UFP TECHNOLOGIES INC (UFPT)

ITEM 7.         MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The Company is a designer and custom manufacturer of comprehensive solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The Company is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices and packaging for minimally invasive surgery, infection prevention, surfaces and support, wound care, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implants.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

The Company completed four strategic acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2024. The acquired operations primarily serve the medical market and contributed to an overall 26.1% increase in net sales for the year. Organic net sales grew 8.5%, fueled by strong sales in the robotic surgery and infection prevention markets. Net sales relating to our largest customer, Intuitive Surgical SARL, were 28.8% of our net sales for the year ended December 31, 2024. This increase in net sales as well as strong margins and the leverage of relatively fixed SG&A costs, allowed the Company to generate a 40.3% and 31.3% increase in operating income and net income, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2024.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of net sales represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

2024 Compared to 2023

Net Sales

Net sales increased 26.1% to $504.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from net sales of $400.1 million for the same period in 2023. We attribute the increase in net sales primarily to increased net sales from newly acquired companies of $70.3 million as well as 8.5% increased organic net sales fueled by increases in the robotic surgery and infection prevention markets. Overall net sales to customers in the medical market increased 30.2% while net sales to customers in other markets were flat. Medical net sales represented 89.4% and 86.6% of overall Company net sales in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of net sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 29.1% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 28.1% in 2023.  As a percentage of net sales, material costs decreased 1.8% while overhead and labor costs collectively increased 0.8%. We attribute the increase in gross margin primarily to the accretive margins from the Company’s recent acquisitions as well as increased manufacturing efficiencies and the containment of fixed overhead costs.  The gross margin increases were achieved despite the absorption of approximately $1.1 million in purchase accounting expenses (step-up of inventory to fair value at acquisition date).

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 22.3% to $62.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from $50.9 million in 2023, largely due to SG&A from the Company’s recent acquisitions as well as increased performance-based compensation and professional fees. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A decreased to 12.3% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 12.7% for the same period in 2023 reflecting the leverage of the net sales increase over relatively fixed SG&A. The Company plans on investing in back-office resources in response to the significant acquisitions completed during 2024.

Acquisition Costs

The Company incurred approximately $2.5 million in costs associated with acquisition related activities which were charged to expense for the year ended December 31, 2024. These costs were primarily for legal, due diligence and valuation services and are reflected on the face of the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

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Change in fair value of contingent consideration

In connection with the acquisitions of Welch and Marble in 2024, and DAS Medical in 2021, the Company is required to make contingent payments, subject to the entities achieving certain financial performance thresholds. The contingent consideration payments for the Welch, Marble and the DAS Medical acquisitions are up to $6 million, $500 thousand and $20 million, respectively. The fair value of the liability for the contingent consideration payments recognized upon the acquisition as part of the opening balance sheets totaled approximately $800 thousand, $400 thousand and $5.2 million for the Welch, Marble and the DAS Medical acquisitions, respectively, and was estimated by discounting to present value the probability-weighted contingent payments expected to be made. Assumptions used in the initial calculation were management’s financial forecasts, discount rate and various volatility factors. The ultimate settlement of contingent consideration could deviate from current estimates based on the actual results of these financial measures. Contingent consideration is considered to be a Level 3 financial liability that is re-measured each reporting period. The fair value of the liability for the contingent consideration payments recognized at December 31, 2024 totaled approximately $10.2 million out of the remaining potential payments of $14.5 million. The change in fair value of contingent consideration for the acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2024, resulted in an expense of approximately $1.0 million, and is included in change in fair value of contingent consideration in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Interest expense, net

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $8.1 million and $3.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to higher debt related to 2024 acquisitions. Interest income was immaterial.

Other (Income) Expense

Other income was approximately $189 thousand and other expense was approximately $117 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The changes in other income/expense are primarily generated by equity method investment income in 2024 and foreign currency transaction gains/losses in both 2024 and 2023.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 19.2% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 16.7% for the same period in 2023. The increase in the effective tax rate for the current period as compared to the prior period is largely due to the difference in discrete items during the two periods as well as more United States based income in 2024 as a result of the recent acquisitions.

The effective tax rate for the year differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% due to favorable rates in foreign countries, federal deductions available for certain exported goods and federal credits, offset by state income taxes and disallowed compensation under section 162M of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

For more information about the Company’s results of operations of 2023 compared to 2022, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — 2023 Compared to 2022” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 was approximately $66.6 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $59.0 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $14.7 million, share-based compensation of approximately $6.8 million, a change in the fair value of contingent consideration of approximately $1.0 million, an increase in net deferred income tax liabilities of approximately $ 1.3 million, a decrease in accounts receivable of approximately $1.2 million due to the collection of an escrow receivable, and a decrease in other assets of approximately $0.6 million.

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These cash inflows and adjustments to income were partially offset by an increase in inventory of approximately $4.7 million due to inventory build for upcoming demand, an increase in prepaid expenses of approximately $0.5, an increase in refundable income taxes of approximately $3.4 million due to conservative estimated tax payments in in 2024, a decrease in accounts payable of approximately $1.1 million due to the timing of vendor payments in the ordinary course of business, a decrease in deferred revenue of approximately $1.9 million due to the recognition of development revenue and a decrease in other long-term liabilities of approximately $6.5 million due primarily to non-compete payments and payments of contingent consideration.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was approximately $210.2 million and was primarily the result of the acquisition of Marble Medical, AJR Enterprises, Welch Fluorocarbon, and AQF Medical, and the additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $152.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 and was primarily the result of borrowings under the Company’s Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement of approximately $284.2 million to recent acquisitions. These borrowings were partially offset by payments on the revolving line of credit of approximately $91.7 million, principal payments of long-term debt of approximately $35.1 million, and payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $5.0 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On June 27, 2024, the Company, as the borrower, entered into a secured $275 million Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time-to-time party thereto. The Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement, originally dated as of December 22, 2021.

