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Table of Contents

 

FORM 10-K

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission File Number 0-16148

 


 

MULTI-COLOR CORPORATION

 


 

Incorporated in the

State of Ohio

 

IRS Employer Identification number

31-1125853

 

425 Walnut Street, Suite 1300

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(513) 381-1480

 


 

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

 

None

 

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

 

Common Stock, no par value

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

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

 

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

 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $38,646,000, based upon the closing market price of $14.73 per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market System as of September 30, 2003, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

 

As of June 16, 2004, 6,195,546 shares of no par value Common Stock were issued and 6,166,746 shares of no par value Common Stock were outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on August 19, 2004 are incorporated by reference into Parts II and III of Form 10-K.

 



Table of Contents

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

 

                 Page

PART I

                
    Item 1     Business    3
    Item 2     Properties    7
    Item 3     Legal Proceedings    8
    Item 4     Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    8

PART II

                
    Item 5     Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities    8
    Item 6     Selected Financial Data    9
    Item 7     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    10
    Item 7A     Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    15
    Item 8     Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    16
    Item 9     Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure    32
    Item 9A     Controls and Procedures    32

PART III

                
    Item 10     Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant    32
    Item 11     Executive Compensation    33
    Item 12     Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters    33
    Item 13     Certain Relationships and Related Transactions    33
    Item 14     Principal Accountant Fees and Services    34

PART IV

                
    Item 15     Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K    34

SIGNATURES

       37

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

The Company believes certain statements contained in this report that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by that Act. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which they are made.

 

Statements concerning expected financial performance, on-going business strategies, and possible future action which the Company intends to pursue in order to achieve strategic objectives constitute forward-looking information. Implementation of these strategies and the achievement of such financial performance are each subject to numerous conditions, uncertainties and risk factors. Factors which could cause actual performance by the Company to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, without limitation, factors discussed in conjunction with a forward-looking statement; changes in general economic and business conditions; the ability to integrate acquisitions; the success of its significant customers; competition; acceptance of new product offerings; changes in business strategy or plans; quality of management; availability, terms and development of capital; availability of raw materials; business abilities and judgment of personnel; changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations, and other factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

Multi-Color is a premier supplier of decorative label solutions and packaging services to consumer product and food and beverage companies, retailers and container manufacturers. Our customers include many of the world’s largest manufacturers of household, fabric and personal care, automotive and lawn care, and food and beverage products representing over 330 of the world’s most well known and respected brands. We currently provide products and services to more than 250 customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and Asia.

 

Multi-Color is an Ohio-based corporation that was incorporated in 1985, succeeding to the predecessor business that began producing paper labels in 1918. We use the term “Multi-Color” to refer to Multi-Color Corporation.

 

Our common stock, no par value, is listed on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol “LABL”. See “Item 5 – Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities.” We also maintain a website (www.multicolorcorp.com) which includes additional information about the Company. The website was recently expanded to include corporate governance information for our shareholders. Our code of ethics can be found on our website under the corporate governance section. Shareholders can obtain, free of charge, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after Multi-Color electronically files such materials with or furnishes materials to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

PRODUCTS

 

We provide a wide range of products and services for the packaging needs of our customers through two segments. Our Decorating Solutions Segment is the world’s largest producer of in-mold labels (IMLs) and heat transfer labels (HTLs) and a major manufacturer of high-quality pressure sensitive and shrink sleeve labels. The Decorating Solutions Segment also provides digital, graphic and pre-press services, and produces printing cylinders and plates. Our Packaging Services Segment is a leading provider of promotional packaging, assembly and fulfillment services.

 

Decorating Solutions Segment:

 

In-Mold labels (IMLs):

 

In 1980, Multi-Color invented the in-mold label (IML) in response to the increasing use of blow-molded plastic containers. Working in conjunction with both a customer and a leading supplier of blow-molded plastic containers, Multi-Color developed the label and the method of applying the heat-activated adhesive to the label.

 

The in-mold process applies a label to a plastic container as the container is being formed in the mold cavity. The finished IML product is a finely detailed label that performs consistently well for plastic container manufacturers and adds marketing value and product security for consumer product companies.

