LANTRONIX INC - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒      ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022

☐      TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission File Number 1-16027

LANTRONIX, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(949) 453-3990

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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 the 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 Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates based upon the closing sales price of the common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Capital Market on December 31, 2021, the last trading day of the registrant’s second fiscal quarter, was approximately $214,675,000. The determination of affiliate status for this purpose shall not be a conclusive determination for any other purpose.

As of August 25, 2022, there were 35,136,540 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A relating to the registrant's 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

LANTRONIX, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

* Not required for a “smaller reporting company.”

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, or this Report, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report, or incorporated by reference into this Report, are forward-looking statements. Throughout this Report, we have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by using words such as “may,” “believe,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “should,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “seek,” “intend,” other forms of these words or similar words or expressions or the negative thereof. Additionally, statements concerning future matters such as our expected earnings, revenues, expenses and financial condition, our expectations with respect to the development of new products, expectations regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other statements regarding matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements.

We have based our forward-looking statements on management’s current expectations and projections about trends affecting our business and industry and other future events. Although we do not make forward-looking statements unless we believe we have a reasonable basis for doing so, we cannot guarantee their accuracy. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our future business, financial condition, results of operations or performance to differ materially from our historical results or those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement contained in this Report. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects or which could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to, those set forth under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of this Report, as such factors may be updated, amended or superseded from time to time by subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K. In addition, actual results may differ as a result of additional risks and uncertainties of which we are currently unaware or which we do not currently view as material to our business.

You should read this Report in its entirety, together with the documents that we file as exhibits to this Report, with the understanding that our future results may be materially different from what we currently expect. The forward-looking statements we make speak only as of the date on which they are made. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our opinions or expectations, except as required by applicable law or the rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market. If we do update or correct any forward-looking statements, investors should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections.

We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

PART I

Overview

Lantronix, Inc. is a global Industrial and Enterprise IoT provider of solutions that target diversified verticals ranging from Smart Cities, Utilities and Healthcare to Enterprise, Intelligent Transportation, and Industrial Automation. Building on a long history of connectivity and video processing competence, target applications include Video Surveillance, Traffic management, Infotainment systems, Robotics, Edge Computing and Remote Environment Management (“REM”).

Our portfolio of services and products address each layer of the IoT Stack including Collect, Connect, Compute, Control and Comprehend, enabling our customers to deploy successful IoT and REM solutions. Our services and products deliver a holistic approach, addressing our customers’ needs by integrating a SaaS management platform with custom application development layered on top of external and embedded hardware, enabling intelligent edge computing, secure communications (wired, Wi-Fi, and cellular), location and positional tracking, and environmental sensing and reporting.

We organize our portfolio services and products into the following product lines: Embedded IoT Modules, IoT Systems Solutions, and Software and Engineering Services.

We were incorporated in California in 1989 and reincorporated in Delaware in 2000.

References in this Report to “fiscal 2022” refer to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and references to “fiscal 2021” refer to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. In addition, unless the context suggests otherwise, all reference in this Report to the “Company,” “we,” and “us,” refer to Lantronix, Inc. together with its subsidiaries.

Our Strategy

Today, more businesses are seeking to streamline their operations by connecting their machines and electronic devices to the Internet, manage them remotely, and reduce costs. The growth in the IoT and REM markets are being driven by the growing importance of data, being able to act on that data, and the rapidly falling cost of sensors, connectivity, compute, and storage. While the promise is great, designing and deploying these projects is complex, costly and time-consuming. Our offerings are designed to help companies increase speed and reduce friction for their deployments through reduced complexity, decreased development costs, and increased ease of management for web-scale applications and real-world solutions; thus, driving customer value and success. We are addressing the market opportunity by offering our customers turnkey solutions, leveraging the layers of the IoT Stack, such as Collect, Connect, Compute, Control and Comprehend, through a combination of services, hardware and software enablement, accessible and manageable through our SaaS platform.

We are executing a growth strategy that includes continuous innovation complemented by strategic acquisitions to expand our ability to offer complete IoT and REM solutions with the intent of increasing our scale and broadening our scope so that we can increase our value proposition to our customers. We believe this strategy will allow us to address a larger portion of our customers’ operational needs and engage with customers as a strategic "total solution" partner. We believe this will strengthen our position in the market as our customers come to us for a wider variety of applications.

Recent Acquisitions

On January 16, 2020 we acquired Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation (“Intrinsyc”). This acquisition provided additional and complementary edge computing with embedded product design and application development capabilities, crucial to the development of intelligent Compute functionality for advanced customer implementations.

On August 2, 2021 we acquired the Transition Networks and Net2 Edge businesses (the “TN Companies”) from Communication Systems, Inc. The TN Companies provide us with complementary IoT connectivity products and capabilities, including switching, power over ethernet and media conversion and adapter products.

These acquisitions allow us to offer more value to our customers and substantially increase the markets that we serve.

Products and Solutions

Embedded IoT Modules

This portfolio of embedded products provides a variety of solutions including Compute System-on-Module (SOM) or System-in-Package (SIP) solutions supplemented with wired and wireless network Connectivity options. As the level of silicon integration continues to grow, the compute modules also provide the ability to Collect digital information (Video, Audio or Sensors) and analyze/comprehend the data streams based on specific AI/ML algorithms. The new implementations of SIP devices can process multiple media streams with CV (Computer Vision) technology and the modules can be Controlled remotely via ConsoleFlow™, Lantronix’s Cloud SaaS platform. Our IoT compute products typically are embedded into a customer product, enabling advanced application functionality at the edge. Our compute products are normally embedded into new designs. These products include application processing that delivers compute to meet customer needs for data transformation, computer vision, machine learning, augmented / virtual reality, audio / video aggregation and distribution, and custom applications at the edge. Many of the products are offered with software tools intended to further accelerate our customers’ time-to-market and increase their value add. Most of our IoT embedded products are pre-certified in a number of countries thereby significantly reducing our OEM customers’ regulatory certification costs and accelerating their time to market

The following product families are included in our Embedded IoT Solutions product line: XPort®, XPort® Pro, WiPort®, System on Module (“SoM”), Single Board Computer (“SBC”), Development Kits, MicroM110, xPico®, xPico® Wi-Fi, NICS, Optical SFPs, PremierWave® EN, and PremierWave® XC.

IoT System Solutions

The IoT Systems Solutions portfolio consists of fully functional standalone systems that provider routing, switching or gateway functionalities as well as Telematics and media conversion. These products include wired and wireless connections that enhance the value and utility of modern electronic systems and equipment by providing secure network connectivity, power for IoT end devices through Power over Ethernet (PoE), application hosting, protocol conversion, media conversion, secure access for distributed IoT deployments and many other functions. Most of our IoT System products are pre-certified in a number of countries thereby significantly reducing our original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) customers’ regulatory certification costs and accelerating their time to market.

Our PoE products support remote devices such as cameras and wireless access points by passing electrical power along with data on Ethernet cabling, eliminating the need for traditional AC/DC electrical power in hard-to-reach locations. As more cities move to implement smart city technology, a major component will be solutions designed to protect and provide services to citizens, such as intelligent transportation and surveillance networks. Our switches deliver the necessary connectivity, bandwidth and power to enable these solutions. Many of our products incorporate features to perform advanced levels of fault management and diagnostics to troubleshoot networks and proactively fix problems. Our media converters and other customer premise equipment (“CPE”) assist customers in resolving challenges in the areas of bandwidth constraints, security risks, and distance limitations as networks extend from local area to wide area networks and adapt to ever increasing end-user demands.

Our smart tracking devices are designed to deliver robust data logging and positional tracking functionality and reliability for supply chain and logistics solutions. Our telematics devices are designed to be flexible in the field and offer a variety of connectivity options to suit the customers’ needs across 3G, 4G, and LTE cellular networks. These power efficient products are designed to support communications across interfaces and industrial protocols for vehicle, fleet, and asset tracking and management. Many of the products are offered with software tools intended to further accelerate our customers’ time-to-market and increase their value add. Most of our IoT Telematics products are pre-certified in a number of countries thereby significantly reducing our OEM customers’ regulatory certification costs and accelerating their time to market.

As Edge Computing deployment accelerates, REM allows for full comprehension and control of a remote IT infrastructure, across a range of sensors (temperature, humidity, light, acceleration, open / close, etc.) providing status and alerting, automation, and remote control of devices and end stations. REM designs may be part of an out of band (“OOB”) or in band network design. OOB is a technique that uses a dedicated management network to access critical infrastructure components to ensure production independent management connectivity. REM allows organizations to effectively monitor, manage, and control their enterprise IT equipment and facilities (environments), either in or out of band, optimizing their IT support resources.

Our REM product line includes out-of-band management, console management, power management, and IP connected keyboard-video-mouse (commonly referred to as “IPKVM”) products that provide remote access to IT and networking infrastructure deployed in test labs, data centers, branch offices, remote sites, and server rooms.

The following product families are included in IoT System Solutions product line: EDS, EDS-MD, xPress™, xDirect®, E21x, E22x, G52x, X30x, Bolero4x, FOX3-4G, FOX4, SGX™, SLB^™, SLC^™8000, Spider^™, UDS, EMG^™. S40 and Power over Ethernet Switches. In addition, we offer non-PoE Network Switches and Media Converters.

Software and Engineering Services

Our SaaS platform provides single pane of glass management for REM and IoT deployments. Our platform enables customers to easily deploy, monitor, manage, and automate across their global deployments, all from a single platform login, virtually connected as though directly on each device. Our platform eliminates the need to have 24/7 personnel on site, and makes it easy to see and drill into an issue quickly, even in large scale deployments.

OEMs and SIs can leverage our platform multitenancy functionality for supporting a wide customer base while ensuring customer separation. Over the Air (“OTA”) updates make it easy to ensure the latest security patches, firmware, and configurations are deployed and functional.

We leverage our engineering expertise and product development best practices to deliver high quality, innovative products, cost-effectively and on time.

Our engineering services flexible business model allows for choosing turnkey product development or team augmentation for accelerating complex areas of product development such as; camera development and tuning, voice control, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, augmented / virtual reality, mechanical and radio-frequency design, thermal and power optimization, or in any specific area a customer needs assistance.

In addition to our production-ready edge computing solutions, we offer experienced multidisciplinary engineering services across complete aspects of IoT product development, including hardware engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, rapid prototyping, and quality assurance. We also offer services for mechanical, hardware, and software engineering for camera, audio, and artificial intelligence / machine learning development.

The following product families are included in our Software & Services product line: Engineering Services, ConsoleFlow™, Level Services and J-Integra.

Net Revenue by Product Line

We have one operating and reportable business segment. A summary of our net revenue by product line is found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Part II, Item 7 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference. A discussion of factors potentially affecting our net revenue and other operating results is set forth in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Sales Cycle

Our embedded IoT solutions are typically designed into products by OEMs, original design manufacturers (“ODMs”) and contract manufacturers. OEMs design and sell products under their own brand that are either manufactured by the OEM in-house or by third-party contract manufacturers. ODMs design and manufacture products for third parties, which then sell those products under the third parties’ brands. The design cycles using our embedded solutions typically range from nine to 24 months and can generate revenue for the entire life cycle of an end user’s product.

Our IoT System Solutions are typically sold to end users through value added resellers (“VARs”) systems integrators, distributors, online retailers and, to a lesser extent, OEMs. The design cycles for these products typically range from three to 18 months and are often project-based.

Sales Channels

Distributors

A majority of our sales are made through distributors. Distributors resell our products to a wide variety of resellers and end customers including OEMs, ODMs, value-added resellers (“VARs”), systems integrators, consumers, online retailers, IT resellers, corporate customers and government entities.

Resellers

Our products are sold by industry-specific system integrators and VARs, who often obtain our products from our distributors. Additionally, our products are sold by direct market resellers such as CDW, ProVantage, and Amazon.com.

Direct Sales

To a lesser extent, we sell products directly to larger OEMs and end users. We also maintain an ecommerce site for direct sales.