The credit facilities under the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement consist of a secured term loan to the Company of $125 million and a secured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $150 million. The Third Amended and Restated Credit Facilities mature on June 27, 2029. This maturity date is subject to acceleration and the Company could be subject to additional fees and expenses in certain circumstances should one or more events of default described in the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement occur. The secured term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $3,125,000 that commence on December 31, 2024. The proceeds of the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding certain acquisitions (see Note 2 for more information regarding this acquisition), as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by Subsidiary Guarantors and secured by substantially all assets of the Company.

The Third Amended and Restated Credit Facilities call for interest at Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.25% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate plus a margin that ranges from .25% to 1.25%. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance. Under the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness and permitted investments.

At December 31, 2024, the Company had approximately $189.4 million in outstanding borrowings under the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, and also had approximately $0.7 million in standby letters of credit outstanding, drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies. At December 31, 2024, the weighted average interest rate was approximately 5.9% and the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

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Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Future maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2024 are as follows (in thousands):

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company generated cash of approximately $66.6 million from operations during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance and the availability of draws on its revolving credit facility. Further, the economic uncertainty resulting from events including inflation, bank failures, and other factors beyond the control of the Company could affect the Company’s long-term ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue operations.

The Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants and accommodate anticipated growth in demand. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out cost flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022. At December 31, 2024, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net sales, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates, including those listed below, on an ongoing basis. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company believes the following critical accounting policy necessitated that significant judgments and estimates be used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

Valuation of Intangible Assets and Contingent Consideration Liability

We base the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination on detailed valuations that use information and assumptions provided by management, which consider management’s best estimates of inputs and assumptions that a market participant would use. Further, for those arrangements that involve potential future contingent consideration, we record on the date of acquisition a liability equal to the fair value of the estimated additional consideration we may be obligated to pay in the future. We remeasure this liability each reporting period and record changes in the fair value through a separate line item within our consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability can result from changes in discount rates, periods, timing and amount of projected revenue or timing or likelihood of achieving regulatory, revenue or commercialization-based milestones. The use of alternative valuation assumptions, including estimated revenue projections, growth rates, cash flows, discount rates, useful life or probability of achieving clinical, regulatory or revenue-based milestones could result in different purchase price allocations and recognized amortization expense and contingent consideration expense or benefit in current and future periods.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The Company is a designer and custom manufacturer of comprehensive solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The Company is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices and packaging for minimally invasive surgery, infection prevention, surfaces and support, wound care, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implants.

The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, and industrial/other markets. Typical applications of its products include military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, air filtration, and protective cases and inserts.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

Net sales for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased 13.1% to $400.1 million from $353.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase in organic sales of approximately 15.7%. The organic growth was driven by strong MedTech sales led by the Company’s robotic surgery products in response to increased surgical procedures. Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“gross margin”) for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased to 28.1% from 25.5% in the same period last year, largely due to improved operating efficiencies and strong organic sales growth primarily attributable to the Company’s great progress strengthening its platform and further integrating its three most recent acquisitions. The Company captured synergies by sharing best practices, moving business to best-fit manufacturing locations, and standardizing systems for information technology, quality, and safety.

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The Company experienced some softening in demand in the latter part of the year due to excess inventory held by some of our customers. The Company believes this is short-term in nature and will soon return to normal levels.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of revenues represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

2023 Compared to 2022

Sales

Net sales increased 13.1% to $400.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from net sales of $353.8 million in 2022. The increase in sales was primarily due to increased sales to customers in the Medical market of 21.0%, primarily as a result of strong organic sales led by the Company’s robotic surgery products in response to increased surgical procedures . Sales to customers in all other markets decreased 20.6%, largely due to the Company’s disposition of its Molded Fiber business in July 2022.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 28.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023, from 25.5% in 2022.  As a percentage of sales, material and labor costs collectively decreased 0.7%, while overhead decreased 1.9%. The increase in Gross Margin is primarily due to the leverage of organic sales growth over the fixed portion of overhead, as well as improved operating efficiencies, as described above under “Overview.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 11.1% to $50.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $45.8 million in 2022, largely due to increased performance based compensation, benefits and payroll tax expenses and the additional SG&A expenses from the Advant acquisition (Refer to Note 2, “Acquisitions and Divestiture – Advant Medical,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the acquisition of Advant Medical). As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 12.7% in 2023 from 12.9% in 2022.

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Change in fair value of contingent consideration

In connection with the acquisition of DAS Medical in 2021, the Company is required to make contingent payments, subject to the acquired entities achieving certain financial performance thresholds. The contingent consideration payments for the DAS Medical acquisition are four, $5 million payments for a total of up to $20 million. The Company paid $5 million during the second quarter of 2023. The fair value of the liability for the contingent consideration payments recognized upon the acquisition as part of the purchase accounting opening balance sheets totaled approximately $9.7 million and was estimated by discounting to present value the probability-weighted contingent payments expected to be made. Assumptions used in the initial calculation were management’s financial forecasts, discount rate and various volatility factors. The ultimate settlement of contingent consideration could deviate from current estimates based on the actual results of these financial measures. This liability is considered to be a Level 3 financial liability that is re-measured each reporting period. The fair value of the liabilities for the contingent consideration payments recognized at December 31, 2023 totaled approximately $13.1 million for the remaining $15 million of potential earnout. The change in fair value of contingent consideration for the DAS Medical acquisition for the year ended December 31, 2023, resulted in an expense of approximately $3.5 million, and was included in change in fair value of contingent consideration in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Interest expense, net

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $3.6 million and $2.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to higher average interest rates in 2023. Interest income was immaterial.

