c10qq32009.htm
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
(Mark
One)
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2009
OR
o
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TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
|
For
the transition period from
to
Commission
File Number: 0-11625
MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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04-2793022
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(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
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(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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30
Ossipee Road, Newton, Massachusetts
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02464
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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(617)
969-5452
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the “Act”) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this
chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer o
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Accelerated
filer o
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Non-accelerated
filer o
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting company)
|
Smaller
reporting company x
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No x
As of
November 12, 2009, 10,387,282 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, par
value $.01 per share, were outstanding.
Table of
Contents
MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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PART I.
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FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
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Item
1.
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Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited):
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Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2009 and
December 31, 2008
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3 |
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008
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4 |
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008
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5 |
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Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
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6-11 |
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Item
2.
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Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
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11-16 |
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Item
3.
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
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16 |
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Item
4.
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Controls
and Procedures
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16 |
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PART II.
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OTHER
INFORMATION
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Item
1.
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Legal
Proceedings
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16 |
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Item
1A.
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Risk
Factors
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17-20 |
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Item
2.
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Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
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21 |
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Item
3.
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Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
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21 |
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Item
4.
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Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
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21 |
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Item
5.
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Other
Information
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21 |
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Item
6.
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Exhibits
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21 |
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Signatures
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22 |
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Certifications
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PART I.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
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ITEM 1.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
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MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited
- in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
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September 30,
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December 31,
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2009
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2008
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ASSETS
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Current
assets:
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Cash
and cash equivalents
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$ |
1,694 |
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$ |
1,895 |
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Accounts
receivable, net of allowance of $44 at both September 30, 2009 and
December 31, 2008
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2,582 |
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2,181 |
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Inventories
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2,802 |
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2,723 |
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Prepaid
and other current assets
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338 |
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320 |
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Total
current assets
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7,416 |
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7,119 |
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Property
and equipment, net
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954 |
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1,121 |
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Other
non-current assets
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447 |
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480 |
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Total
assets
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$ |
8,817 |
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$ |
8,720 |
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LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
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Current
liabilities:
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Accounts
payable
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$ |
820 |
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$ |
986 |
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Accrued
expenses
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1,140 |
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1,233 |
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Customer
advances
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1,039 |
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436 |
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Total
current liabilities
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2,999 |
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2,655 |
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Long-term
liabilities
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Convertible
debt
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4,666 |
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4,625 |
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Total
liabilities
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7,665 |
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7,280 |
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Stockholders’
equity:
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Common
stock; $.01 par value; 30,000,000 and 20,000,000 shares authorized;
10,622,728 and 10,592,228 shares issued; 10,387,282 and 10,356,782 shares
outstanding as of September 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008,
respectively.
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106 |
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106 |
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Additional
paid-in capital
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18,196 |
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18,042 |
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Accumulated
deficit
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(16,481
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) |
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(16,039
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) |
Treasury
stock, 235,446 shares, at cost, as of September 30, 2009 and
December 31, 2008
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(669
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(669
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) |
Total
stockholders’ equity
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1,152 |
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1,440 |
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Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
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$ |
8,817 |
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$ |
8,720 |
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See notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited
- in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
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For
The Three Months Ended
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For
The Nine Months Ended
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September 30,
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September 30,
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2009
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2008
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2009
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2008
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Revenues
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$
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4,462
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$
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3,511
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$
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11,490
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$
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11,407
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Cost
of sales
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1,533
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1,708
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4,679
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5,542
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Gross
profit
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2,929
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1,803
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6,811
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5,865
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Operating
expenses:
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Research
and development
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418
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569
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1,263
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1,631
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Selling
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995
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1,199
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3,123
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3,327
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General
and administrative
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965
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1,057
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2,491
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3,174
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Total
operating expenses
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2,378
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2,825
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6,877
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8,132
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Income
(loss) from operations
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551
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(1,022
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)
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(66
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)
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(2,267
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)
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Interest
expense
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(126
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)
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(39
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)
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(378
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(50
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Interest
income
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—
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—
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2
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21
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Net
income (loss)
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$
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425
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$
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(1,061
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)
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$
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(442
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)
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$
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(2,296
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)
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Net
income (loss) per common share:
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Basic
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$
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0.04
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$
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(0.10
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$
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(0.04
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)
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$
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(0.22
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Diluted
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$
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0.04
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$
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(0.10
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$
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(0.04
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)
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$
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(0.22
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)
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Weighted
average number of common and common equivalent shares
outstanding:
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Basic
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10,387,282
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10,299,938
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10,376,949
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10,278,633
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Diluted
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10,474,532
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10,299,938
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10,376,949
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10,278,633
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See notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited
- in thousands)
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For
The Nine Months Ended
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September 30,
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2009
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2008
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Cash
flows from operating activities:
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Net
loss
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$ |
(442 |
) |
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$ |
(2,296 |
) |
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash flows:
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Depreciation
and amortization
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293 |
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174 |
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Provision
for obsolete inventory
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50 |
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(18
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) |
Share-based
compensation
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144 |
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190 |
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Changes
in assets and liabilities:
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Accounts
receivable
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(401
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) |
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(331
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) |
Inventories
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(129 |
) |
|
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(297
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) |
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
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3 |
|
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(446
|
) |
Accounts
payable
|
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|
(166
|
) |
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1,820 |
|
Accrued
expenses
|
|
|
(93
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) |
|
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111 |
|
Customer
advances
|
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|
603 |
|
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(23
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) |
Net
cash flows used in operating activities
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(138
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) |
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(1,116
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) |
|
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Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
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|
|
|
|
|
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Purchase
of property, plant and equipment
|
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|
(72
|
) |
|
|
(806
|
) |
Net
cash flows used in investing activities
|
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(72
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) |
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(806
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) |
|
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|
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Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
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Proceeds
from borrowings on revolver loan
|
|
|
— |
|
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1,999 |
|
Payments
on bank line of credit
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|
— |
|
|
|
(262
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) |
Principal
repayments on long-term debt and obligations under capital
leases
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(57
|
) |
Net
proceeds from issuance of common stock
|
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|
9 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
Net
cash flows provided by financing activities
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
1,723 |
|
Net
change in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
(201
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) |
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|
(199
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) |
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
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1,895 |
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|
|
756 |
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
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$ |
1,694 |
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$ |
557 |
|
See notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
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NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
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1.
Description of Business
|
Company
Overview
References
herein to “we”, “us”,”our”, or “the Company” are to Microfluidics International
Corporation.
We, along
with our wholly-owned subsidiary, Microfluidics Corporation (“Microfluidics”),
operate in one segment, producing and marketing a broad line of proprietary
high-shear fluid processing systems used primarily in the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, digital ink, microelectronics, food, chemical and personal care
industries.
The
condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our Company
and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Microfluidics. All intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated.
Our
corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Newton,
Massachusetts.
Certain
accounts in the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes
have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.
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2.
Interim Financial
Statements
|
The
condensed consolidated financial information for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2009 are unaudited but includes all adjustments (consisting
only of normal recurring adjustments) that the Company considers necessary for a
fair presentation of the financial position at such date and of the operating
results and cash flows for the period. The results of operations for the three
and nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 are not necessarily
indicative of results that may be expected for the entire year. The information
contained in this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the
Company’s audited financial statements, included in its Annual Report on
Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 30, 2009.
The
balance sheet as of December 31, 2008 has been derived from our audited
consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the
information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles
for complete financial statements.
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3.
Significant
Accounting Policies
|
The
significant accounting policies followed by the Company and its subsidiary in
preparing its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are set
forth in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2008.
We
recognize revenue when all of the following criteria are met: i) persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, ii) delivery has occurred, iii) the price to
the customer is fixed and determinable, and iv) collectability is reasonably
assured. In revenue transactions where support services are requested, revenue
is recognized on shipment since the support service obligation is not essential
to the functionality of the delivered products and the customer’s purchase
obligations are not contingent upon performance of support services, if any, by
us. Revenue transactions involving non-essential support services
obligations are those which can generally be completed in a short period of time
at insignificant cost and the skills required to complete these support services
are not unique to us and in many cases can be provided by third parties or the
customers. Proceeds received in advance of product shipment are
recorded as customer advances in the consolidated balance sheets. Returns and
customer credits are infrequent and recorded as a reduction to sales. Rights of
returns are not included in sales arrangements. Discounts from list prices are
recorded as a reduction to sales. On occasion, we provide machines for rent by
customers. Income for the rental of equipment is recognized on a straight-line
basis over the rental term. Rental income and product sales are classified in
revenues in the consolidated statements of operations.
