Manitex International, Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019

Commission File No.: 001-32401

MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (708) 430-7500

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 (Section 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, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes   ☐     No   ☒

The aggregate market value of the shares of common stock, no par value (“Common Stock”), held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2019 was approximately $88.2 million based upon the closing price for the Common Stock of $6.11 on the NASDAQ Stock Market on such date.

The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2020 was 19,715,435.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference information (to the extent specific sections are referred to herein) from the registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2020 Annual Meeting (the “2020 Proxy Statement”) to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I

References to the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Manitex International, Inc., together in each case with our subsidiaries and any predecessor entities unless the context suggests otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

When reading this Annual Report on Form 10-K, it is important that you also read the financial statements and related notes thereto. This Annual Report on Form 10-K and certain information incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, other than statements that are purely historical, are forward-looking statements and are based upon management’s present expectations, objectives, anticipations, plans, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. We use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, without limitation: (1) projections of revenue, earnings, capital structure and other financial items, (2) statements of our plans and objectives, (3) statements regarding the capabilities and capacities of our business operations, (4) statements of expected future economic conditions and the effect on us and on our customers, (5) expected benefits of our cost reduction measures, and (6) assumptions underlying statements regarding us or our business. Our actual results may differ from information contained in these forward-looking statements for many reasons, including those described below and in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors”:

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The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results. All forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. We do not undertake, and expressly disclaim, any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under applicable law.

Our Business

The Company is a leading provider of engineered lifting solutions. The Company reports in a single business segment and has five operating segments.  The Company designs, manufactures and distributes a diverse group of products that serve different functions and are used in a variety of industries.

Manitex, Inc. (“Manitex”) markets a comprehensive line of boom trucks, truck cranes and sign cranes. Manitex’s boom trucks and crane products are primarily used for industrial projects, energy exploration and infrastructure development, including roads, bridges and commercial construction.

Badger Equipment Company (“Badger”) is a manufacturer of specialized rough terrain cranes and material handling products. Badger primarily serves the needs of the construction, municipality and railroad industries.

PM Oil and Steel S.p.A. (“PM” or “PM Group”), formerly known as PM Group S.p.A., is a leading Italian manufacturer of truck- mounted hydraulic knuckle boom cranes with a 50-year history of technology and innovation, and a product range spanning more than 50 models. PM is also a manufacturer of truck-mounted aerial platforms with a diverse product line and an international client base.

Manitex Valla S.r.L. (“Valla”) produces a full range of precision pick and carry industrial cranes using electric, diesel, and hybrid power options. Its cranes offer wheeled or tracked, and fixed or swing boom configurations, with special applications designed specifically to meet the needs of its customers. These products are sold internationally through dealers and into the rental distribution channel.

Manitex Sabre, Inc. (“Sabre”), which is located in Knox, Indiana, manufactures a comprehensive line of specialized mobile tanks for liquid and solid storage and containment solutions with capacities from 8,000 to 21,000 gallons. Its mobile tanks are sold to specialized independent tank rental companies and through the Company’s existing dealer network. The tanks are used in a variety of end markets such as petrochemical, waste management and oil and gas drilling.  

Crane and Machinery, Inc. (“C&M”) is a distributor of the Company’s products as well as Terex Corporation’s (“Terex”) rough terrain and truck cranes.  Crane and Machinery Leasing, Inc. (“C&M Leasing”) rents equipment manufactured by the Company as well as a limited amount of equipment manufactured by third parties.  Although C&M is a distributor of Terex rough terrain and truck cranes, C&M’s primary business is the distribution of products manufactured by the Company.  

Consolidated Variable Interest Entity

Even though it had no ownership interest in SVW Crane & Equipment Company (together with its wholly owned subsidiary, Rental Consulting Service Company, “SVW”), the Company previously had the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact SVW’s economic performance. Additionally, the Company was the primary beneficiary of the SVW relationship. SVW obtained third party financing, which was effectively guaranteed by the Company, on specific cranes the Company manufactured and remitted the loan proceeds to the Company. Other than its business transactions described herein, SVW had no other substantial business operations. The Company determined that SVW was a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) that under current accounting guidance needed to be consolidated in the Company’s financial results. SVW was consolidated into the Company’s financial results beginning in the first quarter of 2016 through the fourth quarter of 2017. By December 31, 2017, SVW had ceased operations and is therefore not a consolidated VIE after December 31, 2017.

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Recent Acquisitions

On March 12, 2015, the Company entered into inventory and equipment purchase agreements with Columbia Tanks, LLC. Financial results are included in the consolidated results beginning on March 12, 2015.

On January 15, 2015, the Company acquired PM which is based in San Cesario sul Panaro, Modena, Italy. PM’s financial results are included in the consolidated results beginning on January 15, 2015.

Discontinued Operations

Prior to the quarter ended June 30, 2017, the Company owned a 51% interest in ASV Holdings, Inc., which was formerly known as A.S.V., LLC (“ASV” or “ASV Holdings”). ASV is located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and manufactures a line of high-quality compact track and skid steer loaders. The products are used in site clearing, general construction, forestry, golf course maintenance and landscaping industries, with general construction being the largest.  

On May 11, 2017, in anticipation of an initial public offering, ASV Holdings converted from an LLC to a C-Corporation and the Company’s 51% interest was converted to 4,080,000 common shares of ASV.  On May 17, 2017, in connection within its initial public offering, ASV Holdings sold 1,800,000 of its own shares and the Company sold 2,000,000 shares of ASV Holdings common stock and reduced its investment in ASV to a 21.2% interest.  ASV was deconsolidated and was recorded as an equity investment starting with the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Periods ending before June 30, 2017 reflect ASV as a discontinued operation. In February 2018, the Company sold an additional 1,000,000 shares of ASV that it held which reduced the Company’s stake in ASV to approximately 11%.  The Company ceased accounting for its investment in ASV under the equity method and began accounting for its investment as a marketable equity security. In September 2019, in connection with the sale of ASV to Yanmar American Corporation the Company received cash merger consideration for its remaining 1,080,000 shares of ASV and no longer has an investment in ASV.   See Notes 11 and 26 for additional discussion related to the accounting treatment of the investment in ASV after the sale of the additional shares.

General Corporate Information

Our predecessor company was formed in 1993 and was purchased in 2003 by Veri-Tek International, Corp., which changed its name to Manitex International, Inc. in 2008. Our principal executive offices are located at 9725 Industrial Drive, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455 and our telephone number is (708) 430-7500. Our website address is www.manitexinternational.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this report and such information should not be considered to be part of this report.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR BUSINESS

Boom Trucks

A boom truck is a straight telescopic boom crane outfitted with a hook and winch which is mounted on a standard flatbed commercial (Class 7 or 8) truck chassis. Relative to other lifting equipment, boom trucks provide increased versatility and are capable of transporting relatively large payloads from site to site at highway speeds. A boom truck is usually sold with outriggers, pads and devices for reinforcing the chassis in order to improve safety and stability. Although produced in a wide range of models and sizes, boom trucks can be broadly distinguished by their normal lifting capability as light, medium, and heavy-cranes. Various models of medium or heavy-lift boom trucks can safely lift loads from 15 to 80 tons and operating radii can exceed 200 feet. Another advantage of the boom truck is the ability to provide occasional man lift capabilities at a very low cost to height ratio. While it is not uncommon to see a very old boom truck, most replacement cycles seem to trend to seven years. The market for boom trucks has historically been cyclical.

Although the Company offers a complete line of boom trucks from light to heavy capacity cranes much of our efforts have been devoted to the development of higher capacity boom trucks specifically designed to meet the particular needs of customers including those in energy production and electrical power distribution. We believe it is an advantage to be skewed towards the heavier lifting capacity, since the heavier capacity cranes have somewhat higher margins.

Markets that drive demand for boom trucks include power distribution, oil and gas recovery, infrastructure and new home, commercial and industrial construction.  Historically, the new home construction market, which uses lower capacity cranes, has probably been the most cyclical. Over the past few years, demand from the energy sector has become more cyclical in part due to changes in oil prices.

The Company sells its boom trucks through a network of over forty full-service dealers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and the Middle East. A number of our dealers maintain a rental fleet of their own. Boom trucks can be rented for either short or long-term periods.

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In 2019, the annualized order rate for straight-mast cranes was approximately 1,200 units, consistent with 2018 levels. The data that the Company has seen indicates that dealer rental utilization and United States commercial construction indices remain at healthy levels. During the third quarter of 2019, the Company launched the Manitex branded line of articulating cranes (“MAC”) at a trade show in Louisville, Kentucky targeting roofing, concrete, general construction and supply industries. Based on current sales trends, the Company expects MAC sales to grow significantly in 2020. We also have expanded our North American distribution network with the addition of one new MAC dealer and three straight-mast dealers. While there is still work to do, both Gross Margin and EBITDA margin have bounced off our lows in the third quarter, and are trending higher as we head into 2020.

Knuckle Boom Cranes

PM is a leading Italian manufacturer of truck mounted hydraulic knuckle boom cranes with a 50-year history of technology and innovation, and a product range spanning more than 50 models. Through its consolidated subsidiaries, PM has locations in Modena, Italy; Arad, Romania; Chassieu, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; London, UK and Mexico City, Mexico.

PM knuckle boom cranes are hydraulic folding and articulating cranes, mounted on a commercial chassis, with lifting capacities that range from small (lifting capacity up to three-ton meter) to super heavy (lifting capacity two-hundred-and-ten-ton meter), often supplied with a jib for additional reach. With a compact design and footprint, the crane can be mounted to maximize the load carrying capability of the chassis onto which it is mounted. Combined with the crane’s ability to operate in a compact footprint the ability to carry a payload provides a competitive advantage over other truck mounted cranes and makes the knuckle boom crane particularly attractive for a variety of end uses in the construction and product delivery sectors.

The knuckle boom crane market is a global market with a wide variety of end sector applications, but focused particularly on residential and non-residential construction, road and bridge and infrastructure development. Historically the knuckle boom crane has not had significant application in the energy sector. PM knuckle boom cranes are sold into a variety of geographies including West and East Europe, Central Asia, Africa, North and Central America, South America, the Middle East and the Far East and Pacific region. Historically, PM focused on its domestic and local Western European markets, but in recent years has expanded its sales and distribution efforts internationally. PM has twelve international sales and distribution offices located in several European countries as well as the Far East and Latin America.  After acquisition by Manitex, the Company expanded its distribution capability with the existing Manitex dealer network in North America as well as expanding the number of independent service centers in the US.

The market for knuckle boom cranes has been growing in recent years as the acceptability of the product has grown and its advantages have been accepted. Growth in North America, where the straight-mast boom truck crane has been the more dominant product, has been more rapid in recent years in combination with the overall improvement in the North American construction sector. PM’s share of the North American market has been historically low; however, this is an area of growth opportunity for the Company following its acquisition by Manitex.