Sales and Marketing

We sell our products primarily through an internal sales force, which includes regional sales managers, inside sales personnel and field applications engineers in major regions throughout the world. This team manages our relationships with our partners and end users, identifies and develops new sales opportunities and increases penetration at existing accounts. We implement marketing programs, tools and services, including displaying our products at industry-specific events, to generate sales leads and increase demand for our products.

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing operations are primarily conducted through four third-party contract manufacturers. We currently utilize Hana Microelectronics, primarily located in Thailand and China, Honortone, primarily located in China, Ruby Tech in Taiwan, and Tailyn in China as our contract manufacturers for most of our products. In addition, we use Inphi Corporation to manage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., a third-party foundry located in Taiwan, which manufactures our large-scale integration chips. We manufacture certain products with final assembly in the U.S. to meet trade compliance requirements.

Our contract manufacturers source raw materials, components and integrated circuits, in accordance with our specifications and forecasts, and perform printed circuit board assembly, final assembly, functional testing and quality control. Our products are manufactured and tested to our specifications with standard and custom components. Many of these components are available from multiple vendors. However, we have several single-sourced supplier relationships, either because alternative sources are not available or because the relationship is advantageous to us.

Research and Development

Our research and development efforts are focused on the development of hardware and software technology to differentiate our products and enhance our competitive position in the markets we serve. Product research and development is primarily performed in-house and supplemented with outsourced resources.

Competition

Our industry is highly competitive and characterized by rapid technological advances and evolving industry standards. The market can be affected significantly by new product introductions and marketing activities of industry participants. We believe that we compete for customers based on product features, software capabilities, company reputation, brand recognition, technical support, relationships with partners, quality, reliability, product development capabilities, price and availability. A discussion of factors potentially affecting our ability to compete in the markets in which we operate is set forth in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Intellectual Property Rights

We believe that a considerable portion of our value resides in our intellectual property. We have developed proprietary methodologies, tools, processes and software in connection with delivering our products and services. We protect our intellectual property through a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, licenses, non-disclosure agreements and contractual provisions. We enter into a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement with each of our employees, consultants and third parties that have access to our proprietary technology. Pursuant to assignment of inventions agreements, all of our employees and consultants assign to us all intellectual property rights for the relevant inventions created in connection with their employment or contract with us. We currently hold U.S. and international patents covering various aspects of our products, with additional patent applications pending.

U.S. and Foreign Government Regulation

Many of our products are subject to certain mandatory regulatory approvals in the regions in which our products are deployed. In particular, wireless products must be approved by the relevant government authority prior to these products being offered for sale. In addition, certain jurisdictions have regulations requiring products to use environmentally friendly components. Some of our products employ security technology, which is subject to various U.S. export restrictions.

Employees

As of August 16, 2022, we had 348 total employees including 335 full time employees, none of whom is represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any labor problems resulting in a work stoppage and believe we have good relationships with our employees.

Customer and Geographic Concentrations

We conduct our business globally and manage our sales teams by three geographic regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia Pacific Japan (“APJ”). A discussion of sales to our significant customers and related parties, sales within geographic regions as a percentage of net revenue and sales to significant countries as a percentage of net revenue is set forth in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference. A discussion of factors potentially affecting our customer and geographic concentrations is set forth in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Available Information

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements on Schedule 14A and other reports and information that we file or furnish pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are available free of charge on our website at www.lantronix.com as soon as reasonably practicable after filing or furnishing such reports with the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically. The contents of our website are not incorporated by reference into this Report. References to our website address in this Report are inactive textual references only.

Information About Our Executive Officers

Executive officers serve at the discretion of our board of directors. There are no family relationships between any of our directors or executive officers. The following table presents the names, ages, and positions held by our executive officers as of the date of this Report:

PAUL H. PICKLE has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of our Board, since April 2019. Before joining Lantronix, Mr. Pickle served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Microsemi Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor and system solutions, from November 2013 until Microsemi was acquired by Microchip Technology Inc. in May 2018. Prior to his position as President and Chief Operating Officer, he served Microsemi as Executive Vice President, leading business operations of the company’s Integrated Circuits group, where he played an integral role in the planning, developing, and execution of Microsemi’s leading edge IC solutions for communications, industrial, aerospace, and defense/security markets.

JEREMY R. WHITAKER has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2011. Mr. Whitaker returned to Lantronix after serving as Vice President, Corporate Controller at Mindspeed from January 2011 to September 2011. Mr. Whitaker previously served as our Vice President of Finance and Accounting from September 2010 to January 2011, where he was responsible for managing all worldwide finance and accounting functions. Mr. Whitaker also served as our Senior Director of Finance and Accounting from February 2006 to September 2010 and our Director of Finance and Accounting from August 2005 to February 2006. Prior to August 2005, Mr. Whitaker held vice president and director level finance and accounting positions with two publicly-traded companies and worked in the assurance practice at Ernst & Young LLP for six years.

MOHAMMED F. HAKAM joined Lantronix in August of 2018 and serves as our Vice President of Engineering. Prior to joining Lantronix, Mr. Hakam served as the interim Senior Vice President of International Operations at Viewstream, Inc., a provider of videos and marketing content to technology companies, from September 2016 to July 2018, where he was instrumental in planning and expanding the company’s global media strategy. Before joining Viewstream, Mr. Hakam was founder and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Management of SwitchRay Inc., a global provider of communication service platforms for global telecom carriers, from 2012 until its acquisition by 46 Labs in September 2016. He previously spent 20+ years at a number of large companies such as Motorola and Kyocera Wireless in various engineering leadership roles, and has also been the founder of two technology companies (including SwitchRay Inc.) in the networking and telecom segment. Mr. Hakam has been a professor at National University in San Diego, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in program and project management, international management, six sigma and statistical process control.

ROGER HOLLIDAY joined Lantronix in January 2020 and serves as our Vice President of Worldwide Sales. Prior to joining Lantronix, Mr. Holliday served in various positions at Microsemi Corporation since 1999, serving most recently as Executive Vice President and General Manager from 2013 until Microsemi was acquired by Microchip Technology Inc. in May 2018. Prior to his time at Microsemi, Mr. Holliday served in various product marketing, applications and sales management roles at Linfinity Microelectronics until its acquisition by Microsemi in 1999.

We operate in a rapidly changing environment that involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Before deciding to purchase, hold or sell our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks described in this section, as well as other information contained in this Report and in our other filings with the SEC. This section should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included in Item 8 of this Report, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Item 7 of this Report. If any of these risks or uncertainties actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially harmed. In that event, the market price for our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. In addition, risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Our Operations and Industry

The effect of COVID-19 and other possible pandemics and similar outbreaks could result in material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the periodic measures intended to reduce its spread imposed by governments and other authorities around the world, including restrictions on freedom of movement and business operations such as travel bans, border closings, business limitations and closures, quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on the economy generally, our business and the businesses of our suppliers, and our results of operations and financial condition. Most of our employees transitioned to remote working arrangements commencing in March 2020, and many continue to primarily work remotely as of the date hereof, which may ultimately result in lower work efficiency and productivity, and in turn adversely affect our business. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in industry events, trade shows and business travel being suspended, cancelled and/or significantly curtailed. The cessation of trade shows and business travel resulted in our lead pipeline being negatively impacted, which has negatively affected our sales since the beginning of the outbreak. While most industry events, trade shows and business travel have resumed, if these activities are suspended, cancelled and/or significantly curtailed in the future, whether due to surges of COVID-19 or otherwise related to the pandemic, our sales may continue to be negatively impacted in the future.

In addition, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to prevent its spread subject us to various risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, including the following:

The duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time, including new information which may emerge concerning the long-term effects of COVID-19, actions taken to contain COVID-19, additional surges of COVID-19 infections due to the rate of public acceptance and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines or due to new and more contagious and/or vaccine resistant variants, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may experience adverse impacts to our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects as a result of its global economic impact, including any economic downturn or recession that has occurred or may occur in the future. The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition could be material.

We have experienced and may in the future experience constraints in the supply of certain materials and components that could affect our operating results.

Some of our integrated circuits are only available from a single source and in some cases, are no longer being manufactured. From time to time, integrated circuits, and potentially other components used in our products, will be phased out of production by the manufacturer. When this happens, we attempt to purchase sufficient inventory to meet our needs until a substitute component can be incorporated into our products. Nonetheless, we may be unable to purchase sufficient components to meet our demands, or we may incorrectly forecast our demands, and purchase too many or too few components. In addition, our products use components that have been in the past and may in the future be subject to market shortages and substantial price fluctuations, whether due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war between Ukraine and Russia, recent tensions between China and Taiwan or otherwise. From time to time, we have been unable to meet customer orders because we were unable to purchase necessary components for our products. We do not have long-term supply arrangements with most of our vendors to obtain necessary components, including semiconductor chips, or technology for our products and instead purchase components on a purchase order basis. If we are unable to purchase components from these suppliers, our product shipments could be prevented or delayed, which could result in a loss of sales. If we are unable to meet existing orders or to enter into new orders because of a shortage in components, we will likely lose net revenue, risk losing customers and risk harm to our reputation in the marketplace, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. For instance, we have recently experienced increased delays in shipments of semiconductor chips. As a result, we have sought alternate sources of certain components, which have been at a higher cost. Because semiconductor chips continue to be subject to an ongoing significant shortage, our ability to source components that use semiconductor chips has been adversely affected. These supply interruptions have resulted in increased component delivery lead times and increased costs to obtain components with available semiconductor chips. To the extent this semiconductor chip shortage or other shortages continue, the production of our products may be impacted.

Future operating results depend upon our ability to timely obtain components in sufficient quantities and on acceptable terms.

We and our contract manufacturers are responsible for procuring raw materials for our products. Our products incorporate some components and technologies that are only available from single or limited sources of supply. Depending on a limited number of suppliers exposes us to risks, including limited control over pricing, availability, quality and delivery schedules. Moreover, due to our limited sales, we may not be able to convince suppliers to continue to make components available to us unless there is demand for these components from their other customers. If any one or more of our suppliers cease to provide us with sufficient quantities of components in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, we would have to seek alternative sources of supply and we may have difficulty identifying additional or replacement suppliers for some of our components.

We outsource substantially all of our manufacturing to contract manufacturers in Asia. If our contract manufacturers are unable or unwilling to manufacture our products at the quality and quantity we request, our business could be harmed.

We use contract manufacturers based in Asia to manufacture substantially all of our products. Generally, we do not have guaranteed supply agreements with our contract manufacturers or suppliers. If any of these subcontractors or suppliers were to cease doing business with us, we might not be able to obtain alternative sources in a timely or cost-effective manner. Our reliance on third-party manufacturers, especially in countries outside of the U.S., exposes us to a number of significant risks, including:

Any problems that we may encounter with the delivery, quality or cost of our products from our contract manufacturers or suppliers could cause us to lose net revenue, damage our customer relationships and harm our reputation in the marketplace, each of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. 

From time to time, we may transition the manufacturing of certain products from one contract manufacturer to another. When we do this, we may incur substantial expenses, risk material delays or encounter other unexpected issues.

Certain of our products are sold into mature markets, which could limit our ability to continue to generate revenue from these products. Our ability to sustain and grow our business depends on our ability to develop, market, and sell new products.

Certain of our products are sold into mature markets that are characterized by a trend of declining demand. As the overall market for these products decreases due to the adoption of new technologies, we expect that our revenues from these products will continue to decline. As a result, our future prospects will depend on our ability to develop and successfully market new products that address new and growing markets. Our failure to develop new products or failure to achieve widespread customer acceptance of any new products could cause us to lose market share and cause our revenues to decline. There can be no assurance that we will not experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the successful development, introduction, marketing and sale of new products or product enhancements. Factors that could cause delays include regulatory and/or industry approvals, product design cycle and failure to identify products or features that customers demand. In addition, the introduction and sale of new products often involves a significant technical evaluation, and we often face delays because of our customers’ internal procedures for evaluating, approving and deploying new technologies. For these and other reasons, the sales cycle associated with new products is typically lengthy, often lasting six to 24 months and sometimes longer. Therefore, there can be no assurance that our introduction or announcement of new product offerings will achieve any significant or sustainable degree of market acceptance or result in increased revenue in the near term.

Our software offerings are subject to risks that differ from those facing our hardware products.

We continue to dedicate significant engineering resources to our management software platform, applications, and SaaS offerings, including ConsoleFlow™. These product and service offerings are subject to significant additional risks that are not necessarily related to our hardware products. Our ability to succeed with these offerings will depend in large part on our ability to provide customers with software products and services that offer features and functionality that address the needs of particular businesses. We may face challenges and delays in the development of this product line as the marketplace for products and services evolves to meet the needs and desires of customers. We cannot provide assurances that we will be successful in operating and growing this product line.

In light of these risks and uncertainties, we may not be able to establish or maintain market share for our software and SaaS offerings. As we develop new product lines, we must adapt to market conditions that are unfamiliar to us, such as competitors and distribution channels that are different from those we have known in the past. We have and will encounter competition from other solutions providers, many of whom may have more significant resources than us with which to compete. There can be no assurance that we will recover our investments in this product line, that we will receive meaningful revenue from or realize a profit from this new product line or that diverting our management’s attention to this product line will not have a material adverse effect on our existing business, and in turn on our results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

We may experience significant fluctuation in our revenue because the timing of large orders placed by some of our customers is often project-based.

Our operating results fluctuate because we often receive large orders from customers that coincide with the timing of the customer’s project. Sales of our products and services may be delayed if customers delay approval or commencement of projects due to budgetary constraints, internal acceptance review procedures, timing of budget cycles or timing of competitive evaluation processes. In addition, sometimes our customers make significant one-time hardware purchases for projects which are not repeated. We sell primarily on a purchase order basis rather than pursuant to long-term contracts, and we expect fluctuations in our revenues as a result of one-time project-based purchases to continue in the future. In addition, our sales may be subject to significant fluctuations based on the acceleration, delay or cancellation of customer projects, or our failure to complete one or a series of significant potential sales. Because a significant portion of our operating expenses are fixed, even a single order can have a disproportionate effect on our quarterly revenues and operating results. As a result of the factors discussed above, and due to the complexities of the industry in which we operate, it is difficult for us to forecast demand for our current or future products with any degree of certainty, which means it is difficult for us to forecast our sales. If our quarterly or annual operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially.

The lengthy sales cycle for our products and services, along with delays in customer completion of projects, make the timing of our revenues difficult to predict.

We have a lengthy sales cycle for many of our products that generally extends between six and 24 months and sometimes longer due to a lengthy customer evaluation and approval process. The length of this process can be affected by factors over which we have little or no control, including the customer’s budgetary constraints, timing of the customer’s budget cycles, and concerns by the customer about the introduction of new products by us or by our competitors. As a result, sales cycles for customer orders vary substantially among different customers. The lengthy sales cycle is one of the factors that has caused, and may continue to cause, our revenues and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter. In addition, we may incur substantial expenses and devote significant management effort and expense to develop potential relationships that do not result in agreements or revenues, which may prevent us from pursuing other opportunities. Accordingly, excessive delays in sales could be material and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The nature of our products, customer base and sales channels causes us to lack visibility into future demand for our products, which makes it difficult for us to forecast our manufacturing and inventory requirements.

We use forecasts based on anticipated product orders to manage our manufacturing and inventory levels and other aspects of our business. However, several factors contribute to a lack of visibility with respect to future orders, including:

This lack of visibility impacts our ability to forecast our inventory requirements. If we overestimate our customers’ future requirements for products, we may have excess inventory, which would increase our costs and potentially require us to write-off inventory that becomes obsolete. Additionally, if we underestimate our customers’ future requirements, we may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt and delay delivery of our products to our customers, harm our reputation, and cause our revenues to decline. If any of these events occur, they could prevent us from achieving or sustaining profitability and the value of our common stock may decline.

Delays in qualifying revisions of existing products for certain of our customers could result in the delay or loss of sales to those customers, which could negatively impact our business and financial results.

Our industry is characterized by intense competition, rapidly evolving technology and continually changing customer preferences and requirements. As a result, we frequently develop and introduce new versions of our existing products, which we refer to as revisions.

Prior to purchasing our products, some of our customers require that products undergo a qualification process, which may involve testing of the products in the customer’s system. A subsequent revision to a product’s hardware or firmware, changes in the manufacturing process or our selection of a new supplier may require a new qualification process, which may result in delays in sales to customers, loss of sales, or us holding excess or obsolete inventory.

After products are qualified, it can take additional time before the customer commences volume production of components or devices that incorporate our products. If we are unsuccessful or delayed in qualifying any new or revised products with a customer, that failure or delay would preclude or delay sales of these products to the customer, and could negatively impact our financial results. In addition, new revisions to our products could cause our customers to alter the timing of their purchases, by either accelerating or delaying purchases, which could result in fluctuations of our net revenue from quarter to quarter.

We depend on distributors for a majority of our sales and to complete order fulfillment.

We depend on the resale of products through distributor accounts for a substantial majority of our worldwide net revenue. In addition, sales through our top five distributors accounted for approximately 44% of our net revenue in fiscal 2022. A significant reduction of effort by one or more distributors to sell our products or a material change in our relationship with one or more distributors may reduce our access to certain end customers and adversely affect our ability to sell our products. Furthermore, if a key distributor materially defaults on a contract or otherwise fails to perform, our business and financial results would suffer.

In addition, the financial health of our distributors and our continuing relationships with them are important to our success. Our business could be harmed if the financial health of these distributors impairs their performance and we are unable to secure alternate distributors.

Our ability to sustain and grow our business depends in part on the success of our distributors and resellers.

A substantial part of our revenues is generated through sales by distributors and resellers. To the extent they are unsuccessful in selling our products, or if we are unable to obtain and retain a sufficient number of high-quality distributors and resellers, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our distributors and resellers may devote more resources to marketing, selling and supporting products and services that are competitive with ours, than to our products. They also may have incentives to promote our competitors' products over our products, particularly for our competitors with larger volumes of orders, more diverse product offerings and a longer relationship with our distributors and resellers. In these cases, one or more of our important distributors or resellers may stop selling our products completely or may significantly decrease the volume of products they sell on our behalf. This sales structure also could subject us to lawsuits, potential liability and reputational harm if, for example, any of our distributors or resellers misrepresents the functionality of our products or services to customers, violates laws or our corporate policies. If we fail to effectively manage our existing or future distributors and resellers effectively, our business and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Changes to the average selling prices of our products could affect our net revenue and gross margins and adversely affect results of operations.

In the past, we have experienced reductions in the average selling prices and gross margins of our products. We expect competition to continue to increase, and we anticipate this could result in additional downward pressure on our pricing. Our average selling prices for our products might also decline as a result of other reasons, including promotional programs introduced by us or our competitors and customers who negotiate price concessions. To the extent we are able to increase prices, we may experience a decline in sales volumes if customers decide to purchase competitive products. If any of these were to occur, our gross margins could decline and we might not be able to reduce the cost to manufacture our products enough or at all to keep up with the decline in prices.

If we are unable to sell our inventory in a timely manner, it could become obsolete, which could require us to write-down or write off obsolete inventory, which could harm our operating results.

At any time, competitive products may be introduced with more attractive features or at lower prices than ours. If this occurs, and for other reasons, we may not be able to accurately forecast demand for our products and our inventory levels may increase. There is a risk that we may be unable to sell our inventory in a timely manner to avoid it becoming obsolete. If we are required to substantially discount our inventory or are unable to sell our inventory in a timely manner, we would be required to increase our inventory reserves or write off obsolete inventory and our operating results could be substantially harmed.

Our failure to compete successfully in our highly competitive market could result in reduced prices and loss of market share.

The market in which we operate is intensely competitive, subject to rapid technological advances and highly sensitive to evolving industry standards. The market can also be affected significantly by new product and technology introductions and marketing and pricing activities of industry participants. Our products compete directly with products produced by a number of our competitors. Many of our competitors and potential competitors have greater financial and human resources for marketing and product development, more experience conducting research and development activities, greater experience obtaining regulatory approval for new products, larger distribution and customer networks, more established relationships with contract manufacturers and suppliers, and more established reputations and name recognition. For these and other reasons, we may not be able to compete successfully against our current or potential future competitors. In addition, the amount of competition we face in the marketplace may change and grow as the market for IoT and M2M networking solutions grows and new companies enter the marketplace. Present and future competitors may be able to identify new markets, adapt new technologies, develop and commercialize products more quickly and gain market acceptance of products with greater success. As a result of these competitive factors, we may fail to meet our business objectives and our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or investments may impair our capital and equity resources, divert our management’s attention or otherwise negatively impact our operating results.

We may pursue acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint ventures that we believe would allow us to complement our growth strategy, increase market share in our current markets and expand into adjacent markets, broaden our technology and intellectual property and strengthen our relationships with distributors, OEMs and ODMs. For instance, we acquired Maestro, Intrinsyc and the Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses of CSI in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Our previous acquisitions have required, and any future acquisition, partnership, joint venture or investment may also require, that we pay significant cash, issue equity and/or incur substantial debt. Acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures may also result in the loss of key personnel and the dilution of existing stockholders to the extent we are required to issue equity securities. In addition, acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures require significant managerial attention, which may be diverted from our other operations. These capital, equity and managerial commitments may impair the operation of our business. Furthermore, acquired businesses may not be effectively integrated, may be unable to maintain key pre-acquisition business relationships, may not result in expected synergies, an increase in revenues or earnings or the delivery of new products, may contribute to increased fixed costs, and may expose us to unanticipated liabilities. If any of these occur, we may fail to meet our business objectives and our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.   

We may experience difficulties associated with utilizing third-party logistics providers.

A majority of our physical inventory management process, as well as the shipping and receiving of our inventory, is performed by third-party logistics providers in Los Angeles, California and Hong Kong. There is a possibility that these third-party logistics providers will not perform as expected and we could experience delays in our ability to ship, receive, and process the related data in a timely manner. This could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and the market price of our common stock.

Relying on third-party logistics providers could increase the risk of the following: failing to receive accurate and timely inventory data, theft or poor physical security of our inventory, inventory damage, ineffective internal controls over inventory processes or other similar business risks out of our immediate control.

Risks Related to Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property

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

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our employees, on our networks and third-party cloud software providers. Increased global information technology (“IT”) security threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. There have been several recent, highly publicized cases in which organizations of various types and sizes have reported the unauthorized disclosure of customer or other confidential information, as well as cyberattacks involving the dissemination, theft and destruction of corporate information, intellectual property, cash or other valuable assets. There have also been several highly publicized cases in which hackers have requested “ransom” payments in exchange for not disclosing customer or other confidential information or for not disabling the target company’s computer or other systems. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of the information that we collect and store on our systems is critical to our operations and implementing security measures designed to prevent, detect, mitigate or correct these or other IT security threats involves significant costs. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems, we have, from time to time, experienced threats to our data and systems, including malware, phishing and computer virus attacks, and it is possible that in the future our safety and security measures will not prevent the systems’ improper functioning or damage, or the improper access or disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. In addition, due to the fast pace and unpredictability of cyber threats, long-term implementation plans designed to address cybersecurity risks become obsolete quickly and, in some cases, it may be difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage they cause. Any unauthorized access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, which could adversely affect our business.

If our products become subject to cybersecurity breaches, or if public perception is that they are vulnerable to cyberattacks, our reputation and business could suffer.

We could be subject to liability or our reputation could be harmed if technologies integrated into our products, or our products, fail to prevent cyberattacks, or if our partners or customers fail to safeguard the systems with security policies that conform to industry best practices. In addition, any cyberattack or security breach that affects a competitor’s products could lead to the negative perception that our solutions are or could be subject to similar attacks or breaches.

Some of our software offerings may be subject to various cybersecurity risks, which are particularly acute in the cloud-based technologies operated by us and other third parties that form a part of our solutions.

In connection with certain implementations of our management software platform, application, and SaaS offering, ConsoleFlow, we expect to store, convey and potentially process data produced by devices. This data may include confidential or proprietary information, intellectual property or personally identifiable information of our customers or other third parties with whom they do business. It is important for us to maintain solutions and related infrastructure that are perceived by our customers and other parties with whom we do business to provide a reasonable level of reliability and security. Despite available security measures and other precautions, the infrastructure and transmission methods used by our products and services may be vulnerable to interception, attack or other disruptive problems.

If a cyberattack or other security incident were to allow unauthorized access to or modification of our customers’ data or our own data, whether due to a failure with our systems or related systems operated by third parties, we could suffer damage to our brand and reputation. The costs we would incur to address and fix these incidents could significantly increase our expenses. These types of security incidents could also lead to lawsuits, regulatory investigations and increased legal liability, including in some cases contractual costs related to customer notification and fraud monitoring. Further, as regulatory focus on privacy and data security issues continues to increase and worldwide laws and regulations concerning the protection of information become more complex, the potential risks and costs of compliance to our business will intensify.

If software that we incorporate into our products were to become unavailable or no longer available on commercially reasonable terms, it could adversely affect sales of our products, which could disrupt our business and harm our financial results.

Certain of our products contain software developed and maintained by third-party software vendors or which are available through the “open source” software community. We also expect that we may incorporate software from third-party vendors and open source software in our future products. Our business would be disrupted if this software, or functional equivalents of this software, were either no longer available to us or no longer offered to us on commercially reasonable terms. In either case, we would be required to either redesign our products to function with alternate third-party software or open source software, or develop these components ourselves, which would result in increased costs and could result in delays in our product shipments. Furthermore, we might be forced to limit the features available in our current or future product offerings.

Our products may contain undetected software or hardware errors or defects that could lead to an increase in our costs, reduce our net revenue or damage our reputation.

We currently offer warranties ranging from one to five years on each of our products. Our products could contain undetected software or hardware errors or defects. If there is a product failure, we might have to replace all affected products, or we might have to refund the purchase price for the units. Regardless of the amount of testing we undertake, some errors might be discovered only after a product has been installed and used by customers. Any errors discovered after commercial release could result in financial losses and claims against us. Significant product warranty claims against us could harm our business, reputation and financial results and cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We may not be able to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could harm our competitive position or require us to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.

We rely primarily on a combination of laws, such as patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, and contractual restrictions, such as confidentiality agreements and licenses, to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Despite any precautions that we have taken:

Also, the laws of some of the countries in which we market and manufacture our products offer little or no effective protection of our proprietary technology. Reverse engineering, unauthorized copying or other misappropriation of our proprietary technology could enable third parties to benefit from our technology without paying us for it. Consequently, we may be unable to prevent our proprietary technology from being exploited by others in the U.S. or abroad, which could require costly efforts to protect our technology. Policing the unauthorized use of our technology, trademarks and other proprietary rights is expensive, difficult and, in some cases, impracticable. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, either of which could harm our business. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property, which may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The impact of natural disasters and other business interruptions could negatively impact our supply chain and customers resulting in an adverse impact to our revenues and profitability.

Certain of our components and other materials used in producing our products are from regions susceptible to natural disasters. A natural disaster could damage equipment and inventory at our suppliers’ facilities, adversely affecting our supply chain. If we are unable to obtain these materials, we could experience a disruption to our supply chain that would hinder our ability to produce our products in a timely manner, or cause us to seek other sources of supply, which may be more costly or which we may not be able to procure on a timely basis. In addition, our customers may not follow their normal purchasing patterns or temporarily cease purchasing from us due to impacts to their businesses in the region, creating unexpected fluctuations or decreases in our revenues and profitability. Natural disasters in other parts of the world on which our operations are reliant also could have material adverse impacts on our business.

In addition, our operations and those of our suppliers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failure, cybersecurity breaches, IT systems failure, terrorist attacks and other events beyond our control. A substantial portion of our facilities, including our corporate headquarters and other critical business operations, are located near major earthquake faults and, therefore, may be more susceptible to damage if an earthquake occurs. We do not carry earthquake insurance for direct earthquake-related losses. If a business interruption occurs, whether due to a natural disaster or otherwise, our business could be materially and adversely affected.

Risk Related to Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have a history of losses.

We have historically incurred net losses. There can be no assurance that we will generate net profits in future periods. Further, there can be no assurance that we will be cash flow positive in future periods. In the event that we fail to achieve profitability in future periods, the value of our common stock may decline. In addition, if we are unable to achieve or maintain positive cash flows, we would be required to seek additional funding, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at all.

We may need additional capital and it may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

To remain competitive, we must continue to make significant investments to operate our business and develop our products. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the timing and amount of our net revenue, research and development expenditures, expenses associated with any strategic partnerships or acquisitions and infrastructure investments, and expenses related to litigation, each of which could negatively affect our ability to generate additional cash from operations. If cash generated from operations is insufficient to satisfy our working capital requirements, we may need to raise additional capital. Looking ahead at long-term needs, we may need to raise additional funds for a number of purposes, including, but not limited to:

We may seek additional capital from public or private offerings of our capital stock, borrowings under our existing or future credit lines or other sources. If we issue equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. In addition, if we raise additional funds through collaborations, licensing, joint ventures, or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our potential future products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any needed capital on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unable to secure additional financing in sufficient amounts or on favorable terms, we may not be able to develop or enhance our products, take advantage of future opportunities, respond to competition or continue to operate our business.

The terms of our Senior Credit Facilities may restrict our financial and operational flexibility and, in certain cases, our ability to operate.

The terms of our Senior Credit Facilities restrict, among other things, our ability to incur liens, incur indebtedness, dispose of assets, make investments, make certain restricted payments, merge or consolidate and enter into certain speculative hedging arrangements. Further, we are currently and may in the future be required to maintain specified financial ratios, including pursuant to a maximum leverage ratio, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio or a minimum liquidity test. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and there can be no assurance that we will meet those tests. Pursuant to our amended credit agreement and the related loan and security agreement, we have pledged substantially all of our assets to our senior lender, SVB.

Risks Related to International Operations

Rising concern regarding international tariffs could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The current political landscape has introduced significant uncertainty with respect to future trade regulations and existing international trade agreements, as shown by the U.S.-initiated renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement, Brexit in Europe, and the current war between Ukraine and Russia. This uncertainty includes the possibility of imposing tariffs or penalties on products manufactured outside the U.S., including the US government’s institution of a 25% tariff on a range of products from China and subsequent tariffs imposed by the U.S. as well as tariffs imposed by trading partners on U.S. goods, the potential for increased trade barriers between the U.K. and the European Union, and export controls or other retaliatory actions against, or restrictions on doing business with Russia, as well as any resulting disruption, instability or volatility in the global markets and industries resulting from such conflict. The institution of trade tariffs both globally and between the U.S. and China specifically, carries the risk of negatively affecting the overall economic conditions of both China and the U.S., which could have a negative impact on us.

We cannot predict whether, and to what extent, there may be changes to international trade agreements or whether quotas, duties, tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions on our products will be changed or imposed. If we are unable to source our products from the countries where we wish to purchase them, either because of regulatory changes or for any other reason, or if the cost of doing so increases, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, imposition of tariffs may result in local sourcing initiatives, or other developments that make it more difficult to sell our products in foreign countries, which would negatively impact our business and operating results.

We face risks associated with our international operations that could impair our ability to grow our revenues abroad as well as our overall financial condition.

We believe that our future growth is dependent in part upon our ability to increase sales in international markets. These sales are subject to a variety of risks, including geopolitical events, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, tariffs, import restrictions and other trade barriers, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, longer accounts receivable payment cycles, potentially adverse tax consequences, and export license requirements. In addition, we are subject to the risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including political and economic instability and unexpected changes in diplomatic and trade relationships. In many markets where we operate, business and cultural norms are different than those in the U.S., and practices that may violate laws and regulations applicable to us such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) unfortunately are more commonplace. Although we have implemented policies and procedures with the intention of ensuring compliance with these laws and regulations, our employees, contractors and agents, as well as distributors and resellers involved in our international sales, may take actions in violation of our policies. Many of our vendors and strategic business allies also have international operations and are subject to the risks described above. Even if we are able to successfully manage the risks of international operations, our business may be adversely affected if one or more of our business partners are not able to successfully manage these risks. There can be no assurance that one or more of these factors will not have a material adverse effect on our business strategy and financial condition.

Foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our results.

We are exposed to market risk primarily related to foreign currencies and interest rates. In particular, we are exposed to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the local currency in which our products are sold and our services are purchased, including devaluation and revaluation of local currencies. Accordingly, fluctuations in foreign currency rates could adversely affect our revenues.

In particular, the uncertainty with respect to the ability of certain European countries to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations and the related European financial restructuring efforts may cause the value of the Euro and other European currencies to fluctuate. If the value of European currencies, including the Euro, deteriorates, thus reducing the purchasing power of European customers, our sales could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance and Legal Matters

Our inability to obtain appropriate industry certifications or approvals from governmental regulatory bodies could impede our ability to grow revenues in our wireless products.

The sale of our wireless products in some geographical markets is sometimes dependent on the ability to gain certifications and/or approvals by relevant governmental bodies. In addition, many of our products are certified as meeting various industry quality and/or compatibility standards.  Failure to obtain these certifications or approvals, or delays in receiving any needed certifications or approvals, could impact our ability to compete effectively or at all in these markets and could have an adverse impact on our revenues.

Our failure to comply effectively with regulatory laws pertaining to our foreign operations could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

We are required to comply with U.S. government export regulations in the sale of our products to foreign customers, including requirements to properly classify and screen our products against a denied parties list prior to shipment. We are also required to comply with the provisions of the FCPA and all other anti-corruption laws, such as the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act, of all other countries in which we do business, directly or indirectly, including compliance with the anti-bribery prohibitions and the accounting and recordkeeping requirements of these laws. Violations of the FCPA or other similar laws could trigger sanctions, including ineligibility for U.S. government insurance and financing, as well as large fines. Failure to comply with the aforementioned regulations could also affect our decision to sell our products in international jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

Our failure to comply effectively with the requirements of applicable environmental legislation and regulation could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

Certain states and countries have passed regulations relating to chemical substances in electronic products and requiring electronic products to use environmentally friendly components. For example, the European Union has the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, the Restrictions of Hazardous Substances Directive, and the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals. In the future, China and other countries including the U.S. are expected to adopt further environmental compliance programs. In order to comply with these regulations, we may need to redesign our products to use different components, which may be more expensive, if they are available at all. If we fail to comply with these regulations, we may not be able to sell our products in jurisdictions where these regulations apply, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

Current or future litigation could adversely affect us.

We are subject to a wide range of claims and lawsuits in the course of our business. Any lawsuit may involve complex questions of fact and law and may require the expenditure of significant funds and the diversion of other resources. The results of litigation are inherently uncertain, and adverse outcomes are possible.

In particular, litigation regarding intellectual property rights occurs frequently in our industry. The results of litigation are inherently uncertain, and adverse outcomes are possible. Adverse outcomes may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

There is a risk that other third parties could claim that our products, or our customers’ products, infringe on their intellectual property rights or that we have misappropriated their intellectual property. In addition, software, business processes and other property rights in our industry might be increasingly subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of competitors grows and the functionality of products in different industry segments overlaps. Other parties might currently have, or might eventually be issued, patents that pertain to the proprietary rights we use. Any of these third parties might make a claim of infringement against us. The results of litigation are inherently uncertain, and adverse outcomes are possible.

Responding to any infringement claim, regardless of its validity, could:

If any of these occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected

General Risk Factors

If we are unable to attract, retain or motivate key senior management and technical personnel, it could seriously harm our business.

Our financial performance depends substantially on the performance of our executive officers and of key engineers, marketing and sales employees. We are particularly dependent upon our technical personnel, due to the specialized technical nature of our business. If we were to lose the services of our executive officers or any of our key personnel and were not able to find replacements in a timely manner, our business could be disrupted, other key personnel might decide to leave, and we might incur increased operating expenses associated with finding and compensating replacements.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, significant fluctuations in net revenue, expenses and operating results from quarter to quarter. We therefore believe that quarter to quarter comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance, and you should not rely on them to predict our future operating or financial performance or the future performance of the market price of our common stock. A high percentage of our operating expenses are relatively fixed and are based on our forecast of future revenue. If we were to experience an unexpected reduction in net revenue in a quarter, we would likely be unable to adjust our short-term expenditures significantly. If this were to occur, our operating results for that fiscal quarter would be harmed. In addition, if our operating results in future fiscal quarters were to fall below the expectations of equity analysts and investors, the market price of our common stock would likely fall.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile based on a number of factors, many of which are not under our control.

The market price of our common stock has been highly volatile. The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors, many of which are out of our control, including:

In addition, the Nasdaq Capital Market often experiences price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

None.

The following table presents details regarding our leased facilities:

We believe our existing facilities are adequate to meet our needs. If additional space is needed in the future, we believe that suitable space will be available on commercially reasonable terms.

None.

None.

PART II

Common Stock

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LTRX.” The number of holders of record of our common stock as of August 25, 2022 was approximately 29.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, and we intend to retain any future earnings for use in the expansion of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any future decision to declare or pay dividends will be made by our board of directors in its sole discretion and will depend upon our financial condition, operating results, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems appropriate at the time of its decision.

Issuer Repurchases

We did not repurchase any shares of our common stock during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.

You should read the following discussion and analysis in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s current beliefs and assumptions, which statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Report. Please also see “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of this Report.

Overview

Lantronix, Inc. is a global Industrial and Enterprise internet of things (“IoT”) provider of solutions that target diversified verticals ranging from Smart Cities, Utilities and Healthcare to Enterprise, Intelligent Transportation, and Industrial Automation. Building on a long history of connectivity and video processing competence, target applications include Video Surveillance, Traffic management, Infotainment systems, Robotics, Edge Computing and Remote Environment Management (“REM”).

We conduct our business globally and manage our sales teams by three geographic regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia Pacific Japan (“APJ”).

References to “fiscal 2022” refer to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and references to “fiscal 2021” refer to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

Products and Solutions

To more closely align the categorization of our product lines with how we position them in the marketplace, we have re-organized our products and solutions. We now organize our products and solutions into three product lines: Embedded IoT Solutions, IoT System Solutions, and Software & Services. Until this recent change, we had organized our products and solutions into three different product lines: IoT, REM and Other. Going forward, we do not plan to disclose our net revenue by the old categorizations. Refer to “Products and Solutions” included in Part I, Item 1 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, for further discussion.

Recent Developments

Acquisition

On August 2, 2021 we acquired the Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses (the “TN Companies”) from Communication Systems, Inc. (“CSI”) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $30,651,000, which includes earnout payments of up to $7,000,000 depending on the achievement of certain revenue targets for the TN Companies. The TN Companies provide us with complementary IoT connectivity products and capabilities, including switching, Power over Ethernet (“PoE”) and media conversion and adapter products. In connection with the closing of the acquisition, we entered into new loan agreements with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) which included (i) a new term loan of $17,500,000 with an available revolving credit facility of up to $2,500,000 and (ii) a second term loan of $12,000,000. In January 2022, we repaid the $12,000,000 second term loan.

Refer to Notes 3 and 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which are incorporated herein by reference, for additional discussions regarding the August 2021 acquisition of the TN Companies and related financing arrangements, respectively.

Underwritten Offering

On November 18, 2021, we entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with TL Investment GmbH (“TL Investment”) and Canaccord Genuity LLC, as representative of the several underwriters named therein (together, the “Underwriters”), relating to the Company’s offer and sale of 4,700,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of our common stock at an initial price to the public of $7.50 per share. In addition, TL Investment granted the Underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 705,000 shares (the “Option Shares”) of our common stock held by TL Investment at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts. On November 18, 2021, the Underwriters exercised their option to purchase the Option Shares from TL Investment in full. On November 22, 2021, we issued and delivered the Firm Shares and TL Investment delivered the Option Shares.

Net proceeds to Lantronix from the offering of the Firm Shares, after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses, were approximately $32,600,000.

COVID-19 Update

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken measures to protect the health and safety of our employees and comply with applicable local directives. Most of our employees transitioned to remote working arrangements commencing in March 2020, and many continue to primarily work remotely as of the date hereof. We continue to monitor the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, as well as our customers’ and suppliers’ businesses, including the emergence of new strains of the virus, current or future government-imposed shutdowns, and the impact of ongoing vaccination efforts.

Our efforts to support customer engagement through industry events, trade shows and business travel also continue to be adversely affected. Prolonged shutdowns, or additional future shutdowns and other restrictions instituted by federal, state and local governments, may lead to a reduction in revenue during the coming quarters. To mitigate potential revenue declines, we continue to adjust our go-to-market approach by adding more distributors and value-added resellers, who are closer to the customers and end-customers.

Our supply chain still faces challenges, as most of our manufacturing is performed in Thailand, Taiwan and China. We have experienced an increase in costs of components for certain products as well as increased freight and logistics costs and we expect these cost increases to continue. These and other factors have contributed to recent delays in shipments to some customers.

Overall, in light of the changing nature and continuing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of new, highly-contagious variants, our ability to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business in future periods remains limited. The full effects of the pandemic on our business are unlikely to be fully realized, or reflected in our financial results, until future periods.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We regularly evaluate our estimates and assumptions related to revenue recognition, sales returns and allowances, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation, warranty reserves, restructuring charges, valuation of deferred income taxes, valuation of goodwill and long-lived and intangible assets, share-based compensation, litigation and other contingencies. We base our estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. To the extent there are material differences between our estimates and the actual results, our future results of operations will be affected.

We believe the following critical accounting policies require us to make significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services. We apply the following five-step approach in determining the amount and timing of revenue to be recognized: (i) identifying the contract with a customer, (ii) identifying the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determining the transaction price, (iv) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognizing revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied.

A significant portion of our products are sold to distributors under agreements which contain (i) limited rights to return unsold products and (ii) price adjustment provisions, both of which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize. Establishing accruals for product returns and pricing adjustments requires the use of judgment and estimates that impact the amount and timing of revenue recognition. When product revenue is recognized, we establish an estimated allowance for future product returns based primarily on historical returns experience and other known or anticipated returns. We also record reductions of revenue for pricing adjustments, such as competitive pricing programs and rebates, in the same period that the related revenue is recognized, based primarily on approved pricing adjustments and our historical experience. Actual product returns or pricing adjustments that differ from our estimates could result in increases or decreases to our net revenue.

A portion of our revenues are derived from engineering and related consulting service contracts with customers. These contracts generally include performance obligations in which control is transferred over time because the customer either simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided or our performance on the contract creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls. These contracts typically provide services on the following basis:

Performance obligations for T&M contracts qualify for the "Right to Invoice" practical expedient within the revenue guidance. Under this practical expedient, we may recognize revenue, over time, in the amount to which we have a right to invoice. In addition, we are not required to estimate variable consideration upon inception of the contract and reassess the estimate each reporting period. We determined that this method best represents the transfer of services as, upon billing, we have a right to consideration from a customer in an amount that directly corresponds with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date.

We recognize revenue on fixed price contracts, over time, using an input method based on the proportion of our actual costs incurred (generally labor hours expended) to the total costs expected to complete the contract performance obligation. We determined that this method best represents the transfer of services as the proportion closely depicts the efforts or inputs completed towards the satisfaction of a fixed price contract performance obligation.

From time to time, we may enter into contracts with customers that include promises to transfer multiple performance obligations that may include sales of products, professional engineering services and other product qualification or certification services. Determining whether the promises in these arrangements are considered distinct performance obligations, that should be accounted for separately versus together, often requires judgment. We consider performance obligations to be distinct when the customer can benefit from the promised good or service on its own or by combining it with other resources readily available and when the promised good or service is separately identifiable from other promised goods or services in the contract. In these arrangements, we allocate revenue on a relative standalone selling price basis by maximizing the use of observable inputs to determine the standalone selling price for each performance obligation. Additionally, estimating standalone selling prices for separate performance obligations within a contract may require significant judgment and consideration of various factors including market conditions, items contemplated during negotiation of customer arrangements and internally-developed pricing models. Changes to performance obligations that we identify, or the estimated selling prices pertaining to a contract, could materially impact the amounts of earned and unearned revenue that we record.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. Our evaluation of the collectability of customer accounts receivable is based on various factors. In cases where we are aware of circumstances that may impair a specific customer’s ability to meet its financial obligations subsequent to the original sale, we record an allowance against amounts due based on those particular circumstances. For all other customers, we estimate an allowance for doubtful accounts based on (i) the length of time the receivables are past due, (ii) our bad debt collection experience, and (iii) our understanding of general industry conditions. If a major customer’s credit-worthiness deteriorates, or our customers’ actual defaults exceed our estimates, our financial results could be impacted.

Inventory Valuation

We value inventories at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value, whereby we make estimates regarding the market value of our inventories, including an assessment of excess and obsolete inventories. We determine excess and obsolete inventories based on an estimate of the future sales demand for our products within a specified time horizon, which is generally 12 months. In addition, specific reserve estimates are recorded to cover risks for end-of-life products, inventory located at our contract manufacturers and warranty replacement stock. The estimates we use for demand are also used for near-term capacity planning and inventory purchasing. Demand for our products can fluctuate significantly from period to period. A significant decrease in demand could result in an increase in the amount of excess inventory on hand. In addition, our industry is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent new product development and product obsolescence that could result in an increase in the amount of obsolete inventory quantities on hand. Additionally, our estimates of future product demand and judgement to determine excess inventory may prove to be inaccurate, in which case we may have understated or overstated the reduction to the total carrying value of our inventory for excess and obsolete inventory. In the future, if our inventory is determined to be overvalued, we would be required to recognize such costs in our cost of goods sold, resulting in a reduction in our gross margins, at the time of such determination. Although we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our forecasts of future product demand, any significant unanticipated changes in demand or technological developments could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and our results of operations.

Warranty Reserve

The standard warranty periods we provide for our products typically range from one to five years. We establish reserves for estimated product warranty costs at the time revenue is recognized based upon our historical warranty experience, and for any known or anticipated product warranty issues. Our warranty obligations are impacted by a number of factors, including historical warranty costs, actual product failure rates, service delivery costs, and the use of materials. If our actual results are different from our assumptions, increases or decreases to warranty reserves could be required, which could impact our cost of revenue and gross margins.

Restructuring Charges

We recognize costs and related liabilities for restructuring activities when they are incurred. Our restructuring charges are primarily comprised of employee separation costs, asset impairments and contract exit costs. Employee separation costs include one-time termination benefits that are recognized as a liability at estimated fair value, at the time of communication to employees, unless future service is required, in which case the costs are recognized ratably over the future service period. Ongoing termination benefits are recognized as a liability at estimated fair value when the amount of such benefits are probable and reasonably estimable. Contract exit costs include contract termination fees and right-of-use asset impairments recognized on the date that we have vacated the premises or ceased use of the leased facilities. A liability for contract termination fees is recognized in the period in which we terminate the contract. Restructuring accruals are based upon management estimates at the time they are recorded and can change depending upon changes in facts and circumstances subsequent to the date the original liability is recorded. If actuals results differ, or if management determines revised estimates are necessary, we may record additional liabilities or reverse a portion or existing liabilities.

Valuation of Deferred Income Taxes

We have recorded a valuation allowance to reduce our net deferred tax assets to zero, primarily due to historical net operating losses (“NOLs”) and uncertainty of generating future taxable income. We consider estimated future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. If we determine that it is more likely than not that we will realize a deferred tax asset that currently has a valuation allowance, we would be required to reverse the valuation allowance, which would be reflected as an income tax benefit in our consolidated statements of operations at that time.

Business Combinations

We allocate the fair value of the purchase consideration of a business acquisition to the tangible assets, liabilities, and intangible assets acquired, including in-process research and development (“IPR&D”), if applicable, based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. IPR&D is initially capitalized at fair value as an intangible asset with an indefinite life and assessed for impairment thereafter. When an IPR&D project is completed, the IPR&D is reclassified as an amortizable purchased intangible asset and amortized over the asset’s estimated useful life. The valuation of acquired assets and assumed liabilities requires significant judgment and estimates, especially with respect to intangible assets. The valuation of intangible assets, in particular, requires that we use valuation techniques such as the income approach. The income approach includes the use of a discounted cash flow model, which includes discounted cash flow scenarios and requires significant estimates such as future expected revenue, expenses, capital expenditures and other costs, and discount rates. We estimate the fair value based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from our estimates. Estimates associated with the accounting for acquisitions may change as additional information becomes available regarding the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Acquisition-related expenses and related restructuring costs are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill Impairment Testing

We evaluate goodwill for impairment on an annual basis in our fourth fiscal quarter or more frequently if we believe indicators of impairment exist that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our single reporting unit below its carrying amount.

We begin our evaluation of goodwill for impairment by assessing qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Some factors that we consider important in the qualitative assessment which could trigger a goodwill impairment review include:

Based on our qualitative assessment, if we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we conduct a quantitative goodwill impairment test, which involves comparing the estimated fair value of our single reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill. We estimate the fair value of our single reporting unit using a combination of the income and market approach. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, we recognize an impairment loss for the difference.

Significant management judgment is required in estimating the reporting unit’s fair value and in the creation of the forecasts of future operating results that are used in the discounted cash flow method of valuation. These include (i) estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, (ii) estimation of the long-term rate of growth of our business, (iii) estimation of the period during which cash flows will be generated and (iv) the determination of our weighted-average cost of capital, which is a factor in determining the discount rate. Our estimate of the reporting unit’s fair value would also generally include the consideration of a control premium, which is the amount that a buyer is willing to pay over the current market price of a company as indicated by the traded price per share (i.e., market capitalization) to acquire a controlling interest. If our actual financial results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating the fair value of our reporting unit, we may be exposed to goodwill impairment losses.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, we made a qualitative assessment of whether goodwill impairment existed. Since our assessment of the qualitative factors did not result in a determination that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we were not required to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. As of June 30, 2022, the carrying value of our single reporting unit was $79,900,000, while our market capitalization was $189,000,000. We concluded that no goodwill impairment existed as of June 30, 2022.

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets

We assess the impairment of long-lived assets and intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable. Circumstances which could trigger a review include, but are not limited to the following:

Whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of long-lived assets and intangible assets may not be recoverable, we estimate the future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset from its use or eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of those assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. Significant management judgment is required in the forecasts of future operating results that are used in the discounted cash flow method of valuation. These significant judgments may include future expected revenue, expenses, capital expenditures and other costs, discount rates and whether or not alternative uses are available for impacted long-lived assets.

Share-Based Compensation

We record share-based compensation in our consolidated statements of operations as an expense, based on the estimated grant date fair value of our share-based awards, with the fair values amortized to expense over the requisite service period. Our share-based awards are currently comprised of restricted stock units, performance stock units, common stock options, and common stock purchase rights granted under our 2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).

The fair value of our restricted stock units is based on the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant.

The fair value of our performance stock units is estimated as of the grant date based upon the expected achievement of the performance metrics specified in the grant and the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant. To the extent a grant of performance share units contains a market condition, the grant date fair value is estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation, which incorporates estimates of the potential outcomes of the market condition on the grant date fair value of each award.

The fair value of our common stock options and ESPP common stock purchase rights is generally estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) valuation model. The determination of the fair value of share-based awards utilizing the BSM model is affected by our stock price and various assumptions, including the expected term, expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected dividend yields. The expected term of stock options granted has historically been estimated using the simplified method, as permitted by guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We have used the simplified method because we were generally unable to rely on our limited historical exercise data or alternative information as a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term of such options. For new stock options granted beginning in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, we estimated the expected term based on our recent historical exercise data. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our stock price. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based on the U.S. Treasury interest rates appropriate for the expected term of our stock options and common stock purchase rights.

If factors change and we employ different assumptions, share-based compensation expense may differ significantly from what we have recorded in the past. If there are any modifications or cancellations of the underlying unvested share-based awards, we may be required to accelerate, increase or cancel any remaining unearned share-based compensation expense. If these events were to occur, it could increase or decrease our share-based compensation expense, which would impact our operating expenses and gross margins.

Results of Operations - Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021

Summary

For fiscal 2022, our net revenue increased by $58,178,000, or 81.4%, compared to fiscal 2021. The increase in net revenue was driven by a 144.0% increase in net revenue in our IoT System Solutions product line, as well as an increase of 60.0% in net revenues in our Embedded IoT Solutions product line. We had a net loss of $5,362,000 for fiscal 2022 compared to a net loss of $4,044,000 for fiscal 2021. The increase in net loss was driven primarily by costs related to the TN acquisition as both SG&A and R&D expenses as a percent of net revenue were lower in fiscal 2022 than fiscal 2021, largely because of our business integration efforts and capture of significant cost synergies during fiscal 2022.   

Net Revenue

The following tables present our net revenue by product lines and by geographic region:

Embedded IoT Solutions

Net revenue from our Embedded IoT Solutions product line increased in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021 primarily due to organic growth in our compute modules and embedded ethernet connectivity products. In addition, the acquisition of the TN Companies contributed approximately $7,200,000 in fiscal 2022 primarily in the Americas region.

IoT System Solutions

Net revenue from our IoT System Solutions product line increased in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021 primarily due to product sales of our network switches and media converter products from the TN Companies acquisition, mostly in the Americas region. We also experienced organic growth in our pre-acquisition business driven by (i) our out of band (“OOB”) products in the Americas, and to a lesser extent, EMEA and APJ, and (ii) our device server products in the Americas and APJ regions. The overall increase in net revenues was partially offset by a decrease in unit sales in our WiFi gateway products in the Americas and EMEA regions.

Software & Services

Net revenue from our Software & Services product line in fiscal 2022 was flat when compared to fiscal 2021. In fiscal 2022, we experienced an increase in engineering consulting services revenue when compared to fiscal 2021. This increase was largely offset by lower revenues from some of our software offerings compared to fiscal 2021 during which we had a large software license sale.

For comparative purposes, the following tables present our product line categorizations prior to our decision to reorganize how we present this information during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. As discussed at Part I, Item 1 of this Report, going forward we do not plan to disclose our net revenue by these categorizations.

Gross Profit

Gross profit represents net revenue less cost of revenue. Cost of revenue consists primarily of the cost of raw material components, subcontract labor assembly by contract manufacturers, freight costs, personnel-related expenses, manufacturing overhead, inventory reserves for excess and obsolete products or raw materials, warranty costs, royalties and share-based compensation.

The following table presents our gross profit:

Gross profit as a percent of revenue (referred to as “gross margin”) for fiscal 2022 decreased compared to fiscal 2021 due primarily to our revenue mix. We saw significant growth in unit sales of our compute modules and growth in our engineering services revenues, which typically carry lower gross margins than many of our products. Gross margin for fiscal 2022 was also negatively impacted by (i) higher supply chain and logistics costs and (ii) the amortization of unrealized profit in acquired inventory from the TN Companies in the amount of approximately $380,000. The overall decrease in our gross margins in the current year period was partially offset by growth in unit sales of our higher-margin OOB products, along with the margin contribution from the products acquired from the TN Companies.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expenses consisted of personnel-related expenses including salaries and commissions, share-based compensation, facility expenses, information technology, advertising and marketing expenses and professional legal and accounting fees.

The following table presents our selling, general and administrative expenses:

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased in fiscal 2022 when compared to fiscal 2021 primarily (i) higher personnel-related expenses as we added headcount from the acquisition of the TN Companies and also recorded higher variable compensation expenses, (ii) increased professional fees and outside services costs for legal and other services, as well as transition services fees paid to the seller for the acquisition of the TN Companies, (iii) increased share-based compensation expense due to additional grants of performance stock units and other stock awards with higher fair values compared to the prior year and (iv) higher marketing spending, including on various events and trade shows that were largely halted in the prior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research and Development

Research and development expenses consisted of personnel-related expenses, share-based compensation, and expenditures to third-party vendors for research and development activities and product certification costs. Our costs from period-to-period related to outside services and product certifications vary depending on our level and timing of development activities.

The following table presents our research and development expenses:

Research and development expenses increased in fiscal 2022 when compared to fiscal 2021 primarily due to (i) an increase in personnel-related costs driven by additions to headcount from both the TN Companies acquisition and internal growth, (ii) higher facility-related costs as we opened our new facility in Germany and expanded our engineering teams, (iii) increased outside services costs primarily related to the timing of product development projects requiring outsourced engineering resources, and (iv) increased share-based compensation expense due to additional grants of performance stock units and other stock awards with higher fair values compared to the prior year. 

Restructuring, Severance and Related Charges

Fiscal 2022

During fiscal 2022, we incurred charges of approximately $795,000 related to headcount reductions and restructuring of non-essential operations, including certain functions determined redundant related to the acquisition of the TN Companies. We may incur additional restructuring, severance and related charges in future periods as we continue to identify cost savings and synergies resulting from our acquisitions.

Fiscal 2021

During fiscal 2021, we incurred charges of approximately $506,000 related to headcount reductions and restructuring of non-essential operations, including certain acquisition-related functions we determined were redundant.

Acquisition-Related Costs

During fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, we incurred approximately $889,000 and $841,000 of acquisition-related costs, respectively, mostly comprised of banking and legal fees related to the acquisition of the TN Companies and our exploration of other acquisition targets.

Amortization of Purchased Intangible Assets

We acquired certain intangible assets through our recent acquisitions, which we recorded at fair-value as of the acquisition dates. These assets are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives and resulted in charges of $5,590,000 and $3,094,000 during fiscal 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Interest Income (Expense), Net

For fiscal 2022 and 2021, we incurred net interest expense from interest incurred on borrowings on our Credit Facilities. We also earn interest on our domestic cash balances.

Loss on Extinguishment of Debt

For fiscal 2022, we recognized a non-cash loss on the extinguishment of our mezzanine term loan facility of $764,000, representing the write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs. 

Other Expense, Net

Other expense, net, is comprised primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction adjustments related to our foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar. During fiscal 2021, we also incurred a loss of approximately $197,000 on disposal of certain property and equipment.

Provision for Income Taxes

The following table presents our provision for income taxes:

The following table presents our effective tax rate based upon our provision for income taxes:

We utilize the liability method of accounting for income taxes. In fiscal 2022 the tax benefit was the result of us recording a U.S. deferred tax liability in the TN Companies acquisition purchase accounting related to non-tax-deductible intangible assets recognized in our consolidated financial statements. The acquired deferred tax liabilities are a source of income to support recognition of our existing deferred tax assets. The differences between our effective tax rate and the federal statutory rate in fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021 were also impacted by the effect of our domestic losses recorded without a tax benefit, as well as the effect of foreign earnings taxed at rates differing from the federal statutory rate.

We record net deferred tax assets to the extent we believe these assets are more likely than not to be realized. As a result of our cumulative losses and uncertainty of generating future taxable income, we provided a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021.

Due to the “change of ownership” provision of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, utilization of our NOL carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards may be subject to an annual limitation against taxable income in future periods. Due to the annual limitation, a portion of these carryforwards may expire before ultimately becoming available to reduce future income tax liabilities. The following table presents our NOLs:

For federal income tax purposes, our NOL carryovers generated for tax years beginning before July 1, 2018 began to expire in fiscal 2021. Of our federal NOLs as of June 30, 2022 in the table above, approximately $26,500,000 will expire by June 30, 2023. For state income tax purposes, our NOLs began to expire in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. Pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted by the U.S. federal government in December 2017, for federal income tax purposes, NOL carryovers generated for our tax years beginning after June 30, 2018 can be carried forward indefinitely, but will be subject to a taxable income limitation.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

The following table presents our working capital and cash and cash equivalents:

In November 2021, we sold 4,700,000 shares of our common stock in an underwritten public offering. We received net cash proceeds from the offering of approximately $32,600,000. Refer to Note 6 of Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part I, Item 1 of this Report for additional information.

In January 2022, we terminated our $12,000,000 mezzanine term loan facility that was originated in August 2021. In connection with this termination, we paid a total of $12,152,500 to pay off the facility in full.

In February 2022, we entered into an amendment to our Senior Credit Facilities (as defined in Note 5 of Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part I, Item 1 of this Report) which (i) increased the amount available under the revolving credit facility from $2,500,000 to $7,500,000, (ii) removed and replaced LIBOR benchmark provisions with Term SOFR benchmark provisions and (iii) provided that advances under the Senior Credit Facilities bear interest at Term SOFR or the Prime Rate, at the option of Lantronix, plus a margin that ranges from 3.10% to 4.10% in the case of Term SOFR and 1.50% to 2.50% in the case of the Prime Rate, depending on our total leverage with a Term SOFR floor of 0.00% and a Prime Rate floor of 3.25%. We paid a nonrefundable fee of $25,000 in connection with this amendment to our Senior Credit Facilities. As of June 30, 2022, we had $16,188,000 million in borrowings outstanding under our term loan facility.

Our principal sources of cash and liquidity include our existing cash and cash equivalents, borrowings and amounts available under our loan agreement with our bank, and cash generated from operations. We believe that these sources will be sufficient to fund our current requirements for working capital, capital expenditures and other financial commitments for at least the next 12 months and beyond. We anticipate that the primary factors affecting our cash and liquidity are net revenue, working capital requirements and capital expenditures.

Management defines cash and cash equivalents as highly liquid deposits with original maturities of 90 days or less when purchased. We maintain cash and cash equivalents balances at certain financial institutions in excess of amounts insured by federal agencies. Management does not believe this concentration subjects us to any unusual financial risk beyond the normal risk associated with commercial banking relationships. We frequently monitor the third-party depository institutions that hold our cash and cash equivalents. Our emphasis is primarily on safety of principal and secondarily on maximizing yield on those funds.

Our future working capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the following: timing and amount of our net revenue; our product mix and the resulting gross margins; research and development expenses; selling, general and administrative expenses; and expenses associated with any strategic partnerships, acquisitions or infrastructure investments.

From time to time, we may seek additional capital from public or private offerings of our capital stock, borrowings under our existing or future credit lines or other sources in order to (i) develop or enhance our products, (ii) take advantage of strategic opportunities, (iii) respond to competition or (iv) continue to operate our business. We currently have a Form S-3 shelf registration statement on file with the SEC. If we issue equity securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. If we issue debt securities to raise additional funds, we may incur debt service obligations, become subject to additional restrictions that limit or restrict our ability to operate our business, or be required to further encumber our assets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any such capital on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Bank Loan Agreements

Refer to Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, for a discussion of our loan agreements.

Cash Flows

The following table presents the major components of the consolidated statements of cash flows:

Operating Activities

We used cash in operating activities during fiscal 2022 compared to operations providing cash in fiscal 2021 mainly due to the increase in our net loss, which was driven by an increase in operating expenses. For fiscal 2022, our net loss included $15,380,000 of non-cash charges, and the changes in operating assets and liabilities used cash of $19,434,000.

Our net inventories increased by $22,620,000, or 150.2%, from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Of this increase, $7,734,000 of net inventories were acquired in the TN Companies acquisition. The remainder of the increase was a combination of increases in revenue, increased lead times required for certain customers, and supply chain constraints issues.

Accounts receivable increased by $12,747,000, or 94.3%, from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2022, of which $5,277,000 was acquired in the TN Companies acquisition. The remainder of the increase is primarily due to the increase and timing of our sales and related payments from customers.

Accounts payable increased by $11,522,000, or 126.3%, from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2022, of which $1,872,000 was acquired in the TN Companies acquisition. The remainder of the increase is primarily due to the increase and timing of our inventory purchases and related payments to our vendors.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during fiscal 2022 was driven by the acquisition of the TN Companies, which used net cash of $23,629,000. We also used cash for the purchase of property and equipment, primarily related to various tooling, test and office equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during fiscal 2022 resulted primarily from (i) net proceeds from our public offering of $32,600,000 and (ii) $29,500,000 in gross proceeds received from our credit facilities with SVB, partially offset by the repayment of our previous term loan in the amount of $3,750,000 and the mezzanine credit facility in the amount of $12,000,000. We also used cash of $1,811,000 for tax withholdings paid on behalf of employees for restricted shares and paid earnout consideration of $1,500,000 for the TN Companies.

Not required for a “smaller reporting company.”

All financial statements required by this Item 8, including the report of our independent registered public accounting firm, are included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Report, as set forth beginning on page F-1 of this Report, and are incorporated by reference into this Item 8.

None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that this information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2022. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2022, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate “internal control over financial reporting,” as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2022 based on the criteria set forth in the Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the assessment, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2022.

Exemption from Attestation Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

This Report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to the rules of the SEC that permit us to provide only Management’s Report because we are a non-accelerated filer.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

On December 2, 2021, we entered into a change in control agreement with Jeremy Whitaker, our Chief Financial Officer (the “Agreement”), providing for certain severance benefits in the event of a change in control of Lantronix. Under the Agreement, if Mr. Whitaker’s employment is terminated by us without Cause or by him for Good Reason within 60 days prior to or 12 months following a Change in Control (as defined in the Agreement) and such a termination of his employment occurs on or prior to May 31, 2024, (i) all of his outstanding equity awards will accelerate and become fully vested; (ii) he will receive a cash severance payment in a lump sum (in lieu of the cash severance benefit described above, if applicable) equal to 6 months of his base salary plus an amount equal to 100% of the amount of bonuses (if any) paid to Mr. Whitaker during the 12 months preceding termination (or 12 months of his base salary plus an amount equal to 100% of his target bonus if the consideration paid to Lantronix’s stockholders in the transaction is $5.00 or more per share); and (iii) he and his eligible dependents will be entitled to continued participation in Lantronix’s group health, dental and vision insurance plans on the same terms as existed at the time of his termination for up to 6 months thereafter (or up to 12 months if the consideration paid to Lantronix’s stockholders in the transaction is $5.00 or more per share).

Mr. Whitaker’s right to receive the severance benefits described above is subject to his executing and not revoking a general release of claims in favor of Lantronix and his resignation from any Lantronix-affiliated board positions. Cash severance payments would be made on the 53^rd day following Mr. Whitaker’s employment termination date or such later date as required by Section 409A of the Code. Should benefits payable to Mr. Whitaker trigger excise taxes under Section 4999 of the Code, Mr. Whitaker will either be entitled to the full amount of his benefits or, if a cut-back in the benefits would result in greater net (after-tax) benefit to Mr. Whitaker, the benefits will be cut-back to the extent necessary to avoid such excise taxes.

The foregoing description of the Agreement is qualified in its entirety by the Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.19 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

None.

PART III

Portions of our definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders (“Proxy Statement”), which will be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report, as indicated below.

The names of our executive officers and their ages, titles and biographies as of the date hereof are set forth in Item 1 in the section entitled “Information About Our Executive Officers” in Part I, Item 1 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all employees, including employees of our subsidiaries, as well as each member of our Board of Directors. The code of business conduct and ethics is available at our website at www.lantronix.com under the Investor Relations-Corporate Governance section. We intend to satisfy any disclosure requirement under applicable rules of the SEC or Nasdaq Stock Market regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of this code of business conduct and ethics by posting such information on our website, at the web address specified above.

The other information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement. 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement. 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement. 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement. 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

PART IV

1.  Consolidated Financial Statements

The following consolidated financial statements and related Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are filed as part of this Report.

2.  Exhibits

__________

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Paul Pickle and Jeremy Whitaker, and each or either of them, acting individually, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Report, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any of them, or their or his or her substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the shareholders and the board of directors of Lantronix, Inc.:

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Lantronix, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "Company") as of June 30, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "consolidated financial statements"). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended June 30, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

INVENTORY – EXCESS AND OBSOLETE RESERVE

Critical Audit Matter Description

As discussed in Note 1 and Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and the Company’s consolidated inventory balance was approximately $37.7 million at June 30, 2022, net of reserves. The Company provides for reserves for excess and obsolete inventories primarily based upon estimates of future demand of products, the age of the inventory, and considering contractual supplier protection provisions and distributor stock rotation privileges.

We identified the auditing of management’s lower of cost or net realizable value determination for excess or obsolete inventories as a critical audit matter. Auditing management’s lower of cost or net realizable value determination for excess or obsolete inventories was especially challenging and highly judgmental because of the uncertainties in determining demand for aging inventory and future market conditions. Inherent estimation uncertainty was primarily attributed to assumptions used by management in the inventory reserve model which involved a high degree of subjectivity.

How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

VALUATION OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS IN TRANSITION NETWORKS AND NET2EDGE BUSINESSES OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.

Critical Audit Matter Description

As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, on August 2, 2021, the Company acquired the Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses of Communication Systems, Inc. The transactions were accounted for as business combinations and the assets acquired and liabilities assumed have been recorded based on the final assessment of fair value. The acquired intangible assets included approximately $7.5 million in customer relationships and approximately $1.9 million in acquired technology. The significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value of these intangible assets included revenue growth rates, customer attrition rates and discount rates. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.

The procedures used to audit the valuation of the acquired technology and customer relationship assets acquired include (i) a high degree of auditor judgment and subjectivity in applying procedures relating to the fair value measurement of intangible assets acquired due to the significant amount of judgment by management when developing the estimate; (ii) significant audit effort in evaluating the significant assumptions relating to the estimate, such as revenue growth rates, the customer attrition rate, and discount rates; and (iii) the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence.

How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

/s/ Baker Tilly US, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditors since 2011.

Irvine, California

August 29, 2022

23

LANTRONIX, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and par value data)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

LANTRONIX, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share data)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

LANTRONIX, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

LANTRONIX, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

LANTRONIX, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

Company

Lantronix, Inc., which we refer to herein as the Company, Lantronix, we, our, or us, is a global Industrial and Enterprise internet of things (“IoT”) provider of solutions that target diversified verticals ranging from Smart Cities, Utilities and Healthcare to Enterprise, Intelligent Transportation, and Industrial Automation. Building on a long history of connectivity and video processing competence, target applications include Video Surveillance, Traffic management, Infotainment systems, Robotics, Edge Computing and Remote Environment Management (“REM”).

We were incorporated in California in 1989 and re-incorporated in Delaware in 2000.

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lantronix and our wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The industry in which we operate is characterized by rapid technological change. As a result, estimates made in preparing the consolidated financial statements include the allowance for doubtful accounts, revenue recognition, business combinations, inventory valuation, goodwill valuation, deferred income tax asset valuation allowances, share-based compensation, restructuring charges and warranty reserves. To the extent there are material differences between our estimates and actual results, future results of operations will be affected.

Impact of COVID-19

The spread of the COVID-19 virus has caused an economic downturn on a global scale, as well as significant volatility in the financial markets. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, operations and financial results continues to depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict and which may cause the actual results to differ from the estimates and assumptions we are required to make in the preparation of financial statements according to U.S. GAAP.

In order to protect our employee population and comply with local directives, most of our employees transitioned to remote working arrangements commencing in March 2020, and many continue to primarily work remotely as of the date hereof. To facilitate the increased data traffic associated with remote access, we have upgraded some of our information technology systems. We have also made changes relating to videoconferencing by providing most of our employees with a new videoconferencing and collaboration platform to accommodate better remote collaboration and communication. To date, remote working has not had an adverse impact on our financial results or our operations, including financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior fiscal year financial information to conform to the current fiscal year presentation.

Revenue Recognition

Refer to Note 2 below for a discussion of our significant accounting policy over revenue recognition.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable are stated at the amount we expect to collect, which is net of an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. Our evaluation of the collectability of customer accounts receivable is based on various factors, including the length of time the receivables are past due, our history of bad debts and general industry conditions. Accounts that are deemed uncollectible are written off against the allowance for doubtful accounts.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Our accounts receivable are primarily derived from revenue earned from customers located throughout North America, Europe and Asia. We perform periodic credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition and maintain allowances for potential credit losses. Credit losses have historically been within our expectations. We generally do not require collateral or other security from our customers.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, contract manufacturers’ receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received in an asset sale or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between unaffiliated market participants. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are categorized based on whether or not the inputs are observable in the market and the degree to which the inputs are observable. The categorization of financial instruments within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The hierarchy is prioritized into three levels (with Level 3 being the lowest) defined as follows:

Level 1:     Inputs are based on quoted market prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets at the measurement date.

Level 2:     Inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and/or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active near the measurement date.

Level 3:     Inputs include management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument’s valuation.

The hierarchy noted above requires us to minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to use observable market data, if available, when determining fair value. Other than earnout consideration liabilities (see Note 3), during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 we did not have any assets or liabilities that were measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. As of June 30, 2022 we do not have any assets or liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis,

We believe all of our financial instruments’ recorded values approximate their current fair values because of the nature and short duration of these instruments.

Foreign Currency Remeasurement

The functional currency for all our foreign subsidiaries is currently the U.S. dollar. Non-monetary and monetary foreign currency assets and liabilities are valued in U.S. dollars at historical and end-of-period exchange rates, respectively. Exchange gains and losses from foreign currency transactions and remeasurements are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. Translation adjustments for foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies were previously their respective local currencies are suspended in accumulated other comprehensive income.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Accumulated other comprehensive income is composed of accumulated translation adjustments as of June 30, 2022 and 2021. We did not have any other comprehensive income or losses during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2022 or 2021.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and short-term investments, with original maturities of 90 days or less.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. We provide reserves for excess and obsolete inventories determined primarily based upon estimates of future demand for our products. Shipping and handling costs are classified as a component of cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.

Inventory Sale and Purchase Transactions with Contract Manufacturers

Under certain circumstances, we sell raw materials to our contract manufacturers and subsequently repurchase finished goods from the contract manufacturers which contain such raw materials. Net sales of raw materials to the contract manufacturers are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as contract manufacturers’ receivables and are eliminated from net revenue as we intend to repurchase the raw materials from the contract manufacturers in the form of finished goods.

We have contractual arrangements with certain of our contract manufacturers that require us to purchase unused inventory that the contract manufacturer has purchased to fulfill our forecasted manufacturing demand. To the extent that inventory on-hand at one or more of these contract manufacturers exceeds our contractually reported forecasts, we record the amount we may be required to purchase as part of other current liabilities and inventories on the consolidated balance sheets.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are carried at cost. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the assets’ estimated useful lives, generally ranging from three to five years. Depreciation and amortization of leasehold improvements are computed using the shorter of the remaining lease term or five years. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized, while replacements, maintenance and repairs, which do not improve or extend the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, are expensed as incurred.

Business Combinations

We allocate the fair value of the purchase consideration of a business acquisition to the tangible assets, liabilities, and intangible assets acquired, including in-process research and development (“IPR&D”), based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. IPR&D is initially capitalized at fair value as an intangible asset with an indefinite life and assessed for impairment thereafter. When an IPR&D project is completed, the IPR&D is reclassified as an amortizable purchased intangible asset and amortized over the asset’s estimated useful life. Acquisition-related expenses and related restructuring costs are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill

Goodwill is recorded as the difference, if any, between the aggregate consideration paid for an acquisition and the fair value of the acquired net tangible and intangible assets acquired. We evaluate goodwill for impairment on an annual basis in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if we believe indicators of impairment exist that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our single reporting unit below its carrying amount. We begin by assessing qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Based on that qualitative assessment, if we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we conduct a quantitative goodwill impairment test, which involves comparing the estimated fair value of our single reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill. We estimate the fair value of our single reporting unit using a combination of the income and market approach. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, we recognize an impairment loss for the difference.

During the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, we performed a qualitative assessment of whether goodwill impairment existed and did not determine that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit was less than its carrying amount.

Purchased Intangible Assets

Included within "purchased intangible assets, net" at June 30, 2022 are customer lists, developed technology, tradenames, and other intangible assets acquired in connection with various business combinations. Such capitalized costs and intangible assets are being amortized over a period of one to five years. 

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets

We assess the impairment of long-lived assets and intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. We estimate the future cash flows, undiscounted and without interest charges, expected to be generated by the assets from its use or eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of those assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are computed under the liability method. This method requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of our assets and liabilities. The impact on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates and laws, if any, are applied to the years during which temporary differences are expected to be settled and are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period of enactment. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that some of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Financial statement effects of a tax position are initially recognized when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority. A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is initially and subsequently measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that meets the more-likely-than-not threshold of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority. We recognize potential accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.

Share-Based Compensation

We account for share-based compensation by expensing the estimated grant date fair value of our shared-based awards ratably over the requisite service period.

We recognize the impact of forfeitures on our share-based compensation expense as such forfeitures occur. Previously recognized expense is reversed for the portion of awards forfeited prior to vesting. 

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the fiscal year. Diluted net income (loss) per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding, assuming any dilutive effects of outstanding share-based awards using the treasury stock method.

Research and Development Costs

Costs incurred in the research and development of new products and enhancements to existing products are expensed as incurred. Development costs of computer software to be sold, leased or otherwise marketed are subject to capitalization beginning when a product’s technological feasibility has been established and ending when a product is available for general release to customers. In most instances, we believe our current process for developing products is essentially completed concurrently with the establishment of technological feasibility and thus, software development costs have been expensed as incurred.

Warranty

The standard warranty periods we provide for our products typically range from one to five years. We establish reserves for estimated product warranty costs at the time revenue is recognized based upon our historical warranty experience, and for any known or anticipated product warranty issues.

Restructuring Charges

We recognize costs and related liabilities for restructuring activities when they are incurred. Our restructuring charges are primarily comprised of employee separation costs, asset impairments and contract exit costs. Employee separation costs include one-time termination benefits that are recognized as a liability at estimated fair value, at the time of communication to employees, unless future service is required, in which case the costs are recognized ratably over the future service period. Ongoing termination benefits are recognized as a liability at estimated fair value when the amount of such benefits are probable and reasonably estimable. Contract exit costs include contract termination fees and right-of-use asset impairments recognized on the date that we have vacated the premises or ceased use of the leased facilities. A liability for contract termination fees is recognized in the period in which we terminate the contract.

Leases

We determine if an arrangement is a lease, or contains a lease, at the inception of the arrangement and evaluate whether the lease is an operating lease or a finance lease at the commencement date. We recognize right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities for operating and finance leases with terms greater than 12 months. ROU assets represent our right to use an asset for the lease term, while lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments. To the extent a lease includes a renewal option, we include such options in the calculation of the ROU asset and lease liability if it is reasonably assured that we will exercise the option. Operating and finance lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term at the lease commencement date. To determine the present value of lease payments, we use the implicit interest rate, if it is readily determinable or estimable. To the extent that we are unable to utilize an interest rate implicit in the lease, we generally use our collateralized incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date, including lease term, in determining the present value of lease payments. Operating and finance lease ROU assets are recognized net of any lease prepayments and incentives. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Finance lease expense is recognized based on the effective-interest method over the lease term.

For leases that we acquire in acquisition transactions, we generally elect not to recognize assets or liabilities at the acquisition date for leases that, at the acquisition date, have a remaining lease term of 12 months or less. This includes not recognizing an intangible asset if the terms of an operating lease are favorable relative to the market terms or a liability if the terms are unfavorable relative to the market terms.

Refer to Note 9 below for additional information regarding our leases.

Advertising Expenses

Advertising expenses are recorded in the period incurred and totaled $253,000 and $231,000 for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

Segment Information

We have one operating and reportable business segment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue Contracts

In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) to improve the accounting for acquired revenue contracts with customers in a business combination by addressing diversity and inconsistency related to (i) recognition of an acquired contract liability and (ii) payment terms and their effect on subsequent revenue recognized by the acquirer. The amendments in this ASU require that an entity (acquirer) recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with existing revenue recognition guidance under Accounting Standard Codification Topic (“ASC”) 606. At the acquisition date, an acquirer would assess how the acquiree applied ASC 606 to determine what to record for the acquired revenue contracts. Generally, this would result in an acquirer recognizing and measuring the acquired contract assets and contract liabilities consistent with how they were recognized and measured in the acquiree’s financial statements. The ASU is effective for Lantronix beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, however early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance may have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Current Expected Credit Losses

In June 2016, the FASB issued a new standard requiring financial assets measured at amortized cost be presented at the net amount expected to be collected, through an allowance for credit losses that is deducted from the amortized cost basis. The standard eliminates the threshold for initial recognition in current U.S. GAAP and reflects an entity’s current estimate of all expected credit losses. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the financial assets. The standard is effective beginning in the first quarter of our fiscal year 2024. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services. We apply the following five-step approach in determining the amount and timing of revenue to be recognized: (i) identifying the contract with a customer, (ii) identifying the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determining the transaction price, (iv) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognizing revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied. On occasion we enter into contracts that can include various combinations of products and services, which are generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations.

Revenue is recognized net of (i) any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities and (ii) shipping and handling costs collected from customers.

Products

Most of our product revenue is recognized as a distinct single performance obligation when products are tendered to a carrier for delivery, which represents the point in time that our customer obtains control of the promised products. A smaller portion of our product revenue is recognized when our customer receives delivery of the promised products.

A significant portion of our products are sold to distributors under agreements which contain (i) limited rights to return unsold products and (ii) price adjustment provisions, both of which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize. We base our estimates for returns and price adjustments primarily on historical experience; however, we also consider contractual allowances, approved pricing adjustments and other known or anticipated returns and price adjustments in a given period. Such estimates are generally made at the time of shipment to the customer and updated at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available and only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of any incremental revenue will not occur. Our estimates of accrued variable consideration are included in other current liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Services

Revenues from our extended warranty and services are generally recognized ratably over the applicable service period. Revenues from sales of our software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) products are recognized ratably over the applicable service period as well. Revenues from professional engineering services are generally recognized as services are performed.

We derive a portion of our revenues from engineering and related consulting service contracts with customers. These contracts generally include performance obligations in which control is transferred over time because the customer either simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided or our performance on the contract creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls. These contracts typically provide services on the following basis:

Performance obligations for T&M contracts qualify for the "Right to Invoice" practical expedient within the revenue guidance. Under this practical expedient, we may recognize revenue, over time, in the amount to which we have a right to invoice. In addition, we are not required to estimate variable consideration upon inception of the contract and reassess the estimate each reporting period. We determined that this method best represents the transfer of services as, upon billing, we have a right to consideration from a customer in an amount that directly corresponds with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date.

We recognize revenue on fixed price contracts, over time, using an input method based on the proportion of our actual costs incurred (generally labor hours expended) to the total costs expected to complete the contract performance obligation. We determined that this method best represents the transfer of services as the proportion closely depicts the efforts or inputs completed towards the satisfaction of a fixed price contract performance obligation.

Multiple Performance Obligations

From time to time, we may enter into contracts with customers that include promises to transfer multiple deliverables that may include sales of products, professional engineering services and other product qualification or certification services. Determining whether the deliverables in such arrangements are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together often requires judgment. We consider performance obligations to be distinct when the customer can benefit from the promised good or service on its own or by combining it with other resources readily available and when the promised good or service is separately identifiable from other promised goods or services in the contract. In such arrangements, we allocate revenue on a relative standalone selling price basis by maximizing the use of observable inputs to determine the standalone selling price for each performance obligation.

Net Revenue by Product Line and Geographic Region

To more closely align the categorization of our product lines with how we position them in the marketplace, we have re-organized our products and solutions into three product lines: Embedded IoT Solutions, IoT System Solutions, and Software & Services. Until this recent change, we had organized our products and solutions into three different product lines: IoT, REM and Other. Going forward, we do not plan to disclose our net revenue by the old categorizations.

We conduct our business globally and manage our sales teams by three geographic regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia Pacific Japan (“APJ”).

The following tables present our net revenue by product line and by geographic region. Net revenues by geographic region are based on the “bill-to” location of our customers: