UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
| x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
| ¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number: 333-19495
RADNOR HOLDINGS CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 23-2674715 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
| Radnor Financial Center, Suite 300 150 Radnor Chester Road Radnor, Pennsylvania |
19087 | |
| (address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: 610-341-9600
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the act: None
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Yes ¨ No x
As of March 31, 2005 there were 600 shares of the Registrants Voting Common Stock ($.10 par value), 245 shares of the Registrants Nonvoting Common Stock ($.10 par value) and 5,400 shares of the Registrants Class B Nonvoting Common Stock ($.01 par value) outstanding. There is no market for the voting and nonvoting common stock of the Registrant. Accordingly, the aggregate market value of voting and nonvoting securities held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 25, 2004 was indeterminable. Based on the estimated fair value of $25,250 per share of the underlying securities, as determined by the Companys Board of Directors, the fair value of voting and nonvoting securities held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 25, 2004 was $2,272,500.
2004 FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Radnor Holdings Corporation (the Company, Radnor, we, us or our) is a leading manufacturer and distributor of a broad line of disposable foodservice products in the U.S. and of specialty chemical products worldwide. We operate 15 plants in North America and three in Europe and distribute our foodservice products from ten distribution centers throughout the United States. We are the second largest U.S. manufacturer of foam cups and containers and we also manufacture polystyrene and polypropylene drinking cups, stemware, plates, bowls, containers and cutlery. In fiscal 2004, we produced 14.7 billion foam and plastic cups for hot and cold drinks, foam bowls and containers and thermoformed lids and 1.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery. We are upgrading our thermoforming equipment and installing new production lines to facilitate the introduction of our proprietary polypropylene cold drink cups. This expansion is needed to meet accelerating customer demand, including business awards from quick service restaurants (QSRs).
By capacity, we are the fifth largest worldwide producer of expandable polystyrene, or EPS, which is the primary raw material used in our foodservice packaging products. We have been manufacturing EPS and related products sold to the foodservice, insulation and protective packaging industries for more than 26 years. In fiscal 2004, we produced 364 million pounds of EPS. We supply 100% of our own EPS needs in addition to supplying EPS to other manufacturers of foodservice, insulation and protective packaging products.
Financial information concerning the Companys business segments appears in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included under Item 8 herein.
Packaging. We compete within the foodservice industry, which includes products manufactured with paper, plastic, foam and other materials. Radnor manufactures a broad range of disposable foam, polypropylene and polystyrene foodservice products.
According to independent industry research, the U.S. foodservice disposable industry, which includes foodservice distributors, QSRs, retail and consumer customers such as mass merchandisers, drug stores and club stores, generated $11.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2002. In 2003, disposable cups and lids represented approximately $4.1 billion of the industry. It is projected that demand for disposable cups and lids will increase 4.0% annually to $5.0 billion in 2008. Growth in this market is projected to be driven by increasing disposable personal income levels and a favorable outlook for foodservice revenues, especially in the QSR segment. According to recent independent industry analyses, the plastic cup segment is projected to grow at an annual rate of 5.0% through 2008 while the foam cup segment is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.9% through 2013.
The factors that originally gave rise to the use of disposable products continue to support the markets growth. These include lower labor, maintenance and energy costs as compared to reusable products, as well as sanitary considerations and growth in the consumption of take-out foods and beverages. The expansion of QSRs and warehouse retailers and the consolidation of some foodservice distributors into larger companies with a national presence have also increased the use of disposable products.
Cold drink cups constitute a majority of the disposable cup market and consist primarily of paper and polystyrene cups. Plastic cold cup usage has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of advantages as compared to paper, including lower cost, elimination of sogginess, greater rigidity, seamless construction and unique design and printing capabilities. In addition, larger size cups can be molded to fit into car cup holders, thereby taking advantage of the trend toward larger cup sizes and growing take-out markets, including drive-thru windows at QSRs. Polypropylene products additionally have cost advantages and an enhanced appearance as compared to polystyrene plastic and other cold drink cup products. Led by demand from take-out markets, including drive-thru windows at QSRs, we believe growth in this segment will be strongest in larger sizes where polypropylene cups can be designed to fit into car cup holders.
