DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

​

​

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

​

Commission File No. 001-34728

DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

​

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (414) 354-2310

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 ⌧ No ◻.

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 ◻ No ⌧.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ⌧  No ◻.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ⌧  No ◻.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

​

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

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

At June 30, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by stockholders who were not affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $803 million (based upon the closing price of Registrant’s Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date). At February 23, 2021, the Registrant had outstanding an aggregate of 22,857,457 shares of its Common Stock.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on April 28, 2021, which Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, are incorporated into Part III.

​

​

Table of Contents

​

Table of Contents

​

​

Table of Contents

PART I

Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” made within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “continue,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward - looking statements. In addition, statements covering our future sales or financial performance and our plans, performance and other objectives, expectations or intentions are forward-looking statements, such as statements regarding our liquidity, debt, planned capital expenditures, and adequacy of capital resources and reserves. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

We undertake no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to reflect any future events or circumstances. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors in addition to those listed above that could cause or contribute to such differences are discussed in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Item 1. Business

Overview

Home to the best-selling brands in the industry, Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our”) is North America's premier manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment. For more than 70 years, the Company has been innovating products that enable end-users to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively, providing opportunities for businesses to increase profitability. Our commitment to continuous improvement enables us to consistently produce high quality products and drive shareholder value. The Douglas Dynamics portfolio of products and services is separated into two segments:  First, the Work Truck Attachments segment, which includes our operations that manufacture and sell snow and ice control attachments and other products sold under the FISHER®, SNOWEX® and WESTERN® brands. Second, the Work Truck Solutions segment, which includes manufactured municipal snow and ice control products under the HENDERSON® brand and the upfit of market leading attachments and storage solutions under the HENDERSON® brand, and the DEJANA® brand and its related sub-brands. For additional financial information regarding our reportable business segments, see Note 17 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this report.

In our Work Truck Attachments segment, we offer a broad product line of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks that we believe to be the most complete line offered in the U.S. and Canadian markets. We also provide a full range of related parts and accessories, which generates an ancillary revenue stream throughout the lifecycle of our snow and ice control equipment. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, 86%, 83% and 84% of our net sales in our Work Truck Attachments segment were generated from sales of snow and ice control equipment, respectively, and 14%, 17% and 16% of our net sales in our Work Truck Attachments segment were generated from sales of parts and accessories, respectively. While we measure sales of parts and accessories separately from snow and ice control equipment, they are integrated with one another and are not separable.

We sell our Work Truck Attachments products through a distributor network primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial and residential areas. We have engendered exceptional customer loyalty for our products because of our ability to satisfy the stringent demands of our customers for a high degree of quality, reliability and service. As a result, we believe our installed base is the largest in the light truck market with over 500,000 snowplows and sand and salt spreaders in service. Because sales of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders are primarily driven by the need of our core end-user base to replace worn existing equipment, we believe our substantial installed base provides us with a high degree of predictable sales over any extended period of time.

We believe that our Work Truck Attachments segment has the snow and ice control industry’s most extensive distribution network worldwide, which consists of approximately 1,900 points of sale.  Direct points of shipment are predominantly through North American truck equipment and lawn care equipment distributors. Most of our distributors are located throughout the snow belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada). We have longstanding relationships with many of our distributors. We continually seek to grow and optimize our network by opportunistically adding high-quality, well-capitalized distributors in select geographic areas and by cross-selling our industry leading brands within our distribution network.  We have extended our reach to international markets, establishing distribution relationships in Northern Europe and Asia, where we believe meaningful growth opportunities exist.

Our Work Truck Solutions segment participates in the manufacture of municipal snow and ice control products and offers a complementary line of upfitting services and products. Our Work Truck Solutions products consist of truck and vehicle upfits where we attach component pieces of equipment, truck bodies, racking, and storage solutions with varying levels of complexity to a vehicle chassis, and which are typically used by end-users for work related purposes.  Our Work Truck Solutions segment is a premier upfitter of Class 4 - 8 trucks and other commercial work vehicles. We also provide customized turnkey solutions to governmental agencies such as Departments of Transportation (“DOTs”) and municipalities. Additionally, we believe that our Work Truck Solutions segment is a leading specialized manufacturer of storage solutions for trucks and vans and cable pulling equipment for trucks. We believe we are a regional market leader in the truck and vehicle upfitting market.  We believe that our Work Truck Solutions business possesses significant customer relationships comprised of over 2,500 customers across the truck equipment industry. We have longstanding relationships with many of our Work

Table of Contents

Truck Solutions customers. We continually seek to grow and strengthen our customer relationships by providing custom solutions to our customers’ evolving specialty upfit needs.  We are able to serve our Work Truck Solutions customers’ needs through our bailment and floor plan agreements with original equipment vehicle manufacturers who supply truck chassis, on which we perform custom upfits for our customers.  

We believe we are a leader in operational efficiency in our industries, resulting from our application of lean manufacturing principles, our vertical integration, and a highly variable cost structure We continually seek to use lean principles to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of our manufacturing operations.  During the year ended December 31, 2020 we manufactured our products and upfitted vehicles in five facilities that we own in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Rockland, Maine; Madison Heights, Michigan, Manchester, Iowa; and Huntley, Illinois. We also lease fifteen manufacturing and upfit facilities, located in Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.  Furthermore, our manufacturing efficiency allows us to deliver desired products quickly to our customers, especially during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfall events when our customers need our products immediately.  

Our Industry

Work Truck Attachments Segment

Our Work Truck Attachments Segment participates primarily in the snow and ice control equipment industries in North America.  These industries consist predominantly of domestic participants that manufacture their products in North America. The annual demand for snow and ice control equipment is driven primarily by the replacement cycle of the existing installed base, which is predominantly a function of the average life of a snowplow or spreader and is driven by usage and maintenance practices of the end-user. We believe actively-used snowplows are typically replaced, on average, every 9 to 12 years.  

We believe that sales of both light and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment are driven primarily by the replacement cycle of the existing installed base, which is predominantly a function of the average life of a snowplow or spreader and is driven by usage and maintenance practices of the end-user. The primary factor influencing the replacement cycle for snow and ice control equipment for light trucks is the level, timing and location of snowfall. Sales of snow and ice control equipment in any given year and region are most heavily influenced by local snowfall levels in the prior snow season. Heavy snowfall during a given winter causes equipment usage to increase, resulting in greater wear and tear and shortened life cycles, thereby creating a need for replacement equipment and additional parts and accessories.

While snowfall levels vary within a given year and from year-to-year, snowfall, and the corresponding replacement cycle of snow and ice control equipment, is relatively consistent over multi-year periods. The following chart depicts aggregate annual and ten-year (based on the typical life of our snowplows) rolling average of the aggregate snowfall levels in 66 cities in 26 snow belt states across the Northeast, East, Midwest and Western United States where we monitor snowfall levels from 1980 to 2020. As the chart indicates, since 1984, aggregate snowfall levels in any given rolling ten-year period have been fairly consistent, ranging from 2,782 to 3,345 inches.

Table of Contents

The demand for snow and ice control equipment can also be influenced by general economic conditions in the United States, as well as local economic conditions in the snow-belt regions in North America. In stronger economic conditions, our end-users may choose to replace or upgrade existing equipment before its useful life has ended, while in weak economic conditions, our end-users may seek to extend the useful life of equipment, thereby increasing the sales of parts and accessories. However, since snow and ice control management is a non-discretionary service necessary to ensure public safety and continued personal and commercial mobility in populated areas that receive snowfall, end-users cannot extend the useful life of snow and ice control equipment indefinitely and must replace equipment that has become too worn, unsafe or unreliable, regardless of economic conditions. While our parts and accessories yield slightly higher gross margins than our snow and ice control equipment, they yield significantly lower revenue than equipment sales, which adversely affects our results of operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonality and Year-to-Year Variability.” 

Long-term growth in the overall snow and ice control equipment market also results from geographic expansion of developed areas in the snow belt regions of North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada), as well as consumer demand for technological enhancements in snow and ice control equipment and related parts and accessories that improves efficiency and reliability. Continued construction in the snow belt regions in North America increases the aggregate area requiring snow and ice removal, thereby growing the market for snow and ice control equipment. Additionally, there is continued potential for growth within Work Truck Attachments related to the sale of non-truck snow and ice control equipment, including utility terrain vehicle (“UTV”) plows and other such equipment. In addition, the development

Table of Contents

and sale of more reliable, more efficient and more sophisticated products have contributed to an approximate 2% to 4% average unit price increase in each of the past five years.

Work Truck Solutions Segment

Our Work Truck Solutions Segment primarily participates in the manufacture of municipal snow and ice control products, as well as in the truck and vehicle upfitting industry in the United States.  This industry consists predominantly of domestic participants that upfit work trucks and vehicles. Specifically, there are regional market leaders that operate in close proximity to the original equipment vehicle manufacturers’ facilities and vehicle ports of entry. In addition to the regional market leaders, there exist smaller upfit businesses.  Our Work Truck Solutions segment competes against both the other regional market leaders and the smaller market participants.  The annual demand for upfit vehicles is subject to the general macro-economic environment trends.  

We believe our Work Truck Solutions segment is a regional market leader in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.  We serve a variety of different customers that include dealers who typically sell to light and heavy duty truck end-users and to large national customers who purchase fleets of upfitted vehicles. Heavy duty truck end-users typically are comprised of local governments and municipalities which plan for and execute planned replacement of equipment over time. Approximately half of our revenues are derived from dealer customers, while approximately 40% of our revenues are fleet sales and sales to governmental entities.  Our remaining sales are derived from over the counter sales of parts and accessories.