Other Expense (Income)

Other expense was approximately $117 thousand and other income was approximately $81 thousand for years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The changes in other income/expense in both periods are primarily generated by foreign currency transaction gains/losses and, in 2022, changes in the fair value of the swap liability.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 16.7% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 20.7% for the same period in 2022. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the current period as compared to the prior period is largely due to higher earnings in low-tax jurisdictions in 2023.

The effective tax rate for the year differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% due to favorable rates in foreign countries, federal deductions available for certain exported goods and federal credits, offset by state income taxes and disallowed compensation under section 162M of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

For more information about the Company’s results of operations of 2022 compared to 2021, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — 2022 Compared to 2021” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $41.3 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $44.9 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $11.4 million, a loss on disposal of fixed assets of approximately $0.2 million, share-based compensation of approximately $4.6 million, a change in the fair value of contingent consideration of approximately $3.5 million, a decrease in deferred taxes of approximately $0.8 million, an increase in deferred revenue of approximately $ 1.9 million primarily due to increased customer deposits on tooling and machinery, an increase in accounts payable of approximately $1.6 million due to the building of inventory to meet demand and the timing of vendor payments in the ordinary course of business, a decrease in other assets of approximately $1.6 million due primarily to the current reclassification of a deposit receivable, and an increase in other long-term liabilities of approximately $0.4 million.

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These cash inflows and adjustments to income were partially offset by an increase in inventory of approximately $16.6 million due to inventory build for upcoming demand, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $9.1 million due to higher sales in the last two months of the fourth quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase in refundable income taxes of approximately $3.0 million due to higher anticipated tax credits in 2023 compared to 2022, and a decrease in accrued expenses of approximately $0.9 million.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $10.5 million and was primarily the result of additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash used for financing activities was approximately $30.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 and was primarily the result of payments on the revolving line of credit of approximately $28.0 million, payment of contingent consideration of approximately $5.0 million, principal payments of long-term debt of approximately $4.0 million, and payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $2.7 million. These payments were partially offset by borrowings under our credit facility to fund acquisitions of approximately $9.0 million and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of approximately $0.7 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On December 22, 2021, the Company, as the borrower, entered into a secured $130 million Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time-to-time party thereto. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement, originally dated as of February 1, 2018.

The credit facilities under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement consist of a $40 million secured term loan to the Company and a secured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $90 million.  The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement matures on December 21, 2026.  The secured term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1 million that commenced on March 31, 2022. The proceeds of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding the acquisition of DAS Medical, as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Subsidiary Guarantors and secured by substantially all assets of the Company.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement calls for interest determined by the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index rate (“BSBY”) plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.0% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from 0.25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance. Under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness, and permitted investments.

At December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $32 million in borrowings outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which were used as partial consideration for the DAS Medical and Advant Medical acquisitions, and also had approximately $0.7 million in standby letters of credit outstanding, drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies. At December 31, 2023, the applicable interest rate was approximately 6.7% and the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

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Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Future maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2023 are as follows (in thousands):

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company generated cash of approximately $41.3 million from operations during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance and availability of draws on its revolving credit facility. Further, the economic uncertainty resulting from events including inflation, bank failures, and other factors beyond the control of the Company could affect the Company’s long-term ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue operations.

The Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants and accommodate anticipated growth in demand. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out cost flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. At December 31, 2023, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates, including those listed below, on an ongoing basis. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company does not believe that any of the significant accounting policies required significant judgement and estimates in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

ITEM 7.         MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The Company is a design, engineering, and custom manufacturer of comprehensive solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The Company is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices and packaging for minimally invasive surgery, infection prevention, wound care, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implants.

The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, and industrial markets. Typical applications of its products include military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, air filtration, and protective cases and inserts.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

Net sales for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 71.5% to $353.8 million from $206.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 due to the Company’s acquisitions of Contech Medical, DAS Medical, and Advant Medical, and an organic sales increase of approximately 18.6%. Gross margin increased to 25.5% for the year ended December 31, 2022, from 24.8% in 2021. Operating income and net income for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by 161.1% and 163.1%, respectively. These results were achieved despite challenges that plagued the Company during much of 2022, including raw material and labor shortages, and significant inflationary cost increases on raw materials, labor, overhead costs and interest on the Company’s credit facility.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of revenues represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

2022 Compared to 2021

Sales

Net sales increased 71.5% to $353.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from net sales of $206.3 million in 2021. The increase in sales was primarily due to increases in sales to customers in the Medical market of 116.0%. The increases in sales in the Medical market were primarily due to increased sales from the Company’s recently acquired companies of $121.9 million, as well as an organic sales increase of 24.0% due to increased medical procedures, restoring of inventory levels by our customer, and price increases implemented in response to incremental input costs. Sales to customers in all other markets decreased 8.4%, largely due to the Company’s disposition of its Molded Fiber business in July 2022.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 25.5% for the year ended December 31, 2022, from 24.8% in 2021. As a percentage of sales, material and labor costs collectively increased 5.5%, while overhead decreased 6.3%. The increase in gross margin is primarily due to the leverage of organic sales growth over the fixed portion of overhead, partially offset by inflationary cost increases in both raw materials and labor.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 55.3% to $45.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $29.5 million in 2021. The increase in SG&A was primarily due to the additional SG&A from recent acquisitions and increased employee compensation and benefits, offset by reduced SG&A as a result of the sale of the Molded Fiber business. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 12.9%, from 14.3% in 2021. The decrease in SG&A as a percentage of sales was primarily due to increased organic sales measured against relatively fixed SG&A.