Foam cup usage has also increased over the last two decades as a result of factors unique to this segment. These factors include the superior insulating and molding qualities of foam, lower production costs as compared to other disposable and reusable products and sanitary considerations. Although the success of foam
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cups to date has been primarily in the hot drink segment, we believe that there continues to be significant growth opportunities in the sale of cold drink cups, particularly in the large (20 through 64 ounce) sizes, including specialized products such as car carrier cups, on which we make higher margin.
For both the plastic and foam products segments, other growth factors include the expansion of warehouse retailers, the growth in consumption of take-out foods and beverages and increased demand for larger sizes and specialized products.
Specialty Chemicals. We compete in the North American and European EPS markets. In North America, we sell EPS to the insulation, protective packaging and foodservice industries. Independent industry analyses estimated the U.S. EPS market to have been in excess of 400,000 metric tons in 2000 and projected an annual growth rate of approximately 3% through 2010. This market is concentrated, with Radnor and three other competitors accounting for over 90% of the North American market.
In Europe, we sell EPS to the insulation and protective packaging industries. The EPS market in Europe includes a broader range of product applications and is more fragmented than the North American market. An independent industry analysis estimated the European EPS market to have been in excess of 995,000 metric tons in 2000 and projected an annual growth rate of approximately 3% through 2005.
Packaging. Radnor manufactures a broad range of disposable foodservice products, including cups, bowls, plates, containers, lids, cutlery, barware and stemware from EPS, polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS):
| Products |
Markets | |||||
| Drinkware |
Foam Traditional & Flair Cups Lids (Foam & Plastic) Thermoformed PP Cups Car Cups Stadium Cups Promotional Cups Co-Ex Retail Alpha - Institutional XL/XL Diamond Thermoformed PS Cups Rigid Tumblers/Stemware Injection Molded PS Flex-Sof Polypropylene Tumblers
|
Caterers Restaurants Nightclubs Hospitals Stadiums Convenience Stores Supermarkets Party Goods Stores Schools State Institutions QSRs Municipalities Contract Feeders OEMs Advertising Specialties | ||||
| Tableware |
Foam Food Containers Foam Food Bowls Injection Molded PS Plates Injection Molded PS Bowls & Lids
|
|||||
| Cutlery |
Light PS Plastic Cutlery Light PP Plastic Cutlery Medium PS Plastic Cutlery Medium PP Plastic Cutlery Heavy PS Cutlery Heavy PP Plastic Cutlery Gild PS Plastic Cutlery Wrapped Cutlery Serving Spoons & Forks
|
|||||
| Dessertware / Miscellaneous |
Crystal Parfait & Lids Crystal Dessert Dishes Crystal Sundae Dishes Portion Cups & Lids Communion Cups Graduated Medicine Cups |
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Our thermoformed and injection molded polypropylene and polystyrene product lines include more than 450 cups and containers, ranging in size from 3.5 oz to 44 oz with matching lids. To simplify display and inventory requirements, we design our cold drink cups so that the same lid can be interchanged with many cup sizes. The use of polypropylene as a raw material provides drink cups with enhanced appearance qualities, including a rolled lip that is less abrasive to the user while providing a sturdy yet comfortable feel. Polypropylene also allows us to improve printing quality for our customers, permitting photographic-quality printing that is superior to the print capabilities of other substitute products. We also manufacture thermoformed polypropylene portion cups used for salad dressing, condiments and other food items, as well as rigid plastic cutlery products.
The use of foam provides an insulating feature to our products, allowing them to be used for both hot and cold beverages and food products while enhancing comfort for the end user. Foam cups are manufactured in varying sizes (4 to 64 ounces) for both hot and cold beverages and are sold under numerous brand names, including WinCup, COMpac, Profit Pals, STYROcup, Big Cool and Simplicity. Foam bowls and other containers are made in varying sizes (3.5 to 32 ounces) for both hot and cold food products and are sold under the STYROcontainers brand name. Our thermoformed leak-resistant plastic lids feature a stacking ring that minimizes the shifting of a second cup when placed on top of the first cup. Other enhanced lid features include vents, tear-away tabs and straw slots, depending on the intended use. Cups, bowls, containers and lids are designed so that the same lid can be interchanged with many different cup, bowl or container sizes, which simplifies inventory and display area requirements. For example, our 10 cup-2 lid product line allows two different lids to fit with ten different size cups.
