UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10‑K

 

Commission File No. 001‑34728

DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

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

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

 

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

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well‑known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒  No ☐.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐  No ☒.

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S‑T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit 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 or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

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 Exchnage Act.  ☐

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

At June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by stockholders who were not affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $738 million (based upon the closing price of Registrant’s Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date). At March 1, 2018, the Registrant had outstanding an aggregate of 22,590,897 shares of its Common Stock.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 1, 2018, which Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, are incorporated into Part III.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

PART I

Forward Looking Statements

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

We undertake no obligation to revise the forward‑looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K to reflect any future events or circumstances. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward‑looking statements. Factors in addition to those

listed above that could cause or contribute to such differences are discussed in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

Item 1.  Business

Overview

Home to the best-selling brands in the industry, Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our”) is North America's premier manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment. For more than 65 years, the Company has been innovating products that enable end users to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively, providing opportunities for businesses to increase profitability. Our commitment to continuous improvement enables us to consistently produce high quality products and drive shareholder value. The Douglas Dynamics portfolio of products and services is separated into two segments:  First, the Work Truck Attachments segment, which includes manufactured snow and ice control attachments sold under the FISHER®, HENDERSON®, SNOWEX® and WESTERN® brands. Second, the Work Truck Solutions segment, which includes the upfit of market leading attachments and storage solutions for commercial work vehicles under the DEJANA® brand and its related sub-brands. The Work Truck Solutions segment was established as a result of the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment Company, Inc. and certain entities directly or indirectly owned by Peter Paul Dejana Family Trust Dated 12/31/98 (such assets, “Dejana”) in July 2016.  For additional financial information regarding our reportable business segments, see Note 15 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this report.

In our Work Truck Attachments segment, we offer a broad product line of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders for light and heavy duty trucks that we believe to be the most complete line offered in the U.S. and Canadian markets. We also provide a full range of related parts and accessories, which generates an ancillary revenue stream throughout the lifecycle of our snow and ice control equipment. We also provide customized turnkey solutions to governmental agencies such as Departments of Transportation (“DOTs”) and municipalities.  For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, 86%, 88% and 87% of our net sales in our Work Truck Attachments segment were generated from sales of snow and ice control equipment, respectively, and 14%, 12% and 13% of our net sales in our Work Truck Attachments segment were generated from sales of parts and accessories, respectively. While we measure sales of parts and accessories separately from snow and ice control equipment, they are integrated with one another and are not separable.

We sell our Work Truck Attachments products through a distributor network primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial, municipal and residential areas. Over the last 50 years, we have engendered exceptional customer loyalty for our products because of our ability to satisfy the stringent demands of our customers for a high degree of quality, reliability and service. As a result, we believe our installed base is the largest in the light truck market with over 500,000 snowplows and sand and salt spreaders in service. Because sales of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders are primarily driven by the need of our core end‑user base to replace worn existing equipment, we believe our substantial installed base provides us with a high degree of predictable sales over any extended period of time.

We believe that our Work Truck Attachments segment has the snow and ice control industry’s most extensive distribution network worldwide, which consists of over 2,000 points of sale.  Direct points of shipment are predominantly through North American truck equipment and lawn care equipment distributors. Most of our distributors are located throughout the snow belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada). We have longstanding relationships with many of our distributors. We continually seek to grow and optimize our network by opportunistically adding high‑quality, well‑capitalized distributors in select geographic areas and by cross‑selling our industry‑leading brands within our distribution network.  Since 2005, we have extended our reach to international markets, establishing distribution relationships in Northern Europe and Asia, where we believe meaningful growth opportunities exist.

Created as a result of our acquisition of Dejana, our Work Truck Solutions segment offers a complementary line of upfitting services and products. Our Work Truck Solutions products consist of truck and vehicle upfits where we attach component pieces of equipment, truck bodies, racking, and storage solutions with varying levels of complexity to a vehicle chassis and are typically used by end users for work related purposes. Our Work Truck

Solutions segment is a premier upfitter of Class 4 - 6 trucks and other commercial work vehicles. Additionally, we believe that our Work Truck Solutions segment is a leading specialized manufacturer of storage solutions for trucks and vans and cable pulling equipment for trucks. We believe we are a regional market leader in the truck and vehicle upfitting market.  We believe that our Work Truck Solutions business possesses significant customer relationships comprised of over 3,000 customers across the truck equipment industry.  We have longstanding relationships with many of our Work Truck Solutions customers. We continually seek to grow and strengthen our customer relationships by providing custom solutions to our customers’ evolving specialty upfit needs.  We are able to serve our Work Truck Solutions customers’ needs through our bailment and floor plan agreements with original equipment vehicle manufacturers who supply truck chassis, on which we perform custom upfits for our customers. 

We believe we are the industry’s most operationally efficient manufacturer due to our vertical integration, highly variable cost structure and intense focus on lean manufacturing. We continually seek to use lean principles to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of our manufacturing operations.  During the year ended December 31, 2017 we manufactured our products and upfitted vehicles in five facilities that we own in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Rockland, Maine; Madison Heights, Michigan, Manchester, Iowa; and Huntley, Illinois. We also lease fifteen manufacturing and upfit facilities, located in Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.  Furthermore, our manufacturing efficiency allows us to deliver desired products quickly to our customers, especially during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfall events when our customers need our products immediately. 

Our Industry

Work Truck Attachments Segment.

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

We believe that both light and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment are driven primarily by the replacement cycle of the existing installed base, which is predominantly a function of the average life of a snowplow or spreader and is driven by usage and maintenance practices of the end‑user.   However, we believe that demand for heavy duty trucks is less elastic than light trucks. Heavy duty truck end users typically are comprised of local governments and municipalities which plan for and execute planned replacement of equipment over time.

The primary factor influencing the replacement cycle for snow and ice control equipment for light trucks is the level, timing and location of snowfall. Sales of snow and ice control equipment in any given year and region are most heavily influenced by local snowfall levels in the prior snow season. Heavy snowfall during a given winter causes equipment usage to increase, resulting in greater wear and tear and shortened life cycles, thereby creating a need for replacement equipment and additional parts and accessories.

While snowfall levels vary within a given year and from year‑to‑year, snowfall, and the corresponding replacement cycle of snow and ice control equipment, is relatively consistent over multi‑year periods. The following chart depicts aggregate annual and ten‑year (based on the typical life of our snowplows) rolling average of the aggregate snowfall levels in 66 cities in 26 snow belt states across the Northeast, East, Midwest and Western United States where we monitor snowfall levels from 1980 to 2017. As the chart indicates, since 1984 aggregate snowfall levels in any given rolling ten‑year period have been fairly consistent, ranging from 2,782 to 3,345 inches.

Note:The 10‑year rolling average snowfall is not presented prior to 1984 for purposes of the calculation due to lack of snowfall data prior to 1975. Snowfall data in this chart is not adjusted for snowfall outside of the 66 cities in the 26 states reflected.

Source:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service.

