AVIAT NETWORKS, INC. - Annual Report: 2010 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

 

 

Commission File Number 001-33278

 

AVIAT NETWORKS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (408) 567-7000

 

HARRIS STRATEX NETWORKS, INC.
637 Davis Drive
Morrisville, North Carolina 27560
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

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

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (l) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     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 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  þ

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. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o     No þ

 

As of December 31, 2009 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $403,167,000 based upon the closing price per share on The NASDAQ Global Market. For purposes of this calculation, the registrant has assumed that its directors and executive officers as of December 31, 2009 are affiliates.

 

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock as of August 27, 2010 was 59,400,021 shares.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to be held on or about November 9, 2010, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended July 2, 2010, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

AVIAT NETWORKS, INC.

 

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

 

For the Fiscal Year Ended July 2, 2010

 

Table of Contents

 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they do not materialize or prove correct, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including statements of, about, concerning or regarding: our plans, strategies and objectives for future operations; our research and development efforts and new product releases and services; trends in revenue; drivers of our business and the markets in which we operate; future economic conditions, performance or outlook and changes in our industry and the markets we serve; the outcome of contingencies; the value of our contract awards; beliefs or expectations; the sufficiency of our cash and our capital needs and expenditures; our intellectual property protection; our compliance with regulatory requirements and the associated expenses; expectations regarding litigation; our intention not to pay cash dividends; seasonality of our business; the impact of foreign exchange and inflation; taxes; and assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “strategy,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “targets,” “goals,” “seeing,” “delivering,” “continues,” “forecasts,” “future,” “predict,” “might,” “could,” “potential,” or the negative of these terms, and similar words or expressions.

 

These forward-looking statements are based on estimates reflecting the current beliefs of the senior management of Aviat Networks. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should therefore be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in this document. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the forward-looking statements include the following:

 

 

Other factors besides those listed here also could adversely affect us. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding factors that may cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our management’s opinions only as of the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, along with provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we undertake no obligation, other than as imposed by law, to update forward-looking statements to reflect further developments or information obtained after the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or, in the case of any document incorporated by reference, the date of that document.

 

 

Aviat Networks, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is a leading global supplier of turnkey wireless network solutions and comprehensive network management software, backed by an extensive suite of professional services and support. Aviat Networks, Inc. may be referred to as the “Company,” “AVNW,” “Aviat Networks,” “we,” “us” and “our” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

We were incorporated in Delaware in 2006 to combine the businesses of Harris Corporation’s Microwave Communications Division (“MCD”) and Stratex Networks, Inc. (“Stratex”).

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 5200 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054, and our telephone number is (408) 567-7000. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol AVNW. As of July 2, 2010, we employed approximately 1,380 people.

 

Recent Developments

 

We relocated our corporate headquarters in June 2010 from Morrisville, North Carolina to a 129,000-square foot environmentally sustainable facility in Santa Clara, California. The relocation follows our global re-branding effort as Aviat Networks, formerly Harris Stratex Networks, which we announced on January 28, 2010. We selected this particular facility because it fulfills our Green Initiative, a corporate commitment to minimizing the impact on the environment in all aspects of their business. The facility was completely renovated to adhere to green building standards and is in the process of qualifying for a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council based on design and construction activities in each of the five LEED credit categories.

 

On June 28, we also announced the resignation of Harald J. Braun as president and chief executive officer and the appointment of Chuck Kissner as Chairman and chief executive officer. Mr. Kissner had previously been serving as our Chairman of the Board of Directors and is based at our headquarters in Santa Clara, California. We also appointed Dr. James C. Stoffel as Lead Independent Director as of June 28, 2010.

 

Overview and Description of Business by Segment

 

We design, manufacture and sell a range of wireless networking products, solutions and services to mobile and fixed telephone service providers, private network operators, government agencies, transportation and utility companies, public safety agencies and broadcast system operators across the globe. Our products include both point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PMP) digital microwave transmission systems designed for first/last mile access, middle mile/backhaul, and long distance trunking applications. Our PMP product portfolio includes base stations and subscriber equipment based upon the IEEE 802.16d-2004 and 16e-2005 standards for fixed and mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”). We also provide network management software solutions to enable operators to deploy, monitor and manage our systems, third party equipment such as antennas, routers, multiplexers, etc, necessary to build and deploy a wireless transmission network, and a full suite of turnkey support services. We offer a broad range of products and services through two reportable business segments based on geographical markets: North America and International. Revenue and other financial information regarding our business segments are set forth in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

North America Segment

 

The North America segment delivers microwave radio products and services to major national carriers and other cellular network operators, public safety and other government agencies, systems integrators, transportation and utility companies and other private network operators within North America. Our North American business is primarily to the cellular backhaul and public safety markets.

Our North America segment revenue represented approximately 37%, 34% and 34% of our total revenue for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008. Although, generally we sell products and services directly to our North American customers, we also use distributors to sell some products and services.

 

International Segment

 

The International segment delivers microwave radio products and services to regional and national carriers and other cellular network operators, public safety agencies, government and defense agencies, and other private network operators in every region outside of North America. Our wireless systems deliver regional and country-wide backbone in developing nations, where microwave radio installations provide 21st-century communications rapidly and economically. Rural communities, areas with rugged terrain and regions with extreme temperatures benefit from the ability to build an advanced, affordable communications infrastructure despite these challenges. A significant part of our international business consists of supplying wireless segments in small-pocket, remote, rural and metropolitan areas. High-capacity backhaul is one of the fastest growing wireless market segments and is a major opportunity for us. We see the increase in subscriber density and the forecasted growth and introduction of new bandwidth-hungry High Speed Packet Access (“HSPA”)/WiMAX/Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) mobile broadband services as major drivers for growth in this market.

 

Our International segment represented approximately 63%, 66% and 66% of our revenue for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008. We sell products and services directly to our international customers and also use agents and distributors.

 

Industry Background

 

Wireless transmission networks currently are constructed using microwave radios and other equipment to interconnect cell sites, switching systems, wireline transmission systems and other fixed access facilities. Wireless transmission networks range in size from a single transmission link connecting two buildings to complex networks comprising of thousands of wireless links. The architecture of a network is influenced by several factors, including the available radio frequency spectrum, coordination of frequencies with existing infrastructure, application requirements, environmental factors and local geography.

 

In recent years, there has been an increase in capital spending in the wireless telecommunications industry. The demand for high-speed wireless transmission products has been growing at a higher rate than the wireless industry as a whole. We believe that this growth is directly related to a growing global subscriber base for mobile wireless communications services, increased demand for fixed wireless transmission solutions and demand for new services delivered from next-generation networks capable of delivering broadband services. Major driving factors for such growth include the following:

 

 

Smart Grid.  In addition to the broadband initiative, ARRA includes the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program (SGIG) which makes close to $4 billion available to utilities, rural electric cooperatives, distribution companies and system operators, for smart grid technologies, monitoring solutions and infrastructure, and viability analysis. Utility companies across the board are planning heavy investments in new private telecommunications network infrastructure to achieve smart grid objectives. Like broadband stimulus, aggressive smart grid timelines, combined with the rural nature of many utility assets (including substations, distribution lines and power generation facilities), may drive increasing demand for wireless technologies.

 

 

Recent Trends and Developments in the Industry

 

Other global trends and developments in the microwave communications markets include:

 

 

We believe that as broadband access and telecommunications requirements grow, wireless systems will continue to be used as transmission systems to support a variety of existing and expanding communications networks and applications. We believe that wireless systems will be used to address the connection requirements of

several markets and applications, including the broadband access market, cellular applications and private networks.

 

Strategy

 

Over the past year, we have made significant strides in transforming our business from a pure-play microwave backhaul supplier to a more diverse company that not only strives to be a leader in mobile backhaul but also one that supports a broad range of wireless transmission products and services for many applications. We offer and will continue to improve upon our end-to-end transmission solutions that deliver the network performance needed to support next generation services and enable a smooth transition from legacy networks to all IP.

 

Newer generation 4G technologies such as packet-based, WiMAX, and LTE require the need for high-speed packet infrastructures. To address their requirements, we intend to enhance our core product offering by continuing to build on the Eclipse platform and its end-to-end value proposition by including new components and technology. This includes adding new features to the Eclipse platform and leveraging technology in third party products to provide a complete IP network solution.

 

We look to retain our position as a wireless transmission technology leader with Eclipse by ensuring our capabilities anticipate the evolving needs of our customers and the corresponding network technology use. The future roadmap for Eclipse evolves the platform toward a full convergence solution with embedded capabilities enabling a migration path to an all IP network. We believe that the Eclipse solution for evolution to IP is the lowest risk, lowest cost, and most flexible solution available because it builds incrementally on the customer’s existing investment, delivering a smooth “hybrid” to full IP migration path for customers globally. The IP evolution capabilities are specifically enabled by the modular additions. This incremental plug-in approach allows operators to move toward an all IP based system at their own pace without the risk, downtime or expense associated with a complete replacement or the forced migration to another platform.

 

Our strategy includes partnering with companies with technical expertise in areas outside of our core competencies to meet our customers’ demand for an end-to-end solution. Our partner product strategy enables us to go beyond wireless transmission to combat the vendor consolidation trend whereby customers are “buying more from fewer vendors” and in doing so providing expanding market share opportunity. A comprehensive solutions portfolio comprised of our wireless product and intelligent partner products can allow us to compete with vendors that offer turnkey solution portfolios and serve to focus our R&D efforts on core competency wireless innovations. Having a broader portfolio will enable us to further differentiate our offerings from other independent microwave equipment suppliers.

 

We expect to continue to serve and expand upon our existing customer base. We have sold more than 500,000 microwave radios in over 150 countries and are present in more than 260 mobile networks worldwide. We intend to leverage our customer base, our longstanding presence in many countries, our distribution channels, our comprehensive product line, our superior customer service and our turnkey solution capability to continue to sell existing and new products and services to current customers.

 

Products and Solutions

 

We offer a comprehensive product and solutions portfolio that addresses the needs of service providers and network operators in every region of the world, addressing a broad range of applications, frequencies, capacities and network topologies. Product categories include point-to-point microwave radios that are licensed (subject to local frequency regulatory requirements) and license-exempt (operating in license-exempt frequencies), element and network management software and 4G/WiMAX (fixed and mobile) broadband access. In addition, we provide end-to-end turnkey broadband telecommunications systems, including complete design, deployment, maintenance, and managed network services, while being an attentive and adaptable partner for our customers — a key competitive differentiator for Aviat Networks.