Our cups, bowls and containers are available with custom offset or embossed printing. We also manufacture a broad range of custom-designed foam containers for many of our large national accounts. A significant component of this business is the manufacturing of containers for customers, which use the containers for dried noodle products sold through retail grocery and supermarket chains. We also supply our products in private label packaging for certain of our customers.
We continuously work to develop new products that fit with our customers specific needs. One of our early customer-driven developments was the flare cup design that replaced the heavier rim typically built into the top of a foam cup with a smooth, flared edge that improves the stability of the cups construction. The flare cup was well-received by customers because it combined the favorable appearance of paper with the insulating qualities of foam. More recently, our car carrier cups have addressed the end users desire for a cup that can contain larger volumes of liquid while fitting into an automobiles cup holder.
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Specialty Chemicals. In North America, we manufacture EPS for our internal consumption, in addition to selling directly to third-party manufacturers of foodservice, insulation and protective packaging products:
| Products |
Markets | |||
| Building and Construction |
Modified Grades of EPS | Insulation, Residential and Industrial Structural Insulated Panels Insulated Concrete Forms Roofing Insulation Board, Tapered Wall Insulation Floor Soundproofing | ||
| Protective Packaging |
Regular Grades of EPS | Electronics Packaging, Medical Device Packaging, Ice Chests/Coolers | ||
| Consumer Products |
Regular Grades of EPS | Door Cores, Fishing Floats, Decorative Ornaments, Archery Targets, Wave Boards | ||
| Metal Casting |
Lost Foam Grades of EPS | Lost Foam Casting Car Engine Blocks and Heads Pump Casings Fire Hydrants Rail Road Car Wheel Brake Drums | ||
| Food Service |
Cup Grades of EPS | Foam Cups Foam Containers | ||
| Loose Fill Packaging |
Polystyrene Grades | Loose Fill Peanuts | ||
EPS is categorized by size, with the smallest size, or cup-grade, used to manufacture foam cups and containers. Larger sizes are sold to manufacturers of insulation and protective packaging products and include EPS modified for fire retardancy.
We manufacture a broad range of EPS formulations in Europe for conversion into a variety of standard and specialized insulation and packaging products. This EPS is made primarily for the insulation and protective packaging industries and includes a range of bead sizes and densities for conversion by customers into light and heavy insulation boards as well as various shape products, such as insulated fish packaging boxes. We work closely with our European customers to incorporate special product features into our EPS, such as fire retardancy, low water absorption, specialty coatings, higher thermal insulation qualities and antistatic properties.
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Sales, Marketing and Customers
Packaging. Radnor sells its broad range of disposable products to the foodservice industry through a 36-person sales organization and through an extensive network of 54 independent sales representatives. Sales and marketing efforts are directed by our Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing and are supported by 12 senior sales managers averaging more than eleven years of experience in the foodservice industry. We believe our experienced sales team and long-term representative relationships enhance our ability to provide high levels of customer service and specialized marketing programs, including custom-designed products. Major end users of these products include QSRs, full-service restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, educational institutions, airlines, business offices, movie theaters and other leisure time concessionaires, such as sports stadiums.
We sell disposable products in the foodservice industry to more than 1,400 national, institutional and retail accounts throughout the United States, in Mexico and in other countries. This customer base, which includes many of the foodservice industrys largest companies, can be divided into three major categories:
National Accounts: National accounts are customers that use our disposable foodservice products in the sale of their own products and consist primarily of large QSR chains and convenience stores. During fiscal 2004, sales to these customers accounted for approximately 10.1% of our net sales.
Institutional Accounts: Institutional accounts are customers that purchase our disposable foodservice products with a view toward reselling such products in bulk to institutional end users, such as hospitals, restaurants, nursing homes, educational institutions, airlines, movie theaters and other leisure time concessionaires, such as sports stadiums. These customers, representing approximately 41.4% of our net sales in fiscal 2004, are primarily large foodservice distributors.
Retail Accounts: Retail accounts are customers that purchase our disposable foodservice products for resale to actual consumers of the products and consist primarily of supermarket chains and discount stores. In fiscal 2004, retail customers accounted for approximately 6.9% of our net sales.