 

Each component of the label production process requires a special expertise for success. The components include the substrate (the base material for the label), the cylinder (a laser-exposed gravure cylinder), inks (up to eight colors), overcoats and adhesives. We believe that our strength lies in several areas, two of which are the substrates used in the printing process and the production of the gravure cylinder (discussed below under Graphic Services). Multi-Color has developed proprietary substrates that we use in the printing process. There are several critical characteristics of a successful substrate. The material needs a proper coefficient of friction so that the finished label is easily and consistently picked up and applied to the blow-molded container. A second is the ability to hold the label’s inks, including metallics and flourescents, overlay varnishes and adhesives. Still another characteristic is the ability to lay smoothly, without wrinkle or bulge, when applied to a very hot, just molded plastic container that will quickly shrink, along with the label, as its temperature falls. We continually search for new substrates to be used in the in-mold process in order to improve label performance and capabilities as well as to reduce substrate costs. A recent technology advance for Multi-Color in this area is the use of peel-away IML coupons.

 

A product line that continues to gain interest is injection in-mold labeling. Historically, injection molded products have been decorated with pressure sensitive or direct print products. However, several years ago, injection in-mold technology was successfully developed in Europe. Several U.S. injection molding companies are exploring IML as a decorating method and we are a supplier of this technology. The majority of these products are printed using the lithographic printing process which is one of the technologies utilized at our Batavia, Ohio location.

 

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Pressure Sensitive labels:

 

In December 1999, Multi-Color began offering pressure sensitive labels to customers in conjunction with the acquisition of Buriot International, Inc. This Batavia, OH plant is equipped with ultraviolet (UV) drying equipment and hot foil and rotary screen capabilities. We further expanded our production of pressure sensitive labels through the acquisition of Premiere Labels, Inc., in October 2001. This Troy, OH plant houses flexographic presses with smaller web widths and is capable of handling smaller runs efficiently.

 

Pressure sensitive labels adhere to a surface with pressure. The label will usually consist of four elements - a base material, which may include paper, foil or plastic; an adhesive, which may be permanent or removable; a release coating; and a backing material to protect the adhesive against premature contact with other surfaces. The release coating and protective backing are removed prior to application to the container, exposing the adhesive, and the label is pressed or rolled into place. We have added several new application features in this area such as promotional neckbands, peel-away coupon labels and resealable labels.

 

The pressure sensitive market is the largest single component of the overall label market and represents a significant growth opportunity. Our strategy is to be a premier supplier of pressure sensitive labels in categories that demand high impact graphics or are otherwise technically challenging.

 

Shrink Sleeve labels:

 

In June 2000, Multi-Color began offering shrink sleeve labels and tamper-evident neckbands in conjunction with the acquisition of Uniflex Corporation. We are currently producing shrink sleeve labels in our Scottsburg, IN plant.

 

Shrink sleeve labels are produced in colorful, cutting edge styles and materials. The labels are manufactured as sleeves, slid over glass or plastic bottles and then heated to conform precisely to the contours of the container. The 360-degree label and tamper resistance feature of the label are marketing advantages that many of our customers look for when choosing this label type.

 

The shrink sleeve market is a fast growing decorating technology as consumer product companies look for ways to differentiate their products. A variety of markets within the consumer goods industry have adopted this decorating technology. Demand in the food and personal care markets continues to grow and should broaden the sales opportunities for shrink sleeve labels.

 

Heat Transfer labels (HTLs):

 

The Framingham, MA plant has produced heat transfer labels for more than 40 years and became part of Multi-Color’s portfolio in January 2003 through the acquisition of the Decorating Technologies Division of Avery Dennison Corporation. TherimageTM is the plant’s pioneer heat transfer label technology developed for plastic containers and health and beauty aid products. The addition of the revolutionary Clear ADvantageTM brand provides premium graphics on both glass and plastic containers for the health and beauty aid, beverage, household chemical and promotional markets.

 

Heat transfer labels are reverse printed and transferred off of a special release liner onto the container using heat and pressure. The labels are a composition of inks and lacquers tailored to the customer’s specific application needs. These labels are gravure printed for color flexibility and photographic replication. They are then shipped to blow molders and/or contract decorators who transfer the labels by way of TherimageTM heat transfer machinery. Once applied, the labels are permanently adhered to the container. The graphics capabilities include fine vignettes, metallic and color change inks, as well as the patented “frost”, giving the appearance of acid-etch. HTLs provide the ultimate “no label” look. We recently added the new “ink only” and flameless heat transfer label technology to our capabilities in this area.

 

Graphic Services:

 

Manufacturing technology for gravure cylinder and plate-making is another key competitive advantage for Multi-Color. At Multi-Color’s Laser Graphic Systems plant in Erlanger, KY, we employ laser-exposing and chemical-engraved gravure cylinder technology developed by Think Laboratories of Japan. Currently, Multi-Color is the only cylinder manufacturer in the United States with this technology. The Laser Graphic Systems facility is essentially an integrated supplier of cylinders and plates to the Company’s other facilities. Minimal sales of cylinders and plates are made to outside third parties.

