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 December 31, 2001
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File No. 0-22166
AETRIUM INCORPORATED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Minnesota |
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41-1439182 |
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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2350 Helen Street North St. Paul, Minnesota 55109 |
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) |
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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (651) 770-2000 |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $.001 par value |
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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 o.
As of March 21, 2002, 9,474,566 shares of Common Stock of the Registrant were outstanding, and the aggregate market value of the Common Stock of the Registrant as of that date (based upon the last reported sale price of the Common Stock on that date as reported by the Nasdaq National Market), excluding outstanding shares beneficially owned by directors, executive officers and affiliates of the Registrant, was approximately $21,523,000.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference information (to the extent specific sections are referred to herein) from the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2002 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held May 21, 2002 (the “2002 Proxy Statement”).
AETRIUM INCORPORATED
Form 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(i)
This Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statements contained in this Form 10-K that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate” or “continue” or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including those set forth under the heading “Business Risks and Uncertainties” located in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under Item 7 below. References in this Form 10-K to “Aetrium,” “the company,” “we” and “our,” unless the context otherwise requires, refer to Aetrium Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries and their respective predecessors.
Overview
We design, manufacture and market a variety of electromechanical equipment used in the handling and testing of semiconductor devices, such as integrated circuits, or ICs, and discrete electronic components. Our primary focus is on high volume semiconductor device types and on the latest IC package designs. Our products are purchased primarily by semiconductor manufacturers and their assembly and test subcontractors. Our products are used in the test, assembly and packaging, or TAP, segment of semiconductor manufacturing. Our products automate critical functions to improve manufacturing yield, raise quality levels, increase product reliability and reduce manufacturing costs.
We have three principal product lines:
• Test Handler Products. In terms of revenue, this is our largest product line. Our broad line of test handler products incorporates thermal conditioning, contactor and automated handling technologies to provide automated handling of ICs and discrete electronic components during production test cycles. We also offer change kits to adapt our test handlers to different IC package configurations or to upgrade installed equipment for enhanced performance, which represent a significant part of our revenue.
• IC Automation Products. Some of our IC automation products are sold to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to be incorporated as the automated handling components of such OEMs’ own proprietary equipment for a variety of other IC processing requirements, such as marking, lead scanning, and lead trim and form. The rest of our IC automation products are sold to semiconductor manufacturers, and are used to automate the loading and unloading of burn-in boards.
• Reliability Test Equipment. The primary focus of our reliability test products is to provide IC manufacturers with IC performance data to aid in the evaluation and improvement of IC designs and manufacturing processes to increase IC yield and reliability.
2001 was a year of tremendous challenge for us, as the semiconductor industry suffered its worst downturn in 25 years. This downturn resulted in a 60% decrease in TAP semiconductor equipment sales from the previous year. We addressed this challenge through several restructuring and reorganizing actions that saved us over $10 million in operating expenses over the previous year, reduced our workforce from 225 to 102 employees, and maintained our working capital at levels that should support us during the
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remainder of this downturn. At the same time, we continued our product development efforts focused on the newest and fastest growing IC package types and the latest semiconductor processes. We believe that our cost structure and product offerings position us to take full advantage of the next industry upturn when it begins.
As a result of the restructuring activities completed in fiscal year 2000 and early fiscal year 2001, we now have two operating locations where all product development and manufacturing activities are conducted, North St. Paul, Minnesota and Dallas, Texas. We manufacture products within each of our principal product lines at both of these facilities.
Background
Our strategy has focused on revenue growth through product line expansion, by both internally developing and acquiring complementary technologies, businesses, or product lines.
In 1998, we acquired the equipment business of WEB Technology, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas. The primary products we acquired were IC automation products used to automate the loading and unloading of burn-in boards. This equipment can be configured to accommodate any burn-in board currently being manufactured. We manufacture this equipment at our Dallas operations.
In 1997, we completed two acquisitions that expanded our test handler product lines. In November 1997, we acquired a product line of pick-and-place test handlers from Advantek Inc. This acquisition extended our product line of pick-and-place test handlers for non-memory analog and logic IC devices. We manufacture the product line acquired from Advantek at our North St. Paul operations.