5.
|
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
|
In June 2009, the Financial
Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) 105-10 (formerly Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
(“SFAS”) No. 168), "The FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the
Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles" to establish the
FASB ASC as the source of authoritative accounting principles recognized by the
FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in preparation of financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States. We adopted ASC 105-10 effective for the quarter ended
September 30, 2009 and the adoption did not result in a significant impact
on our financial statements.
In
May 2009, the FASB issued ASC 855-10 (formerly SFAS No. 165), “Subsequent
Events.” ASC 855-10 identifies the following: the period after the balance sheet
date during which management shall evaluate events or transactions that may
occur for potential recognition or disclosure in the financial statements; the
circumstances under which an entity shall recognize events or transactions
occurring after the balance sheet date in its financial statements; and the
disclosures that an entity shall make about events or transactions that occurred
after the balance sheet date. This statement was effective for the Company’s
second quarter of 2009. The
adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's
results of operation or financial position. The Company has evaluated
susequent events through November 12, 2009, the date of the issuance of our
consolidated financial statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued ASC 820-10 (formerly SFAS No. 157), “Fair Value
Measurements.” ASC 820-10 provides guidance for using fair value to
measure assets and liabilities. The FASB believes ASC 820-10 also responds
to investors’ requests for expanded information about the extent to which
companies measure assets and liabilities at fair value, the information used to
measure fair value, and the effect of fair value measurements on earnings.
ASC 820-10 applies whenever other standards require (or permit) assets or
liabilities to be measured at fair value but does not expand the use of fair
value in any new circumstances. ASC 820-10 was effective for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2007.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued ASC 825-10 (formerly SFAS No. 159), “The Fair
Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” which provides
companies with an option to report selected financial assets and liabilities at
fair value. The objective of ASC 825-10 is to reduce both complexity in
accounting for financial instruments and the volatility in earnings caused by
measuring related assets and liabilities differently. ASC 825-10
establishes presentation and disclosure requirements designed to facilitate
comparisons between companies that choose different measurement attributes for
similar types of assets and liabilities and to more easily understand the effect
of the company’s choice to use fair value on its earnings. ASC 825-10 also
requires entities to display the fair value of the selected assets and
liabilities on the face of the balance sheet. ASC 825-10 does not
eliminate disclosure requirements of other accounting standards, including fair
value measurement disclosures in ASC 820-10 (formerly SFAS No. 157). This
Statement was effective as of the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year
beginning after November 15, 2007.
On
January 1, 2008, we adopted both ASC 820-10 (formerly SFAS No. 157),
and ASC 825-10 (formerly SFAS No. 159), neither of which had any material impact
on our results of operations or financial position.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued ASC 810-10 (formerly SFAS No. 160),
“Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements”. ASC
810-10 clarifies that a non-controlling or minority interest in a subsidiary is
considered an ownership interest and accordingly, requires all entities to
report such interests in subsidiaries as equity in the consolidated financial
statements. ASC 810-10 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December
15, 2008. On January 1, 2009, we adopted ASC 810-10, which did not have a
material effect on our results or financial position.
|
6.
Stock Based
Compensation
|
The
Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718-10
(formerly SFAS No. 123R), “Share-based Payment” which was adopted
January 1, 2006, using the modified prospective transition
method.
For the
three month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company
recognized stock based compensation expense of $56,000 and $63,000,
respectively. For the nine month periods ended September 30,
2009 and 2008, the Company recognized stock based compensation expense of
$144,000 and $171,000, respectively. Stock-based compensation expense for the
three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 is included
in General and Administrative expense of the unaudited condensed consolidated
statement of operations.
The
Company did not capitalize any stock-based compensation. No significant
tax benefit on the stock-based compensation was recorded in the three and
nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 since the Company has
established a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets.
The fair
value of each option granted during the three and nine month periods ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008 is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average
assumptions:
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
Dividend
yield
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
None
|
|
Expected
volatility
|
|
117.00 |
|
|
|
106.00 |
|
|
|
117.00 |
|
|
|
106.00 |
|
Risk-free
interest rate
|
|
2.00
|
% |
|
|
3.34
|
% |
|
|
2.00
|
% |
|
|
3.34 |
% |
Expected
life
|
5.0
years
|
|
|
5.0
years
|
|
|
5.0
years
|
|
5.0
years
|
|
The
weighted average fair value of stock options granted during the nine months
ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 was $0.54 and $0.74 per share,
respectively. We estimate forfeitures related to option grants at an annual rate
of 11% and 9% for 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Total
unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options,
expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 5 years, amounted to
approximately $714,000 at September 30, 2009.
The
Company has three (3) shareholder approved stock option plans
(collectively, the “Stock Option Plans”) as follows: (i) the 1988 Stock
Plan, which authorized the grant of stock rights for up to 3,500,000 shares of
common stock (the “1988 Plan”); (ii) the 1989 Non-Employee Director Stock
Option Plan (the “1989 Plan”), which authorized the grant of nonqualified stock
options for up to 500,000 shares of common stock; and (iii) the 2006 Stock
Plan (the “2006 Plan”) which authorizes the grant of stock rights for up to
4,000,000 shares of common stock, increased by the number of shares of common
stock underlying unexercised options issued under either the 1988 Plan or the
1989 Plan (collectively referred to herein as the “Prior Plans”) that expire
after September 20, 2006, and decreased by the number of shares of common
stock issued and issuable pursuant to options outstanding under the Prior Plans.
The 2006 Plan was approved by our shareholders at the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders held on September 20, 2006. Upon adoption of the 2006 Plan by
our shareholders, we ceased granting new options under the Prior Plans. The
Prior Plans permitted, and the 2006 Plan permits, the granting of stock awards
to employees, officers, and non-employee members of the Board of Directors.
Options granted under the Prior Plans and the 2006 Plan permit vesting over a
3-to-5 year period and expire 5 to 10 years from the date of grant.
At
September 30, 2009, 666,000 shares were available for future grants under the
2006 Plan and no shares were available for future grants under the Prior
Plans.
During
the three months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company issued
14,000 and 9,250 stock options pursuant to the 2006 Plan, respectively, at
exercise prices equal to or greater than the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock on the date of the grant. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company issued 549,000 and 417,847 stock
options, pursuant to the 2006 Plan, respectively, at exercise prices equal to or
greater than the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of
the grant.
Information
regarding option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2009
under the 2006 Plan is summarized below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Options |
|
Average
Exercise
|
|
Remaining
Contractual
|
|
|
Outstanding
|
|
Price
per Share
|
|
Term
in Years
|
|
Options
outstanding as of January 1, 2009
|
|
|
1,284,682 |
|
|
$ |
1.37 |
|
|
|
4.55 |
|
Granted
|
|
|
549,000 |
|
|
|
0.54 |
|
|
|
10.00 |
|
Exercised
|
|
|
(3,500
|
) |
|
|
0.51 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Cancelled
|
|
|
(378,951
|
) |
|
|
1.15 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Options
outstanding as of September 30, 2009
|
|
|
1,451,231 |
|
|
$ |
1.10 |
|
|
|
8.41 |
|
Options
exercisable as of September 30, 2009
|
|
|
517,664 |
|
|
$ |
1.51 |
|
|
|
6.69 |
|
Inventories
consist of the following:
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Raw
materials
|
|
$ |
2,019 |
|
|
$ |
2,485 |
|
Work
in progress
|
|
|
300 |
|
|
|
63 |
|
Finished
goods
|
|
|
679 |
|
|
|
371 |
|
|
|
|
2,998 |
|
|
|
2,919 |
|
Less:
provision for excess inventory
|
|
|
(196
|
) |
|
|
(196
|
) |
Total
inventories
|
|
$ |
2,802 |
|
|
$ |
2,723 |
|
|
8.
Property, Plant
and Equipment
|
Property,
plant and equipment consist of the following:
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Furniture,
fixtures and office equipment
|
|
$ |
907 |
|
|
$ |
893 |
|
Machinery,
equipment and tooling
|
|
|
530 |
|
|
|
505 |
|
Leasehold
improvements
|
|
|
902 |
|
|
|
869 |
|
|
|
|
2,339 |
|
|
|
2,267 |
|
Less:
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
(1,385
|
) |
|
|
(1,146
|
) |
|
|
$ |
954 |
|
|
$ |
1,121 |
|
For the
three months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, depreciation expense was
approximately $80,000 and $86,000, respectively. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008, depreciation expense was approximately
$239,000 and $164,000, respectively.
