Neonode Inc. - Quarter Report: 2006 January (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
one)
x
Quarterly
report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For
the quarterly period ended January 31, 2006
oTransition
report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
and Exchange Act of 1934
For
the
transition period from _______ to ________
Commission
file number 0-8419
SBE,
INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
|
94-1517641
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
4000
Executive Parkway, Suite 200, San Ramon, California 94583
|
||
(Address
of principal executive offices and zip code)
|
||
(925)
355-2000
|
||
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether 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 registrant was required
to
file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the
past 90 days.
Yes x No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Check
one):
Large
accelerated filer o Accelerated
filer o Non-accelerated
filer x
-1-
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No x
The
number of shares of registrant's common stock outstanding as of January 31,
2006
was 9,955,158.
-2-
SBE,
INC.
INDEX
TO JANUARY 31, 2006 FORM 10-Q
PART
I
|
Financial
Information
|
||
|
|||
Item
1
|
Financial
Statements
|
|
|
|
|||
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2006 (unaudited) and
October
31, 2005
|
4
|
||
|
|||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended
January
31, 2006 and 2005 (unaudited)
|
5
|
||
|
|||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended
January
31, 2006 and 2005 (unaudited)
|
6
|
||
|
|||
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
|
7
|
||
|
|||
Item
2
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
17
|
|
|
|||
Item
3
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
34
|
|
|
|||
Item
4
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
34
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
PART
II
|
Other
Information
|
|
|
|
|||
Item
6
|
Exhibits
|
35
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
SIGNATURES
|
38
|
||
|
|||
EXHIBITS
|
39
|
-3-
PART
I. Financial
Information
Item
1. Financial
Statements
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
BALANCE SHEETS
(In
thousands)
January
31,
|
October
31,
|
||||||
|
2006
|
2005
(A)
|
|||||
|
(unaudited)
|
||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
2,764
|
$
|
3,632
|
|||
Trade
accounts receivable, net
|
1,059
|
1,555
|
|||||
Inventories
|
1,633
|
1,283
|
|||||
Other
|
240
|
293
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
5,696
|
6,763
|
|||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
648
|
563
|
|||||
Capitalized
software costs, net
|
10,422
|
11,424
|
|||||
Other
|
53
|
82
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
16,819
|
$
|
18,832
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Trade
accounts payable
|
$
|
933
|
$
|
743
|
|||
Accrued
payroll and employee benefits
|
116
|
155
|
|||||
Capital
lease obligations - current portion
|
50
|
29
|
|||||
Deferred
software revenue
|
178
|
138
|
|||||
Other
accrued expenses
|
169
|
178
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
1,446
|
1,243
|
|||||
Capital
lease obligations and deferred rent, net of current
portion
|
322
|
241
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
1,768
|
1,484
|
|||||
Commitments
(note 7)
|
|||||||
Stockholders'
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock
|
33,460
|
35,431
|
|||||
Deferred
compensation
|
—
|
(2,401
|
)
|
||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(18,409
|
)
|
(15,682
|
)
|
|||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
15,051
|
17,348
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
|
$
|
16,819
|
$
|
18,832
|
(A)
Derived from audited financial statements
See
notes
to condensed consolidated financial statements.
-4-
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In
thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three
months ended
|
|
||||||
|
|
January
31,
|
|
||||
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|||
Net
sales
|
$
|
1,400
|
$
|
2,815
|
|||
Cost
of sales
|
1,825
|
1,230
|
|||||
Gross
profit (loss)
|
(425
|
)
|
1,585
|
||||
Product
research and development
|
946
|
473
|
|||||
Sales
and marketing
|
598
|
559
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
771
|
369
|
|||||
Total
operating expenses
|
2,315
|
1,401
|
|||||
Operating
income (loss)
|
(2,740
|
)
|
184
|
||||
Interest
and other income (expense)
|
18
|
(2
|
)
|
||||
Income
(loss) before income taxes
|
(2,722
|
)
|
182
|
||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
5
|
5
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
$
|
177
|
||
Basic
earnings (loss) per share
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
0.03
|
||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per share
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
0.03
|
||
Shares
used in per share computations:
|
|||||||
Basic
|
9,895
|
5,136
|
|||||
Diluted
|
9,895
|
5,869
|
See
notes
to condensed consolidated financial statements.
-5-
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three
months ended
|
|
||||||
|
|
January
31,
|
|
||||
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
$
|
177
|
||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Stock
based compensation
|
445
|
—
|
|||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,086
|
72
|
|||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|||||||
Trade
accounts receivable
|
496
|
(380
|
)
|
||||
Inventories
|
(350
|
)
|
288
|
||||
Other
assets
|
82
|
(53
|
)
|
||||
Trade
accounts payable
|
190
|
(330
|
)
|
||||
Other
current liabilities
|
(6
|
)
|
(98
|
)
|
|||
Other
non-current liabilities
|
81
|
7
|
|||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(703
|
)
|
(317
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|||||||
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
(148
|
)
|
(38
|
)
|
|||
Purchased
software
|
(20
|
)
|
(9
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(168
|
)
|
(47
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|||||||
Stock
offering expense
|
(2
|
)
|
—
|
||||
Proceeds
from stock plans
|
5
|
79
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
3
|
79
|
|||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(868
|
)
|
(285
|
)
|
|||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
3,632
|
1,849
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
2,764
|
$
|
1,564
|
|||
SUPPLEMENTAL
SCHEDULE OF NON-CASH FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
|
|||||||
Non-cash
stock portion of Antares purchase price
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
114
|
See
notes
to condensed consolidated financial statements.
-6-
SBE,
INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
1. Interim
Period Reporting:
These
condensed financial statements of SBE, Inc. are unaudited, and include all
adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, that are, in the
opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial
position and results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods
presented. The results of operations for the three month period ended January
31, 2006 are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the full 2006
fiscal year.
Certain
information and footnote disclosures normally contained in financial statements
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been
condensed or omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statements should
be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes contained in
our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2005.
Management
Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the U.S. requires us to make estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, as well as certain
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of net
sales
and
expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these
estimates. Significant estimates and judgments made by us include matters such
as warranty obligations, indemnification obligations, collectibility of accounts
receivable, realizability of inventories and recoverability of capitalized
software and deferred tax assets.
Stock
Based Compensation
Effective
November 1, 2005, we adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 123R, Share-Based
Payment,
(SFAS
123R) using the modified prospective method. See Note 4 for additional
information regarding stock based compensation.
Segment
Information
After
we
acquired PyX on July 26, 2005 we organized our operations into two business
segments: Embedded and Storage Products. In the quarter ended January 31, 2006
we reorganized the company to one industry segment by combining the previously
segmented engineering, sales, marketing groups to focus on delivering IP-based
hardware and software products that are embedded in both communications and
storage servers. We now have only one chief operating decision maker and analyze
financial information on a single segment basis.
-7-
2. Inventories:
Inventories
comprise the following (in thousands):
January
31,
|
|
October
31,
|
|
||||
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|||
Finished
goods
|
$
|
1,166
|
$
|
815
|
|||
Parts
and materials
|
467
|
468
|
|||||
$
|
1,633
|
$
|
1,283
|
The
total
reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory is $2,310,000 and $2,313,000
at
January 31, 2006 and October 31, 2005, respectively.
3.
Capitalized Software:
Capitalized
software costs comprise the following (in thousands):
January
31,
|
|
October
31,
|
|
||||
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|||
Purchased
software
|
$
|
14,197
|
$
|
14,177
|
|||
Less
accumulated amortization
|
(3,775
|
)
|
(2,753
|
)
|
|||
$
|
10,422
|
$
|
11,424
|
We
capitalized $20,000, $9,000 and $12,424,000 of purchased software costs in
the
three months ended January 31, 2006 and 2005 and for the fiscal year ended
October, 31, 2005, respectively. Amortization of capitalized software costs
totaled $1,022,000 and $16,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2006
and
2005, respectively. Capitalized software costs consist
of the allocation of the software relating to current products and the design
of
future iSCSI software products acquired in connection with our acquisition
of
PyX on July 26, 2005. We amortize capitalized software to cost of sales expense
on a straight line basis over thirty-six months, beginning August 1, 2005,
which
is the expected useful life and which does not materially differ from the
expected cash inflow from the sale of products related to the acquired PyX
product line. It
is our
belief that no impairment to the software asset exists as of January 31,
2006.
4. Net
Income (Loss) Per Share:
Basic
income (loss) per common share for the three months ended January 31, 2006
and
2005 was computed by dividing the net income (loss) for such period by the
weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for such period.
Common stock equivalents for the three months ended January 31, 2006 were
anti-dilutive and as such are not included in the calculation of diluted net
loss per share. Common stock equivalents for the three months ended January
31,
2005 have been included in the calculation of diluted net income per share
(in
thousands).
