UFP TECHNOLOGIES INC - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

Commission file number: 001-12648

UFP Technologies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(978) 352-2200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐        No ☒        

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes ☐        No ☒        

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒        No ☐        

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ☒        No ☐        

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.☒

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes ☐        No ☒        

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $133,051,330, based on the closing sales price of $30.85 per share of such stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on June 29, 2018.

As of March 5, 2019, there were 7,409,047 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the registrant outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

PART I

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements contained in this Report are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s prospects, anticipated trends in the different markets in which the Company competes, including the medical, automotive, aerospace and defense, consumer, electronics and industrial markets, statements regarding anticipated new customer and vendor contracts, statements regarding the end of the Company’s automotive door panel program with Mercedes Benz, the closure of the Company’s Georgia plant and the resulting impact to revenues, anticipated advantages and the timing associated with requalification of parts, anticipated advantages of maintaining fewer, larger plants, anticipated advantages the Company expects to realize from its investments and capital expenditures, including the development of and investments in its molded fiber product lines, expectations regarding the manufacturing capacity and efficiencies of the Company’s new production equipment, statements about new product offerings and program launches and the expected timing thereof, statements about the Company’s acquisition opportunities and strategies, statements about the Company’s acquisition of Dielectrics and the integration of the Dielectrics business, the Company’s participation and growth in multiple markets, its business opportunities, the Company’s growth potential and strategies for growth, anticipated revenues and the timing of such revenues, and any indication that the Company may be able to sustain or increase its sales or earnings or sales and earnings growth rates. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s acquisition and integration of Dielectrics, risks associated with plant closures and consolidations, including the closure of our Georgia plant, and expected efficiencies from consolidating manufacturing, risks and uncertainties associated with the requalification of parts, the risk that the Company may not be able to finalize anticipated new customer and vendor contracts, risks associated with new product and program launches, including lengthy manufacturing qualification processes, the ability launch on a timely basis, significant start-up and other expenses prior to launch, such as tooling and related manufacturing processes, and manufacturing inefficiencies that may affect the ability to generate profits, risks associated with the implementation of new production equipment and requalification or recertification of transferred equipment in a timely, cost-efficient manner, risks that any benefits from such new equipment may be delayed or not fully realized, or that the Company may be unable to fully utilize its expected production capacity, risks and uncertainties associated with the identification of suitable acquisition candidates and the successful, efficient execution of acquisition transactions and integration of any such acquisition candidates, and risks related to our indebtedness and compliance with covenants contained in our financing arrangements. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “potential,” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Our actual results could be different from the results described in or anticipated by our forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of estimates, forecasts, and projections, and may be materially better or worse than anticipated. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this Report. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, after the date of this Report, in order to reflect changes in circumstances or expectations, or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed above and under “Risk Factors” set forth in Part I Item 1A of this Report, as well as the risks and uncertainties discussed elsewhere in this Report. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. We caution you that these risks are not exhaustive. We operate in a continually changing business environment and new risks emerge from time to time.

Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “we”, “us”, “our”, or “the Company” refer to UFP Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

The Company is an innovative designer and custom manufacturer of components, subassemblies, products and packaging utilizing highly specialized foams, films, and plastics primarily for the medical market. The Company manufactures its products by converting raw materials using laminating, molding, radio frequency and impulse welding and fabricating manufacturing techniques. The Company is an important link in the medical device supply chain and a valued outsource partner to many of the top medical device manufacturers in the world. The Company’s single-use and single-patient devices and components are used in a wide range of medical devices, disposable wound care products, infection prevention, minimally invasive surgery, wearables, orthopedic soft goods, and orthopedic implant packaging.

The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, consumer, electronics and industrial markets. Typical applications of its products include military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, athletic padding, environmentally friendly protective packaging, air filtration, abrasive nail files, and protective cases and inserts.

The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1993.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts and results of operations of UFP Technologies, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Dielectrics, Inc. (“Dielectrics”), Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc., Simco Industries, Inc., Stephenson & Lawyer, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Patterson Properties Corporation. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The vast majority of the Company’s assets are located within the United States. FlexShield®, FirmaLite®, Winepacks®, BioShell®, T-Tubes®, Tri-Covers®, Erasables®, Design Nail®, Pro-Sticks®, and Mambo® are our U.S. registered trademarks. Each trademark, trade name, or service mark of any other company appearing in this Report belongs to its respective holder.

Available Information

The Company’s Internet website address is http://www.ufpt.com. Through its website, the Company makes available, free of charge, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These SEC reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of the Company’s website. The information found on the Company’s website is not part of this or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC. You may read and copy any materials filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding the Company and other issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s Internet website address is http://www.sec.gov.

Market Overview

The applications for the Company’s products are numerous and diverse. The Company sells its products into distinct markets with its primary focus on the Medical market.

Products

The Company’s products are targeted at macro market trends and create specific opportunities in niche segments where the Company’s access to specialty materials, engineering know-how, and processing expertise can be leveraged to create value for our customers. Examples of our products targeted to specific markets include:

Regulatory Climate and Environmental Considerations

The Company’s medical customers typically require FDA approval for their products and therefore sometimes require their suppliers to manufacture in facilities that are FDA approved and comply with the ISO 13485 quality standard for medical devices. The Company has seven manufacturing locations that are ISO 13485 certified and four that are FDA approved. The Company’s automotive customers sometimes require their suppliers to certify their manufacturing locations to the IATF 16949 automotive quality standard. The Company’s Grand Rapids, MI facility meets this requirement. The Company’s molded fiber packaging operation manufactures environmentally friendly and sustainable products made primarily from post-consumer newsprint and water. As a further commitment to protecting the environment, the Clinton, IA and El Paso, TX operations are certified to ISO 14001, an international environmental standard. The packaging industry has been subject to user, industry, and legislative pressure to develop environmentally responsible packaging alternatives that reduce, reuse, and recycle packaging materials. Government authorities have enacted legislation relating to source reduction, specific product bans, recycled content, recyclability requirements, and “green marketing” restrictions. In order to provide packaging that complies with all regulations regardless of a product’s destination, manufacturers seek packaging materials that meet both environmentally-related demands and performance specifications. Some packaging manufacturers have responded by reducing product volume and ultimate waste product disposal through reengineering traditional packaging solutions; adopting new manufacturing processes; participating in recovery and reuse systems for resilient materials that are inherently reusable; creating programs to recycle packaging following its useful life; and developing materials that use a high percentage of recycled content in their manufacture. Wherever feasible, the Company aims to employ one or more of these techniques to create environmentally-responsible packaging solutions. In addition to offering molded fiber packaging products made from recycled paper derived primarily from post-consumer newspaper waste, the Company actively promotes its philosophy of reducing product volume and resulting post-user product waste. The Company designs products to provide optimum performance with minimum material. In addition, the Company bales and disposes of certain of its urethane foam scrap for use in the carpeting industry. The Company’s Newburyport, MA facility utilizes solar power to provide approximately 13% of its electricity, with plans to increase capacity in the future. The Company is aware of public support for environmentally-responsible packaging and products. Future government action may impose restrictions affecting the industry in which the Company operates. There can be no assurance that any such action will not adversely impact the Company’s products and business.