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Acquisition costs

The Company incurred approximately $1.0 million in costs associated with acquisition related activities which were charged to expense for the year ended December 31, 2022. These costs were primarily for legal services, valuation services and stamp duty filings and are reflected on the face of the income statement.

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

In connection with the acquisitions discussed in Note 2, “Acquisitions,” the Company is required to make contingent payments, subject to the entities achieving certain financial performance thresholds. The potential contingent consideration payments for both the DAS Medical and Contech Medical acquisitions combined are $25 million. The fair value of the liabilities for the contingent consideration payments recognized upon the acquisition as part of the purchase accounting opening balance sheets totaled approximately $9.7 million and was estimated by discounting to present value the probability-weighted contingent payments expected to be made. Assumptions used in this calculation were managements financial forecasts, discount rate and various volatility factors. The ultimate settlement of contingent consideration could deviate from current estimates based on the actual results of these financial measures. This liability is considered to be a Level 3 financial liability that is re-measured each reporting period. The fair value of the liabilities for the contingent consideration payments recognized at December 31, 2022 totaled approximately $14.6 million. The change in fair value of contingent consideration for the DAS Medical and Contech Medical acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulted in an expense of approximately $9.8 million, and was included in change in fair value of contingent consideration in the consolidated statements of income. The Company paid $5 million during the fourth quarter of 2022 to fulfill the contingent consideration for the Contech Medical acquisition.

Gain on sale of Molded Fiber business

On July 26, 2022, pursuant to a share purchase agreement and related agreements, the Company sold Molded Fiber Technology, Inc. (“MFT”) and related real estate in Iowa to CKF USA INCORPORATED (“CKF”) (a Delaware Corporation) for approximately $31.5 million (after giving effect to a working capital adjustment of approximately $0.1 million that decreased the total consideration). The net book value of the assets sold were approximately $15.4 million and the Company recorded a net gain on sale of approximately $15.7 million, which was recorded in the year ended December 31, 2022. This net gain included $2.6 million of the purchase price which is being held in escrow until January 26, 2024, to indemnify CKF against certain claims, losses, and liabilities. The Securities Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, and covenants customary for transactions of this type. MFT’s annual revenue was approximately $21.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Proceeds from the sale were used to pay down debt on the Company’s revolving credit facility, as well as income tax obligations on the related gain.

Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded a gain on the sale of fixed assets of approximately $6.2 million. This was primarily the result of the sale of the Company’s Georgetown, Massachusetts manufacturing facility. The operations previously housed in this location have been fully absorbed by the nearby Newburyport manufacturing facility. The gain on the Georgetown manufacturing facility was determined by a sales price of approximately $6.7 million measured against a net book value of approximately $0.5 million and selling expenses of approximately $0.1 million.

Interest expense, net

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $2.8 million and $39 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to interest paid on funds drawn on the Company’s credit facility used to finance recent acquisitions.

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Other Income

Other income was approximately $81 thousand and approximately $26 thousand for years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in other income was primarily generated by foreign currency transaction gains and changes in the fair value of the swap liability, which is driven by anticipated future interest rate changes, offset by net cash settlement amounts related to the swap.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 20.7% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 25.1% for the same period in 2021. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the current year as compared to the prior year was largely due to lower statutory rates on foreign taxable income in 2022. The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

2021 Compared to 2020

Sales

Net sales increased 15.0% to $206.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from net sales of $179.4 million in 2020. The increase in sales was primarily due to increases in sales to customers in the Medical, Consumer, Electronics, Industrial, Automotive and Aerospace & Defense markets of 10.2%, 42.2%, 28.3%, 13.6%, 6.8% and 25.7% respectively. The increase in sales to the Medical market was partially attributable to sales from the two fourth quarter acquisitions, Contech Medical and DAS Medical, of $4.5 million and $1.4 million, respectively. Organically, sales to the medical market grew 5.3% in 2021.

Gross Profit

Gross Margin decreased slightly to 24.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, from 24.9% in 2020. As a percentage of sales, material and direct labor costs collectively increased approximately 2.3%, while overhead decreased approximately 2.2%. The increase in collective material and labor costs as a percentage of sales was primarily due to inflationary increases in raw material costs as well as labor rate increases and staffing challenges. The decrease in overhead as a percentage of sales was primarily due to fixed overhead costs measured against increased sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A increased approximately 7.2% to $29.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from $27.5 million in 2020. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 14.3%, from 15.3% in 2020. The decrease in SG&A as a percentage of sales was primarily due to relatively fixed SG&A expenses measure against increased sales. The increase in SG&A was primarily due to increased compensation programs and travel and entertainment as well as additional SG&A from the fourth quarter acquisitions of Contech and DAS.

Acquisition costs

The Company incurred approximately $430 thousand in costs associated with acquisition related activities which were charged to expense for the year ended December 31, 2021. These costs were primarily for legal and valuation services and are reflected on the face of the income statement.

Interest expense, net

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $39 thousand and $83 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease in net interest expense was primarily due to interest received from the federal government related to income tax refunds.

Other Income and Expense

Other income was approximately $26 thousand and other expense was approximately $366 thousand for years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The changes in other expense are primarily generated by changes in the fair value of the swap liability, which is driven by anticipated future interest rate changes and a declining nominal amount, offset by net cash settlement amounts related to the swap.