-8-
Common
Stock Equivalents
|
Three
months ended
|
||||||
|
January
31,
|
||||||
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||
Employee
stock options
|
504
|
635
|
|||||
Common
Stock issued relating to purchase of Antares
|
—
|
28
|
|||||
Warrants
to purchase common stock
|
—
|
70
|
|||||
Common
stock equivalents
|
504
|
733
|
Three
months ended
|
|||||||
January
31,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Basic
|
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
|
||||||
Weighted
average number of common
shares outstanding
|
9,895
|
5,136
|
|||||
Number
of shares for computation of net
income (loss) per share
|
9,895
|
5,136
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
$
|
177
|
||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
0.03
|
||
|
|||||||
Diluted
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
Weighted
average number of common
shares outstanding
|
9,895
|
5,136
|
|||||
Shares
issuable pursuant to options granted under
stock option plans and warrants granted, less
assumed repurchase at the average fair market
value for the period
|
(a
|
)
|
733
|
||||
Number
of shares for computation of net
income (loss) per share
|
9,895
|
5,869
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
$
|
177
|
||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
0.03
|
(a)
|
In
loss periods, all common share equivalents would have an anti-dilutive
effect on
net
loss
per share and therefore have been
excluded.
|
-9-
5.
Stock Based Compensation:
Effective
November 1, 2005, we adopted SFAS 123R using the modified prospective method,
which requires measurement of compensation cost for all stock-based awards
at
fair value on the grant date and recognition of compensation expense over the
requisite service period for awards expected to vest. The fair value of stock
option grants is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model, which
is
consistent with our valuation techniques previously utilized for options in
footnote disclosures required under SFAS No. 123, Accounting
for Stock Based Compensation,
(SFAS
123) as amended by SFAS No. 148, Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation - Transition and Disclosure (SFAS
148). The fair value of restricted stock awards is determined based on the
number of shares granted and the quoted price of our common stock. Such fair
values will be recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service
period, net of estimated forfeitures, using the accelerated method under SFAS
123R.
The
fair
value method under SFAS 123R is similar to the fair value method under SFAS
123
as amended by SFAS 148 with respect to measurement and recognition of
stock-based compensation. However, SFAS 123 permitted us to recognize
forfeitures as they occur, while SFAS 123R requires us to estimate future
forfeitures and adjust our estimate on a quarterly basis. SFAS 123R also
requires a classification change in the statement of cash flows; whereby, the
income tax benefit from stock option exercises is reported as a financing cash
flow rather than an operating cash flow as previously reported.
We
have
several Board and shareholder approved stock option plans for which stock
options and restricted stock awards are available to grant to employees and
directors. All employee and director stock options granted under our stock
option plans have an exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying
common stock on the grant date. There are no vesting provisions tied to
performance conditions for any options as vesting for all outstanding option
grants was based only on continued service as an employee of the Company. All
of
our outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards are classified as
equity instruments.
Stock
Options
We
sponsor three employee stock option plans, the 1996
Stock Option Plan (the 1996 Plan), the 1998 Non-Officer Stock Option Plan (the
1998 Plan)
and the
PyX 2005 Stock Option Plan (the PyX Plan).
A total
of 2,730,000 shares of common stock were reserved under the 1996 Plan at October
31, 2005.
The
1996 Plan terminated effective January 31, 2006 and although we can no longer
issue stock options out of the plan, the outstanding options at the date of
termination will continue to vest. A total of 650,000 shares of common stock
are
reserved under the 1998 Plan and a total of 2,038,950
shares of our common stock will be issuable upon exercise of the assumed PyX
Plan stock options at
January 31, 2006, respectively. Stock options granted under the 1996, 1998
and
PyX Plans are exercisable over a maximum term of ten years from the date of
grant, vest in various installments over a one to four-year period and have
exercise prices reflecting the market value of the shares of common stock on
the
date of grant.
-10-
Additionally,
in 2001, stockholders approved a Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the
Director Plan). A total of 340,000 shares of Common Stock are reserved for
issuance under the Director Plan. Options granted under the Director Plan vest
over a one to four-year period, expire five to seven years after the date of
grant and have exercise prices reflecting market value at the date of
grant.
On
the
date of adoption of SFAS 123R, there were 4,213,704 outstanding stock options,
of which 1,400,397 were fully vested. We
granted 265,000 stock options to employees during the three month period ended
January 31, 2006. Included
in the outstanding stock options are 2,038,950 stock options related to the
PyX
2005 Stock Option Plan that was assumed by us in our acquisition of PyX
Technologies, Inc. (PyX) on July 27, 2005. The fair value related to the
unvested portion of the PyX stock options assumed by us totaled $2,484,000
and
was recorded as deferred compensation in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005.
On
the date of adoption of SFAS 123R, we reduced deferred compensation and common
stock by $2,311,000, which was the value of the unamortized balance of the
deferred compensation recorded when we purchased PyX. We will record
compensation expense at the rate of $173,000 per quarter over the remaining
13
quarterly vesting periods and record an increase to our common stock as required
by SFAS 123R. The $173,000 per quarter compensation expense is included in
General and Administrative expense.
We
awarded stock option grants to certain non-employee strategic business advisors
as a part of their fee structure. The fair value of these option grants is
estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model
and
is recalculated on a quarterly basis based on market price. For the three month
period ended January 31, 2006, $35,000, of compensation expense is included
in
General and Administrative expense.
For
the
three months ended January 31, 2006, we recorded approximately $146,000 of
stock-based compensation expense associated with outstanding unvested employee
stock options in the accompanying statements of operations. The fair value
of
the unearned portion of stock-based compensation related to the unvested
employee stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing
model as of the grant date of the underlying stock options. We recognized no
net
deferred tax impact on the adoption of SFAS 123R. As of January 31, 2006, there
was approximately $1.5 million of remaining unamortized stock-based compensation
expense associated with unvested employee stock options which will be expensed
over the remaining service period through September 2009. There
was
no stock-based compensation expense related to employee stock options and
employee stock purchases recognized during the three months ended
January 31,
2005.
The
fair
value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average
assumptions:
-11-
Unvested
Options
On
November 1,
|
Options
Granted
During
Three
Months
Ended
January
31,
|
||||||
2005
|
2006
|
||||||
Expected
life (in years)
|
4.19
|
4.00
|
|||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
2.65%
- 4.36
|
%
|
4.375
|
%
|
|||
Volatility
|
53.76%
-151.22
|
%
|
97.46
|
%
|
|||
Dividend
yield
|
0.00
|
%
|
0.00
|
%
|
|||
Forfeiture
rate
|
6.71
|
%
|
5.47
|
%
|
The
fair
value of stock-based awards to employees is calculated using the Black-Scholes
option pricing model, even though this model was developed to estimate the
fair
value of freely tradable, fully transferable options without vesting
restrictions, which differ significantly from the Company’s stock options. The
Black-Scholes model also requires subjective assumptions, including future
stock
price volatility and expected time to exercise, which greatly affect the
calculated values. The expected term and forfeiture rate of options granted
is
derived from historical data on employee exercises and post-vesting employment
termination behavior. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S Treasury rates
in
effect during the corresponding period of grant. The expected volatility is
based on the historical volatility of our stock price. These factors could
change in the future, which would affect the stock-based compensation expense
in
future periods.
The
following table summarizes our stock option and restricted stock activity in
fiscal 2006:
Weighted
|
Average
|
||||||
|
Number
of
|
Exercise
|
|||||
|
options
|
Price
|
|||||
Outstanding
at October 31, 2005
|
4,213,704
|
$
|
2.66
|
||||
Granted
|
523,483
|
1.94
|
|||||
Exercised
|
60,658
|
1.50
|
|||||
Cancelled
|
119,436
|
7.19
|
|||||
Outstanding
at January 31, 2006
|
4,557,093
|
$
|
2.48
|
||||
As
of January 31, 2006:
|
|||||||
Options
exercisable
|
1,368,394
|
$
|
2.73
|
||||
Shares
available for grant
|
151,868
|
The
weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the three
months ended January 31, 2006 and 2005 was $1.94 and $3.88, respectively. The
total intrinsic value of options exercised during the quarter ended January
31,
2006 and 2005 was $3,400 and $76,834 respectively.