Approximately 10.0% of our packaging product sales are made pursuant to arrangements under which product prices are automatically adjusted based on changes in prices of styrene monomer, polypropylene and other raw materials. Substantially all of our other packaging product sales are made pursuant to contracts or other arrangements under which we have the right to change product prices on 30 to 60 days prior written notice.
Specialty Chemicals. In North America, we sell EPS through a dedicated sales force averaging 21 years of experience and two broker organizations to manufacturers of foam protective packaging and insulation products. In Europe, we market through our Europe-wide sales office network. In support of these sales and marketing efforts, we employ people who are knowledgeable about chemical engineering and manufacturing processes in order to provide technical assistance to our customers.
In Europe, we sell EPS to 200 primarily mid-sized companies throughout Europe. We have actively pursued these customers because they provide potential for higher margins and because of their increased reliance on our technical support, which results in a greater ability to foster long-term customer relationships. We sell approximately 25% of our European EPS production to our former European insulation business pursuant to a long-term supply agreement.
Customer Concentration. No customer represented more than 6.3% of our net sales for fiscal 2004, although the five largest accounts represented approximately 21.5% of such sales. Because we are focusing our marketing efforts for our new thermoformed polypropylene products on our key customers, we anticipate that this customer concentration may increase in the future.
We operate 15 plants in North America and three plants in Europe. Our eleven U.S. and European foam plants generally operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 355 days a year. Our plastic cup and
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cutlery products are manufactured through an injection molding or thermoforming process that uses polystyrene and polypropylene as its principal raw materials in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in North Carolina. This plant operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 355 days a year. We also operate six plants located in the United States, Canada and Europe that manufacture EPS from styrene monomer and also operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 355 days a year.
Manufacturing Process. The manufacture of EPS, the primary raw material in the manufacture of foam products, has two steps: polymerization and impregnation. In the polymerization phase, styrene monomer, which is a commodity petrochemical derived primarily from benzene and ethylene, is suspended in water and then treated with chemicals and catalysts to produce polystyrene crystal in various sizes, each of which has different end-use applications, including general purpose polystyrene. To produce EPS, the crystal is impregnated with a high-purity pentane gas.
We manufacture our foam cups and containers utilizing a custom molding process. First, the cup-grade EPS is blended with a lubricating agent and then pre-expanded so that the EPS is of the appropriate density. This pre-expanded EPS is then fed through special screeners to remove undersized and oversized beads. The pre-expanded EPS is then injected into machine molds and fused by injecting steam into the mold cavity. After the EPS is fused, the mold shells are cooled, the mold halves are opened and the finished cups are ejected. The finished products are vacuum tested, counted and packaged.
We manufacture polypropylene cups and containers using a complete line process. In this process, polypropylene pellets and desired colorants are mixed, heated and extruded into a continuous sheet, which is then fed into a thermoformer and molded into the size and shape of the preferred product design. After the cups are cooled, they are trimmed from the sheet while still in the mold and are subsequently transferred to a forming station where the rims are rolled over in a coining process to provide attractive and highly functional lips for the finished products. The finished cups are automatically transferred for packaging into finished cases or to printing and then packaged into finished cases.
We manufacture both polypropylene and polystyrene cutlery and cups using an injection molding process in which resins and colorant are mixed and heated through an extrusion process. The liquid resin is then injected into the cavities of the mold to form the shape of the product. The material is cooled inside the mold through the use of chilled water. Both halves of the mold are then separated and the parts ejected where they are transported to either an automatic or manual packing station, depending on the type of finished product.
Our lid products are produced from high-impact polystyrene, or HIPS, which is subjected to heat and pressure, after which the product is extruded through a thin die. The lids are then trimmed for finished goods packing, while the scrap is ground and reintroduced into the original material blend.
Quality Control. Our manufacturing quality control program for foam foodservice products involves automated testing of all products for leaks. In addition, random testing is performed at least hourly at each facility for various attributes: seepage, weight, appearance, strength and, where applicable, print. We centrally collect the resulting data, subject it to statistical analysis and review the results. In addition, each machine operator and packer performs various quality checks during the production process. We also obtain random samples of finished foam packaging products from our various manufacturing facilities and perform an analysis similar to that described above at our Phoenix laboratory.