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Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 25.1% for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 17.9% for the same period in 2020 The increase in the effective tax rate for the current period was largely due to lower discrete income tax benefits from share-based compensation and amended tax returns in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period of 2020. The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $17.7 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $41.8 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $11.9 million, share-based compensation of approximately $3.2 million, a change in the fair value of contingent consideration of approximately $9.8 million, an increase in income taxes payable of approximately $1.0 million, an increase in accounts payable of approximately $9.1 million due to the building of inventory to meet demand and the timing of vendor payments in the ordinary course of business, an increase in accrued expenses of approximately $10.4 million primarily due to increased compensation related liabilities, customer rebates and the current portion of non-compete payments, and an increase in deferred revenue of approximately $1.0 million primarily due to increased customer deposits on tooling and machinery.

These cash inflows and adjustments to income were offset by a gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment of approximately $6.2 million, a gain on the sale of the Molded Fiber business of approximately $15.7 million, a decrease in deferred taxes of approximately $4.7 million, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $16.8 million due to higher sales in the last two months of the fourth quarter of 2022 as compared to the same period in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the addition of Advant Medical receivables following the Company’s acquisition of Advant, an increase in inventory of approximately $19.6 million due to inventory build for upcoming demand, restocking to historical levels and the addition of Advant Medical inventory, an increase in prepaid expenses of approximately $0.7 million, an increase in other assets of approximately $3.5 million due to increased right of use lease assets and a decrease in other long-term liabilities of approximately $3.3 million due primarily to the payment and current reclassification of contingent consideration.

Net cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $1.3 million and was primarily the result of the sale of Molded Fiber and the sale of the Georgetown manufacturing facility, offset by the acquisition of Advant Medical, as well as additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash used for financing activities was approximately $25.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 and was primarily the result of payments on the revolving line of credit of approximately $60 million, principal payments of long-term debt of approximately $4 million, payment of contingent consideration of approximately $4.5 million, and payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $1.7 million. These payments were partially offset by borrowings under our credit facility to fund acquisitions of approximately $44 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On December 22, 2021, the Company, as the borrower, entered into a secured $130 million Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time-to-time party thereto. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement, originally dated as of February 1, 2018.

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The credit facilities under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement consist of a $40 million secured term loan to the Company and a secured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $90 million. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement matures on December 21, 2026. The secured term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1 million that commenced on March 31, 2022. The proceeds of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding the acquisition of DAS Medical, as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Subsidiary Guarantors.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement calls for interest determined by the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index rate (“BSBY”) plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.0% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from 0.25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance. Under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness, and permitted investments.

At December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $55 million in borrowings outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which were used as partial consideration for the DAS Medical and Advant Medical acquisitions, and also had approximately $0.7 million in standby letters of credit outstanding, drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies. At December 31, 2022, the applicable interest rate was approximately 5.2% and the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Future maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2022 are as follows (in thousands):

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company used interest-rate-related derivative instruments to manage its exposure related to changes in interest rates on certain of its variable-rate debt instruments. The Company does not enter into derivative instruments for any purpose other than cash flow hedging. Derivative financial instruments expose the Company to credit risk and market risk. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes the Company, creating credit risk for the Company. When the fair value of a derivative contract is negative, the Company owes the counterparty and, therefore, in these circumstances the Company is not exposed to the counterparty’s credit risk. The Company minimizes counterparty credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with carefully selected major financial institutions based upon their credit profile. Market risk is the adverse effect on the value of a derivative instrument that results from a change in interest rates.

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The Company assesses interest rate risk by continually identifying and monitoring changes in interest rate exposures that may adversely impact expected future cash flows and by evaluating hedging opportunities. The Company’s debt obligations exposed the Company to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. The Company believed that it was prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments. To meet this objective, in connection with the first Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company entered into a $20 million, 5-year interest rate swap agreement under which the Company receives three-month LIBOR plus the applicable margin and pays a 2.7% fixed rate plus the applicable margin. The swap modified the Company’s interest rate exposure by converting the previous term loan from a variable rate to a fixed rate in order to hedge against the possibility of rising interest rates during the term of the loan. The notional amount was approximately $5.7 million at December 31, 2022. The fair value of the swap as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 was zero and approximately $(176) thousand, respectively, and is included in other liabilities. Changes in the fair value and net cash settlement amounts related to the swap are recorded in other income of approximately $176 thousand and approximately $24 thousand during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

As the Company has paid the remaining balance of the term loan that was associated with the swap in its entirety, there is no longer underlying debt to hedge against with the swap. The changes in the fair value of the swap will continue to be accounted for as a financial instrument until its maturity, on February 1, 2023.

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company generated cash of approximately $17.7 million in operations during the year ended December 31, 2022; however, the Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance and the availability of draws on the revolving credit facility under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. Further, the continued economic uncertainty resulting from the Ukraine war, inflation or other factors beyond the control of the Company could affect the Company’s long-term ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue operations.

Throughout fiscal 2023, the Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all. The Company's liquidity will be impacted to the extent additional stock repurchases are made under the Company's stock repurchase program.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out cost flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020. At December 31, 2022, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates, including those listed below, on an ongoing basis. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company believes the following critical accounting policies necessitated that significant judgments and estimates be used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

The Company has reviewed these policies with its Audit Committee.