Accrued
expenses consist of the following:
(in
thousands)
|
|
September 30,
2009
|
|
|
December 31,
2008
|
Accrued
expenses
|
|
$ |
457 |
|
|
$ |
549 |
Accrued
compensation
|
|
|
319 |
|
|
|
360 |
Accrued
commissions
|
|
|
255 |
|
|
|
253 |
Accrued
warranty
|
|
|
109 |
|
|
|
71 |
|
|
$ |
1,140 |
|
|
$ |
1,233 |
Basic net
income (loss) per common share was determined by dividing net income (loss)
applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common
shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share
reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other
contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or
resulted in the issuance of common stock, unless the effects of dilution would
be anti-dilutive.
|
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
|
|
|
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
|
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
Shares
for computation of basic net loss per share
|
|
|
10,387 |
|
|
|
10,300 |
|
|
|
10,377 |
|
|
|
10,279 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
for computation of diluted net loss per share
|
|
|
10,475 |
|
|
|
10,300 |
|
|
|
10,377 |
|
|
|
10,279 |
|
|
11.
Industry Segment,
Geographic and Enterprise-Wide
Information
|
The
Company has determined that it conducts its operations in one business segment:
the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of process and formulation
equipment. The Company’s sales are primarily to companies with processing needs
in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, food, and cosmetic industries.
The Company has less than 1% of total assets in foreign countries. As a result,
the financial information disclosed herein represents all of the material
financial information related to the Company’s principal operating
segment.
Approximate
sales to customers by geographic markets, and percentage of total sales by
geographic market, are as follows:
|
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
|
|
|
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
North
America
|
$ |
3,208 |
|
|
71.9
|
% |
|
$ |
1,971 |
|
|
56.1
|
% |
|
$ |
7,193 |
|
|
62.6
|
% |
|
$ |
4,892 |
|
|
42.9
|
% |
Asia
|
|
300 |
|
|
6.7
|
% |
|
|
683 |
|
|
19.5
|
% |
|
|
1,541 |
|
|
13.4
|
% |
|
|
1,753 |
|
|
15.4
|
% |
Europe
|
|
954 |
|
|
21.4
|
% |
|
|
857 |
|
|
24.4
|
% |
|
|
2,756 |
|
|
24.0
|
% |
|
|
4,762 |
|
|
41.7
|
% |
|
$ |
4,462 |
|
|
100.0
|
% |
|
$ |
3,511 |
|
|
100.0
|
% |
|
$ |
11,490 |
|
|
100.0
|
% |
|
$ |
11,407 |
|
|
100.0
|
% |
The users
of the Company’s systems are in various industries, including the
pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, food, and cosmetic
industries.
Two
customers accounted for 42.0% and 14.2% of revenue, respectively, for the
three months ended September 30, 2009. No customer accounted for
sales greater than 10% of the Company’s revenues for the three months ended
September 30, 2008.
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2009 one customer accounted for 19.7% of
revenue. There was one customer who accounted for 19.7% of the company’s
revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2008.
No
customer accounted for greater than 10% of the trade accounts receivable as of
September 30, 2009 and one customer accounted for 13.4%, respectively, of
the trade accounts receivable as of December 31, 2008. A reduction or
delay in orders from any of the Company’s significant customers could have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations.
During
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 the Company issued 3,500
shares of common stock as a result of exercise of options by a former employee,
generating cash proceeds of $1,750. During the three and nine months
ended September 30, 2008, the Company issued 43,391 shares of common stock as a
result of the exercise of options by employees and directors, generating cash
proceeds of approximately $23,000.
During
each of the three months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company
issued 12,000 and 9,160 shares, respectively, of common stock as a result of the
purchase of shares under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan, (“the
Employee Stock Purchase Plan”).
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company issued
27,000 and 20,409 shares, respectively, of common stock as a result of the
purchase of shares under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, generating cash
proceeds of approximately $8,000 and $20,000, respectively.
On
June 30, 2008, the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Microfluidics
Corporation, entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Domestic Loan
Agreement”) with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), which it used to pay off its
previous loan agreement with T.D. Bank N.A., formerly known as
TD Banknorth, N.A. and prior to that Banknorth, N.A. (“Banknorth”), in the
amount of $1,000,000 in principal, and approximately $12,000 in interest
and legal fees.
On
July 2, 2008, the Company and SVB entered into an Export-Import Bank Loan
and Security Agreement (the “Export-Import Loan Agreement”) and together with
the Domestic Loan Agreement, created the “SVB Loan Agreement”.
The SVB
Loan Agreement provided the Company with a revolving line of credit (“SVB
Revolving Line of Credit”). The SVB Revolving Line of Credit had a
two-year term and allowed for a maximum outstanding balance of $2,500,000. The
principal amount outstanding under the SVB Loan Agreement accrued interest
at a per annum rate equal to: (a) the greater of (i) five percent
(5.00%) or (ii) the SVB’s most recently announced “prime rate,” even if it
is not SVB’s lowest rate, plus (b) one percent (1.00%). SVB’s prime rate as
of July 7, 2008 was 5.00%. Interest was payable on the last business day of
each month. The Company was also required to maintain two financial covenants,
and additional affirmative covenants. The SVB Revolving Line of
Credit was repaid on November 14, 2008 in connection with the issuance of the
Debenture, as described in Note 14.
Long-term
debt as of the following dates consisted of:
|
September 30,
|
|
December 31,
|
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
Convertible
debt, (net of discount of $348 in 2009 and $375 in 2008)
|
|
$ |
4,666 |
|
|
$ |
4,625 |
Less:
current portion
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
Long-term
debt, net of current portion
|
|
$ |
4,666 |
|
|
$ |
4,625 |
On
November 14, 2008, the Company issued a convertible debenture (the “Debenture”)
with a principal face value of $5,000,000 and a warrant (the “Warrant”) to
Global Strategic Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“GSP”),
pursuant to a Debenture and Warrant Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”).
The principal of the Debenture will mature and be payable on November 14,
2015. Interest on the Debenture at a rate of nine percent (9.0%) per
annum is payable quarterly. Upon occurrence of certain events of
default, as defined in the Debenture, all amounts will be immediately due and
payable. The Debenture is secured by all assets, property rights and
interests of the Company. It shall be senior to all other
indebtedness of the Company, except for certain bank guarantees as defined in
the Debenture. In connection with the issuance of the Debenture, the
Company repaid the entire amount due under the SVB Revolving Line of
Credit. The payoff amount was approximately $1,050,000.
In May
2009, the Company and GSP agreed to defer the interest payments due and payable
on each of July 1, 2009, October 1, 2009 and January 4, 2010. The
deferred payments will accrue interest at nine percent per annum and will be
payable in eight equal quarterly installments on the first day of each such
quarter beginning on April 1, 2010. In October 2009,
as described in Note 16 below, the Company and GSP amended the Debenture and
Agreement to, among other changes, permit the Revolving Line of Credit with
Webster Bank, as permitted senior indebtedness replacing the exception
for certain bank guarantees noted above, and to provide a cross default
provision with the Revolving Line of Credit. GPS has also agreed to
subordinate indebtedness under the Debenture and Agreement to the Company's
indebtedness to Webster Bank.
At the
election of GSP, the Debenture is convertible in whole or part, into the
Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, on the maturity date, the
date that any interest payment is due, or the date on which a change of control
occurs into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the quotient of
(i) the outstanding principal amount of the Debenture, divided by
(ii) $1.25.
The
Company provides for income taxes at the end of each interim period based on the
estimated effective tax rate for the full fiscal year. Cumulative adjustments to
the tax provision are recorded in the interim period in which a change in the
estimated annual effective rate is determined. The effective tax rate
calculation includes determining both the current and deferred income tax
expense as well as accounting for the differences between the financial
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their
respective tax basis. The future tax consequences attributable to these
differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included on
our consolidated balance sheets. We must assess the recoverability of the
deferred tax assets by considering whether it is “more likely than not” that
some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. To the extent
we believe that recovery does not meet this “more likely than not” standard as
required in ASC 740-10 (formerly SFAS No. 109), “Accounting for Income Taxes”,
we must establish a valuation allowance. Changes in the valuation allowance are
reflected in determining the effective tax rate for the year.
For the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, the Company recognized no
tax provision or benefit due to the pre tax loss for the nine months ended
September 30, 2009, nor adjusted the Company’s full valuation allowance against
its net deferred tax assets.