Long term growth in the truck and vehicle upfit market will depend on technological advances in the component products and advances in the original equipment manufacturer’s vehicles, as well customer demand for such products. Along with technological advancements, end-users are demanding more specialized vehicles specifically related to their unique work related needs, which we expect will further increase demand.  Along with technological advancements, products become more complex in the marketplace, thus increasing the importance of the role of the truck upfitter in the value chain.

Our Competitive Strengths

We compete solely with other North American manufacturers and upfitters who do not benefit from our manufacturing efficiencies, depth and breadth of products, extensive distributor network and customer relationships. As the market leader in the industries we serve, we enjoy a set of competitive advantages versus smaller competitors, which allows us to generate robust cash flows in all market environments and to support continued investment in our products, distribution capabilities and brand regardless of annual volume fluctuations. We believe these advantages are rooted in the following competitive strengths and reinforce our industry leadership over time.

Exceptional Customer Loyalty and Brand Equity.  Our brands enjoy exceptional customer loyalty and brand equity in the snow and ice control equipment and truck upfitting industries with both end-users and distributors, which have been developed through over 70 years of superior innovation, productivity, reliability and support, consistently delivered year after year. We believe past brand experience, rather than price, is the key factor impacting our brands.

Broadest and Most Innovative Product Offering in Work Truck Attachments. In our Work Truck Attachments segment, we provide the industry’s broadest product offering with a full range of snowplows, sand and salt spreaders and related parts and accessories. We believe we maintain the industry’s largest and most advanced in-house new product development program, historically introducing several new and redesigned products each year. Our broad product offering and commitment to new product development is essential to maintaining and growing our leading market share position as well as continuing to increase the profitability of our business. Meanwhile at our Work Truck Solutions segment, each upfit is customized to the specific needs of our customers.

Extensive North American Distributor Network in Work Truck Attachments.  With over 1,900 points of sale at our Work Truck Attachments segment, we benefit from having what we believe to be the most extensive distributor network in the light truck and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment industry, providing a significant competitive advantage over our peers. Our distributors function not only as sales and support agents (providing access to parts and service), but also as industry partners providing real-time end-user information, such

Table of Contents

as retail inventory levels, changing consumer preferences or desired functionality enhancements, which we use as the basis for our product development efforts.

Leader in Operational Efficiency.  We believe we are a leader in operational efficiency in our industries, resulting from our application of lean manufacturing principles and a highly variable cost structure. By utilizing lean principles, we are able to adjust production levels easily to meet fluctuating demand, while controlling costs in slower periods. This operational efficiency is supplemented by our highly variable cost structure, driven in part by our access to a sizable temporary workforce (comprising approximately 10-15% of our Work Truck Attachments workforce during average snowfall years), which we can quickly adjust, as needed. These manufacturing efficiencies enable us to respond rapidly to urgent customer demand during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfalls, allowing us to provide exceptional service to our existing customer base and capture new customers from competitors that we believe cannot service their customers’ needs with the same speed and reliability.

Strong Cash Flow Generation.  We are able to generate significant cash flow as a result of relatively consistent high profitability, low capital spending requirements and predictable timing of our working capital requirements. Our significant cash flow has allowed us to reinvest in our business, pay down long term debt, pay substantial dividends to our stockholders, and make strategic acquisitions.

Experienced Management Team.  We believe our business benefits from an exceptional management team that is responsible for establishing our leadership in the light truck and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment and truck upfitting industries. Our senior management team, consisting of four officers as of December 31, 2020, has an average of approximately fourteen years of weather-related industry experience and an average of over fourteen years with our company. On January 1, 2019, Robert McCormick became our President and Chief Executive Officer. He has been with us for over 16 years and has served in various roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, among others. Through management’s strategic vision, we have been able to expand our distributor network and grow our market leading position.

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy is to capitalize on our competitive strengths to maximize cash flow to pay dividends, reduce indebtedness and reinvest in our business to create stockholder value. We have also developed a management system called the Douglas Dynamics Management System (“DDMS”) that is intended to assist in value creation and enhanced customer service and includes a collection of tools to solve problems and deliver greater value to our customers by eliminating waste and improving the way we work. DDMS is an integrated system that continues to evolve with our business to deliver on strategic priorities and goals through a culture of continuous improvement, people who embrace change, world-class processes, and practical tools. The building blocks of our strategy are:

Continuous Product Innovation.  We believe new product innovation is critical to maintaining and growing our market leading position in the snow and ice control equipment industry. We will continue to focus on developing innovative solutions to increase productivity, ease of use, reliability, durability and serviceability of our products and on incorporating lean manufacturing concepts into our product development process, which has allowed us to reduce the overall cost of development and, more importantly, to reduce our time-to-market.

Distributor Network and Customer Optimization.  At our Work Truck Attachment segment, we will continually seek opportunities to continue to expand our extensive distribution network by adding high-quality, well-capitalized distributors in select geographic areas and by cross-selling our industry leading brands within our distribution network to ensure we maximize our ability to generate revenue while protecting our industry leading reputation, customer loyalty and brands. We will also focus on optimizing this network by providing in-depth training, valuable distributor support and attractive promotional and incentive opportunities. As a result of these efforts, we believe a majority of our distributors choose to sell our products exclusively. We believe this sizable high quality network is unique in the industry, providing us with valuable insight into purchasing trends and customer preferences, and would be very difficult to replicate. At our Work Truck Solutions segment, we have well developed customer relationships resulting from being responsive to the needs of our customers.  We will seek opportunities to continue to expand our customer group by increasing throughput, allowing us to grow our customer base and continue to be responsive to our customers’ specialized upfit needs.

Table of Contents

Aggressive Asset Management and Profit Focus.  We will continue to aggressively manage our assets in order to maximize our cash flow generation despite seasonal and annual variability in snowfall levels that affect our Work Truck Attachments segment. We believe our ability is unique in our industry and enables us to achieve attractive margins in all snowfall environments. Key elements of our asset management and profit focus strategies include:

Additionally, although modest, our capital expenditure requirements and operating expenses can be temporarily reduced in response to anticipated or actual lower sales in a particular year to maximize cash flow.

Flexible, Lean Enterprise Platform.  We will continue to utilize lean principles to maximize the flexibility, efficiency and productivity of our manufacturing operations while reducing the associated costs, enabling us to increase distributor and end-user satisfaction. For example, in an environment where shorter lead times and near-perfect order fulfillment are important to our distributors, we believe our lean processes have helped us to improve our shipping performance and build a reputation for providing industry leading shipping performance.

Our Growth Opportunities

Opportunistically Seek New Products and New Markets.  We plan to continue to evaluate other acquisition opportunities within our industry that can help us expand our distribution reach, enhance our technology and as a consequence improve the breadth and depth of our product lines. We also consider diversification and vertical integration opportunities in adjacent markets that complement our business model and could offer us the ability to leverage our core competencies to create stockholder value.

Increase Our Industry Leading Market Share. In our Work Truck Attachments segment, we plan to leverage our industry leading position, distribution network and new product innovation capabilities to capture market share in the North American snow and ice control equipment market, focusing our primary efforts on increasing penetration in those North American markets where we believe our overall market share is less than 50%, including the heavy duty truck market. We also plan to continue growing our presence in the snow and ice control equipment market outside of North America, particularly in Asia and Europe, which we believe could provide significant growth opportunities in the future.  At our Work Truck Solutions segment, we plan to leverage our regional market leading position and utilize DDMS to further penetrate upfit markets and to grow our customer base.

Order Backlog

We had total backlog of $126.4 million and $107.1 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Backlog information may not be indicative of results of operations for future periods.

Human Capital Management

Our Purpose

​
Douglas Dynamics is home to the most trusted brands in the industry, Douglas Dynamics is North

Table of Contents

America’s premier manufacturer and upfitter of work truck attachments and equipment. Our commitment to continuous improvement enables us to consistently produce the highest quality products and drive shareholder value. We serve as trusted partners to our dealers, suppliers and end users, whose businesses benefit from our operational and management expertise.

​

Our Culture

​

For more than 70 years, Douglas Dynamics has been manufacturing the best products available on the market. Every day our employees work hard to meet our customers’ needs, and every day we, as an organization, are focused on fostering a collaborative environment for our employees and offering them the opportunity to have ownership in our company's success. As of December 31, 2020, we employed 1,767 employees, all US based except for 13 employees who work in the Douglas Dynamics Sourcing Office located in Beijing, China. None of our employees are represented by a union and we are not party to any collective bargaining agreements. We believe that we have one of the lowest employee turnover rates in our industry and believe that our focus on integrity, teamwork and high-performance have enabled us to create an ideal work environment for every one of our employees. Our Board of Directors regularly receives updates from our senior management with respect to our health and safety, diversity and inclusion and our internal talent development initiatives and priorities.

Our commitment to continuous improvement extends well beyond producing the highest quality products or driving shareholder value—we also value the growth, improvement and engagement of our employees.

​

Creating a culture of excellence is the key to our success, which is why we work hard to give our employees the tools and training to achieve more. We know that when our employees are taken care of, our business partners get the most out of their Douglas Dynamics experience, helping us to remain North America‘s premier manufacturer of vehicle attachments and equipment.

​

Our Core Values and Winning Behaviors

​

Our Core Values, Grow, Improve, and Engage, are critical to our individual and organizational success and focus us as an organization to ensure we succeed by executing upon the right things.

​

Also critical to our success are our Winning Behaviors, a framework of priorities that we expect of each Douglas Dynamics employee to support the success of our company, namely, winning as an organization the right way. ​​​​​​​Our focus on our Winning Behaviors helps ensure a consistent focus on our Core Values across all employees and in all locations.