In April 1997, we acquired a line of turret test handler products through our purchase of the assets of Forward Systems Automation, Inc. This line of test handlers addresses discrete components and small ICs, including the fastest growing and newest IC package types. We manufacture this product line at our Dallas operations.
In December 1995, we acquired the assets of E.J. Systems, Inc. Through this acquisition, we obtained some early stage conductive thermal core technology that we have further developed and transferred to our North St. Paul operations.
In November 1994, we acquired the assets of Sym-Tek Systems, Inc., which expanded our presence in the memory IC market, and also extended our line of gravity feed test handlers for non-memory IC test handler applications. We have since discontinued the products for non-memory applications. In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2000, we also decided to exit the highly volatile handler market for memory applications. However, through this acquisition we obtained core pick-and-place and in-tray handling technologies, which we further developed and transferred to our North St. Paul operations.
In December 1993, we originated our reliability test systems product line through the purchase of the assets of Sienna Technologies, Inc. Since the acquisition, we have developed and introduced a new generation product line that has been well received by a growing customer base. Our reliability test products are primarily manufactured at our North St. Paul operations.
In April 1988, we acquired the core products of our 5050 series of gravity feed test handlers through our acquisition of Electro-Mechanical Systems, Inc. Since then, we have expanded this series of products through internal development to include a full range of thermal conditioning capabilities, contactors and change kits for a wide range of IC package types. We sell these products into the largest
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market segment of the semiconductor industry. We manufacture our gravity feed test handlers at our North St. Paul operations.
We were incorporated in Minnesota in December 1982. Our executive offices are located at 2350 Helen Street, North St. Paul, Minnesota 55109, our telephone number is (651) 770-2000. Our web site address is www.aetrium.com. Our website is not intended to be a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Financial Information About Segments
Since our inception, we have operated in the single industry segment of supplying electromechanical equipment to the semiconductor industry.
Test Handler Products
Test handlers are electromechanical systems interfaced with a tester to form a test system designed to handle, thermally condition, contact and sort ICs and discrete electronic components automatically during the final test stage of the manufacturing process. The devices are loaded into the handler from bowls, tubes or trays and then typically transported to a temperature chamber within the test handler where they are thermally conditioned and controlled to the required testing temperature. The devices are then positioned against the test handler contactor, which provides an electrical connection between the device and the tester. After testing, the test handler sorts the devices according to test performance as instructed by the tester. In some cases, additional process steps are completed by the test handler system. These include marking or inspection of the IC packages, and automatic placement of the ICs into a tube, tray or tape for shipment to the end user. Test handlers must meet industry criteria for thermal conditioning, contactor integrity and minimization of damage to the semiconductor package during the test handling cycle.
ICs are multi-function semiconductor devices that can be made up of up to millions of individual transistor gates, and include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors and memory devices. ICs come in a wide range of sizes and package types, depending upon their application. Discrete electronic components are single function semiconductor devices, such as resistors and capacitors. They are typically very small and are packaged in several package types.
In the testing of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor package type being tested often dictates the type of test handler used. Small outline packages, or SOPs, constituting the largest IC package segment, have leads, or electrical contacts, extending from two sides and are typically tested with gravity feed test handlers. Micro leadless packages, or MLPs and sometimes referred to as MLFTMs, SONs or QFNs, have electrical contact pads flush with the sides and bottoms of the ICs and are typically tested with gravity feed or turret based test handlers. MLPs constitute one of the fastest growing new IC package types. More complex ICs are sometimes packaged in the IC package families most easily damaged in handling, such as QFPs, BGAs, PGAs, some CSPs and the most fragile SOP packages. QFPs, or quad flat packs, have leads extending from all four sides. BGAs, or ball grid array packages, have bumped leads on the bottom of the package. PGAs, or pin grid arrays, have pin type leads extending from the bottom of the package. CSPs, or chip scale packages, are a category of some of the smallest IC packages, with package sizes being no more than 1.2 times the size of the IC die within. More fragile IC package types are typically tested with pick-and-place test handlers. Discrete electronic component package types include small outline transistor packages, or SOPs, which are also sometimes used for the smallest ICs. Discrete electronic component package types are typically tested with turret based test handlers.