16. Subsequent
Events
Subsequent
events have been evaluated through the time of filing this Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q with the SEC on November 12, 2009. On October 23, 2009, the
Company and its subsidiary entered into a senior secured $1 million revolving
line of credit pursuant to a loan agreement (the “Revolving Line of Credit”)
with Webster Bank, National Association, as lender (“Webster
Bank”). The Revolving Line of Credit matures on October 22, 2010. The
actual amount of credit that is available from time to time under the Revolving
Line of Credit is limited to a borrowing base amount that is determined
according to, among other factors, a percentage of the value of eligible
accounts receivables. The Revolving Line of Credit contains customary
representations and warranties and restrictive covenants relating to matters,
such as indebtedness, liens, investments, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions
and dividends. The Revolving Line of Credit also has two financial
covenants that require the Company to maintain a senior debt to twelve month
trailing EBITDA of 2:1, with the initial twelve month trailing EBITDA for the
second, third and fourth quarters of 2009 being annualized, and requires the
Company to maintain $500,000 of available cash or excess availability under the
Revolving Line of Credit. The proceeds of any borrowings under the
Revolving Line of Credit are available for working capital and other general
corporate purposes.
The
Company’s borrowings under the Revolving Line of Credit will generally accrue
interest at a margin of 5.50% over the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”). The Company’s obligations under the Revolving Line of
Credit are secured by a lien on substantially all of its personal property. The
Loan Agreement generally contains customary events of default for credit
facilities of this type. Upon an event of default that is not cured or waived
within any applicable cure periods, in addition to other remedies that may be
available to Webster Bank, the obligations under the Revolving Line of Credit
may be accelerated and remedies may be exercised against the
collateral.
In
connection with the closing of the Revolving Line of Credit, the Company also
amended the Debenture and Agreement with GSP to, among other
changes, permit the Revolving Line of Credit as permitted senior
indebtedness and to provide a cross default provision with the Revolving Line of
Credit. Further, GPS has agreed to subordinate the indebtedness under the
Debenture and Agreement to the Company's indebtedness to Webster
Bank.
Item 2.
Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Future Operating
Results
This report contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify
these statements by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate,"
"believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project," "plan," "outlook," and
other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve a number of
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Among
the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially
from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: our
ability to access sufficient working capital, including our new working capital
line; our continued compliance with the representations, warranties and
covenants under our new working capital line and our existing convertible
debenture; our continued history of losses, which includes net losses in three
of the last five fiscal years; the timing and size of customer orders for our
products; the adoption, timing and performance of new technology and products
developed by us; changes and advances in technology that may make our products
obsolete or reduce demand for our products; our ability to protect and maintain
the confidentiality of our intellectual property; our ability to retain key
employees and our reliance on a new management team; changes in governmental
rules and regulations, including those regulating the exportation of goods; and
general economic and business conditions and the financial crisis, including
those adversely effecting the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. For a
more detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual
results to differ from those contained in our forward-looking statements, see
Item 1A, "Risk Factors" contained in this Quarterly Report and our other
periodic reports filed with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on our
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We
are providing this information as of this date, and we do not undertake to
update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
We have,
for over 20 years, specialized in manufacturing and marketing a broad line of
high shear fluid processing systems used in numerous applications in the
pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, food and cosmetics
industries.
Our line
of high shear fluid processor equipment, marketed under our Microfluidizer
trademark and trade name (Microfluidizer®), process premixed formulations to
produce small uniform structures, usually of the submicron and nanoscale size
(commonly defined as particles having dimensions less than 100 nanometers)
including nanostructures, microemulsions and nanosuspensions. The
equipment produces commercial quantities of such materials important to
producers of pharmaceuticals, coatings and other products. Further,
our process equipment allows our customers to scale up formulations and results
from 10 milliliters per minute on our laboratory and bench top models to more
than 15 gallons per minute on our pilot and production models.
The
technology embodied within our Microfluidizer high shear fluid processor is used
for formulation of products that are normally very difficult to mix and
stabilize. Microfluidizer processors through process intensification
allow manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, cosmetic,
and food processing industries to produce higher quality products with better
characteristics on a more consistent basis than with other blending, mixing or
homogenizing techniques. Additionally, the equipment is used for cell disruption
to harvest the cultivated contents of bacterial, yeast, mammalian and/or plant
cells and for liposomal encapsulation of materials for
the biotech/biopharma and cosmetics industries. Although our Microfluidizer
processor equipment method U.S. patent expired in 2007 and our device U.S.
patent expired in 2002, we have made many alterations, improvements and advances
to our equipment over the years and continue to make such advancements, with
such modifications and innovations having been and being treated by us as trade
secrets.
We have
begun to take steps toward commercializing our proprietary equipment, processes
and technology for the continuous production of precipitated submicron or
nanoscale particles by interaction of discrete streams of reacting materials,
through a novel adaptation of our Microfluidizer processor equipment that
permits the mixing of, and reactions between, streams of different solutions at
high pressures. We previously referred to this technology as a
Multiple Stream High Pressure Mixer/Reactor (MMR). In August 1997, we
filed a patent application for the device and its processes with the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and filed a Patent Cooperation
Treaty (PCT) application on May 5, 1998. In July and November
2000, the USPTO issued notices of allowances of utility patent claims
regarding the MMR and the use thereof.
On
September 18, 2002, the European Patent Office advised us it would grant our MMR
patent substantially as applied for, including our device and process
claims. We have gained national entry of the patent in France,
Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. We are still pursuing
the allowance of the patent in Canada. Our management believes that
future commercialization and growth of nanotechnology may be, in large part,
enabled by the manufacturing capability of our materials processor and MMR
equipment.
We
continue our efforts to commercialize our proprietary equipment, processes and
technology for the continuous production of precipitated submicron or nanoscale
particles by interaction of discrete streams of reacting materials
(“Microfluidics Reaction Technology” or “MRT”). We intend to pursue patent
protection in the United States and select foreign jurisdictions with respect to
proprietary aspects of our MRT. U.S. Patent filing commenced in
March 2008 and Patent Convention Treaty (PCT) filing commenced in March 2009
with national patents expected to follow in approximately 12-18
months.
Critical
Accounting Policies
Our
significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 to our consolidated
financial statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the period ended December 31, 2008 as filed with the SEC on March 30,
2009. Certain of our accounting policies require the application of
significant judgment by our management, and such judgments are reflected in the
amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements. In
applying these policies, our management uses their judgment to determine the
appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of
estimates. Those estimates are based on our historical experience,
terms of existing contracts, our observance of market trends, information
provided by our strategic partners and information available from other outside
sources, as appropriate. Actual results may differ significantly from
the estimates contained in our consolidated financial statements. Our
critical accounting policies are as follows:
● Revenue
Recognition. Revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria are met:
i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, ii) delivery has occurred, iii)
the price to the customer is fixed and determinable, and iv) collectability is
reasonably assured. In revenue transactions where support services are
requested, revenue is recognized on shipment since the support service
obligation is not essential to the functionality of the delivered products and
the customer’s purchase obligations are not contingent upon performance of
support services, if any, by us. Revenue transactions involving
non-essential support services obligations are those which can generally be
completed in a short period of time at insignificant cost and the skills
required to complete these support services are not unique to us and in many
cases can be provided by third parties or the customers. Proceeds received in
advance of product shipment are recorded as customer advances in the
consolidated balance sheets. Returns and customer credits are infrequent and
recorded as a reduction to sales. Rights of returns are not included
in sales arrangements. Discounts from list prices are recorded as a reduction to
sales. On occasion, we provide machines for rent by customers. Income
for the rental of equipment is recognized on a straight-line basis over the
rental term. Rental income and product sales are classified in revenues in the
consolidated statement of operations.
● Accounts Receivable
Valuation. We perform various analyses to evaluate accounts
receivable balances and record an allowance for bad debts based on the estimated
collectability of the accounts, such that the amounts reflect estimated net
realizable value. If actual uncollectible amounts significantly
exceed the estimated allowance, our operating results would be significantly and
adversely affected.
● Inventory
Valuation. We value our inventory at the lower of our actual
cost or the current estimated market value. We regularly review
inventory quantities on hand and inventory commitments with suppliers and record
a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on our historical
usage for the prior twenty-four month period. Although we make every
effort to ensure the accuracy of our forecasts of future product demand, any
significant unanticipated change in demand or technological developments could
have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and our reported
operating results.
● Product
Warranties. Our products are generally sold with a twelve
month warranty provision that requires us to remedy deficiencies in quality or
performance of our products at no cost to our customers only after it has been
determined that the cause of the deficiency is not due to the actions of the
machine operator or product used in the machine. We have established
a policy for replacing parts that wear out or break prematurely. The
policy calls for replacing the parts or repairing a machine within one year of
the sale. Commencing in May of 2006, we amended our warranty by
limiting to a period of 90 days our warranty coverage on certain critical wear
items. We are now selling more advanced processor production systems
than past years that may require more costly parts.
Results
of Operations
Three Months Ended
September 30, 2009 vs. September 30, 2008
Revenues
Total
revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2009 were approximately
$4,462,000, as compared to revenues of $3,511,000 for the comparable prior year
period, an increase of approximately $951,000, or 27.1.%.
North
American sales for the three months ended September 30, 2009 increased to
approximately $3,208,000, or 62.8% as compared to sales of approximately
$1,971,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2008. The increase in
North American sales was principally due to an increase in the sale of
production machines and spare parts of approximately $1,084,000, and $690,000,
respectively, offset in part by a decrease in the sale of lab machines of
$552,000.
Foreign
sales were approximately $1,254,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2009, compared to $1,540,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2008, a decrease of $286,000, or 18.6% primarily resulting
from a decrease in the number of production and lab machines sold during the
third quarter of 2009 offset by slightly higher sales of spare parts. Due
to the nature of the sale of capital equipment, one specific quarter can be
impacted by the timing of the sale of one or more production
machines.
Cost
of Goods Sold
Cost of
goods sold for the three months ended September 30, 2009 was approximately
$1,533,000, or 34.4% of revenue, compared to $1,708,000, or 48.6% of revenue,
for the comparable prior year period.
The
decrease in cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales is primarily
attributable to a higher percentage of sales of production machines
with better margins during the three month period ended September 30,
2009. The Company’s major product lines have different profit
margins, as well as multiple profit margins within each product line and the
makeup of the sales in a quarter can cause swings in our gross margins. The
increase in gross margin for the third quarter 2009 as compared to the third
quarter 2008 is attributable to pricing increases taking effect and
appropriately adjusting our pricing for engineering time, factory and
site acceptance tests, expedite fees and other services requested by
customers.
Research and Development
Expenses
Research
and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2009 were
approximately $418,000, compared to $569,000 for the comparable prior year
period, a decrease of approximately $151,000, or 26.5%. The decrease in
research and development expenses was primarily due to planned decreases in
payroll and related costs of approximately $87,000 and a decrease in
expenditures on consultants of $44,000. The reductions in Research
and Development expenses were related to expenses that were not directly tied to
new product development. In addition, the Company has made
improvements in productivity and process efficiency.
Selling
Expenses
Selling
expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2009 were approximately
$995,000, compared to $1,199,000 for the comparable prior year period, a
decrease of $204,000, or 17.0%. The decrease is primarily attributable to
a decrease in advertising expense of approximately $62,000 resulting from the
adoption of a new more cost effective marketing program, a decrease in freight
charges of approximately $47,000, a decrease in recruiting costs of
approximately $30,000, planned decreases in payroll and related costs of
approximately $25,000, a decrease in sales meeting expense of approximately
$20,000, and a decrease in travel and entertainment of approximately $18,000,
primarily due to tighter controls on spending for conferences and
travel.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2009,
were approximately $965,000, compared to $1,057,000 for the comparable prior
year period, a decrease of $92,000, or 8.7%. The decrease is
primarily attributable to planned decreases in payroll and related costs of
approximately $111,000, a decrease in consultant’s costs of approximately
$85,000, a decrease in professional fees of approximately $34,000 and a decrease
in recruiting costs of approximately $12,000. Offsetting the
decreases were approximately $50,000 of professional and other fees in
the third quarter associated with the securing of a new revolving line of
credit in October 2009 and $78,000 in variable compensation
expense.
Interest
Income and Expense
Interest
expense for the three months ended September 30, 2009 was approximately $126,000
compared to $39,000 for the comparable prior year period, an increase of
approximately $87,000. The increase is due to interest payments on the $5
million of convertible debt that we issued in November 2008. The
convertible debt bears a fixed rate of interest of 9%.
Income
Tax Provision
For the
three months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company recognized no
tax benefit on the loss from operations on a year to date basis, as the Company
maintains a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax
assets.
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2009 vs. September 30, 2008
Revenues
Total
revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were approximately
$11,490,000, as compared to revenues of $11,407,000 for the comparable prior
year period, an increase of approximately $83,000, or 1.0%.
North
American sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 increased to
approximately $7,193,000, a 47.0% increase, as compared to sales of
approximately $4,892,000 for the nine months ended September 30,
2008. The increase in North American sales was principally due to an
increase in the sale of machines of approximately
$2,261,000.
Foreign
sales were approximately $4,297,000 for the nine months ended September 30,
2009, compared to $6,515,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2008,
a decrease of $2,218,000, or 34.0%, primarily resulting from an abnormally high
number of production machines sold in Europe to the pharmaceutical industry
during the second quarter of 2008, partially offset by an increase in the
sales of spare parts of approximately $183,000.
Due to
the nature of the sale of capital equipment, one specific quarter can be
impacted by the timing of the sale of one or more production
machines.
Cost
of Goods Sold
Cost of
goods sold for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 was approximately
$4,679,000, or 40.7% of revenue, compared to $5,542,000, or 48.6% of revenue,
for the comparable prior year period.
The
Company’s major product lines have different profit margins, as well as multiple
profit margins within each product line. The decrease in cost of goods sold as a
percentage of sales for the nine month period ended September 30, 2009 as
compared to the prior period is primarily attributable to
the price increases taking effect during the second quarter of this year
and higher margins on large production machines. Our target gross
margin is 60%.
Research
and Development Expenses
Research
and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were
approximately $1,263,000, compared to $1,631,000 for the comparable prior year
period, a decrease of approximately $368,000, or 22.6%. The decrease
in research and development expenses was primarily due to planned decreases in
payroll and related costs, including temporary help, of approximately $234,000,
a decrease in consultant costs of approximately $110,000 and research and
laboratory supplies of approximately $20,000. The reductions in
Research and Development expenses were related to expenses that were not
directly tied to new product development.
Selling
Expenses
Selling
expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were approximately
$3,123,000 compared to $3,327,000 for the comparable prior year period, a
decrease of approximately $204,000 or 6.1%. Increases in payroll and
related costs of approximately $126,000 and commission expense of $68,000 were
offset by a decrease in advertising expense of $124,000, a decrease in sales
meeting expenses of $56,000 and a decrease of consulting and professional fees
of $35,000. The
increase in payroll is attributable to the hiring of a more experienced sales
staff. Additionally, we mitigated the increase in commission
expense by relying more on the direct sale of production units to customers,
resulting in non-commissionable sales.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2009
were approximately $2,491,000, compared to $3,174,000 for the comparable prior
year period, a decrease of $683,000, or 21.5%. The decrease in
general and administrative expenses is principally due to a reduction in overall
headcount and related costs of approximately $335,000, a decrease in consultant
and professional fees of approximately $399,000, and a decrease in recruiting
costs of approximately $65,000 partially offset by an increase corporate
expenses of $119,000 which consist primarily of severance charges for terminated
employees.
Interest
Income and Expense
Interest
expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 was approximately
$378,000 compared to $50,000 for the comparable prior year period, an increase
of approximately $328,000. The increase is due to interest payments
on the $5 million of convertible debt issued in November 2008. The
convertible debt bears a fixed rate of interest of 9%.
Interest
income for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 was approximately
$2,000 compared to $21,000 for the comparable prior year period, a decrease of
$19,000. The decrease is due to a decrease in cash available for
investment.
Income
Tax Provision
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 the Company recognized no tax
benefit due on the loss from operations, as the Company maintains a full
valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Liquidity
We fund
our working capital requirements primarily through operations and customer
deposits. We expect to fund our liquidity requirements, including interest on
our convertible debt and capital expenditures, primarily through revenue and
bookings for which we receive deposits in advance of shipment and our new working
capital line with Webster Bank. We anticipate that with
our expected revenues and customer deposits, together with our existing cash
balance at September 30, 2009 and our new working capital line, we will have
sufficient capital to meet our working capital requirements for the next twelve
months. However,
if we do not achieve the revenues and customer deposits as and when
planned, and we are unable to access
or extend our recently secured working
capital line, or we are unable to access additional sources of funding, we may
face very substantial liquidity pressures that we may not be able to
sustain.
Long
Term Debt
On
November 14, 2008 we entered into the Debenture and Warrant Purchase Agreement
(the “Agreement”) with Global Strategic Partners (“GSP”). The
Debenture bears interest at nine percent (9.0%) per annum payable quarterly in
arrears. The Debenture is due and payable on the earlier to occur of (i)
November 14, 2015 or (ii) the acceleration of the maturity of the Debenture upon
the occurrence of an Event of Default. GSP may, at its option, on any of the
maturity date, the date that any interest payment is due, or the date on which a
change of control occurs, convert all or any portion of the outstanding
principal amount of the Debenture into shares of our common stock at a
$1.25 per share. In May 2009, GSP agreed to defer the
interest payments due and payable under the Debenture on each of July 1, 2009,
October 1, 2009 and January 4, 2010. The deferred payments will
accrue interest at nine percent per annum and will be payable in eight equal
quarterly installments on the first day of such quarter beginning on April 1,
2010. The Debenture is secured by all assets, property rights and
interests of the Company, and is subordinate to our new working capital
line with Webster Bank.
On
November 14, 2008 we also issued the Warrant to GSP, giving it the right to
purchase up to fifty percent (50%) of our outstanding common stock, on a fully
diluted basis, less the number of shares of common stock into which the
Debenture is convertible. The Warrant can be exercised by GSP in two (2)
tranches at any time prior to the earlier to occur of: (i) the seventh
anniversary of the date of the Agreement, (ii) the third anniversary of the
date of the Agreement in the event the we retire the Debenture on or before such
date (the “Third Anniversary”) or (iii) such time as GSP has acquired fifty
percent (50%) of the total number of shares of our common stock then
outstanding on a fully diluted basis.
The
aggregate number of shares of common stock (the “Tranche One Maximum”) that may
be purchased pursuant to one or more tranche one exercises of the Warrant (the
“Tranche One Exercises”) is forty percent (40%) of the Common Stock then
outstanding on a fully diluted basis, minus that number of shares of Common
Stock that GSP is or was entitled to acquire (or has theretofore acquired) upon
exercise of the conversion feature of the Debenture. Notwithstanding the
preceding sentence, if all or any portion of the principal amount of the
Debenture has been prepaid by us prior to the Third Anniversary, then the
Tranche One Maximum will also include a number of shares of common stock equal
to the quotient of: (i) the amount of the Debenture’s principal amount that
was so repaid by the Third Anniversary, divided by (ii) $1.25 (the
“Prepayment Shares”).
The
Warrant’s second tranche is exercisable in whole or in part at $3.00 per
share. The aggregate number of shares of common stock that may be
purchased pursuant to one or more tranche two exercises of the Warrant (the
“Tranche Two Exercises”) is equal to (a) fifty percent (50%) of the common
stock then outstanding on a fully diluted basis, minus (b) that number of
shares of common stock that GSP is or was entitled to acquire (or has
theretofore acquired) upon (i) exercise of the conversion feature of the
Debenture, and (ii) the Tranche One Exercise, plus (c) the Prepayment
Shares. A Tranche Two Exercise may only be made after the full number of
shares exercisable pursuant to Tranche One Exercises have been
purchased.
In connection
with the GSP financing, we repaid the entire amount due under the Amended and
Restated Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2008, with Silicon
Valley Bank and the Amended and Restated Export-Import Bank Loan and Security
Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2008, with Silicon Valley Bank. The payoff
amount was approximately $1,050,000.
Revolving
Line of Credit
As of
September 30, 2009, we did not have a credit line or bank facility in place.
Subsequent to the third quarter of 2009, on October 23, 2009, we entered
into a senior secured $1 million Revolving Line of Credit with Webster Bank
described above in Note16 of the notes to the consolidated financial
statements. The Revolving Line of Credit matures on October 22,
2010. We may extend the Revolving Credit for one year without the
consent of GSP. As noted above, the actual amount of credit that is
available from time to time under the Revolving Line of Credit is limited to a
borrowing base amount that is determined according to, among other things, a
percentage of the value of eligible accounts receivables. The
Revolving Line of Credit contains customary representations and warranties and
restrictive covenants relating to matters, such as indebtedness, liens,
investments, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions and dividends. The
Revolving Line of Credit also has two financial covenants that require us to
maintain a senior debt to twelve month trailing EBITDA of 2:1, with the initial
twelve month trailing EBITDA for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2009
being annualized, and requires us to maintain $500,000 of available cash or
excess availability under the Revolving Line of Credit. The proceeds
of any borrowings under the Revolving Line of Credit are available for working
capital and other general corporate purposes.
Our
borrowings under the Revolving Line of Credit will generally accrue interest at
a margin of 5.50% over the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR) and are
secured by a lien on substantially all of its personal property, which is senior
in rights to our Debenture. The Revolving Line of Credit generally
contains customary events of default for credit facilities of this type. Upon an
event of default that is not cured or waived within any applicable cure periods,
in addition to other remedies that may be available to Webster Bank, the
obligations under the Revolving Line of Credit may be accelerated and remedies
may be exercised against the collateral.
In
connection with the closing of the Revolving Line of Credit, we also amended the
Debenture and Agreement with GSP to, among other changes, permit the Revolving
Line of Credit as permitted senior indebtedness and provide for a cross
default provision with the Revolving Line of Credit. Further, GSP has
agreed to subordinate the indebtedness under the Debenture and Agreement to the
Company's indebtedness to Webster Bank.
Operating, Investing and Financing
Activities
As of
September 30, 2009, we had approximately $1,694,000 in cash and cash
equivalents, compared to $1,895,000 as of December 31, 2008. Our
operating activities used cash of $138,000 and $1.1 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectivley. The improvement in
cash flows was primarily due to working capital fluctuations particularly an
increase in customer deposits and improved operating results.
The
Company used cash of $72,000 and $806,000 for investing activities for the nine
months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. In 2008 the
Company made significant renovations to its Newton facility which did not occur
in 2009.
The
Company generated cash of $9,000 and $1,723,000 from financing activities
for the three months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
Contractual
Obligations
Our
contractual obligations as of September 30, 2009 are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
Payment
due by period
|
Contractual
Obligation
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Less
than 1 year
|
|
|
1
- 3 years
|
|
|
3
- 5 years
|
|
|
More
than 5 years
|
Convertible
debt (1)
|
|
$ |
7,857 |
|
|
$ |
331 |
|
|
$ |
1,173 |
|
|
$ |
900 |
|
|
$ |
5,453 |
Operating
leases
|
|
|
997 |
|
|
|
474 |
|
|
|
517 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
— |
Purchase
obligations (2)
|
|
|
35 |
|
|
|
35 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
8,889 |
|
|
$ |
840 |
|
|
$ |
1,690 |
|
|
$ |
906 |
|
|
$ |
5,453 |
|
(1) Includes
principal and interest payments, principal is due only at maturity unless
called upon following an event of default under the convertible debenture
agreement. (See
discussion above on interest in Long Term
Debt.)
|
(2) Purchase
obligations consist of commitments for production materials and
supplies.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We are
not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangements.
|
Item 3.
Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
|
Our
financial instruments are generally not subject to changes in market value as a
result of changes in interest rates due to the short maturities of the
instruments. Our fixed rate debt is not exposed to cash flow or
interest rate changes but is exposed to fair market value changes in the event
of refinancing this fixed rate debt. We do not have significant
exposure to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
|
Item 4.
Controls and
Procedures
|
The
certificates of the Company's principal executive officer and principal
financial officer attached as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 to this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q include, in paragraph 4 of such certifications,
information concerning the Company's disclosure controls and procedures, and
internal control over financial reporting. Such certifications should be read in
conjunction with the information contained in this Item 4 for a more
complete understanding of the matters covered by such
certifications.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
The
Company's management, with the participation of the Company's principal
executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the
effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures as of
September 30, 2009. The term "disclosure controls and procedures", as defined in
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "Exchange Act"), means controls and other procedures of a company
that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the
Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified
in the SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include,
without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits
under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company's
management, including its principal executive officer and principal
financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions to be made
regarding required disclosure. It should be noted that any system of controls
and procedures, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable,
and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met and that
management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit
relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on the evaluation of the
Company's disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2009, the
Company's principal executive officer and principal financial officer
concluded that, as of such date, the Company's disclosure controls and
procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes to the Company's internal control over financial reporting
during the quarter ended September 30, 2009 that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over
financial reporting.
|
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
|
The
Company is not a party to any material legal proceedings.
You
should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the
other information in this filing before deciding to purchase our common
stock. If any of these risks or uncertainties occurs, our business,
financial condition or operating results could be materially
harmed. In that case the trading price of our common stock could
decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks
and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we may
face. We believe that this filing contains forward-looking statements
as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements may include the words “may,”
“estimate,” “intend,” “continue,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” and other
similar words. Such statements are based on management’s current
expectations and are subject to facts that could cause results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements. For further
information you are encouraged to review our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10K for the period
ended December 31, 2008. We assume no continuing obligation to update
the information contained in this filing.
We have
experienced operating losses from operations in three of our last five
fiscal years, including the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, and we may
not be able to achieve consistent profitability in the
future.
For
three of the past five fiscal years, as well as the nine months ended September
30, 2009, we have experienced losses from continuing operations. For
the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and the year ended December 31,
2008 we had a net loss of $442,000 and $4,011,000, respectively. Although we have
significantly improved our operating results during the first nine months of
September 30, 2009 as compared to the fiscal year ended December 31,
2008, the Company may not be able to achieve consistent profitability
in the future.