 

 

 

Business Operations

 

Sales and Service

 

We believe that a direct and continuing relationship with service providers is a competitive advantage in attracting new customers and satisfying existing ones. As a result, we offer our products and services through our own direct sales, service and support organization, which allows us to closely monitor the needs of our customers. We have offices in Canada and the United States in North America; Brazil and Argentina in Central and South America; Slovenia, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom in Europe; Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and South Africa in Africa; the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East; and Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in the Asia-Pacific region. Our local offices provide us with a better understanding of our customers’ needs and enable us to respond to local issues and unique local requirements.

 

We also have informal, and in some cases formal, relationships with original equipment manufacturers or OEMs and system integrators. Such relationships increase our ability to pursue a limited number of major contract awards each year. In addition, such relationships provide our customers with easier access to financing and integrated system providers with a variety of equipment and service capabilities. In selected countries, we also market our products through independent agents and distributors, as well as through system integrators.

 

We have repair and service centers in India, Nigeria, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our international headquarters in Singapore provides sales and customer support for the Asia-Pacific region from this facility. We have customer service and support personnel who provide customers with

training, installation, technical support, maintenance and other services on systems under contract. We install and maintain customer equipment directly in some cases and contract with third-party service providers in other cases, depending on the equipment being installed and customer requirements.

 

The specific terms and conditions of our product warranties vary depending upon the product sold and country in which we do business. On direct sales, warranty periods generally start on the delivery date and continue for two to three years.

 

Manufacturing

 

Historically, our manufacturing has involved a combination of in-house and outsourced processes. In fiscal 2011, we will be transitioning to an entirely outsourced manufacturing model utilizing multiple locations of our existing contract manufacturing partners both in the United States and internationally.

 

In accordance with our global logistics requirements and customer geographic distribution, we are engaged with contract manufacturing partners in Asia and the United States. All manufacturing operations have been certified to International Standards Organization 9001, a recognized international quality standard. We have also been certified to the TL 9000 standard, a telecommunication industry-specific quality system standard.

 

Backlog

 

Our backlog by business segment is as follows:

 

 

We expect to substantially fill the entire backlog during fiscal 2011, but we cannot be assured that this will occur. Product orders in our current backlog are subject to changes in delivery schedules or to cancellation at the option of the purchaser without significant penalty. Accordingly, although useful for scheduling production, backlog as of any particular date may not be a reliable measure of sales for any future period because of the timing of orders, delivery intervals, customer and product mix and the possibility of changes in delivery schedules and additions or cancellations of orders. The backlog figures exclude advance payments and unearned income amounts. As of July 2, 2010, no customers accounted for 10% or more of our total backlog.

 

Customers

 

Principal customers for our products and services include domestic and international wireless/mobile service providers, OEMs, as well as private network users such as public safety agencies, government institutions, and utility, pipeline, railroad and other industrial enterprises that operate wireless networks.

 

During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we had one International segment customer in Africa (Mobile Telephone Networks or MTN) that accounted for 17%, 17% and 13% of our total revenue. MTN is an affiliated group of separate regional carriers and operators located on the continent of Africa. As of July 2, 2010, MTN as a whole accounted for approximately 7% of our accounts receivable.

 

Although we have a large customer base, during any given fiscal year or quarter, a small number of customers may account for a significant portion of our revenue. In certain circumstances, we sell our products to service providers through OEMs, which provide the service providers with access to financing and in some instances, protection from fluctuations in international currency exchange rates.

International Business

 

The following tables present measures of our revenue in international markets as a percentage of total revenue and international revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

The functional currency of our subsidiaries located in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Mexico, Algeria and New Zealand is the U.S. dollar so the effect of foreign currency changes have not had a significant effect on our revenue. Direct export sales, as well as sales from international subsidiaries, are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. International operations represented 55% and 63% of our long-lived assets as of July 2, 2010 and as of July 3, 2009.

 

We conduct international marketing activities through subsidiaries operating in Europe, Central and South America, Africa and Asia. We also have established marketing organizations and several regional sales offices in these same geographic areas.

 

We use indirect sales channels, including dealers, distributors and sales representatives, in the marketing and sale of some lines of products and equipment internationally. These independent representatives may buy for resale or, in some cases, solicit orders from commercial or governmental customers for direct sales by us. Prices to the ultimate customer in many instances may be recommended or established by the independent representative and may be above or below our list prices. These independent representatives generally receive a discount from our list prices and may mark up those prices in setting the final sales prices paid by the customer.

 

A significant portion of our exports are paid for by letters of credit, with the balance carried on an open account. In addition, significant international government contracts generally require us to provide performance guarantees.

The particular economic, social and political conditions for business conducted outside the U.S. differ from those encountered by domestic businesses. We believe that the overall business risk for our international business as a whole is somewhat greater than that faced by our domestic operations as a whole. For a discussion of the risks we are subject to as a result of our international operations, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Competition

 

The wireless access, backhaul and interconnection business is a specialized segment of the wireless telecommunications industry that is sensitive to technological advancements and is extremely competitive. Some of our competitors have more extensive engineering, manufacturing and marketing capabilities and greater financial, technical and personnel resources than us. Some of our competitors may have greater name recognition, broader product lines (some including non-wireless telecommunications equipment), a larger installed base of products and longer-standing customer relationships. In addition, some competitors offer seller financing which is a competitive advantage in the current economic environment.

 

Although successful product and systems development is not necessarily dependent on substantial financial resources, many of our competitors are significantly larger than us and can maintain higher levels of expenditures for research and development. In addition, a portion of our overall market is addressed by large mobile infrastructure providers who bundle microwave radios with other mobile network equipment, such as cellular base stations or switching systems, and offer a full range of services. This part of the market is generally not open to independent microwave suppliers like us.

 

We also compete with a number of smaller independent private and public specialist companies, who typically leverage new technologies and low-cost models, but usually are not able to offer a complete solution including turnkey services in all regions of the world.

 

Our principal microwave competitors include large mobile infrastructure manufacturers such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks, as well as a number of other smaller public and private microwave specialists companies such as Ceragon and DragonWave in selected markets. Some of our competitors are OEMs or systems integrators through which we sometimes distribute and sell products and services to end users.

 

We concentrate on market opportunities that we believe are compatible with our resources, overall technological capabilities and objectives. Principal competitive factors are cost-effectiveness, product quality and reliability, technological capabilities, service, ability to meet delivery schedules and the effectiveness of dealers in international areas. We believe that the combination of our network and systems engineering support and service, global reach, technological innovation, agility and close collaborative relationships with our customers, are the key competitive strengths for us. However, customers may still make decisions based primarily on factors such as price, financing terms and/or past or existing relationships, where it may be difficult for us to compete effectively.

 

Research, Development and Engineering

 

We believe that our ability to enhance our current products, develop and introduce new products on a timely basis, maintain technological competitiveness and meet customer requirements is essential to our success. Accordingly, we allocate, and intend to continue to allocate, a significant portion of our resources to research and development efforts in four major areas: Backhaul, Radio Access Networks, Core Networks and Network Management Systems. The majority of such research and development resources will be used for point-to-point digital microwave radio systems for access, backhaul, trunking and license-exempt applications.

 

Our research, development and engineering expenditures totaled $41.1 million, or 8.6% of revenue, in fiscal 2010, $40.4 million, or 5.9% of revenue, in fiscal 2009, and $46.1 million, or 6.4% of revenue in fiscal 2008.

 

Research, development and engineering are primarily directed to the development of new products and to building technological capability. We are, and historically have been, an industry innovator. Consistent with our history and strategy of introducing innovative products, we intend to continue to focus significant resources on product development in an effort to maintain our competitiveness and support our entry into new markets. We

maintain new product development programs that could result in new products and expansion of the Eclipse Packet Node, and the new StarMAX platform which we acquired February 27, 2009 as a result of our acquisition of Telsima Corporation.

 

We maintain an engineering and new product development department, with scientific assistance provided by advanced-technology departments. As of July 2, 2010, we employed a total of 272 people in our research and development organizations in Morrisville, North Carolina; Santa Clara, California; Wellington, New Zealand; Singapore; Slovenia and India.

 

Raw Materials and Supplies

 

Because of the diversity of our products and services, as well as the wide geographic dispersion of our facilities, we use numerous sources for the wide array of raw materials needed for our operations and for our products, such as electronic components, printed circuit boards, metals and plastics. We are dependent upon suppliers and subcontractors for a large number of components and subsystems and upon the ability of our suppliers and subcontractors to adhere to customer or regulatory materials restrictions and meet performance and quality specifications and delivery schedules.

 

Our strategy for procuring raw material and supplies includes dual sourcing on strategic assemblies and components. In general, we believe this reduces our risk with regards to the potential financial difficulties in our supply base. In some instances, we are dependent upon one or a few sources, either because of the specialized nature of a particular item or because of local content preference requirements pursuant to which we operate on a given project. Examples of sole or limited sourcing categories include metal fabrications and castings, for which we own the tooling and therefore limit our supplier relationships, and MMICs (a type of integrated circuit used in manufacturing microwave radios), which we procure at volume discount from a single source. Our supply chain plan includes mitigation plans for alternative manufacturing sources and identified alternate suppliers.

 

While we have been affected by performance issues of some of our suppliers and subcontractors, we have not been materially adversely affected by the inability to obtain raw materials or products. In general, any performance issues causing short-term material shortages are within the normal frequency and impact range experienced by high-tech manufacturing companies. They are due primarily to the highly technical nature of many of our purchased components. Looking ahead, there is an increasing level of global shortages for some common electronic components used by numerous manufacturers across the industry. During the global economic downturn, many component suppliers reduced their manufacturing capacity commensurate with declining global demand. Recently, global demand has outpaced manufacturing capacity for some electronic components resulting in extended lead times and in some cases allocation to our contract manufacturers.

 

Patents and Other Intellectual Property

 

We consider our patents and other intellectual property rights, in the aggregate, to constitute an important asset. We own a portfolio of patents, trade secrets, know-how, confidential information, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property. We also license intellectual property to and from third parties. As of August 18, 2010, we held 119 U.S. patents and 93 international patents and had 35 U.S. patent applications pending and 70 international patent applications pending. We do not consider our business to be materially dependent upon any single patent, license or other intellectual property right, or any group of related patents, licenses or other intellectual property rights. From time to time, we might engage in litigation to enforce our patents and other intellectual property or defend against claims of alleged infringement. Any of our patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights and other proprietary rights could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or may not provide competitive advantages. Numerous trademarks used on or in connection with our products are also considered to be valuable assets.

 

In addition, to protect confidential information, including our trade secrets, we require our employees and contractors to sign confidentiality and invention assignment agreements. We also enter into non-disclosure agreements with our suppliers and appropriate customers to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information.