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Our primary focus continues to be on the newer generation of surface mount devices that represent the largest volumes, the newest IC device types, and the fastest growing markets in the industry. We believe we offer the broadest line of test handling products to the semiconductor industry, addressing the full spectrum of non-memory device types, IC package types and media transport types. Our test handler products are complementary with minimal overlap of application, and we distribute and service them through a common organization for efficiency.
Gravity Feed Test Handlers
Traditionally, test handlers have used gravity to move ICs and other semiconductor devices from tubes through the handler system and back into tubes. Typically, in gravity feed systems ICs are halted at necessary points in the handling process by colliding against other ICs or other stopping mechanisms, which can result in lead damage to more fragile IC packages. Accordingly, gravity handlers are best suited for more rugged IC packages, which include MLPs and most SOPs.
Our gravity feed test handlers compete most favorably in high-volume applications and their high throughput rates are an added advantage in relatively short test time applications. These handlers adapt to “plunge to board”-type contacting and third party contactors, as well as our internally developed proprietary contactors, providing cost-effective solutions to a wide range of customer test requirements. In “plunge to board”-type contacting, the IC is placed directly against the test head with no intermediary sockets or connections, which is particularly well suited for high performance ICs. Our gravity feed test handlers can heat or cool the ICs being tested to any test temperature from -55 degrees C to +155 degrees C. They use mechanical refrigeration to cool ICs, which is more economical than liquid nitrogen, commonly used as a refrigerant in competing handlers. Our principal gravity feed test handlers include:
• 5500 Series. Our newly developed 5500 Series of single and dual site gravity feed test handlers for analog and logic IC applications addresses a wide range of IC packages including SOPs and MLPs.
• 5050 Series. Our 5050 Series of gravity feed test handlers for analog and logic IC applications addresses a wide range of SOP package types. In addition to single test site capability, we offer dual test site and quad test site capability within our 5050 Series of handlers to increase productivity and reduce testing costs in certain applications.
Turret Based Test Handlers
Turret based handlers have a series of pickup heads that rotate around a fixed axis and move devices from station to station. They are typically configured for bowl feed input and tape and reel output, although they can be configured for tube or tray input and tube or tray output. One or more stations on turret based handlers are used for testing ICs. Stations on turret based handlers can also be used for additional process steps such as marking and inspection. Turret based handlers are well suited for discrete components and smaller ICs that are difficult to handle in gravity handlers because of their size and small mass, and are well suited for MLPs because they can be handled in bulk. Turret based handlers are typically more costly than gravity feed handlers, but can have throughput rates that rival multi-site gravity handlers.
Our turret based test handlers are designed for high volume testing of discrete electronic component packages and ICs in MLP, CSP and SOT packages. These test handlers can integrate several functions, including test, laser marking, mark inspection, lead inspection, and tape and reel output. They can be configured for a variety of options for contacting, including “plunge to board”-type contacting.
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These test handlers are typically configured for bowl feed input and tape and reel output. Our principal turret based handlers include:
• Model 5800 Series. We introduced the Model 5800 Small Component Integrated Test Handler in 2000. It has eight stations, and can be configured for up to four test sites. It operates at temperatures ranging from ambient to +150 degrees C, and can be configured for tube input and tube output. The Model 5800 can achieve throughputs of up to 16,000 devices per hour.
• Model 8832 Series. We introduced the Model 8832 Small Component Integrated Test Handler in 2000. It has 32 stations, which provide a high degree of flexibility in integrating IC process functions into the handler. It can be configured for up to eight test sites and, optionally, for tube or tray input and tube or tray output. The Model 8832 is capable of throughputs of up to 24,000 devices per hour.
• Model 8816 Series. We expect to introduce the Model 8816 Small Component Integrated Test Handler in 2002. It is based on the Model 8832, has sixteen stations, and provides for a “hard dock” tester interface, where the test head is docked directly against the test handler to minimize the distance between the test head electronics and the IC under test.