​

​

Talent Development

​

Talent development is a critical component of individual and organizational success.  We promote our internal Douglas Dynamics University (DDU) to support all employees' development. DDU is one of the services provided by the Organizational Development Team that supports our company's dedication to the performance, development, and growth of our talented people. To truly develop people, we believe in taking a balanced approach

Table of Contents

to activity selection within the offerings provided by DDU:

​

​

​

We achieve the goals of DDU by:

​

Our Ethics

​

Along with our core values and winning behaviors, we act in accordance with our Code of Conduct Policy (Code of Conduct), which creates expectations and provides guidance for all our employees to make the right decisions. Our Code of Conduct covers such topics as anti-corruption, discrimination, harassment, privacy, appropriate use of company assets, protecting confidential information and reporting Code of Conduct violations.  

​

Diversity & Inclusion

​

Douglas Dynamics is deeply committed to increasing diversity and inclusion; however, we have more work to do across our footprint. We are investing in multiple initiatives focused on identifying diverse talent. These include engaging with recruiting firms, utilizing job-posting sites and collaborating with university programs that specialize in connecting companies like Douglas Dynamics with a diverse array of candidates. Moving forward, we will continue to review and refine our initiatives as we seek further diversify our workforce.

​

Health & Safety

​

At Douglas Dynamics, we are committed to the health and safety of our employees.  The environment we provide is based on our vision to create a working environment that places the highest value on the welfare of our employees, to instill a sense of ownership and to embrace excellence in safety, production and quality of work being done.

​

Table of Contents

Financing Program

We are party to a financing program in which certain distributors may elect to finance their purchases from us through a third party financing company. We provide the third party financing company recourse against us regarding the collectability of the receivable under the program due to the fact that if the third party financing company is unable to collect from the distributor the amounts due in respect of the product financed, we would be obligated to repurchase any remaining inventory related to the product financed and reimburse any legal fees incurred by the financing company. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, distributors financed purchases of $7.6 million, $8.6 million and $8.5 million through this financing program, respectively. At both December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no uncollectible outstanding receivables related to sales financed under the financing program. The amount owed by our distributors to the third party financing company under this program at December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $7.1 million and $7.1 million, respectively. We were not required to repurchase repossessed inventory for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.

In the past, minimal losses have been incurred under this agreement. However, an adverse change in distributor retail sales could cause this situation to change and thereby require us to repurchase repossessed units. Any repossessed units are inspected to ensure they are current, unused product and are restocked and resold.

Intellectual Property

We maintain patents relating to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms, sand, salt and fertilizer spreader assemblies, reel handlers and carriers and shelving systems. Patents are valid for the longer period of 17 years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between less than one year and 19 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 2003 through 2020.

We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 47 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN^®, FISHER^®, DEJANA^®, BLIZZARD^®, SNOWEX^®, TURFEX^®, SWEEPEX^®, HENDERSON^® and BRINEXTREME^®) 13 Canadian registered trademarks, 5 European trademarks, 5 Chinese trademarks, 58 U.S. issued patents, and 9 Canadian patents.

Raw Materials

We have recently experienced increased commodity costs due to tariffs causing the inflation of steel prices. Historically, we have mitigated, and we currently expect to continue to mitigate, commodity cost increases in part by engaging in proactive vendor negotiations, reviewing alternative sourcing options, substituting materials, engaging in internal cost reduction efforts, and increasing prices on some of our products, all as appropriate.

Most of the components of our products are also affected by commodity cost pressures and are commercially available from a number of sources. In 2020, we experienced no significant work stoppages because of shortages of raw materials or commodities. The highest raw material and component costs are generally for steel, which we purchase from several suppliers.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Table of Contents

Government Regulation

Our operations are subject to certain federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, climate change, the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation, disposal and discharge of hazardous and non-hazardous substances and materials into the environment, the manufacturing of motor vehicle accessories and employee health and safety. Management believes that the Company’s business is operated in material compliance with all such regulations.

Other Information

We were formed as a Delaware corporation in 2004. We maintain a website with the address www.douglasdynamics.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this report. We make available free of charge (other than an investor’s own Internet access charges) through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  For further information regarding our geographic areas see the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies as discussed in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

The Company operates in an environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. The risks described below highlight some of the factors that have affected, and in the future could affect our operations.

Risks Related to Weather and Seasonality

Our results of operations for our Work Truck Attachments segment and to a lesser extent our Work Truck Solutions segment depend primarily on the level, timing and location of snowfall. As a result, a decline in snowfall levels in multiple regions for an extended time could cause our results of operations to decline and adversely affect our ability to generate cash flow.

As a manufacturer through our Work Truck Attachments segment of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks and related parts and accessories, our sales depend primarily on the level, timing and location of snowfall in the regions in which we offer our products. A low level or lack of snowfall in any given year in any of the snow-belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada) will likely cause sales of our Work Truck Attachments products and a portion of our Work Truck Solutions products to decline in such year as well as the subsequent year, which in turn may adversely affect our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonality and Year-to-Year Variability.” A sustained period of reduced snowfall events in one or more of the geographic regions in which we offer our products could cause our results of operations to decline and adversely affect our ability to generate cash flow. If unfavorable weather conditions are exacerbated by climate change or otherwise, our results of operations may be affected to a greater degree than we have previously experienced.

The year-to-year variability of our Work Truck Attachments segment can cause our results of operations and financial condition to be materially different from year-to-year and the seasonality of our Work Truck Attachments segment can cause our results of operations and financial condition to be materially different from quarter-to-quarter.

Because our Work Truck Attachments segment depends on the level, timing and location of snowfall, our results of operations vary from year-to-year. Additionally, because the annual snow season typically only runs from

Table of Contents

October 1 through March 31, our distributors typically purchase our Work Truck Attachments products during the second and third quarters. As a result, we operate in a seasonal business. We not only experience seasonality in our sales, but also experience seasonality in our working capital needs. Consequently, our results of operations and financial condition of our Work Truck Attachments segment can vary from year-to-year, as well as from quarter-to-quarter, which could affect our ability to generate cash flow. If we are unable to effectively manage the seasonality and year-to-year variability of our Work Truck Attachments segment, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to generate cash flow may be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Economic Conditions

If economic conditions in the United States deteriorate, or if spending by governmental agencies is limited or reduced, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to generate cash flow may be adversely affected.

Historically, demand for snow and ice control equipment for light and heavy duty trucks as well as upfitted vehicles has been influenced by general economic conditions in the United States, as well as local economic conditions in the snow-belt regions in North America.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has severely restricted the level of economic activity in North America. In response to this outbreak, the governments of many countries, states, cities and other geographic regions have taken preventative or protective actions, such as imposing restrictions on travel and business operations. These measures have and are expected to continue to have significant adverse impacts on domestic and foreign economies of uncertain severity and duration. It is likely that the current outbreak and continued spread of COVID-19 may cause a further economic slowdown, and it is possible that it could cause a global recession.

Weakened economic conditions and limited or reduced government spending (including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) may cause both our Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions end-users to delay purchases of replacement snow and ice control equipment and upfit vehicles and instead repair their existing equipment and vehicles, leading to a decrease in our sales of new equipment and upfitted vehicles. Weakened economic conditions and limited or reduced governmental spending may also cause our end-users to delay their purchases of new light and heavy duty trucks. Because our end-users tend to purchase new snow and ice control equipment concurrent with their purchase of new light or heavy duty trucks, their delay in purchasing new light or heavy duty trucks can also result in the deferral of their purchases of new snow and ice control equipment. The deferral of new equipment purchases during periods of weak economic conditions or limited or reduced government spending may negatively affect our results of operations, financial condition and ability to generate cash flow.

Weakened economic conditions or limited or reduced government spending may also cause both our Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions end-users to consider price more carefully in selecting new snow and ice control equipment and upfit vehicles, respectively. Historically, considerations of quality and service have outweighed considerations of price, but in a weak economy, or an environment of constrained government spending, price may become a more important factor. Any refocus away from quality in favor of cheaper equipment could cause end-users to shift away from our products to less expensive competitor products, or to shift away from our more profitable products to our less profitable products, which in turn would adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to generate cash flow.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the market volatility and other economic implications associated with it, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows have been adversely impacted in the year ended December 31, 2020, and may be significantly impacted in future quarters. It may be more difficult to collect from customers as a result of customer bankruptcy or other hardships. Supply chains may be disrupted which could raise prices and impact our ability to obtain inventory timely. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we faced supply chain disruptions and additional difficulty obtaining chassis and other inventory, which we attribute in part to the impacts of COVID-19, and supply chains may continue to be disrupted which could adversely affect our results. We preventatively and voluntarily closed our facilities on March 18, 2020,

Table of Contents

suspending production and shipments at all of our locations, which negatively impacted sales volumes and profitability during the shutdown period.  Throughout the second quarter of 2020, we slowly ramped up production at various facilities as appropriate and have since returned to full production levels. We incurred certain overhead and other costs during the shutdown period that were not capitalized into inventory.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and will likely continue to impact, our office locations and our manufacturing and servicing facilities, as well as those of our third party vendors, including the effects of facility closures, reductions in operating hours and other social distancing efforts.  For example, we enacted temporary shutdown of certain of our facilities in the first and second quarters of 2020 to protect the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and the surrounding communities. We slowly ramped up production during the second quarter, and are currently at full production levels. Although our operations are generally viewed as essential services in the geographies in which we operate, we can give no assurance that our operations will continue to be classified as essential in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate.  

We may have challenges in short-term liquidity which could impact our ability to fund working capital needs. If our access to capital were to become significantly constrained or if costs of capital increased significantly due the impact of COVID-19, including volatility in the capital markets, a reduction in our credit ratings or other factors, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

We are not able to predict the full impact of the pandemic on our future financial results as the situation remains unpredictable. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19, the longevity of COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on economic activity,  and the actions to contain its impacts on public health and the global economy.