-12-
The
following table summarizes information with respect to all options to purchase
shares of common stock outstanding under the 1996
Stock Option Plan (the 1996 Plan), the 1998 Non-Officer Stock Option Plan (the
1998 Plan)
and the
PyX 2005 Stock Option Plan (the PyX Plan)
and the
Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the Director Plan) at January 31,
2006:
Options
Outstanding
|
Options
Exercisable
|
||||||||||||||||
Range
of Exercise
Price
|
Number
Outstanding
at
1/31/06
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
(years)
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Number
Exercisable
at
1/31/06
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
||||||||||||
$
0.00 - $ 1.00
|
|
583,566
|
|
3.4
|
|
$
|
0.91
|
|
|
581,232
|
|
$
|
0.91
|
|
|||
$
1.01 - $ 2.50
|
|
2,459,651
|
|
6.0
|
|
$
|
2.07
|
|
|
104,625
|
|
$
|
1.55
|
|
|||
$
2.51 - $ 3.50
|
|
839,500
|
|
5.5
|
|
$
|
2.80
|
|
|
184,308
|
|
$
|
2.67
|
|
|||
$
3.51 - $ 4.50
|
|
376,000
|
|
5.5
|
|
$
|
4.20
|
|
|
209,940
|
|
$
|
4.22
|
|
|||
$
4.51 - $ 6.50
|
|
219,376
|
|
1.9
|
|
$
|
5.06
|
|
|
219,376
|
|
$
|
5.06
|
|
|||
$
6.51 - $ 8.50
|
|
38,000
|
|
4.7
|
|
$
|
7.01
|
|
|
27,913
|
|
$
|
7.03
|
|
|||
$
8.51 - $10.50
|
|
40,000
|
|
1.0
|
|
$
|
8.63
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
$
|
8.63
|
|
|||
$10.51
- $18.50
|
|
1,000
|
|
1.2
|
|
$
|
17.28
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
$
|
17.28
|
|
|||
|
|
4,557,093
|
|
5.3
|
|
$
|
2.48
|
|
|
1,368,394
|
|
$
|
2.73
|
|
Restricted
Stock Awards
On
January 12, 2006, our Board of Directors (Board) approved a company-wide 30%
reduction in employee base salaries, effective January 16, 2006. In order to
continue to motivate and retain our employees despite such salary reductions,
the Board also approved restricted stock grants to all of our employees pursuant
to the 1996 Stock Option Plan. A total of 227,301 shares of our common stock
will be issued pursuant to such restricted stock grants. Such stock grants
will
vest in five ratable semi-monthly installments, for so long as the employees
continue to act as employees, with the first installment vested on January
31,
2006. In addition, the Board also approved the suspension of all cash Board
and
Board committee fees, indefinitely. In place of such cash payments, the Board
made a restricted stock grant of 30,681 shares to non-employee members of the
Board. Such stock grants will vest in three equal monthly installments, for
so
long as the directors continue to act as directors, with the first installment
vested on January 31, 2006.
For the
three months ended January 31, 2006, we recorded approximately $91,000, of
stock-based compensation and director expense associated with these restricted
stock awards.
A
summary
of the status of the Company’s restricted stock units as of January 31, 2006 and
changed during the three months ended January 31, 2006 is as
follows:
Number
of
|
Weighted
Average
|
|||||||
Shares
|
Grant-Date
|
|||||||
Nonvested
Restricted Stock Units
|
(in
Thousands)
|
Fair
Value
|
||||||
Nonvested
at November 1, 2005
|
—
|
—
|
||||||
Granted
|
264
|
$
|
1.55
|
|||||
Vested
|
(66
|
)
|
1.38
|
|||||
Cancelled
|
—
|
—
|
||||||
Nonvested
at January 31, 2006
|
198
|
$
|
1.34
|
-13-
Prior
to
November 1, 2005, we accounted for stock-based awards under the intrinsic value
method, which followed the recognition and measurement principles of APB Opinion
No. 25, Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees,
and
related interpretations. Under this method, compensation expense was recorded
on
the date of grant only if the current market price of the underlying stock
exceeded the exercise price. Our
practice is to award employee stock options with an exercise price equal to
the
market price on the date of the award. Accordingly,
no stock-based employee compensation cost has previously been recognized in
net
income for the stock option plans. Had compensation cost for our stock option
plans been determined based on the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS
123, our net income and income per share would have been as
follows:
Three
Months Ended January 31, 2005 |
||||
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
|
||||
Net
income, as reported
|
$
|
177
|
||
Add:
Total stock-based compensation expense
(benefit) included in the net income determined
under the recognition and measurement
principles of APB Opinion 25
|
—
|
|||
Deduct:
Total stock-based employee compensation expense
determined under fair value based method for
all awards, net of related tax effects
|
(640
|
)
|
||
Pro
forma net loss
|
$
|
(463
|
)
|
|
Net
income (loss) per share:
|
||||
Basic
- as reported
|
$
|
0.03
|
||
Basic
- pro forma
|
$
|
(0.09
|
)
|
|
Diluted
- as reported
|
$
|
0.03
|
||
Diluted
- pro forma
|
$
|
(0.09
|
)
|
The
fair
value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average
assumptions:
Options
granted in three months ended January 31
|
2005
|
|||
Expected
life (in years)
|
5.00
|
|||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
3.00
|
%
|
||
Volatility
|
76.29
|
%
|
||
Dividend
yield
|
0.00
|
%
|
-14-
The
following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock options - under SFAS 123(R), restricted stock awards and non-employee
consultant and PyX stock based compensation expense for the three months ended
January 31, 2006 which was allocated to product costs and operating expense
as follows (in thousands):
Three
Months Ended
|
||||
January
31, 2006
|
||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
$
|
5
|
||
Product
research and development
|
37
|
|||
Sales
and Marketing
|
56
|
|||
General
and administrative
|
347
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
445
|
6. Revenue
Recognition and Concentration of Risk:
Our
policy is to recognize revenue for hardware product sales when title transfers
and risk of loss has passed to the customer, which is generally upon shipment
of
our hardware products to our customers. We defer and recognize service revenue
over the contractual period or as services are rendered. Our policy complies
with the guidance provided by Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue
Recognition in Financial Statements,
issued
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We
account for the licensing of software in accordance with American Institute
of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) 97-2,
Software
Revenue Recognition.
The
application of SOP 97-2 requires judgment, including whether a software
arrangement includes multiple elements, and if so, whether vendor-specific
objective evidence (VSOE) of fair value exists for those elements. We will
defer
all revenue related to the sale of our software products until such time that
we
are able to established VSOE for the undelivered elements related to our iSCSI
software products or when we fulfill the undelivered elements.
Deferred
revenue represents post-delivery engineering support and the right to receive
specified upgrades/enhancements of our iSCSI software on a when-and-if-available
basis.
In
the
first three months of fiscal 2006 and 2005, most of our sales were attributable
to sales of wireless communications products and were derived from a limited
number of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers. Sales to The
Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) accounted for 0% and 36% of our net sales in the
first three months of fiscal 2006 and 2005, respectively, and sales to Data
Connection Limited (DCL) , Nortel Networks (Nortel) and True Position, Inc.
accounted for 41%, 12% and 10% of our net sales for the quarter ended January
31, 2006, respectively as compared to DCL and Nortel accounting for 15% and
14%
of our net sales for the same quarter ended January 31, 2005, respectively.
No
other customer accounted for more than 10% of our net sales in either quarter.
DCL and Nortel combined accounted for 65% of our accounts receivable at January
31, 2006. A significant reduction in orders from any of our OEM customers,
or a
failure to collect outstanding accounts receivable from any of our OEM
customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating
results, financial condition and cash flows.
-15-
International
sales constituted 58% and 20% of net sales for the three month periods ended
January 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. International sales are primarily
executed in Europe with 44% to customers in the United Kingdom. All
international sales are executed in U.S. dollars.
7. Warranty
Obligations and Other Guarantees:
The
following is a summary of our agreements that we
have
determined are within the scope of FASB Interpretation (FIN) No. 45 Guarantor's
Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect
Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others
--
an
interpretation of FASB Statements No. 5, 57 and 107 and rescission of FIN
34.
We
accrue
the estimated costs to be incurred in performing warranty services at the time
of revenue recognition and shipment of the products to
our
customers.
Our
estimate
of costs
to service our warranty obligations is based on historical experience and
expectation of future conditions. To the extent we experience increased warranty
claim activity or increased costs associated with servicing those claims, the
warranty accrual will increase, resulting in decreased gross
margin.
The
following table sets forth an analysis of our warranty reserve (in
thousands):
January
31,
|
January
31,
|
||||||
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||
Warranty
reserve at beginning of period
|
$
|
22
|
$
|
20
|
|||
Less:
Cost to service warranty obligations
|
(1
|
)
|
(4
|
)
|
|||
Plus:
Increases to reserves
|
1
|
4
|
|||||
Total
warranty reserve included in other accrued expenses
|
$
|
22
|
$
|
20
|
We
have
agreed to indemnify each
of
our
executive
officers
and directors for certain events or occurrences arising as a result of the
officer or director serving in such capacity. The term of the indemnification
period is for the officer's or director's lifetime. The maximum potential amount
of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification
agreements is unlimited. However, we have a directors’
and
officers’
liability insurance policy that should
enable
us to
recover a portion of future amounts paid. As a result of our insurance policy
coverage, we believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification
agreements is minimal and have no liabilities recorded for these agreements
as
of January 31, 2006 and October 31, 2005,
respectively.
We
enter
into indemnification provisions under our agreements with other companies in
the
ordinary course of business, typically with business partners, contractors,
customers and landlords.
Under these provisions we generally indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified
party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party as a result
of
our activities or, in some cases, as a result of the indemnified party's
activities under the agreement. These indemnification provisions often include
indemnifications relating to representations made by us with regard to
intellectual property rights. These indemnification provisions generally survive
termination of the underlying agreement. The maximum potential amount of future
payments we could be required to make under these indemnification provisions
is
unlimited. We have not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle
claims related to these indemnification agreements. As a result, we believe
the
estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, we have no
liabilities recorded for these agreements as of January 31, 2006 and October
31,
2005,
respectively.