Pick-and-Place Test Handlers
Pick-and-place test handlers move ICs by “picking” up each device and “placing” the device to the appropriate position, similar to a robot. The motions avoid jarring stops and potential resulting lead damage. Thus, they can handle a wide variety of packages, including the IC package families most easily damaged in handling.
Our pick-and-place test handlers can be configured for a wide variety of analog and logic ICs in SOP, QFP, BGA, CSP and PGA packages. Using a conventional thermal chamber technique, these handlers can heat or cool the ICs being tested to any test temperature from -55 degrees C to +155 degrees C. These handlers feature the Soft-Touch Probe™ to safely and reliably handle the most fragile IC packages. Devices are transported with their leads up, virtually eliminating the possibility of lead damage. These handlers feature “plunge to board”-type contacting, and can be modified with change kits, typically within 15 minutes, to accommodate nearly every IC package configuration being manufactured in volume today. Our principal pick-and-place handlers include:
• Model 1400. The Model 1400 is a single site pick-and-place test handler.
• Model 3000. The Model 3000 test handler is a dual site pick-and-place test handler, which allows for significantly increased throughput for dual site applications, as compared to single site test handlers.
Change Kits, Upgrades and Spare Parts
We have an ongoing demand for IC package change kits for our installed test handler products, including test handlers no longer included in our active product lines. We sell a variety of change kits to accommodate the growing variety of IC packages used in the IC industry. The demand for change kits is driven by the introduction of new IC package types and increased production volumes experienced by our end customers. Also included in change kits are upgrade kits to enhance the performance of installed equipment. We sell spare parts with new orders as kits or separately as piece parts or in kit form as required.
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IC Automation Products
We believe that the growing number and volume of fine pitch SOPs and other delicate device packages such as QFPs, BGAs and CSPs is driving a demand for automated equipment for all IC final manufacturing processes. Existing processing equipment often will not accommodate these package types or the numerous tray configurations used to transport the ICs. We believe that our automation product lines offer the most effective handling technology to automate these manufacturing processes for increasingly difficult to handle newer generation ICs.
4800 Series
Our 4800 Series is a line of products used to automate the loading and unloading of burn-in boards. Burn-in boards vary in size and density, and are used to place individual ICs into a convection oven for an extensive reliability screening and stress testing procedure known as “burn-in.” Our burn-in board automation products take untested ICs out of trays or other media and place them into sockets on a burn-in board. After the burn-in test is complete, the model 4800 system unloads and removes ICs that have completed the burn-in cycle from the burn-in board sockets and sorts the ICs according to the results of the test as instructed by the burn-in system. The burn-in process screens for early failures by operating the IC at elevated voltages and temperatures, usually at 125 degrees C, for periods typically ranging from 12 to 96 hours. Burn-in systems can process thousands of ICs simultaneously, utilizing multiple boards. Most leading-edge microprocessors, digital signal processors, and memory ICs undergo burn-in testing.
Our 4800 Series comes in single pick-up head, dual-head, five-head and ten-head versions. The single and dual head models are best suited for large IC packages or for those applications requiring a quick conversion of the model 4800 system to handle a different IC package. The five-head and ten-head systems are best suited to very high volume memory applications. All are available with a variety of input and output options, including tubes and trays. Package positioning stations ensure device alignment into sockets and output media. An optional stacked burn-in board elevator and trolley allows the system to process up to 32 burn-in boards without any operator intervention.
IC Automation Product Line for OEMs
We began the development of our current IC Automation product line in 1990. This product line is marketed to other semiconductor equipment manufacturers to provide automation for their semiconductor process equipment. Our IC Automation modules have been incorporated to provide automation in trim and form, marking, mark curing, lead inspection, mark inspection, lead conditioning, media transfer and prom programming equipment to accommodate various device characteristics and media packaging. Our IC Automation modules currently consist of a series of robotic electromechanical handling modules, each designed to perform a specific handling function. Together these modules perform nearly all of the handling functions necessary for the various IC manufacturing processes. Each handling module has a microprocessor that directs the handling module’s function and communicates with other modules through a proprietary software protocol that enables the transfer of ICs between modules in a logical and efficient manner.