The price of steel, a commodity necessary to manufacture our products, is highly variable. If the price of steel increases, our gross margins could decline.

Steel is a significant raw material used to manufacture our products. During each of 2020, 2019 and 2018, our raw steel purchases were in amounts equivalent to approximately 10% of our revenue. The steel industry is highly cyclical in nature, and steel prices have been volatile in recent years and may remain volatile in the future. Steel prices are influenced by numerous factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions domestically and internationally, the availability of raw materials, competition, labor costs, freight and transportation costs, production costs, tariffs and other trade restrictions. For example, in March 2018, the United States imposed an additional 25% tariff under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, on steel products imported into the Unites States. Steel prices are volatile and may also increase as a result of increased demand from the automobile and consumer durable sectors. If the price of steel increases, our variable costs may increase. We may not be able to mitigate these increased costs through the implementation of permanent price increases or temporary invoice surcharges, especially if economic conditions are weak and our distributors and end-users become more price sensitive. If we are unable to successfully mitigate such cost increases in the future, our gross margins could decline.

If petroleum prices increase, then our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Petroleum prices have fluctuated significantly in recent years. Prices and availability of petroleum products are subject to political, economic and market factors that are outside of our control. Political events in petroleum-producing regions as well as hurricanes and other weather-related events may cause the price of fuel to increase. If the price of fuel increases, the demand for our products may decline and transportation and freight costs may increase, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

​

​

​

Table of Contents

Risks Related to our Business and Operations

We depend on outside suppliers and original equipment manufacturers who may be unable to meet our volume and quality requirements, and we may be unable to obtain alternative sources.

We purchase certain components essential to our snowplows and sand and salt spreaders from outside suppliers, including off-shore sources. We also have OEM partners that supply truck chassis used in our truck upfitting operations across both segments. Most of our key supply arrangements can be discontinued at any time. A supplier may encounter delays in the production and delivery of such products and components or may supply us with products and components that do not meet our quality, quantity or cost requirements. In addition, as was the case in 2020 and 2019, an OEM may encounter difficulties and may be unable to deliver truck chassis according to our production needs, which may result in the deferral of sales to future periods. Additionally, a supplier may be forced to discontinue operations. Any discontinuation or interruption in the availability of quality products, components or truck chassis from one or more of our suppliers may result in increased production costs, delays in the delivery of our products and lost end-user sales, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We have continued to increase the number of our off-shore suppliers. Our increased reliance on off-shore sourcing may cause our business to be more susceptible to the impact of natural disasters, global health epidemics, war and other factors that may disrupt the transportation systems or shipping lines used by our suppliers, a weakening of the dollar over an extended period of time and other uncontrollable factors such as changes in foreign regulation, tariffs or economic conditions. In addition, reliance on off-shore suppliers may make it more difficult for us to respond to sudden changes in demand because of the longer lead time to obtain components from off-shore sources. We may be unable to mitigate this risk by stocking sufficient materials to satisfy any sudden or prolonged surges in demand for our products. If we cannot satisfy demand for our products in a timely manner, our sales could suffer as distributors can cancel purchase orders without penalty until shipment.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, as well as personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to malicious attacks or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions, including as a result of rollouts of new systems. In addition, we currently have portions of our workforce working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may heighten these risks. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings and/or regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and/or cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, which could adversely affect our business.

We are heavily dependent on our senior management team. If we are unable to retain, attract, and motivate qualified employees, it may adversely affect our business.

Our continued success depends on the retention, recruitment and continued contributions of key management, finance, sales and marketing personnel, some of whom could be difficult to replace. Our success is largely dependent upon our senior management team. The loss of any one or more of such persons could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our ability to implement our business plan is dependent on our retaining, hiring, and training a large number of qualified employees every year. Our results of operations could be adversely affected by increased costs due to higher competition for employees, higher employee turnover, or increased employee benefit costs.

Table of Contents

Our failure to maintain good relationships with our customers and distributors, the loss or consolidation of our distributor base or the actions or inactions of our distributors could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and our ability to generate cash flow.

We depend on a network of truck equipment distributors to sell, install and service our products and upfitted vehicles. Nearly all of these sales and service relationships are at will, so almost all of our distributors could discontinue the sale and service of our products and upfitted vehicles at any time, and those distributors that primarily sell our products and upfitted vehicles may choose to sell competing products or vehicles at any time. Further, difficult economic or other circumstances could cause any of our distributors to discontinue their businesses. Moreover, if our distributor base were to consolidate or if any of our distributors were to discontinue their business, competition for the business of fewer distributors would intensify. If we do not maintain good relationships with our distributors and customers, or if we do not provide product or upfit offerings and pricing that meet the needs of our distributors and customers, we could lose a substantial amount of our distributor and customer base. A loss of a substantial portion of our distributor and customer base could cause our sales to decline significantly, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow.

In addition, our distributors may not provide timely or adequate service to our end-users. If this occurs, our brand identity and reputation may be damaged, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow.

Lack of available financing options for our end-users or distributors may adversely affect our sales volumes.

Our end-user base in our Work Truck Attachments segment is highly concentrated among professional snowplowers who comprise over 50% of our end-users, many of whom are individual landscapers who remove snow during the winter and landscape during the rest of the year, rather than large, well-capitalized corporations. These end-users often depend upon credit to purchase our Work Truck Attachments products. If credit is unavailable on favorable terms or at all, then these end-users may not be able to purchase our Work Truck Attachments products from our distributors, which would in turn reduce sales and adversely affect our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow.

In addition, because our distributors, like our end-users, rely on credit to purchase our products, if our distributors are not able to obtain credit, or access credit on favorable terms, we may experience delays in payment or nonpayment for delivered products. Further, if our distributors are unable to obtain credit or access credit on favorable terms, they could experience financial difficulties or bankruptcy and cease purchases of our products altogether. Thus, if financing is unavailable on favorable terms or at all, our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow would be adversely affected.

We do not sell our products under long-term purchase contracts, and sales of our products are significantly impacted by factors outside of our control; therefore, our ability to estimate demand is limited.

We do not enter into long-term purchase contracts with our distributors and the purchase orders we receive may be cancelled without penalty until shipment. Therefore, our ability to accurately predict future demand for our products is limited. Nonetheless, we attempt to estimate demand for our products for purposes of planning our annual production levels and our long-term product development and new product introductions. We base our estimates of demand on our own market assessment, snowfall figures, quarterly field inventory surveys and regular communications with our distributors. Because wide fluctuations in the level, timing and location of snowfall, economic conditions and other factors may occur, each of which is out of our control, our estimates of demand may not be accurate. Underestimating demand could result in procuring an insufficient amount of materials necessary for the production of our products, which may result in increased production costs, delays in product delivery, missed sale opportunities and a decrease in customer satisfaction. Overestimating demand could result in the procurement of excessive supplies, which could result in increased inventory and associated carrying costs.

Table of Contents

We face competition from other companies in our industry, and if we are unable to compete effectively with these companies, it could have an adverse effect on our sales and profitability. Price competition among our distributors and customers could negatively affect our market share.

In our Work Truck Attachments segment, we primarily compete with regional manufacturers of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks. While we are the most geographically diverse company in our industry, we may face increasing competition in the markets in which we operate. Additionally, in our Work Truck Solutions segment, we compete with other market leaders in the municipal snow and ice manufacturing and truck upfit industries. In saturated markets, price competition may lead to a decrease in our market share or a compression of our margins, both of which would affect our profitability. Moreover, current or future competitors may grow their market share and develop superior service and may have or may develop greater financial resources, lower costs, superior technology or more favorable operating conditions than we maintain. As a result, competitive pressures we face may cause price reductions for our products, which would affect our profitability or result in decreased sales and operating income. Additionally, saturation of the markets in which we compete or channel conflicts among our brands and shifts in consumer preferences may increase these competitive pressures or may result in increased competition among our distributors and affect our sales and profitability. In addition, price competition among the distributors that sell our products could lead to significant margin erosion among our distributors, which could in turn result in compressed margins or loss of market share for us. Management believes that, after ourselves, the next largest competitors in the market for snow and ice control equipment for light trucks are The Toro Company (the manufacturer of the Boss brand of snow and ice control equipment) and Meyer Products LLC, and that these companies represent our primary competitors for light truck market share for our Work Truck Attachments segment.   Management believes that, after ourselves, the next largest competitors in the market for snow and ice control equipment for heavy trucks are Monroe and Viking, and that these companies represent our primary competitors for heavy truck market share for our Work Truck Solutions segment.  Management believes that, other regional market leaders in the truck upfitting industry are Knapheide, Reading, Palfleet and Autotruck, and that these companies represent our primary competitors for the upfit market share for our Work Truck Solutions segment.

The statements regarding our industry, market positions and market share in this filing are based on our management’s estimates and assumptions. While we believe such statements are reasonable, such statements have not been independently verified.

Information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K concerning the snow and ice control equipment and truck upfitting industries, our general expectations concerning these industries and our market positions and other market share data regarding the industries are based on estimates our management prepared using end-user surveys, anecdotal data from our distributors and distributors that carry our competitors’ products, our results of operations and management’s past experience, and on assumptions made, based on our management’s knowledge of this industry, all of which we believe to be reasonable. These estimates and assumptions are inherently subject to uncertainties, especially given the year-to-year variability of snowfall and the difficulty of obtaining precise information about our competitors, and may prove to be inaccurate. In addition, we have not independently verified the information from any third-party source and thus cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness, although management also believes such information to be reasonable. Our actual operating results may vary significantly if our estimates and outlook concerning the industry, snowfall patterns, our market positions or our market shares turn out to be incorrect.

We are subject to product liability claims, product quality issues, and other litigation from time to time that could adversely affect our operating results or financial condition.