Our manufacturing quality control program for thermoformed plastic products enables us to meet our customers requirements through a documented Quality Management System. We monitor and measure the attributes that are critical to quality. We then statistically analyze the data to ensure that the processes are consistent in conforming to the customers desires.
In addition to our own programs, certain of our larger customers have established their own product standards and perform periodic manufacturing audits at our facilities, either through their own personnel or through an independent testing group such as ASI Food Safety Consultants. We also submit products to third-party laboratories for microbiologic and physical tests to ensure that we conform to or exceed industry product safety standards.
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We utilize our quality, service, manufacturing and customer partners to enact and follow through on initiatives consistent with total quality management and good manufacturing practices. Through these programs, we work with our customers to ensure product quality and to create new products that reflect the present and future needs of our customers.
Our North American EPS quality control laboratory includes infrared spectrograph and atomic absorption units. Our laboratory chemists are capable of performing complex chemical and atomic analysis of styrene monomer, polystyrene crystal, expandable polystyrene and all other material components of EPS production. This gives us the ability to customize EPS formulas to meet any special customer requirements. The EPS quality control program includes testing every production batch of EPS to ensure it meets specific customer requirements. Each batch is tested for particle sizes, pentane gas volume and, if the EPS is to be used for insulation, its fire retardation capability.
In Europe, our sophisticated quality control laboratory is complemented by a fully equipped analytical laboratory containing three fully instrumented, automatically controlled pilot reactors, a fully equipped reactor bay, including a reactor and equipment for screening and coating, as well as two complete lines for converting EPS into insulation boards and shape-molded products. Testing equipment for analytical and quality audit work includes electronic balancers, equipment for testing burning behavior, gas chromatographs, sweep electron microscopes, colorimeters, flexural/compressive strength testers, an izod impact tester and lambda value testers. We regularly test our EPS for a range of key attributes that vary by specific product. Our European facilities are either ISO 9001 or ISO 9002 certified and both are also ISO 14001 certified.
Engineering. As of March 31, 2005, we employed 72 full-time technical personnel, including 30 full-time engineers and engineering managers, based in the Phoenix, Corte Madera, Fort Worth, Mooresville and Canadian facilities. The engineering staff uses computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing systems to design advanced, three-dimensional models of products and molds. Once an electronic image of the machine and mold part design is generated, the part can be custom manufactured. We have the capacity to construct all of the proprietary equipment, machines and molds used in the production, testing and packaging of our foam products. We have also developed and are installing in our manufacturing facilities automated materials handling equipment that includes in-line printing, automatic case packaging equipment and more advanced molding machines.
We continually examine how to improve our manufacturing process efficiencies. Sophisticated infra-red imaging systems, providing real-time video displays, are used to evaluate the thermal efficiency of molds and machines under development. We also can create special prototype mold forms for new lid designs and single-cavity cup and container molds, both of which enhance our ability to evaluate customer design requests rapidly.
The managing director of our European EPS operations is an engineer, as are each of the managers and supervisors of the production facilities located in Europe. In Europe, we also employ two full-time engineers who are responsible for process and production engineering and interact regularly with research and development personnel based in the analytical laboratory as well as senior technical support staff responsible for assisting the sales team.
Our foam products are manufactured from EPS, which is produced from styrene monomer. High-purity pentane is also used as an expanding agent in the production of EPS. The raw materials we use for the manufacture of thermoformed lids are primarily plastic resins such as polystyrene. Our plastic cups and cutlery are thermoformed and injection molded from polypropylene and polystyrene resins.
Styrene monomer is a commodity petrochemical that is readily available throughout the world in bulk quantities from numerous large, vertically integrated chemical companies. Styrene monomer prices have fluctuated significantly as a result of changes in petrochemical prices and the capacity, supply and demand for styrene monomer. For example, the contract price for styrene monomer increased from $0.25 per pound in January 2002 to $0.42 per pound in December 2003. The contract price for styrene monomer increased to $0.70 per pound in November 2004, and was $0.64 per pound as of February 2005. Although future styrene monomer
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prices cannot be predicted with accuracy, contract prices are forecasted by independent industry surveys and producer reports to decline to $0.58 by the end of 2005. While the Company has been able to pass on the majority of past price increases to customers, the Company may not be able to increase prices if styrene monomer costs rise in the future.