The IC Automation handling modules can be readily assembled into systems configured to provide nearly any IC routing pattern required by an IC processing application, and can be readily integrated as a component of the processing equipment. This generic nature of the IC Automation handling modules allows us to provide a versatile, cost effective automation solution to IC processing equipment OEMs that overcomes the handling automation challenges presented by more fragile IC package types. The IC Automation modules can also be adapted to provide an automated linkage between
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IC manufacturing processes, thus offering the potential for seamless automated handling of ICs from trim and form to packaging for shipment.
Our revenues from our IC Automation product line were severely impacted by the record industry downturn in 2001 as our OEM customers experienced the same business conditions that we were experiencing. Because of the excess capacity that continues to exist for our OEM customers’ products, we expect that future revenues from this product line will be increasingly dependent on our success in having our IC Automation modules incorporated into new OEM customer product introductions.
Reliability Test Equipment
The IC industry’s demand for higher performance devices through smaller circuit geometries has led to significant technological changes in the materials and processes used to manufacture ICs, including an emerging shift to copper materials for the increasingly minute circuitry of devices. These changes in technology, along with IC user demand for increased reliability, have created a need for increasingly sophisticated reliability testing of IC designs and manufacturing processes. Our reliability test equipment product line enables IC manufacturers to force precise levels of voltage and current through ICs, collect and analyze relevant data, and predict lifetime performance of ICs. This equipment can be utilized to perform reliability testing of packaged and unpackaged ICs. We have reliability test equipment installed at 18 of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers in the world.
In 1998, we formally introduced our Model 1164 series, including a suite of applications for customers to perform a variety of tests. The Model 1164 series is a fundamentally improved architecture from our previous reliability test products. The Model 1164 series features a modular design that allows for great flexibility in performing reliability tests, and can test up to 4,096 devices at a time and perform numerous simultaneous tests on batches of ICs. The Model 1164 series includes the full reliability test functionality necessary for testing an IC manufacturer’s entire copper process. Our copper system has been shipping in volume since the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1999.
Competition
The semiconductor capital equipment market is highly competitive. In the market for test handler products, we compete with a number of companies ranging from very small businesses to large companies, some of which have substantially greater financial, manufacturing, marketing and product development resources than we have. Some of these companies manufacture and sell both testers and test handlers. The particular companies with which we compete vary with our different markets, with no one company dominating the overall test handler market. The companies with which we compete most directly in the surface mount IC test handler market include Cohu, Inc., Multitest Electronic Systems GmbH, and Micro Component Technology, Inc. We also compete with Ismeca S.A. and Tesec Corporation in the market for turret based test handlers configured to handle discrete electronic components.
We compete for test handler sales primarily on the basis of effective handler throughput, cost of ownership, temperature accuracy, contactor integrity and other performance characteristics of our products, the breadth of our product lines, the effectiveness of our sales and distribution channels and our customer relationships. We believe we compete favorably on all of these factors.
The market for burn-in board automation products is highly competitive. We compete with a number of companies ranging from very small businesses to large companies, some of which have substantially greater financial, manufacturing, marketing and product development resources than we
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have. The companies with which we compete most directly in this market include Cohu, Inc., SIPA, S.p.a., and Todo Seisakusho, Ltd.
We compete for burn-in board automation product sales primarily on the basis of effective throughput, cost of ownership, versatility, and other performance characteristics of our products, the breadth of our product line, the effectiveness of our sales and distribution channels and our customer service. We believe we compete favorably on all of these factors.
We believe that the market for our IC Automation products sold on an OEM basis has no clearly defined commercial competitors offering similar automated handling modules to the IC industry. Historically, OEMs supplying equipment for IC manufacturing processes have developed custom or semi-custom handling components. Many of these OEMs have internal development capability for automated handling and many engineering companies also have automated handling development capability.
The market for our reliability test equipment is also highly competitive and our competitors include QualiTau, Ltd. and Micro Instrument Company. We compete for reliability test system sales on the basis of technology, price, delivery, system flexibility and overall system performance. We believe we compete favorably on all of these factors.