The manufacture, sale and usage of our products expose us to a risk of product liability claims. If our products are defective or used incorrectly by our end-users, then injury may result, giving rise to product liability claims against us. If a product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of our insurance coverage, and it is ultimately determined that we are liable, our business and financial condition could suffer. Any losses that we may suffer from any liability claims, and the effect that any product liability litigation may have upon the reputation and marketability of our products, may divert management’s attention from other matters and may have a negative impact on our business and operating results. Additionally, we could experience a material design or manufacturing failure in our products, a quality system failure or other safety issues, or heightened regulatory scrutiny that could warrant a recall of some of our products. A recall of some of our

Table of Contents

products could also result in increased product liability claims. Any of these issues could also result in loss of market share, reduced sales, and higher warranty expense.

Risks Related to Execution of Strategy

We may be unable to identify, complete or benefit from strategic transactions.

Our long-term growth strategy includes building value for our company through a variety of methods. These methods may include acquisition of, investment in, or joint ventures involving, complementary businesses. We cannot assure that we will be able to identify suitable parties for these transactions. If we are unable to identify suitable parties for strategic transactions we may not be able to capitalize on market opportunities with existing and new customers, which could inhibit our ability to gain market share. Even if we identify suitable parties to participate in these transactions, we cannot assure that we will be able to make them on commercially acceptable terms, if at all.

In July 2016, we acquired Dejana. In December 2014, we acquired Henderson. We may not be able to achieve the projected financial performance or incur unexpected costs or liabilities as a result of these transactions. In addition, if in the future we acquire another company or its assets, it may be difficult to assimilate the acquired businesses, products, services, technologies and personnel into our operations. These difficulties could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and workforce, increase our expenses and adversely affect our operating results and ability to compete and gain market share. Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky and are subject to many factors outside our control. No assurance can be given that any future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business, operating results, or financial condition. In addition, we may incur debt or be required to issue equity securities to pay for future acquisitions or investments. The issuance of any equity securities could be dilutive to our stockholders. We also may need to make further investments to support any acquired company and may have difficulty identifying and acquiring appropriate resources. If we divest or otherwise exit certain portions of our business in connection with a strategic transaction, we may be required to record additional expenses, and our estimates with respect to the useful life and ultimate recoverability of our carrying basis of assets, including goodwill and purchased intangible assets, could change.

If we are unable to enforce, maintain or continue to build our intellectual property portfolio, or if others invalidate our intellectual property rights, our competitive position may be harmed.

Our patents relate to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms, sand, salt and fertilizer spreader assemblies, reel handlers and carriers and shelving systems. Patents are valid for the longer period of 17 years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between less than one year and 19 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 2003 through 2020.

We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 47 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN^®, FISHER^®, DEJANA^®, BLIZZARD^®, SNOWEX^®, TURFEX^®, SWEEPEX^®, HENDERSON^® and BRINEXTREME^®) 13 Canadian registered trademarks, 5 European trademarks, 5 Chinese trademarks, 58 U.S. issued patents, and 9 Canadian patents.  Although we work diligently to protect our intellectual property rights, monitoring the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, and the steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use by others. In addition, in the event a third party challenges the validity of our intellectual property rights, a court may determine that our intellectual property rights may not be valid or enforceable. An adverse determination with respect to our intellectual property rights may harm our business prospects and reputation. Third parties may design around our patents or may independently develop technology similar to our trade secrets. The failure to adequately build, maintain and enforce our intellectual property portfolio could impair the strength of our technology and our brands, and harm our competitive position. Although we have no reason to believe that our intellectual property rights are vulnerable, previously undiscovered intellectual property could be used to invalidate our rights.

Table of Contents

If we are unable to develop new products or improve upon our existing products on a timely basis, it could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We believe that our future success depends, in part, on our ability to develop on a timely basis new technologically advanced products or improve upon our existing products in innovative ways that meet or exceed our competitors’ product and upfit offerings. Continuous product innovation ensures that our consumers have access to the latest products and features when they consider buying snow and ice control equipment and truck upfits. Maintaining our market position will require us to continue to invest in research and development and sales and marketing. Product development requires significant financial, technological and other resources. We may be unsuccessful in making the technological advances necessary to develop new products or improve our existing products to maintain our market position. Industry standards, end-user expectations or other products may emerge that could render one or more of our products less desirable or obsolete. If any of these events occur, it could cause decreases in sales, a failure to realize premium pricing and an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Our dividend policy may limit our ability to pursue growth opportunities.

If we continue to pay dividends at the level contemplated by our dividend policy, as in effect on the date of this filing, or if we increase the level of our dividend payments in the future, we may not retain a sufficient amount of cash to finance growth opportunities, meet any large unanticipated liquidity requirements or fund our operations in the event of a significant business downturn. In addition, because a significant portion of cash available will be distributed to holders of our common stock under our dividend policy, our ability to pursue any material expansion of our business, including through acquisitions, increased capital spending or other increases of our expenditures, will depend more than it otherwise would on our ability to obtain third party financing. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available to us at all, or at an acceptable cost. If we are unable to take timely advantage of growth opportunities, our future financial condition and competitive position may be harmed, which in turn may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Matters

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental and safety regulations that can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.

Our operations are subject to certain federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, climate change, the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation, disposal and discharge of hazardous and non-hazardous substances and materials into the environment, the manufacturing of motor vehicle accessories and employee health and safety. We cannot be certain that existing and future laws and regulations and their interpretations will not harm our business or financial condition. We currently make and may be required to make large and unanticipated capital expenditures to comply with environmental and other regulations, such as:

While we monitor our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and attempt to budget for anticipated costs associated with compliance, we cannot predict the future cost of such compliance. In 2020, the amount expended for such compliance was insignificant, but we could incur material expenses in the future in the event of future legislation changes or unforeseen events, such as a workplace accident or environmental discharge, or if we otherwise discover we are in non-compliance with an applicable regulation. In addition, under these laws and regulations, we could be liable for:

Table of Contents

Our operations could be significantly delayed or curtailed and our costs of operations could significantly increase as a result of regulatory requirements, restrictions or claims. We are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on our operations.

Provisions of Delaware law and our charter documents could delay or prevent an acquisition of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to you.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. These provisions include:

We are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder, as defined in that section, for a period of three years following the date on which that stockholder became an interested stockholder. This provision, together with the provisions discussed above, could also make it more difficult for you and our other stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions, and could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Table of Contents

Risks Related to Capital Structure

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our operations, including our ability to perform our obligations and generate cash flow.

As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $240.1 million of senior secured indebtedness, no outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility and $99.1 million of borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility. We may also be able to incur substantial indebtedness in the future, including senior indebtedness, which may or may not be secured.

Our indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:

If any of these consequences occur, our financial condition, results of operations and ability to generate cash flow could be adversely affected. This, in turn, could negatively affect the market price of our common stock, and we may need to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our debt, selling assets, reducing or delaying capital investments or seeking to raise additional capital. We cannot assure you that any refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, or, if sold, of the timing of the sales and the amount of proceeds that may be realized from those sales, or that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly and could impose adverse consequences.

Certain of our borrowings, including our term loan and any revolving borrowings under our senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. In addition, the interest rate on any revolving borrowings is subject to an increase in the interest rate if the average daily availability under our revolving credit facility falls below a certain threshold. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows would correspondingly decrease.

Table of Contents

Our senior credit facilities impose restrictions on us, which may also prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities and taking certain corporate actions. One of these facilities also includes minimum availability requirements, which if unsatisfied, could result in liquidity events that may jeopardize our business.

Our senior credit facilities contain, and future debt instruments to which we may become subject may contain, covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit our company. Under the credit facilities, these covenants include restrictions on our ability to:

Under our amended revolving credit facility, if a liquidity event occurs because our borrowing availability is less than the greater of $12,500,000 and 12.5% of the aggregate revolving commitments (or an event of default occurs and is continuing), subject to certain limited cure rights, all proceeds of our accounts receivable and other collateral will be applied to reduce obligations under our amended revolving credit facility, jeopardizing our ability to meet other obligations. Our ability to comply with the covenants contained in our senior credit facilities or in the agreements governing our future indebtedness, and our ability to avoid liquidity events, may be affected by events, or our future performance, which are subject to factors beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial, industry and weather conditions, such as the level, timing and location of snowfall and general economic conditions in the snowbelt regions of North America. A failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under our senior credit facilities, which could prevent us from paying dividends, borrowing additional amounts and using proceeds of our inventory and accounts receivable, and also permit the lenders to accelerate the payment of such debt. If any of our debt is accelerated or if a liquidity event (or event of default) occurs that results in collateral proceeds being applied to reduce such debt, we may not have sufficient funds available to repay such debt and our other obligations, in which case, our business could be halted and such lenders could proceed against any collateral

Table of Contents

securing that debt. Further, if the lenders accelerate the payment of the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities and our other indebtedness, if any. We cannot assure you that these covenants will not adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs to pursue available business opportunities or react to changes in our business and the industry in which we operate.

We may face risk associated with the discontinuation of and transition from London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as a benchmark interest rate. 

The LIBOR benchmark has been subject of national, international, and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. LIBOR may ultimately be discontinued as of the year ending 2021. The discontinuation of LIBOR would require lenders and their borrowers to transition from LIBOR to an alternative benchmark interest rate, which could impact our cost of funds and access to the capital markets, which may in turn impact our results of operations and cash flows.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

Item 2.  Properties

Our significant facilities by location, ownership, and function as of December 31, 2020 are as follows:

​

(1) – Two facilities.

Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, we are engaged in various litigation primarily including product liability and intellectual property disputes. However, management does not believe that any current litigation is material to our operations or financial position. In addition, we are not currently party to any environmental-related claims or legal matters.  