Goodwill

In testing Goodwill for impairment, the Company uses several methods including the discounted cash flows method (“DCF”) under the income approach to determine the fair value of the reporting unit for purposes of testing the reporting unit’s carrying value of goodwill for impairment. The key assumptions used in our approach included:

Valuation of Intangible Assets and Contingent Consideration Liability

We base the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination on detailed valuations that use information and assumptions provided by management, which consider management’s best estimates of inputs and assumptions that a market participant would use. Further, for those arrangements that involve potential future contingent consideration, we record on the date of acquisition a liability equal to the fair value of the estimated additional consideration we may be obligated to pay in the future. We re-measure this liability each reporting period and record changes in the fair value through a separate line item within our consolidated statements of operations. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability can result from changes in discount rates, periods, timing and amount of projected revenue or timing or likelihood of achieving regulatory, revenue or commercialization-based milestones. The use of alternative valuation assumptions, including estimated revenue projections, growth rates, cash flows, discount rates, useful life or probability of achieving clinical, regulatory or revenue-based milestones could result in different purchase price allocations and recognized amortization expense and contingent consideration expense or benefit in current and future periods.

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We review intangible assets subject to amortization quarterly to determine if any adverse conditions exist or a change in circumstances has occurred that would indicate impairment or adjustment to the remaining useful life. If we determine it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired based on our qualitative assessment of impairment indicators, we test the intangible asset for recoverability. If the carrying value of the intangible asset is determined not recoverable, we will write the carrying value down to fair value in the period the impairment is identified. We calculate fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. The use of alternative assumptions, including estimated cash flows, discount rates and alternative estimated remaining useful lives could result in different calculations of impairment.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when a customer obtains control of a promised good or service. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for promised goods or services. The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the core principles of ASC 606 which include (1) identifying the contract with a customer, (2) identifying separate performance obligations within the contract, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue. The Company recognizes all but an immaterial portion of its product sales upon shipment. The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of tooling and machinery primarily upon customer acceptance, with the exception of certain tooling where control does not transfer to the customer, resulting in revenue being recognized over the estimated time for which parts are produced with the use of each respective tool. The Company recognizes revenue from engineering services, which are primarily product development services, as the services are performed or as otherwise determined based on the substance of the agreement. The Company recognizes revenue from bill and hold transactions at the time the specified goods are complete and available to the customer. In the ordinary course of business, the Company accepts sales returns from customers for defective goods, such amounts being immaterial. Although only applicable to an insignificant number of transactions, the Company has elected to exclude sales taxes from the transaction price. The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities for which the Company is responsible under the terms and conditions of the sale not as performance obligations but rather as fulfillment costs. These activities are required to fulfill the Company’s promise to transfer the good and are expensed when revenue is recognized.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The Company is an innovative designer and custom manufacturer of components, subassemblies, products and packaging utilizing highly specialized foams, films, and plastics primarily for the medical market. The Company manufactures its products by converting raw materials using laminating, molding, radio frequency and impulse welding and fabricating manufacturing techniques. The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer, electronics, and industrial markets. The Company consists of a single operating and reportable segment.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

As further summarized below, the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and we believe it will continue to have, negative effects on our business and financial results. Despite the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, conditions related to the pandemic generally appear to be improving as sales for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased 15.0% to $206.3 million from $179.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Gross margin decreased slightly to 24.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, from 24.9% in 2020, primarily due to significant increases in raw material, labor and certain overhead costs. However, operating income and net income for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by 26.8% and 18.8%, respectively.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON OUR BUSINESS

Through much of 2021, COVID-19 continued to spread in areas in which our products are designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold. The continued spread of COVID-19 and the response to it negatively impacted operating conditions for our business in 2021. Although we expect COVID-19 will continue to have negative impacts on our operating results in future periods, the magnitude and duration of the continuing impact is uncertain.

To stall the spread of COVID-19 during calendar year 2020, authorities in states in which we do business implemented numerous measures, including social distancing guidelines, travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, curfews, stay-at-home orders, and business shutdowns. Since then, most federal, state, and local mandates or executive orders have been lifted; however, it is uncertain whether similar mandates or executive orders will be implemented in the future and what impact they will have on us, our customers, consumers, employees, suppliers and other third parties with whom we do business. Our top priorities continue to be ensuring the health and safety of our workforce and serving our various constituencies with as little disruption as possible, so we continue to follow practical safety procedures and continue to monitor that status of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates and mutations of COVID-19.

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose risks to our operations. The global supply chain disruption that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in delays in our receipt of raw materials and components we need to meet our anticipated manufacturing and production schedules. The relative difficulty in sourcing raw materials and components for our manufacturing operations has also resulted in increased costs. Our labor costs have increased due to a general labor shortage and related wage increases and incentives to attract and retain employees. Our maintenance costs have also increased due to higher costs of supplies, our efforts to create a safe work environment for our employees and our continued enhanced cleaning and sterilization protocols.

Although the conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic generally appear to be improving, due to the speed with which the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, its global nature, the range of governmental and community responses thereto and our business line and geographic diversity, the further impact of COVID-19 on our business and operations remains highly uncertain and could adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as those of our customers.

To ensure the health and safety of our employees, since March 2020 we have required or enabled certain employees to work from home or remotely where practicable, and expanded IT and communication support to enhance their productivity; adjusted work spaces and shifted schedules to facilitate social distancing and sterilization for those who continue to work in our facilities; enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures at our facilities; required face coverings in accordance with local mandates and procured and distributed personal protective equipment; implemented health checks and visitor protocols and restricted travel.