Manufacturing and Supplies
We manufacture test handlers, reliability test equipment and our IC Automation product line at our North St. Paul, Minnesota facility. We currently manufacture our turret based test handler products, some of our reliability test equipment and our IC automation products used for burn-in board applications at our Dallas, Texas facility. Our manufacturing operations consist of procurement and inspection of components and subassemblies, assembly and extensive test of finished products. Quality and reliability are emphasized in both the design and manufacture of our products.
We or our suppliers inspect all components and subassemblies for mechanical and electrical compliance to our specifications. We test all finished products against company and customer specifications, and fully assembled test handler products are tested at all temperatures for which they are designed and with all the IC packages to be accommodated.
A significant portion of the components and subassemblies used in our products, including machined parts, PC boards, refrigeration systems, vacuum pumps and contactor elements, are manufactured by third parties on a subcontract basis. As a part of our total quality management program, we have an ongoing supplier quality program under which we select, monitor and rate our suppliers, and recognize suppliers for outstanding performance.
Certain components used in our products, including certain contactor components, printed circuit boards and refrigeration systems, are currently available from only a limited number of sources. We do not maintain long term supply agreements with most of our suppliers, and we purchase most of our components through individual purchase orders. We may not always be able to replace all of our suppliers within a time period consistent with our business requirements. We attempt to keep an adequate supply of critical components in our inventory to minimize any significant impact the loss of a supplier may cause.
Customers
We rely on a limited number of customers for a substantial percentage of our net sales. In fiscal year 2001, our top three customers accounted for 35% of our net sales, with Maxim Integrated Products,
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Inc. accounting for over 10% of net sales. In fiscal year 2000, our top three customers accounted for 32% of our net sales, with UST Technology Pte, Ltd. and Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. each accounting for over 10% of net sales. In fiscal year 1999, our top three customers accounted for approximately 30% of our net sales, with UST Technology Pte, Ltd. and IBM Corporation each accounting for over 10% of net sales. The loss of or a significant reduction in orders by these or other significant customers, including reductions due to market, economic or competitive conditions in the semiconductor industry, could have a negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Sales and Marketing
We market our products through a combination of direct salespeople and international distributors. Our direct sales organization, comprised of 12 salespeople, is responsible for all domestic sales, and coordinates the activities of our international distributors and actively participates with them in international selling efforts. This enables us to establish strong direct ties with our customers. In December 2001, we terminated our agreements with U.S. independent sales representatives, whom our internal sales force had used prior to that time to assist on domestic sales.
We maintain sales and service locations in North St. Paul, Minnesota, Santa Clara, California, Landisville, Pennsylvania, Dallas, Texas, and Saugus, Massachusetts. As of December 31, 2001, we had international distributors located in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and the Philippines.
Our marketing efforts include participation in industry trade shows and production of product literature and sales support tools. These efforts are designed to generate sales leads for our international distributors and direct salespeople.
International shipments accounted for 41%, 32% and 37% of our net sales in 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. In addition, it is not uncommon for U.S. customers to take delivery of products in the United States for immediate shipment to international sites, particularly the IC Automation product line that is sold on an OEM basis. Most of our international shipments are made to international sites of U.S. semiconductor manufacturers, although there is a growing foreign customer base included in our international sales.
We invoice all of our international sales in U.S. dollars and, accordingly, have not historically been subject to fluctuating currency exchange rates. We establish credit limits from time to time on our international distributors, who purchase products from us and resell to end-users. We also often require irrevocable letters of credit from our end-user international customers to minimize credit risk and to simplify the purchasing/payment cycle.
Research and Development
We believe we must continue to enhance, broaden and modify our existing product lines to meet the constantly evolving needs of the semiconductor equipment market. To date, we have relied both on internal development and acquisitions of technology and product lines to extend our product lines, increase our customer base and avoid reliance on any single semiconductor equipment market segment. Due to the record industry downturn we experienced in 2001 and the resulting decline in our revenues, we significantly reduced our levels of research and development spending in 2001 and focused our available resources on product development with near term revenue potential. We concentrated our new product development efforts on:
• development of the Model 8816 hard dock turret based handler;
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• development of new tube and tray input and output modules for the Model 8832 turret based handler;
• development of new contacting mechanisms with significantly improved throughput rates for the Model 5500 gravity feed handler; and
• development of additional test capabilities for our Model 1164 reliability test equipment for the latest generations of copper, insulator and transistor device technologies.
Due to budgetary constraints, a lack of clearly defined market requirements, and limited near term revenue potential, in 2001 we suspended our development work on our DTX pick-and-place test handler platform for our proprietary conductive thermal technology.
Product development expenses typically divide approximately 50% for new product development and 50% for continuation engineering. Our continuation engineering efforts include the development of additional change kits to meet the expanding families of IC package types, further advancement of contactor technologies, and increasing features and performance options for existing equipment.
We expense all research and development costs, including costs for software development, as incurred. In 1999, 2000, and 2001, our expenses relating to research and development were approximately $9.8 million, $8.5 million and $4.7 million, respectively. Over time, our objective is to invest approximately 13% to 15% of our net sales in research and development, although the percentage may be higher in periods of reduced sales, such as 2001 where our research and development spending increased as a percentage of net sales to 23.5%. We employed 26 engineering personnel as of December 31, 2001.
Intellectual Property Rights
We attempt to protect the proprietary aspects of our products with patents, copyrights, trade secret law and internal nondisclosure safeguards. We currently hold several U.S. patents covering certain features of our handling systems and IC Automation modules, the contactor elements incorporated in certain of our test handlers, and elements of our proprietary conductive thermal technology. The source code for the software contained in our products is considered proprietary and is not furnished to customers. We have also entered into confidentiality agreements with each of our key employees. Despite these restrictions, it may be possible for competitors or users to copy aspects of our products or to obtain information that we regard as a trade secret.
There is a rapid pace of technological change in the semiconductor industry. We believe that patent, trade secret and copyright protection are less significant to our competitive position than factors such as the knowledge, ability and experience of our personnel, new product development, frequent product enhancements, name recognition and ongoing, reliable product maintenance and support.
Backlog
Our backlog was $5.4 million at the end of fiscal 2001 and $18.7 million at the end of fiscal 2000. Because purchase orders are generally subject to cancellation or delay by customers with limited or no penalty, our backlog is not necessarily indicative of future revenue or earnings.
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Employees
As of December 31, 2001, we had 102 employees, including 34 in manufacturing, 26 in engineering and product development, 23 in sales, marketing and customer service, and 19 in general administration and finance. None of our employees is represented by a labor union or is subject to any collective bargaining agreement. We have never experienced a work stoppage and believe that our employee relations are satisfactory.
Financial Information About Geographic Areas
See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information about geographic areas.
Certain Important Factors
In addition to the factors identified above, there are several important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those we anticipate as reflected in any forward-looking statements. Please refer to the heading “Business Risks and Uncertainties” located in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of these factors and their potential impact on the success of our operations and our ability to achieve our goals.
We conduct our corporate functions and manufacturing, product development, sales, marketing and field service operations in North St. Paul, Minnesota. We currently occupy approximately 45,000 square feet in North St. Paul under a lease that expires in March 2006, with an annual rent of approximately $240,000. We have an option under the lease, exercisable at any time during the initial lease term, to require construction of an additional approximately 45,000 square feet for lease at the same rental rate.
We also conduct manufacturing, product development, and certain sales and marketing activities in approximately 29,400 square feet in Dallas, Texas, under a lease that expires in April 2003. The annual rent is approximately $203,000.
We also occupy approximately 3,000 square feet of space in Santa Clara, California under a lease that expires in May 2003, with an annual rent of approximately $67,200. We use this space for sales and field service operations.
We also have the following continuing lease obligations for facilities we have vacated:
• We vacated a 30,000 square foot facility which is adjacent to our North St. Paul facility in June 2001 when we consolidated our North St. Paul operations into a single building. This facility is under a lease that expires in March 2006, with an annual rent of approximately $198,000. Approximately half of this space is currently subleased to third parties, and we are actively seeking to sublease the remainder.
• We vacated a 10,000 square foot facility located in Poway, California in March 2001 when we completed the consolidation of our Poway, California operation into our North St. Paul operation. This facility is under a lease that expires in September 2003, with an annual rent of
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