While our ability to compete may be affected by our ability to protect our intellectual property, we believe that, because of the rapid pace of technological change in the wireless telecommunications industry, our innovative skills, technical expertise and ability to introduce new products on a timely basis will be more important in maintaining our competitive position than protection of our intellectual property. Trade secret, trademark, copyright and patent protections are important but must be supported by other factors such as the expanding knowledge, ability and experience of our personnel, new product introductions and product enhancements. Although we continue to implement protective measures and intend to vigorously defend our intellectual property rights, there can be no assurance that these measures will be successful.

 

Environmental and Other Regulations

 

Our facilities and operations, in common with those of our industry in general, are subject to numerous domestic and international laws and regulations designed to protect the environment, particularly with regard to wastes and emissions. We believe that we have complied with these requirements and that such compliance has not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Based upon currently available information, we do not expect expenditures to protect the environment and to comply with current environmental laws and regulations over the next several years to have a material impact on our competitive or financial position, but can give no assurance that such expenditures will not exceed current expectations. From time to time, we receive notices from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or equivalent state or international environmental agencies that we are a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which is commonly known as the Superfund Act, and/or equivalent laws. Such notices may assert potential liability for cleanup costs at various sites, which include sites owned by us, sites we previously owned and treatment or disposal sites not owned by us, allegedly containing hazardous substances attributable to us from past operations. We are not presently aware of any such liability that could be material to our business, financial condition or operating results, but due to the nature of our business and environmental risks, we cannot provide assurance that any such material liability will not arise in the future.

 

Electronic products are subject to environmental regulation in a number of jurisdictions. Equipment produced by us is subject to domestic and international requirements requiring end-of-life management and/or restricting materials in products delivered to customers. We believe that we have complied with such rules and regulations, where applicable, with respect to our existing products sold into such jurisdictions.

 

Radio communications are also subject to governmental regulation. Equipment produced by us is subject to domestic and international requirements to avoid interference among users of radio frequencies and to permit interconnection of telecommunications equipment. We believe that we have complied with such rules and regulations with respect to our existing products, and we intend to comply with such rules and regulations with respect to our future products. Reallocation of the frequency spectrum also could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Employees

 

As of July 2, 2010, we employed 1,380 people, compared with 1,521 as of the end of fiscal 2009 and 1,410 as of the end of fiscal 2008. In February 2009, we added 146 employees through the acquisition of Telsima. Approximately 700 of our employees are located in the U.S. We also utilized approximately 100 independent contractors as of July 2, 2010. None of our employees in the U.S. are represented by a labor union. In certain international subsidiaries, our employees are represented by workers’ councils or statutory labor unions. In general, we believe that our relations with our employees are good.

 

Web site Access to Aviat Networks’ Reports; Available Information

 

General.  We maintain an Internet Web site at http://www.aviatnetworks.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, proxy statement, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are available free of charge on our Web site as soon as reasonably practicable after these reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Our website and the information posted

thereon are not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any current or other periodic report that we file or furnish to the SEC.

 

We will also provide the reports in electronic or paper form, free of charge upon request. All reports we file with or furnish to the SEC are also available free of charge via EDGAR through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The public may read and copy any materials filed by us with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F. Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

 

Additional information relating to our businesses, including our operating segments, is set forth in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

 

In addition to the risks described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in certain of our other filings with the SEC, the following risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by us or by any forward-looking statement contained herein. Prospective and existing investors are strongly urged to carefully consider the various cautionary statements and risks set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings.

 

We have many business risks including those related to our financial performance, investments in our common stock, operating our business and legal matters. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are not aware of or focused on may also impair our business operations. If any of these risks actually occur, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We have not been profitable and must increase our revenues and reduce costs if we hope to achieve sustainable profitability.

 

As measured under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), we have incurred a net loss in each of the last 8 fiscal quarters. We incurred net losses of $130.2 million in fiscal 2010, $355.0 million in fiscal 2009 and $11.9 million in fiscal 2008 and have been unprofitable since we became a public company in January 2007. We also have consistently sustained reported losses from operations, although we have generated cash from operations in each of the last three fiscal years.

 

Our revenue in fiscal year 2010 was $478.9 million, a decrease of $201.0 million or 29.6%, compared with fiscal year 2009. This decrease in revenue resulted from significant declines in all regions, most acutely in Africa and Europe, Middle East and Russia. Declines resulted primarily from reduced customer demand due to the global economic recession and the effects of the continuing credit crisis on our customers’ ability to finance expansion, as well as increased competition from our competitors. Increased competition has affected product pricing and the ability to combine microwave equipment with other product sales and services. Furthermore, revenue has been negatively affected by anticipated or planned consolidation of our customers and foreign government-based subsidized financing, particularly in Africa.

 

Our revenue in fiscal 2009 was $679.9 million, a decrease of $38.5 million or 5.4%, compared with fiscal 2008. This decrease in revenue resulted from declines in all regions (except Africa) primarily due to the global economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our customers expansion, as well as increased competition from our competitors. Compared with fiscal 2008, revenue in fiscal 2009 in Europe, Middle East and Russia declined by $27.9 million, Latin America and Asia-Pacific declined $16.6 million, and North America was down $10.5 million. These decreases were partially offset by growth in Africa ($16.5 million increase) as customers in this region continued to expand their network infrastructures prior to the slowdown in the third quarter of fiscal 2009.

 

We recently announced additional restructuring steps and facilities closures with a view to reducing further our annual operating expenses. These steps will result in additional costs that we must recognize in fiscal 2011, and we cannot be certain that these actions or others that we may take in the future will result in operating profitability or net income as determined under U.S. GAAP.

We have announced major restructuring activities which may adversely impact our operations, and we may not realize all of the anticipated benefits of these activities or any future restructurings.

 

We continue to restructure and transform our business to realign resources and achieve desired cost savings in an increasingly competitive market. Following approval of our annual operating plan, we began to implement certain cost reduction initiatives in the range of $30 to $35 million for fiscal 2011. These initiatives primarily affect operations in the Americas, Asia and Europe. These actions are intended to bring our operational cost structure in line with the changing dynamics of the microwave radio and telecommunications markets.

 

We expect to record approximately $11 million to $13 million of charges related to severance and employee-related costs and impairment of facilities during the first, second and third quarters of fiscal 2011. The severance and employee-related cash charges are expected to be approximately $9 million to $10 million. Additionally, we expect to record approximately $2 million of non-cash asset impairments and $1 million of lease impairment charges requiring cash payments. The impairment charges will consist primarily of costs to close facilities in the Americas (primarily our Morrisville, North Carolina office), Asia and Europe.

 

If we consolidate additional facilities in the future, we may incur additional restructuring and related expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

We have based our restructuring efforts on assumptions and plans regarding the appropriate cost structure of our businesses based on our product mix and projected sales among other factors. These assumptions may not be correct and we may not be able to operate in accordance with our plans. Should this occur we may determine that we must incur additional restructuring charges in the future. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will realize all of the anticipated benefits of the restructurings or that we will not further reduce or otherwise adjust our workforce or exit, or dispose of, certain businesses and protect lines. Any decision to further limit investment, exit, or dispose of businesses may result in the recording of additional restructuring charges. As a result, the costs actually incurred in connection with the restructuring efforts may be higher than originally planned and may not lead to the anticipated cost savings and/or improved results.

 

Our success will depend on new product introductions, product transitioning and customer acceptance.

 

The market for our products is characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Our future success will depend, in part, on continuous, timely development and introduction of new products and enhancements that address evolving market requirements and are attractive to customers. We believe that successful new product introductions provide a significant competitive advantage because of the significant resources committed by customers in adopting new products and their reluctance to change products after these resources have been expended. We have spent, and expect to continue to spend, significant resources on internal research and development to support our effort to develop and introduce new products and enhancements. As we transition to common product platforms, we may face significant risk that current customers may not accept these new products. To the extent that we fail to introduce new and innovative products that are adopted by customers, we could fail to obtain an adequate return on these investments and could lose market share to our competitors, which could be difficult or impossible to regain. In addition, we could incur significant costs in completing the transition.

 

The effects of the recession in the United States and general downturn in the global economy, including financial market disruptions, could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results or financial condition.

 

The United States economy is in recession and there has been a general downturn in the global economy. A continuation or worsening of these conditions, including the ongoing credit and capital markets disruptions, could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results or financial condition in a number of ways. For example:

 

 

 

Part of our inventory may be written off, which would increase our cost of revenues. In addition, we may be exposed to inventory-related losses on inventories purchased by our contract manufacturers.

 

During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we recorded charges to reduce the carrying value of our inventory to the lower of cost or market totaling $30.9 million, $23.1 million and $24.6 million. Such charges equaled 6.5%, 3.4%, and 3.4% of our revenue for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008. These charges were primarily due to excess and obsolete inventory resulting from product transitioning and discontinuance.

 

Inventory of raw materials, work in-process or finished products may accumulate in the future, and we may encounter losses due to a variety of factors, including:

 

 

Further, our inventory of finished products may accumulate as the result of cancellation of customer orders or our customers’ refusal to confirm the acceptance of our products. Our contract manufacturers are required to purchase inventory based on manufacturing projections we provide to them. If actual orders from our customers are lower than these manufacturing projections, our contract manufacturers will have excess inventory of raw materials or finished products which we would be required to purchase. In addition, we require our contract manufacturers from time to time to purchase more inventory than is immediately required, and to partially assemble components, in order to shorten our delivery time in case of an increase in demand for our products. In the absence of such increase in demand, we may need to compensate our contract manufacturers. If we are required to purchase excess inventory from our contract manufacturers or otherwise compensate our contract manufacturers for purchasing excess inventory, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. We also may purchase components or raw materials from time to time for use by our contract manufacturers in the manufacturing of our products. These purchases are based on our own manufacturing projections. If our actual orders are lower than these manufacturing projections, we may accumulate excess inventory which we may be required to write-off. If we are forced to write-off this inventory other than in the normal course of business, our business, financial condition, results of operations could be materially adversely affected .

 

If we fail to accurately forecast our manufacturing requirements or customer demand, we could incur additional costs which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

If we fail to accurately predict our manufacturing requirements or forecast customer demand, we may incur additional costs of manufacturing and our gross margins and financial results could be adversely affected. If we overestimate our requirements, our contract manufacturers may experience an oversupply of components and assess us charges for excess or obsolete components that could adversely affect our gross margins. If we underestimate our requirements, our contract manufacturers may have inadequate inventory or components, which could interrupt manufacturing and result in higher manufacturing costs, shipment delays, damage to customer relationships and/or our payment of penalties to our customers. Our contract manufacturers may also have other

customers and may not have sufficient capacity to meet all of their customer’s needs, including ours, during periods of excess demand.