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

Long‑term growth in the overall snow and ice control equipment market also results from geographic expansion of developed areas in the snow belt regions of North America, as well as consumer demand for technological enhancements in snow and ice control equipment and related parts and accessories that improves efficiency and reliability. Continued construction in the snow belt regions in North America increases the aggregate area requiring snow and ice removal, thereby growing the market for snow and ice control equipment. In addition, the development and sale of more reliable, more efficient and more sophisticated products have contributed to an approximate 2% to 4% average unit price increase in each of the past five years.

Work Truck Solutions Segment.

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

We believe our Work Truck Solutions segment is a regional market leader in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.  We serve a variety of different customers that include dealers who typically sell to end users and to large national customers who purchase fleets of upfitted vehicles. We believe that approximately half of our revenues are derived from dealer customers, while approximately 40% of our revenues are fleet sales.  Our remaining sales are derived from over the counter sales of parts and accessories.

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

Our Competitive Strengths

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

Exceptional Customer Loyalty and Brand Equity.  Our brands enjoy exceptional customer loyalty and brand equity in the snow and ice control equipment and truck upfitting industries with both end‑users and distributors, which have been developed through over 65 years of superior innovation, productivity, reliability and support, consistently delivered year after year. We believe past brand experience, rather than price, is the key factor impacting our brands.

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

Extensive North American Distributor Network in Work Truck Attachments.  With over 2,000 points of sale at our Work Truck Attachments segment, we benefit from having what we believe to be the most extensive distributor network in the light truck and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment industry, providing a significant competitive advantage over our peers. Our distributors function not only as sales and support agents (providing access to parts and service), but also as industry partners providing real‑time end‑user information, such as retail inventory levels, changing consumer preferences or desired functionality enhancements, which we use as the basis for our product development efforts.

Leader in Operational Efficiency.  We believe we are a leader in operational efficiency in our industries, resulting from our application of lean manufacturing principles and a highly variable cost structure. By utilizing lean principles, we are able to adjust production levels easily to meet fluctuating demand, while controlling costs in slower periods. This operational efficiency is supplemented by our highly variable cost structure, driven in part by our access

to a sizable temporary workforce (comprising approximately 10‑15% of our total workforce during average snowfall years), which we can quickly adjust, as needed. These manufacturing efficiencies enable us to respond rapidly to urgent customer demand during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfalls, allowing us to provide exceptional service to our existing customer base and capture new customers from competitors that we believe cannot service their customers’ needs with the same speed and reliability.

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

Experienced Management Team.  We believe our business benefits from an exceptional management team that is responsible for establishing our leadership in the light truck and heavy duty snow and ice control equipment and truck upfitting industries. Our senior management team, consisting of six officers, has an average of approximately seventeen years of weather‑related industry experience and an average of over eleven years with our company. James Janik, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, has been with us for over 25 years and in his role as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2000, and through his strategic vision, we have been able to expand our distributor network and grow our market leading position.

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy is to capitalize on our competitive strengths to maximize cash flow to pay dividends, reduce indebtedness and reinvest in our business to create stockholder value. We have also developed a management system called the Douglas Dynamics Management System (“DDMS”) that is intended to assist in value creation and enhanced customer service. The building blocks of our strategy are:

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

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

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

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

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

Our Growth Opportunities

Opportunistically Seek New Products and New Markets.  On July 15, 2016, we completed our acquisition of Dejana, which we believe significantly strengthens our position as a premier manufacturer and upfitter of vehicle attachments and equipment. Adding the Dejana business has diversified our revenue streams and reduced the influence of weather on the overall business going forward. On December 31, 2014, we completed our acquisition of Henderson, which gave us Henderson’s full line of product offerings and access to its network of dealers.  We plan to continue to evaluate other acquisition opportunities within our industry that can help us expand our distribution reach, enhance our technology and as a consequence improve the breadth and depth of our product lines. We also consider diversification opportunities in adjacent markets that complement our business model and could offer us the ability to leverage our core competencies to create stockholder value.

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

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we employed 1,664 employees on a full‑time basis.  None of our employees are represented by a union and we are not party to any collective bargaining agreements.

Financing Program

We are party to a financing program in which certain distributors may elect to finance their purchases from us through a third party financing company. We provide the third party financing company recourse against us regarding the collectability of the receivable under the program due to the fact that if the third party financing company is unable to collect from the distributor the amounts due in respect of the product financed, we would be obligated to repurchase any remaining inventory related to the product financed and reimburse any legal fees incurred by the financing company. During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, distributors financed purchases of $7.1 million, $7.6 million and $7.6 million through this financing program, respectively. At both December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, there were no uncollectible outstanding receivables related to sales financed under the financing program. The amount owed by our distributors to the third party financing company under this program at December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $3.4 million and $6.8 million, respectively. We were not required to repurchase repossessed inventory for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

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

Intellectual Property

We maintain patents relating to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms, sand, salt and fertilizer spreader assemblies, reel handlers and carriers and shelving systems. Patents are valid for the longer period of 17 years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between less than one year and 19 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 1998 through 2017.

We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 46 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN®, FISHER®, DEJANA®, BLIZZARD®, SNOWEX®, TURFEX®, SWEEPEX®, HENDERSON® and BRINEXTREME®) 13 Canadian registered trademarks, 5 European trademarks, 71 U.S. issued patents, 11 Canadian patents and 5 Chinese and 2 Mexican trademarks.

We rely upon a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. In the year ended December 31, 2017, we received a settlement resulting from an ongoing lawsuit with one of our competitors that had been previously ordered to stop using our intellectual property. Under the settlement agreement we received $1.3 million as part of defending our intellectual property. In the year ended December 31, 2016, we received a settlement resulting from an ongoing lawsuit with another competitor relating to our intellectual property. Under the settlement agreement we received $10.1 million as part of defending our intellectual property.   Our competitor has exhausted all appeals related to this matter and has paid us both awarded damages of $10.0 million and accrued interest of $0.1 million. 

Raw Materials

During 2017, we experienced slightly less favorable commodity costs compared to the favorable prices paid for commodities in 2016. Historically, we have mitigated, and we currently expect to continue to mitigate, commodity cost increases in part by engaging in proactive vendor negotiations, reviewing alternative sourcing options, substituting materials, engaging in internal cost reduction efforts, and increasing prices on some of our products, all as appropriate.

Most of the components of our products are also affected by commodity cost pressures and are commercially available from a number of sources. In 2017, we experienced no significant work stoppages because of shortages of raw materials or commodities. The highest raw material and component costs are generally for steel, which we purchase from several suppliers.

Other Information

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

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

The Company operates in an environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected

by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. The risks described below highlight some of the factors that have affected, and in the future could affect our operations.

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

As a manufacturer through our Work Truck Attachments segment of snow and ice control equipment for both light and heavy duty trucks, and related parts and accessories, our sales depend primarily on the level, timing and location of snowfall in the regions in which we offer our products. In addition, a portion of the sales of our Work Truck Solutions segment are derived from truck upfits performed on snow and ice control equipment. A low level or lack of snowfall in any given year in any of the snow‑belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada) will likely cause sales of our Work Truck Attachments products and a portion of our Work Truck Solutions products to decline in such year as well as the subsequent year, which in turn may adversely affect our results of operations and ability to generate cash flow. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonality and Year‑to‑Year Variability.” A sustained period of reduced snowfall events in one or more of the geographic regions in which we offer our products could cause our results of operations to decline and adversely affect our ability to generate cash flow.

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

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

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

Historically, demand for snow and ice control equipment for light and heavy duty trucks as well as upfitted vehicles has been influenced by general economic conditions in the United States, as well as local economic conditions in the snow‑belt regions in North America. Although economic conditions and spending by governmental agencies have improved from 2011 through 2017, this trend may not continue in the foreseeable future. Weakened economic conditions and limited or reduced government spending may cause both our Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions end‑users to delay purchases of replacement snow and ice control equipment and upfit vehicles and instead repair their existing equipment and vehicles, leading to a decrease in our sales of new equipment and upfitted vehicles. Specific to our Work Truck Attachments segment, weakened economic conditions and limited or reduced governmental spending may also cause our end‑users to delay their purchases of new light and heavy duty trucks. Because our end‑users tend to purchase new snow and ice control equipment concurrent with their purchase of new light or heavy duty trucks, their delay in purchasing new light or heavy duty trucks can also result in the deferral of their purchases of new snow and ice control equipment. The deferral of new equipment purchases during periods of weak economic conditions or limited or reduced government spending may negatively affect our results of operations, financial condition and ability to generate cash flow.

Weakened economic conditions or limited or reduced government spending may also cause both our Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions end‑users to consider price more carefully in selecting new snow and

ice control equipment and upfit vehicles, respectively. Historically, considerations of quality and service have outweighed considerations of price, but in a weak economy, or an environment of constrained government spending, price may become a more important factor. Any refocus away from quality in favor of cheaper equipment could cause end‑users to shift away from our products to less expensive competitor products, or to shift away from our more profitable products to our less profitable products, which in turn would adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to generate cash flow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steel is a significant raw material used to manufacture our products. During 2017, 2016 and 2015, our steel purchases were approximately 10%, 12% and 15% of our revenue, respectively. The steel industry is highly cyclical in nature, and steel prices have been volatile in recent years and may remain volatile in the future. Steel prices are influenced by numerous factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions domestically and internationally, the availability of raw materials, competition, labor costs, freight and transportation costs, production costs, import duties and other trade restrictions. Steel prices are volatile and may increase as a result of increased demand from the automobile and consumer durable sectors. If the price of steel increases, our variable costs may increase. We may not be able to mitigate these increased costs through the implementation of permanent price increases or temporary invoice surcharges, especially if economic conditions remain weak and our distributors and

end‑users become more price sensitive. If we are unable to successfully mitigate such cost increases in the future, our gross margins could decline.

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

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

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

We purchase certain components essential to our snowplows and sand and salt spreaders from outside suppliers, including off‑shore sources. We also have OEM partners that supply truck chassis used in our truck upfitting operations across both segments. Most of our key supply arrangements can be discontinued at any time. A supplier may encounter delays in the production and delivery of such products and components or may supply us with products and components that do not meet our quality, quantity or cost requirements. In addition, as was the case in 2017, an OEM may encounter difficulties and may be unable to deliver truck chassis according to our production needs, which resulted in a deferral of sales from 2017 to future periods. Additionally, a supplier may be forced to discontinue operations. Any discontinuation or interruption in the availability of quality products, components or truck chassis from one or more of our suppliers may result in increased production costs, delays in the delivery of our products and lost end‑user sales, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

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

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

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

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

Our patents relating to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms, sand, salt and fertilizer spreader assemblies, reel handlers and carriers and shelving systems. Patents are valid for the

longer period of 17 years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between less than one year and 19 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 1998 through 2017.

We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 46 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN®, FISHER®, DEJANA®,  BLIZZARD®, SNOWEX®, TURFEX®, SWEEPEX®, HENDERSON® and BRINEXTREME®) 13 Canadian registered trademarks, 5 European trademarks, 71 U.S. issued patents, 11 Canadian patents and 5 Chinese and 2 Mexican trademarks.  Although we work diligently to protect our intellectual property rights, monitoring the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, and the steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use by others. In addition, in the event a third party challenges the validity of our intellectual property rights, a court may determine that our intellectual property rights may not be valid or enforceable. An adverse determination with respect to our intellectual property rights may harm our business prospects and reputation. Third parties may design around our patents or may independently develop technology similar to our trade secrets. The failure to adequately build, maintain and enforce our intellectual property portfolio could impair the strength of our technology and our brands, and harm our competitive position. Although we have no reason to believe that our intellectual property rights are vulnerable, previously undiscovered intellectual property could be used to invalidate our rights.

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

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

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

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

believes that, other regional market leaders in the truck upfitting industry are Knapheide, Reading, Palfleet and Autotruck, and accordingly represent our primary competitors for market share for our Work Truck Solutions segment.

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

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

While we monitor our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and attempt to budget for anticipated costs associated with compliance, we cannot predict the future cost of such compliance. In 2017, the amount expended for such compliance was insignificant, but we could incur material expenses in the future in the event of future legislation changes or unforeseen events, such as a workplace accident or environmental discharge, or if we otherwise discover we are in non‑compliance with an applicable regulation. In addition, under these laws and regulations, we could be liable for:

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

Financial market conditions could have a negative impact on the return on plan assets for our pension plans, which may require additional funding and negatively impact our cash flows.

Our pension expense and required contributions to our pension plan are directly affected by the value of plan assets, the projected rate of return on plan assets, the actual rate of return on plan assets and the actuarial assumptions we use to measure the defined benefit pension plan obligations. Despite modest recent market recoveries, the funding status of our pension plans remain impacted by the financial market downturn over the last several years, which had severely impacted the funded status of our pension plans. As of December 31, 2017, our pension plans were underfunded by approximately $9.8 million. In 2017, contributions to our defined benefit pension plans were approximately $1.7 million. If plan assets perform below expectations, future pension expense and funding obligations will increase, which would have a negative impact on our cash flows. Moreover, under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, it is possible that losses of asset values may necessitate accelerated funding of our pension plans in the future to meet minimum federal government requirements.

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

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

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

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

We are heavily dependent on our Chief Executive Officer and management team.

Our continued success depends on the retention, recruitment and continued contributions of key management, finance, sales and marketing personnel, some of whom could be difficult to replace. Our success is largely dependent upon our senior management team, led by our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Operating Officer and other key managers. The loss of any one or more of such persons could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

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

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $312.4 million of senior secured indebtedness, no outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility and $99.5 million of borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility. We may also be able to incur substantial indebtedness in the future, including senior indebtedness, which may or may not be secured.

Our indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:

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

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

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

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

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

Our amended revolving credit facility also includes limitations on capital expenditures and requires that if we fail to maintain the greater of $12,500,000 and 12.5% of the revolving commitments in borrowing availability, we must comply with a fixed charge coverage ratio test. In addition, if a liquidity event occurs because our borrowing availability is less than the greater of $15,000,000 and 15% of the aggregate revolving commitments (or an event of default occurs and is continuing), subject to certain limited cure rights, all proceeds of our accounts receivable and other collateral will be applied to reduce obligations under our amended revolving credit facility, jeopardizing our ability to meet other obligations. Our ability to comply with the covenants contained in our senior credit facilities or in the agreements governing our future indebtedness, and our ability to avoid liquidity events, may be affected by events, or our future performance, which are subject to factors beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial, industry and weather conditions, such as the level, timing and location of snowfall and general economic conditions in the snowbelt regions of North America. A failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under our senior credit facilities, which could prevent us from paying dividends, borrowing additional amounts and using proceeds of our inventory and accounts receivable, and also permit the lenders to accelerate the payment of such debt. If any of our debt is accelerated or if a liquidity event (or event of default) occurs that results in collateral proceeds being applied to reduce such debt, we may not have sufficient funds available to repay such debt and our other obligations, in which case, our business could be halted and such lenders could proceed against any collateral securing that debt. Further, if the lenders accelerate the payment of the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities and our other indebtedness, if any. We cannot assure you that these covenants will not adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs to pursue available business opportunities or react to changes in our business and the industry in which we operate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In July 2016, we acquired Dejana. In December 2014, we acquired Henderson.  We may not be able to achieve the projected financial performance or incur unexpected costs or liabilities as a result of these transactions. In addition, if in the future we acquire another company or its assets, it may be difficult to assimilate the acquired businesses, products, services, technologies and personnel into our operations. These difficulties could disrupt our

ongoing business, distract our management and workforce, increase our expenses and adversely affect our operating results and ability to compete and gain market share. Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky and are subject to many factors outside our control. No assurance can be given that any future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business, operating results, or financial condition. In addition, we may incur debt or be required to issue equity securities to pay for future acquisitions or investments. The issuance of any equity securities could be dilutive to our stockholders. We also may need to make further investments to support any acquired company and may have difficulty identifying and acquiring appropriate resources. If we divest or otherwise exit certain portions of our business in connection with a strategic transaction, we may be required to record additional expenses, and our estimates with respect to the useful life and ultimate recoverability of our carrying basis of assets, including goodwill and purchased intangible assets, could change.

If we fail to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or if we fail to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our internal controls processes and procedures, it could have a material adverse effect on our business or stock price.

Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require annual assessment of U.S. public companies’ internal control over financial reporting. The standards that must be met for management to assess the internal control over financial reporting as effective are complex, and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. We expect that our internal control over financial reporting will continue to evolve as our business develops. If and when we acquire new businesses, we will be required to integrate those acquired businesses into our consolidated internal controls processes and procedures and determine whether our consolidated internal control environment is effective. If we acquire businesses that are private companies at the time of acquisition and which are not previously subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or other similar regulations requiring effective internal controls over financial reporting, it may be more likely that we identify deficiencies or material weaknesses in the internal controls of such acquired businesses.

Although we are committed to continue to improve our internal control processes and we will continue to diligently review our internal control over financial reporting in order to ensure compliance with Section 404 requirements, our control system can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Therefore, we cannot be certain that in the future material weaknesses or significant deficiencies will not occur. Material weaknesses or significant deficiencies could result in misstatements of our results of operations, restatements of our consolidated financial statements, a decline in our stock price, or other material adverse effects on our business.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

Item 2.  Properties

Our significant facilities are listed below by location, ownership, and function as of December 31, 2017 are as follows:

 

(1) – Two facilities.

Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, we are engaged in various litigation primarily including product liability and intellectual property disputes. However, management does not believe that any current litigation is material to our operations or financial position. In addition, we are not currently party to any environmental‑related claims or legal matters.  We had litigation proceeds of $1.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2017 due to a settlement related to the successful conclusion of a patent infringement lawsuit against Meyer Products, LLC.  We had litigation proceeds of $10.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2016 due to a settlement related to the successful conclusion of a patent infringement lawsuit against Buyers Products Company.  

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

Our executive officers as of December 31, 2017 were as follows:

 

James Janik has been serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer and Director since 2004 and became our Chairman of the Board in 2014. Mr. Janik also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Dynamics Incorporated, the entity that previously operated our business, from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Janik was Director of Sales of our Western Products division from 1992 to 1994, General Manager of our Western Products division from 1994 to 2000 and Vice President of Marketing and Sales from 1998 to 2000. Prior to joining us, Mr. Janik was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Sunlite Plastics Inc., a custom extruder of thermoplastic materials, for two years. During the 11 prior years, Mr. Janik held a number of key marketing, sales and production management positions for John Deere Company.

Robert McCormick has been serving as our Chief Operating Officer since August 2017.  Mr. McCormick served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from September 2004 through August 2017, as our Secretary from May 2005 through August 2017, as our Assistant Secretary from September 2004 to May 2005 and as our Treasurer from September 2004 through December 2010. Prior to joining us, Mr. McCormick served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Xymox Technology Inc. from 2001 to 2004. Prior to that, Mr. McCormick served in various capacities in the Newell Rubbermaid Corporation, including President from 2000 to 2001 and Vice President Group Controller from 1997 to 2000. While Mr. McCormick served as President, he was responsible for Newell’s Mirro / Wearever Cookware, and as Vice President Group Controller, he was responsible for worldwide strategic and financial responsibilities for 12 company divisions with sales of over two billion dollars.

Sarah Lauber has been serving as our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary since August 2017.  Prior to joining us, Ms. Lauber served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jason Industries, Inc. since January 2016 and as Jason Industries’ Chief Financial Officer since 2015. Prior to joining Jason Industries, Ms. Lauber served as Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis at Regal Beloit Corporation from 2011 until 2015. Ms. Lauber previously was employed by A.O. Smith Corporation’s Electrical Products Company (“EPC”) from 2002 until 2011 and held various roles, the latest of which was Chief Financial Officer from 2006 until EPC was acquired by Regal Beloit in 2011.

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

Mark Adamson has been serving as our Executive Vice President Commercial Snow & Ice since June, 2017.  Prior to becoming our Executive Vice President, Commercial Snow & Ice, he had served as our Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing from 2013 through June 2017 and as our Vice President, Sales and Marketing from 2007 through 2013. Prior to joining us, Mr. Adamson held numerous senior level management positions with industry leaders in the grounds care industry, including John Deere Company from 1980 to 2002 and Gehl Corporation from 2002 to 2007. From 2003 to 2005, he was the Manager, Regional Sales & Distribution of Gehl Company, directing the sales and marketing activities of certain sales field managers in the northeastern United States responsible for Gehl product sales and rental, and from 2005 to 2007, he was the Director, Training and Customer Support, where he

directed the aftermarket and training activities of five departments and thirty‑two individuals responsible for Gehl and Mustang products worldwide. From 1980 to 2002, Mr. Adamson held several senior level management positions with John Deere Company.

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

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

PART II

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

Our Common Stock has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since the second quarter of 2010 under the symbol “PLOW.” The prices in the table set forth below indicate the high and low sales prices of our Common Stock per the New York Stock Exchange Composite Price History for each quarter in 2017 and 2016.

 

 

At March 1, 2018, there were 62 registered record holders of our Common Stock.

In accordance with the Company’s dividend policy, dividends are declared and paid quarterly at the discretion of the board of directors. Additionally, special dividends may be declared and paid at the discretion of the board of directors. In the first quarter of 2016, the Company increased its annual implied dividend from $0.89 to $0.94 per share and both declared and paid a dividend of $0.2350 per share.   In the second, third and fourth quarters of 2016, the Company both declared and paid a dividend of $0.2350 per share. In the first quarter of 2017, the Company increased its annual implied dividend from $0.94 to $0.96 per share and both declared and paid a dividend of $0.24 per share.   In the second, third and fourth quarters of 2017, the Company both declared and paid a dividend of $0.24 per share.

The Company’s senior credit facilities include certain negative and operating covenants, including restrictions on its ability to pay dividends, and other customary covenants, representations and warranties and events of default. The senior credit facilities entered into and recorded by the Company’s subsidiaries significantly restrict its subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring assets to the Company. The terms of the Company’s revolving credit facility specifically restrict the Company from paying dividends if a minimum availability under the revolving credit facility, the greater of $15.0 million and 15% of the aggregate revolving commitments at the time of determination, is not maintained. Additionally, both senior credit facilities restrict the Company from paying dividends above certain levels not to exceed $6.5 million or at all if an event of default has occurred. These restrictions would affect the Company indirectly since the Company relies principally on distributions from its subsidiaries to have funds available for the payment of dividends.

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

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

The graph set forth below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017, with the cumulative total return of The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on January 1, 2013 in our common stock, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index, and assumes the reinvestment of dividends.

We did not sell any equity securities during 2017 in offerings that were not registered under the Securities Act.

Item 6.  Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial data for the periods and at the dates indicated. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements.

The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 2013, 2014 and 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 is derived from our historical financial statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

The selected consolidated financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this document.

 

 

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K, including information with respect to our plans and strategies for our business, includes forward‑looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, the forward‑looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

Results of Operations

Operating Segments

The Company’s two current reportable business segments are described below.

Work Truck Attachments.  The Work Truck Attachments segment includes snow and ice management attachments sold under the FISHER®, WESTERN®, HENDERSON® and SNOWEX® brands.  This segment consists of our operations that, prior to our acquisition of Dejana, were our single operating segment, consisting of the manufacture and sale of snow and ice control products. As described under “Seasonality and Year-To- Year Variability,” the Work Truck Attachments segment is seasonal and, as a result, its results of operations can vary from quarter-to-quarter and from year-to-year.

Work Truck Solutions.  The Work Truck Solutions segment, which was created as a result of the Dejana acquisition, includes the premier truck upfit of market leading attachments and storage solutions for commercial work vehicles under the DEJANA® brand and its related sub-brands.

Because the Work Truck Solutions segment consists only of the assets of Dejana that were acquired during the year ended December 31, 2016, all results from periods prior to the acquisition were solely attributable to the Work Truck Attachments segment and the Company therefore continues to report its results of operations from such periods on a consolidated basis. See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning individual segment performance for the years ended December 31, 2017, December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

Overview

Although we diversified and expanded our portfolio with the acquisition of Dejana during the year ended December 31, 2016, snowfall is still the primary factor in evaluating our business results due to its significant impact on the results of operations of our Work Truck Attachments segment and a portion of our Work Truck Solutions segment. We typically compare the snowfall level in a given period both to the snowfall level in the prior season and to those snowfall levels we consider to be average. References to “average snowfall” levels below refer to the aggregate average inches of snowfall recorded in 66 cities in 26 snow‑belt states in the United States during the annual snow season, from October 1 through March 31, from 1980 to 2017. During this period, snowfall averaged 3,036 inches, with the low in such period being 1,794 inches and the high being 4,502 inches.

During the six‑month snow season ended March 31, 2017, snowfall was 2,872 inches, which was 5.4% lower than average. During the six‑month snow season ended March 31, 2016, we experienced snowfall that was 25.8% lower than average.  During the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2015, we experienced snowfall that was 17.3% higher than average.  We believe the lower than average snowfall in the year ended December 31, 2017  was the largest driver that negatively impacted our business in 2017. Additionally, in 2017, we encountered chassis availability issues with certain of our OEM partners, which also negatively impacted our business in 2017.  We believe other factors had a positive impact, including positively trending light truck sales in 2017,  the continued successful integration of Dejana and the continued successful integration of Henderson.

The following table sets forth, for the periods presented, the consolidated statements of income of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In the table below and throughout this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” consolidated statements of income data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The information contained in the table below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

 

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

 

Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2016

Net Sales.    Net sales were $474.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $416.3 million in 2016, an increase of $58.6 million, or 14.1%. Net sales increased for the year ended December 31, 2017 due to a full year of sales for the Work Truck Solutions segment in 2017 of $137.8 million, compared to a partial year in 2016 of $65.0 million as a result of the Dejana acquisition. This increase was partially offset by a decrease in  Work Truck Attachments net sales of $10.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, due primarily to below average levels of snowfall in the snow season ended March 31, 2017.  Additionally, sales for the year ended December 31, 2017

were negatively impacted by chassis supply availability issues in both segments and by dealer softness in Work Truck Solutions.

Cost of Sales.  Cost of sales was $331.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $282.3 million in 2016, an increase of $49.5 million, or 17.5%. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased from 67.8% for the year ended December 31, 2016 to 69.9% for the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase in cost of sales in the year ended December 31, 2017 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 was driven by the inclusion of a full year of cost of sales attributable to the Work Truck Solutions segment in 2017 of $108.3 million compared to a partial year in 2016 of $51.0 million. The increase in cost of sales as a percentage of sales were primarily due to higher cost of sales as a percentage of sales for Work Truck Solutions products, in addition to a lower margin channel mix for the segment.   The increase was also a result of increasing marginal production costs due to decreased volume for the Work Truck Attachment segment.  

Gross Profit.  Gross profit was $143.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $134.0 million in 2016, an increase of $9.1 million, or 6.8%, due to the increase in net sales described above under “—Net Sales” and “—Cost of Sales.” As a percentage of net sales, gross profit decreased from 32.2% for the year ended December 31, 2016 to 30.1% for the corresponding period in 2017, as a result of the factors discussed above under “—Net Sales” and “—Cost of Sales.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, were $73.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $64.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, an increase of $8.1 million, or 12.5%.  The increase compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 was primarily due to the inclusion of full year of selling, general and administrative expenses attributable to the Work Truck Solutions segment in 2017 of $19.6 million, compared to a partial year in 2016 of $11.0 million. Intangible amortization expense increased $0.8 million due to the inclusion of a full year of the additional intangible assets recognized as a result of the Dejana acquisition in 2017. Slightly offsetting these increases were decreases in earnout expense of $1.8 million driven by Dejana not meeting performance goals in 2017. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization, decreased from 15.5% for the year ended December 31, 2016 to 15.4% for the corresponding period in 2017 due to the factors noted above.

Interest Expense. Interest expense was $18.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $15.2 million in the corresponding period in 2016. The increase in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 was due to the incremental $130.0 million in borrowings under the Company’s term loan used to finance the Dejana acquisition.  Additionally, the Company incurred $1.6 million of financing costs that were expensed in the year ended December 31, 2017 related to the amendments to its Term Loan Credit Agreement to decrease the interest rate margins that apply to the term loan facility, which were completed in February 2017 and August 2017. 

Litigation Proceeds. Litigation proceeds were $1.3 million year ended December 31, 2017 due to a settlement related to the successful conclusion of a patent infringement lawsuit against Meyer Products, LLC.  Litigation proceeds were $10.1 million year ended December 31, 2016 due to a settlement related to the successful conclusion of a patent infringement lawsuit against Buyers Products Company.  Under the settlement agreement, the Company received a non-recurring payment of $10.1 million.  

Income Tax Expense (Benefit). Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting the deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangible amortization. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 2017 was (4.55%) compared to 38.8% for 2016. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017 is significantly lower than 2016 primarily due to the revaluation of the deferred tax assets and liabilities in 2017 resulting from the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“The Act”)  as discussed further below. Excluding The Act, our effective tax rate would have been 37.9% for the full year 2017. The effective rate for the full year of 2017 was lower than 2016 due to excess stock compensation benefit recognized in 2017.   

On December 22, 2017, the President of the United States signed into law The Act, amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits and deductions for individuals and businesses. For

businesses, The Act reduces the corporate federal tax rate from a maximum of 35.0 percent to a flat 21.0 percent rate and transitions from a worldwide tax system to a territorial tax system. The Act also adds many new provisions including changes to bonus depreciation, the deduction for executive compensation and interest expense, and a deduction for foreign-derived intangible income (FDII). Over the long term, the Company generally expects to benefit from the lower statutory rates provided by the Act and is currently assessing all other aspects relevant to the Company, most of which do not apply until 2018. The only material item that impacts the Company for 2017 is the reduction in the deferred tax rate.

As a result of the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35.0 percent to 21.0 percent under the Act, the Company has recorded a provisional reduction to its net deferred tax liability of $22.5 million, and a corresponding decrease to income tax expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2017.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) to address the application of U.S. GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of The Act. The Company has recognized the provisional tax impacts related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and included these amounts in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. The ultimate impact may differ from these provisional amounts, possibly materially, due to, among other things, additional analysis, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company has made, additional regulatory guidance that may be issued, and actions the Company may take as a result of The Act. The accounting is expected to be complete when the 2017 U.S. corporate income tax return is filed in 2018.

Net Income.  Net income for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $55.3 million compared to net income of $39.0 million for 2016, an increase of $16.3 million. This increase was driven by the factors described above, the main driver being changes resulting from The Act.

Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2015

Net Sales.    Net sales were $416.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $400.4 million in 2015, an increase of $15.9 million, or 4.0%. Net sales increased for the year ended December 31, 2016 due to the addition of $65.0 million in sales attributable to the Work Truck Solutions segment that resulted from the Dejana acquisition.  Work Truck Attachments segment net sales decreased $39.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, due primarily to below average levels of snowfall in the snow season ended March 31, 2016.   These impacts were offset by ongoing growth in demand for Henderson products and services.  Finally, of the $9.9 million in shipments from the Work Truck Attachments segment to the Work Truck Solutions segment following the Dejana acquisition, which was in line with historical trends, only $4.9 million was recognized as revenue when sold to end users by Work Truck Solutions.  The remaining $5.0 million was still in Work Truck Solutions inventory at year ended December 31, 2016 and is expected to be shipped and recorded as revenue in the first quarter of 2017.  All future shipments from the Work Truck Attachments segment to Work Truck Solutions will similarly not be recognized as revenue until they are sold to customers of Work Truck Solutions.

Cost of Sales.  Cost of sales was $282.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $267.5 million in 2015, an increase of $14.8 million, or 5.5%. . Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased from 66.8% for the year ended December 31, 2015 to 67.8% for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in cost of sales in the year ended December 31, 2016 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 was driven by the addition of $51.0 million in cost of sales attributable to the Work Truck Solutions segment that resulted from the Dejana acquisition as discussed above under “—Net Sales.”  The increases in cost of sales as a percentage of sales were primarily due to higher cost of sales as a percentage of sales for Work Truck Solutions products.   For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the prior year, cost of sales as percentage of net sales increased as a result of increasing marginal production costs due to decreased volume for the Work Truck Attachment segment.  

Gross Profit.  Gross profit was $134.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $132.9 million in 2015, an increase of $1.1 million, or 0.8%, due to the increase in net sales described above under “—Net Sales” and “—Cost of Sales.” As a percentage of net sales, gross profit decreased from 33.2% for the year

ended December 31, 2015 to 32.2% for the corresponding period in 2016, as a result of the factors discussed above under “—Net Sales” and “—Cost of Sales.”

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, were $64.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $55.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $9.4 million, or 16.9%.  The increase compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 was primarily due to expenses related to ongoing operations at Work Truck Solutions of $6.5 million. Intangible amortization expense increased $3.2 million due to additional intangible assets recognized as a result of the Dejana acquisition.  Transaction related costs related to Dejana of $3.4 million also contributed to the increase.  Slightly offsetting these increases were decreases in earnout expense of $1.8 million driven by TrynEx not meeting performance goals in 2016 and in performance based compensation of $0.9 million.  As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization, increased from 13.9% for the year ended December 31, 2015 to 15.5% for the corresponding period in 2016 due to the factors noted above, namely the Dejana transaction related costs.

Interest Expense. Interest expense was $15.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $10.9 million in the corresponding period in 2015. Interest expense increased due to the additional borrowings resulting from the modifications made to the Company’s existing term loan facility in connection with the financing of the Dejana acquisition.

Litigation Proceeds.    Litigation proceeds were $10.1 million year ended December 31, 2016 due to a settlement related to the successful conclusion of a patent infringement lawsuit against Buyers Products Company.  Under the settlement agreement, the Company received a non-recurring payment of $10.1 million.  There were no litigation proceeds in the year ended December 31, 2015. 

Income Taxes.  Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangibles amortization. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 2016 was 38.8% compared to 33.3% for 2015. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2016 is higher than 2015 due to the release of valuation allowances in several states resulting from consecutive years of taxable income in those states in the year ended December 31, 2015.

Net Income.  Net income for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $39.0 million compared to net income of $44.2 million for the corresponding period in 2015, a decrease of $5.2 million. This decrease was driven by the factors described above.

Discussion of Critical Accounting Policies

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

The most significant accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our financial statements include estimates used in the determination of liabilities related to pension obligations, impairment assessment of goodwill, as well as estimates used in the determination of liabilities related to taxation.

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

Defined Benefit Pension Obligation

As discussed in Note 11 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K, the pension benefit obligation and related pension expense or income of our pension plans are calculated in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 715‑30, Defined Benefit Plans‑Pension, and are impacted by certain actuarial assumptions, including the discount rate and the expected rate of return on plan assets. Rates are evaluated on an annual basis considering such factors as market interest rates and historical asset performance. Actuarial valuations for 2017 used a discount rate of 4.2% for both our hourly and salary pension plans and an expected long‑term rate of return on plan assets of 6.5%. Meanwhile, actuarial valuations for 2016 used a discount rate of 4.5% for both our hourly and salary pension plans and an expected long‑term rate of return on plan assets of 7.25%. Our discount rate reflects the expected future cash flow based upon our funding valuation assumptions and participant data at the beginning of the plan year. The expected future cash flow was discounted by the Principal Financial Group’s yield curve for the month preceding the 2017 year end.

In estimating the expected return on plan assets, we analyze historical and expected returns for multiple asset classes. The overall rate for each asset class was developed by combining a long‑term inflation component, the risk‑free real rate of return, and the associated risk premium. A weighted average rate was then developed based upon those overall rates and the target asset allocation of the plan. Changes in the discount rate and return on assets can have a significant effect on the funded status of our pension plans, shareholders’ equity and related expense. We cannot predict these changes in discount rates or investment returns and, therefore, cannot reasonably estimate whether the impact in subsequent years will be significant. The funded status of our pension plans is the difference between the projected benefit obligation and the fair value of its plan assets. The projected benefit obligation is the actuarial present value of all benefits expected to be earned by our employees’ service adjusted for future wage increases. At December 31, 2017, our pension obligation funded status was $9.8 million underfunded.

Our funding policy for our pension plans is to contribute amounts at least equal to the minimum annual amount required by applicable regulations. We contributed approximately $1.7 million to our pension plans in 2017 and expect to make at a minimum the required minimum funding required of approximately $0.1 million in contributions to our pension plans in 2018. See Note 11 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K for a more detailed description of our pension plans.

Revenue Recognition

Work Truck Attachments Segment Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenues upon shipment of equipment to the customer, which is when risk of loss passes and all of the following conditions are satisfied: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) the price is fixed or determinable; (iii) collectability is reasonably assured; and (iv) the product has been shipped and we have no further obligations. Customers have no right of return privileges. Historically, product returns have not been material and are permitted on an exception basis only.  Revenues from the sales of our Work Truck Attachments segment equipment are generally recognized on a gross basis.

Additionally, within the Work Truck Attachments segment, we perform upfitting services. Upfitting services are recognized as revenue when risk of loss passes and all of the following conditions are satisfied: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) the price is fixed or determinable; (iii) collectability is reasonably assured; and (iv)  the product has been either delivered or picked up by the customer and we have no further obligations. Customers have no right of return privileges. Historically, product returns have not been material and are permitted on an exception basis only. Additionally, customers are billed separately for the truck chassis by the chassis manufacturer. We only record sales for the net amount of the upfit, excluding the truck chassis. The company acts as a garage keeper and never takes ownership or title to the truck chassis and does not pay interest associated with the truck chassis on its premises.

Within the Work Truck Attachments segment, we offer a variety of discounts and sales incentives to our distributors. The estimated liability for sales discounts and allowances is recorded at the time of sale as a reduction of net sales. The liability is estimated based on the costs of the program, the planned duration of the program and historical experience.

Work Truck Solutions Segment Revenue Recognition

Within the Work Truck Solutions segment, we perform upfitting services. Upfitting services are recognized as revenue when risk of loss passes and all of the following conditions are satisfied: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) the price is fixed or determinable; (iii) collectability is reasonably assured; and (iv) the product has been either delivered or picked up by the customer and we have no further obligations. Customers have no right of return privileges. Historically, product returns have not been material and are permitted on an exception basis only. Additionally, customers are billed separately for the truck chassis by the chassis manufacturer. We only record sales for the net amount of the upfit, excluding the truck chassis. We obtain the truck chassis from the truck chassis manufacturer through either our floor plan agreement with a financial institution or bailment pool agreement with the truck chassis manufacturer.  For truck chassis acquired through the floor plan agreement, we hold title to the vehicle from the time the chassis is received by us until the completion of the upfit.  Meanwhile, under the bailment pool agreement, we do not take title to the truck chassis, but rather only hold the truck chassis on consignment. We pay interest on both of these arrangements as discussed below in Note 7. We record revenue in the same manner, net of the value of the truck chassis in both our floor plan and bailment pool agreements.

Revenues from the sales of the Work Truck Solutions products are generally recognized net of the truck chassis with the selling price to the customer recorded as sales and the manufacturing and upfit cost of the product recorded as cost of sales.  Meanwhile within the Work Truck Solutions segment, we also sell certain products for which we act as an agent. Products in this category include the sale of third-party products.  These sales do not meet the criteria for gross sales recognition, and thus are recognized on a net basis at the time of sale. Under net sales recognition, the cost paid to the third-party service provider is recorded as a reduction to sales, resulting in net sales being equal to the gross profit on the transaction.

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The Company has made the election to adopt ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method as of January 1, 2018. This approach will be applied to all contracts not completed as of the date of initial application. Upon adoption, the Company will recognize the cumulative effect of adopting this guidance as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. The Company expects this adjustment to retained earnings to be less than $0.4 million, with an immaterial impact to its net income on an ongoing basis.

Goodwill

We perform an annual impairment test for goodwill and more frequently if an event or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss has been incurred. Conditions that would trigger an impairment assessment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in legal factors or business climate that could affect the value of an asset. The amount of goodwill impairment is determined by the amount the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value.  We have determined we have three reporting units, and all significant decisions are made on a companywide basis by our chief operating decision maker. The fair value of the reporting unit is estimated by using an income and market approach. The estimated fair value is compared with our aggregate carrying value. If our fair value is greater than the carrying amount, there is no impairment. If our carrying amount is greater than the fair value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. Annual impairment tests conducted by us on December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 resulted in no adjustment to the carrying value of our goodwill.

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

At December 31, 2017, our Work Truck Solutions segment had goodwill of $80.1 million, an estimated fair market value of $241.7 million and an estimated carrying value of $191.4 million. Thus, the fair value exceeded the carrying value by approximately 26.0%.

If we are unable to attain the financial projections used in the income approach used in calculating the fair value, or if there are significant market condictions impacting the market approach, including the factors noted above, our Work Truck Solutions segment could be at risk of impairment. 

Income Taxes

Our estimate of income taxes payable, deferred income taxes and the effective tax rate is based on an analysis of many factors including interpretations of federal and state income tax laws, the difference between tax and financial reporting bases and liabilities, estimates of amounts currently due or owed in various jurisdictions, and current accounting standards. We review and update our estimates on a quarterly basis as facts and circumstances change and actual results are known.

We have generated significant deferred tax assets as a result of goodwill and intangible asset book versus tax differences as well as state net operating loss carryforwards. In assessing the ability to realize these deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the years in which those temporary differences become deductible. We consider the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, excluding those relating to indefinite lived intangible assets, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. As a result of this analysis, we have recorded a valuation allowance against certain of these deferred tax assets.

Accruals for uncertain tax positions, if any, are provided for in accordance with the requirements of ASC 740—Income Taxes. See Note 10 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K for further information regarding our accounting for income taxes.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

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

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

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

As of December 31, 2017, we had liquidity comprised of approximately $36.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and borrowing availability of approximately $99.5 million under our revolving credit facility. Borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility is governed by a borrowing base, the calculation of which includes cash on hand. Accordingly, use of cash on hand may also result in a reduction in the amount available for borrowing under our revolving credit facility. Furthermore, our revolving credit facility requires us to maintain at least $15.0 million of borrowing availability. We expect that cash on hand, cash generated from operations, as well as available credit under our senior credit facilities will provide adequate funds for the purposes described above for at least the next 12 months.

Cash Flow Analysis

Set forth below is summary cash flow information for each of the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

 

Sources and Uses of Cash

During the three‑year periods described above, net cash provided by operating activities was used for funding capital investment, paying dividends, paying interest on our senior credit facilities, and funding working capital requirements during our pre‑season shipping period. Additionally, cash from operations was used to fund a portion of the acquisitions of Henderson and Dejana.

The following table shows our cash and cash equivalents and inventories at December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2016

We had cash and cash equivalents of $36.9 million at December 31, 2017 compared to cash and cash equivalents of $18.6 million at December 31, 2016. The table below sets forth a summary of the significant sources and uses of cash for the periods presented.

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $3.6 million from the year ended December 31, 2016 to the year ended December 31, 2017. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities was due to  $2.4 million in unfavorable working capital changes and a $1.1 million decrease in net income adjusted for reconciling items. The largest driver negatively impacting cash flows was the decrease in lawsuit proceeds of $8.8 million, offset by a decrease in taxes paid of $9.8 million. 

Net cash used in investing activities decreased $176.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to the corresponding period in 2016. This decrease was due to the $181.3 million in cash outflow in 2016 for the Dejana acquisition, compared to $7.4 million in cash outflow in 2017 for the Arrowhead acquisition. Slightly offsetting this increase in cash used in investing activities was a decrease in capital expenditures in 2017 as compared to 2016 by $2.3 million.

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities decreased $136.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016.  The decrease in cash provided by financing activities was largely due to a $128.7 million net increase in 2016 resulting from borrowing and payments of long term debt.  The net increase in 2016 was a result of the Company amending and restating its senior credit facility to fund the Dejana acquisition, which included borrowings of long term debt of $129.4 million. This increase was partially offset by current year principal payments on our debt of $2.6 million. In conjunction with amending the Company’s senior credit facility, $2.3 million in financing costs were paid in 2016. We also paid dividends of $21.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to dividends paid of $22.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2017. In addition, we made a payment to the former owners of Dejana of $5.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2017 with no corresponding payment in the prior year.

Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2015

We had cash and cash equivalents of $18.6 million at December 31, 2016 compared to cash and cash equivalents of $36.8 million at December 31, 2015. The table below sets forth a summary of the significant sources and uses of cash for the periods presented.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased $13.5 million from the year ended December 31, 2015 to the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was due to  $18.4 million in favorable working capital changes slightly offset by a $4.9 million decrease in net income adjusted for reconciling items. The largest driver positively impacting cash flows was a net increase in cash provided by accounts receivable of $9.5 million driven by a $2.4 million increase in accounts receivable from the year ended December 31, 2015 to December 31, 2016 as compared to a $7.1 million decrease in accounts receivable from the year ended December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2015.  

Net cash used in investing activities increased $169.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to the corresponding period in 2015. This increase was due to the $181.3 million in cash outflow in 2016 for the Dejana acquisition as compared to $11.8 million in outflows in 2015 to complete the Henderson acquisition. Slightly offsetting this increase in cash used in investing activities was a decrease in capital expenditures in 2016 as compared to 2015 by $0.2 million.

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities increased $125.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the corresponding period in 2015.  The increase in cash provided by financing activities was

largely due to a $128.7 million net increase in 2016 resulting from borrowing and payments of long term debt.  The net increase in 2016 was a result of the Company amending and restating its senior credit facility to fund the Dejana acquisition, which included borrowings of long term debt of $129.4 million, partially offset by current year principal payments on our debt of $2.6 million. In 2015, we had no similar increase and made $1.9 million in repayments of long term debt. In conjunction with amending the Company’s senior credit facility, $2.3 million in financing costs were paid in 2016.  We also paid dividends of $20.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to dividends paid of $21.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2016. We had no outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility at either December 31, 2015 or December 31, 2016.

Non‑GAAP Financial Measures

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

These non‑GAAP measures include:

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

Net cash provided by operating activities was $66.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to $69.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2016. Free cash flow (as defined below) for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $58.8 million compared to $60.1 million in 2016, a decrease in free cash flow of $1.3 million, or 2.2%. The decrease in free cash flow is primarily a result of a decrease in cash provided by operating activities of $3.6 million slightly offset by decrease in capital expenditures of $2.3 million, as discussed below above “Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Free cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $60.1 million compared to $46.5 million in 2015, an increase in free cash flow of $13.6 million, or 29.2%. The increase in free cash flow is primarily a result of an increase in cash provided by operating activities of $13.4 million and decrease in capital expenditures of $0.2 million.

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

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

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further adjusted for certain charges consisting of unrelated legal and consulting fees, stock based compensation, loss on extinguishment of debt, impairment on assets held for sale, litigation proceeds and certain purchase accounting

expenses. We use, and we believe our investors benefit from the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA in evaluating our operating performance because it provides us and our investors with additional tools to compare our operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect our core operations. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other external users of our consolidated financial statements in evaluating our operating performance as compared to that of other companies, because it allows them to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets and liabilities, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired. Our management also uses Adjusted EBITDA for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and financial projections. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ability to make certain payments, including dividends, in compliance with our senior credit facilities, which is determined based on a calculation of “Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA” that is substantially similar to Adjusted EBITDA.

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

Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $90.9 million compared to $91.4 million in 2016, a decrease of $0.5 million, or 0.5%. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $91.4 million compared to $96.5 million in 2015, a decrease of $5.1 million, or 5.3%. In addition to the specific changes resulting from the adjustments, the changes to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods discussed resulted from factors discussed above under “—Results of Operations.”

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

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share (calculated on a diluted basis) represents net income and earnings per share (as defined by GAAP), excluding the impact of  stock based compensation, litigation proceeds, non-cash purchase accounting adjustments, tax reform and certain charges related to certain unrelated legal fees and consulting fees, net of their income tax impact.  Management believes that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share are useful in assessing the Company’s financial performance by eliminating expenses and income that are not reflective of the underlying business performance. We believe that the presentation of adjusted net income for the periods presented allows investors to make meaningful comparisons of our operating performance between periods and to view our business from the same perspective as our management. Because the excluded items are not

predictable or consistent, management does not consider them when evaluating our performance or when making decisions regarding allocation of resources.

Future Obligations and Commitments

Contractual Obligations

We are subject to certain contractual obligations, including long‑term debt and related interest. We have net unrecognized tax benefits of $0.8 million as of December 31, 2017. However, we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the period of potential cash settlement of the underlying liabilities; therefore, we have not included