 

The Think process uses a laser to expose the cylinder directly from the computer without ever having to generate films. The cylinders are then chemically etched to produce very fine and highly accurate cells. This completely digital process is quicker and less costly than other engraving processes as several process steps are removed. Equally important, this technology creates cells with fineness of depth and surface size to eliminate the stair step edges previously limiting the application of gravure printing. It creates smooth and feathered patterns of color and clear definition of small type sizes, required as companies add more information and more languages to their labels. We also use a copper ballard shell technology that cuts cost and time from cylinder production.

 

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Packaging Services Segment:

 

Our Quick Pak facility, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a leading provider of promotional packaging design, sourcing and custom assembly services to major health and beauty brands, consumer product manufacturers and national retailers. Because many of Multi-Color’s customers utilize these types of packaging services, the addition of Quick Pak in May 2002 enabled us to expand the service component of our business strategy and broaden our revenue stream by providing complimentary consumer packaging services that support our customers’ marketing strategies.

 

Quick Pak provides a broad range of assembly technologies, including automated shrink banding and shrink wrapping, cartoning and labeling. The facility operates over 20 flexible assembly lines per shift, to provide superior speed to market. Quick Pak relies on temporary associates as well as a permanent workforce to meet the staffing needs of these assembly lines.

 

Quick Pak also provides on-site packaging design with turnkey promotional experience in primary and secondary packaging and original packaging development.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

Multi-Color’s product leadership group is comprised of 13 employees who focus on research and development, product commercialization and technical equipment support. The group includes chemical, packaging and field engineers who are responsible for developing and commercializing innovative label and application solutions. Technical service personnel also assist customers and container manufacturers with improving bottle and label performance. In this manner, we differentiate ourselves from many of our competitors and are often chosen for the most challenging projects.

 

Multi-Color’s research and development expenditures totaled $2,626,000 in fiscal 2004, $1,320,000 in fiscal 2003 and $554,000 in fiscal 2002.

 

SALES AND MARKETING

 

Multi-Color provides a complete line of label solutions, offering a variety of packaging, assembly and technical and graphic services. Our vision is to be a premier global resource of packaging services and decorating solutions. We sell to a broad range of consumer product and food and beverage companies located in North and South America and Asia. Our sales organization is divided along segment lines. The Decorating Solutions Segment sales organization has recently been re-aligned to match our primary customer types; national accounts, end users and container manufacturers. While a consumer product or food and beverage company is our primary customer, Multi-Color has a close working relationship with various container manufacturers to ensure a customer’s product goes to market. We employ a total sales staff of 20 people across all segments. The sales organization includes representatives in the US, Canada and Mexico, maintaining a strong sales presence in those regions

 

The sales strategy for the Decorating Solutions Segment is a consultative selling approach. As consultants, the sales organization reviews the requirements of the container and offers a number of alternative decorating methods. Thereby, Multi-Color is viewed as an expert source of both materials and methods, able to evaluate numerous technologies and offer the most cost effective solution. The sales strategy for the Packaging Services Segment is to provide turnkey resources that keep the consumer atop of the competitive marketplace. The sales organization is designed to service the customer’s constantly changing promotional packaging needs.

 

Approximately 36% of our sales in fiscal 2004 were to The Procter & Gamble Company (divided among five separate purchasing groups). Another 10% of our sales were to Limited Brands (divided among three purchasing groups). The loss or substantial reduction of the business of any of the major customers in a particular year could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

 

MANUFACTURING

 

Multi-Color’s current printing equipment in the Decorating Solutions Segment consists of three gravure printing presses in our Scottsburg, IN plant, an offset press and two flexographic presses in our Batavia, OH plant, five flexographic presses in our Troy, OH plant, and seven gravure printing presses in our Framingham, MA plant. All of our presses are capable of multi-color, high-speed and high-quality graphic printing. We are currently in the process of installing a new gravure printing press in our Scottsburg, IN plant. The new press is expected to be operational in July 2004. We also have a wide variety of cutting and finishing equipment used to process printed material. The wide range of capabilities and versatility of our equipment enhances our ability to respond rapidly to changing customer needs, including the development of new products. We believe we have sufficient capacity to meet the expected demand for our products over the next several years.

 

In March 2004, we closed our Las Vegas plant and moved the operations to one of our other plants. The decision to close our Las Vegas plant was announced in December 2003 and was made in order to consolidate manufacturing operations and fully utilize press capacity at other plants. The plant closure was completed ahead of schedule and by March 31, 2004, all business had been moved to one of our other plants.

 

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On March 31, 2004 and March 31, 2003, the label backlog for the Decorating Solutions Segment was approximately $7,300,000 and $4,900,000, respectively. The label backlog represents 3-4 weeks of production volume at current staffing levels.

 

Multi-Color’s equipment in the Packaging Services Segment consists primarily of automatic conveyors, shrink wrap ovens, heat guns, jet coders and hot melt glue equipment. This segment relies primarily on manual labor in order to meet customers’ packaging and fulfillment needs. On March 31, 2004 and March 31, 2003, the backlog was approximately $2,351,000 and $1,100,000. This backlog represents 6-8 weeks of production volume at current staffing levels.

 

All backlogs as of March 31, 2004 are expected to be completed in the next fiscal year.

 

EMPLOYEES

 

As of March 31, 2004, Multi-Color had approximately 540 employees. We consider our labor relations to be good and have not experienced any work stoppages during the previous ten years. Our Packaging Services Segment relies heavily on temporary labor personnel throughout the year. We have good, long-term relationships with several temporary staffing businesses to meet these needs. All human resource and compensation systems have been developed to align Multi-Color with the goals and objectives of our customers and shareholders.

 

RAW MATERIALS

 

Common to the printing industry, our Decorating Solutions Segment purchases proprietary products from a number of printing suppliers. To prevent potential disruptions to our manufacturing facilities, we have developed relationships with more than one supply source for each of our critical raw materials. Our raw material suppliers are major corporations, each demonstrating successful historical performance. Although it is the intention to prevent any long term business interruption due to the inability of obtaining raw materials, there could be short term manufacturing disruptions during the customer qualification period for any new raw material source.

 

Our Packaging Services Segment purchases various packaging materials such as corrugate, foam, plastics, adhesives and film. These materials are readily available and can be obtained from a wide variety of vendors.

 

ACQUISITIONS

 

We are continually in pursuit of acquisitions that may contribute to Multi-Color’s growth. We believe that acquisitions are a method of increasing our presence in existing markets, expanding into new markets, gaining new product offerings and improving operating efficiencies through economies of scale. Through acquisitions, we plan to broaden Multi-Color’s revenue stream by providing complimentary consumer packaging services that support our customers’ marketing strategies. The printing industry is highly fragmented and offers many opportunities for acquisitions.

 

During fiscal 2004, we completed the acquisition of the heat transfer business of the International Playing Card and Label Co. This acquisition further increased the number of customers for which we are providing heat transfer labels from our Framingham, MA plant.

 

During fiscal 2003, we completed two acquisitions. In May 2002, we completed the acquisition of certain assets and assumption of certain liabilities of Quick Pak, Inc. Quick Pak is based in Cincinnati, Ohio and supplies packaging services to the consumer packaging industry. This acquisition enabled us to expand the service component of Multi-Color’s business strategy and broaden Multi-Color’s revenue stream by providing complimentary consumer packaging services that support our customers’ marketing strategies. In January 2003, we acquired specific assets and assumed certain liabilities of the North and South American Decorating Technologies Division (“Dec Tech”) of Avery Dennison Corporation. Dec Tech is a supplier of heat transfer labels to the health & beauty aids, food and beverage industries.

 

We actively seek to identify and evaluate potential acquisition candidates and, from time to time, engage in discussions with such candidates. Completion of future acquisitions may or may not occur.

 

COMPETITION

 

Multi-Color has a large number of competitors in the traditional and pressure sensitive label markets and several principal competitors in each of the in-mold, shrink sleeve and heat transfer label markets. Some of these competitors in the traditional and pressure sensitive label markets have greater financial and other resources than us. The competitors in the in-mold, shrink sleeve and heat transfer label markets are either private companies or subsidiaries of public companies and we cannot assess the financial resources of these organizations. Multi-Color could be adversely affected should a competitor develop labels similar or technologically superior to our in-mold label. We believe competition is principally dependent upon product performance, service, pricing and technical support. Customer service, quality and qualification requirements present barriers to new entrants into Multi-Color’s markets.

 

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Similar to the Decorating Solutions Segment, the Packaging Services Segment’s competition is largely dependant on customer service and price as well as the ability to demonstrate unrestricted capacity and superior quality.