We have historically purchased a majority of our styrene monomer requirements under a variety of long-term supply contracts. These contracts provided a supply of styrene monomer under several different pricing mechanisms and with volume discounts. The various pricing mechanisms included those tied to raw material prices, spot market indices, contract indices and varying mixtures of the three. On March 18, 2005, the Company amended the end of the term of its primary North American styrene monomer requirements contract from December 2009 to August 2005. By amending this contract, the Company believes it gained greater flexibility in its overall ability to purchase styrene monomer.
High-purity pentane, which is used as the expanding agent in the production of EPS, is available from a limited number of suppliers. Should high-purity pentane become unavailable, however, high-purity butane may be substituted as the expanding agent.
The raw materials used in the manufacture of our polystyrene plastic cups and cutlery and for the manufacture of thermoformed lids are primarily plastic resins such as polystyrene, which are available from a number of sources. Our polystyrene resin supplies are purchased under various agreements that contain minimum and maximum purchase requirements. The price we pay for polystyrene resin is determined at the time of purchase and can be supported by our styrene monomer purchases. The prices of polystyrene resins fluctuated in a fashion similar to the fluctuations affecting styrene monomer as described above. Polystyrene is largely a derivative of styrene monomer and prices react the same way over time. Prices also can change based on the operating rates of the polystyrene manufacturing facilities. Published contract polystyrene pricing was $0.88 per pound as of February 2005. The forecasted price of polystyrene is expected to range between $0.77 and $0.96 during 2005.
The primary raw materials used to manufacture our thermoformed plastic products are polypropylene resins that are made from propylene. We do not currently have long-term supply agreements for polypropylene and may not be able to enter into such agreements on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to enter into long-term supply agreements, we will be more impacted by the changing market conditions for polypropylene. Polypropylene resin pricing follows the raw material price of propylene and is influenced by the operating rates of the respective polypropylene manufacturing locations. The published homopolymer polypropylene contract price was $0.69 per pound for February 2005 and is forecasted by independent industry surveys and producer reports to decline to $0.63 per pound by the end of 2005. Polypropylene has also had the tendency to fluctuate significantly over time. For example, the contract price for polypropylene ranged from $0.28 to $0.66 from the beginning of 2002 through December 2004. We anticipate entering into long-term contracts to provide consistent supply of polypropylene resins. We expect the pricing mechanisms in those contracts to be market driven and to change monthly. We also anticipate that we will obtain rebates based on volume incentives with the respective suppliers.
If pricing of either polystyrene or polypropylene resins would put us in an uncompetitive position, we can switch to the other resin to make our products competitive.
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Proprietary Technology and Intellectual Property
We have developed a broad array of proprietary technology that is utilized in various stages of our manufacturing operations, including the manufacture of our new thermoformed polypropylene products. We rely primarily upon confidentiality agreements and restricted plant access to protect our proprietary technology, which we consider material to our operations. We own several patents relating to our foodservice packaging products and our EPS manufacturing processes. However, we do not consider these patents material to our operations.
As of March 31, 2005, we owned 57 trademarks and 11 copyrights registered in the United States, several of which are also registered in other countries. As of such date, we also owned a number of unregistered trademarks. We do not consider any of these trademarks or copyrights material to our operations.
We compete in the highly competitive foodservice industry. The foam segment of the disposable cup and container market is highly concentrated and, within this segment, we compete principally with Dart Container, which has significantly greater financial resources than we have and controls the largest share of this market segment. We do not believe that companies operating in related markets are likely to enter the foam segment due to the significant investment that would be required.
We believe that competition within the foam segment of the market is based primarily on customer service, product quality and the price at which products are offered. We believe that our market position is attributable to our high level of customer service and product quality, strategically located manufacturing facilities, proprietary technology and experienced management team.
The plastic segment of the disposable cup and container market is significantly fragmented. Major producers of thermoformed plastic cups and containers include Pactiv, Solo Cup, Alcoa Packaging and Dart Container. However, the Company believes that only one other competitor, Berry Plastics, manufactures deep-draw thermoformed polypropylene cold cups. It is possible that other competitors may enter the plastic segment of the disposable cup and container market despite the significant investment, especially in equipment and technology that would be required. In addition, as thermoformed polypropylene cold cups gain market acceptance, we would anticipate that producers of polystyrene plastic cups may enter this market.
We believe that competition within the plastic segment of the disposable cup and container market is based primarily on customer service, product quality and appearance and the price at which products are offered. We believe that the manufacturing capability we are developing, together with our experience customizing products, superior customer service, national distribution capabilities, demonstrated ability to successfully integrate acquisitions and ability to leverage our long-term customer relationships and our other competitive strengths, will position us to capture a meaningful portion of the plastic cold drink cup market.
We also compete with the paper segment, which is significantly more fragmented than the foam segment. We believe that competition between foam, plastic and paper is based on product appearance, quality and price.
In North America, the EPS industry is highly concentrated. Management believes that each of NOVA Chemicals, Inc., Huntsman Chemical Corp. and BASF Corporation, which are larger than we are and have greater financial resources than we have, controls a significant share of the market for supplying EPS to manufacturers of insulation and protective packaging products. We believe that competition within this industry is primarily based on price, although customer service, support and specialized product development can be significant competitive factors, particularly among the smaller manufacturers of foam insulation and protective packaging products.
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The European EPS industry is more fragmented than in North America. Several companies, including BASF Corporation, and the NOVA Chemicals - BP joint venture are larger and have greater financial resources than we have. We believe that competition is based primarily on price, although technical support, specialized product development and consistent quality are important factors to many of our customers.
As of December 31, 2004, we had 1,940 full-time employees. We have never experienced a material labor strike or other labor-related work stoppage. We consider our relations with our employees to be good.
Our U.S. employees are not represented by any union. In Canada, approximately 60% of our employees are represented by a union and are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In Finland, over 80% of our employees are represented by one of three unions and we are subject to two collective bargaining agreements. The European Union directives regarding employment are applicable to us in Finland; however, the terms of the collective bargaining agreements will control employment relationships to the extent that these agreements address relevant issues in a more detailed manner and include benefits exceeding the minimum standards established by the directives.
We are dependent on the management experience and continued services of our executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer, Michael T. Kennedy. The loss of the services of these officers could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, our continued growth depends on our ability to attract and retain experienced key employees.
Our facilities are used for manufacturing or warehousing of foam container, thermoformed or injection molded products, as well as the EPS from which foam products are manufactured. Many of these facilities are subject to federal, state, foreign and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, emissions to air such as pentane, styrene and particulate matter, discharges to water, and the generation, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials and wastes.
In 1996, in connection with their acquisition, the soil and shallow groundwater at our domestic EPS facilities were found to contain elevated levels of various contaminants. However, based on the results of soil and groundwater testing, material remediation efforts with respect to these conditions have not been, and we believe will not be, required. We own and operate, or owned or operated, underground storage tanks, also referred to as USTs, at several of our facilities for the storage of liquid pentane and heavy fuel oil. Leak detection or containment systems are in place at each facility with USTs that we currently own or operate. USTs are generally subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations that require testing and upgrading of USTs and remediation of polluted soils and groundwater resulting from leaking USTs. In addition, if any leakage from our USTs were to migrate onto the property of others, we could be subject to civil liability to third parties for remediation costs or other damages.
Some of our facilities have been alleged or are known to have failed to comply with various reporting or permitting obligations under applicable environmental laws and regulations. The resolution of these allegations and failures has not had a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations, nor do we believe that any future costs of achieving and maintaining compliance with these laws and regulations will have that effect. There have been no instances of noncompliance with these laws and regulations that have had a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. We believe the likelihood of any such instances as having occurred is remote. However, if any such instances of noncompliance are confirmed, we could incur significant fines, penalties or capital and operating costs. We cannot currently estimate the possible scope of these fines, penalties and costs as we are not aware of any such instances. There can be no assurance that recently promulgated or future environmental laws or regulations, including regulations affecting the volume of and permitting for air emissions in the United States, Canada and in Europe, or changes in interpretation of environmental laws and regulations or of reporting or permitting obligations, will not require us to incur substantial expenditures or significantly modify our operations.
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Certain of our current and former facilities are located in industrial areas and have been in operation for many years. As a consequence, it is reasonably possible that historical or neighboring activities have affected properties currently or formerly owned or operated by us and that, as a result, additional environmental issues may arise in the future. Because we cannot predict the precise nature of these issues, we cannot estimate the possible range of costs we could incur to address them.
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We lease approximately 25,000 square feet in Radnor, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, for our executive offices. We believe that our present facilities are adequate for our current operations and that we will be able to lease or otherwise acquire any additional facilities as may be required for our future operations.
We also own or lease manufacturing, warehouse, office, machine assembly and utilities facilities at the locations shown in the following table:
| Location |
Use |
Approximate Floor Space Sq. Ft. | ||
| Corte Madera, California |
Manufacturing, warehouse, machine assembly and office (leased) | 79,000 | ||
| Richmond, California |
Warehouse (leased) | 104,000 | ||
| Higginsville, Missouri |
Manufacturing and warehouse (partially leased) | 103,000 | ||
| Jacksonville, Florida |
Manufacturing and warehouse (leased) | 128,000 | ||
| Edison, New Jersey |
Warehouse (leased) | 95,000 | ||
| Metuchen, New Jersey |
Manufacturing | 84,000 | ||
| Mount Sterling, Ohio |
Manufacturing and warehouse | 56,000 | ||
| Shreveport, Louisiana |
Manufacturing and warehouse | 73,000 | ||
| Stone Mountain, Georgia |
Manufacturing and warehouse (partially leased) | 366,000 | ||
| Phoenix, Arizona |
Machine assembly (leased) | 12,000 | ||
| Tolleson, Arizona |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office | 170,000 | ||
| West Chicago, Illinois |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office (partially leased) | 350,000 | ||
| El Campo, Texas |
Manufacturing and warehouse (partially leased) | 106,000 | ||
| Mooresville, North Carolina |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office (leased) | 473,000 | ||
| Lodz, Poland |
Manufacturing and warehouse (leased) | 31,000 |
| Location |
Use |
Approximate Floor Space Sq. Ft. | ||
| Fort Worth, Texas |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office (partially leased) | 208,000 | ||
| Saginaw, Texas |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office | 54,000 | ||
| Baie DUrfe, Quebec |
Manufacturing, warehouse and office | 71,000 | ||
| Porvoo, Finland |
Manufacturing, warehouse, machine assembly, utility and office (partially leased) | 114,000 | ||
| Kokemaki, Finland |
Manufacturing, warehouse, utility and office (leased) | 74,000 |
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We are involved in a number of legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, none of which we believe will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
There are no matters to be reported hereunder.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
There currently exists no established public trading market for the Companys Voting Common Stock, $.10 par value, Nonvoting Common Stock, $.10 par value, or Class B Nonvoting Common Stock, $.01 par value.
| Holders |
As of March 31, 2005, there were 3 holders of record of the Companys Voting Common Stock, 11 holders of record of the Companys Nonvoting Common Stock and 13 holders of record of the Companys Class B Nonvoting Common Stock.
Dividends
No dividends were declared or paid during the years ended December 31, 2004 or December 26, 2003. The declaration and payment of dividends are subject to the discretion of the Companys Board of Directors and will depend on various factors, including restrictions on dividends contained in the Companys credit agreements and the indentures pursuant to which the Company issued its 11% Senior Notes due 2010 and its Senior Secured Floating Rate Notes due on April 15, 2009.
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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table presents selected consolidated financial data for the Company. The following data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, the related notes thereto and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere herein. Financial results for the periods presented are not fully comparable because of the December 2001 disposition of our European insulation operations and the November 2003 acquisition of certain assets from Polar Plastics Inc. (the Acquisition) as described in Note 3 to the Companys consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. Fiscal years 2000 and 2001 contain the results of operations from the European insulation operations.
| Year Ended |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 29, 2000 |
Dec. 28, 2001 |
Dec. 27, 2002 |
Dec. 26, 2003 |
Dec. 31, 2004 |
||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Results of Operations (1): |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Net sales |
$ | 353,752 | $ | 325,734 | $ | 323,182 | $ | 341,664 | $ | 442,231 | ||||||||||
| Cost of goods sold |
277,254 | 250,719 | 243,501 | 279,013 | 370,277 | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods sold other (2) |
| | | | 2,070 | |||||||||||||||