-16-
As
discussed below, we are the secondary guarantor on the sublease of our previous
headquarters. We believe we will have no liabilities on this guarantee and
have
not recorded a liability at January 31, 2006.
Item
2. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Forward
Looking Statements
The
following Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and
uncertainties. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends"
and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but
are
not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Readers are cautioned
that the forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only as of the date
hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these statements. Actual events
or
results may differ materially from the results discussed in or implied by the
forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include,
but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties set forth under the
caption "Risk Factors" below.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements
and the Notes thereto included in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
and in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2005.
Risk
Factors
In
addition to the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
stockholders or prospective investors should carefully consider the following
risk factors:
Risks
Related to Our Business
We
may not realize any anticipated benefits from the acquisition of
PyX.
We
acquired PyX on July 26, 2005. While we believe that our opportunities are
greater than our opportunities prior to the acquisition and that we will be
able
to create substantially more stockholder value, there is substantial risk that
the synergies and benefits sought in the acquisition might not be fully
achieved. There is no assurance that PyX’s technology can be successfully
integrated into our existing product platforms or that our financial results
will meet or exceed the financial results that would have been achieved absent
the acquisition. As a result, our operations and financial results may suffer
and the market price of our common stock may decline.
-17-
If
PyX’s products contain undetected errors, we could incur significant unexpected
expenses and experience product returns and lost
sales.
The
iSCSI
software products developed by PyX are highly technical and complex. While
PyX’s
products have been tested, because of their nature, we can not be certain of
their performance either as stand-alone products or when integrated with our
existing product line. Because of PyX’s short operating history, we have little
information on the performance of its products. There can be no assurance that
defects or errors may not arise or be discovered in the future. Any defects
or
errors in PyX's products discovered in the future could result in a loss of
customers or decrease in net revenue and market share.
We
depend upon a small number of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers.
The loss of any of these customers, or their failure to sell their products,
could limit our ability to generate revenues. In particular, the Hewlett Packard
Company (HP) ceased to be a significant customer of ours in the first quarter
of
fiscal 2005, and our success depends on being able to replace net sales
previously attributable to HP with sales to other
customers.
In
the
first quarter of fiscal 2005, sales of VME products to HP accounted for 36%
of
our net sales. We made our final shipment for $1.0 million of our VME products
to HP in the first quarter of fiscal 2005. Our future success depends on being
able to replace net sales previously attributable to HP with sales to other
customers. We
can
provide no assurance that we will succeed
in
obtaining new orders from existing or new customers
sufficient to replace or
exceed
the
net
sales
previously attributable
to HP or that we will become a qualified supplier with new OEM customers or
remain a qualified supplier with existing OEM customers.
Orders
by
our OEM customers are affected by factors such as new product introductions,
product life cycles, inventory levels, manufacturing strategies, contract
awards, competitive conditions and general economic conditions. Our sales to
any
single OEM customer are also subject to significant variability from quarter
to
quarter. Such fluctuations may have a material adverse effect on our operating
results. A significant reduction in orders from any of our OEM customers, could
have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition
and
cash flows.
A
failure
to collect outstanding accounts receivable from any of our OEM customers could
have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial
condition and cash flows.
Our
future capital needs may exceed our ability to raise
capital.
The
development and marketing of our products is capital-intensive. We believe
that
our existing cash balances and our anticipated cash flow from operations will
satisfy our working capital needs for the foreseeable future. Declines in our
sales or a failure to keep expenses in line with revenues could require us
to
seek additional financing in fiscal 2006. In addition, should we experience
a
significant growth in customer orders or wish to make strategic acquisitions
of
a business or assets, we may be required to seek additional capital to meet
our
working capital needs. There can be no assurance that additional financing,
if
required, will be available on reasonable terms or at all. To the extent that
additional capital is raised through the sale of additional equity or
convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities could result in
additional dilution to our stockholders.
-18-
Because
of our dependence on single suppliers for some components, we may be unable
to
obtain an adequate supply of such components, or we may be required to pay
higher prices or to purchase components of lesser
quality.
The
chip
sets used in some of our products are currently available only from a single
supplier. If these suppliers discontinue or upgrade some of the components
used
in our products, we could be required to redesign a product to incorporate
newer
or alternative technology. The inability to obtain sufficient key components
as
required, or to develop alternative sources if and as required in the future,
could result in delays or reductions in product shipments or margins that,
in
turn, would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results,
financial condition and cash flows. If enough components are unavailable, we
may
have to pay a premium in order to meet customer demand. Paying premiums for
parts, building inventories of scarce parts and obsolescence of existing
inventories could lower or eliminate our profit margin, reduce our cash flow
and
otherwise harm our business. To offset potential component shortages, we have
in
the past, and may in the future, carry an inventory of these components. As
a
result, our inventory of components parts may become obsolete and may result
in
write-downs.
If
we fail to develop and produce new products, we may lose sales and our
reputation may be harmed.
The
markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technologies,
evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Our future
success will depend on our ability to enhance our existing products and to
introduce new products and features to meet and adapt to changing customer
requirements and emerging technologies such as VoIP, third generation wireless
services (3G Wireless), SATA, iSCSI, SAS, Gigabit Ethernet, 10G and TOE. There
can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, developing,
manufacturing and marketing new products or enhancing our existing products.
In
addition, there can be no assurance that services, products or technologies
developed by others will not render our products obsolete.
We
have
focused a significant portion of our research and development, marketing and
sales efforts on VoIP, HighWire, WAN and LAN adapters, iSCSI and TOE products.
The success of these products is dependent on several factors, including timely
completion of new product designs, achievement of acceptable manufacturing
quality and yields, introduction of competitive products by other companies,
market acceptance of our products and our ability to sell our products. If
the
VoIP, iSCSI, HighWire, TOE and adapter products or other new products developed
by us do not gain market acceptance, our business, operating results, financial
condition and cash flows would be materially adversely affected.
-19-
Our
iSCSI and VoIP products will require a substantial product development
investment by us and we may not realize any return on our
investment.
The
development of new or enhanced products is a complex and uncertain process.
As
we integrate the PyX iSCSI products into our product line, our customers may
experience design, manufacturing, marketing and other difficulties that could
delay or prevent the development, introduction or marketing of new products
and
enhancements, both to our existing product line as well as to the PyX and VoIP
products. Development costs and expenses are incurred before we generate any
net
revenue from sales of the products resulting from these efforts. We expect
to
incur substantial research and development expenses relating to the iSCSI and
VoIP product lines, which could have a negative impact on our earnings in future
periods.
The
storage and embedded products market is intensely competitive, and our failure
to compete effectively could reduce our revenues and
margins.
We
compete directly with traditional vendors of storage software and hardware
devices, including Fibre Channel SAN products, open source “free” software, TOE
and application-specific storage solutions. We compete with communications
suppliers of routers, switches, gateways, network interface cards and other
products that connect to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the
Internet. In the future, we expect competition from companies offering
client/server
access
solutions based on emerging technologies such as Fibre Channel, switched digital
telephone services, iSCSI, SAS, TOE, VoIP and other technologies. In addition,
we may encounter increased competition from operating system and network
operating system vendors to the extent that such vendors include full
communications and storage capabilities in their products. We may also encounter
future competition from telephony service providers (such as AT&T or the
regional Bell operating companies) and storage product providers (such as EMC
Corporation, Network Appliance, Inc. and Qlogic Corporation).
Increased
competition with respect to any of our products could result in price reductions
and loss of market share, which would adversely affect our business, operating
results, financial condition and cash flows. Many of our current and potential
competitors have greater financial, marketing, technical and other resources
than we do. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete
successfully with our existing competitors or will be able to compete
successfully with new competitors.
We
depend on our key personnel. If we are unable to retain our current personnel
and hire additional qualified personnel as needed, our business will be harmed.
We
are
highly dependent on the technical, management, marketing and sales skills of
a
limited number of key employees. We do not have employment agreements with,
or
life insurance on the lives of, any of our key employees. The loss of the
services of any key employees could adversely affect our business and operating
results. Our future success will depend on our ability to continue to attract
and retain highly talented personnel to the extent our business grows.
Competition for qualified personnel in the networking and software industries,
and in the San Francisco Bay Area, is intense. There can be no assurance that
we
will be successful in retaining our key employees or that we can attract or
retain additional skilled personnel as required. None of our employees are
covered by life insurance that names the Company as beneficiary.
-20-
We
may be unable to protect our software, which could reduce any competitive
advantage we have.
Although
we believe that our future success will depend primarily on continuing
innovation, sales, marketing and technical expertise and the quality of product
support and customer relations, we must also protect the proprietary technology
contained in our products. We do not currently hold any patents and rely on
a
combination of copyright, trademark, trade secret laws and contractual
provisions to establish and protect proprietary rights in our products. There
can be no assurance that steps taken by us in this regard will be adequate
to
deter misappropriation or independent third-party development of our technology.
Although we believe that our products and technology do not infringe on the
proprietary rights of others, there can be no assurance that third parties
will
not assert infringement claims against us.
Risks
Associated with Ownership of Our Common Stock
The
market price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile. You
may
not be able to resell your shares at or above the price at which you purchased
such shares.
The
trading price of our common stock is subject to wide fluctuations in response
to
quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in operating results, the failure to meet
analyst estimates, announcements of technological innovations or new products
by
us or our competitors, general conditions in the computer and communications
industries and other events or factors. In addition, stock markets have
experienced extreme price and trading volume volatility in recent years. This
volatility has had a substantial effect on the market price of the securities
of
many high technology companies for reasons frequently unrelated to the operating
performance of the specific companies. These broad market fluctuations may
adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Our common stock has
historically had relatively small trading volumes. As a result, small
transactions in our common stock can have a disproportionately large impact
on
the quoted price of our common stock.
If
we continue to experiences losses we could experience difficulty meeting our
business plan, and our stock price could be negatively
affected.
We
may
experience operating losses and negative cash flow from operations as we develop
and market the iSCSI software solution acquired in the PyX acquisition. Any
failure to achieve or maintain profitability could negatively impact the market
price of our common stock. Historically, PyX has not been profitable on a
quarterly or annual basis, and we expect that the combined company will incur
net losses for the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will continue
to
incur significant product development, sales and marketing and administrative
expenses. As a result, we will need to generate significant quarterly revenues
if we are to achieve and maintain profitability. A substantial failure to
achieve profitability could make it difficult or impossible for us to grow
our
business. Our business strategy may not be successful, and we may not generate
significant revenues or achieve profitability. Any failure to significantly
increase revenues would also harm our ability to achieve and maintain
profitability. If we do achieve profitability in the future, we may not be
able
to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual
basis.
-21-
Future
sales of our common stock, including shares issued in the PyX acquisition and
the private placement could cause the market price for our common stock to
significantly decline.
Sales
of
substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could cause the
market price of our common stock to fall, and could make it more difficult
for
us to raise capital through public offerings or other sales of our capital
stock. In addition, the public perception that these sales might occur could
have the same undesirable effects. The PyX shareholders who received shares
of
our common stock in the PyX acquisition entered into agreements that provide,
in
part, that, with respect to 95% of the shares of our common stock that the
shareholder received in connection with the acquisition, the shareholder will
not sell these shares until one year after the acquisition is completed. We
registered for the resale all of the shares that we issued in the merger and
private placement effective November 14, 2005. The purchasers in the private
placement are not subject to any lockup with respect to the shares they
purchased in the private placement. As a result, sales under the registration
statement will include a very substantial number of shares and percentage of
our
common stock. Holders of approximately 46.7% of the outstanding shares of our
common stock will have the right to sell their shares pursuant to these
registration rights and holders of an additional approximately 5.7% of the
outstanding shares of our common stock, assuming no further issuances of shares
of our common stock, will have the right to sell their shares after the one
year
period has passed. Such free transferability could materially and adversely
affect the market price of our common stock.
Our
common stock has been at risk for delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.
If
it is delisted, our stock price and your liquidity may be
impacted.
Our
common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. Nasdaq has
requirements that a company must meet in order to remain listed on the Nasdaq
SmallCap Market. These requirements include maintaining a minimum closing bid
price of $1.00 and minimum stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million. Our
stockholders’ equity as of January 31, 2006 was approximately $15.1 million and
our closing bid price on January 31, 2006 was $1.33. Although
we
currently meet all of the minimum continued listing requirements for the Nasdaq
SmallCap Market,
should
our stock price decline, our common stock could be subject to potential
delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.
If
we
fail to maintain the standards necessary to be quoted on the Nasdaq SmallCap
Market and our common stock is delisted, trading in our common stock would
be
conducted on the OTC Bulletin Board as long as we continue to file reports
required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The OTC Bulletin Board
is
generally considered to be a less efficient market than the Nasdaq SmallCap
Market, and our stock price, as well as the liquidity of our common
stock,
may be
adversely impacted as a result.
-22-
Our
certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation
Law
contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in
control.
Our
board
of directors has the authority to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred
stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences and privileges of those
shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of
the
holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be materially adversely
affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued
in the future. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of making
it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding
voting stock. Furthermore, certain other provisions of our certificate of
incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes
in control or management, which could adversely affect the market price of
our
common stock. In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203
of
the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis
Overview
We
engineer and provide standards-based hardware and software products to OEMs
who
embed our products into their systems to provide data storage and network
connectivity solutions for the enterprise storage and telecommunications
markets. Our products include iSCSI
storage software, WAN and LAN adapters, intelligent carrier cards and TOE NICs.
These products perform critical IP-based transport, computing, processing
offload, I/O and storage tasks across both the enterprise server and embedded
markets such as
high-end
enterprise level servers, Linux super-computing clusters, workstations, media
gateways, routers, Internet access devices, communications network applications,
NAS, SAN and remote storage devices and networks. Our
products are distributed worldwide through a direct sales force, distributors,
independent manufacturers' representatives and value-added
resellers.
After
we
acquired PyX on July 26, 2005 we organized our operations into two business
segments: Embedded and Storage Products. In the quarter ended January 31, 2006
we reorganized the company to one industry segment by combining the previously
segmented engineering, sales, marketing groups to focus on delivering IP-based
hardware and software products that are embedded in both communications and
storage servers. We now have only one chief operating decision maker and analyze
financial information on a single segment basis.
Our
business is characterized by a concentration of sales to a small number of
OEMs
and distributors who provide products and services to the communications and
data storage markets. Consequently, the timing of significant orders from major
customers and their product cycles cause fluctuation in our operating results.
DCL was the largest of our customers representing 41% of our sales in the first
quarter of fiscal 2006. HP has historically been one of our largest customer
and
represented 36% of net sales in the quarter ended January 31, 2005. We
shipped the last $1.0 million of VME products to HP in that quarter and
have
not
received and do not expect to receive any future purchase orders from HP for
our
VME products.
-23-
During
the quarter ended January 31, 2006 and 2005, $78,000, or 5% of sales and
$173,000 or 6% of our sales, respectively were sold to distributors. Our
reserves for distributor programs totaled approximately $22,000 as of January
31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
On
January 31, 2006, we had a sales backlog of product orders of approximately
$1.0
million compared to a sales backlog of product orders of approximately $1.2
million at October 31, 2005.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. Such estimates include levels of reserves for
doubtful accounts, obsolete inventory, warranty costs and deferred tax assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Our
critical accounting policies and estimates include the following:
Revenue
Recognition:
Hardware
Products
Our
policy is to recognize revenue for hardware product sales when title transfers
and risk of loss has passed to the customer, which is generally upon shipment
of
our hardware products to our customers. We defer and recognize service revenue
over the contractual period or as services are rendered. We estimate expected
sales returns and record the amount as a reduction of revenue and cost of goods
sold (COGS) at the time of shipment. Our policy complies with the guidance
provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s
Staff
Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 104, Revenue
Recognition in Financial Statements,
issued
by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Judgments are required in evaluating
the credit worthiness of our customers. Credit is not extended to customers
and
revenue is not recognized until we have determined that collectibility
is reasonably
assured. Our sales transactions are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The
software component of our hardware products is considered incidental. Therefore,
we do not recognize software revenue related to our hardware products separately
from the hardware product sale.
When
selling hardware, our agreements with OEMs, such as DCL and Nortel, typically
incorporate clauses reflecting the following understandings:
- |
all
prices are fixed and determinable at the time of
sale;
|
- |
title
and risk of loss pass at the time of shipment (FOB shipping
point);
|
- |
collectibility
of the sales price is probable (the OEM is creditworthy, the OEM
is
obligated to pay and such obligation is not contingent on the ultimate
sale of the OEM’s integrated
solution);
|
- |
the
OEM’s obligation to us will not be changed in the event of theft or
physical destruction or damage of the
product;
|
- |
we
do not have significant obligations for future performance to directly
assist in the resale of the product by the OEMs;
and
|
- |
there
is no contractual right of return other than for defective
products.
|
-24-
Our
agreements with our distributors include certain product rotation and price
protection rights. All distributors have the right to rotate slow moving
products once each fiscal quarter. The maximum dollar value of inventory
eligible for rotation is equal to 25% of our products purchased by the
distributor during the previous quarter. In order to take advantage of their
product rotation rights, the distributors must order and take delivery of
additional products of ours equal to at least the dollar value of the products
that they want to rotate.
Each
distributor is also allowed certain price protection rights. If and when we
reduce or plan to reduce the price of any of our products and the distributor
is
holding any of the affected products in inventory, we will credit the
distributor the difference in price when they place their next order with us.
We
record an allowance for price protection at the time of the price reduction,
thereby reducing our net sales and accounts receivable. The allowance is based
on the price difference of the inventory held by our stocking distributors
at
the time we expect to reduce selling prices. We believe we are able to fully
evaluate potential returns and adjustments and continue to recognize the sale
based on shipment to our distributors. Reserves for the right of return and
restocking are established based on the requirements of Financial
Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statements of Financial Accounting Standards
(SFAS)
48,
Revenue
Recognition when Right of Return Exists.
Software
Products
With
the
acquisition of PyX, we will also derive future revenues from the following
sources: (1) software, which includes new iSCSI target and initiator software
licenses and (2) services, which include consulting. We
account for the licensing of software in accordance with SOP 97-2, Software
Revenue Recognition.
The
application of SOP 97-2 requires judgment, including whether a software
arrangement includes multiple elements, and if so, whether vendor-specific
objective evidence (VSOE) of fair value exists for those elements. Customers
receive certain elements of our products over a period of time. These elements
include free post-delivery telephone support and the right to receive
unspecified upgrades/enhancements of our iSCSI software on a
when-and-if-available basis, the fair value of which is recognized over the
product’s estimated life cycle. Changes to the elements in a software
arrangement, the ability to identify VSOE for those elements, the fair value
of
the respective elements, and changes to a product’s estimated life cycle could
materially impact the amount of earned and unearned revenue. Judgment is also
required to assess whether future releases of certain software represent new
products or upgrades and enhancements to existing products. We will defer all
revenue related to the bundled sale of our software products for which we do
not
have VSOE and amortize the deferred revenue over its estimated life.
-25-
For
software license arrangements that do not require significant modification
or
customization of the underlying software, we will recognize new software license
revenue when: (1) we enter into a legally binding arrangement with a customer
for the license of software; (2) we deliver the products; (3) customer payment
is deemed fixed or determinable and free of contingencies or significant
uncertainties; and (4) collection is reasonably assured. Substantially, all
of
our new software license revenue will be recognized in this manner. No software
license revenue has been recognized to date.
As
of
January 31, 2006, we have deferred all license revenue related to software
arrangements until the specified upgrade is delivered. Once the specified
upgrade is delivered, revenues for the license will be recognized over the
term
of the contract or over the economic life of the product, whichever is shorter.
If there is significant uncertainty about the project completion or receipt
of
payment for the services, revenue is deferred until the uncertainty is
sufficiently resolved.
Certain
software arrangements include consulting implementation services sold separately
under consulting engagement contracts. Consulting revenues from these
arrangements are generally accounted for separately from new software license
revenues because the arrangements qualify as service transactions as defined
in
SOP 97-2. The more significant factors considered in determining whether the
revenue should be accounted for separately include the nature of services (i.e.,
consideration of whether the services are essential to the functionality of
the
licensed product), degree of risk, availability of services from other vendors,
timing of payments and impact of milestones or acceptance criteria on the
realizability of the software license fee. For the three months ended January
31, 2006, we recognized $10,000 of software consulting revenue.
Allowance
for Doubtful Accounts:
Our
policy is to maintain allowances for estimated losses resulting from the
inability of our customers to make required payments. Credit limits are
established through a process of reviewing the financial history and stability
of each customer. Where appropriate, we obtain credit rating reports and
financial statements of the customer when determining or modifying their credit
limits. We regularly evaluate the collectibility of our trade receivable
balances based on a combination of factors. When a customer’s account balance
becomes past due, we initiate dialogue with the customer to determine the cause.
If it is determined that the customer will be unable to meet its financial
obligation to us, such as in the case of a bankruptcy filing, deterioration
in
the customer’s operating results or financial position or other material events
impacting their business, we record a specific allowance to reduce the related
receivable to the amount we expect to recover. Should all efforts fail to
recover the related receivable, we will write-off the account.
We
also
record an allowance for all customers based on certain other factors including
the length of time the receivables are past due and historical collection
experience with customers. We believe our reported allowances are adequate.
If
the financial conditions of those customers were to deteriorate, however,
resulting in their inability to make payments, we may need to record additional
allowances which would result in additional general and administrative expenses
being recorded for the period in which such determination was made.
-26-
Inventories:
Inventories
are stated at the lower of cost, using the first-in, first-out method, or market
value. We utilize standard cost, which approximates actual costs for certain
indirect costs.
We
are exposed
to a number of economic and industry factors that could result in portions
of
our inventory becoming either obsolete or in excess of anticipated usage, or
subject to lower of cost or market issues. These factors include, but are not
limited to, technological changes in our markets, our ability to meet changing
customer requirements, competitive pressures in products and prices, and the
availability of key components from our suppliers. Our policy is to establish
inventory reserves when conditions exist that suggest that our inventory may
be
in excess of anticipated demand or is obsolete based upon our assumptions about
future demand for our products and market conditions. We regularly evaluate
our
ability to realize the value of our inventory based on a combination of factors
including the following: historical usage rates, forecasted sales or usage,
product end-of-life dates, estimated current and future market values and new
product introductions. Purchasing practices and alternative usage avenues are
explored within these processes to mitigate inventory exposure. When recorded,
our reserves are intended to reduce the carrying value of our inventory to
its
net realizable value. If actual demand for our products deteriorates, or market
conditions are less favorable than those that we project, additional inventory
reserves may be required.
Stock-Based
Compensation:
Effective
November 1, 2005, we adopted the provisions of SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment,
using the modified prospective method, which requires measurement of
compensation cost for all stock-based awards at fair value on the grant date
and
recognition of compensation expense over the requisite service period for awards
expected to vest.
The
fair
value method under SFAS 123R is similar to the fair value method under SFAS
123,
Accounting for Stock Based Compensation , as amended by SFAS 148, Accounting
for
Stock-Based Compensation - Transition and Disclosure with respect to measurement
and recognition of stock-based compensation. However, SFAS 123 permitted us
to
recognize forfeitures as they occur, while SFAS 123R requires us to estimate
future forfeitures and adjust our estimate on a quarterly basis. SFAS 123R
also
requires a classification change in the statement of cash flows; whereby, the
income tax benefit from stock option exercises is reported as a financing cash
flow rather than an operating cash flow as previously reported.
We
have
several Board and shareholder approved stock option plans for which stock
options and restricted stock awards are available to grant to employees and
directors. All employee and director stock options granted under our stock
option plans have an exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying
common stock on the grant date. There are no vesting provisions tied to
performance conditions for any option as vesting for all outstanding option
grants was based only on continued service as an employee of SBE. All of our
outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards are classified as equity
instruments.
-27-
Stock
Options
On
the
date of adoption of SFAS 123R, there were 4,213,704 outstanding stock options,
of which 1,400,397 were fully vested. We
granted 265,000 stock options to employees during the three month period ended
January 31, 2006. Included
in the outstanding stock options are 2,038,950 stock options related to the
PyX
2005 Stock Option Plan that was assumed by us in our acquisition of PyX
Technologies, Inc. (PyX) on July 27, 2005.
For
the
three months ended January 31, 2006, we recorded approximately $354,000 of
stock-based compensation expense associated with outstanding unvested employee
stock options, employee stock options granted during the three months ended
January 31, 2006 and stock options issued to non-employee advisors. As of
January 31, 2006, there was approximately $3.9 million of remaining unamortized
stock-based compensation expense associated with unvested employee stock
options, employee stock options granted during the three months ended January
31, 2006 and stock options issued to non-employee advisors which will be
expensed over the remaining service period through September 2009. There
was
no stock-based compensation expense related to employee stock options and
employee stock purchases recognized during the three months ended
January 31,
2005.
Restricted
Stock Awards
On
January 12, 2006, our Board of Directors (Board) approved a company-wide
reduction in employee base salaries, effective January 16, 2006. In order to
continue to motivate and retain our employees despite such salary reductions,
the Board also approved restricted stock grants to all of our employees pursuant
to the 1996 Stock Option Plan. A total of 233,381 shares of the our common
stock
will be issued pursuant to such restricted stock grants. Such stock grants
will
vest in five ratable semi-monthly installments, for so long as the employees
continue to act as employees, with the first installment vested on January
31,
2006. In addition, the Board also approved the suspension of all cash Board
and
Board committee fees, indefinitely. In place of such cash payments, the Board
made a restricted stock grant of 30,681 shares to non-employee members of the
Board. Such stock grants will vest in three equal monthly installments, for
so
long as the directors continue to act as directors, with the first installment
vested on January 31, 2006.
For the
three months ended January 31, 2006, we recorded approximately $91,000 of
stock-based compensation and director expense associated with these restricted
stock awards.
Income
Taxes:
We
account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting
for Income Taxes (SFAS
109) .
SFAS 109
requires recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected
future tax consequences of items that have been included in the financial
statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes represent the future net tax
effects resulting from temporary differences between the financial statement
and
tax bases of assets and liabilities, using enacted tax rates in effect for
the
year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances
are
recorded against net deferred tax assets where, in our opinion, realization
is
uncertain. Based on the uncertainty of future pre-tax income, we fully reserved
our deferred tax assets as of January 31, 2006 and October 31, 2005,
respectively. In the event we were to determine that we would be able to realize
our deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset
would increase income in the period such determination was made. The provision
for income taxes represents the net change in deferred tax amounts, plus income
taxes payable for the current period.
-28-
Long-lived
Asset Impairment:
Capitalized
software costs consist of costs to purchase software and costs to internally
develop software. Capitalization of software costs begins upon the establishment
of technological feasibility. All capitalized software costs are amortized
as
related sales are recorded on a per-unit basis with a minimum amortization
to
cost of goods sold based on a straight-line method over a three-year estimated
useful life. We amortize capitalized software acquired from PyX to cost of
sales
on a straight line basis over thirty-six months, beginning August 1, 2005,
which
is the expected useful life and does not materially differ from the expected
cash inflow from the sale of products related to the acquired PyX product line.
We
assess
any impairment anytime events may indicate we have impairment and at least
annually by estimating the future cash flow from the associated asset in
accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting
for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.
If the
estimated undiscounted cash flow related to these assets decreases in the future
or the useful life is shorter than originally
estimated, we
may
incur charges for impairment of these assets. The impairment is based on the
estimated discounted cash flow associated with the asset. It is our belief
that
no impairment to the software asset exists as of January 31, 2006.
New
Accounting Pronouncements:
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections (SFAS
154). This new standard replaces APB Opinion 20, Accounting
Changes,
and FASB
No. 3, Reporting
Accounting Changes in Interim Financial Statements.
Among
other changes, SFAS 154 requires that a voluntary change in accounting principle
to be applied retrospectively with all prior period financial statements
presented using the new accounting principle, unless it is impracticable to
do
so. SFAS 154 also provides that (1) a change in method of depreciating or
amortizing a long-lived non-financial asset be accounted for as a change in
estimate (prospectively) that was effected by a change in accounting principle,
and (2) correction of errors in previously issued financial statements should
be
termed a "restatement." The new standard is effective for accounting changes
and
correction of errors made in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2005.
We
believe the adoption of the provisions of SFAS 154 will not have a material
impact on our results of operations, financial positions or liquidity.
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth, as a percentage of net sales, consolidated
statements of operations data for the three month period ended January 31,
2006
and 2005. These operating results are not necessarily indicative of our
operating results for any future period.
-29-
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
January
31,
|
|||||||
2006
|
|
2005
|
|||||
Net
sales
|
100
|
%
|
100
|
%
|
|||
Cost
of sales
|
130
|
44
|
|||||
Gross
profit (loss)
|
(30
|
)
|
56
|
||||
Product
research and development
|
68
|
17
|
|||||
Sales
and marketing
|
43
|
20
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
55
|
13
|
|||||
Total
operating expenses
|
166
|
50
|
|||||
Operating
income (loss)
|
(196
|
)
|
6
|
||||
Interest
income and provision for income taxes
|
1
|
—
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
(195
|
)%
|
6
|
%
|
Net
Sales
Net
sales
for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 was $1.4 million, a 50% decrease from
$2.8
million in the first quarter of fiscal 2005. This decrease was primarily
attributable to a decrease in shipments to HP and our adapter products. There
were no sales to HP in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, compared to $1.0
million for the first quarter of fiscal 2005. Sales
to
HP, primarily of VME products, represented 36% of total sales for the first
quarter of fiscal 2005
after we
shipped our final order of VME products to HP. Data Connection Limited (DCL)
,
Nortel Networks (Nortel) and True Position, Inc. accounted for 41%, 12% and
10%
of our net sales for the quarter ended January 31, 2006, respectively. For
the
quarter ended January 31, 2005, our top three customers accounted for 65% of
our
total sales including the aforementioned 36% related to HP in addition to 15%
and 14% attributed to Nortel and DCL, respectively.
Sales
of
our adapter products were $737,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2006, as
compared to $965,000 for the same quarter in fiscal 2005. Sales of our HighWire
products were $592,000 in the quarter ended January 31, 2006, as compared to
$585,000 in the same quarter in fiscal 2005. Our adapter products are used
primarily in edge-of-the-network applications such as Virtual Private Network
(VPN) and other routers, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateways and
security devices, whereas our HighWire products are primarily targeted at
core-of-the-network applications used primarily by telecommunications central
offices. During
the quarter we shipped a small number of TOE adapters to customers who will
use
the TOE to facilitate CPU acceleration for use in iSCSI storage applications.
We
continue to test our TOE and iSCSI products at customer sites and expect
customer adoption of these new technologies to begin during fiscal 2006.
In
the
short term, our net sales will continue to be generated by sales of our adapter
and Highwire products as we transition from our legacy embedded products to
software and hardware products directed at the IP SAN storage market. Over
the
next few quarters, we do expect to see an increase in our software sales as
the
storage OEMs who have selected our iSCSI software begin to complete their
product design phase and begin to roll-out their storage products to end-users.
Over the next few years, we expect our net sales will be generated
primarily
by
sales of
our iSCSI storage software products, followed by sales of our VoIP/HighWire
products. We have begun to see market acceptance of our iSCSI software products
and as of January 31, 2006 have signed software contracts with nine storage
OEMs. Although we expect to see sales growth in our iSCSI
products as these OEMs products are completed and released to the marketplace,
there can be no assurance that our OEM customers will be successful in selling
their products incorporating our iSCSI software to end-user customers.
In
addition, we
will
continue to sell and support our legacy VME products, but expect sales for
them
to decline significantly as the OEM products in which they are embedded are
phased out.
International
sales constituted 58% and 20% of net sales for the three month periods ended
January 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. International sales are primarily
executed in Europe with 44% to customers in the United Kingdom. All
international sales are executed in U.S. dollars.
-30-
Our
sales
backlog at January 31, 2006 was $1.0 million,
compared
to $1.4 million at January 31, 2005 and $1.2 million at October 31, 2005.
Because our sales are generally concentrated with a small group of OEM
customers, we could experience significant fluctuations in our quarterly sales
volumes due to fluctuating demand from any major customer or delay in the
rollout of any significant new product by a major customer.
Gross
Margin
Gross
margin as a percentage of sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 was negative
30% compared to 56% during the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The
decrease in our gross profit margin for the quarter ended January 31, 2006
as
compared to the same quarter in 2005 is related to the reduction in sales of
70%
gross margin products to HP and the inclusion of non-cash amortization expense
in 2006 combined with a lower sales volume that did not efficiently absorb
the
overhead costs of our production department. In the first quarter of fiscal
2005
we sold $1.0 million of product to HP compared to none in the quarter 2006
just
ended.
For
the
fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2006 cost of goods sold (COGS) includes,
amortization expense of intangible and long-lived assets related to the PyX
acquisition of $1.0 million, compared to none for the same quarter of fiscal
2005. The $12.3 million software long-lived asset recorded when we acquired
PyX
is scheduled to be amortized to COGS expense over 13 quarters beginning with
the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 at the rate of $1.0 million per
quarter.
Product
Research and Development
Product
research and development (R&D) expense representing engineering salaries and
benefits, contract services and other costs to develop and enhance our products
were $946,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, an increase of 100% from
$473,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The increase is related to a
combination of new employees and an increase in our spending on new product
development projects. When we acquired PyX we hired six new employees in our
engineering group. We remain committed to the development and enhancement of
new
and existing products, particularly, iSCSI and VoIP products and as result
saw a
$264,000 or 713% increase in our funding for new product development projects,
primarily iSCSI software and a VoIP gateway products. Included in R&D
expense is $37,000 of non-cash stock based compensation expense related to
the
adoption of SFAS 123R and the issuance of restricted stock to employees in-lieu
of cash compensation in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to none in
2005. We did not capitalize any internal software development costs in the
first
quarter of fiscal 2005.
-31-
Sales
and Marketing
Sales
and
marketing expenses for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 were $598,000, an
increase of 7% from $559,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The increase
is primarily due to the addition of one salesperson and increased marketing
program spending for our new iSCSI products. Sales and Marketing expense
includes $56,000 of non-cash stock based compensation expense related to the
adoption of SFAS 123R and the issuance of restricted stock to employees in-lieu
of cash compensation in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to none in
2005. Our iSCSI software is at the early stages of storage market acceptance
and
we will continue to increase our spending on marketing activities to capture
market share in the emerging market space.
General
and Administrative
General
and administrative expenses were $771,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2006,
an increase of 109% from $369,000 in the first quarter of 2005. This increase
is
primarily due to the $333,000 of non-cash stock based compensation expense
related to the adoption of SFAS 123R in the first quarter of fiscal 2006
compared to none in 2005. The 2006 quarter also includes $14,000 of non-cash
compensation expense related the issuance of restricted stock to employees
in-lieu of cash compensation.
Net
Income (Loss)
As
a
result of the factors discussed above, we recorded a net loss of $2.7 million
in
the first quarter of fiscal 2006, as compared to net income of $177,000 in
the
first quarter of fiscal 2005.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not
have any transactions, arrangements or other relationships with unconsolidated
entities that are reasonably likely to affect our liquidity or capital
resources. We have no special purpose or limited purpose entities that provide
off-balance sheet financing, liquidity, or market or credit risk support. We
also do not engage in leasing, hedging, research and development services,
or
other relationships that could expose us to liability that is not reflected
on
the face of the financial statements.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Our
liquidity is dependent on many factors, including sales volume, operating profit
and the efficiency of asset use and turnover. Our future liquidity will be
affected by, among other things:
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- |
the
actual versus anticipated increase in sales of our
products;
|
- |
ongoing
cost control actions and expenses, including for example, research
and
development and capital
expenditures;
|
- |
timing
of product shipments which occur primarily during the last month
of the
quarter;
|
- |
the
gross profit margin;
|
- |
the
ability to raise additional capital, if
necessary
|
- |
the
ability to secure credit facilities, if necessary,
and
|
- |
the
ability to successfully negotiate merger and partnership agreements
to
acquire certain intellectual property rights related to the storage
and
VoIP markets.
|
At
January 31, 2006, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2.8 million, as compared
to $3.6 million at October 31, 2005. In
the
first three months of fiscal 2006, $703,000 of cash was used in operating
activities primarily as a result of cash related net operating losses and
an
increase in our inventory. These decreases in cash were partially offset by
a
decrease in accounts receivable and increases in our current and long-term
liabilities. Working
capital, comprised of our current assets less our current liabilities, at
January 31, 2006 was $4.2 million, as compared to $5.5 million at October 31,
2005.
In
the
first three months of fiscal 2006, we purchased $148,000 of fixed assets,
consisting primarily of computer and engineering equipment. We also purchased
$20,000 of capitalized software during the quarter. Capital expenditures for
each of the remaining quarters of fiscal 2006 are expected to range from $25,000
to $100,000 per quarter.
In
mid-January 2006 we took steps to reduce our cash flow break-even point. We
changed the formula for paying all officers and employees and our Board of
Directors for their services. Beginning with our January 31, 2006 payroll,
officer and employee compensation will be paid 70% in cash and 30% in restricted
shares of SBE common stock. Our Board of Directors fees will be paid 100% in
restricted SBE common stock. Concurrent with our stock-for-pay program, we
are
controlling or eliminating other cash operating expenses. These cost cutting
measures will reduce our quarterly operating cash expenses by approximately
$550,000 and reduced our projected cash break-even point to approximately $8.5
to $9.5 million from approximately $11.5 million to $12.5 million in net sales
at a gross margin of 75% to 77%.
Although
our current gross margin is significantly lower than the mid-70% range, we
expect our gross margin to increase significantly as software sales become
the
dominant product in our product sales mix. We do expect to continue to increase
our expenditures on engineering and sales and marketing activities to develop
and market new and existing products, especially in the IP storage and
communications markets. We will have significant non-cash expenses in the coming
quarters and years related to the amortization of the software and deferred
compensation recorded as a result of the PyX acquisition and the adoption of
SFAS 123R on November 1, 2005. Because of the non-cash expenses related to
the
PyX acquisition, expensing of employee stock options and anticipated increases
in our expenditure levels, we expect to generate net losses for the foreseeable
future. Our projected sales are to a limited number of new and existing OEM
customers and are based on internal and customer-provided estimates of future
demand, not firm customer orders. In addition, the markets for IP storage,
particularly iSCSI NAS and SAN storage appliances, is a new market and may
not
gain acceptance as quickly as we predict. If our projected sales do not
materialize, we may need to reduce expenses and raise additional capital through
customer prepayments or the issuance of debt or equity securities. If additional
funds are raised through the issuance of preferred stock or debt, these
securities could have rights, privileges or preferences senior to those of
common stock, and debt covenants could impose restrictions on our operations.
The sale of equity or debt could result in additional dilution to current
stockholders, and such financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms,
if at all.
-33-
Item
3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Our
cash
and cash equivalents are subject to interest rate risk. We invest primarily
on a
short-term basis, principally money market instruments with maturities of less
than three months. We have no other investments with significant interest rate
risks. If interest rates increased by 10%, the expected effect on net income
related to our financial instruments would be immaterial. We hold no assets
or
liabilities denominated in a foreign currency. Since October 31, 2005, there
has
been no change in our exposure to market risk.
Item
4. Controls
and Procedures
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
An
evaluation as of January 31, 2006 was carried out under the supervision of
and
with the participation of the Company's management, including our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the
design and operation of the Company's "disclosure controls and procedures,"
which are defined under SEC rules as controls and other procedures of a company
that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a
company in the reports that it files under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within
required time periods. In
the
Company's financial reporting process, the Company's Chief Financial Officer
in
discussions with its independent registered public accounting firm identified
a
certain “material weakness” (as such term is defined under Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board Auditing Standard No. 2) in our internal
controls. As a result of this material weakness, the Company's
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer has determined that the
Company's internal controls are ineffective.
The
material weakness identified is related to management’s inadequate technical
expertise with respect to income tax accounting and income tax disclosure in
the
2005 financial statements. The lack of technical expertise is related to the
Company’s accounting and disclosure of deferred income tax liability for
long-lived assets capitalized in the PyX acquisition. Although the lack of
technical expertise did not result in any net changes to the balance sheets,
statements of operations or cash flows, during 2005 it did result in an
adjustment to the disclosures related to deferred income tax assets and
liability in the notes to the financial statements. The
Company will utilize the assistance of income tax reporting specialists in
future periods.
-34-
Limitations
on the Effectiveness of Controls
A
control
system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable,
not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the controls are met. Because
of
the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls
can
provide absolute assurance that all control issues, if any, within a company
have been detected. Accordingly, the Company's disclosure controls and
procedures are designed to provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that
the
objectives of our disclosure control system are met and, as set forth above,
the
Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded,
based on their evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly
report on Form 10-Q, that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures
were
sufficiently effective to provide reasonable assurance that the objectives
of
the Company's disclosure control system were met.
PART
II. Other
Information
Item
6. Exhibits
and Reports on Form 8-K
(a)(3) List
of
Exhibits
Exhibit Number
|
Description
|
3.1(1)
|
Certificate
of Incorporation, as amended through December
15, 1997.
|
3.2(2)
|
Bylaws,
as amended through December 8, 1998.
|
10.1(3)*
|
1996
Stock Option Plan, as amended.
|
10.2(4)*
|
1991
Non-Employee Directors' Stock Option Plan, as amended.
|
10.3(5)
|
1992
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.
|
10.4(5)
|
1998
Non-Officer Stock Option Plan as amended.
|
10.5(6)
|
2005
PyX Technologies Stock Option Plan.
|
10.6
|
Lease
for 4000 Executive Parkway, Suite 200 dated July 27, 2005 between
the Company and Alexander Properties Company.
|
10.7(5)*
|
Full
Recourse Promissory Note executed by William B. Heye,
Jr. in favor of the Company dated November 6, 1998, as
amended and restated on December 14,
2001.
|
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10.8(5)+
|
Letter
Agreement, dated October 30, 2001, amending (i) Amendment No. S/M018-4
dated April 3, 2001, and (ii) Purchase Agreement dated May 6, 1991,
each between SBE, Inc. and Compaq Computer Corporation
|
10.9(7)
|
Stock
subscription agreement and warrant to purchase 111,111
of SBE, Inc. Common Stock dated April 30, 2002 between
SBE, Inc. and Stonestreet Limited Partnership.
|
10.10(8)
|
Amendment
dated August 22, 2002 to stock subscription agreement
dated April 20, 2002 between SBE, Inc. and Stonestreet
LP.
|
10.11(9)
|
Securities
Purchase Agreement, dated July 27, 2003, between SBE, Inc.
and purchasers of SBE’s common stock thereunder, including form
of warrant issued thereunder
|
10.12(9)
|
Form
of warrant issued to associates of Puglisi & Co. ($1.50 exercise
price)
|
10.13(9)
|
Form
of warrant issued to associates of Puglisi & Co. ($1.75
and $2.00
exercise price)
|
10.14(10)
|
Unit
Subscription Agreement, dated May 4, 2005, by and between SBE,
Inc. and the other parties thereto.
|
10.15(10)
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated March 28,
2005, by and among SBE, Inc., PyX Acquisition Sub, LLC, PyX
Technologies, Inc. and the parties identified on Exhibit A thereto.
|
10.16(10)
|
Investor
Rights Agreement, dated July 26, 2005, between SBE, Inc. and
the investors listed on Exhibit A thereto.
|
10.17(10)
|
Form
of warrant issued on July 26, 2005.
|
31.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer
|
32.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002
|
32.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002
|
*
|
Indicates
management contract or compensation plans or arrangements
filed pursuant
to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation SK.
|
+
|
Certain
confidential information has been deleted from this exhibit pursuant
to
a confidential
treatment order that has been
granted.
|
-36-
(1)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
1997 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(2)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
October
31, 1998 and incorporated herein by reference.
|
(3)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
2002 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(4)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
October
31, 1993 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(5)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
October
31, 1995 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(6)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-8 dated September
20, 2005 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(7)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated May 23,
2002 and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(8)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended July
31, 2002 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(9)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated July 11,
2003
and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(10)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Proxy Statement on Form 14A dated June 24, 2005
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(b) Reports
on Form 8-K
A
report
on Form 8-K was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
January
13, 2006. The report provided information regarding the granting
of restricted common stock to certain officers and directors
on
January 16, 2006.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized, on March 6, 2006.
SBE,
Inc.
Registrant
|
||
|
|
|
Date: March 6, 2006 | By: | /s/ Kenneth Yamamoto |
Kenneth
Yamamoto
Chief
Executive Officer and President
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
|
|
|
Date: March 6, 2006 | By: | /s/ David W. Brunton |
David
W. Brunton
Chief
Financial Officer, Vice
President, Finance and
Secretary
(Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
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