Marketing and Sales

The Company markets to the target industries it serves by promoting specific solutions, materials, and manufacturing capabilities and services. The Company is marketed through websites, trade shows and expositions, social media, online advertising, and press releases. Its relationships with key material suppliers are also an important part of its marketing and sales efforts. The Company markets and sells its products in the United States principally through a direct sales force. The Company also uses independent manufacturer representatives to sell its products. The Company’s sales people, in conjunction with Company engineers, collaborate with customers and in-house design and manufacturing experts to develop custom-engineered solutions on a cost-effective basis. No one customer’s sales exceeded 10% of total sales for the year ended December 31, 2018. Seasonality is not a major factor in the Company’s sales. See the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained in Part IV, Item 15, of this Report for net sales by market information.

Working Capital

The Company funds its business operations through a combination of available cash and cash equivalents, and cash generated from operations. In addition, the Company’s revolving credit facility is available for additional working capital needs.

Manufacturing

The Company’s manufacturing operations consist primarily of cutting, routing, molding, vacuum-forming, laminating, radio frequency and impulse welding and assembling. For medical custom-molded foam products and thermoplastic welded devices, the Company’s skilled engineering personnel analyze specific customer requirements to design and build prototype products to determine product functionality. Upon customer approval, prototypes are converted to final designs for commercial production runs. Molded cross-linked foam products are produced in a thermoforming process using heat, pressure, and precision metal tooling. Plastics and other materials are sealed using radio frequency and impulse welding. Reticulated polyurethane foam is also used for many high-performance medical products requiring precision fluid or air management. These products are typically fabricated using high speed die-cutting or waterjet cutting. Laminated products for medical, military, and personal comfort and protection are produced through a process whereby the foam medium is heated to the melting point. The heated foam is then typically bonded to a non-foam material through the application of mechanical pressure.

The Company also engineers components for automotive use as interior trim and structural applications. These components are produced using a compression molding process to create highly functional composites consisting of various materials such as polypropylene/fiberglass panels, nonwovens, and fabrics. Highly specialized polypropylene based nonwoven material is used for automotive interior noise reduction and is fabricated using a die cut process. Foam for packaging, filtration, acoustical, and thermal insulation products that do not utilize cross-linked foam are fabricated by cutting shapes from blocks of foam, using specialized cutting tools, routers, water jets, and hot wire equipment, and assembling these shapes into the final product using a variety of foam welding or gluing techniques. Products can be used on a stand-alone basis or bonded to another foam product or other material such as a corrugated medium.

Molded fiber products are manufactured by vacuum-forming a pulp of recycled or virgin paper materials onto custom-engineered molds. With the application of vacuum and air, the molded parts are pressed and transferred to an in-line dryer, from which they exit ready for packing or subsequent value-added operations. The Company does not manufacture any of the raw materials used in its products. With the exception of certain grades of cross-linked foam and technical polyurethane foams, these raw materials are available from multiple supply sources. Although the Company relies upon a limited number of suppliers for cross-linked and technical polyurethane foams, the Company’s relationships with their suppliers are good, and the Company expects that these suppliers will be able to meet its requirements for these foams. Any delay or interruption in the supply of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.

Research and Development

The Company’s engineering personnel continuously explore design and manufacturing techniques, as well as new and innovative materials to meet the unique demands and specifications of its customers. Because the Company’s products tend to have relatively short life cycles, research and development is an integral part of the Company’s ongoing cost structure.

Competition

The medical contract manufacturing industry is highly competitive as is the foam and plastics converting industry as a whole. While there are several national companies that convert foam and plastics, the Company’s primary competition is from smaller independent regional manufacturing companies. These companies generally market their products in specific geographic areas from neighboring facilities. In addition, the Company’s foam and fiber packaging products compete against products made from alternative materials, including expanded polystyrene foams, die-cut corrugated, plastic peanuts, plastic bubbles, and foam-in-place urethane. The Company’s custom engineered products face competition primarily from smaller companies that typically concentrate on production of products for specific industries. The Company expects to compete effectively in the engineered products market due to its ability to address its customers’ primary vendor selection criteria, including price, product performance, product reliability, and customer service, as well as its access to a wide variety of materials, its engineering expertise, its ability to combine foams with other materials such as plastics and laminates, and its ability to manufacture products in a clean room environment.

Patents and Other Proprietary Rights

The Company relies upon trade secrets, patents, and trademarks to protect its technology and proprietary rights. The Company believes the improvement of existing products, reliance upon trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how, and the development of new products are generally as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage. Nevertheless, the Company has obtained patents and may continue to make efforts to obtain patents, when available, although there can be no assurance that any patent obtained will provide substantial protection or be of commercial benefit to the Company, or that its validity will be upheld if challenged. The Company has a total of 20 active patents relating to technologies including foam, packaging, tool control technologies, radio frequency welding, automotive superforming processes and to certain nail file technologies. The Company also has patent applications in process. There can be no assurance that any patent or patent application will provide significant protection for the Company’s products and technology or will not be challenged or circumvented by others. The expiration dates for the Company’s patents range from 2021 through 2034.

Backlog

The Company’s backlog, as of February 22, 2019 and February 23, 2018, totaled approximately $53.8 million and $46.9 million, respectively. The backlog consists of purchase orders for which a delivery schedule within the next twelve months has been specified by customers. Orders included in the backlog may generally be canceled or rescheduled by customers without significant penalty. The backlog as of any particular date should not be relied upon as indicative of the Company’s revenues for any period as it includes customer blanket purchase orders that are non-binding.

Employees

As of January 26, 2019, the Company had a total of 1,051 full-time employees (as compared to 796 full-time employees as of January 27, 2018). The Company is not a party to any collective bargaining agreements. The Company considers its employee relations to be good.

You should carefully consider the risks described below and the other information in this Report before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. These are the risks and uncertainties we believe are most important for you to consider. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, which we currently deem immaterial or which are similar to those faced by other companies in our industry or business in general, may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks or uncertainties occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results would likely suffer. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

We depend on a small number of customers for a large percentage of our revenues. The loss of any such customer, a reduction in sales to any such customer, or the decline in the financial condition of any such customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

A limited number of customers typically represent a significant percentage of our revenues in any given year. Our top ten customers represented approximately 29.3%, 28.9% and 27.8% of our total revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. No one customer’s sales exceeded 10% of total sales for the year ended December 31, 2018. The loss of a significant portion of our expected future sales to any of our large customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Likewise, a material adverse change in the financial condition of any of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our ability to collect accounts receivable from any such customer.

Our business could be harmed if our products contain undetected errors or defects or do not meet applicable specifications.

We are continuously developing new products and improving our existing products. Our existing and newly introduced products can contain undetected errors or defects. In addition, these products may not meet their performance specifications under all conditions or for all applications. If, despite internal testing, and testing by customers, any of our products contain errors or defects or fail to meet applicable specifications, then we may be required to enhance or improve those products or technologies. We may not be able to do so on a timely basis, if at all, and may only be able to do so at considerable expense. If a particular error or defect is repeated throughout our mass production process, the cost of repairing such defect may be highly disproportionate to the original cost of the product or component. In addition, any significant errors, defects, or other performance failures could render our existing and/or future products unreliable or ineffective and could lead to decreased confidence in our products, adverse customer reaction, negative publicity, mandatory or voluntary recalls, or legal claims, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Further, if our products are defectively designed, manufactured or labeled, contain defective components or are misused, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers. Product liability claims could divert management's attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us.

New technologies could result in the development of new products by our competitors and a decrease in demand for our products, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our failure to develop new technologies, or anticipate or react to changes in existing technologies, could result in a decrease in our sales and a loss of market share to our competitors. Our financial performance depends on our ability to design, develop and manufacture new products and product enhancements on a timely and cost-effective basis. We may not be able to successfully identify new product opportunities or develop and bring new products to market in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Products or technologies developed by other companies may render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive. Our failure to identify or capitalize on any fundamental shifts in technologies, relative to our competitors, could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position within our industry and harm our relationships with our customers.

If we fail to comply with specific provisions in our customer contracts or with government contracting or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Our customer contracts, particularly with respect to contracts for which the government is a direct or indirect customer, may include unique and specialized requirements. This may also include contracts with customers that derive goods subject to FDA regulations. Failure to comply with the specific provisions in our customer contracts, or any violation of government or FDA contracting regulations, could result in termination of the contracts, increased costs to us, suspension of payments, imposition of fines, and suspension from future government contracting. Further, any negative publicity related to our failure to comply with the provisions in our customer contracts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We may pursue acquisitions or other strategic relationships that involve inherent risks, any of which may cause us to not realize anticipated benefits.

Our business strategy includes the potential acquisition of businesses and other business combinations that we expect will complement and expand our business. In addition, we may also pursue other strategic relationships or opportunities. We may not be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or other strategic opportunities or complete any particular acquisition, combination, or other transaction on acceptable terms. Our identification of suitable acquisition candidates and strategic opportunities involves risks inherent in assessing the values, strengths, weaknesses, risks and profitability of these opportunities including their effects on our business, diversion of our management’s attention and risks associated with unanticipated problems or unforeseen liabilities. Our failure to identify suitable acquisition or other strategic opportunities may restrict our ability to grow our business. If we are successful in pursuing future acquisitions or strategic opportunities, we may be required to expend significant funds, incur additional debt, or issue additional securities, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and be dilutive to our stockholders. If we spend significant funds or incur additional debt, our ability to obtain financing for working capital or other purposes could decline and we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures. In addition, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to finance additional acquisitions or that we will realize any anticipated benefits from acquisitions or other strategic opportunities that we complete. When we successfully acquire another business, such as Dielectrics, the process of successfully integrating the acquired operations into our existing operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may require significant financial resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development or expansion of our existing business. Decreases in customer loyalty or product orders, failure to retain and develop the acquired workforce, failure to integrate financial reporting systems, failure to establish and maintain appropriate controls or unknown or contingent liabilities could adversely affect our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition. The integration of an acquired business such as Dielectrics or any other acquired business, whether or not successful, requires significant efforts which may result in additional expenses and divert the attention of our management and technical personnel from other projects. These transactions are inherently risky, and there can be no assurance that any past or future transaction will be successful.

Failure to retain key personnel could impair our ability to execute our business strategy.

The continuing service of our executive officers and essential sales, engineering, technical and management personnel, together with our ability to attract and retain such personnel, is an important factor in our continuing ability to execute our strategy. There is substantial competition to attract such employees, and the loss of any such key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. The same could be true if we were to experience a high turnover rate among sales, engineering and technical personnel and we were unable to replace them.

We operate in highly competitive industries and we may be unable to compete successfully, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face intense competition in all markets and in each area of our business. Our primary competition for our products is from smaller, independent, regional manufacturing companies. Our current competitors may increase their participation in, or new competitors may enter into, the markets in which we compete. In addition, our suppliers may acquire or develop the capability and desire to compete with us. If our suppliers choose to expand their own operations, through acquisitions or otherwise, and begin manufacturing and selling products directly to our customers, it could reduce our pricing or sales volume and overall profitability. If we are unable to compete successfully with new or existing competitors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Further, technological innovation by any of our existing competitors, or new competitors entering any of the markets in which we do business, could put us at a competitive disadvantage and could cause us to lose market share. Increased competition for the sales of our products could result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of market share, which could materially adversely affect our prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our markets are cyclical, which may result in fluctuations in our results of operations.

