UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
 
FORM 8-K

 
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): May 11, 2020

 
Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware
 
001-34365
 
41-1990662
(State or other jurisdiction
 
(Commission
 
(I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)
 
File Number)
 
Identification No.)

 
 
 
7800 Walton Parkway, New Albany, Ohio
 
43054
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 614-289-5360
Not Applicable
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

 
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)


Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)


Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))


Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 








Item 8.01. Other Events

On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued an order (the "SEC Order") under Section 36 (Release No. 34-88465) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), granting exemptions from specified provisions of the Exchange Act and certain rules thereunder. The SEC Order provides conditional relief to public companies that are unable to timely comply with their filing obligations as a result of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak. The SEC Order provides that a registrant subject to the reporting requirements of Exchange Act Section 13(a) or 15(d), and any person required to make any filings with respect to such registrant, is exempt from any requirement to file or furnish materials with the Commission under Exchange Act Sections 13(a), 13(f), 13(g), 14(a), 14(c), 14(f), 15(d) and Regulations 13A, Regulation 13D-G (except for those provisions mandating the filing of Schedule 13D or amendments to Schedule 13D), 14A, 14C and 15D, and Exchange Act Rules 13f-1, and 14f-1, as applicable, if certain conditions are satisfied.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (the “Company” or “we”) replaced its President and CEO and has taken steps to reduce the number of personnel physically present at our corporate headquarters and our manufacturing plants in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. We have been focused on realigning our cost structure to the sharply reduced demand for Class 8 heavy-duty truck production in North America and the global construction equipment markets we serve, as well as demand reductions in our other businesses caused by, among other things, government actions taken to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Company expects to have sufficient cash and liquidity to support its ongoing operations, management is working to conserve liquidity given the uncertain economic outlook. The extraordinary circumstances are a distraction to management and are requiring key personnel to dedicate extensive time and resources to manage these emerging issues impacting the business including the related analysis, accounting and financial reporting considerations associated with them. As a result of these factors and in reliance on the SEC Order, we will file our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 within 45 days after the May 11, 2020 date when this report would have otherwise been due.

Risk Factors

Our stockholders and potential investors should carefully consider the information in this Form 8-K, including the risk factors below, and the risk factors discussed in "Risk Factors" and other risks discussed in our 2019 Form 10-K and our filings with the SEC since December 31, 2019 including our Current Report on Form 8-Ks filed with the Commission on April 13 and April 29, 2020 for risk factors regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and results of operations. These risks could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows. Our business also could be affected by risks that we are not presently aware of or that we currently consider immaterial to our operations.

Our financial condition and results of operations will be to be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The global spread of the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and the preventative measures taken to contain or mitigate the outbreak have caused, and are continuing to cause, significant volatility and uncertainty and economic disruptions. The outbreak has resulted in governments around the world implementing increasingly stringent measures to contain or mitigate the spread of the virus, including quarantines, “shelter in place” and “stay at home” orders, travel restrictions, business curtailments and other measures. While we continue to operate certain of our plants consistent with applicable government guidelines, we are experiencing, and may continue to experience, production slowdowns and/or shutdowns at our manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific as a result of government orders, our inability to obtain component parts from suppliers and/or decreased customer demand. In addition, many of our suppliers and customers are also experiencing, and may continue to experience, production slowdowns and/or shutdowns, which may further impact our business, sales and results of operation.

The extent to which COVID-19 may adversely impact our business depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable, depending upon the severity and duration of the outbreak and the effectiveness of actions taken globally to contain or mitigate its effects. Any resulting financial impact cannot be estimated reasonably at this time, but may materially adversely affect our business, supply chain, sales, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business due to any resulting economic recession or depression that may continue to impact customer demand and the financial instability or operating viability of our suppliers and customers.
 





Potential consequences of the current unprecedented measures taken in response to the spread of COVID-19, and current market disruptions and volatility affecting us include, but are not limited to:
    sudden and/or severe declines in the market price of our common stock;
    our inability to comply with financial covenants that could result in our defaulting under our debt agreements;
    our inability to access debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all;
    increased risk of default or bankruptcy for our customers and suppliers;
    increased risk of our and our customers’ and suppliers’ inability to weather an extended cessation of normal economic activity and thereby impairing our or their ability to continue functioning as a going concern;
    our inability to operate our business if the health of our management personnel and other employees is affected, particularly if a significant number of individuals are impacted; and
    reduced economic demand resulting from mass employee layoffs or furloughs in response to governmental action taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, which could impact our and our customers’ and suppliers’ continued viability and the demand for our products and services, thereby impairing our or their ability to continue functioning as a going concern.

Further, the extent and strength of any economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic abates is uncertain and subject to various factors and conditions. Our business, operations and financial positions may continue to be negatively impacted after the COVID-19 pandemic abates and may remain at depressed levels compared to prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and those conditions may continue for an extended period.We have taken several actions in an attempt to address the operating and financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we continue to assess and explore other actions, but those actions and plans may not be sufficient to avoid continued and potentially increased substantial harm to our business, operations and financial condition and some of those actions may delay our ability to quickly return to operating levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volatility in and disruption to the global economic environment and changes in the regulatory and business environments in which we operate may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The commercial vehicle industry as a whole has been more adversely affected by volatile economic conditions than many other industries, as the purchase or replacement of commercial vehicles, which are durable items, may be deferred for many reasons. Future changes in the regulatory and business environments in which we operate, including increased trade protectionism and tariffs, may adversely affect our ability to sell our products or source materials needed to manufacture our products. Furthermore, financial instability or bankruptcy at any of our suppliers or customers could disrupt our ability to manufacture our products and impair our ability to collect receivables, any or all of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, some of our customers and suppliers may experience serious cash flow problems and, thus, may find it difficult to obtain financing, if financing is available at all. Any inability of customers to pay us for our products and services, or any demands by suppliers for different payment terms, may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, our suppliers may not be successful in generating sufficient sales, restarting or ramping up production or securing alternate financing arrangements, and therefore may no longer be able to supply goods and services to us. In that event, we would need to find alternate sources for these goods and services, and there is no assurance we would be able to find such alternate sources on favorable terms, if at all. Any such disruption in our supply chain could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and deliver our products on a timely basis, and thereby affect our results of operations.

Increases in cost, disruption of supply or shortage of raw materials or components used in our products could harm our business and profitability.

We use raw materials directly in manufacturing and in components that we purchase from our suppliers. We generally purchase components with significant raw material content on the open market. The prices for these raw materials fluctuate depending on market conditions. Volatility in the prices of raw materials such as steel, aluminum and nickel could increase the cost of manufacturing our products. We may not be able to pass on these costs to our customers, and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even in the event that increased costs can be passed through to customers, our gross margin may decline. Additionally, our suppliers are also subject to fluctuations in the prices of raw materials and may attempt to pass all or a portion of such increases on to us. In the event they are successful in doing so, our gross margin may decline.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information






This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements often include words such as “believe”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “project”, “continue”, “likely”, and similar expressions. In particular, this press release may contain forward-looking statements about Company expectations for future periods with respect to its plans to improve financial results and enhance the Company, the future of the Company’s end markets, including the short-term and potential longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Class 8 and Class 5-7 North America truck build rates and performance of the global construction equipment business, expected cost savings, the Company’s initiatives to address customer needs, organic growth, the Company’s plans to focus on certain segments and markets and the Company’s financial position or other financial information. These statements are based on certain assumptions that the Company has made in light of its experience as well as its perspective on historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results because of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: (i) a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in our financial statements; (ii) future financial restatements affecting the company; (iii) general economic or business conditions affecting the markets in which the Company serves; (iv) the Company's ability to develop or successfully introduce new products; (v) risks associated with conducting business in foreign countries and currencies; (vi) increased competition in the medium- and heavy-duty truck markets, construction, agriculture, aftermarket, military, bus and other markets; (vii) the Company’s failure to complete or successfully integrate strategic acquisitions and the impact of such acquisitions on business relationships; (viii) the Company’s ability to recognize synergies from the reorganization of the segments; (ix) the Company’s failure to successfully manage any divestitures; (x) the impact of changes in governmental regulations on the Company's customers or on its business; (xi) the loss of business from a major customer, a collection of smaller customers or the discontinuation of particular commercial vehicle platforms; (xii) the Company’s ability to obtain future financing due to changes in the lending markets or its financial position; (xiii) the Company’s ability to comply with the financial covenants in its debt facilities; (xiv) fluctuation in interest rates or change in the reference interest rate relating to the Company’s debt facilities; (xv) the Company’s ability to realize the benefits of its cost reduction and strategic initiatives and address rising labor and material costs; (xvi) volatility and cyclicality in the commercial vehicle market adversely affecting us, including the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic; (xvii) the geographic profile of our taxable income and changes in valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities impacting our effective tax rate; (xviii) changes to domestic manufacturing initiatives; (xix) implementation of tax or other changes, by the United States or other international jurisdictions, related to products manufactured in one or more jurisdictions where the Company does business (xx) security breaches and other disruptions that could compromise our information systems; (xxi) the impact of disruptions in our supply chain or delivery chains; (xxii) litigation against us; (xxiii) the impact of health epidemics or widespread outbreak of contagious disease; and (xxiv) various other risks as outlined under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. There can be no assurance that statements made in this press release relating to future events will be achieved. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on behalf of the Company are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements.


Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements often include words such as “believe”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “project”, “continue”, “likely”, and similar expressions. In particular, this press release may contain forward-looking statements about Company expectations for future periods with respect to its plans to improve financial results and enhance the Company, the future of the Company’s end markets, including the short-term and potential longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Class 8 and Class 5-7 North America truck build rates and performance of the global construction equipment business, expected cost savings, the Company’s initiatives to address customer needs, organic growth, the Company’s plans to focus on certain segments and markets and the Company’s financial position or other financial information. These statements are based on certain assumptions that the Company has made in light of its experience as well as its perspective on historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results because of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not





limited to: (i) a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in our financial statements; (ii) future financial restatements affecting the company; (iii) general economic or business conditions affecting the markets in which the Company serves; (iv) the Company's ability to develop or successfully introduce new products; (v) risks associated with conducting business in foreign countries and currencies; (vi) increased competition in the medium- and heavy-duty truck markets, construction, agriculture, aftermarket, military, bus and other markets; (vii) the Company’s failure to complete or successfully integrate strategic acquisitions and the impact of such acquisitions on business relationships; (viii) the Company’s ability to recognize synergies from the reorganization of the segments; (ix) the Company’s failure to successfully manage any divestitures; (x) the impact of changes in governmental regulations on the Company's customers or on its business; (xi) the loss of business from a major customer, a collection of smaller customers or the discontinuation of particular commercial vehicle platforms; (xii) the Company’s ability to obtain future financing due to changes in the lending markets or its financial position; (xiii) the Company’s ability to comply with the financial covenants in its debt facilities; (xiv) fluctuation in interest rates or change in the reference interest rate relating to the Company’s debt facilities; (xv) the Company’s ability to realize the benefits of its cost reduction and strategic initiatives and address rising labor and material costs; (xvi) volatility and cyclicality in the commercial vehicle market adversely affecting us, including the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic; (xvii) the geographic profile of our taxable income and changes in valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities impacting our effective tax rate; (xviii) changes to domestic manufacturing initiatives; (xix) implementation of tax or other changes, by the United States or other international jurisdictions, related to products manufactured in one or more jurisdictions where the Company does business (xx) security breaches and other disruptions that could compromise our information systems; (xxi) the impact of disruptions in our supply chain or delivery chains; (xxii) litigation against us; (xxiii) the impact of health epidemics or widespread outbreak of contagious disease; and (xxiv) various other risks as outlined under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. There can be no assurance that statements made in this press release relating to future events will be achieved. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on behalf of the Company are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements.








SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE GROUP, INC.
 
 
 
 
May 11, 2020
 
 
 
By:
 
/s/ Harold C. Bevis
 
 
 
 
Name:
 
Harold C. Bevis
 
 
 
 
Title:
 
President & CEO