 

Our sales cycle may be lengthy, and the time for installation and implementation of our products within our customers’ networks may extend over more than one period, which can make our operating results difficult to predict.

 

We anticipate difficulty in accurately predicting the timing and amounts of revenue generated from sales of our products. The establishment of a business relationship with a potential customer is a lengthy process, generally taking several months and sometimes longer. Following the establishment of the relationship, the negotiation of purchase terms can be time-consuming, and a potential customer may require an extended evaluation and testing period.

 

We expect that our product sales cycle, which results in our products being designed into our customers’ networks, could take 12 to 24 months. A number of factors can contribute to the length of the sales cycle, including technical evaluations of our products, the design process required to integrate our products into our customers’ networks. In anticipation of product orders, we may incur substantial costs before the sales cycle is complete and before we receive any customer payments. As a result, in the event that a sale is not completed or is cancelled or delayed, we may have incurred substantial expenses, making it more difficult for us to become profitable or otherwise negatively impacting our financial results. Furthermore, because of our lengthy sales cycle, our receipt of revenue from our selling efforts may be substantially delayed, our ability to forecast our future revenue may be more limited and our revenue may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter.

 

Once a purchase agreement has been executed, the timing and amount of revenue, if applicable, may remain difficult to predict. The completion of the installation and testing of the customer’s networks and the completion of all other suppliers network elements are subject to the customer’s timing and efforts, and other factors outside our control which may prevent us from making predictions of revenue with any certainty and could cause us to experience substantial period-to-period fluctuations in our operating results.

 

If we fail to effectively manage our contract manufacturer relationships, we could incur additional costs or be unable to timely fulfill our customer commitments, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations and, in the event of an inability to fulfill commitments, would harm our customer relationships.

 

We outsource a substantial portion of our manufacturing and repair service operations to independent contract manufacturers and other third parties. Our contract manufacturers typically manufacture our products based on rolling forecasts of our product needs that we provide to them on a regular basis. The contract manufacturers are responsible for procuring components necessary to build our products based on our rolling forecasts, building and assembling the products, testing the products in accordance with our specifications and then shipping the products to us. We configure the products to our customer requirements, conduct final testing and then ship the products to our customers. Although we currently partner with multiple major contract manufacturers, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter problems as we become increasingly dependent on contract manufacturers to provide these manufacturing services or that we will be able to replace a contract manufacturer that is not able to meet our demand.

 

In addition, if we fail to effectively manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers or other service providers, or if one or more of them should not fully comply with their contractual obligations or should experience delays, disruptions, component procurement problems or quality control problems, then our ability to ship products to our customers or otherwise fulfill our contractual obligations to our customers could be delayed or impaired which would adversely affect our business, financial results and customer relationships.

 

We depend on sole or limited sources for some key components and failure to receive timely delivery of any of these components could result in deferred or lost sales.

 

In some instances, we are dependent upon one or a few sources, either because of the specialized nature of a particular item or because of local content preference requirements pursuant to which we operate on a given project. Examples of sole or limited sourcing categories include metal fabrications and castings, for which we own the tooling and therefore limit our supplier relationships, and MMICs (a type of integrated circuit used in manufacturing microwave radios), which we procure at volume discount from a single source. Our supply chain plan includes mitigation plans for alternative manufacturing sources and identified alternate suppliers. However, if these

alternatives cannot address our requirements when our existing sources of these components fail to deliver them on time, we could suffer delayed shipments, canceled orders, and lost or deferred revenues, as well as material damage to our customer relationships. Should this occur, our operating results, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected to a material degree.

 

We have a history of substantial impairment charges for our goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment and may continue to experience such charges in the future.

 

As of July 2, 2010, the net carrying value of our goodwill, definite-lived intangible assets and property, plant and equipment totaled $6.2 million, $7.5 million and $37.6 million.

 

During fiscal 2010, we recorded impairment charges of $63.2 million for identifiable intangible assets and $8.7 million for property, plant and equipment. During fiscal 2009, we recorded impairment charges of $279.0 million for goodwill and $32.6 million for the Stratex trade name. We did not record impairment losses for goodwill or identifiable intangible assets in fiscal 2008.

 

Additionally, during fiscal 2010 we recorded an impairment charge of $5.5 million on our manufacturing facility and idle equipment in San Antonio, Texas. This charge resulted from our plan to converge our products onto a single platform by the end of fiscal year 2010 and is included in “Charges for product transition” within “Cost of products sales and services” on our Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

During fiscal 2009, we recorded a $3.2 million charge for the write-down of software developed for internal use and a $7.2 million charge for the write-down of machinery and equipment related to our product transitioning activities. We also recorded a $2.4 million charge for the impairment of a building used in manufacturing.

 

During fiscal 2008, we recorded impairment losses on property, plant and equipment totaling $1.3 million.

 

Our intangible assets and property, plant and equipment are subject to impairment testing in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification 360 (“ASC 360”), Property, Plant and Equipment and our goodwill is subject to an impairment test in accordance with ASC 350 Intangibles, Goodwill and Other. We review the carrying value of our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Significant negative industry or economic trends, including a lack of recovery in the market price of our common stock or the fair value of our debt, disruptions to our business, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in the use of the long-lived assets, and mergers and acquisitions could result in the need to reassess the fair value of our assets and liabilities which could lead to an impairment charge for any of our long-lived assets. An impairment charge related to our long-lived assets could have a significant adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations in the period in which it is incurred.

 

Credit and commercial risks and exposures could increase if the financial condition of our customers declines.

 

A substantial portion of our sales are to customers in the telecommunications industry. These customers may require their suppliers to provide extended payment terms, direct loans or other forms of financial support as a condition to obtaining commercial contracts. We expect that we may provide or commit to financing where appropriate for our business. Our ability to arrange or provide financing for our customers will depend on a number of factors, including our credit rating, our level of available credit and our ability to sell off commitments on acceptable terms. More generally, we expect to routinely enter into long-term contracts involving significant amounts to be paid by our customers over time. Pursuant to these contracts, we may deliver products and services representing an important portion of the contract price before receiving any significant payment from the customer. As a result of the financing that may be provided to customers and our commercial risk exposure under long-term contracts, our business could be adversely affected if the financial condition of our customers erodes. Over the past few years, certain of our customers have filed with the courts seeking protection under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of the applicable jurisdiction, or have experienced financial difficulties. As a result of the more challenging economic environment, we saw some increase in the number of our customers experiencing such difficulties in 2009, and we expect that trend to intensify if the global economy deteriorates further in 2010 and 2011. That trend may be exacerbated in many emerging markets, where our customers are being affected not only by recession, but by deteriorating local currencies and a lack of credit. Upon the financial failure of a customer, we may experience losses on credit extended and loans made to such customer, losses relating to our commercial risk exposure and the loss of the customer’s ongoing business. If customers fail to meet their obligations to us, we may

experience reduced cash flows and losses in excess of reserves, which could materially adversely impact our results of operations and financial position.

 

Our customers may not pay for products and services in a timely manner, or at all, which would decrease our cash flows and adversely affect our working capital.

 

Our business requires extensive credit risk management that may not be adequate to protect against customer nonpayment. A risk of non-payment by customers is a significant focus of our business. We expect a significant amount of future revenue to come from international customers, many of whom will be startup telecom operators in developing countries. We do not generally expect to obtain collateral for sales, although we require letters of credit or credit insurance as appropriate for international customers. For information regarding the percentage of revenue attributable to certain key customers, see the risks discussed in the factor below titled “Because a significant amount of our revenue may come from a limited number of customers, the termination of any of these customer relationships may adversely affect our business.” Our historical accounts receivable balances have been concentrated in a small number of significant customers. Unexpected adverse events impacting the financial condition of our customers, bank failures or other unfavorable regulatory, economic or political events in the countries in which we do business may impact collections and adversely impact our business, require increased bad debt expense or receivable write-offs and adversely impact our cash flows, financial condition and operating results.

 

Our average sales prices may decline in the future.

 

Currently, we and other manufacturers of our telecommunications equipment are experiencing, and are likely to continue to experience, declining sales prices. This price pressure is likely to result in downward pricing pressure on our products and services. As a result, we are likely to experience declining average sales prices for our products. Our future profitability will depend upon our ability to improve manufacturing efficiencies, reduce costs of materials used in our products, and to continue to introduce new lower-cost products and product enhancements. If we are unable to respond to increased price competition, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed. Because customers frequently negotiate supply arrangements far in advance of delivery dates, we may be required to commit to price reductions for our products before we are aware of how, or if, cost reductions can be obtained. As a result, current or future price reduction commitments and any inability on our part to respond to increased price competition, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our effective tax rate could be highly volatile and could adversely affect our operating results.

 

Our future effective tax rate may be adversely affected by a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including:

 

 

Any significant increase in our future effective tax rates could impact our results of operations for future periods adversely.

 

Because a significant amount of our revenue may come from a limited number of customers, the termination of any of these customer relationships may adversely affect our business.

 

Sales of our products and services historically have been concentrated in a small number of customers. Principal customers for our products and services include domestic and international wireless/mobile service providers, OEMs, as well as private network users such as public safety agencies; government institutions; and utility, pipeline, railroad and other industrial enterprises that operate broadband wireless networks. We had revenue

from a single external customer that exceeded 10% of our total revenue during fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008. Although we have a large customer base, during any given quarter, a small number of customers may account for a significant portion of our revenue.

 

It is possible that a significant portion of our future product sales also could be concentrated in a limited number of customers. In addition, product sales to major customers have varied widely from period to period. The loss of any existing customer, a significant reduction in the level of sales to any existing customer, or our inability to gain additional customers could result in declines in our revenue or an inability to grow revenue. In addition, consolidation of our potential customer base could result in purchasing decision delays as consolidating customers integrate their operations and could generally reduce our opportunities to win new customers to the extent that the number of potential customers decreases. Furthermore, as our customers become larger, they may have more leverage to negotiate better pricing which could adversely affect our revenues and gross margins.

 

We will face strong competition for maintaining and improving our position in the market, which could adversely affect our revenue growth and operating results.