Demand for our products, especially in the automotive and aerospace and defense markets, is cyclical. Downturns in economic conditions typically have an adverse effect on cyclical industries due to decreased demand for products. We seek to reduce our exposure to industry downturns and cyclicality by marketing our products to diversified and varied markets. However, we may experience substantial period-to-period fluctuations in our results of operations due to the cyclical nature of demand for our products in the markets in which we compete.

The cost of raw materials that we use to manufacture our products, particularly petroleum and petroleum-based raw materials, are subject to escalation and could increase, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The cost of raw materials, including petroleum and petroleum-based raw materials such as resins, used in the production of our products, represents a significant portion of our direct manufacturing costs. Any fluctuations in the price of petroleum, or any other material used in the production of our products, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Such price increases could reduce demand for our products. If we are not able to buy raw materials at fixed prices, or pass on price increases to our customers, we may lose orders or enter into orders with less favorable terms, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents and other disruptions could compromise our information, expose us to liability and harm our reputation and business.

In the ordinary course of our business we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, personal information, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees in our data centers and on our networks. The secure maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of confidential information. Computer hackers may attempt to penetrate our computer systems and, if successful, misappropriate personal or confidential business information. In addition, an associate, contractor, or other third-party with whom we do business may attempt to circumvent our security measures in order to obtain such information and may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach involving such information. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future to safeguard our systems and to mitigate potential security risks, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, could be vulnerable to security breaches. Any such compromise of our data security and access, public disclosure, or loss of personal or confidential business information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disruption of our operations, damage to our reputation, loss of our customers’ willingness to transact business with us, and subject us to additional costs and liabilities which could materially adversely affect our business.

We may be unable to protect our proprietary technology from infringement.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, and unpatented proprietary know-how and trade secrets to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We enter into confidentiality agreements with suppliers, customers, employees, consultants and potential acquisition candidates as necessary to protect our know-how, trade secrets and other proprietary information. However, these measures and our patents and trademarks may not afford complete protection of our intellectual property, and it is possible that third parties may copy or otherwise obtain and use our proprietary information and technology without authorization or otherwise infringe on our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure that our competitors will not independently develop equivalent or superior know-how, trade secrets or production methods. Significant impairment of our intellectual property rights could harm our business or our ability to compete. For example, if we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, our profit margins could be reduced as competitors could more easily imitate our products, possibly resulting in lower prices or lost sales for certain products. In such a case, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Fluctuations in the supply of components and raw materials we use in manufacturing our products could cause production delays or reductions in the number of products we manufacture, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is subject to the risk of periodic shortages of raw materials. We purchase raw materials pursuant to purchase orders placed from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Failure or delay by such suppliers in supplying us necessary raw materials could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.

While we believe that we may, in certain circumstances, secure alternative sources of these materials, we may incur substantial delays and significant expense in doing so, the quality and reliability of alternative sources may not be the same and our operating results may be materially adversely affected. Alternative suppliers might charge significantly higher prices for materials than we currently pay. Under such circumstances, the disruption to our business could have a material adverse impact on our customer relationships, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, we are dependent on a relatively small number of suppliers for cross-linked foam and technical polyurethane foams. While we believe that we have developed strong relationships with these suppliers, any failure or delay by such suppliers in supplying us these necessary products could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including health and safety laws and regulations, and the cost of complying, or our failure to comply, with such requirements could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including health and safety laws and regulations. We must also comply with a variety of laws relating to doing business outside of the United States, including, among others, laws and regulations relating to Office of Foreign Asset Controls, United States, United Nations, EU and other country specific sanctions, and the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. The risks of substantial costs and liabilities related to compliance with these laws and regulations are an inherent part of our business. Despite our intention to comply with these laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that we will at all times comply with all such requirements. Compliance with health and safety legislation and other regulatory requirements may prove to be more limiting and costly than we anticipate and may also increase substantially in future years. If we violate, or fail to comply with these requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. In addition, these requirements are complex, change frequently and may become more stringent over time, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products could infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which may lead to litigation that could itself be costly, result in the payment of substantial damages or royalties, and prevent us from using technology that is essential to our products.

We cannot guarantee that our products, manufacturing processes or other methods do not infringe the patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties. Infringement and other intellectual property claims and proceedings brought against us, whether successful or not, could result in substantial costs and harm our reputation. Such claims and proceedings can also distract and divert our management and key personnel from other tasks important to the success of our business. In addition, intellectual property litigation or claims could force us to do one or more of the following:

In the event of an adverse determination in an intellectual property suit or proceeding, or our failure to license essential technology, our sales could be harmed and our costs could increase, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may lose business if our customers shift their manufacturing offshore.

Historically, geography has been a large factor in the packaging business. Manufacturing and other companies shipping products typically buy packaging from companies that are relatively close to their manufacturing facilities to increase shipping efficiency and decrease costs. As many U.S. companies move their manufacturing operations overseas, particularly to Asia and Mexico, the associated packaging business often follows. We have lost customers in the past and may lose customers again in the future as a result of customers moving their manufacturing facilities offshore, then hiring our competitors that operate packaging-production facilities perceived to be more territorially advantageous. As a result, our sales may suffer, which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Reductions in the availability of energy supplies or an increase in energy costs may increase our operating costs.

We use electricity and natural gas at our manufacturing facilities to operate our equipment. Over the past several years, prices for electricity and natural gas have fluctuated significantly. An outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power, or a natural disaster, could result in a real or perceived shortage of petroleum and/or natural gas, which could result in an increase in the cost of electricity or energy generally as well as an increase in the cost of our raw materials, of which many are petroleum-based. In addition, increased energy costs negatively impact our freight costs due to higher fuel prices. Future limitations on the availability or consumption of petroleum products and/or an increase in energy costs, particularly electricity for plant operations, could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a public company, we need to comply with the reporting obligations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, among other laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with the reporting obligations of these laws or if we fail to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting, our business, financial condition, and results of operations and investors’ confidence in us, could be materially and adversely affected.

As a public company, we are required to comply with the periodic reporting obligations of the Exchange Act, including preparing annual reports, quarterly reports and current reports. We are also subject to certain of the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts which, among other things, require enhanced disclosure of business, financial, compensation and governance information. Our failure to prepare and disclose this information in a timely manner could subject us to penalties under federal securities laws, expose us to lawsuits, and restrict our ability to access financing. We may identify areas requiring improvement with respect to our internal control over financial reporting, and we may be required to design enhanced processes and controls to address issues identified. This could result in significant delays and cost to us and require us to divert substantial resources, including management time, from other activities. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent fraud.

Restrictions in our credit facilities may limit our business and financial activities, including our ability to obtain additional capital in the future.

In February 2018, we entered into a Credit Agreement with Bank of America, N.A., which provided for a $50 million revolving credit facility and a $20 million term loan facility. This Credit Agreement contains covenants imposing various restrictions on our business and financial activities. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business and undertake certain financial activities and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business or financial opportunities as they arise. The restrictions these covenants place on us include limitations on our ability to incur liens, incur indebtedness, make investments, dissolve or merge or consolidate with or into another entity, dispose of certain property, and make restricted payments. The Credit Agreement also requires us to meet certain financial ratios, including a minimum fixed-charge coverage ratio and a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA ratio. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default under the Credit Agreement, which could have a material adverse impact to our business, financial condition and results of operation.

We are also exposed to the risk of increasing interest rates as our revolving credit facility is at a variable interest rate. Any material changes in interest rates could result in higher interest expense and related payments for us. We have entered into an interest rate swap agreement that modifies our variable interest rate exposure with regards to the term loan by converting the term loan from a variable rate to a fixed rate in order to hedge against the possibility of rising interest rates during the term of the loan.

Members of our board of directors and management who also are our stockholders exert significant influence over us.

Based on information made available to us, we believe that our executive officers, directors and their affiliates collectively owned approximately 11.2% of our outstanding shares of common stock as of March 5, 2019. As a result, those stockholders may, if acting together, control or exert substantial influence over actions requiring stockholders’ approval, including elections of our directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation, mergers, sales of assets or other business acquisitions or dispositions.

Provisions of our corporate charter documents, Delaware law, and our stockholder rights plan may dissuade potential acquirers, prevent the replacement or removal of our current management and may thereby affect the price of our common stock.

The board of directors has the authority to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions, including voting rights 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 adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. We have no present plans to issue shares of preferred stock.

We also have a stockholder rights plan designed to protect and enhance the value of our outstanding equity interests in the event of an unsolicited attempt to acquire us in a manner or on terms not approved by the board of directors and that would prevent stockholders from realizing the full value of their shares of our common stock. Its purposes are to deter those takeover attempts that the board believes are undesirable, to give the board more time to evaluate takeover proposals and consider alternatives, and to increase the board’s negotiating position to enhance value in the event of a takeover. The rights issued pursuant to the plan are not intended to prevent all takeovers of our Company. However, the rights may have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging our acquisition. The rights may cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms or in a manner not approved by the board of directors, except pursuant to an offer conditioned upon the negation, purchase, or redemption of the rights with respect to which the condition is satisfied. On March 13, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors voted not to replace the rights when they expire on March 19, 2019.

Further, certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and Delaware law could delay or make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us or, for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting common stock. These include provisions that classify our board of directors, limit the ability of stockholders to take action by written consent, call special meetings, remove a director for cause, amend the bylaws, or approve a merger with another company. In addition, our bylaws set forth advance notice procedures for stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders.

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder, and an “interested stockholder” is a person who, either alone or together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within the past three years did own) 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock.

Regulations related to “conflict minerals” may cause us to incur additional expenses and could limit the supply and increase the cost of certain metals used in manufacturing our products.

In 2012, the SEC adopted a rule requiring disclosures by public companies of specified minerals, known as conflict minerals, that are necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured or contracted to be manufactured. The rule requires an annual disclosure report to be filed and requires companies to perform due diligence and disclose and report whether or not such minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo or an adjoining country. The new rule could affect sourcing at competitive prices and availability in sufficient quantities of certain minerals used in the manufacture of our products, including tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten. The number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals may be limited. In addition, there may be material costs associated with complying with the disclosure requirements, such as costs related to determining the source of certain minerals used in our products, as well as costs of possible changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. Since our supply chain is complex, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we undertake, which may harm our reputation. In addition, we may encounter challenges to satisfy those customers who require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict-free, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage if we are unable to do so.

None.

The following table presents certain information relating to each of the Company’s design and manufacturing properties:

From time to time, the Company may be a party to various suits, claims and complaints arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management of the Company, these suits, claims and complaints should not result in final judgments or settlements that, in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Price

From July 8, 1996, until April 18, 2001, the Company’s common stock was listed on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol “UFPT.” Since April 19, 2001, the Company’s common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. The following table sets forth the range of high and low quotations for the common stock as reported by NASDAQ for the quarterly periods from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018:

Number of Stockholders

As of March 5, 2019, there were 63 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Since many of the shares are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, the Company is unable to estimate the total number of individual stockholders represented by these holders of record.

Dividends

The Company did not pay any dividends in 2018 or 2017. The Company presently intends to retain all of its earnings to provide funds for the operation of its business and strategic acquisitions, although it would consider paying cash dividends in the future. Any decision to pay dividends will be at the discretion of the Company’s board of directors and will depend upon the Company’s operating results, strategic plans, capital requirements, financial condition, provisions of the Company’s borrowing arrangements, applicable law and other factors the Company’s board of directors considers relevant.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On June 16, 2015, the Company issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. There was no share repurchase activity for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company repurchased 29,559 shares of common stock at a cost of approximately $587,000. At December 31, 2018, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company's common stock under this authorization.

The following table summarizes our consolidated financial data for the periods presented. You should read the following financial information together with the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Report. The selected statements of income data for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Report. The selected statements of income data for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the selected balance sheet data at December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this Report.

Selected Consolidated Financial Data:

Overview

The Company is an innovative designer and custom manufacturer of components, subassemblies, products and packaging utilizing highly specialized foams, films, and plastics primarily for the medical market. The Company manufactures its products by converting raw materials using laminating, molding, radio frequency and impulse welding and fabricating manufacturing techniques. The Company is diversified by also providing highly engineered products and components to customers in the aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer, electronics and industrial markets. The Company consists of a single operating and reportable segment. As previously disclosed, on February 1, 2018, the Company acquired Dielectrics, Inc. pursuant to a stock purchase agreement and related agreements for an aggregate purchase price of $77 million net of Dielectrics’ cash.

Sales for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2018 grew 28.8% to $190.5 million from $147.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 largely due to sales of approximately $36.2 million from Dielectrics. Dielectrics contributed significantly to earnings. The Company absorbed $1.1 million in transaction costs during the year ended December 31, 2018, approximately $760,000 in losses associated with the closure of its manufacturing plant in Georgia and an increase of approximately $700,000 in health care costs. Despite these costs, for the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company generated increases of 67.7% and 52.6% in operating income and net income, respectively.

The Company’s current strategy includes further organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, the percentage of revenues represented by the items as shown in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income:

2018 Compared to 2017

Sales

Net sales increased 28.8% to $190.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 from net sales of $147.8 million in 2017. The increase in sales was primarily due to Dielectric’s sales of approximately $36.2 million, which were all in the medical market. On a market basis, sales to customers in the medical, aerospace and defense and consumer markets grew 57.3%, 14.0% and 17.2%, respectively, while sales to customers in the automotive market declined 13.4%. The increase in sales to customers in the medical market was primarily due to sales by Dielectrics as well as a 5.8% increase in demand from the Company’s legacy medical customers. The increase in sales to customers in the aerospace and defense market was largely due to a general uptick in government contract-based orders. The increase in sales to customers in the consumer market was primarily due to sales of molded fiber protective packaging to a new customer. The decline in sales to customers in the automotive market was primarily due to the phase-out of the automotive door panel program for Mercedes-Benz.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 25.4% for the year ended December 31, 2018, from 24.0% in 2017. As a percentage of sales, material and direct labor costs collectively decreased approximately 0.6%, while overhead decreased approximately 0.8%. The decrease in material and direct labor costs as a percentage of sales was primarily due to increased manufacturing efficiencies resulting from continuous improvement initiatives as well as strategic price increases. The decrease in overhead was primarily due to the increase in sales on fixed overhead costs partially offset by the impact on overhead of rising health care costs.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately 16.4% to $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, from $23.8 million in 2017. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 14.6% in 2018 from 16.1% in 2017. The increase in SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2018 is due to approximately $2.6 million in SG&A expenses from Dielectrics as well as higher health care costs. The decrease in SG&A as a percentage of sales is primarily due to lower SG&A as a percentage of sales at Dielectrics as well as specific initiatives to reduce costs.

Acquisition Costs

The Company incurred approximately $1.1 million in costs associated with the Dielectrics acquisition which were charged to expense for the ended December 31, 2018. These costs were primarily for investment banking and legal fees and are reflected on the face of the income statement.

Material Overcharge Settlement

The Company was a participant in a class action lawsuit against a number of polyurethane foam suppliers (“Defendants”) that was settled during 2016. The suit was filed to recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for Defendants’ alleged violations of the federal antitrust laws with respect to the fixing of prices of polyurethane foam sold from January 1, 1999 through August 2010. For the each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded gains of approximately $0.1 million. The settlement amounts are recorded as “Material overcharge settlement” in the operating income section of the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Interest Income and Expense

The Company had net interest expense of approximately $1.3 million and net interest income of approximately $0.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The increase in net interest expense is primarily due to interest paid on the debt incurred to finance the Dielectrics acquisition.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 22.2% for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to 22.3% for the same period in 2017.

2017 Compared to 2016

Sales

Net sales increased 1.2% to $147.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 from net sales of $146.1 million in 2016, primarily due to increases in sales to customers in the medical, aerospace and defense and consumer markets of approximately 8.1%, 5.2% and 4.4%, respectively, partially offset by decreases in sales to customers in the automotive and industrial markets of approximately 15.1% and 7.4%, respectively. The increase in sales to customers in the medical market was largely due to general growth in demand for products of our medical customers. The increase in sales to customers in the aerospace and defense market was largely due to increased government spending on defense. The increase in sales to customers in the consumer market was largely due to increased demand for molded fiber protective packaging for consumer products. The decrease in sales to customers in the automotive market was largely due to the phase-out of the Company’s automotive door panel program for Mercedes Benz, which began in 2004, as well as reductions in demand on certain legacy programs.

Gross Profit

Gross profit as a percentage of sales (“Gross Margin”) increased to 24.0% for the year ended December 31, 2017, from 23.7% in 2016. As a percentage of sales, material and direct labor costs collectively decreased approximately 1.2%, while overhead increased approximately 1.0%. The decrease in material and direct labor costs was primarily due to manufacturing efficiencies realized as a result of initiatives began in the second half of 2017. The increase in overhead was primarily due to higher indirect labor and benefits associated with hires made in the second half of 2017.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”) decreased 1.1% to $23.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, from $24.1 million in 2016. As a percentage of sales, SG&A decreased to 16.1% in 2017 from 16.5% in 2016. The decrease in SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2017, is primarily due to general cost containment efforts.

Restructuring Costs

On March 18, 2015, the Company committed to move forward with a plan to cease operations at its Raritan, New Jersey, plant and consolidate operations into its Newburyport, Massachusetts, facility and other UFP facilities. The Company’s decision was in response to a continued decline in business at the Raritan facility and the purchase of the facility in Newburyport. The activities related to this consolidation are complete.

The Company also relocated all operations in its Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Byfield, Massachusetts facilities and certain operations in its Georgetown, Massachusetts facility to Newburyport. The Haverhill and Byfield relocations were complete at December 31, 2015 and the partial Georgetown relocation was complete at June 30, 2017.

The Company incurred approximately $2.1 million in one-time expenses in connection with the Massachusetts consolidations. Included in this amount are approximately $180,000 relating to employee severance payments and relocation costs, approximately $1.6 million in moving expenses and expenses associated with vacating the Raritan, Haverhill and Byfield properties, and approximately $360,000 in lease termination costs. Total cash charges were approximately $2.0 million.

The Company recorded the following restructuring costs associated with the Massachusetts consolidations discussed above for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

The 2017 and 2016 costs were reclassified in the Consolidated Statement of Income as “Restructuring Costs” from Cost of Sales.

Material Overcharge Settlement

The Company was a participant in a class action lawsuit against a number of polyurethane foam suppliers (“Defendants”) that was settled during the second quarter of 2016. The suit was filed to recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for Defendants’ alleged violations of the federal antitrust laws with respect to the fixing of prices of polyurethane foam sold from January 1, 1999 through August 2010. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded gains of approximately $0.1 million and $2.1 million, respectively. The settlement amounts are recorded as “Material overcharge settlement” in the operating income section of the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Interest Income and Expense

The Company had net interest income of approximately $166,000 for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to net interest income of approximately $80,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in net interest income is due primarily to an increase in interest earned on money market accounts and certificates of deposit and decreasing interest costs on the Company’s term loans.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded income tax expense, as a percentage of income before income tax expense, of 22.3% for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to 35.3% for the same period in 2016. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to a tax benefit of approximately $173,000 recorded as a result of the adoption of ASU No. 2016-09 on January 1, 2017 and a deferred tax benefit of approximately $1.5 million recorded as a result of a change in the statutory federal tax rate for 2018 and beyond.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company generally funds its operating expenses, capital requirements, and growth plan through internally generated cash and bank credit facilities.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 was approximately $21.3 million and was primarily a result of net income generated of approximately $14.3 million, depreciation and amortization of approximately $7.8 million, share-based compensation of approximately $1.2 million, an increase in deferred taxes of approximately $1.9 million, and an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $2.6 million due to the timing of vendor payments in the ordinary course of business. These cash inflows and adjustments to income were partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $2.6 million primarily due to increased sales in the last two months of the fourth quarter of 2018 over the same period of 2017, an increase in inventory of approximately $2.3 million primarily due to the building of inventory to support the higher sales, an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of approximately $0.3 million and an increase in refundable income taxes of approximately $1.3 million.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2018 was approximately $82.3 million and was primarily the result of the acquisition of Dielectrics and additions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and various building improvements across the Company.

Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $26.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, representing borrowings under our credit facility to fund the Dielectrics acquisition of $56.0 million and net proceeds received upon stock options exercises of approximately $1.3 million, partially offset by repayments on our credit facility and term loan of approximately $30.9 million, and payments of statutory withholding for stock options exercised and restricted stock units vested of approximately $0.1 million.

Outstanding and Available Debt

On December 2, 2013, the Company entered into an unsecured $40 million revolving credit facility with Bank of America, N.A. The credit facility called for interest of LIBOR plus a margin that ranged from 1.0% to 1.5% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranged from 0.25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin was dependent upon Company performance. Under the credit facility, the Company was subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant. The credit facility was amended effective December 31, 2014, to modify the definition of “consolidated fixed-charge coverage ratio”. The Company’s $40 million credit facility was to mature on November 30, 2018.

On February 1, 2018, the Company, as the borrower, entered into an unsecured $70 million Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) and Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as the initial lender, Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and certain other lenders from time to time party thereto. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company’s prior credit agreement.

The credit facilities under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amended and Restated Credit Facilities”) consist of a $20 million unsecured term loan to the Company and an unsecured revolving credit facility, under which the Company may borrow up to $50 million.  The Amended and Restated Credit Facilities mature on February 1, 2023.  The proceeds of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including funding the acquisition of Dielectrics, as well as certain other permitted acquisitions. The Company’s obligations under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Subsidiary Guarantors.

The Amended and Restated Credit Facilities call for interest of LIBOR plus a margin that ranges from 1.0% to 1.5% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank’s prime rate less a margin that ranges from .25% to zero. In both cases the applicable margin is dependent upon Company performance.  Under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to a minimum fixed-charge coverage financial covenant as well as a maximum total funded debt to EBITDA financial covenant.  The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains other covenants customary for transactions of this type, including restrictions on certain payments, permitted indebtedness and permitted investments. 

Included in the Amended and Restated Credit Facilities are approximately $0.6 million in standby letters of credit as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies. As of December 31, 2018, the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the credit facility.

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Future Liquidity

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service its contractual obligations. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its amended and restated credit facility. The Company generated cash of approximately $21.3 million in operations during the year ended December 31, 2018; however, the Company cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. The Company’s longer-term liquidity is contingent upon future operating performance.

Throughout fiscal 2019, the Company plans to continue to add capacity to enhance operating efficiencies in its manufacturing plants. The Company may consider additional acquisitions of companies, technologies, or products that are complementary to its business. The Company believes that its existing resources, including its revolving credit facility, together with cash expected to be generated from operations and funds expected to be available to it through any necessary equipment financings and additional bank borrowings, will be sufficient to fund its cash flow requirements, including capital asset acquisitions, through the next twelve months.

The Company may also require additional capital in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions or other investments. These capital requirements could be substantial. The Company anticipates that any future expansion of its business will be financed through existing resources, cash flow from operations, the Company's revolving credit facility, or other new financing. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet existing financial covenants or obtain other new financing on favorable terms, if at all. The Company's liquidity will be impacted to the extent additional stock repurchases are made under the Company's stock repurchase program.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, using the first-in, first-out flow assumption, and includes treasury stock as a component of stockholders’ equity. On June 16, 2015, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares through Rule 10b5-1 plans, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block purchases or otherwise in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The stock repurchase program will end upon the earlier of the date on which the plan is terminated by the Board or when all authorized repurchases are completed. The timing and amount of stock repurchases, if any, will be determined based upon our evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The stock repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. There were no share repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company repurchased 29,559 shares of common stock at a cost of approximately $587,000. At December 31, 2018, approximately $9.4 million was available for future repurchases of the Company’s common stock under this authorization.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes the Company’s contractual obligations at December 31, 2018:

The Company requires cash to pay its operating expenses, purchase capital equipment, and to service the obligations listed above. The Company’s principal sources of funds are its operations and its revolving credit facility. Although the Company generated cash from operations in the year ended December 31, 2018, it cannot guarantee that its operations will generate cash in future periods. Subject to the Risk Factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Report and the general disclaimers set forth in our Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements at the outset of this Report, we believe that cash flow from operations will provide us with sufficient funds in order to fund our expected operations over the next twelve months.

The Company does not believe inflation has had a material impact on its results of operations in the last three years.

Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements

In addition to operating leases, the Company’s off-balance-sheet arrangements include standby letters of credit which are included in the Company’s revolving credit facility. As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $600,000 in standby letters of credit drawable as a financial guarantee on worker’s compensation insurance policies.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to product returns, bad debts, inventories, intangible assets, income taxes, warranty obligations, restructuring charges, contingencies, and litigation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions, both in general and specifically in relation to the packaging and component product industries, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report. The Company believes the following critical accounting policies necessitated that significant judgments and estimates be used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

The Company has reviewed these policies with its Audit Committee.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when a customer obtains control of a promised good or service. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for promised goods or services. The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the core principles of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606 which include (1) identifying the contract with a customer, (2) identifying separate performance obligations within the contract, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue. The Company recognizes all but an immaterial portion of its product sales upon shipment. The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of tooling and machinery primarily upon customer acceptance, with the exception of certain tooling where control does not transfer to the customer, which results in revenue being recognized over the estimated time for which parts are produced with the use of each respective tool. The Company recognizes revenue from engineering services as the services are performed. Although only applicable to an insignificant number of transactions, the Company has elected to exclude sales taxes from the transaction price. The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities for which the Company is responsible under the terms and conditions of the sale not as performance obligations but rather as fulfillment costs. These activities are required to fulfill the Company’s promise to transfer the good and are expensed when revenue is recognized.

Goodwill

Goodwill is tested for impairment annually and will be tested for impairment between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. Impairment testing for goodwill is done at a reporting unit level. Reporting units are one level below the business segment level but can be combined when reporting units within the same segment have similar economic characteristics. An impairment loss generally would be recognized when the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s net assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the reporting unit. The Company consists of a single reporting unit. In testing goodwill for impairment at December 31, 2018, the Company primarily utilized the guideline public company (“GPC”) method under the market approach and the discounted cash flows method (“DCF”) under the income approach to determine the fair value of the reporting unit for purposes of testing the reporting unit’s carrying value of goodwill for impairment. The GPC method derives a value by generating a multiple of EBITDA through the comparison of the Company to similar publicly traded companies. The DCF approach derives a value based on the present value of a series of estimated future cash flows at the valuation date by the application of a discount rate, one that a prudent investor would require before making an investment in our equity securities. The key assumptions used in our approach included:

As of December 31, 2018, based on our calculations under the above noted approach, the fair value of the reporting unit significantly exceeded the carrying value of the reporting unit. In performing these calculations, management used its most reasonable estimates of the key assumptions discussed above. If our actual operating results and/or the key assumptions utilized in management’s calculations differ from our expectations, it is possible that a future impairment charge may be necessary.

Accounts Receivable

The Company periodically reviews the collectability of its accounts receivable. Provisions are recorded for accounts that are potentially uncollectable. Determining adequate reserves for accounts receivable requires management’s judgment. Conditions impacting the realizability of the Company’s receivables could cause actual asset write-offs to be materially different than the reserved balances as of December 31, 2018.

Inventories

Inventories include material, labor, and manufacturing overhead and are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.

The Company periodically reviews the realizability of its inventory for potential excess or obsolescence. Determining the net realizable value of inventory requires management’s judgment. Conditions impacting the realizability of the Company’s inventory could cause actual asset write-offs to be materially different than the Company’s current estimates as of December 31, 2018.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

The following discussion of the Company's market risk includes "forward-looking statements" that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Market risk represents the risk of changes in value of a financial instrument caused by fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and equity prices. At December 31, 2018, the Company's cash and cash equivalents consisted of bank accounts in U.S. dollars, and their valuation would not be affected by market risk. Interest under the Company's credit facility with Bank of America, N.A. calls for interest of LIBOR plus a margin that ranges from 1.0% to 1.5% or, at the discretion of the Company, the bank's prime rate less a margin that ranges from .25% to zero. Therefore, future operations could be affected by interest rate changes. As of December 31, 2018, the applicable interest rate was approximately 3.52%. The Company uses interest-rate-related derivative instruments to manage its exposure related to changes in interest rates. In connection with this credit facility, the Company entered into a $20 million, 5-year interest rate swap agreement under which the Company receives three-month LIBOR plus the applicable margin and pays a 2.7% fixed rate plus the applicable margin. The swap modifies the Company's interest rate exposure by converting the term loan from a variable rate to a fixed rate in order to hedge against the possibility of rising interest rates during the term of the loan.

The consolidated financial statements and supplementary data of the company are listed under Part IV, Item 15, in this Report.

None.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of its management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this Report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

The Company closed the acquisition of Dielectrics on February 1, 2018, and Dielectrics’ total assets and revenues constituted 43.3% and 19.0%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated total assets and revenues as shown on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018. As the acquisition occurred in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company excluded Dielectrics’ internal control over financial reporting from the scope of the assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. This exclusion is in accordance with the general guidance issued by the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission that an assessment of a recently-acquired business may be omitted from the scope in the year of acquisition, if specified conditions are satisfied.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance, as opposed to absolute assurance, of achieving their internal control objectives.

Management conducted an assessment of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Except as described above relating to Dielectrics, based on the assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2018, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.

The Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, has been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, who also audited the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Grant Thornton’s attestation report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is included herein.

There was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

None.

PART III

The information required by this Item 10 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed by the Company within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year.

The information required by this Item 11 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed by the Company within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year.

The information required by this Item 12 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed by the Company within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year.

The information required by this Item 13 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed by the Company within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year.

The information required by this Item 14 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed by the Company within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year.

PART IV

Exhibit Index

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Consolidated Financial Statements

and Financial Statement Schedule

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017

And for the Years Ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

With Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Shareholders

UFP Technologies, Inc.

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of UFP Technologies, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes and financial statement schedule under Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”), and our report dated March 15, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion.

Basis for opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2005.

Boston, Massachusetts

March 15, 2019

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Shareholders

UFP Technologies, Inc.

Opinion on internal control over financial reporting 

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of UFP Technologies, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018, and our report dated March 15, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting (“Management’s Report”). Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Our audit of, and opinion on, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting does not include the internal control over financial reporting of Dielectrics Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, whose financial statements reflect total assets and revenues constituting 43.3% and 19.0%, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018. As indicated in Management’s Report, Dielectrics Inc. was acquired during 2018. Management’s assertion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting excluded internal control over financial reporting of Dielectrics Inc.

Definition and limitations of internal control over financial reporting

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

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

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

March 15, 2019

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Income

(In thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

Years Ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UFP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements