired F&R Foerster and Rothmann GmbH (F&R) located in Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany, for approximately $2.3 million in cash less assumed net debt of $0.8 million. F&R manufactures and distributes a line of gauges predominantly to the French and German OEM markets. F&R's annual revenue, prior to the acquisition, was approximately 4 million euro. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation consistent with the guidelines in Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 141, "Business Combinations" (FAS 141).
On July 15, 2002, we acquired ADEV Electronic SA (ADEV) located in Rosieres, France and its closely affiliated distributor, E.K. Eminent A.B. (Eminent) located in Gothenburg, Sweden for approximately $12.9 million in cash less assumed net debt of $3.5 million. ADEV also has a low cost manufacturing facility located in Tunisia. ADEV manufactures and distributes electronic systems predominantly to the OEM market. Their product lines include thermostats and controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, control systems for hydronic and electric floor warming systems, and controls for other residential applications. Eminent distributes electronic controls, mechanical thermostats and other electric control related products throughout the European Nordic countries. The two companies' combined annual revenue preceding the acquisition was approximately 30 million euro. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation consistent with the guidelines in FAS 141.
On May 9, 2002, we acquired Hunter Innovations of Sacramento, California for $25 million, of which approximately $10 million was paid in cash at the closing and the balance in interest bearing notes, payable in equal installments over the next four years. Hunter Innovations was founded in 1995 and has developed a line of large backflow prevention devices that represent a significant advance in technology. The improved product features that are important to the backflow prevention markets include lighter weight, more compact design, better flow characteristics, improved serviceability and multiple end-connection and shutoff valve options. Hunter Innovations' sales during the twelve months preceding the acquisition were approximately $1.5 million. Unlike most of our acquisitions, Hunter did not have significant historical revenues or earnings. Nonetheless, the purchase price was based on projected revenues and earnings as utilized in other acquisitions. During the quarter ending September 30, 2002, we obtained a third-party valuation to allocate the purchase price. Consistent with the guidelines in FAS 141, the allocation for goodwill was approximately $16.8 million and approximately $11.7 million was for intangibles, which are classified in "Other Assets: Other" in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2002. Of the $11.7 million of acquired intangible assets, $9.2 million was assigned to unpatented technology that is not currently subject to amortization and $2.5 million to patents (twenty-year useful life). The $16.8 million of goodwill was assigned to the North American segment, none of which is deductible for tax purposes.
On March 5, 2002, we entered into a joint venture with the Yuhuan County Cheng Guan Metal Hose Factory (Cheng Guan) located in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China. Cheng Guan, with annual sales prior to the transaction of approximately $15 million, is a manufacturer of a variety of plumbing products sold both into the Chinese domestic market and export markets. Its product lines were contributed to the joint venture and include hose, hose connectors, multi-layer
16
tubing and stainless steel braided hose. The joint venture is owned 60% by us and 40% by our Chinese partner. We will invest $7.8 million to obtain this 60% interest, $5.0 million of which had been paid as of December 31, 2002. Our December 31, 2002 Consolidated Balance Sheet contains a purchase price allocation of the joint venture. The allocation for goodwill was approximately $3 million and approximately $2 million was for other amortizable intangibles, which are classified in "Other Assets: Other" in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2002.
As part of our $18.7 million capital expenditure budget for fiscal 2002, we expected to invest approximately $9.0 million to establish a 100% controlled bronze and brass manufacturing plant in Tianjin, China. We anticipate that the construction of the plant will be completed in early 2003. Any remaining costs are expected to be disbursed over the next two quarters of fiscal 2003. As of December 31, 2002, we have spent approximately $7.7 million.
We are in the process of implementing a plan to consolidate several of our manufacturing plants both in North America and Europe. At the same time we are expanding our manufacturing capacity in China and other low cost areas of the world. The implementation of this manufacturing restructuring plan began during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001. The projects for which charges were recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 are essentially complete. During 2002, we decided to expand the scope of the manufacturing restructuring plan and transfer certain production to low cost manufacturing plants in Tunisia and Bulgaria. The expanded plan is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2003. We anticipate that the pre-tax cost of the manufacturing restructuring plan will be $12.8 million. We recorded pre-tax manufacturing restructuring and other costs of $5.8 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 and $4.1 million for fiscal 2002. We anticipate recording additional pre-tax costs of approximately $2.9 million in fiscal 2003 as we continue to implement the program. The manufacturing restructuring and other costs recorded in 2001 and 2002 consist primarily of severance costs, asset write-downs and accelerated depreciation. The severance costs, which have been recorded as restructuring, are for 38 employees in manufacturing and administration groups, 26 of whom have been terminated as of December 31, 2002. Asset write-downs consist primarily of write-offs of inventory related to product lines that we have discontinued as part of this restructuring plan and they have been recorded in cost of goods sold. Accelerated depreciation is based on shorter remaining estimated useful lives of certain fixed assets and has been recorded in cost of goods sold. Other costs consist primarily of removal and shipping costs associated with relocation of manufacturing equipment and has been recorded in cost of goods sold. The tax benefits of costs incurred and asset write-downs will approximate the amount of cash outlays to implement this program, which would allow us to complete the restructuring plan with a minimum consumption of cash. Following the completion of the plan, we estimate an annual pre-tax savings of approximately $5.0 million at current production volume.
Our 2002 Annual Report to Shareholders discusses earnings as adjusted to exclude manufacturing restructuring and other costs and goodwill amortization for fiscal 2002 and 2001. Management believes this information to be an appropriate supplemental measure of the operating performance of our Company because it helps investors understand the impact of changes in accounting principles and the impact of our restructuring plan. It should not be considered an alternative to net income as an indication of our performance.
17
A reconciliation of adjusted earnings to earnings as reported for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 is provided below. Adjusted earnings exclude restructuring, impairment and related costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002 and 2001 and also excludes goodwill amortization, based on the adoption of FAS 142, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2001 and 2000.
| |
Twelve Months Ended 12/31/02 |
Twelve Months Ended 12/31/01 |
Twelve Months Ended 12/31/00 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
|
(in thousands) |
|
||||||
| Earnings as reportedcontinuing operations | $ | 32,622 | $ | 26,556 | $ | 31,171 | |||
| Cost of restructuring | 2,552 | 3,593 | | ||||||
| Goodwill amortization | | 3,220 | 2,668 | ||||||
| Adjusted earningscontinuing operations | $ | 35,174 | $ | 33,369 | $ | 33,839 | |||
The components of restructuring and other costs are outlined below. |
|||||||||
Restructuring |
$ |
638 |
$ |
1,454 |
$ |
|
|||
| Other costs | 3,451 | 4,377 | | ||||||
| Total costs | 4,089 | 5,831 | | ||||||
| Tax benefit | (1,537 | ) | (2,238 | ) | | ||||
| After tax cost | $ | 2,552 | $ | 3,593 | $ | | |||
Results of Operations
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2002 Compared to
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2001
Net Sales. Net sales for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002 increased $66,586,000 (12.1%) to $615,526,000 compared to $548,940,000 for the same period in 2001. The increase in net sales is attributable to the following:
| |
(in thousands) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Growth | $ | 11,773 | 2.1 | % | ||
| Acquisitions | 47,080 | 8.6 | % | |||
| Foreign Exchange | 7,733 | 1.4 | % | |||
| Total Change | $ | 66,586 | 12.1 | % | ||
The increase in net sales from internal growth is primarily attributable to increased unit sales in the do-it-yourself (DIY) market in North America. The growth in net sales from acquired businesses is due to the inclusion of the net sales from Powers Process Controls of Skokie, Illinois, acquired on September 28, 2001; Premier Manufactured Systems of Phoenix, Arizona, acquired on June 13, 2001; Fimet of Milan, Italy, acquired on June 1, 2001; Cheng Guan, our joint venture, which we established on March 5, 2002; ADEV and Eminent, acquired on July 15, 2002; and F&R acquired on July 29, 2002. The increase in foreign exchange is due primarily to the euro appreciating against the U.S. dollar compared to the same period in 2001.
We monitor our net sales in three geographical segments: North America, Europe and Asia. As outlined below, North America, Europe and Asia accounted for 73.1%, 23.7% and 3.2% of net sales, respectively, in the twelve months ended December 31, 2002 compared to 75.7%, 22.1%, and 2.2%, respectively, in the twelve months ended in December 31, 2001.
18
Our net sales in each of these geographic segments for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002 and 2001 were as follows:
| |
Twelve Months Ended 12/31/02 |
Twelve Months Ended 12/31/01 |
Change |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
|
(in thousands) |
|
||||||
| North America | $ | 450,233 | $ | 415,689 | $ | 34,544 | |||
| Europe | 145,629 | 121,228 | 24,401 | ||||||
| Asia | 19,664 | 12,023 | 7,641 | ||||||
| Total | &nb | ||||||||