The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business and operations, is unknown and will depend on the severity, location and duration of the effects and spread of COVID-19, the effectiveness of the vaccine programs and the other actions undertaken by national, regional and local governments and health officials to contain the virus or treat its effects (including the ultimate efficacy of vaccine programs on new variants of the virus), the length of the worldwide supply chain disruption and increased costs and how quickly and to what extent economic conditions improve and operating conditions resume. As certain restrictions are lifted in various geographical locations throughout the U.S., we will continue to monitor and respond to the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has on our business and operations. We have a strong liquidity position, solid balance sheet, access to capital and the ability to scale operations which we expect will enable us to effectively manage through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”)

The CARES Act was enacted on March 27, 2020 in the United States. The CARES Act and related notices include several significant provisions, including delaying certain payroll tax payments and estimated income tax payments that we expect to defer to future periods. Accordingly, the Company deferred social security payments of approximately $1.6 million through December 31, 2020. Approximately $715 thousand of this amount was paid in December 2021 and the remaining balance of approximately $905 thousand is required to be paid by December 31, 2022. We do not currently expect the CARES Act to have a material impact on our financial results, including on our annual estimated effective tax rate, or on our liquidity. We will continue to monitor and assess the impact the CARES Act may have on our business and financial results.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of revenues represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

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2021 Compared to 2020

Sales

Net sales increased 15.0% to $206.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from net sales of $179.4 million in 2020. The increase in sales was primarily due to increases in sales to customers in the Medical, Consumer, Electronics, Industrial, Automotive and Aerospace & Defense markets of 10.2%, 42.2%, 28.3%, 13.6%, 6.8% and 25.7% respectively. The increase in sales to the Medical market was partially attributable to sales from the two fourth quarter acquisitions, Contech and DAS Medical, of $4.5 million and $1.4 million, respectively. Organically, sales to the medical market grew 5.3% in 2021.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) decreased slightly to 24.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, from 24.9% in 2020. As a percentage of sales, material and direct labor costs collectively increased approximately 2.3%, while overhead decreased approximately 2.2%. The increase in collective material and labor costs as a percentage of sales was primarily due to inflationary increases in raw material costs as well as labor rate increases and staffing challenges. The decrease in overhead as a percentage of sales was primarily due to fixed overhead costs measured against increased sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 7.2% to $29.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from $27.5 million in 2020. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 14.3%, from 15.3% in 2020. The decrease in SG&A as a percentage of sales was primarily due to relatively fixed SG&A expenses measure against increased sales. The increase in SG&A was primarily due to increased compensation programs and travel and entertainment as well as additional SG&A from the fourth quarter acquisitions of Contech and DAS.

Acquisition Costs

The Company incurred approximately $430 thousand in costs associated with acquisition related activities which were charged to expense for the year ended December 31, 2021. These costs were primarily for legal and valuation services and are reflected on the face of the income statement.

Interest Income and Expense

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $39 thousand and $83 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease in net interest expense was primarily due to interest received from the federal government related to income tax refunds.

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Other Income and Expense

Other income was approximately $26 thousand and other expense was approximately $366 thousand for years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The changes in other expense are primarily generated by changes in the fair value of the swap liability, which is driven by anticipated future interest rate changes and a declining nominal amount, offset by net cash settlement amounts related to the swap.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 25.1% for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 17.9% for the same period in 2020 The increase in the effective tax rate for the current period was largely due to lower discrete income tax benefits from share-based compensation and amended tax returns in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period of 2020. The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

2020 Compared to 2019

Sales

Net sales decreased 9.6% to $179.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from net sales of $198.4 million in 2019. The decrease in sales was primarily due to the impact on demand for product as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that the cancellation or delay of elective medical procedures in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the demand for the Company’s components for medical devices. We refer you to “Recent Developments—COVID-19” above for additional discussion of product demand.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) decreased to 24.9% for the year ended December 31, 2020, from 27.2% in 2019. As a percentage of sales, material and direct labor costs collectively decreased approximately 2.2%, while overhead increased approximately 4.4%. The decrease in collective material and labor costs as a percentage of sales was primarily due to gains in manufacturing efficiencies resulting from continuous improvement initiatives and an improvement in the overall book of business. The increase in overhead as a percentage of sales was primarily due to fixed overhead costs measured against decreased sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) decreased approximately 6.0% to $27.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $29.3 million in 2019. As a percentage of sales, SG&A increased to 15.3%, from 14.7% in 2019. The decrease in SG&A was primarily due to decreases in compensation programs and company-wide travel and entertainment. The increase in SG&A as a percentage of sales was primarily due to relatively fixed SG&A expenses measured against lower sales.

Interest Income and Expense

Net interest expense was approximately $83 thousand and $674 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in net interest expense was primarily due to lower debt levels.

Other Expense

Other expense was approximately $366 thousand and $388 thousand for years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Other expense was primarily generated by changes in the fair value of the swap liability, which is driven by anticipated future interest rate changes as well as a declining notional amount.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 17.9% for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 16.5% for the same period in 2019. The increase in the effective tax rate for the current period as compared to the prior period was largely due to a lower anticipated effective tax rate in 2019 due to credits available for increased research activities. The Company notes the potential for volatility in its effective tax rate, as any windfall or shortfall tax benefits related to its share-based compensation plans will be recorded directly into income tax expense.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 was approximately $14.3 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $15.9 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $8.4 million, share-based compensation of approximately $2.4 million, a decrease in refundable income taxes of approximately $0.9 million, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $1.1 million primarily due to increased compensation related liabilities, and an increase in deferred revenue of approximately $2.3 million primarily due to increased customer deposits on tooling and machinery.

These cash inflows and adjustments to income were partially offset by a decrease in deferred taxes of approximately $1.8 million, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $7.8 million due primarily to higher sales in the last two months of 2021 as compared to 2020, an increase in inventory of approximately $4.5 million due to higher stocking levels for future demand, an increase in prepaid expenses of approximately $0.5 million, an increase in other assets of approximately $0.7 million, and a decrease in other liabilities of approximately $1.4 million.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was approxi‐mately $101.5 million and was primarily the result of the acquisitions of DAS Medical and Contech Medical, as well as additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $74.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, representing borrowings under our credit facility to fund acquisitions of $75.0 million and net proceeds received upon stock options exercises of approximately $0.2 million, partially offset by payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $0.9 million and debt issuance costs of $0.2 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On December 22, 2021, the Company, as the borrower, entered into a secured $130 million Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time-to-time party thereto. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement, originally dated as of February 1, 2018.