PM aerial platforms are self-propelled or truck mounted and places an operator in a basket in the air in order to perform maintenance, repairs or similar activities. The equipment is used in a variety of applications including utilities, sign work and industrial maintenance and is often sold to rental operations.

PM group product serves in a number of geographies in West and East Europe but also the near and Far East and sells through dealers as well as its own sales and distribution offices. The market generally follows the domestic economic cycle for any particular country. Consequently, the market has shown a positive trend in the recent past.

In September of 2019, the Company appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) with significant international crane experience with the goal of stimulating the PM business to much higher performance in this substantial market. The Company will be targeting cost reductions, improved dealer management and incentivization, revamping product designs, improving parts execution and fill rates and stressing a commitment to quality and safety. We believe there is potential for continued gains in 2020 through higher production efficiencies and the re-configuration of our articulating crane business, which generates the highest margins within our product portfolio. During the third quarter of 2019, PM was awarded a new $4.5 million revenue contract with a customer’s option, to purchase an additional $4 million in additional deliveries to supply knuckle boom cranes to an international military company.  We have also started shipping articulated cranes under the brand name PM-Tadano to customers in Asia; this was a key branding initiative we launched during the second half of 2019. Our partnership with Tadano is gaining traction in Asia, and now starting in the Middle East, through our PM-Tadano branding efforts and distribution expansion. We are proud to have Tadano as a partner and investor, and have greatly improved our focus over the past few months to drive gains in 2020 and beyond for our articulating crane business. PM now represents a substantial portion of our backlog.

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Industrial Cranes

Badger sells specialized industrial cranes through a network of dealers. The Badger product line includes specialized 15- and 30-ton industrial cranes (which can be used by the railroads) as well as a 10 ton carry deck crane which are all sold under both the Badger and Manitex names.  Additionally, Badger sells lattice cranes with 20 to 30 ton lifting capacity marketed under the Little Giant trade name.  The Little Giant line has five lattice boom models, three of which are dedicated rail cranes. In addition, Badger also sells a 30-ton truck crane and a 25-ton crawler crane under the Little Giant name.  Badger also has the capability to manufacture certain of our lower capacity boom trucks and provides expanded boom truck manufacturing capacity when needed.

The products are used by railroads, refineries, states, municipalities, and for general construction.  The Company believes it has an advantage over its competitors in selling to railroads as it is the only crane manufacturer that has integrated the installation of rail gear into its production process. Competitors send their cranes to a third party to have rail gear added which both increases cost and delays deliveries.

Valla product line of industrial cranes is a full range of precision pick and carry cranes from 2 to 90 tons, using electric, diesel, and hybrid power options. Its cranes offer wheeled or tracked, and fixed or swing boom configurations, with special applications designed specifically to meet the needs of its customers. The product is sold internationally through dealers and into the rental distribution channel.

Mobile Tanks

Sabre manufactures a comprehensive line of specialized mobile tanks for liquid and solid storage and containment solutions with capacities from 8,000 to 21,000 gallons. Its mobile tanks are sold to specialized independent tank rental companies and through other direct customers.

The tanks have historically been used in a variety of end markets such as petrochemical, waste management and oil and gas drilling. However, when we purchased Sabre in 2013, its business heavily skewed towards the energy sector.  Since early 2014, we have been working to diversify the products, customers, and applications.  This includes expanding environmental applications and using our tanks to store deicer fluid at airports.

Equipment Distribution

C&M is a distributor of the Company’s products as well as Terex’s rough terrain and truck cranes.

C&M Leasing rents equipment manufactured by the Company as well as a limited amount of equipment manufactured by third parties.  Although C&M is a distributor of Terex rough terrain and truck cranes; C&M’s primary business is the distribution of products manufactured by the Company.  

Part Sales

As part of our operations, we supply repair and replacement parts for our products. The parts business margins are higher than our overall margins. Part sales as a percentage of revenues tend to increase when there is a down-turn in the industry. Part sales as a percentage of revenues are approximately 13%, 12% and 12% for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Total Company Revenues by Sources

The sources of the Company’s revenues are summarized below:

In 2019 and 2018, no customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s revenue. In 2017, one customer, Rush Truck Center, accounted for approximately 12.0% of the Company’s revenue.

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Raw Materials

The Company purchases a variety of components used in the production of its products.  The Company purchases steel and a variety of machined parts, components and subassemblies including weldments, winches, cylinders, frames, rims, axles, wheels, tires, suspensions, cables, booms and cabs, as well as engines, transmissions and cabs.  Additionally, Manitex and PM mount their cranes on commercial truck chassis, which are either purchased by the Company or supplied by the customer. Lead times for these materials (including chassis) vary from several weeks to many months. The Company is vulnerable to a supply interruption in instances when only one supplier has been qualified and identifying and qualifying alternative suppliers can be very time consuming, and in some cases, could take longer than a year.  The Company has been working on qualifying secondary sources of some products to assure supply consistency and to reduce costs. The degree to which our supply base can respond to changes in market demand directly affects our ability to increase production and the Company attempts to maintain some additional inventory in order to react to unexpected increases in demand. During 2019, 2018 and 2017, raw materials and components were generally available to meet our production schedules and had no significant impact on full year revenues. During the first part of 2018 delivery of chassis for our larger cranes had a modest impact on production, however this was alleviated during the year as manufacturers increased their production and demand also slowed compared to the first half of the year.

Any future supply chain issues that might impact the Company will in part depend on how fast the rate of growth is for a product as well as the rate of growth in the general economy. Strong general economic growth could put us in competition for parts with other industries. Additionally, events or circumstance at a particular supplier could impact the availability of a necessary component.

Patents and Trademarks

The Company protects its trade names and trademarks through registration. Its technology consists of bill of materials, drawings, plans, vendor sources and specifications and although the Company’s technology has considerable value, it does not generally have patent protection. The Company has (on rare occasions) filed for patent protection on a specific feature. In the future, the Company will consider seeking patent protection on any new design features believed to present a significant future benefit.

The Company owns and uses several trademarks relating to its brands that have significant value and are instrumental to the Company’s ability to market its products. The Company’s most significant trademark is “Manitex” (presently registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office until 2027).  Badger Equipment Company markets its products under the “Little Giant” and Badger trade names. Sabre markets its products under the “Sabre” tradename. Valla markets its products under the “Valla” tradename. PM sells its products using the trademark “PM” and PM subsidiary, PM Oil & Steel S.p.A.; formerly known as PM Group S.p.A, sells its products using the “OIL & STEEL” trademark.  The Manitex, Badger, Little Giant, PM and OIL & STEEL trademarks and trade names are important to the marketing and operation of the Company’s business as a significant number of our products are sold under those names.  PM has three patents. One is registered with the Italian Patents and Trademarks Office until 2028.  PM has two additional patents registered with OHIM that are in force until 2031 and 2034, respectively.

Seasonality

Traditionally, the Company’s peak selling periods for cranes are the second and third quarters of a calendar year as a result of the need for equipment in the spring, summer and fall construction seasons.  A significant portion of cranes sold over the last several years have been deployed in specialized industries or applications, such as oil and gas production, power distribution and in the railroad industry. Sales in these markets are subject to significant fluctuations which correlate more with general economic conditions and the prices of commodities, including oil, and generally are not of a seasonal nature.

Sales of cranes from the Equipment Distribution division mirror the seasonality of the overall Company. However, the sale of parts is much less seasonal given the geographic breadth of the customer base. Crane repairs are performed by the Equipment Distribution division throughout the year but are somewhat affected by the slowdown in construction activity during the typically harsh winters in the Midwestern United States.

Competition

Lifting Equipment

The market for the Company’s boom trucks and knuckle boom cranes, industrial cranes and trailers is highly competitive. The Company competes based on product design, quality of products and services, product performance, maintenance costs and price. Several competitors have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing and distribution resources than we do. The Company believes that it effectively competes with its competitors.

The Company’s boom cranes compete with cranes manufactured by National Crane, Terex, Weldco Beales, Elliott and Altec. The Company’s knuckle boom cranes compete with Palfinger, Fassi, Effer and HIAB. The Company competes primarily with Terex and Broderson in selling rough terrain and industrial cranes.  The Company’s mobile tanks compete with tanks sold by Dragon Tank and Pinnacle Mfg., LLC.

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Equipment Distribution

The Equipment Distribution division’s primary business is facilitation of sale of products manufactured by the Company. As such, it faces the same competition described above for products manufactured by the Company.  Additionally, the Equipment Distribution division has a dealership arrangement with Terex and must compete against dealers of other rough terrain and truck crane manufacturers.  Locally, the Equipment Distribution division competes against Runnion Equipment (dealer for National Crane), Power Equipment Leasing (dealer for Elliott) and Guiffre Cranes (dealer for Manitex and Terex boom trucks). Runnion is also authorized to sell Manitex boom trucks.

While no geographic limitations exist regarding the Equipment Distribution business’s ability to sell cranes internationally, the lack of any barriers to entry and the heavy use of the Internet make this a highly active and competitive market in which to distribute cranes.

Competition for our Equipment Distribution repair business is even more intense since it is limited geographically due to the necessity of having physical access to the cranes. Most of the above referenced companies also compete in this aspect of the business, as do other types of crane and equipment dealers from nearby areas such as Indiana or Wisconsin.

Equipment Distribution parts sales are global in scope and benefit greatly from the Internet and the tenure and expertise of our employees. While competition in this area is extensive, we believe that the breadth of the products offered and our long history in this part of the business is a competitive advantage.

Our Equipment Distribution business competes based on the design, quality and performance of the products it distributes, price and the supporting repair and part services that it provides. Several competitors have greater financial, marketing and distribution resources than we do. The Company, however, believes that it effectively competes with its competitors.

Backlog

The backlog at December 31, 2019 was approximately $66.2 million, compared to a backlog of approximately $66.7 million at December 31, 2018.  The December 31, 2019 backlog has increased by $8.6 million since September 30, 2019 when it was at $57.6 million.  The backlog has continued to grow during the early part of 2020 and was $71.0 million at February 21, 2020.   The Company expects to ship product to fulfill its existing backlog within the next twelve months.

Revenue Recognition and Long-Lived Assets

The information regarding revenue, the basis for attributing revenue from external customers to individual countries, and long-lived assets is found in Note 4 “Revenue Recognition” and Note 20 “Long-Lived Assets” to our consolidated financial statements, is hereby incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 1.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had 598 full time employees. The Company has not experienced any work stoppages and anticipates continued good employee relations. Twenty-three (23) of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Nineteen (19) of our employees at our Badger subsidiary are represented by International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, (“UAW”) and its local No. 316. The current union contract expires on January 21, 2023. Four employees are currently represented by Automobile Mechanics’ Local 701. The union contract expires on September 30, 2020. The employees represented by the Automobile Mechanics’ Local 701 are mechanics that work in our Equipment Distribution business. A number of our Equipment Distribution customers in the Chicago metropolitan area mandate union mechanics usage for any service / repair jobs.

Governmental Regulation

The Company is subject to various governmental regulations, such as environmental regulations, employment and health regulations, and safety regulations. We have various internal controls and procedures designed to maintain compliance with these regulations. The cost of compliance programs is not material but is subject to additions to or changes in federal, state or local legislation or changes in regulatory implementation or interpretation of government regulations.

Available Information

The Company makes available free of charge our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished as required by Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), through our Internet Website (www.manitexinternational.com) as soon as is reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC also maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Information contained in or incorporated into our Internet Website or the SEC’s website is not incorporated by reference herein.

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You should carefully consider the following risks, together with the cautionary statement under the caption “Forward-Looking Statements” and the other information included in this report. The risks described below represent all of the material risks currently known to us; however, they are not the only ones the Company faces. Additional risks that are currently unknown to the Company or that the Company currently considers to be immaterial may also impair its business or adversely affect the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operation could be adversely affected.

Significant deterioration in economic conditions, especially in the United States and Europe, has had and may again have negative effects on the Company’s results of operations and cash flows

Significant deterioration in economic conditions, especially in the United States and Europe, has had and may again have negative effects on the Company’s results of operations and cash flows. For example, the current outbreak of coronavirus, which began in China and has subsequently spread to other countries, could potentially have a significant negative impact on the global economy. Economic conditions affect the Company’s sales volumes, pricing levels and overall profitability. Demand for many of the Company’s products depends on end-use markets. Challenging economic conditions may reduce demand for our products and may also impair the ability of customers to pay for products they have purchased. As a result, the Company’s reserves for doubtful accounts and write-offs for accounts receivable may increase.

A significant deterioration in economic conditions has caused and may again cause deterioration in the credit quality of our customers and the estimated residual value of our equipment. This could further negatively impact the ability of our customers to obtain the resources they need to make purchases of our equipment. Reduced credit availability will diminish our customers’ ability to invest in their businesses, refinance maturing debt obligations, and meet ongoing working capital needs. If customers do not have sufficient access to credit, demand for the Company’s products will likely decline. Reduced access to credit and the capital markets will also negatively affect the Company’s ability to invest in strategic growth initiatives such as acquisitions.

Certain of the Company’s products are significantly affected by the level of capital expenditures in the oil and gas industry and lower capital expenditures have affected and may continue to affect the results of the Company’s operations.

The demand for our product in part depends on the condition of the oil and gas industry and, in particular, on the level of capital expenditures of companies engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. Capital expenditures by these companies are influenced by the following factors:

Historically, prices of oil and natural gas and exploration, development and production have fluctuated substantially. A sustained period of substantially reduced capital expenditures by oil and gas companies will result in decreased demand for certain equipment produced by the Company, lower margins, and possibly net losses.  Additionally, oil and gas companies may sell excess equipment into the general construction market which could further depress demand for certain of products.

The Company’s level of indebtedness reduces financial flexibility and could impede our ability to operate.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s total debt was $65 million, which includes: notes payable, convertible debt and capital lease obligations.

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Our level of debt affects our operations in several important ways, including the following:

The Company must comply with restrictive covenants in its outstanding debt agreements.

The Company’s existing debt agreements contain a number of significant covenants which may limit its ability to, among other things, borrow additional money, make capital expenditures, pay dividends, dispose of assets and acquire new businesses. These covenants also require the Company to meet certain financial and non-financial tests. In 2018, the Company received waivers related to non-compliance with certain covenants and defaults under its U.S. credit facilities and its convertible notes.  The Company also restructured certain debt arrangements which restructuring cured the defaults caused by the failed covenant.  An additional default or other event of non-compliance, if not waived or otherwise permitted by the Company’s lenders, could result in acceleration of the Company’s debt and possibly bankruptcy.

The Company may require additional funding, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all.

Our future capital requirements will depend on the amount of cash generated or required by our current operations, as well as additional funds which may be needed to finance future acquisitions. Future cash needs are subject to substantial uncertainty.

Adequate funds may not be available when needed, and if we do not receive sufficient capital, we may be required to alter or reduce the scope of our operations or to forego making future acquisitions. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, existing stockholders may be diluted.

The Company’s business is affected by the cyclical nature of its markets.

A substantial portion of our revenues are attributed to a limited number of customers (none which are greater than 10%) which may decrease or cease purchasing any time, since the Company’s products depends upon the general economic conditions of the markets in which the Company competes. The Company’s sales depend in part upon its customers’ replacement or repair cycles. Adverse economic conditions, including a decrease in commodity prices, may cause customers to forego or postpone new purchases in favor of repairing existing machinery. Downward economic cycles may result in reductions in sales of the Company’s products, which may reduce the Company’s profits. The Company has taken a number of steps to reduce its fixed costs and diversify its operations to decrease the negative impact of these cycles. However, these steps may not prevent the negative impact of poor economic conditions.

The Company’s business is sensitive to increases in interest rates.

The Company is exposed to interest rate volatility with regard to future issuances of fixed rate debt and existing issuances of variable rate debt. Primary exposure includes movements in the U.S. prime rate, LIBOR and Italian short-term borrowing rates.

If interest rates rise, it becomes costlier for the Company’s customers to borrow money to pay for the equipment they buy from the Company. Should the U.S. Federal Reserve Board decide to increase rates, prospects for business investment and manufacturing could deteriorate sufficiently and impact sales opportunities.

The Company’s business is sensitive to changes in government spending.

Many of the Company’s customers depend substantially on government spending, including highway construction and maintenance and other infrastructure projects by U.S. federal and state governments and governments in other nations. Any decrease or delay in government funding of highway construction and maintenance and other infrastructure projects could cause the Company’s revenues and profits to decrease.

9

The Company’s revenues are attributed to limited number of customers which may decrease or cease purchasing any time.

The Company’s revenues are attributed to a limited number of customers. We generally do not have long-term supply agreements with our customers. Even if a multi-year contract exists, the customer is not required to commit to minimum purchases and can cease purchasing at any time. If we were to lose either a significant customer or several smaller customers our operating results and cash flows would be adversely impacted.

The Company is dependent upon third-party suppliers, making us vulnerable to supply shortages.

The Company obtains materials and manufactured components from third-party suppliers. Any delay in the ability of the Company’s suppliers to provide the Company with necessary materials and components may affect the Company’s capabilities at a number of our manufacturing locations, or may require the Company to seek alternative supply sources. Delays in obtaining supplies may result from a number of factors affecting the Company’s suppliers including capacity constraints, labor disputes, the impaired financial condition of a particular supplier, suppliers’ allocations to other purchasers, weather emergencies or acts of war or terrorism. Any delay in receiving supplies could impair the Company’s ability to deliver products to customers and, accordingly, could have a material adverse effect on business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, the Company purchases material and services from suppliers on extended terms based on the Company’s overall credit rating. Negative changes in the Company’s credit rating may impact suppliers’ willingness to extend terms and increase the cash requirements of the business.

Price increases in materials could reduce our profitability.

We use large amounts of steel and other items in the manufacture of our products. In the past, market prices of some of our key raw materials increased significantly. If we experience future significant increases in material costs, including steel, we may not be able to reduce product cost in other areas or pass future raw material price increases on to our customers and our margins could be adversely affected.

We provide credit guarantees or residual value guarantees for some of our customers.

The Company’s customers, from time to time, may fund acquisitions of our products through third-party finance companies. In certain instances, the Company has in the past provided credit guarantees or residual value guarantees. With these guarantees, we must assess the probability of losses or non-performance in ways similar to the evaluation of accounts receivable. We establish reserves based upon our analysis of the current quality and financial position of our customers, past payment experience and collateral values. In circumstances where we believe it is probable that a specific customer will have difficulty meeting its financial obligations, a specific reserve is recorded to recognize a liability for a guarantee we expect to pay, taking into account any amounts that we would anticipate realizing if we are forced to repossess the equipment that supports the customer’s financial obligations to us. During periods of economic weakness, collateral underlying our guarantees of indebtedness of customers or receivables can decline sharply, thereby increasing our exposure to losses. In the future, we may incur losses in excess of our recorded reserves if the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate further or the full amount of any anticipated proceeds from the sale of the collateral supporting our customers’ financial obligations is not realized. Historically, no losses related to guarantees have been realized; however, there can be no assurance that our historical experience with respect to guarantees will be indicative of future results.

The Company depends on its information technology systems. If its information technology systems do not perform in a satisfactory manner or if the security of them is breached, it could be disruptive and or adversely affect the operations and results of operations of the Company.

The Company depends on its information technology systems, some of which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information (including sensitive data such as confidential business information and personally identifiable data relating to employees, customers and other business partners), and to manage or support a variety of critical business processes and activities. If our information technology systems do not perform in a satisfactory manner, it could be disruptive and or adversely affect the operations and results of operations of the Company, including the ability of the Company to report accurate and timely financial results.  

Furthermore, our information technology systems may be damaged, disrupted or shut down due to attacks by computer hackers, computer viruses, employee error or malfeasance, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication or utility failures, catastrophes or other unforeseen events, and in any such circumstances our system redundancy and other disaster recovery planning may be ineffective or inadequate. A failure of or breach in information technology security could expose us and our customers, distributors and suppliers to risks of misuse of information or systems, the compromise of confidential information, manipulation and destruction of data, defective products, production downtimes and operations disruptions. In addition, such breaches in security could result in litigation, regulatory action and potential liability, as well as the costs and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

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As noted in item 9A below, the Company did not maintain an effective control environment over the information technology general controls based upon the criteria established in the COSO framework, to enable identification and mitigation of risks of material accounting errors. The Company has developed and is implementing a remediation plan to address this issue. See Item 9A “Controls and Procedures” for further information.

The Company may face limitations on its ability to integrate acquired businesses.

The successful integration of new businesses depends on the Company’s ability to manage these new businesses and cut excess costs. While the Company believes it has successfully integrated these acquisitions to date, the Company cannot ensure that these acquired companies will operate profitably or that the intended beneficial effect from these acquisitions will be realized.

If the Company is unable to manage anticipated growth effectively, the business could be harmed.

If the Company fails to manage growth, the Company’s financial results and business prospects may be harmed. To manage the Company’s growth and to execute its business plan efficiently, the Company will need to institute operational, financial and management controls, as well as reporting systems and procedures. The Company also must effectively expand, train and manage its employee base. The Company cannot assure you that it will be successful in any of these endeavors.

The Company relies on key management.

The Company relies on the management and leadership skills of Steve Filipov, its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Filipov entered into an employment agreement commencing on September 1, 2019. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Filipov’s employment terms automatically extends for successive periods of three years unless either the Company or Mr. Filipov gives written notice to the other party of non-renewal at least 90 days prior to the end of the then current employment term.  The loss of his services could have a significant and negative impact on the Company’s business. In addition, the Company relies on the management and leadership skills of other senior executives. The Company could be harmed by the loss of key personnel in the future.

The Company’s success depends upon the continued protection of its trademarks and the Company may be forced to incur substantial costs to maintain, defend, protect and enforce its intellectual property rights.

The Company’s registered and common law trademarks, as well as certain of the Company’s licensed trademarks, have significant value and are instrumental to the Company’s ability to market its products. The Company’s marks “Manitex”, “Badger”, “Sabre”, “Valla”, “PM” and “O&S” are important to the Company’s business as the majority of the Company’s products are sold under those names. The Company has not registered all of its trademarks in the United States nor in the foreign countries where it does business. Third parties could assert claims against such intellectual property that the Company could be unable to successfully resolve. If the Company has to change the names of any of its products, it may experience a loss of goodwill associated with its brand names, customer confusion and a loss of sales.

In addition, international protection of the Company’s intellectual property may not be available in some foreign countries to the same extent permitted by the laws of the United States. The Company could also incur substantial costs to defend legal actions relating to use of its intellectual property, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or financial condition.

The Company may be required to record goodwill or other intangible impairment charges on all or a significant amount of the goodwill or intangibles on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had approximately $32.6 million of goodwill and $17.0 million of net intangibles. The Company tests goodwill for impairment at least annually. If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess, as occurred in both 2019 and 2018. An impairment of a significant portion of goodwill could materially negatively affect the Company’s results of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2019, there was goodwill impairment of $3.2 million and intangibles impairment of $4.9 million.

The Company may be unable to effectively respond to technological change, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and business.

The markets served by the Company are not historically characterized by rapidly changing technology. Nevertheless, the Company’s future success will depend in part upon the Company’s ability to enhance its current products and to develop and introduce new products. If the Company fails to anticipate or respond adequately to competitors’ product improvements and new production introductions, future results of operations and financial condition will be negatively affected.

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The Company operates in a highly competitive industry and the Company is particularly subject to the risks of such competition.

The Company competes in a highly competitive industry and the competition which the Company encounters has an effect on its product prices, market share, revenues and profitability. Because certain competitors have substantially greater financial, production, research and development resources and substantially greater name recognition than the Company, the Company is particularly subject to the risks inherent in competing with them and may be put at a competitive disadvantage. To compete successfully, the Company’s products must excel in terms of quality, price, product line, ease of use, safety and comfort, and the Company must also provide excellent customer service. The greater financial resources of the Company’s competitors may put it at a competitive disadvantage. If competition in the Company’s industry intensifies or if the Company’s current competitors enhance their products or lower their prices for competing products, the Company may lose sales or be required to lower its prices. This may reduce revenue from the Company’s products and services, lower its gross margins or cause the Company to lose market share. The Company may not be able to differentiate our products from those of competitors, successfully develop or introduce less costly products, offer better performance than competitors or offer purchasers of our products payment and other commercial terms as favorable as those offered by competitors.

The Company faces product liability claims and other liabilities due to the nature of its business.

In the Company’s lines of business numerous suits have been filed alleging damages for accidents that have occurred during the use or operation of the Company’s products. The Company is self-insured, up to certain limits, for these product liability exposures, as well as for certain exposures related to general, workers’ compensation and automobile liability. Insurance coverage is obtained for catastrophic losses as well as those risks required to be insured by law or contract. Any material liabilities not covered by insurance could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition.

Our increasingly international operations expose us to additional risks and challenges associated with conducting business internationally.

The international expansion of our business may expose us to risks inherent in conducting foreign operations. These risks include:

Additionally, changes to the United States’ participation in, withdrawal from, renegotiation of certain international trade agreements or other major trade related issues including the non-renewal of expiring favorable tariffs granted to developing countries, tariff quotas, and retaliatory tariffs (including, but not limited to, the current United States administration’s tariffs on China and China's retaliatory tariffs on certain products from the United States), trade sanctions, new or onerous trade restrictions, embargoes and other stringent government controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The risks that the Company faces in its international operations may continue to intensify if the Company further develops and expands its international operations.

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The Company is subject to currency fluctuations.

Changes in exchange rates between various currencies have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our earnings. We regularly evaluate opportunities for, and at times engage in, hedging activities to mitigate the impact that changes in exchange rates for various currencies may have on our financial results. Our hedging activities are designed to reduce and delay, but not to eliminate, the effects of foreign currency fluctuations. Factors that could affect the effectiveness of our hedging activities include volatility of currency markets, and the availability of effective hedging instruments. Since the hedging activities are designed to reduce volatility, they may have the effect of reducing both the negative and positive impacts that changes in exchange rates may have.  Our future financial results could be significantly affected by the value of the U.S. dollar versus the native currencies of our subsidiaries (primarily the Euro) as well as the native currencies of foreign subsidiaries and other currencies in which they conduct business.   The degree to which our financial results are affected for any given time period will depend in part upon our hedging activities. There can be no assurance that our hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Moreover, no hedging activity can completely insulate us from the risks associated with changes in currency exchange rates. We currently have exposure to changes in exchange rates for a number of currencies including the Euro, the Chilean peso and the Argentinean peso.

Risks Relating to our Common Stock

The Company’s principal shareholders, executive officers and directors hold a significant percentage of the Company’s common stock, and these shareholders may take actions that may be adverse to your interests.

The Company’s principal shareholders, executive officers and directors beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 28% of the Company’s common stock as of February 14, 2020. As a result, these shareholders, acting together, will be able to significantly influence all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions such as mergers, consolidations, sales and purchases of assets. They also could dictate the management of the Company’s business and affairs. This concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control or impeding a merger or consolidation, takeover or other business combination, which could cause the market price of our common stock to fall or prevent you from receiving a premium in such a transaction.

The cost of compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 may negatively impact the Company’s income.

The Company is subject to the rules and regulations of the SEC, including those rules and regulations mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires all reporting companies to include in their annual report a statement of management’s responsibilities for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, together with an assessment of the effectiveness of those internal controls. Section 404 further requires that the reporting company’s independent auditors attest to, and report on, this management assessment. The Company expects its expenses related to its internal and external auditors to be significant. In particular, we have incurred and continue to incur substantial expenses and costs, including audit, legal and other professional fees, in connection with our ongoing efforts to remediate material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified in 2017 and 2018. If we fail to successfully remediate these material weaknesses and establish and maintain a system of adequate controls, it could have an adverse effect on our business and stock price.

The price of our common stock is highly volatile.

The trading price of the Company’s common stock is highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, including:

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In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, class action litigation has often been brought against companies. If a securities class action suit is filed against us, whether or not meritorious, we would incur substantial legal fees and our management’s attention and resources would be diverted from operating our business in order to respond to the litigation.

Provisions of the Michigan Business Corporation Act and the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Rights Agreement may discourage or prevent a takeover of the Company.

Provisions of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, Michigan law, and the Rights Agreement, as amended, between the Company and Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solution, Inc., as rights agent, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, even if doing so would be perceived to be beneficial to you. These provisions could discourage potential takeover attempts and could adversely affect the market price of the Company’s shares. Because of these provisions, you might not be able to receive a premium on your investment. These provisions:

The provisions described above could prevent, delay or defer a change in control of the Company or its management.

The restatement of our previously issued financial statements was time-consuming and expensive and could expose us to additional risks that could have a negative effect on our Company.

We restated our previously issued audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 as well as the unaudited quarterly financial information included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, the unaudited financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, and the unaudited financial statements for the six-month period ended June 30, 2017 included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017.  In addition, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 were not filed in a timely manner.  The restatement process was time consuming and expensive and, along with the failure to make certain filings with the SEC in a timely manner, could expose us to additional risks that could have a negative effect on our Company.  In particular, we incurred substantial unanticipated expenses and costs, including audit, legal and other professional fees, in connection with the restatement of our previously issued financial statements and the ongoing remediation of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Certain remediation actions were recommended and we are in the process of implementing them (see Item 9A "Controls and Procedures" of this Form 10-K for a description of these remediation measures). To the extent these steps are not successful, we could be forced to incur additional time and expense. Our management’s attention had also been diverted from the operation of our business in connection with the restatement and these ongoing remediation efforts. In addition, as a result of these restatements and failure to timely make certain filings with the SEC, we could be subject to governmental, regulatory or other actions. Any such proceedings could, regardless of the outcome, consume a significant amount of management’s time and attention and could result in additional legal, accounting and other costs and liabilities.

The Company continues to comply with the SEC investigation regarding the Company’s restatement of prior financial statements, which was completed in April 2018.

The Company’s executive offices are located at 9725 Industrial Drive, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455. The Company has seven principal operating plants. The Company’s Lifting Equipment business operates from the facilities described in this paragraph. The Company builds boom trucks and sign cranes in its 188,000 sq. ft. leased facility located in Georgetown, Texas. The Company manufactures its knuckle boom cranes in two owned facilities, the 542,000 sq. ft. plant located in S. Cesario sul Panaro, Italy and the 213,000 sq. ft. facility located in Arad, Romania.  The Romania facility also produces sub-assemblies that are incorporated into PM products manufactured in Italy.  The Company manufactures its precision pick and carry cranes in a 58,000 sq. ft. facility located in Piacenza, Italy. The Company builds specialized rough terrain cranes and material handling product in its 170,000 sq. ft. owned facility located in Winona, Minnesota.  The Company builds its specialized mobile tanks for liquid and solid storage and containment solutions in its 100,000 sq. ft. leased facility located in Knox, Indiana.

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The Company operates its crane distribution business from a 39,000 sq. ft. leased facility located in Bridgeview, Illinois.  The Bridgeview facility also houses our corporate offices.

All our facilities are used exclusively by the Company. The Company believes that its facilities are suitable for its business and will be adequate to meet our current needs.

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including product liability and workers’ compensation matters which have arisen in the normal course of operations. The Company has product liability insurance with self-insurance retention that ranges from $50 thousand to $0.5 million. The Company has a $250 thousand per claim deductible on worker compensation claims and aggregates of $1.0 million to $1.9 million depending on the policy year.  Certain cases are at a preliminary stage and it is not possible to estimate the amount or timing of any cost to the Company. However, the Company does not believe that these contingencies, in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company. Reserves have been established for several liability cases related to PM acquisitions. When it is probable that a loss has been incurred and possible to make a reasonable estimate of the Company’s liability with respect to such matters, a provision is recorded for the amount of such estimate or the minimum amount of a range of estimates when it is not possible to estimate the amount within the range that is most likely to occur.

Not applicable

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PART II

Market for the Company’s Common Stock

The Company’s common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market trading under the symbol MNTX.

Number of Common Stockholders

As of February 13, 2020, there were 156 record holders of the Company’s common stock.

Dividends

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company did not declare or pay any cash dividends on its common stock and the Company does not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, the terms of our credit facility do not allow us to declare or pay dividends without the prior written consent of the lender.

Performance Graph

The following stock performance graph is intended to show our stock performance compared with that of comparable companies. The stock performance graph shows the change in market value of ten thousand dollars invested in our Common Stock, the Russell 2000 Index and a peer group of comparable companies (“Peer Group”) for the five-year period commencing December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2019. The cumulative total stockholder return of the peer group and Russell 2000 Index assumes dividends are reinvested. The stockholder return shown on the graph below is not indicative of future performance. The companies in the Peer Group are weighted by market capitalization.

The Peer Group consists of the following companies, which are in similar lines of business to Manitex International Inc.; Lindsay Corporation (LNN), Gencor Industries Inc. (GENC), Astec Industries, Inc. (ASTE), Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO) and Alamo Group, Inc. (ALG). The companies in the Peer Group generally have market capitalizations that are significantly greater than the Company’s market capitalization. It was necessary to select companies with higher market capitalizations to find companies with similar lines of business. Our competitors are most often either small privately-owned companies with a narrow product line or a segment of a very large company. In selecting our Peer Group, we intentionally excluded the companies that had the largest market capitalization even when their product lines were similar to ours.

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CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Based upon an initial investment of $10,000 on December 31, 2014

with dividends reinvested

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table provides information about the Company’s purchases of equity securities during the quarter ended December 31, 2019:

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The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this report.

The Company’s results include the results for companies acquired from their respective effective dates of acquisition: December 16, 2014 for Lift Ventures, December 20, 2014 for ASV, January 15, 2015 for the PM Group and March 12, 2015 for Columbia Tanks.

The below financial data reflects the following entities as discontinued operations from 2015 through the year in which the entity was disposed:  2015 for Manitex Load King, LLC, and 2016 for Manitex Liftking, ULC, and CVS Ferrari S.r.L.  In addition, the data for the years 2015 to 2017 presents ASV as a discontinued operation.

(In thousands except share information)

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The following management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of continuing operations should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and notes, and other information included elsewhere in this Report.

When reading this section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, it is important that you also read the financial statements and related notes thereto. This Annual Report on Form 10-K and certain information incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Forward-Looking Statements”.  

OVERVIEW

The Company is a leading provider of engineered lifting solutions. The Company reports in a single business segment and has five operating segments.  The Company designs, manufactures and distributes a diverse group of products that serve different functions and are used in a variety of industries.

Manitex, Inc. (“Manitex”) markets a comprehensive line of boom trucks, truck cranes and sign cranes. Manitex’s boom trucks and crane products are primarily used for industrial projects, energy exploration and infrastructure development, including roads, bridges and commercial construction.

Badger Equipment Company (“Badger”) is a manufacturer of specialized rough terrain cranes and material handling products. Badger primarily serves the needs of the construction, municipality and railroad industries.

PM Oil and Steel S.p.A. (“PM”), formerly known as PM Group S.p.A., is a leading Italian manufacturer of truck-mounted hydraulic knuckle boom cranes with a 50-year history of technology and innovation, and a product range spanning more than 50 models. Its largest subsidiary, Oil & Steel (“O&S”), is a manufacturer of truck-mounted aerial platforms with a diverse product line and an international client base.

Valla product line of industrial cranes is a full range of precision pick and carry cranes using electric, diesel, and hybrid power options. Its cranes offer wheeled or tracked, and fixed or swing boom configurations, with special applications designed specifically to meet the needs of its customers. These products are sold internationally through dealers and into the rental distribution channel.

Manitex Sabre, Inc. (“Sabre”), which is located in Knox, Indiana, manufactures a comprehensive line of specialized mobile tanks for liquid and solid storage and containment solutions with capacities from 8,000 to 21,000 gallons. Its mobile tanks are sold to specialized independent tank rental companies and through the Company’s existing dealer network. The tanks are used in a variety of end markets such as petrochemical, waste management and oil and gas drilling.  

Crane and Machinery, Inc. (“C&M”) is a distributor of the Company’s products as well as Terex Corporation’s (“Terex”) rough terrain and truck cranes.  Crane and Machinery Leasing, Inc. (“C&M Leasing”) rents equipment manufactured by the Company as well as a limited amount of equipment manufactured by third parties.  Although C&M is a distributor of Terex rough terrain and truck cranes, C&M’s primary business is the distribution of products manufactured by the Company.  

Consolidated Variable Interest Entity

Even though it had no ownership interest in SVW Crane & Equipment Company (together with its wholly owned subsidiary, Rental Consulting Service Company, “SVW”), the Company had the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact SVW’s economic performance. Additionally, the Company was the primary beneficiary of the SVW relationship. SVW obtained third party financing, which was effectively guaranteed by the Company, on specific cranes the Company manufactured and remitted the loan proceeds to the Company. Other than its business transactions described herein, SVW had no other substantial business operations. The Company had determined that SVW is a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) that under current accounting guidance needed to be consolidated in the Company’s financial results. SVW was consolidated into the Company’s financial results beginning in the first quarter of 2016 through the fourth quarter of 2017.  By December 31, 2017, SVW had ceased operations and is therefore not a consolidated VIE after December 31, 2017.

Income and losses related to VIE’s are typically shown in a company’s financial statements as being attributed to a non-controlling interest.  Other than its transactions between SVW and the Company, SVW had no other substantial business operations.  Furthermore, the Company exercised control and absorbed all losses and received all the income from SVW operations.  Therefore, the Company has concluded that income and losses related to the VIE are attributable to the Shareholders of the Company.

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Business Overview

In 2019, the annualized order rate for straight-mast cranes was approximately 1,200 units, consistent with 2018 levels. The data that the Company has seen indicates that dealer rental utilization and United States commercial construction indices remain at healthy levels. During the third quarter of 2019, the Company launched the Manitex branded line of articulating cranes (“MAC”) at a trade show in Louisville, Kentucky targeting roofing, concrete, general construction and supply industries. Based on current sales trends, the Company expects MAC sales to grow significantly in 2020. We also have expanded our North American distribution network with the addition of one new MAC dealer and three straight-mast dealers. While there is still work to do, both Gross Margin and EBITDA margin have bounced off our lows in the third quarter, and are trending higher as we head into 2020.

In September of 2019, the Company appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) with significant international crane experience with the goal of stimulating the PM business to much higher performance in this substantial market. The Company will be targeting cost reductions, improved dealer management and incentivization, revamping product designs, improving parts execution and fill rates and stressing a commitment to quality and safety. We believe there is potential for continued gains in 2020 through higher production efficiencies and the re-configuration of our articulating crane business, which generates the highest margins within our product portfolio. During the third quarter of 2019, PM was awarded a new $4.5 million revenue contract with a customer’s option, to purchase an additional $4 million in additional deliveries to supply knuckle boom cranes to an international military company.  We have also started shipping articulated cranes under the brand name PM-Tadano to customers in Asia; this was a key branding initiative we launched during the second half of 2019. Our partnership with Tadano is gaining traction in Asia, and now starting in the Middle East, through our PM-Tadano branding efforts and distribution expansion. We are proud to have Tadano as a partner and investor, and have greatly improved our focus over the past few months to drive gains in 2020 and beyond for our articulating crane business. PM now represents a substantial portion of our backlog.

Factors Affecting Revenues and Gross Profit

The Company derives most of its revenue from purchase orders from dealers and distributors. The demand for the Company’s products depends upon the general economic conditions of the markets in which the Company competes. The Company’s sales depend in part upon its customers’ replacement or repair cycles. Adverse economic conditions, including a decrease in commodity prices, may cause customers to forego or postpone new purchases in favor of repairing existing machinery.

Gross profit varies from period to period. Factors that affect gross profit include product mix, production levels and cost of raw materials. Margins tend to increase when production is skewed towards larger capacity cranes.

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The following table sets forth certain financial data for the three years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

Results of Consolidated Operations

MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(In thousands, except share data)

Year Ended December 31, 2019 from Continuing Operations Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2018 from Continuing Operations

Net loss from continuing operations

For the year ended December 31, 2019, net loss was $8.5 million, which consists of revenue of $224.8 million, cost of sales of $184.3 million, research and development costs of $2.7 million, SG&A costs of $43.7 million, interest expense of $4.6 million, interest income of $0.2 million, a gain in the change in fair value of securities held of $5.5 million, foreign currency transaction loss of $0.8 million, other income of $0.02 million, and income tax expense of $2.8 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, net loss was $13.2 million, which consists of revenue of $242.1 million, cost of sales of $198.1 million, research and development costs of $2.8 million, SG&A costs of $41.5 million, interest expense of $5.5 million, interest income of $0.2 million, a loss in the change in fair value of securities held of $5.5 million, foreign currency transaction loss of $0.8 million, other loss of $0.4 million, loss in non-marketable equity interest of $0.4 million and income tax expense of $0.5 million.

Net revenue and gross profit —For the year ended December 31, 2019, net revenue and gross profit were $224.8 million and $40.5 million, respectively. Gross profit as a percent of net revenues was 18.0% for the year ended December 31, 2019.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, net revenue and gross profit were $242.1 million and $44.0 million, respectively. Gross profit as a percent of sales was 18.2% for the year ended December 31, 2018.  

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For 2019, revenues decreased $17.3 million or 7.1% from $242.1 million for 2018 to $224.8 million for 2019.  The decreases are primarily due to decreases in sales of straight-mast and knuckle boom cranes and specialized mobile tank revenues. The revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019 were also unfavorably impacted by a weaker Euro, which accounted for approximately $5.0 million of the decrease in revenue.  

Gross profit as a percent of net revenues was 18.0% for the year ended December 31, 2019, which decreased from 18.2% for the year ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in gross profit is attributable to a decrease in revenues and increases in inventory reserves and increases in chassis sales with low margins.  

Research and development —Research and development for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $2.7 million compared to $2.8 million for the comparable period in 2018. Research and development expenditures were relatively consistent with the prior period. The Company’s research and development spending continues to reflect our commitment to develop and introduce new products that give the Company a competitive advantage.

Selling, general and administrative expense —Selling, general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $43.7 million compared to $41.5 million for the comparable period in 2018, an increase of $2.2 million.  Approximately $2.4 million of the increase was related to impairment charges to intangible assets compared to 2018; other increases included roof repair at Badger, trade shows, salaries to support new product launch, PM restructuring costs, audit and consulting fees and bad debt reserves. These increases were partially offset by decreases in restatement fees and a favorable impact on foreign currency translation adjustments resulting from a weaker Euro.

Operating loss —The Company had an operating loss of $6.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to an operating loss of $0.2 million in the prior year.  Operating loss increased due to changes in revenue, cost of sales and operating expenses explained above.

Interest expense —Interest expense was $4.6 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  The decrease in interest expense was primarily attributed to a decrease in outstanding debt, which was partially offset by higher interest rates.

Foreign currency transaction loss — Foreign currency loss was $0.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. As stated in the past, the Company attempts to purchase forward currency exchange contracts such that the exchange gains and losses on the assets and liabilities denominated in other than the reporting units’ functional currency will be offset by the changes in the market value of the forward currency exchange contracts it holds.  Currency risks can be reduced but not eliminated in part because the Company has not been able to identify a strategy to effectively hedge the currency risks related to the Argentinian peso.   The Company records at the balance sheet date the forward currency exchange contracts at their market value with any associated gain or loss being recorded in current earnings as a currency gain or loss.

A substantial portion of the 2019 loss is attributable to exchange losses related to the Argentinian peso.  As previously stated, the Company has not been able to identify a strategy to effectively hedge currency risks related to the Argentinian peso.  

Other income (loss) — For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had other income of $0.02 million and other loss of $0.4 million, respectively. For the year ended December, 31, 2018, the other loss was related to the increase in the fair market value of a contingent liability associated with the PM acquisition based on a revaluation that used updated information.

Change in fair value of securities held— For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company had a gain of $5.5 million. Income for the year ended December 31, 2019 were due to a change in the fair value of securities held in ASV. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company had losses of $5.5 million. Losses for the year ended December 31, 2018 were due to a change in the fair value of securities held in ASV (see Notes 11 and 26 in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements).

Income tax — Based on the weighting of all available positive and negative evidence, most notably significant negative evidence of three-year cumulative losses and a decline in sales during the third quarter of 2019, which led to a triggering event where goodwill is impaired, we determined that it is appropriate to establish a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets of PM. The Company considered and weighed positive evidence including our existing backlog and how the backlog might enhance future earnings. However, because the accounting guidance for income taxes considers a projection of future earnings inherently subjective, it does not carry significant weight to overcome the objectively verifiable evidence of cumulative losses in recent years. Although the recognition of the valuation allowance is a non-cash charge of approximately $2.6 million to income tax expense, it did have a negative impact on earnings for the 12 months ended December 31, 2019. If these estimates and assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to reduce its valuation allowance resulting in less income tax expense. The Company evaluates the likelihood of realizing its deferred tax assets quarterly.

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The calculation of the overall income tax provision for the 12 months ended December 31, 2019 primarily consists of a domestic income tax provision resulting from state and local taxes, foreign income taxes, the change in unrecognized tax benefits and an increase in the valuation allowance for foreign deferred tax assets and state tax credits.

The Company’s effective rate was an income tax provision of 48.24% on a pretax loss of $5.7 million compared to an income tax provision of 4.04% on a pretax loss of $12.7 million from prior year. The increase in the effective tax rate is due primarily to the tax effects related to the mix of domestic and foreign earnings, nondeductible permanent differences, domestic losses for which the Company is not recognizing an income tax benefit, the change unrecognized tax benefits and the increase in the valuation allowance for foreign deferred tax assets and state tax credits.

Loss in equity investments —The Company had a loss related to its equity investment of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 was from sale of shares of ASV Holdings stock and loss on equity investment in ASV Holdings compared to income from equity investment in ASV Holdings.

Net loss from continuing operations —Net loss for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $8.5 million and $13.2 million, respectively. The change is explained above.

Year Ended December 31, 2018 from Continuing Operations Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2017 from Continuing Operations

For discussion regarding the comparison of the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 to the year ended December 31, 2017, refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2018, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2019, and is incorporated by reference.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $23.6 million and $22.3 million at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. In addition, the Company has a U.S. revolving credit facility with a maturity date of July 20, 2023. At December 31, 2019 the Company had approximately $27.6 million available to borrow under its revolving credit facility.     

At December 31, 2019, the PM Group had established working capital facilities with five Italian banks, one Spanish bank and eight South American banks. Under these facilities, the PM Group can borrow $24.0 million against orders, invoices and letters of credit. These facilities are divided into two types: working capital facilities and cash facilities. At December 31, 2019, the PM Group had received advances of $13.3 million. Future advances are dependent on having available collateral.

Our subsidiary in Argentina (“PM Argentina”) began accounting for their operations as highly inflationary effective July 1, 2018, as required by GAAP.  Under highly inflationary accounting, PM Argentina’s functional currency became the Euro (its parent company’s reporting currency), and its income statement and balance sheet have been measured in Euros using both current and historical rates of exchange.  The effect of changes in exchange rates on peso-denominated monetary assets and liabilities has been reflected in earnings in other (income) and expense, net and was not material. As of December 31, 2019, PM Argentina had a small net peso monetary position.  Net sales of PM Argentina were less than 5 percent of our consolidated net sales for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Significant Transactions Affecting Company Liquidity

In September 2019, ASV was acquired by Yanmar American Corporation resulting in the Company receiving $7.05 per share in cash, or $7.6 million, for its remaining 1,080,000 shares of ASV.

During 2018, the Company entered into two transactions that had a significant beneficial impact on the Company’s liquidity.  In February 2018, the Company sold 1.0 million shares of ASV common stock it held for $7.0 million and on May 29, 2018 Tadano Ltd. purchased approximately 2.9 million shares of the Company’s common stock, which generated cash of approximately $32.0 million, net of expenses.   A portion of the proceeds raised in these two transactions were used to support an increase in working capital, the result of increased revenues.  The remaining proceeds are the principal reason cash has increased by $16.9 million and debt has decreased by $22.9 million since year end.  

Nevertheless, because our availability under our credit lines is limited, it is important that we manage our working capital.  The Company may need to raise additional capital through debt or equity financings to support our long-term growth strategy, which may include additional acquisitions. There is no assurance that such financing will be available or, if available, on acceptable terms.

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Outstanding borrowings and required payments

The following is a summary of our outstanding borrowings at December 31, 2019:

(In millions)

The debt has various maturity dates. See Notes 13 through 15 to the financial statements for additional details.

Change in outstanding debt

At December 31, 2019, our total debt was reduced by $8.2 million to $64.8 from $73.0 million at December 31, 2018.  The primary difference is attributed to a decrease in the PM debt of $8.3 million which was paid off during the year.

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The following is a summary of changes in debt related to continuing operations:

(In millions)

Cash Flows for 2019 and 2018

Operating Activities

For 2019, operating activities provided $3.2 million in cash compared to $1.0 million cash provided during 2018. Cash used by working capital was $1.0 million and $5.1 million for 2019 and 2018, respectively. Effective accounts receivable management generated $9.3 million cash in 2019 compared to the use of $0.3 million cash in 2018, partially offset by $7.6 million cash that was used to pay down accounts payable in 2019 compared to $2.8 million provided by accounts payable in 2018. Inventory represented a cash outflow of $2.4 million and $7.3 million for 2019 and 2018, respectively.  

Investing Activities

Cash provided from investing activities was $5.8 million in 2019 which included $7.6 million in proceeds from the sale of an interest in an equity investment.  Cash provided from investing activities was $5.8 million in 2018 which included $7.0 million proceeds from the sales of a partial interest in an equity investment. Cash payments for plant, property and equipment were $1.8 million in 2019 compared to payments of $1.2 million in 2018, an increase of $0.6 million.

Financing Activities

Cash flow from financing activities was an outflow of $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 which included principal loan payments of $3.0 million and a reduction in working capital borrowing of $3.9 million. Cash flow from financing activities was an inflow of $11.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 which included net proceeds of $31.9 million in connection with the sale of stock to Tadano, partially offset by a reduction in borrowing under the U.S. credit facility of $12.9 million and decrease in working capital borrowing of $5.6 million.

Contingencies

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including product liability and workers’ compensation matters which have arisen in the normal course of operations. Certain cases are at a preliminary stage, and it is not possible to estimate the amount or timing of any cost to the Company.

The Company does not believe that these contingencies in aggregate will have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Additionally, the Company has been named as a defendant in several multi-defendant asbestos related product liability lawsuits. In certain instances, the Company is indemnified by a former owner of the product line in question. In the remaining cases the plaintiff has, to date, not been able to establish any exposure by the plaintiff to the Company’s products. The Company is uninsured with respect to these claims but believes that it will not incur any material liability with respect to these to claims.

When it is probable that a loss has been incurred and possible to make a reasonable estimate of the Company’s liability with respect to such matters, a provision is recorded for the amount of such estimate or the minimum amount of a range of estimates when it is not possible to estimate the amount within the range that is most likely to occur. The Company established reserves for several PM lawsuits in conjunction with the purchase accounting for this acquisition.

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As described in Note 16 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements, included in the unrecognized tax benefits is a liability for the Romania income tax audit for tax years 2012-2018 and Italy for tax year 2016. Depending upon the final resolution of these audits, the liability could be higher or lower than the amount recorded at December 31, 2019.

Residual Value Guarantees

The Company issues partial residual value guarantees to support a customer’s financing of equipment purchased from the Company. A residual value guarantee involves a guarantee that a piece of equipment will have a minimum fair market value at a future date if certain conditions are met by the customer. The Company has issued partial residual guarantees that have maximum exposure of approximately $1.6 million as of December 31, 2019.  The Company, however, does not have any reason to believe that any exposure from such a guarantee is probable at this time and accordingly, no liability has been recorded. The Company’s liability from its guarantees may be affected by economic conditions in used equipment markets at the time of loss.

Income Taxes

The Company records accrued interest related to income tax matters in the provision for income taxes in the accompanying consolidated statement of income. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, interest and penalties recognized on unrecognized tax benefits were $0.1, $0.3 and $0.01 million, respectively. The accrued balance as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $0.8 and $0.6 million, respectively. Included in the unrecognized tax benefits is a liability for the Romania income tax audit for tax years 2012-2018 and Italy for 2016.  Depending upon the final resolution of the audit, the uncertain tax position liability could be higher or lower than the amount recorded at December 31, 2019. We believe that it is reasonably possible that a decrease of up to $0.4 million in unrecognized tax benefits within 12 months of the reporting date as a result of a lapse in the statute of limitations in various jurisdictions and for the resolution of the Italy tax audit.

The Company files income tax returns in the United States, Italy, Romania and Argentina as well as various state and local tax jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. With a few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to examination by the tax authorities for U.S. federal or state for the years before 2016, or foreign examinations for years before 2012.

SEC Investigation

The Company continues to comply with the SEC investigation regarding the Company’s restatement of prior financial statements, which was completed in April 2018.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

CIBC has issued 2 standby letters of credit at December 31, 2019.  The first standby letter of credit is $0.5 million in favor of an insurance carrier to secure obligations which may arise in connection with future deductible payments that may be incurred under the Company’s worker’s compensation insurance policies, this letter of credit was reduced by $0.075 million in January 2020.  The second standby letter of credit is $20 thousand in favor of a governmental agency to secure obligations which may arise in connection with worker’s compensation claims.

During the fourth quarter of 2015 and first quarter of 2016, the Company entered into four 60-month equipment operating leases in sales and lease back transactions.  In connection with these transactions, the Company received $6.7 million, i.e., $2.6 million for the one executed in 2015 and a total of $4.1 million for the three executed in 2016. In February 2019, the Company came to an agreement with the bank to purchase the remaining equipment for $1.4 million.

The Company has issued partial residual value guarantees to support a customer’s financing. A residual value guarantee involves a guarantee that a piece of equipment will have a minimum fair market value at a future date if certain conditions are met by the customer. The Company has issued partial residual guarantees that have maximum exposure of approximately $1.6 million in aggregate as of December 31, 2019.  The Company, however, does not have any reason to believe that any exposure from any such guarantees is either probable or estimable at this time, as such, no liability has been recorded.

See Note 24 – “Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding our guarantees.

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Contractual Obligations

The following is a schedule as of December 31, 2019 of our long-term contractual commitments, future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating lease arrangements and other long-term obligations.

(In thousands)

Related Party Transactions

For a description of the Company’s related party transactions, please see Note 23 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements entitled “Transactions between the Company and Related Parties.”

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect our reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions based upon historical experience and various other factors and circumstances. Management believes that our estimates and assumptions are reasonable under the circumstances; however, actual results may vary from these estimates and assumptions under different future circumstances. We have identified the following critical accounting policies that affect the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Principals of Consolidation.  The Company consolidates all entities that we control by ownership of a majority voting interest. Additionally, there are situations in which consolidation is required even though the usual condition of consolidation (ownership of a majority voting interest) does not apply. Generally, this occurs when an entity holds an interest in another business enterprise that was achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests, which results in a disproportionate relationship between such entity's voting interests in, and its exposure to the economic risks and potential rewards of, the other business enterprise. This disproportionate relationship results in what is known as a variable interest, and the entity in which we have the variable interest is referred to as a "VIE." An enterprise must consolidate a VIE if it is determined to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary has both (1) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance, and (2) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

Although the Company did not have an ownership interest in S.V.W. Crane & Equipment Company and its wholly owned subsidiary Rental Consulting Service Company (collectively “SVW”), the Company had the power to direct the activities of SVW that most significantly impacted its economic performance and is absorbing the losses.  SVW had obtained financing and had remitted the proceeds to the Company using inventory (cranes) owned by the Company as collateral.  The finance companies that held the loans had a perfected security interest in the inventory and therefore had recourse against this specific inventory.   Furthermore, the debt taken on by SVW was effectively guaranteed by the Company pursuant to certain related agreements.

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Income and losses related to VIEs are typically shown in a company’s financial statements as being attributed to a non-controlling interest.  Other than its transactions between SVW and the Company, SVW had no other substantial business operations.  Furthermore, the Company exercised control and absorbed all losses and received all the income from SVW operations.  Therefore, the Company had concluded that income and losses related to the VIE are attributable to the Shareholders of the Company. By December 31, 2017, SVW had ceased operations and is therefore not a consolidated VIE after December 31, 2017.

The Company eliminates from our financial results all significant intercompany transactions, including the intercompany transactions with consolidated SVW.

Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of the contract with our customer are satisfied; generally, this occurs with the transfer of control of our equipment, parts or installation services (typically completed within one day), which occurs at a point in time.  Equipment can be redirected during the manufacturing phase such that over time revenue recognition is not appropriate.  Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring goods or providing services.  Our contracts are non-cancellable and returns are only allowed in limited instances through C&M. Sales, value add, and other taxes we collect concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. The expected costs associated with our base warranties continue to be recognized as expense when the products are sold and do not constitute a separate performance obligation.  

For instances where equipment and installation services are sold together, the Company accounts for the equipment and installation services separately.  The consideration (including any discounts) is allocated between the equipment and installation services based on their stand-alone selling prices. The stand-alone selling prices are determined based on the prices at which the Company separately sells the equipment.

In some instances, the Company fulfills its obligations and bills the customer for the work performed but does not ship the goods until a later date. These arrangements are considered bill-and-hold transactions.  In order to recognize revenue on the bill-and-hold transactions, the Company ensures the customer has requested the arrangement, the product is identified separately as belonging to the customer, the product is ready for shipment to the customer in its current form, and the Company does not have the ability to direct the product to a different customer.  A portion of the transaction price is not allocated to the custodial services due to the immaterial value assigned to that performance obligation. Revenue and related costs are recognized when title passes and risk of loss passes to our customers which generally occurs upon shipment depending upon the terms of the contract.  Under certain contracts with our customers title passes to the customers when the units are completed. The units are segregated from our inventory and identified as belonging to the customer, the customer is notified that the units are complete and awaiting pick up or delivery as specified by the customer before income is recognized. Additionally, the customer is requested to sign an “Invoice Authorization Form” which acknowledges the contract terms and acknowledges that the customer has economic ownership and control over the unit. It also acknowledges that we are going to invoice the unit per terms of the contract. The Company insures any custodial risk that it may retain.

Payment terms offered to customers are defined in contracts and purchase orders and do not include a significant financing component.  At times, the Company may offer discounts which are considered variable consideration however, the Company applies the constraint guidance when determining the transaction price to be allocated to the performance obligations.

Interest Rate Swap Contracts. The Company enters into derivative instruments to manage its exposure to interest rate risk related to certain foreign term loans. Derivatives are initially recognized at fair value at the date the contract is entered into and are subsequently remeasured to their fair value at the end of each reporting period. The resulting gain or loss is recognized in current earnings immediately unless the derivative is designated and effective as a hedging instrument, in which case the effective portion of the gain or loss is recognized and is reported as a component of other comprehensive income and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedging instrument affects earnings (date of sale). As part of the acquisition of PM Group, which was acquired on January 15, 2015, the Company acquired interest rate swap contracts, which manage the exposure to interest rate risk related to term loans with certain financial institutions in Italy. These contracts have been determined not to be hedge instruments under ASC 815-10. Further details of derivative financial instruments are disclosed in Notes 6 and 7 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. Accounts Receivable is reduced by an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. The Company’s estimate for the allowance for doubtful accounts related to trade receivables includes evaluation of specific accounts where we have information that the customer may have an inability to meet its financial obligations.

Guarantees. The Company has issued partial residual guarantees to financial institutions related to a customer financing of equipment purchased by the customer.  The Company must assess the probability of losses if the fair market value is less than the guaranteed residual value.

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A residual value guarantee involves a guarantee that a piece of equipment will have a minimum fair market value at a future date. The Company will record a liability for the estimated fair value of guarantees issued pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 460, “Guarantees” (“ASC 460”). We recognize a loss under a guarantee when the obligation to make payment under the guarantee is probable and the amount of the loss can be estimated. If the expected equipment value is less than its guaranteed residual value, the Company would recognize a liability for the amount of the short-fall up to the amount of its partial guarantee. The Company is not responsible for any short-fall in excess of its partial guarantee.  

Inventories and Related Reserve for Obsolete and Excess Inventory. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reduced by a reserve for excess and obsolete inventories. The estimated reserve is based upon specific identification of excess or obsolete inventories.

Other Intangible Assets. The Company accounts for Other Intangible Assets under the guidance of ASC 350, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other”. The Company capitalizes certain costs related to patent technology. Additionally, a substantial portion of the purchase price related to the Company’s acquisitions has been assigned to patents or unpatented technology, trade name, customer backlog, and customer relationships. Under the guidance, Other Intangible Assets with definite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested annually for impairment.

Goodwill. Goodwill, representing the difference between the total purchase price and the fair value of assets (tangible and intangible) and liabilities at the date of acquisition, is reviewed for impairment annually, and more frequently as circumstances warrant, and written down only in the period in which the recorded value of such assets exceed their fair value. The Company does not amortize goodwill in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other” (“ASC 350”). The Company performed its annual impairment assessment as of September 30, 2019, prior to its October 1, 2019 annual measurement date.  In 2019, due to a triggering event, the valuation analysis was performed at September 30, 2019. In 2018, the valuation was performed at October 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018.

For 2019 and 2018, the Company evaluated goodwill using the quantitative step one approach. In 2019 and 2018, goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is defined as an operating segment or a component of an operating segment that constitutes a business for which discrete financial information with similar economic characteristics is available and operating results are regularly reviewed by our chief operating decision maker. For 2019 and 2018, the Company has five operating segments: Manitex, Badger, PM/Valla, Sabre and C&M. All operating segments are aggregated into one reporting segment. Only Manitex, PM/Valla and Sabre are tested for goodwill impairment as Badger and C&M have no goodwill. In 2019, goodwill was impaired at PM of $0.3 million and Sabre of $2.9 million. In 2018, goodwill was impaired at our PM/Valla operating segment of $3.2 million.

For 2017, goodwill was tested at the fully consolidated level excluding discontinued operations, as the Company was operating in a single operating segment.  

Under “ASC 350”, entities are provided with the option of first performing a qualitative assessment on none, some, or all of its reporting units to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If after completing a qualitative analysis, it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value a quantitative analysis is required.

The Company evaluates its consolidated goodwill using the quantitative two step approach. The first step used to identify potential impairment involves comparing the reporting unit’s estimated fair value to its carrying value, including goodwill. During the first step testing, the Company evaluates goodwill for impairment using a business valuation method, which is calculated as of a measurement date by determining the present value of debt-free, after-tax projected future cash flows, discounted at the weighted average cost of capital of a hypothetical third-party buyer. The market approach was also considered in evaluating the potential for impairment by calculating fair value based on multiples of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of comparable, publicly traded companies. The Company also observed implied EBITDA multiples from relatively recent merger and acquisition activity in the industry, which was used to test the reasonableness of the results.

The second step of the process involves the calculation of an implied fair value of goodwill for each reporting unit for which step one indicated impairment. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by measuring the excess of the estimated fair value of the reporting unit over the estimated fair values of the individual assets, liabilities and identifiable intangibles as if the reporting unit was being acquired in a business combination. If the implied fair value of goodwill exceeds the carrying value of goodwill assigned to the reporting unit, there is no impairment. If the carrying value of goodwill assigned to a reporting unit exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess. An impairment loss cannot exceed the carrying value of goodwill assigned to a reporting unit and the subsequent reversal of goodwill impairment losses is not permitted.

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For 2017, the first step did not indicate any impairment of goodwill.

The determination of fair value requires the Company to make significant estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions primarily include, but are not limited to, revenue growth and operating earnings projections, discount rates, terminal growth rates, and required capital expenditure projections.  Our projections make certain assumptions including expanding PM market share in North America, a normalization of energy markets over time and a continued expansion of dealer networks.  If our progress in meeting these and other assumptions is slower or different than what was anticipated, it may impact our ability to meet the projections.  Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making these estimates, actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Deterioration in the market or actual results as compared with the projections (including not meeting near term projections) may result in impairment in the near term. In the event the Company determines that goodwill is impaired in the future the Company would need to recognize a non-cash impairment charge. 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. The Company’s policy is to assess the realizability of its long-lived assets, including intangible assets, and to evaluate such assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets (or group of assets) may not be recoverable. Impairment is determined to exist if the estimated future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value. Future cash flow projections include assumptions for future sales levels, the impact of cost reduction programs, and the level of working capital needed to support each business. The amount of any impairment then recognized would be calculated as the difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying value of the asset. The Company recognized $8.1 million in impairment related to tradenames, goodwill and customer relationships for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company recognized $5.7 million in net impairments related to goodwill and trademarks for the year ended December 31, 2018 but did not have any impairment for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Warranty Expense. The Company establishes reserves for future warranty expense at the point when revenue is recognized by the Company and is based on a percentage of revenues. The provision for estimated warranty claims, which is included in cost of sales, is based on sales.

Retirement Benefit Costs and Termination Benefits. Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit plans are recognized as an expense when employees have rendered service entitling them to the contributions. Employees in Italy are entitled to Trattamento di Fine Rapporto (“TFR”), commonly referred to as an employee leaving indemnity, which represents deferred compensation for employees in the private sector. Under Italian law, an entity is obligated to accrue for TFR on an individual employee basis payable to each individual upon termination of employment (including both voluntary and involuntary dismissal).

Litigation Claims. In determining whether liabilities should be recorded for pending litigation claims, the Company must assess the allegations and the likelihood that it will successfully defend itself. When the Company believes it is probable that it will not prevail in a particular matter, it will then make an estimate of the amount of liability based, in part, on the advice of outside legal counsel.

Income Taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740 “Income Taxes,” which requires recognition of income taxes based on amounts payable with respect to the current year and the effects of deferred taxes for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the Company’s financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial accounting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as for operating losses and tax credit carryforwards using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not a tax benefit will not be realized. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income prior to the expiration of any net operating loss carryforwards. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

The Jobs Act also establishes global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions that impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. The Company has elected to recognize GILTI as a period cost as incurred, therefore there are no deferred taxes recognized for basis differences that are expected to impact the amount of the GILTI inclusion upon reversal.

ASC 740 also prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, as well as guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company records interest and penalties related to income tax matters in the provision for income taxes.

Comprehensive Income. Reporting “Comprehensive Income” requires reporting and displaying comprehensive income and its components. Comprehensive income includes, in addition to net earnings, other items that are reported as direct adjustments to stockholder’s equity. Currently, the comprehensive income adjustment required for the Company is a foreign currency translation adjustment, the result of consolidating its foreign subsidiaries.

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Business Combinations. The Company accounts for acquisitions in accordance with guidance found in ASC 805, Business Combinations. The guidance requires consideration given, including contingent consideration, assets acquired and liabilities assumed to be valued at their fair market values at the acquisition date. The guidance further provides that: (1) in-process research and development will be recorded at fair value as an indefinite-lived intangible asset; (2) acquisition costs will generally be expensed as incurred, (3) restructuring costs associated with a business combination will generally be expensed subsequent to the acquisition date; and (4) changes in deferred tax asset valuation allowances and income tax uncertainties after the acquisition date generally will affect income tax expense.

ASC 805 requires that any excess of purchase price over fair value of assets acquired, including identifiable intangibles and liabilities assumed be recognized as goodwill. In accordance with ASC 805, any excess of fair value of acquired net assets, including identifiable intangibles assets, over the acquisition consideration results in a bargain purchase gain. Prior to recording a gain, the acquiring entity must reassess whether all acquired assets and assumed liabilities have been identified and recognized and perform re-measurements to verify that the consideration paid, assets acquired and liabilities assumed have been properly valued.

Recently Issued Pronouncements – Not Yet Adopted

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes Topic 740-Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASU 2019-12”), which intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application of Topic 740. The effective date will be the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 and early adoption is permitted. Adoption of Topic 740 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-04, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2019-04”). ASU 2019-04 provides narrow scope amendments for Topics 326, 815 and 825.  The effective date will be the first quarter of fiscal year 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The standard requires a modified retrospective approach through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. The Company adopted the new credit loss standard effective January 1, 2020 and determined it will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 sets forth a “current expected credit loss” model which requires the Company to measure all expected credit losses for financial instruments held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable supportable forecasts. The guidance in this standard replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost and applies to some off-balance sheet credit exposures. Subsequently, the FASB issued the following standards related to ASU 2016-13: ASU 2018-19, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses,” ASU 2019-05, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326) Targeted Transition Relief,” and ASU 2019-11, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses,” which provided additional guidance and clarity to ASU 2016-13 (collectively, the “Credit Loss Standard”). The effective date will be the first quarter of fiscal year 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The Credit Loss Standard will be applied using a modified retrospective approach. The Company adopted the new credit loss standard effective January 1, 2020 and determined it will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, “Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income” (“ASU 2018-2”). ASU 2018-02 allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the “Jobs Act”. The Company has adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our operating results.

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In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”), which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. Consistent with current U.S. GAAP, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease.  Subsequently, the FASB issued the following standards related to ASU 2016-02: ASU 2018-01, “Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842,” ASU 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases”, ASU 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements” (“ASU 2018-11”) and ASU 2018-20, “Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors”, which provided additional guidance and clarity to ASU 2016-02 (collectively, the “New Lease Standard”). The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2019. The transition method allows an entity to initially apply the requirements of the New Lease Standard at the adoption date, versus at the beginning of the earliest period presented, and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. The New Lease Standard provides a number of optional practical expedients in transition. The Company elected the transition package of practical expedients, the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of its leases, and the short-term lease recognition exemption for all of its leases that qualify for it. The adoption of this guidance resulted in an addition of $3.2 million of total operating assets and $3.2 million of total operating lease liabilities with no income statement impact as of January 1, 2019.

Except as noted above, the guidance issued by the FASB is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company is exposed to certain market risks that exist as part of our ongoing business operations and the Company uses derivative financial instruments, where appropriate, to manage our foreign exchange risks. As a matter of policy, the Company does not engage in trading or speculative transactions. For further information on accounting policies related to derivative financial instruments, refer to Note 7 - “Derivative Financial Instruments” in our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Foreign Exchange Risk

The Company is exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency cash flows related to third-party purchases and sales, intercompany product shipments and intercompany loans. The Company is also exposed to fluctuations in the value of foreign currency investments in subsidiaries and cash flows related to repatriation of these investments. Additionally, the Company is exposed to volatility in the translation of foreign currency earnings to U.S. Dollars. Primary exposures include the U.S. Dollar when compared to functional currencies of our major foreign subsidiaries, primarily the Euro. The Company assesses foreign currency risk based on transactional cash flows, identifies naturally offsetting positions and purchases hedging instruments to partially offset anticipated exposures. At December 31, 2019, the Company had no outstanding foreign currency exchange contracts being used to hedge future sale that would qualify as cash flow hedges.  The Company, however, has foreign currency exchange contract to sell 3.02 billion Chilean pesos.  This contract is intended to hedge an intercompany receivable that PM has from its Chilean subsidiary.   This forward currency exchange contract has been determined not to be considered a hedge under ASC 815-10, as such aggregate changes in the translation effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes would have on our operating income. At December 31, 2019, the Company performed a sensitivity analysis on the effect that exchange rate changes would have on the Company. Based on this sensitivity analysis, we have determined that a change in the value of the U.S. Dollar relative to currencies outside the U.S. by 10% to amounts already incorporated in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 would have $0.1 million impact on the translation effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes already included in our reported operating income for the period.

Interest Rate Risk

The Company is exposed to interest rate volatility with regard to future issuances of fixed rate debt and existing issuances of variable rate debt. Primary exposure includes movements in the U.S. prime rate and EURIBOR.  At December 31, 2019, the Company had approximately $59.9 million of variable interest debt with average weighted average interest rate at year end of approximately 4.6%. PM subsidiary had interest rate swaps on €0.001 million of its debt. The fair value of the interest rate swaps, which represents the cost to settle these arrangements at December 31, 2019 was approximately $0.001 million.  At December 31, 2019, the Company performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the impact of an increase in interest rates. Based on this sensitivity analysis, the Company has determined that an increase of 10% in our average floating interest rates at December 31, 2019 would increase interest expense by approximately $0.3 million.

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Commodities Risk

Principal materials and components that the Company uses in our various manufacturing processes include steel, castings, engines, tires, hydraulics, cylinders, drive trains, electric controls and motors, and a variety of other commodities and fabricated or manufactured items. Extreme movements in the cost and availability of these materials and components may affect the Company’s financial performance. Changes to input costs did not have a significant effect on the Company’s operating performance in 2019. During 2019, raw materials and components were generally available to meet our production schedules and had no significant impact on 2019 revenues.

In the absence of labor strikes or other unusual circumstances, substantially all materials and components are normally available from multiple suppliers. However, certain businesses receive materials and components from a single source supplier, although alternative suppliers of such materials may be generally available. Current and potential suppliers are evaluated on a regular basis on their ability to meet our requirements and standards. The Company actively manages our material supply sourcing, and may employ various methods to limit risk associated with commodity cost fluctuations and availability. The inability of suppliers, especially any single source suppliers for a particular business, to deliver materials and components promptly could result in production delays and increased costs to manufacture the Company’s products. To mitigate the impact of these risks, the Company continues to search for acceptable alternative supply sources and less expensive supply options on a regular basis, including improving the globalization.

The report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements are filed pursuant to this Item 8 and are included in this report. See the Index to Financial Statements.

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Index to Financial Statements

The financial statements of the registrant required to be included in Item 8 are listed below:

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Board of Directors and Shareholders

Manitex International, Inc.

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Manitex International, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related notes and financial statement schedules included under Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the periods ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) “PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”), and our report dated March 10, 2020 expressed an adverse opinion.

Change in accounting principle

As discussed in Note 22 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for operating leases as of January 1, 2019 due to the adoption of ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842).

Basis for opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the 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 audit 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 financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the 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 supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Board of Directors and Shareholders

Manitex International, Inc.

Opinion on internal control over financial reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Manitex International, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weaknesses described in the following paragraphs on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses have been identified and included in management’s assessment:

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019. The material weaknesses identified above were considered in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the 2019 consolidated financial statements, and this report does not affect our report dated March 10, 2020, which expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

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Basis for opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the 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 audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and limitations of internal control over financial reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Other information

We do not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on management’s remediation activities related to the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and

Shareholders of Manitex International, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Manitex International, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2017, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2017, 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 December 31, 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2017, 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 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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. 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 audit 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 audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.  

We served as the Company’s auditor from 2006 through April 2018.

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MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

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MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

40

MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

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MANITEX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands, except per share data)