The
Company must become cash-flow positive.
We
believe that our existing cash, expected revenue, customer deposits, and availability under
our Revolving Line of Credit, should be sufficient to meet our working capital
requirements for the next twelve months. To improve our financial
position and help stabilize the Company, in the first quarter of 2009, we
initiated an aggressive cost reduction program that included headcount
reductions as well as the elimination of all non-essential discretionary
spending such as travel, consulting and marketing programs. If we
sustain a revenue shortfall that we cannot compensate for through additional
cost cuts, or increasing deposits, or we do not have sufficient availability
under or we are unable to access or extend our Revolving Line of Credit
when it matures on October 22, 2010, we may face unsustainable liquidity
pressures. This concern is accentuated by the fact that in the
current credit markets, given our history of losses, it is possible that we may
not be able to obtain a replacement line for our Revolving Line of Credit, or alternative or additional
financing, on terms that
are reasonably acceptable. Under these circumstances, we may
experience an event of default under our Revolving Line of
Credit, our debenture or other financing agreements, which default could force
us to seek protection under the bankruptcy laws and cause our investors to
sustain a loss of their investment in our shares.
The
current credit and financial market conditions may exacerbate certain risks
affecting our business.
Increased
concerns about credit markets, consumer confidence, economic conditions,
volatile corporate profits and reduced capital spending could negatively impact
demand for our products. In the future, we may experience reduced
demand for our products because of the uncertainties in the general economic
environment in which our customers and we operate. The current
tightening of credit in financial markets may adversely affect the ability of
our customers and suppliers to obtain financing, which could result in a
decrease in, or deferrals or cancellations of, the sale of our
products. If global economic and market conditions, or economic
conditions in the United States, remain uncertain or persist, spread, or
deteriorate further, we may experience a material adverse effect on our
business, operating results and financial condition. Unstable
economic, political and social conditions make it difficult for our customers,
our suppliers and us to accurately forecast and plan future business
activities. If such conditions persist, our business, financial
condition and results of operations could suffer. We cannot project
the extent of the impact of the economic environment specific to our
industry.
The
failure of any banking institution in which we deposit our funds or the failure
of such banking institution to provide services in the current economic
environment could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations,
financial condition or access to borrowings.
The
capital and credit markets have been experiencing extreme volatility and
disruption. In some cases, the markets have exerted downward
pressure on stock prices and credit capacity for certain issuers, as well as
pressured the solvency of some financial institutions. Some of these
financial institutions, including banks, have had difficulty performing regular
services and in some cases have failed or otherwise been largely taken over by
governments. If we are unable to access some or all of our cash on deposit,
either temporarily or permanently, or we are unable to access our financing
arrangement with Webster Bank, it could have a negative impact on our
operations, including our reported net income, or our financial position, or
both.
The
occurrence of an event of default under our financing arrangements could result
in substantial losses to our stockholders.
Our
Revolving Line of Credit and our Debenture contain events of defaults, which are
more fully described in our Form 8-Ks filed by the Company
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 26, 2009 with
respect to the Revolving Line of Credit and November 20, 2008 with respect to
the Debenture. In addition, the Revolving Line of Credit and
Debenture contain cross default provisions, which provides that an event of
default under our Revolving Line of Credit or Debenture may also trigger an
event of default under the other financing agreement. If we were to
experience an event of default under our Revolving Line of Credit or our
Debenture, that is not cured or waived within any applicable cure periods, in
addition to other remedies that may be available to Webster Bank and GSP, the
parties may accelerate the obligations under these financing arrangements and
they may exercise their remedies against the secured collateral, which is
substantially all of our assets. If an event of default occurs, there can be no
assurance that we would be able to repay the obligations under these
financing arrangements or be able to raise
additional funds to make such payments. Failure
to repay these
financing arrangements could force us to
reorganize our debts, possibly in bankruptcy, in which event our common stock
could likely become worthless.
We
face intense competition in many of our markets.
Our
Microfluidizer product line of high-shear fluid processors has direct
competition in its major markets, including its most important markets in the
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and coatings/chemical industries. The intense
competition requires that we must continuously invest in research and
development in order to keep our product line competitive. Despite such
expenditures, however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to meet
the enhancement challenges posed by our competitors, or that we will be able to
create or exploit the kinds of innovations, such as our Microfluidics Reaction
Technology, needed to drive future sales.
In
addition, we face, and will continue to face, intense competition from other
companies who manufacture and sell fluid processing systems used in particle
size reduction, mixing, milling, dispersing, homogenizing, cell disruption and
liposomal encapsulation applications. We expect competition to intensify in the
fluid processing systems field as technical advances are made and become more
widely known, and such increased competition may have a material adverse effect
upon our business.
Our
future success will depend in large part on our ability to maintain a
technologically superior product line. Rapid technological
development by us or others may result in our products or technologies becoming
obsolete before we recover the expenses we incur in connection with their
development. Products offered by us could be made obsolete by less expensive or
more effective technologies, or may never achieve market acceptance. There can be no
assurance that we will be successful in the enhancement, introduction,
manufacturing and marketing of any new technologies, products or product
innovations, or develop and introduce, in a timely manner, innovations to our
existing technologies or products that satisfy our customers’ needs or achieve
market acceptance to compete successfully with newly emerging technologies and products of our
competitors.
We
may experience uncertain economic trends that adversely impact our
business.
We
may experience in the future reduced demand for our products as a result of the
uncertainty in the general economic environment in which our customers and we
operate. We cannot project the extent of the impact of the economic environment
specific to our industry. If economic conditions worsen or if an economic
slowdown occurs or is prolonged, we may experience a material adverse effect on
our business, operating results and financial condition.
We
rely on suppliers, vendors and subcontractors.
We do not
manufacture most of the components contained in our Microfluidizer materials
processor equipment, but rather subcontract the manufacture of most
components. Based on quality, price, and performance, we have selected
certain suppliers, vendors, and subcontractors that provide parts,
subassemblies, machining and finishing of components that are assembled by our
production staff. It is possible that, as a result of the current economic
slowdown or other reasons, one or more of our suppliers, vendors or
subcontractors could go out of business, or not ship on open account, or
otherwise be unable to supply our needs. Although we have identified
alternate sources for parts, components, machining and finishing integral to the
manufacture of our products, there can be no assurance that a transition to an
alternative source would not entail quality assurance or quality control
difficulties, on-time delivery problems, or other transition problems, any or
all of which could have an impact on our production of equipment and could have
a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of
operations.
Many
of our current and potential customers are from the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries and are subject to risks faced by those
industries.
We derive
a substantial portion of our revenues from pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies. We expect that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will
continue to be one of our major sources of revenues for the foreseeable future.
As a result, we are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, such as pricing pressures as
third-party payers continue challenging the pricing of medical products and
services, government regulation, including the current debate over healthcare
reform, ongoing consolidation and uncertainty of technological change, and
to reductions and delays in research and development expenditures by companies
in these industries.
In particular, the
biotechnology industry is dependent on raising capital to fund operations. If
biotechnology companies are unable to obtain the financing necessary to purchase
our products, our business and results of operations could be materially
adversely affected. As it relates to both the biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industries, many companies have significant patents that have
expired or are about to expire, which could result in reduced revenues for those
companies. If pharmaceutical companies suffer reduced revenues as a result
of these patent expirations, they may be unable to purchase our products, and
our business and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected.
In
addition, we are dependent, both directly and indirectly, upon general health
care spending patterns, particularly in the research and development budgets of
the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as upon the financial
condition and purchasing patterns of various governments and government
agencies. Many of our customers, including universities, government
research laboratories, private foundations and other institutions, obtain
funding for the purchase of products from grants by governments or government
agencies. There exists the risk of potential decrease in the level of
governmental spending allocated to scientific and medical research, which could
substantially reduce or even eliminate these grants. If
government funding necessary to purchase our products were to decrease, our
business and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected.
Lastly,
because our long term financing was provided by an affiliate of a pharmaceutical
company that competes with other pharmaceutical companies, it is possible that
the other companies might decide against doing business with us in the future
for competitive reasons. If a significant number of pharmaceutical
companies were to reduce their purchases of our products for this or any other
reason, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected.
We
have only one manufacturing facility.
We have a
single manufacturing facility located in Newton, Massachusetts. Our success
depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of that facility. Whether
as a result of a fire, natural disaster, or other cause, any disruption to our
manufacturing operations would significantly impair our ability to operate our
business on a day-to-day basis. Although we maintain business interruption
insurance, our business would be injured by any extended interruption of the
operations of our manufacturing facility. Further, although we carry property
and business interruption insurance, our coverage may not be adequate to
compensate us for all losses that may occur. This insurance coverage may not
continue to be available to us. Finally, if we were to seek to replicate our
manufacturing operations at another location, we would face a number of
technical as well as financial challenges, which we may not be able to address
successfully.
We rely on our
trade secrets to protect our technology.
Our
Microfluidizer processor equipment method patent expired on March 13, 2007
and our device patent expired on August 6, 2002. In addition, we have
neither sought patent protection for our Microfluidizer processor or our
interaction chamber nor trademark protection of our Microfluidizer trade name in
any country other than the United States. As such, our proprietary rights
are not subject to the protection of patent or trademark laws of foreign
countries where our equipment is sold. Although we have made many
alterations, improvements and advances to our equipment over the years and
continue to make such advancements with such modifications and innovations
having been and being treated by us as trade secrets, the lack of our patent
protections exposes us to potential competition that could have a material
adverse effect on us.
To
protect our proprietary rights, we rely on a combination of trademark laws,
trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, contractual provisions and technical
means. In the event of a breach of these protections, there can be no
assurance that these measures will prove to have been adequate to protect our
interests, or that we will have sufficient resources to prosecute or prevail in
an action against a third party.
We
may be subjected to increased government regulation which could affect our
ability to sell our products outside of the United States.
Although
United States governmental restrictions on technology transfer, import, export
and customs regulations and other present local, state or federal regulation,
have not had a significant effect on us historically, any future legislation or
administrative action restricting our ability to sell our products to certain
countries outside the United States could significantly affect our ability to
make certain foreign sales. The extent of adverse governmental regulation,
which might result from future legislation or administrative action, cannot be
accurately predicted. In particular, the USA Patriot Act and other
governmental regulations may impose export restrictions on sale of equipment or
transfer of technology to certain countries or groups. There can be
no assurance that sales of our equipment will not be impacted by any such
legislation or designation. Depending upon which countries and sales
may be designated for trade restriction, such actions could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of
operations. Also, certain agreements that may be entered into by us
involving exclusive license rights may also be subject to national or
supranational antitrust regulatory control, the effect of which cannot be
predicted.
We
rely on our top management and technical personnel.
Our
continued operation, innovation and growth are to a significant degree
reliant on the continued services of our executive officers and leading
technical personnel. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain
such management and technical personnel if employment is offered by other
companies better able to pay higher compensation, provide more and better
benefits, or willing to offer longer term job security by entering into
employment contracts with our employees. Further, there can be no
assurance that key executive officers and leading technical personnel will not
leave our employment, die or become disabled. Though we believe that we
can identify and recruit replacement key management and technical personnel,
there can be no assurance as to such availability, the length of time required
to obtain such replacement management and technical personnel, the salary level
that may have to be paid to obtain their respective services, or the impact on
operations that may be experienced through the interim absence of such key
management and technical personnel. The loss of our top management or
leading technical personnel could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on
our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our
stock is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board and our stockholders may have limited
liquidity.
Our
common stock is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, which provides significantly
less liquidity than a securities exchange (such as the NYSE Amex, the New York
Stock Exchanges or The NASDAQ Stock Market). In general, over the past two
years, fewer than 50,000 shares of our common stock have traded on a daily
basis.
Our
quarterly revenues and stock performance are variable.
The
timing of orders including completion of our factory acceptance testing can
impact the actual shipment date, which will significantly affect quarterly
revenues and net income results for particular quarters which may cause
increased volatility in both our revenues and stock price.
We
allow our customers to lease some of our products and those leases may not turn
into sales.
We
sometimes rent our products to our customers prior to or instead of selling a
product to a customer. Our products are expensive, and customers
frequently want to test out a product’s capabilities prior to
purchase. We have had reasonable success in converting rentals into
subsequent sales of the same or a newer product; however, there is no guarantee
that we will continue to be able to convert any of our leases into
sales.
We
may be subject to product liability claims from our customers or by persons
harmed by our customers’ products.
We
maintain what we deem to be reasonable levels of product liability coverage
through insurance policies with a reasonably small
deductible. Nonetheless, inasmuch as we sell our equipment to a
number of customers who make pharmaceutical preparations and consumer cosmetics,
there can be no assurance that if a consumer of end products is injured or dies
from such product that a suit by an injured party (or a class of similar
situated plaintiffs) will not include us as well as the maker of the drug or
cosmetic. Although we may have no control over the manufacture of
end-products made on our equipment, we may not be able to bar a plaintiff’s
claims against all parties whose products and equipment were involved in the
manufacturing process under a variety of legal theories of liability. We
may be required to present a vigorous and costly defense if we cannot be
dismissed from such an action. The cost of such legal defense may significantly
impact our cash flow.
Our
international business operations expose us to a variety of risks.
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, shipments outside of North
America accounted for approximately 37.4% and 57.1%, respectively, of our net
revenues in those periods, of which approximately 64.1% and 73.1% of our foreign
net revenues resulted from sales to Europe in the nine months ended September
30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We expect that shipments outside of North
America will continue to account for a significant portion of our total net
revenue.
We
attempt to reduce some of our risk related to sales and shipments outside of the
United States by requiring that our contracts generally be paid in United States
Dollars. Nevertheless, a downturn in the economies of Asia, including
Japan and Korea or Europe might reduce investment in new technology or products
while a weakening of foreign currency against the United States Dollar would
make our products more expensive, each of which could have a substantial impact
on our operating results.
In
addition, a significant portion of our total net revenue is subject to the risks
associated with shipping to foreign markets in general, including unexpected
changes in legal and regulatory requirements; seasonality of our revenue in
Europe; changes in tariffs; political and economic instability; risk of
terrorism; difficulties in managing distributors and representatives;
difficulties in protecting our intellectual property overseas; and natural
disasters, any of which could have a negative impact on our operating
results.
We
may experience difficulties in the future in complying with Sarbanes-Oxley
Section 404 (“Section 404”); and continued implementation and
maintenance of internal controls necessary for continued compliance with
Section 404 may result in our incurring of additional costs.
We are
required to evaluate our internal controls under Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, we
were only required to furnish a report by our management on our internal
controls over financial reporting. Such report contained, among other
matters, an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over
financial reporting as of the end of our fiscal year, including a statement as
to whether or not our internal control over financial reporting is
effective. While we have completed our self-assessment as to the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting for the year ended
December 31, 2008, which did not identify material weaknesses in our internal
control systems, there can be no assurance that our self-assessment of our
internal controls for the year ending December 31, 2009 will not identify
material weaknesses in our internal control systems as a result of changing
financial or operating conditions. In addition, for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, we were not required to furnish a report by
our independent public accountants attesting to management’s assessment of our
internal controls over financial reporting, nor will we be required to furnish
such a report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, as the SEC has
delayed such a report for non accelerated filers until fiscal years ending on or
after June 15, 2010. If we fail to maintain proper and effective
internal controls in future periods, it could adversely affect our operating
results, financial condition and our ability to run our business effectively and
could cause investors to lose confidence in our financial
reporting. In the event that it is determined that our internal
control over financial reporting is not effective, as defined under Section 404,
investor confidence in us may be adversely affected and could cause a decline in
the market price of our stock.
Future changes in financial
accounting standards may adversely affect our reported results of
operations.
A change
in accounting standards can have a significant effect on our reported financial
results. New accounting pronouncements and varying interpretations of accounting
pronouncements have occurred and may occur in the future. These new
accounting pronouncements may adversely affect our reported financial
results.
If
our accounting estimates are not correct, our financial results could be
adversely affected.
Management
judgment and estimates are necessarily required in the application of our
Critical Accounting Policies. We discuss these estimates in the subsection
entitled Critical Accounting Policies included in the Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of our
Annual and Quarterly Reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
If our estimates are incorrect, our future financial operating results and
financial condition could be adversely affected.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of
Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
|
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior
Securities
|
None.
|
Item
4. Submission of Matters
to a Vote of Security
Holders
|
None.
|
Item
5. Other
Information
|
None.
Exhibits
|
31.1
|
Certification
of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
31.2
|
Certification
of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
32.1
|
Certification
of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
32.2
|
Certification
of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
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MICROFLUIDICS
INTERNATIONAL
CORPORATION
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|
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By:
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/s/
Michael C Ferrara
|
|
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|
Michael
C Ferrara
|
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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By:
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/s/
Peter F. Byczko
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Peter
F. Byczko
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Vice
President of Finance & Chief Accounting Officer
(Principal
Finance and Accounting Officer)
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Dated:
November 12, 2009