The credit facilities under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement consist of a $40 million secured term loan to the Company and a secured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $90 million. The Amended and Restated Credit Facilities mature on December 21, 2026. The proceeds of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding the acquisition of DAS Medical, as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Subsidiary Guarantors.

The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement calls for interest determined by the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index rate (“BSBY”) plus a margin that ranges from 1.25% to 2.0% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from .25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance. Under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness and permitted investments. At December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $75 million in borrowings outstanding under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which were used as partial consideration for the DAS Medical acquisition, and also had approximately $0.7 million in standby letters of credit outstanding, drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies.

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Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company used interest-rate-related derivative instruments to manage its exposure related to changes in interest rates on certain of its variable-rate debt instruments. The Company does not enter into derivative instruments for any purpose other than cash flow hedging. Derivative financial instruments expose the Company to credit risk and market risk. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes the Company, creating credit risk for the Company. When the fair value of a derivative contract is negative, the Company owes the counterparty and, therefore, in these circumstances the Company is not exposed to the counterparty’s credit risk. The Company minimizes counterparty credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with carefully selected major financial institutions based upon their credit profile. Market risk is the adverse effect on the value of a derivative instrument that results from a change in interest rates.

The Company assesses interest rate risk by continually identifying and monitoring changes in interest rate exposures that may adversely impact expected future cash flows and by evaluating hedging opportunities. The Company’s debt obligations exposed the Company to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. The Company believed that it was prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments. To meet this objective, in connection with the first Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company entered into a $20 million, 5-year interest rate swap agreement under which the Company receives three-month LIBOR plus the applicable margin and pays a 2.7% fixed rate plus the applicable margin. The swap modified the Company’s interest rate exposure by converting the previous term loan from a variable rate to a fixed rate in order to hedge against the possibility of rising interest rates during the term of the loan. The notional amount was $8,571,424 at December 31, 2021. The fair value of the swap as of December 31, 2021 was approximately $(176) thousand and is included in other liabilities. Changes in the fair value and net cash settlement amounts related to the swap are recorded in other income of approximately $24 thousand and other expense of approximately $366 thousand during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As the Company has paid the remaining balance of the term loan that was associated with the swap in its entirety, there is no longer underlying debt to hedge against with the swap. The changes in the fair value of the swap will continue to be accounted for as a financial instrument until the sooner of the time that the Company elects to cancel it or until its maturity.

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company generated cash of approximately $14.3 million in operations during the year ended December 31, 2021; however, the Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance and the availability of draws on the revolving credit facility under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. Further, the continued economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could affect the Company’s long-term ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue operations.

Throughout fiscal 2022, the Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all. The Company's liquidity will be impacted to the extent additional stock repurchases are made under the Company's stock repurchase program.

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Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019. At December 31, 2021, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates, including those listed below, on an ongoing basis. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company believes the following critical accounting policies necessitated that significant judgments and estimates be used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

The Company has reviewed these policies with its Audit Committee.

Valuation of Intangible Assets and Contingent Consideration Liability

We base the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination on detailed valuations that use information and assumptions provided by management, which consider management’s best estimates of inputs and assumptions that a market participant would use. Further, for those arrangements that involve potential future contingent consideration, we record on the date of acquisition a liability equal to the fair value of the estimated additional consideration we may be obligated to pay in the future. We re-measure this liability each reporting period and record changes in the fair value through a separate line item within our consolidated statements of operations. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability can result from changes in discount rates, periods, timing and amount of projected revenue or timing or likelihood of achieving regulatory, revenue or commercialization-based milestones. The use of alternative valuation assumptions, including estimated revenue projections, growth rates, cash flows, discount rates, useful life or probability of achieving clinical, regulatory or revenue-based milestones could result in different purchase price allocations and recognized amortization expense and contingent consideration expense or benefit in current and future periods.

We review intangible assets subject to amortization quarterly to determine if any adverse conditions exist or a change in circumstances has occurred that would indicate impairment or adjustment to the remaining useful life. If we determine it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired based on our qualitative assessment of impairment indicators, we test the intangible asset for recoverability. If the carrying value of the intangible asset is determined not recoverable, we will write the carrying value down to fair value in the period the impairment is identified. We calculate fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. The use of alternative assumptions, including estimated cash flows, discount rates and alternative estimated remaining useful lives could result in different calculations of impairment.

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Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when a customer obtains control of a promised good or service. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for promised goods or services. The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the core principles of ASC 606 which include (1) identifying the contract with a customer, (2) identifying separate performance obligations within the contract, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue. The Company recognizes all but an immaterial portion of its product sales upon shipment. The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of tooling and machinery primarily upon customer acceptance, with the exception of certain tooling where control does not transfer to the customer, resulting in revenue being recognized over the estimated time for which parts are produced with the use of each respective tool. The Company recognizes revenue from engineering services, which are primarily product development services, as the services are performed or as otherwise determined based on the substance of the agreement. The Company recognizes revenue from bill and hold transactions at the time the specified goods are complete and available to the customer. In the ordinary course of business, the Company accepts sales returns from customers for defective goods, such amounts being immaterial. Although only applicable to an insignificant number of transactions, the Company has elected to exclude sales taxes from the transaction price. The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities for which the Company is responsible under the terms and conditions of the sale not as performance obligations but rather as fulfillment costs. These activities are required to fulfill the Company’s promise to transfer the good and are expensed when revenue is recognized.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.