 

PATENTS AND LICENSES

 

We own a number of United States patents and patent applications that relate to the products and services we offer to our customers. Although these patents are important to us, we are not dependant upon any one patent. We believe that these patents, collectively, along with our ability to be a single source provider of many packaging needs provide us with a competitive advantage over our competition. The expiration or unenforceability of any of our patents would not have a material adverse effect on Multi-Color.

 

REGULATION

 

Our operations are subject to regulation by federal and state environmental protection agencies. To insure ongoing compliance with federal and state environmental protection agency requirements, we have retained an outside environmental consultant to monitor environmental compliance. Additionally, Multi-Color continues to make capital investments to maintain compliance with federal and state environmental requirements and to improve our existing equipment as part of our ongoing environmental compliance strategy.

 

The United States Food and Drug Administration regulates the raw materials used in labels for food products. These regulations apply to the consumer product companies for which Multi-Color produces labels. Multi-Color uses materials specified by the consumer product companies in producing labels for food products.

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

 

Facility


 

Address


 

Owned/Leased


 

Approximate Size


Corporate Offices

  425 Walnut Street, Suite 1300 Cincinnati, OH 45202   Leased   10,000 sq. ft.

Scottsburg Plant

  2281 South US 31 Scottsburg, IN 47170   Owned   120,500 sq. ft.

Erlanger Plant

  3520 Turfway Road Erlanger, KY 41018   Owned   12,000 sq. ft.

Batavia Plant

  4064 Clough Woods Drive Batavia, OH 45103   Owned   29,000 sq. ft.

Las Vegas Plant

  1151 M Grier Drive Las Vegas, NV 89119   Leased (1)   41,000 sq. ft.

Troy Plant

  635 Olympic Boulevard Troy, OH 45373   Owned   22,800 sq. ft.

Dec Tech Plant

  100 Clinton Street Framingham, MA 01702   Leased   125,000 sq. ft.

Quick Pak Plant

  12110 Champion Way Cincinnati, OH 45241   Leased   215,000 sq. ft.

 

All of our properties are in good condition, are well maintained, and are adequate for Multi-Color’s intended uses.


(1) We closed our Las Vegas, NV plant in March 2004 but remain obligated under the lease for the plant through April 2006. We are seeking a sub-lease tenant for the space.

 

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

None.

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2004.

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON STOCK, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER REPURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Multi-Color’s shares trade in the over-the-counter market under the NASDAQ-NMS symbol LABL. The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of Multi-Color’s common stock (“Common Stock”) as reported in the NASDAQ National Market System during fiscal years 2003 and 2004. Prices have been adjusted to reflect Multi-Color’s 3-for-2 stock split effective November 30, 2003. Multi-Color’s stock is thinly traded. Accordingly, the prices below may not be indicative of prices at which a large number of shares can be traded or reflective of prices that would prevail in a more active market.

 

     High

   Low

April 1, 2002 to June 30, 2002

   $ 11.33    $ 9.33

July 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002

   $ 10.43    $ 7.67

October 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002

   $ 11.50    $ 8.13

January 1, 2003 to March 31, 2003

   $ 12.17    $ 10.05

April 1, 2003 to June 30, 2003

   $ 15.33    $ 10.65

July 1, 2003 to September 30, 2003

   $ 16.71    $ 12.57

October 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003

   $ 23.23    $ 15.04

January 1, 2004 to March 31, 2004

   $ 19.80    $ 16.02

 

As of June 16, 2004, there were approximately 370 shareholders of record of the Common Stock.

 

We currently intend to retain Multi-Color’s earnings to fund the growth of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Multi-Color’s financing agreements currently prohibit the payment of Common Stock cash dividends.

 

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA (THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

 

     Year Ended

 
    

March 31

2004 (2)


  

March 31

2003


  

March 31

2002


  

March 31

2001


  

March 31

2000 (1)


 

Net sales

   $ 126,961    $ 99,560    $ 72,624    $ 66,618    $ 53,331  

Gross profit

     23,273      19,228      14,503      13,288      9,014  

Operating income

     12,005      11,893      8,927      8,305      4,280  

Net income

     6,506      6,335      4,699      3,559      5,626  

Basic earnings per share (3)

     1.08      1.10      .84      .64      1.03  

Diluted earnings per share (3)

     .99      .99      .76      .61      .89  

Weighted average shares outstanding – basic (3)

     6,013      5,775      5,610      5,544      5,298  

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted (3)

     6,594      6,404      6,162      5,850      6,309  

Preferred dividends

     —        —        —        —        177  

Working capital

     7,883      6,924      3,324      2,944      (281 )

Total assets

     72,447      67,378      47,924      44,650      37,151  

Short-term debt

     5,922      5,774      3,607      3,417      5,143  

Long-term debt

     15,553      22,109      18,691      20,870      17,292  

Stockholders’ equity

     32,969      25,275      17,659      12,967      9,136  

(1) Fiscal 2000 results include a write down of $779 on certain property and a tax benefit of $2,553.
(2) Fiscal 2004 results include an asset impairment charge and plant closure costs of $1,096 relating to the closure of our Las Vegas, NV plant in March 2004.
(3) All share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the 3-for-2 stock splits effective November 30, 2001 and November 30, 2003.

 

Refer to Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion of the impact of acquisitions completed during recent fiscal years that would impact the comparability of the selected financial data noted above. In fiscal 2000, we acquired our Batavia, OH plant. In fiscal 2001, we acquired the Las Vegas, NV plant which was subsequently closed during fiscal 2004 and business moved to another of our plant locations. In fiscal 2002, we acquired our Troy, OH plant. In fiscal 2003, we acquired the Framingham, MA plant as well as the Quick Pak plant located in Cincinnati, OH.

 

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

 

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with Multi-Color’s Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere herein. In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we refer to certain data and information derived from our financial statements that are not required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) to be presented in financial statements. Certain of these data are considered to be “non-GAAP financial measures” under the SEC regulations. The SEC regulations required supplemental explanation and reconciliation which can be found at the end of this Item 7.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following table shows, for the periods indicated, certain components of Multi-Color’s consolidated statements of income as a percentage of net sales.

 

     Percentage of Net Sales

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Net sales

   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %

Cost of goods sold

   81.7 %   80.7 %   80.0 %
    

 

 

Gross profit

   18.3 %   19.3 %   20.0 %

Selling, general & administrative expenses

   7.9 %   7.4 %   7.7 %

Plant closure costs

   .7 %   —       —    

Impairment loss on long-lived assets

   .2 %   —       —    
    

 

 

Operating income

   9.5 %   11.9 %   12.3 %

Interest expense

   .8 %   1.4 %   2.0 %

Other

   .5 %   .2 %   .2 %
    

 

 

Income before income taxes

   8.2 %   10.3 %   10.1 %

Income taxes

   3.1 %   3.9 %   3.6 %
    

 

 

Net income

   5.1 %   6.4  %   6.5 %
    

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

 

We provide a wide range of products and services for the packaging needs of our customers through two segments. Our Decorating Solutions Segment provides a complete line of label solutions for consumer product and food and beverage companies. Our Packaging Services Segment provides promotional packaging design, sourcing and custom assembly services to consumer product companies and national retailers. Our vision is to be a premier global resource of packaging services and decorating solutions. Currently, our customers are located throughout North and South America. We monitor and analyze trends in the packaging industry in order to ensure that we are providing appropriate products and services to our customers. Factors that influence our business are: consumer spending; new product introductions; new packaging technologies and demographics.

 

We achieved record revenues of $127 million and continued our record over the past six years of double digit annual sales growth and solid operating income growth. However, we experienced operational challenges at our Las Vegas plant during fiscal 2004. In spite of the challenges, our net income increased $.2 million over fiscal 2003. We successfully integrated our Dec Tech acquisition (January 2003) into our existing Decorating Solutions Segment. Our Packaging Services Segment continues to achieve significant organic growth. Due to this growth, we expanded the main facility for our Packaging Services Segment, Quick Pak, to 215,000 sq. ft. from 126,000 sq. ft. In December 2003, we announced a manufacturing consolidation plan that included the closure of our Las Vegas plant. We moved the business of our Las Vegas plant to one of our other plants to better utilize capacity across our various plant locations. This plant closure was originally expected to be completed during the first quarter of fiscal 2005 but we were able to close the plant by March 31, 2004. Productivity improvements at our Scottsburg, IN plant created capacity for the integration of the Las Vegas business. However, job start-ups and the scope and complexity of the integration caused disruptions in the plant’s normal production schedule. We expect the remaining issues to be resolved during the second quarter of fiscal 2005 as a result of operational improvements. Excluding the plant closure costs and impairment charge recorded in connection with the Las Vegas plant closure, our net income would have increased $.7 million or 14% over fiscal 2003. Our diluted earnings per share would have been $1.09 for fiscal 2004, an increase of 10% over the prior year.

 

The label markets we serve through our Decorating Solutions Segment continue to experience a competitive environment and price pre