Table of Contents

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Information about our Executive Officers

Our executive officers as of February 23, 2021 were as follows:

​

Robert McCormick has been serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as director since January 2019.  Previously, Mr. McCormick served as our Chief Operating Officer from August 2017 until January 2019. Prior to becoming Chief Operating Officer, Mr. McCormick served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from September 2004 through August 2017, as our Secretary from May 2005 through August 2017, as our Assistant Secretary from September 2004 to May 2005 and as our Treasurer from September 2004 through December 2010. Prior to joining us, Mr. McCormick served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Xymox Technology Inc. from 2001 to 2004. Prior to that, Mr. McCormick served in various capacities in the Newell Rubbermaid Corporation, including President from 2000 to 2001 and Vice President Group Controller from 1997 to 2000.

Sarah Lauber has been serving as our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary since August 2017.  Prior to joining us, Ms. Lauber served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jason Industries, Inc., a global industrial manufacturing company, since January 2016 and as Jason Industries’ Chief Financial Officer since 2015. Prior to joining Jason Industries, Ms. Lauber served as Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis at Regal Beloit Corporation, a manufacturer of electric motors, electric motion controls, power generation and power transmission products, from 2011 until 2015. Ms. Lauber previously was employed by A.O. Smith Corporation’s Electrical Products Company (“EPC”) from 2002 until 2011 and held various roles, the latest of which was Chief Financial Officer from 2006 until EPC was acquired by Regal Beloit in 2011. Ms. Lauber is a member of the Board of Directors of The Timken Company.

Keith Hagelin has been serving as our President, Worth Truck Attachments, since August 2020. Prior to this role, he served as our President, Commercial Snow & Ice since June 2017, our Senior Vice President, Operations since September 2013 and our Vice President, Operations since 2009, having previously spent 14 years in progressive roles with us, including Plant Manager and General Manager—Rockland and most recently Vice President of Manufacturing from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining Douglas, he spent 13 years at Raytheon Corporation in various manufacturing, production and new product development roles.

Jonathon Sievert has been serving as our President, Work Truck Solutions, since March, 2019. Prior to his role as President, Work Truck Solutions, Mr. Sievert served President, Municipal Snow & Ice from March 2017 to March 2019 and as our Senior Vice President, Operations, Municipal Snow & Ice, from July 2015 to March 2017. Mr. Sievert served as our Director, Operational Excellence, Douglas Dynamics from October 2012 through July 2015 and Business Unit Manager, Commercial Snow & Ice from January 2009 through October 2012. During the prior 10 years, Mr. Sievert served as Director of Operations for Cole Manufacturing Inc.

Linda Evans has been serving as our Vice President, Human Resources, since June 2008 and became an executive officer in February, 2021. Ms. Evans is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management and has her Senior Professional HR (SPHR) certification.  Prior to joining Douglas Dynamics, Ms. Evans served as the Director of Human Resources for Pentair Filtration from November 1998 to June 2008.

Table of Contents

Executive officers are elected by, and serve at the discretion of, the Board of Directors. There are no family relationships between any of our directors or executive officers.

​

PART II

Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our Common Stock has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since the second quarter of 2010 under the symbol “PLOW.”

At February 23, 2021, there were 57 registered record holders of our Common Stock.

In accordance with our dividend policy, dividends are declared and paid quarterly at the discretion of the board of directors. Additionally, special dividends may be declared and paid at the discretion of the board of directors. We paid quarterly dividends to the holders of our Common Stock in 2019 and 2020.

Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain information relating to the Company’s equity compensation plans.

The following information in this Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such a filing.

Table of Contents

The graph set forth below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020, with the cumulative total return of The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on January 1, 2016 in our common stock, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index, and assumes the reinvestment of dividends.

We did not sell any equity securities during 2020 in offerings that were not registered under the Securities Act.

​

Table of Contents

Item 6.  Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial data for the periods and at the dates indicated. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements.

The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 2016, 2017 and 2018 and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 is derived from our historical financial statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

​

​

See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section in Item 7 below for a definition of Adjusted EBITDA.

​

Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information with respect to our plans and strategies for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K

Table of Contents

for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

Operating Segments

The Company conducts business in two segments: Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. Under this reporting structure, the Company’s two reportable business segments are as follows: 

Work Truck Attachments.  The Work Truck Attachments segment includes our operations that manufacture and sell snow and ice control attachments and other products sold under the FISHER®, WESTERN®, and SNOWEX® brands.   As described under “Seasonality and Year-To- Year Variability,” the Work Truck Attachments segment is seasonal and, as a result, its results of operations can vary from quarter-to-quarter and from year-to-year.

Work Truck Solutions.  The Work Truck Solutions segment includes manufactured municipal snow and ice control products under the HENDERSON® brand and the upfit of market leading attachments and storage solutions under the HENDERSON® brand, and the DEJANA® brand and its related sub-brands.

See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning individual segment performance for the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

COVID-19

​

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the market volatility and other economic implications associated with the pandemic and the economic and regulatory measures enacted to contain its spread, our results of operations have been impacted in the year ended December 31, 2020, and may be significantly impacted in future quarters. See below for further discussion of the impact to our financial statements. We are not able to predict the full impact of the pandemic on our future financial results as the situation remains unpredictable, but the pandemic has had a material impact on our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020. In particular, we recorded goodwill impairment charges of $127.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 in part as a result of the economic conditions stemming from the pandemic. See Note 2 for additional information.

We may have challenges in short-term liquidity which could impact our ability to fund working capital needs. We have taken various steps to preserve liquidity, including reducing discretionary spending and deferring payments where appropriate within existing contractual terms, while remaining committed to long term growth projects.  In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, cash on hand and cash we generated from operations, as well as available credit under our senior credit facilities as amended during 2020, provided adequate and incremental funds throughout 2020, and we expect will continue to provide us with adequate funds in 2021. We are taking appropriate steps to mitigate the effects of the pandemic where possible. We preventatively and voluntarily closed our facilities on March 18, 2020, suspending production and shipments at all of our locations, which negatively impacted sales volumes and profitability during the shutdown period.  Throughout the second quarter of 2020, we slowly ramped up production at various facilities as appropriate and have since returned to full production levels. We have not experienced any additional significant shutdowns since the second quarter of 2020, although we have experienced increased absenteeism as we have encouraged employees to stay home if they experience any symptoms or had exposure to COVID-19. We believe that we have taken all of the necessary and appropriate safety steps and precautions for employees who have returned to work. We will continue to monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state or local authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders.

​

Overview

While our Work Truck Solutions operations are not as reliant on snowfall, snowfall is still the primary factor in evaluating our business results due to its significant impact on the results of operations of our Work Truck

Table of Contents

Attachments segment. We typically compare the snowfall level in a given period both to the snowfall level in the prior season and to those snowfall levels we consider to be average. References to “average snowfall” levels below refer to the aggregate average inches of snowfall recorded in 66 cities in 26 snow-belt states in the United States during the annual snow season, from October 1 through March 31, from 1980 to 2020. During this period, snowfall averaged 3,029 inches, with the low in such period being 1,794 inches and the high being 4,502 inches. Meanwhile, over the last 10 years, snowfall averaged 3,112 inches for the snow periods ending March 31, 2011 through 2020.

During the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2020, snowfall was 2,327 inches, which was 23.2% lower than averages from 1980 to 2020. During the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2019, we experienced snowfall that was 3.5% higher than averages from 1980 to 2019. During the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2018, we experienced snowfall that was 9.6% higher than averages from 1980 to 2018.  Snowfall was 25.2% below average during the snow season ended March 31, 2020 when compared to the average over the last 10 years and was the second snow season in a row below this average. Snowfall was 2.6% below average during the snow season ended March 31, 2019 when compared to the average over the previous 10 years. Additionally, the timing and location of snowfall can have an impact on our financial results. We believe the below-average snowfall in the year ended December 31, 2020 was the largest driver that negatively impacted our business in 2020. We believe other factors also had a negative impact, including the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain constraints. In both 2019 and 2020, we encountered chassis availability issues with certain of our OEM partners, which negatively impacted our business.

The following table sets forth, for the periods presented, the consolidated statements of income (loss) of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In the table below and throughout this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” consolidated statements of income data for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The information contained in the table below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

​

Table of Contents

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of certain items in our consolidated statement of income data, relative to net sales:

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

Net Sales.  Net sales were $480.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $571.7 million in 2019, a decrease of $91.5 million, or 16.0%. Net sales decreased for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to lower volumes driven by below average snowfall, class 4-6 chassis availability constraints which we believe was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of reduced shipments from our facilities being shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic for several weeks throughout the first and second quarters. See below for a discussion of net sales for each of our segments.

Net sales at our Work Truck Attachment segment were $252.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $293.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $40.8 million primarily due to lower volumes due to below average snowfall for the snow season ended March 31, 2020. Snowfall in this most recent snow season was approximately 25% below the ten year average, and was the second below average snowfall season in a row.

Net sales at our Work Truck Solutions segment were $227.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $278.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $50.8 million due primarily to lower volumes as a result of class 4-6 chassis supply constraints, as well as result of the facilities shutdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to significantly reduced shipments in the first and second quarters of 2020. 

Cost of Sales.  Cost of sales was $351.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $402.9 million in 2019, a decrease of $51.0 million, or 12.7%. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased from 70.5% for the year ended December 31, 2019 to 73.3% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in

Table of Contents

cost of sales as a percentage of sales in the year ended December 31, 2020 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily due to lower sales volumes due to below average snowfall and reduced shipments related to facility shutdowns, as well as shutdown expenses related to COVID-19. Such shutdown expenses include the continuation of wages for employees who were not working during the shutdown, as well as an increase in fixed expenses and overhead, as these costs were not capitalized into inventory for the shutdown period, and increased inefficiencies due to absenteeism.    

Gross Profit.  Gross profit was $128.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $168.8 million in 2019, a decrease of $40.5 million, or 24.0%, due to the decrease in net sales described above under “—Net Sales.” As a percentage of net sales, gross profit decreased from 29.5% for the year ended December 31, 2019 to 26.7% for the corresponding period in 2020, as a result of the factors discussed above under “—Cost of Sales.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, were $75.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $82.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $6.7 million, or 8.2%.  The decrease compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 was in part due to $2.0 million of earnout valuation adjustments in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $0.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2019. The remainder of the decrease in the year ended December 31, 2020 is due to lower discretionary spending, including travel and advertising and promotions, as a result of facility shutdowns during the first and second quarters and decreased volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization, increased from 14.4% for the year ended December 31, 2019 to 15.8% for the corresponding period in 2020.

Impairment Charges.  Impairment charges were $127.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. There were no impairment charges in the prior year. The impairment charges in 2020 relate to goodwill impairment taken on our Municipal and Dejana reporting units of $47.8 and $80.1 million, respectively. The increase in impairment charges was due to reduced performance in the current year and projected future years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and chassis and other supply chain constraints. See Note 2 for additional information.

Interest Expense. Interest expense was $20.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $16.8 million in the corresponding period in 2019. The increase in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 was primarily due to $2.9 million in non-cash mark-to-market and amortization adjustments on an interest rate swap not accounted for as a hedge, as well as higher interest paid on our term loan of $1.3 million, due to the increase in principal balance from the June 8, 2020 refinancing slightly offset by a $20.0 million voluntary prepayment made in January 2020. This increase in interest expense was somewhat offset by lower revolver interest of $0.7 million in the year ended December 31 2020, as a result of decreased short-term borrowings when compared to the prior year. See Note 9 for additional information.

Debt Modification Expense. Debt modification expense was $3.5 million in the year ended September 30, 2020, compared to $0.0 million in the prior year. The debt modification expense in 2020 related to fees incurred in conjunction with the Company’s June 8, 2020 refinancing of its Term Loan and Revolving Credit Agreement.

Pension Termination. Pension termination costs were $6.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, as a result of the Company successfully terminating its pension plans during the period. See Note 13 for additional information on the termination of the pension plans.

Income Tax Expense. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 2020 was a tax benefit of 12.4% compared to tax expense 21.5% for 2019. The following items caused the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2020 to be significantly lower than the Company’s historical annual effective tax rate:

Table of Contents

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting the deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangible amortization.

Net Income (Loss).  Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $86.6 million compared to net income of $49.2 million for 2019, a decrease of $135.8 million. This decrease was driven by the factors described above.

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2018

Net Sales.  Net sales were $571.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $524.1 million in 2018, an increase of $47.6 million, or 9.1%. Net sales increased for the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily due to higher volumes driven by ongoing positive demand, price increases and improved chassis predictability.  

Net sales at our Work Truck Attachment segment were $293.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $275.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $18.4 million primarily due to strong sales during our preseason period and increased parts and accessories sales, as well as price recovery on higher material costs. 

Net sales at our Work Truck Solutions segment were $278.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $248.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $29.3 million due primarily to increased demand, including certain large fleet orders, price recovery on higher material costs, as well as continued improvements in chassis supply predictability when compared to the prior year.

Cost of Sales.  Cost of sales was $402.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $369.2 million in 2018, an increase of $33.7 million, or 9.1%. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased slightly from 70.4% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 70.5% for the year ended December 31, 2019. The slight increase in cost of sales in the year ended December 31, 2019 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to increased healthcare and labor costs, as well as a higher cost of sales as a percentage of sales for Work Truck Solutions products, which historically has operated at lower margins than the Work Truck Attachments segment, offset by operating efficiencies in the Work Truck Solutions segment.    

Gross Profit.  Gross profit was $168.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $154.9 million in 2018, an increase of $13.9 million, or 9.0%, due to the increase in net sales described above under “—Net Sales.” As a percentage of net sales, gross profit decreased slightly from 29.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 29.5% for the corresponding period in 2019, as a result of the factors discussed above under “—Cost of Sales.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, were $82.2  million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $81.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $0.8 million, or 1.0%.  The increase compared to the year ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to an increase in healthcare costs and an increase in variable compensation due to improved operating results, offset by a decrease in stock compensation expense related to plan design changes implemented in the prior year and planned management transitions that occurred in 2019, and a decrease in legal expenses related to a patent infringement case in the prior year. In addition, there were decreases in earnout expense of $0.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $0.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2018 driven by the earnout valuation adjustments in the respective periods. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization, decreased from 15.5% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 14.4% for the corresponding period in 2019.

Table of Contents

Interest Expense. Interest expense was $16.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $16.9 million in the corresponding period in 2018. The slight decrease in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily due to the reduction to the principal balance of the Term Loan Credit Agreement due to a $30.0 million voluntary prepayment made in February 2019, offset by an increase in interest expense on revolver borrowings of $0.4 million when compared to the prior year.

Pension Termination. Pension termination costs were $6.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, as a result of the Company successfully terminating its pension plans during the period. See Note 13 for additional information on the termination of the pension plans.

Income Tax Expense. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 2019 was 21.5% compared to 21.3% for 2018. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2019 is slightly higher than 2018 primarily due to a decrease in the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions of $0.5 million; $0.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2019 versus $1.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2018.  The Company also made a voluntary pension funding payment in the year ended December 31, 2018 of $7.0 million which was deducted in the Company’s tax returns for the year ended December 31, 2017 reducing taxable income for that period.   The increased pension funding deduction resulted in a tax benefit of $0.7 million, also decreasing the tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in effective tax rate was partially offset by decreases in the rate related to state rate changes driven by legislative changes in tax laws in one of the states in which we operate, and a benefit related to the increase in officer life insurance as a result of market performance.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting the deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangible amortization.

Net Income.  Net income for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $49.2 million compared to net income of $43.9 million for 2018, an increase of $5.3 million. This increase was driven by the factors described above.

Discussion of Critical Accounting Policies

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. These estimates and assumptions are often based on judgments that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time made, but all such estimates and assumptions are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions, and it is possible that other professionals, applying their own judgment to the same facts and circumstances, could develop and support alternative estimates and assumptions that would result in material changes to our operating results and financial condition. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances.

The most significant accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our financial statements include estimates used in revenue recognition and the impairment assessment of goodwill.

We believe the following are the critical accounting policies that affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. We adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method as of January 1, 2018. This approach was applied to all contracts not completed as of the date of initial application. Upon adoption, we recognized the cumulative effect of adopting this guidance as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings of $0.4 million.

Table of Contents

Work Truck Attachments Segment Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue upon shipment of equipment to the customer. Within the Work Truck Attachments segment, we offer a variety of discounts and sales incentives to our distributors. The estimated liability for sales discounts and allowances is recorded at the time of sale as a reduction of net sales using the expected value method. The liability is estimated based on the costs of the program, the planned duration of the program and historical experience.

Work Truck Solutions Segment Revenue Recognition

The Work Truck Solutions segment primarily participates in the truck and vehicle upfitting industry in the United States. Customers are billed separately for the truck chassis by the chassis manufacturer.  We only record sales for the amount of the upfit, excluding the truck chassis.   Generally, we obtain the truck chassis from the truck chassis manufacturer through either our floor plan agreement with a financial institution or bailment pool agreement with the truck chassis manufacturer. Additionally, in some instances we upfit chassis which are owned by the end customer.  For truck chassis acquired through the floor plan agreement, we hold title to the vehicle from the time the chassis is received by us until the completion of the up-fit.  Under the bailment pool agreement, we do not take title to the truck chassis, but rather only hold the truck chassis on consignment.   We pay interest on both of these arrangements.  We record revenue in the same manner net of the value of the truck chassis in both our floor plan and bailment pool agreements. We do not set the price for the truck chassis, are not responsible for the billing of the chassis and do not have inventory risk in either the bailment pool or floor plan agreements. The Work Truck Solutions segment also has manufacturing operations of municipal snow and ice control equipment, where revenue is recognized upon shipment of equipment to the customer.

Revenues from the sales of the Work Truck Solutions products are recognized net of the truck chassis with the selling price to the customer recorded as sales and the manufacturing and up-fit cost of the product recorded as cost of sales. In these cases, we act as an agent as we do not have inventory or pricing control over the truck chassis.  Within the Work Truck Solutions segment, we also sell certain third-party products for which we act as an agent.  These sales do not meet the criteria for gross sales recognition, and thus are recognized on a net basis at the time of sale. Under net sales recognition, the cost paid to the third-party service provider is recorded as a reduction to sales, resulting in net sales being equal to the gross profit on the transaction.

See Note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed description of our revenue recognition policies.

Goodwill

We perform an annual impairment test for goodwill and more frequently if an event or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss has been incurred. Conditions that would trigger an impairment assessment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in legal factors or business climate that could affect the value of an asset. The amount of goodwill impairment is determined by the amount the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value.  We have determined we have three reporting units, and all significant decisions are made on a company-wide basis by our chief operating decision maker. The fair value of the reporting unit is estimated by using an income and market approach. The estimated fair value is compared with our aggregate carrying value. If our fair value is greater than the carrying amount, there is no impairment. If our carrying amount is greater than the fair value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. Annual impairment tests conducted by us on December 31, 2019 and 2018 resulted in no adjustment to the carrying value of our goodwill. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company identified a triggering event as there had been a significant decline in the business climate and in results of operations as a result of uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic and chassis availability. Given these indicators, the Company determined that there was a higher degree of uncertainty in achieving its financial projections. Therefore, the Company performed an impairment test as of June 30, 2020 for each of its reporting units, and subsequently performed its annual impairment testing as of December 31, 2020.

The Work Truck Attachments segment consists of one reporting unit: Commercial Snow & Ice. The impairment tests performed as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2020 indicated no impairment for the Commercial Snow & Ice reporting unit. The Work Truck Solutions consists of two reporting units; Municipal and

Table of Contents

Dejana. At June 30, 2020, the Municipal reporting unit’s carrying value exceeded its fair value. As a result, all $47,799 of the Municipal goodwill balance was recorded as an impairment charge during year ended December 31, 2020 and is included in Impairment charges on the Consolidated Statements of Income. At June 30, 2020, the Dejana reporting unit’s carrying value exceeded its fair value. As a result, all $80,073 of the Dejana goodwill balance was recorded as an impairment charge during the year ended December 31, 2020 and is included in Impairment charges on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Our remaining goodwill balance at Work Truck Attachments could be impaired in future periods. A number of factors, many of which we have no ability to control, could affect our financial condition, operating results and business prospects and could cause actual results to differ from the estimates and assumptions we employed. These factors include:

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of cash have been and we expect will continue to be cash from operations and borrowings under our senior credit facilities.

Our primary uses of cash are to provide working capital, meet debt service requirements, finance capital expenditures, pay dividends under our dividend policy and support our growth, including through potential acquisitions, and for other general corporate purposes. For a description of the seasonality of our working capital rates see “—Seasonality and Year-To-Year Variability.”

Our Board of Directors has adopted a dividend policy that reflects an intention to distribute to our stockholders a regular quarterly cash dividend. The declaration and payment of these dividends to holders of our common stock is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and depends upon many factors, including our financial condition and earnings, legal requirements, taxes and other factors our Board of Directors may deem to be relevant. The terms of our indebtedness may also restrict us from paying cash dividends on our common stock under certain circumstances. As a result of this dividend policy, we may not have significant cash available to meet any large unanticipated liquidity requirements. As a result, we may not retain a sufficient amount of cash to fund our operations or to finance unanticipated capital expenditures or growth opportunities, including acquisitions. Our Board of Directors may, however, amend, revoke or suspend our dividend policy at any time and for any reason.

As of December 31, 2020, we had liquidity comprised of approximately $41.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and borrowing availability of approximately $99.1 million under our revolving credit facility. Borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility is governed by a borrowing base, the calculation of which includes cash on hand. Accordingly, use of cash on hand may also result in a reduction in the amount available for borrowing under our revolving credit facility. Furthermore, our revolving credit facility requires us to maintain at least $15.0 million of borrowing availability. We expect that cash on hand, cash generated from operations, as well as available credit under our senior credit facilities will provide adequate funds for the purposes described above for at least the next 12 months.

Table of Contents

Cash Flow Analysis

Set forth below is summary cash flow information for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

​

Sources and Uses of Cash

During the three-year periods described above, net cash provided by operating activities was used for funding capital investment, paying dividends, paying interest on our senior credit facilities, and funding working capital requirements during our pre-season shipping period.

The following table shows our cash and cash equivalents and inventories at December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

​

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

We had cash and cash equivalents of $41.0 million at December 31, 2020 compared to cash and cash equivalents of $35.7 million at December 31, 2019. The table below sets forth a summary of the significant sources and uses of cash for the periods presented.

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $23.9 million from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities was due to a $23.8 million decrease in net income (loss) adjusted for reconciling items as a result of the higher net loss in the year ended December 31, 2020 and $0.1 million in unfavorable working capital changes. The largest driver negatively impacting working capital was the buildup of inventory in the current year in anticipation of supply chain constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in inventory was partitially offset by a favorable change related to a decrease in accounts receivable due to entering 2020 with a higher accounts receivable balance when compared to the prior year, as well as lower sales in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.

Table of Contents

Net cash used in investing activities increased $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the corresponding period in 2019 due to the increase in capital expenditures related to additional facilities and long-term growth projects.

Net cash used in financing activities decreased $24.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in 2019.  The decrease in cash used by financing activities was largely due to a $26.3 million net decrease in 2020 resulting from borrowing and payments of long term debt.  The net decrease in 2020 was a result of the Company amending and restating its senior credit facility, which included borrowings of long term debt of $270.9 million, more than offset by current year principal payments on our debt of $277.3 million.  In 2019, we made $32.7 million in repayments of long term debt. In conjunction with amending the Company’s senior credit facility, we paid $1.1 million in financing costs in 2020.  We also paid dividends of $25.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to dividends paid of $25.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2019. We had no outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility at either December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019.  See Note 9 for additional information.

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2018

We had cash and cash equivalents of $35.7 million at December 31, 2019 compared to cash and cash equivalents of $27.8 million at December 31, 2018. The table below sets forth a summary of the significant sources and uses of cash for the periods presented.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased $19.1 million from the year ended December 31, 2018 to the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was due to $25.6 million in favorable working capital changes offset by a $6.5 million decrease in net income adjusted for reconciling items. The largest driver positively impacting cash flows was a decrease in inventory levels, which had been built-up in 2018 in anticipation of tariffs and rising prices.  Additionally, the Company made funding contributions of $7.0 million to its pension plans in 2018, compared to $0.5 million in 2019.

Net cash used in investing activities increased $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to the corresponding period in 2018 due to the increase in capital expenditures.

Net cash used in financing activities increased $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to 2018. The increase in cash used in financing activities was primarily the result of an increase in dividends paid, where the cash dividend increased from $0.265 per share to $0.2725 per share in 2019. In addition, the Company made voluntary payments on its Term Loan Credit Agreement of $30.0 million in both 2018 and 2019.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains financial information calculated other than in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).

These non-GAAP measures include:

Table of Contents

These non-GAAP disclosures should not be construed as an alternative to the reported results determined in accordance with GAAP.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $53.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $77.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2019. Free cash flow (as defined below) for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $38.9 million compared to $65.8 million in 2019, a decrease in free cash flow of $26.9 million, or 40.9%. The decrease in free cash flow is primarily a result of a decrease in cash provided by operating activities of $23.9 million and an increase in capital expenditures of $3.0 million, as discussed above under “Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Free cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $65.8 million compared to $48.5 million in 2018, an increase in free cash flow of $17.3 million, or 35.7%. The increase in free cash flow is primarily a result of an increase in cash provided by operating activities of $19.1 million slightly offset by an increase in capital expenditures of $1.8 million.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure, which we define as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow should be evaluated in addition to, and not considered a substitute for, other financial measures such as net income and cash flow provided by operations. We believe that free cash flow provides investors with a useful tool to evaluate our ability to generate additional cash flow from our business operations.  

The following table reconciles net cash provided by operating activities, a GAAP measure, to free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure.

​

​

Adjusted EBITDA represents net income (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further adjusted for certain charges consisting of unrelated legal and consulting fees, pension termination costs, stock based compensation, severance, loss on disposal of fixed assets related to facility relocations, litigation proceeds, certain purchase accounting expenses, impairment charges, expenses related to debt modifications, and incremental costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such COVID-19 related costs include increased expenses directly related to the pandemic, and do not include either production related overhead inefficiencies or lost or deferred sales. We believe these costs are out of the ordinary, unrelated to our business and not representative of our results.  We use, and we believe our investors benefit from the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA in evaluating our operating performance because it provides us and our investors with additional tools to compare our operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect our core operations. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other external users of our consolidated financial statements in evaluating our operating performance as compared to that of other companies, because it allows them to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets and liabilities, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired. Our management also uses Adjusted EBITDA for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and financial projections. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ability to make certain payments, including dividends, in compliance with our senior credit facilities, which is determined based on a calculation of “Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA” that is substantially similar to Adjusted EBITDA.

Table of Contents

Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. As a result, you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for net income, operating income, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $74.9 million compared to $108.1 million in 2019, a decrease of $33.2 million, or 30.7%. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $108.1 million compared to $96.4 million in 2018, an increase of $11.75 million, or 12.1%. In addition to the specific changes resulting from the adjustments, the changes to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods discussed resulted from factors discussed above under “—Results of Operations.”

Table of Contents

The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA, for each of the periods indicated.

Table of Contents

The following table presents Adjusted EBITDA by segment for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA at our Work Truck Attachment segment were $62.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $80.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $18.2 million primarily due to lower volumes resulting from well-below average snowfall for the snow season ended March 31, 2020. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA was lower in the current year due to additional costs and inefficiencies related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

                Adjusted EBITDA at our Work Truck Solutions segment were $12.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $27.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $15.0 million due to lower volumes from chassis availability constraints and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as additional costs and inefficiencies related to the pandemic.

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings Per Share (calculated on a diluted basis) represents net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per share (as defined by GAAP), excluding the impact of stock based compensation, pension termination costs, severance, litigation proceeds, non-cash purchase accounting adjustments, tax reform, certain charges related to unrelated legal fees and consulting fees, incremental costs incurred related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and adjustments on derivatives not classified as hedges, net of their income tax impact.  Such COVID-19 related costs include increased expenses directly related to the pandemic, and do not include either production related overhead inefficiencies or lost or deferred sales. We believe these costs are out of the ordinary, unrelated to our business and not representative of our results. Adjustments on derivatives not classified as hedges are non-cash and are related to overall financial market conditions; therefore, management believes such costs are unrelated to our business and are not representative of our results. Management believes that Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings Per Share are useful in assessing our financial performance by eliminating expenses and income that are not reflective of the underlying business performance. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted Net Income (Loss) for the periods presented allows investors to make meaningful comparisons of our operating performance between periods and to view our business from the same perspective as our management. Because the excluded items are not predictable or consistent, management does not consider them when evaluating our performance or when making decisions regarding allocation of resources.

​

Table of Contents

​