 

The wireless interconnection and access business is a specialized segment of the wireless telecommunications industry and is extremely competitive. We expect competition in this segment to increase. Some of our competitors have more extensive engineering, manufacturing and marketing capabilities and significantly greater financial, technical and personnel resources than we have. In addition, some of our competitors have greater name recognition, broader product lines, a larger installed base of products and longer-standing customer relationships. Our competitors include established companies, such as Alcatel-Lucent, Eltek ASA, Ericsson, NEC and Nokia Siemens Networks, as well as a number of other public and private companies such as Ceragon and Huawei Technologies in selected markets. Some of our competitors are OEMs or systems integrators through whom we market and sell our products, which means our business success may depend on these competitors to some extent. One or more of our largest customers could internally develop the capability to manufacture products similar to those manufactured or outsourced by us and, as a result, the demand for our products and services may decrease.

 

In addition, we compete for acquisition and expansion opportunities with many entities that have substantially greater resources than we have. Our competitors may enter into business combinations in order to accelerate product development or to compete more aggressively and we may lack the resources to meet such enhanced competitions.

 

Our ability to compete successfully will depend on a number of factors, including price, quality, availability, customer service and support, breadth of product line, product performance and features, rapid time-to-market delivery capabilities, reliability, timing of new product introductions by us, our customers and competitors, the ability of our customers to obtain financing and the stability of regional sociopolitical and geopolitical circumstances, and the ability of large competitors to obtain business by providing more seller financing especially for large transactions. We can give no assurances that we will have the financial resources, technical expertise, or marketing, sales, distribution, customer service and support capabilities to compete successfully, or that regional sociopolitical and geographic circumstances will be favorable for our successful operation.

 

Consolidation within the telecommunications industry could result in a decrease in our revenue.

 

The telecommunications industry has experienced significant consolidation among its participants, and we expect this trend to continue. Some operators in this industry have experienced financial difficulty and have filed, or may file, for bankruptcy protection. Other operators may merge and one or more of our competitors may supply products to the customers of the combined company following those mergers. This consolidation could result in purchasing decision delays and decreased opportunities for us to supply products to companies following any consolidation. This consolidation may also result in lost opportunities for cost reduction and economies of scale. In addition, see the risks discussed in the factor above titled “Because a significant amount of our revenue may come from a limited number of customers, the termination of any of these customer relationships may adversely affect our business.”

 

If we fail to develop and maintain distribution and licensing relationships, our revenue may decrease.

 

Although a majority of our sales are made through our direct sales force, we also will market our products through indirect sales channels such as independent agents, distributors, OEMs and systems integrators. These relationships enhance our ability to pursue major contract awards and, in some cases, are intended to provide our customers with easier access to financing and a greater variety of equipment and service capabilities, which an

integrated system provider should be able to offer. We may not be able to maintain and develop additional relationships or, if additional relationships are developed, they may not be successful. Our inability to establish or maintain these distribution and licensing relationships could restrict our ability to market our products and thereby result in significant reductions in revenue. If these revenue reductions occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.

 

If sufficient radio frequency spectrum is not allocated for use by our products, and we fail to obtain regulatory approval for our products, our ability to market our products may be restricted.

 

Radio communications are subject to regulation by U.S. and foreign laws and international treaties. Generally, our products need to conform to a variety of United States and international requirements established to avoid interference among users of transmission frequencies and to permit interconnection of telecommunications equipment. Any delays in compliance with respect to our future products could delay the introduction of such products.

 

In addition, we will be affected by the allocation and auction of the radio frequency spectrum by governmental authorities both in the U.S. and internationally. Such governmental authorities may not allocate sufficient radio frequency spectrum for use by our products or we may not be successful in obtaining regulatory approval for our products from these authorities. Historically, in many developed countries, the unavailability of frequency spectrum has inhibited the growth of wireless telecommunications networks. In addition, to operate in a jurisdiction, we must obtain regulatory approval for our products. Each jurisdiction in which we market our products has its own regulations governing radio communications. Products that support emerging wireless telecommunications services can be marketed in a jurisdiction only if permitted by suitable frequency allocations, auctions and regulations. The process of establishing new regulations is complex and lengthy. If we are unable to obtain sufficient allocation of radio frequency spectrum by the appropriate governmental authority or obtain the proper regulatory approval for our products, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.

 

Due to the significant volume of international sales we expect, we may be susceptible to a number of political, economic and geographic risks that could harm our business.

 

We are highly dependent on sales to customers outside the U.S. In fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, our sales to international customers accounted for 67%, 69% and 73% of total revenue. Also, significant portions of our international sales are in less developed countries. Our international sales are likely to continue to account for a large percentage of our products and services revenue for the foreseeable future. As a result, the occurrence of any international, political, economic or geographic event that adversely affects our business could result in a significant decline in revenue.

 

Some of the risks and challenges of doing business internationally include:

 

 

While these factors and the impacts of these factors are difficult to predict, any one or more of them could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in the future.

Our products are used in critical communications networks which may subject us to significant liability claims.

 

Because our products are used in critical communications networks, we may be subject to significant liability claims if our products do not work properly. The provisions in our agreements with customers that are intended to limit our exposure to liability claims may not preclude all potential claims. In addition, any insurance policies we have may not adequately limit our exposure with respect to such claims. We warrant to our current customers that our products will operate in accordance with our product specifications. If our products fail to conform to these specifications, our customers could require us to remedy the failure or could assert claims for damages. Liability claims could require us to spend significant time and money in litigation or to pay significant damages. Any such claims, whether or not successful, would be costly and time-consuming to defend, and could divert management’s attention and seriously damage our reputation and our business.

 

If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, we may be deprived of legal recourse against those who misappropriate our intellectual property.

 

Our ability to compete will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain and enforce intellectual property protection for our technology in the U.S. and internationally. We rely upon a combination of trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, patents and contractual rights to protect our intellectual property. In addition, we enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees, and enter into non-disclosure agreements with our suppliers and appropriate customers so as to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information. We cannot give assurances that any steps taken by us will be adequate to deter misappropriation or impede independent third-party development of similar technologies. In the event that such intellectual property arrangements are insufficient, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. We have significant operations in the U.S., United Kingdom, Singapore and New Zealand, and outsourcing arrangements in Asia. We cannot provide assurances that the protection provided to our intellectual property by the laws and courts of particular nations will be substantially similar to the protection and remedies available under U.S. law. Furthermore, we cannot provide assurances that third parties will not assert infringement claims against us based on intellectual property rights and laws in other nations that are different from those established in the U.S.

 

We may be subject to litigation regarding intellectual property associated with our wireless business; this litigation could be costly to defend and resolve, and could prevent us from using or selling the challenged technology.

 

The wireless telecommunications industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights, which has resulted in often protracted and expensive litigation. Any litigation regarding patents or other intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming and could divert our management and key personnel from our business operations. The complexity of the technology involved and the uncertainty of intellectual property litigation increase these risks. Such litigation or claims could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources. In the event of an adverse result in any such litigation, we could be required to pay substantial damages, cease the use and transfer of allegedly infringing technology or the sale of allegedly infringing products and expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or obtain licenses for the infringing technology. We can give no assurances that we would be successful in developing such non-infringing technology or that any license for the infringing technology would be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. This could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition, competitive position and prospects.

 

Our stock price may be volatile, which may lead to losses by investors.

 

Announcements of developments related to our business, announcements by competitors, quarterly fluctuations in our financial results and general conditions in the telecommunications industry in which we compete, or the economies of the countries in which we do business and other factors could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate, perhaps substantially. In addition, in recent years the stock market has experienced extreme price fluctuations, which have often been unrelated to the operating performance of affected companies. These factors and fluctuations could lower the market price of our common stock. Our stock is currently listed on the NASDAQ Global Market.

Our quarterly results may be volatile, which can adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

 

Our quarterly operating results may vary significantly for a variety of reasons, many of which are outside our control. These factors could harm our business and include, among others:

 

 

Our quarterly results are expected to be difficult to predict and delays in product delivery or closing a sale can cause revenue and net income or loss to fluctuate significantly from anticipated levels. A substantial portion of our contracts are completed in the latter part of a quarter and a significant percentage of these are large orders. Because a significant portion of our cost structure is largely fixed in the short term, revenue shortfalls tend to have a disproportionately negative impact on our profitability and increases our inventory. The number of large new transactions also increases the risk of fluctuations in our quarterly results because a delay in even a small number of these transactions could cause our quarterly revenues and profitability to fall significantly short of our predictions. In addition, we may increase spending in response to competition or in pursuit of new market opportunities. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurances that we will be able to achieve profitability in the future or that if profitability is attained, that we will be able to sustain profitability, particularly on a quarter-to-quarter basis.

 

Anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws could make a third-party acquisition of us difficult.

 

Because we are a Delaware corporation, the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change in control would be beneficial to stockholders. We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware, which prohibits us from engaging in certain business combinations, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws also contain certain provisions that may make a third-party acquisition of us difficult, including the ability of the board of directors to issue preferred stock and the requirement that nominations for directors and other proposals by stockholders must be made in advance of the meeting at which directors are elected or the proposals are voted upon.

 

We may face risks related to pending litigation over the restatement of our financial statements.

 

In connection with our identification of the material weaknesses in internal control described in our fiscal 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2008, we have

had to restate our interim consolidated financial statements for the first three fiscal quarters of fiscal 2008 (the quarters ended March 28, 2008, December 28, 2007 and September 28, 2007) and our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 29, 2007, June 30, 2006 and July 1, 2005 in order to correct errors contained in those financial statements. We also announced on July 30, 2008 that investors should no longer rely on our previously issued financial statements for those periods.

 

We and certain of our current and former executive officers and directors were named in a federal securities class action complaint filed on September 15, 2008 in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by plaintiff Norfolk County Retirement System on behalf of an alleged class of purchasers of our securities from January 29, 2007 to July 30, 2008, including shareholders of Stratex Networks, Inc. who exchanged shares of Stratex Networks, Inc. for our shares as part of the merger between Stratex Networks and the Microwave Communications Division of Harris Corporation. This action relates to the restatement of our prior financial statements as discussed in our fiscal 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2008. Similar complaints were filed in the United States District Court of Delaware on October 6 and October 30, 2008. Each complaint alleges violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, as well as violations of Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 and seeks, among other relief, determinations that the action is a proper class action, unspecified compensatory damages and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. The actions were consolidated on June 5, 2009 and a consolidated class action complaint was filed on July 29, 2009. We believe that we have meritorious defenses and intend to defend ourselves vigorously.

 

 

None.

 

 

As of July 2, 2010, we conducted operations using facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central America, South America, Africa and Asia. Our principal executive offices are located at leased facilities in Santa Clara, California. There are no material encumbrances on any of our facilities. Remaining initial lease periods extend up to 2020.

 

As of July 2, 2010, the locations and approximate floor space of our principal offices and facilities in productive use were as follows:

 

As part of the fiscal 2007 acquisition of Stratex, we acquired vacated leased facilities in Seattle, Washington, and San Jose and Milpitas, California. These three facilities consist of approximately 139,000 square feet, of which approximately 90,000 square feet have been subleased to third parties. Additionally, we vacated two leased 60,000 square foot facilities in San Jose, California during the fiscal 2010 move of our headquarters to Santa Clara, California from Morrisville, North Carolina. As the lessee, we have ongoing lease commitments for five of these six facilities ending in fiscal 2011. The lease commitment for the sixth location will end in fiscal 2012.

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, we sold our 130,000 square foot office and manufacturing location in San Antonio, Texas. Subsequent to the sale, we leased back the entire office and manufacturing complex which we will occupy for a portion of fiscal 2011.

 

We maintain our facilities in good operating condition, and believe that they are suitable and adequate for our current and projected needs. We continuously review our anticipated requirements for facilities and may, from time to time, acquire additional facilities, expand existing facilities, or dispose of existing facilities or parts thereof, as we deem necessary.

 

For more information about our lease obligations, see “Note P — Operating Lease Commitments” and “Note K — Restructuring Activities” of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which are included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

We and certain of our current and former executive officers and directors were named in a federal securities class action complaint filed on September 15, 2008 in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by plaintiff Norfolk County Retirement System on behalf of an alleged class of purchasers of our securities from January 29, 2007 to July 30, 2008, including shareholders of Stratex Networks, Inc. who exchanged shares of Stratex Networks, Inc. for our shares as part of the merger between Stratex Networks and the Microwave Communications Division of Harris Corporation. This action relates to the restatement of our prior financial statements as discussed in our fiscal 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2008. Similar complaints were filed in the United States District Court of Delaware on October 6 and October 30, 2008. Each complaint alleges violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, as well as violations of Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 and seeks, among other relief, determinations that the action is a proper class action, unspecified compensatory damages and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. The actions were consolidated on June 5, 2009 and a consolidated class action complaint was filed on July 29, 2009. On July 27, 2010, the Court denied the motions to dismiss that we and the officer and director defendants had filed. We believe that we have meritorious defenses and intend to defend ourselves vigorously.

 

On February 8, 2007, a court order was entered against Stratex do Brasil, a subsidiary of Harris Stratex Networks Operating Company, in Brazil, to enforce performance of an alleged agreement between the former Stratex Networks, Inc. entity and a supplier. We have not determined what, if any, liability this may result in, as the court did not award any damages. We have appealed the decision to enforce the alleged agreement, and do not expect this litigation to have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

 

From time to time, as a normal incident of the nature and kind of businesses in which we are engaged, various claims or charges are asserted and litigation commenced against us arising from or related to: personal injury, patents, trademarks, trade secrets or other intellectual property; labor and employee disputes; commercial or contractual disputes; breach of warranty; the sale or use of products containing restricted or hazardous materials; or other environmental matters. Claimed amounts may be substantial but may not bear any reasonable relationship to the merits of the claim or the extent of any real risk of court or arbitral awards. Any of such claims and litigation could entail significant expenses and losses, which could adversely affect our operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

 

The name, age, position held with us, and principal occupation and employment during at least the past 5 years for each of our executive officers as of September 9, 2010, are as follows:

 

There is no family relationship between any of our executive officers or directors, and there are no arrangements or understandings between any of our executive officers or directors and any other person pursuant to which any of them was appointed or elected as an officer or director, other than arrangements or understandings with our directors

 

 

 

Market Information and Price Range of Common Stock

 

On January 28, 2010, we changed our corporate name to Aviat Networks, Inc. from Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. to more effectively reflect our business and communicate our brand identity to customers and to comply with the termination of the Harris trademark licensing agreement resulting from the spin-off by Harris of its interest in our stock to its shareholders in May 2009.

 

As a result, our Common Stock, with a par value of $0.01 per share, is listed and primarily traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (“NASDAQ”), under the ticker symbol AVNW (prior to January 28, 2010 our ticker symbol was HSTX). There was no established trading market for shares of our Common Stock prior to January 29, 2007.

 

From the time we acquired Stratex on January 26, 2007, Harris owned 32,913,377 shares or 100% of our Class B Common Stock which approximated 56% of the total shares of our common stock. On May 27, 2009, Harris distributed all of those shares to the Harris stockholders as a taxable pro rata stock dividend. Upon the distribution, the Class B Common Stock converted automatically into shares of Class A Common Stock.

 

Effective November 19, 2009, under a change to our certificate of incorporation approved by shareholders, all shares of our Class A common stock were reclassified on a one-to-one basis to shares of Common Stock without a class designation; we no longer have Class A or Class B common stock authorized, issued or outstanding.

 

According to the records of our transfer agent, as of August 27, 2010, there were approximately 5,600 holders of record of our Common Stock. The following table sets forth the high and low reported sale prices for a share of our Common Stock on NASDAQ Global Market system for the periods indicated during our fiscal years 2010 and 2009:

 

 

Dividend Policy

 

We have not paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain any earnings for use in our business. In addition, the covenants of our $70 million credit facility may restrict us from paying dividends or making other distributions to our shareholders under certain circumstances.

 

Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, we did not issue or sell any unregistered securities.

Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, we did not repurchase any equity securities.

 

Performance Graph

 

The following graph and accompanying data compares the cumulative total return on our Common Stock with the cumulative total return of the Total Return Index for The NASDAQ Composite Market (U.S. Companies) and the NASDAQ Telecommunications Index for the three-year, five month period commencing January 29, 2007 and ending July 2, 2010. The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance. Note that this graph and accompanying data is “furnished,” not “filed,” with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

COMPARISON OF 41 MONTH CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Aviat Networks, Inc., the NASDAQ Composite Index
and the NASDAQ Telecommunications Index

 

 

 

 

 

The following table summarizes our selected historical financial information for each of the last five fiscal years. The selected financial information as of and for the fiscal years ended July 2, 2010, July 3, 2009, June 27, 2008, June 29, 2007 and June 30, 2006 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, for which data presented for fiscal years 2010, 2009 and 2008 are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This table should be read in conjunction with our other financial information, including “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

The following table summarizes certain charges, expenses and gains included in our net losses for each of the fiscal years in the five year period ended July 2, 2010.

 

 

Overview of Business; Operating Environment and Key Factors Impacting Fiscal 2010 and 2011 Results

 

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand our results of operations and financial condition. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our financial statements and the accompanying notes.

 

We generate revenue by designing, developing, manufacturing and supporting a range of wireless networking products, solutions and services for mobile and fixed communications service providers, private network operators, government agencies, transportation and utility companies, public safety agencies and broadcast system operators across the globe. Our products include both point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PMP) digital microwave transmission systems designed for first/last mile access, middle mile/backhaul, and long distance trunking applications. Our PMP product portfolio includes base stations and subscriber equipment based upon the IEEE 802.16d-2004 and 16e-2005 standards for fixed and mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”). We also provide network management software solutions to enable operators to deploy, monitor and manage our systems, third party equipment such as antennas, routers, multiplexers, etc, necessary to build and deploy a wireless transmission network, and a full suite of turnkey support services.

 

We work continuously to improve our established brands and to create new products that meet our customers’ evolving needs and preferences. Our fundamental business goal is to generate superior returns for our stockholders over the long term. We believe that increases in revenue, segment operating profits, earnings per share, and return on average total capital are the key measures of financial performance for our business.

 

Fiscal Year 2010 was a challenging year. Over the past two years, we focused on creating a business model that provided end-to-end solutions for our customers’ networks including IP mobile backhaul, WiMAX, energy and security solutions and managed services. This helped us expand our reach into new markets, but also required a large investment in resources. As we were in the midst of this expansion, the world fell into economic turmoil. Around the globe, access to capital, the growing demand for mobile broadband and the need to reduce costs and improve efficiency affected our customers’ decisions regarding their network investments. To address this situation, the Board of Directors and management team decided to restructure our organization and refocus the strategic direction of the business. These changes will help us to scale our operations to meet the changing needs of our customers, markets and industry with increased flexibility and speed.

 

While we faced a difficult business environment, we continued to strengthen our balance sheet, reaching record cash levels. We are now entering a period of restructuring and turnaround that will require a strong balance sheet in order to successfully execute. In fiscal 2011, we are taking aggressive steps to restore profitability and accelerate innovation to maintain our position as a leading independent wireless transmission provider. Our strategic focus and the way we view our business has changed in the face of an altered global landscape.

 

On August 12, 2010, we announced a new restructuring plan as a first step in a comprehensive strategic plan to enable a return to profitability, and continue building out a stable platform to drive sustainable revenue growth. We expect to complete all key actions associated with this restructuring in fiscal 2011 in order to emerge in a stronger financial position going forward.

 

Strategic Focus

 

With fiscal 2010 behind us, we are focused on restructuring our business to restore profitability and streamlining our operations. We have a number of strategic and operational goals to execute:

 

 

 

To do this, we have examined our products, markets, facilities, development programs, and operational flows to ensure we’re focused on what we do well and what will differentiate us in the future. We are working aggressively to streamline established management processes to run with the speed required by the markets in which we do business.

 

While we have been aggressive about our cost reduction plans, we have sought to balance that with a renewed focus on innovation to expand our position as a leading provider of wireless solutions. We have examined each of the products and markets where Aviat Networks does business and made strategic decisions to refocus or adjust resources to the product, service or geographic areas of the business that have the most promise.

 

In addition to taking steps to restructure the way we run the business today, we have also crafted a strategic plan that outlines our goals for the future. This strategic plan is designed to establish a firm foundation on which we can resume long-term profitable growth.

 

The first and most important step in this process is our emphasis on the microwave backhaul area, where we have a long history of leadership. We are seeing exciting opportunities in our core microwave backhaul business as service providers invest in IP technologies to meet the growing demand for broadband access around the world. Second, we are realigning the WiMAX business to be viewed as a technology, rather than as a market. We will use that technology to focus our attention on the wireless transmission business in a way that is complementary to our microwave backhaul business.

 

Third, we will increase focus on our services business as a strong differentiator. Our network operations and management services deliver peace of mind for customers, while allowing us to build a closer relationship to better understand their business needs while our network design and installation services enable us to provide customers with the expertise they require.

 

Operations Review

 

In the discussion below, our fiscal year ended July 2, 2010 is referred to as “fiscal 2010” or “2010” fiscal year ended July 3, 2009 as “fiscal 2009” or “2009” and; fiscal year ended June 27, 2008 as “fiscal 2008” or “2008.”

 

Revenue and Net Loss

 

 

 

N/M = Not meaningful, as used in tables throughout this MD&A.

 

Revenue — Fiscal 2010 Compared with 2009

 

Our revenue in fiscal year 2010 was $478.9 million, a decrease of $201.0 million or 29.6%, compared with fiscal year 2009. This decrease in revenue resulted from significant declines in all regions, most acutely in Africa and Europe, Middle East and Russia. Declines resulted primarily from reduced customer demand due to the global economic recession and the effects of the continuing credit crisis on our customers’ ability to finance expansion, as well as increased competition from our competitors. Increased competition has affected product pricing and the ability to combine microwave equipment with other product sales and services. Furthermore, revenue has been negatively affected by anticipated or planned consolidation of our customers and foreign government-based subsidized financing, particularly in Africa.

 

Revenue in fiscal 2010 benefited from our adoption during the year of new revenue recognition accounting rules which resulted in the recognition of $7.9 million of revenue that otherwise would have been delayed under the

prior revenue recognition rules. For additional information refer to the discussion under “ — Critical Accounting Estimates — Revenue Recognition,” below.

 

Revenue — Fiscal 2009 Compared with 2008

 

Our revenue in fiscal 2009 was $679.9 million, a decrease of $38.5 million or 5.4%, compared with fiscal 2008. This decrease in revenue resulted from declines in all regions (except Africa) primarily due to the global economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our customers expansion, as well as increased competition from our competitors. Compared with fiscal 2008, revenue in fiscal 2009 in Europe, Middle East and Russia declined by $27.9 million, Latin America and Asia-Pacific declined $16.6 million, and North America was down $10.5 million. These decreases were partially offset by growth in Africa ($16.5 million increase) as customers in this region continued to expand their network infrastructures prior to the slowdown in the third quarter of fiscal 2009.

 

Major Customer in Fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008

 

During fiscal 2010, the MTN group in Africa accounted for 17% of our total revenue compared with 17% in fiscal 2009 and 13% in fiscal 2008. We have entered into separate and distinct contracts with MTN as well as separate arrangements with MTN group subsidiaries. None of such other contracts on an individual basis are material to our operations. The loss of all MTN group business could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

 

Revenue by Region

 

Revenue by region comparing fiscal 2010 with 2009 and 2008 with the related changes are shown in the tables below:

 

 

Net Loss — Fiscal 2010 Compared with 2009

 

Our net loss in fiscal 2010 was $130.2 million compared with a net loss of $355.0 million in fiscal 2009. The net loss in fiscal 2010 included product transition charges to converge our products onto a single platform by the end of fiscal year 2010 and impairments for intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and certain other assets. Additionally, we incurred other charges and expenses including restructuring costs, amortization of purchased intangibles, executive severance and share compensation expense. Finally, we recognized a $1.0 million gain on sale of our San Antonio, Texas property and a $1.2 million gain from settlement of a dispute related to the Telsima acquisition that resulted in a reduction of the purchase price.

 

These charges, expenses and gains are set forth on a comparative basis in the table below:

 

 

Net Loss — Fiscal 2009 Compared with 2008

 

The net loss of $355.0 million in fiscal 2009 compared with $11.9 million in fiscal 2009. The net loss in fiscal 2009 primarily resulted from impairment charges for goodwill and the trade name “Stratex,” charges to accelerate our product transition towards a common IP-based platform and increasing the valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets, as well as purchase accounting adjustments and other expenses related to the acquisitions of Stratex and Telsima.

 

Restructuring Charges in Fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008

 

During fiscal 2010, we completed restructuring activities that commenced during fiscal 2009 to reduce our workforce in the U.S., France, Canada and other locations throughout the world. During fiscal 2010, our restructuring charges totaled $7.1 million consisting of:

 

 

During the first quarter of fiscal 2009, we announced a new restructuring plan (the “Fiscal 2009 Plan”) to reduce our worldwide workforce. During fiscal 2008, we completed our restructuring activities implemented within the merger restructuring plans (the “Fiscal 2007 Plans”) approved in connection with the January 26, 2007 merger between the Microwave Communications Division of Harris Corporation and Stratex. These restructuring plans included the consolidation of facilities and operations of the predecessor entities in Canada, France, the U.S., China, Brazil and, to a lesser extent, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

 

During fiscal 2009, our net restructuring charges totaled $8.2 million consisted of:

 

 

During fiscal 2008, we recorded $9.3 million of restructuring charges in connection with completion of the Fiscal 2007 Plans. These fiscal 2008 restructuring charges consisted of:

 

 

Gross Margin

 

 

Fiscal 2010 Compared with 2009

 

Gross margin in fiscal 2010 was $133.4 million, or 27.9% of revenue, compared with $174.4 million, or 25.7% of revenue in fiscal 2009. Gross margin in fiscal 2010 was impacted by $16.9 million of charges to converge our products onto a single platform by the end of fiscal year 2010. These charges included $7.9 million related to provisions for legacy product excess and obsolete inventory, and $5.5 million for impairment of a building and idle equipment. Additionally, $3.5 million in charges were recorded for inventory purchase commitments and $8.2 million for amortization of purchased technology.

 

Our gross margin percentage improved during fiscal 2010 compared with fiscal 2009 due to the benefit from the pricing and structure of certain customer arrangements, primarily during the first two quarters of fiscal 2010. Gross margin also benefited from lower logistics expenses, lower manufacturing overhead and improved supplier

pricing on select projects primarily during the first two quarters of fiscal 2010. However, these improvements were partially offset by a reduction in the volume of sales of our legacy products during the second half of fiscal 2010 which, combined with increased start-up production costs of new products and the items discussed above, adversely affected our gross margin.

 

By comparison, gross margin in fiscal 2009 was impacted by $37.9 million of write-offs consisting of $29.8 million in charges related to product transition, $7.5 million for amortization of purchased technology and $0.6 million of amortization of the fair value of adjustments for fixed assets acquired from Stratex.

 

Fiscal 2009 Compared with 2008

 

Gross margin in fiscal 2009 was $174.4 million, or 25.7% of revenue, compared with $190.2 million, or 26.5% of revenue in fiscal 2008. Gross margin in fiscal 2009 was reduced by $29.8 million in charges related to product transition, $7.5 million for amortization of purchased technology and $0.6 million of amortization of the fair value of adjustments for fixed assets acquired from Stratex.

 

By comparison, gross margin in fiscal 2008 was reduced by $14.7 million for inventory markdowns and impairment relating to product transitioning, $7.1 million of amortization on purchased technology, $0.8 million for amortization of the fair value of adjustments for fixed assets acquired from Stratex, and $1.5 million of merger integration costs.

 

Aside from the charges and expenses mentioned above, gross margin and gross margin percentage benefited from a favorable margin impact on some projects, gains on currency translations, decreased warranty expenses, favorable purchase price variance and product mix.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

 

Fiscal 2010 Compared with 2009

 

R&D expenses were $41.1 million in fiscal 2010 compared with $40.4 million in fiscal 2009. As a percentage of revenue, these expenses increased to 8.6% in fiscal 2010 from 5.9% in fiscal 2009 due to 29.6% lower revenue and a 1.7% increase in spending. The increase in R&D spending, primarily labor costs, in fiscal 2010 compared with fiscal 2009 was primarily attributable to increases in the areas of WiMAX and energy, security and surveillance product development, but partially offset by a reduction in TRuepoint 6000 development efforts.

 

Fiscal 2009 Compared with 2008

 

Research and development (“R&D”) expenses were $40.4 million in fiscal 2009 compared with $46.1 million in fiscal 2008. As a percentage of revenue, these expenses decreased to 5.9% in fiscal 2009 from 6.4% in fiscal 2008 due to a decrease in spending. The decrease in spending in fiscal 2009 compared with fiscal 2008 was primarily attributable to the reduction in engineering workforce implemented in our restructuring plans during fiscal 2008.

 

Selling and Administrative Expenses

 

Fiscal 2010 Compared with Fiscal 2009

 

The following table summarizes the significant increases and decreases to our selling and administrative expenses comparing fiscal 2010 with fiscal 2009:

 

 

The increase in selling and administrative expenses from commissions paid to sales agents resulted from a large contract with a customer in the Europe, Middle East and Russia region during fiscal 2010.

 

Fiscal 2009 Compared with Fiscal 2008

 

The following table summarizes the significant increases and decreases to our selling and administrative expenses comparing fiscal 2009 with fiscal 2008:

 

 

The chief operations officer group was formed in fiscal 2009 to centrally manage activities that provide support to all functions of our company. The costs related to this group include the development of a program manager group that drives our internal project execution and the business process engineering team that enhances system integration and facilitates process improvements throughout the company.

Income Taxes

 

 

The income tax benefit for fiscal 2010 was $3.8 million. The variation between our income tax benefit and income tax benefit at the statutory rate of 35% on our pre-tax loss of $134.0 million was primarily due to a $4.4 million one-time benefit recognized for U.S. federal income tax loss carryback under the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009. This benefit was partially offset by a full valuation allowance on all domestic deferred tax assets created in fiscal 2010. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 primarily reflected the benefits of earnings and losses of foreign subsidiaries taxed at lower rates and a dividend from a foreign subsidiary.

 

The income tax expense for fiscal 2009 was $17.8 million. The variation between our income tax expense of $17.8 million and income tax benefit at the statutory rate of 35% on our pre-tax loss of $337.2 million was primarily due to our evaluation of the ability to realize certain deferred tax assets in future periods. We increased our valuation allowance on these deferred tax assets resulting from our assessment of positive and negative evidence. We concluded that additional valuation allowance was required, resulting in income tax expense of $25.1 million. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2009 otherwise reflects the benefits of lower taxed foreign earnings and losses.

 

Our fiscal 2008 tax benefit was the result of a pre-tax loss primarily due to the consolidation of our foreign operations, which are subject to income taxes at lower statutory rates.

 

Discussion of Business Segments

 

North America Segment

 

 

North America segment revenue decreased by $56.9 million, or 24.5%, in fiscal 2010 compared with fiscal 2009. This decrease in revenue resulted primarily from the economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our North America customers’ expansion.

 

North America segment revenue decreased by $10.5 million, or 4.3%, in fiscal 2009 compared with fiscal 2008. This decrease in revenue resulted primarily from the economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our customers’ expansion.

 

Our North America segment operating loss in fiscal 2010 was $64.2 million compared with a segment operating loss of $63.4 million in fiscal 2009. The loss in fiscal 2010 included charges to converge our products onto a single platform by the end of fiscal year 2010 and impairments for intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and certain other assets. Additionally, we incurred other charges and expenses including restructuring costs, amortization of purchased intangibles, executive severance and share compensation expense. Finally, we recognized a $1.0 million gain on sale of our San Antonio, Texas property.

 

Our North America segment had an operating loss of $63.4 million in fiscal 2009 primarily due to goodwill impairment and charges for the accelerated transition towards a common IP-based platform. The charges for this accelerated product transition included provisions for legacy product excess and obsolete inventory, and write-downs of property, plant, manufacturing and test equipment, and charges recorded for inventory purchase commitments. This compares with an operating loss of $8.0 million in fiscal 2008.

These charges, expenses and gains are set forth on a comparative basis in the table below.

 

 

International Segment

 

 

International segment revenue decreased by $144.1 million or 32.2% in fiscal 2010 compared with fiscal 2009. This decrease in revenue resulted from significant declines in all regions, most acutely in Africa and Europe, Middle East and Russia. These declines in revenue were primarily due to the global economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our customers’ ability to finance expansion, as well as increased competition from our competitors.

 

International segment revenue decreased by $28.0 million or 5.9% in fiscal 2009 compared with fiscal 2008. This decrease in revenue resulted from declines in all regions (except Africa) primarily due to the global economic recession and the continuing credit crisis adversely affecting our customers’ expansion. Compared with fiscal 2008, revenue in fiscal 2009 in Europe, Middle East and Russia declined by $27.9 million and Latin America and Asia-Pacific declined $16.6 million. These decreases were partially offset by growth in Africa ($16.5 million increase) as customers in this region continued to expand their network infrastructures prior to the slowdown in the third quarter of fiscal 2009.

 

The International segment operating loss of $69.1 million in fiscal 2010 resulted primarily from the decline in revenue when compared with fiscal 2009 and impairments for intangible assets and property, plant and equipment.

 

The International segment operating loss of $271.9 million in fiscal 2009 primarily resulted from impairment charges for goodwill and the trade name “Stratex,” as well as charges related to the accelerated transition towards a common IP-based product platform. This compares with an operating loss of $5.7 million in fiscal 2008.

These charges, expenses and gains are set forth on a comparative basis in the table below.

 

 

LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

 

Sources of Cash

 

As of July 2, 2010, our principal sources of liquidity consisted of $141.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $56.0 million of available credit under our current $70 million credit facility.

 

As of July 2, 2010, approximately $82.0 million or 58% of our total cash and cash equivalents was held by entities domiciled in the United States. The remaining balance of $59.7 million or 42% was held by entities outside the United States, primarily in Singapore, and could be subject to additional taxation if it were to be repatriated to the United States.

 

Available Credit Facility and Repayment of Debt

 

Our debt consisted of short-term debt of $5.0 million as of July 2, 2010 and $10.0 million as of July 3, 2009. We have a credit facility which provides for an initial committed amount of $70 million with an uncommitted option for an additional $50 million available with the same or additional banks. The initial term of our credit facility is three years expiring June 30, 2011 and provides for (1) demand borrowings (with no stated maturity date) (2) fixed term Eurodollar loans for up to six months or more as agreed with the banks, and (3) the issuance of standby or commercial letters of credit.

 

Demand borrowings carry an interest rate of the greater of Bank of America’s prime rate or the Federal Funds rate plus 0.5%. Eurodollar loans were initially offered at LIBOR plus a spread of between 1.25% to 2.00% based on our current leverage ratio. Effective August 23, 2010, the terms of the facility were amended to change the spread on Eurodollar loans to 1.00% and to eliminate the leverage ratio covenant commencing with the fiscal quarter ended July 2, 2010 in exchange for cash collateralization of the borrowings and outstanding letters of credit. In addition, the liquidity ratio covenant was replaced with a minimum quick ratio covenant commencing with the fiscal quarter ended July 2, 2010. As of July 2, 2010, we were in compliance with these amended financial covenants.

 

The credit facility allows for borrowings of up to $70 million with available credit defined as $70 million less the outstanding balance of short-term borrowings ($5.0 million as of July 2, 2010) and letters of credit ($9.0 million as of July 2, 2010). Therefore, available credit as of July 2, 2010 was $56.0 million. The weighted average interest rate on our short-term borrowings was 2.48% as of July 2, 2010.

As of July 2, 2010, the amount under standby letters of credit outstanding totaled $1.2 million under a previous credit facility in effect as of the end of fiscal year 2008.

 

Based on covenants included as part of the credit facility as of June 30, 2008, and as amended effective July 2, 2010, we must maintain, as measured as of the last day of each fiscal quarter, a minimum quick ratio of 1.25 to 1 (defined as the ratio of (1) the sum of total unrestricted cash and equivalents, short-term marketable securities and 100% of total monetary receivables to (2) total current liabilities, excluding any collateralized loans and other liabilities). As of July 2, 2010, we were in compliance with these financial covenants and expect to remain in compliance through fiscal 2011.

 

We also have an uncommitted short-term line of credit of $0.2 million from a bank in New Zealand to support the operations of our subsidiary located there, all of which was available on July 2, 2010. This line of credit provides for short-term advances at various interest rates, may be terminated upon notice, is reviewed annually for renewal or modification, and is supported by a corporate guarantee.

 

Restructuring and Severance Payments

 

We have a liability for restructuring and other long-term liabilities from severance activities totaling $8.7 million as of July 2, 2010, of which $6.0 million is classified as a current liability and expected to be paid out in cash over the next year.

 

We continue to restructure and transform our business to realign resources and achieve desired cost savings in an increasingly competitive market. Following approval of our annual operating plan, on August 12, 2010 we announced that we will implement certain cost reduction initiatives in the range of $30.0 to $35.0 million for fiscal 2011. These initiatives primarily affect operations in the Americas, Asia and Europe. These actions are intended to bring the Company’s operational cost structure in line with the changing dynamics of the microwave radio and telecommunications markets.

 

We expect to record approximately $11.0 million to $13.0 million of charges related to severance and employee-related costs and impairment of facilities during the first, second and third quarters of fiscal 2011. The severance and employee-related cash charges are expected to be approximately $9.0 million to $10.0 million. Additionally, we expect to record approximately $2.0 million of non-cash asset impairments and $1.0 million of lease impairment charges requiring cash payments. The impairment charges consist primarily of costs to close facilities in the Americas, Asia and Europe.

 

We expect to fund these future payments with available funds and cash flow provided by operations.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

As of July 2, 2010, we had contractual cash obligations for repayment of short-term debt and related interest, purchase obligations to acquire goods and services, payments for operating lease commitments, payments on our restructuring and severance liabilities, redemption of our preference shares and payment of the related required dividend payments and other current liabilities on our balance sheet in the normal course of business.

Cash payments due under these contractual obligations are estimated as follows:

 

 

 

 

Commercial Commitments

 

We have entered into commercial commitments in the normal course of business including surety bonds, standby letters of credit and other arrangements with financial institutions and insurers primarily relating to the guarantee of future performance on certain tenders and contracts to provide products and services to customers. As of July 2, 2010, we had commercial commitments on outstanding surety bonds, standby letters of credit, guarantees and other arrangements, as follows:

 

During fiscal year 2011, we expect to spend approximately $12.0 million to $13.0 million for capital expenditures.

 

We currently believe that existing cash and cash equivalents, funds generated from operations and access to our credit facility will be sufficient to provide for our anticipated requirements for working capital and capital expenditures for the next 12 months and the foreseeable future.

 

There can be no assurance, however, that our business will generate cash flow, or that anticipated operational improvements will be achieved. If we are unable to maintain cash balances or generate sufficient cash flow from operations to service our obligations, we may be required to sell assets, reduce capital expenditures, or obtain financing. If we need to obtain additional financing, we cannot be assured that it will be available on favorable terms, or at all. Our ability to make scheduled principal payments or pay interest on or refinance any future indebtedness depends on our future performance and financial results, which, to a certain extent, are subject to general conditions in or affecting the microwave communications market and to general economic, political, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors beyond our control.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

In accordance with the definition under SEC rules (Item 303(a) (4) (ii) of Regulation S-K), any of the following qualify as off-balance sheet arrangements:

 

 

Currently we are not participating in transactions that generate relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, including variable interest entities, and we do not have any material retained or contingent interest in assets as defined above. As of July 2, 2010, we did not have material financial guarantees or other contractual commitments that are reasonably likely to adversely affect liquidity. In addition, we are not currently a party to any related party transactions that materially affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

 

Due to our downsizing of certain operations pursuant to acquisitions, restructuring plans or otherwise, certain properties leased by us have been sublet to third parties. In the event any of these third parties vacate any of these premises, we would be legally obligated under master lease arrangements. We believe that the financial risk of default by such sublessors is individually and in the aggregate not material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Financial Risk Management

 

In the normal course of doing business, we are exposed to the risks associated with foreign currency exchange rates and changes in interest rates. We employ established policies and procedures governing the use of financial instruments to manage our exposure to such risks.

 

Exchange Rate Risk

 

We are exposed to global market risks, including the effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and use derivatives to manage financial exposures that occur in the normal course of business. We do not hold nor issue derivatives for trading purposes or make speculative investments in foreign currencies.

 

We formally document all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as the risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking hedge transactions. This process includes linking all derivatives to either specific firm commitments or forecasted transactions. We also enter into foreign exchange forward

contracts to mitigate the change in fair value of specific assets and liabilities on the balance sheet; these are not designated as hedging instruments. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of hedges of recorded balance sheet positions are recognized immediately in cost of product sales on the consolidated statements of operations together with the transaction gain or loss from the hedged balance sheet position.

 

Substantially all derivatives outstanding as of July 2, 2010 are designated as cash flow hedges or non-designated hedges of recorded balance sheet positions. All derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at their fair value. The total notional amount of outstanding derivatives as of July 2, 2010 was $41.9 million, of which $10.2 million were designated as cash flow hedges and $31.7 million were not designated as cash flow hedging instruments.

 

A 10% adverse change in currency exchange rates for our foreign currency derivatives held as of July 2, 2010 would have an impact of approximately $2.8 million on the fair value of such instruments. This quantification of exposure to the market risk associated with foreign exchange financial instruments does not take into account the offsetting impact of changes in the fair value of our foreign denominated assets, liabilities and firm commitments.

 

As of July 2, 2010, we had 41 foreign currency forward contracts outstanding with a total net notional amount of $14.1 million consisting of 13 different currencies, primarily the Canadian dollar, Euro, Philippine peso, Polish zloty, Singapore dollar and Republic of South Africa rand.

 

Following is a summary by currency of the contract net notional amounts grouped by the underlying foreign currency as of July 2, 2010: