Quanex Building Products CORP: Form 10-K for the period ended Oct 31, 2023

Our Company

Quanex was incorporated in Delaware on December 12, 2007, as Quanex Building Products Corporation. We currently manufacture components for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the building products industry. The majority of these components can be categorized as window and door (fenestration) components and kitchen and bath cabinet components. Examples of fenestration components include (1) energy-efficient flexible insulating glass spacers, (2) extruded vinyl profiles, (3) window and door screens, and (4) precision-formed metal and wood products. In addition, we provide certain other non-fenestration components and products, which include solar panel sealants, trim moldings, vinyl decking, vinyl fencing, water retention barriers, and conservatory roof components. We use low-cost production processes and engineering expertise to provide our customers with specialized products for their specific applications. We believe these capabilities provide us with unique competitive advantages. We serve a primary customer base in North America and the United Kingdom (U.K.), and also serve customers in international markets through our operating plants in the U.K. and Germany, as well as through sales and marketing efforts in other countries.

Our History

Our predecessor company, Quanex Corporation, was organized in Michigan in 1927 as Michigan Seamless Tube Company, and was later reincorporated in Delaware in 1968. In 1977, Michigan Seamless Tube Company changed its name to Quanex Corporation. On December 12, 2007, Quanex Building Products Corporation was incorporated as a wholly-owned subsidiary in the state of Delaware, in order to facilitate the separation of Quanex Corporation's vehicular products and building products businesses. This separation became effective on April 23, 2008, through a spin-off of the building products business to Quanex Corporation's then-existing shareholders. Immediately following the spin-off, our former parent company, consisting principally of the vehicular products business and all non-building products related corporate accounts, merged with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gerdau S.A.

Since the spin-off in 2008, we have evolved our business by making investments in organic growth initiatives and taking a disciplined approach to new business and strategic acquisition opportunities, while disposing of non-core businesses.

As of October 31, 2023, we operated 28 manufacturing facilities located in 15 states in the U.S., two facilities in the U.K., and one in Germany. These facilities feature efficient plant design and flexible manufacturing processes, enabling us to produce a wide variety of custom engineered products and components primarily focused on the window and door segment of the residential building products markets. We are able to maintain minimal levels of finished goods inventories at most locations because we typically manufacture products upon order to customer specifications. We believe the primary drivers of our operating results are residential remodeling and replacement activity and new home construction in the markets we serve.

Our Industry

Our business is largely based in North America and dependent upon the spending and growth activity levels of our customers which include national and regional residential window, door and cabinet manufacturers. Our international presence includes vinyl extruded lineals for large house systems to smaller individual customers. We also have insulating glass businesses in the U.K. and Germany.

We use data related to housing starts and window shipments in the U.S., as published by or derived from third-party sources, to evaluate the fenestration market. We also use data related to cabinet demand in the U.S. to evaluate the residential cabinet market.

The following table presents calendar-year annual housing starts information as of November 2023 from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) (units in thousands):

Ducker Worldwide LLC, a consulting and research firm, indicated in November 2023 that window shipments in the residential remodeling and replacement (R&R) market are expected to decrease approximately 6% for the calendar-year 2023 and increase approximately 1% in 2024. Derived from reports published by Ducker, the overall decrease in window shipments for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2023 was 8%. During this period, new construction activity decreased 13% and R&R replacement decreased 3% respectively.

We have noted the following trends which we believe affect our industry:

• the recent growth in the housing market over the past several years has been predominately in new construction which has outpaced the growth in the residential remodeling and replacement sector;
• programs in the U.S. such as Energy Star have improved customer awareness of the technological advances in window and door energy-efficiency, but the government has been reluctant to enforce stricter energy standards;
• supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures related to transportation, labor, and raw materials have increased causing delays in production and higher prices;
• foreign currency rates in the U.K. and other European nations have changed significantly relative to the United States Dollar due in part to Brexit in the U.K., as well as other international unrest or uncertainties;
• commodity prices have fluctuated in recent years, and to the extent we cannot pass this cost to our customers, this impacts the cost of critical materials used in our manufacturing processes such as resin, which affects margins related to our vinyl extrusion products; oil products such as butyl, which affects our insulating glass products; and aluminum, wood and silicone products used by our other businesses; and
• higher energy efficiency standards in Europe should favorably impact sales of our insulating glass spacer products in the short- to mid-term.

Strategy

Our vision is to be the preferred supplier to our customers in each market we serve. Our strategy to achieve this vision includes the following:

• focus on growth with a purpose and explore markets that are synergistic with existing manufacturing capabilities and expand our market share with national and regional customers and collaborative partnerships by providing: (1) a quality product; (2) a high level of customer service; (3) product choices at different price points; and (4) an expanded product portfolio or enhancements to existing product offerings. These enhancements may include higher thermal efficiency, enhanced functionality, improved weatherability, better appearance and best-in-class quality for our fenestration and cabinet door products;
• realize improved profitability in our manufacturing processes through: (1) ongoing preventive maintenance programs; (2) better utilization of our capacity by focusing on operational efficiencies and reducing scrap; (3) marketing our value added products; and (4) focusing on employee safety;
• offer logistics solutions that provide our customers with just-in-time service which can reduce their processing costs;
• recognize the importance of sustainability by continually looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact and carbon footprint, protect the health and safety of our employees and communities, engage diverse workers and leaders, and remain committed to doing good in our community;
• pursue targeted business acquisitions that allow us to expand our existing footprint, enhance our existing product offerings, acquire complementary technology, enhance our leadership position within the markets we serve, and expand into adjacent markets or service lines; and
• exit unprofitable or non-core service lines or customer relationships.

Our Strengths

We believe our strengths include design expertise, new technology development capability, high quality manufacturing, just-in-time delivery systems, customer service and the ability to generate unique patented products.

Raw Materials and Supplies

We purchase a diverse range of raw materials, which include PVC resin, epoxy resin, butyl, titanium dioxide (TiO2) desiccant powder, silicone and EPDM rubber compounds, coated and uncoated aluminum sheet and wood (both hardwood and softwood). These raw materials are generally available from several suppliers at market prices. We may enter into sole sourcing arrangements with our suppliers from time to time if we believe we can realize beneficial savings, but only after we have determined that the vendor can reliably supply our raw material requirements. These sole sourcing arrangements generally have termination clauses to protect us if a sole sourced vendor could not provide raw materials timely and on economically feasible terms. We believe there are other qualified suppliers from which we could purchase raw materials and supplies.

Competition

Our products are sold under highly competitive conditions. We compete with a number of companies, some of which have greater financial resources than us. We believe the primary competitive factors in the markets we serve include price, product quality, delivery performance, and the ability to manufacture to customer specifications. The volume of engineered building products that we manufacture represents a small percentage of annual domestic consumption. Similarly, our subsidiaries in the U.K. compete against some larger vinyl producers and smaller window manufacturers. For our kitchen and bathroom cabinet door business, we believe we are the largest supplier to OEMs in the U.S., but we compete with other national and regional businesses, including OEMs who are vertically integrated.

We compete against a range of small and mid-size metal, vinyl and wood products suppliers, wood molding companies, and the in-house operations of customers who have vertically integrated fenestration operations. We also compete against insulating glass (IG) spacer manufacturing firms. IG systems are used in numerous end markets including residential housing, commercial construction, appliances and transportation vehicles, but we primarily serve the residential housing market. Competition is largely based on regional presence, custom engineering, product development, quality, service and price. Primary competitors in the North American Fenestration business include, but are not limited to, Veka, Deceuninck, Energi, Vision Extrusions, GED Integrated Solutions, Technoform, Swiss Spacer, Thermix, RiteScreen, Allmetal, Endura, Klinger, Thermoseal and Fenzi Group. Competitors in the vinyl extrusion business in the U.K. include Epwin, Veka, Profine UK Extrusions Ltd., Eurocell and others. Primary competitors in the cabinet door business in the U.S. include Conestoga, Appalachian Wood, Olon, Northern Contours and others.

Sales, Marketing, and Distribution

We sell our products to customers in various countries. Therefore, we have sales representatives whose territories essentially cover the U.S., Canada, Europe, and to a lesser extent, the Middle East, Latin and South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Our sales force is tasked with selling and marketing our complete range of components, products and systems to national and regional OEMs through a direct sales force in North America and Europe, supplemented with the limited use of distributors and independent sales agents.

Customers

Certain of our businesses or product lines are largely dependent on a relatively few large customers. See Note 1, “Nature of Operations, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies - Concentration of Credit Risk and Allowance for Credit Losses,” of the accompanying financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for related disclosure.

Sales Backlog

Given the short lead times involved in our business, we have a backlog of approximately $42 million as of October 31, 2023. The criteria for revenue recognition has not been met with regard to sales backlog, and therefore, we have not recorded revenue or deferred revenue pursuant to these sales orders. If these sales orders result in a sale, we will record revenue in fiscal 2024 in accordance with our revenue recognition accounting policy.

Seasonal Nature of Business

Our business is impacted by seasonality. We have historically experienced lower sales for our products during the first half of our fiscal year as winter weather reduces homebuilding and home improvement activity. Our operating income tends to decline during this period of lower sales because a higher percentage of our operating expenses are fixed overhead. We typically experience more favorable results in the third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year. Our exposure to seasonality was somewhat tempered with the entry into the kitchen and bathroom cabinet door industry, which is focused "inside the house" and less susceptible to inclement weather. Expenses for labor and other costs are generally semi-variable throughout the year.

Working Capital

We fund operations through a combination of available cash and cash equivalents, cash flow generated from our operations, and borrowings from our revolving credit facility. We extend credit to our domestic customers in the ordinary course of business generally for a term of 30 days, while the terms for our international customers vary from cash advances to 90 days. Inventories of raw materials are carried in quantities deemed necessary to ensure a smooth production process, some of which are governed by consignment agreements with suppliers. We strive to maintain minimal finished goods inventories, while ensuring an adequate supply on hand to service customer needs.

Service Marks, Trademarks, Trade Names, and Patents

Our federally registered trademarks or service marks include QUANEX, QUANEX and design, “Q” design, TRUSEAL TECHNOLOGIES, DURASEAL, DURALITE, SOLARGAIN, ENVIROSEALED WINDOWS, EDGETHERM, EDGETECH, ECOBLEND, SUPER SPACER, TSS, TRUE WARM, E & Design, QUIET EDGE, HEALTH SMART WINDOWS, ENERGY WISE WINDOWS, DESI-ROPE, 360 and design, INTELLICLIP, SUSTAINAVIEW, MIKRON, MIKRONWOOD, MIKRONBLEND, MIKRON BLEND and design, ENERGYCORE, FUSION INSULATED SYSTEM, AIRCELL, SUPERCOAT, SUPERCAP, STYLELOCK, STYLELOCK and design, MIKRON and design, HOMESHIELD, HOMESHIELD and design, STORM SEAL, and TENON. We consider the following marks, design marks and associated trade names to be valuable in the conduct of our business: HOMESHIELD, TRUSEAL TECHNOLOGIES, EDGETECH, MIKRON, WOODCRAFT and QUANEX. Through Liniar, we hold a number of registered designs, patents and trademarks registered in the U.K., which include: MODLOK, LINIAR, SUPER CUT, ENERGY PLUS & Device, FLAMSTEAD HOLDINGS & Device, HL PLASTICS & Device, VINTAGE WINDOWS & Device, RESURGENCE, FUSE, ELEVATE, SWITCHBOARD and various other trademarks and patents which are pending approval. Generally, our business does not depend on patent protection, but patents obtained with regard to our vinyl extrusion products and processes, fabricated metal components and IG spacer products business remain a valuable competitive advantage over other building products manufacturers. We obtain patent protection for various dyes and other tooling created in connection with the production of customer-specific vinyl profile designs and vinyl extrusions. Our fabricated metal components business obtains patent protection for its thresholds. Our window sealant business unit relies on patents to protect the design of several of its window spacer products. Although we hold numerous patents, the proprietary process technology that has been developed is also considered a source of competitive advantage.

Environmental and Employee Safety Matters

We are subject to extensive laws and regulations concerning worker safety, the discharge of materials into the environment and the remediation of chemical contamination. To satisfy such requirements, we must make capital and other expenditures on an ongoing basis. The cost of worker safety and environmental matters has not had a material adverse effect on our operations or financial condition in the past, and we are not currently aware of any existing conditions that we believe are likely to have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

Safety and Environmental Policies

For many years, we have maintained compliance policies that are designed to help protect our workforce, to identify and reduce the potential for job-related accidents, and to minimize liabilities and other financial impacts related to worker safety and environmental issues. These policies include extensive employee training and education, as well as internal policies embodied in our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We have a Director of Environmental, Health and Safety and maintain a company-wide committee, comprising leaders from across the organization, which meets regularly to discuss safety issues and drive safety improvements. We plan to continue to focus on safety in particular as a core strategy to improve our operational efficiency and financial performance.

Remediation

Under applicable state and federal laws, we may be responsible for, among other things, all or part of the costs required to remove or remediate wastes or hazardous substances at locations we, or our predecessors, have owned or operated. From time to time, we also have been alleged to be liable for all or part of the costs incurred to clean up third-party sites where there might have been an alleged improper disposal of hazardous substances. At present, we are not involved in any such matters.

Environmental Compliance Costs

From time to time, we incur routine expenses and capital expenditures associated with compliance with existing environmental regulations, including control of air emissions and water discharges, and plant decommissioning costs. We have not incurred any material expenses or capital expenditures related to environmental matters during the past three fiscal years, and do not expect to incur a material amount of such costs in fiscal 2024. While we will continue to have future expenditures related to environmental matters, any such amounts are impossible to reasonably estimate at this time. Based upon our experience to date, we do not believe that our compliance with environmental requirements will have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Human Capital

We track human capital metrics that we consider to be key to our business, including employee headcount, temporary workers, health and safety, and turnover. As of October 31, 2023, we had 3,792 employees. Of these employees, 3,053 were domiciled in the U.S., 632 in the U.K., and 107 in Germany. Generally, the total number of employees of Quanex and its subsidiaries does not significantly fluctuate throughout the year. Currently, none of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements.

Employee turnover rates are monitored monthly at the division and plant levels. Both voluntary and involuntary terminations, including retirements, are used to calculate the turnover rate. Our human capital objectives include attracting, developing, motivating, rewarding, and retaining our existing and new employees. We offer our employees online training courses and on-the-job training on job duties, safety requirements, and leadership skills.

For Investors

We periodically file or furnish documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other reports as required. These reports are also available free of charge from the Investor Relations Section of our website at http://www.quanex.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material or furnish it to the SEC. As permitted by the SEC rules, we post relevant information on our website. However, the information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this report.

The following risk factors, along with other information contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings with the SEC, should be carefully considered before deciding to invest in our securities. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not currently known to us or that we may view as immaterial could impair our business if such risks were to develop into actual events. Therefore, any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. This listing of risk factors is not all-inclusive and is not necessarily presented in order of importance.

Industry Risks

Any sustained decline in residential remodeling, replacement activities, or housing starts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The primary drivers of our business are residential remodeling, replacement activities and housing starts. The home building and residential construction industry is cyclical and seasonal, and product demand is based on numerous factors such as interest rates, general economic conditions, consumer confidence and other factors beyond our control. Declines in the number of housing starts and remodeling expenditures resulting from such factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If the availability of critical raw materials were to become scarce or if the price of these items were to increase significantly, we might not be able to timely produce products for our customers or maintain our profit levels.

We purchase from outside sources significant amounts of raw materials, such as butyl, titanium dioxide, vinyl resin, aluminum, steel, silicone and wood products for use in our manufacturing facilities. Because we do not have long-term contracts for the supply of many of our raw materials, their availability and price are subject to market fluctuation and may be subject to curtailment or change. Any of these factors could affect our ability to timely and cost-effectively manufacture products for our customers.

Compliance with, or liabilities under, existing or future environmental laws and regulations could significantly increase our costs of doing business.

We are subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations concerning the discharge of materials into the environment and the prevention and/or remediation of chemical contamination. To satisfy such requirements, we must make capital and other expenditures on an ongoing basis. Future expenditures relating to environmental matters will necessarily depend upon whether such regulations and future governmental decisions or interpretations of these regulations apply to us and our facilities. It is likely that we will be subject to increasingly stringent environmental standards, and we will incur additional expenditures to comply with such standards. Furthermore, if we fail to comply with applicable environmental regulations, we could be subject to substantial fines or penalties and to civil and criminal liability.

Our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets may become impaired and could result in a charge to income.

We evaluate our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets at least annually to determine whether we must test for impairment. In making this assessment, we must use judgment to make estimates of future operating results and appropriate residual values. Actual future operating results and residual values associated with our operations could differ significantly from these estimates, which may result in an impairment charge in a future period, resulting in a decrease in net income from operations in the year of the impairment, as well as a decline in our recorded net worth. Goodwill totaled $183.0 million at October 31, 2023. The results of goodwill impairment testing are described in the accompanying notes to the audited financial statements, Note 7, “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” of the accompanying financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property.

We rely on a combination of copyright, patent, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures and contractual commitments to protect our proprietary information. However, these measures can only provide limited protection and unauthorized third parties may try to copy or reverse engineer portions of our products or may otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property. If we cannot protect our proprietary information against unauthorized use, we may not be able to retain a perceived competitive advantage and we may lose sales to the infringing sellers, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are subject to various existing and contemplated laws, regulations and government initiatives that may materially impact the demand for our products, our profitability or our costs of doing business.

Our business may be materially impacted by various governmental laws, regulations and initiatives that may artificially create, deflate, accelerate, or decelerate consumer demand for our products. For example, when the government issues tax credits designed to encourage increased homebuilding or energy-efficient window purchases, the credits may create a spike in demand that would not otherwise have occurred and our production capabilities may not be able to keep pace, which could materially impact our profitability. Likewise, when such laws, regulations or initiatives expire, our business may experience a material loss in sales volume or an increase in production costs as a result of the decline in consumer demand.

Our operations outside the U.S. require us to comply with a number of U.S. and international anti-corruption regulations, violations of which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and consolidated financial condition.

Our international operations require us to comply with a number of U.S. and international regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010. While we have implemented appropriate training and compliance programs to prevent violations of these anti-bribery regulations, we cannot ensure that our policies, procedures and programs will always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Allegations of violations of applicable anti-corruption laws, may result in internal, independent, or government investigations, and violations of anti-corruption laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions or other liabilities which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business and on our stock price.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to effectively monitor our business, prevent fraud or theft, remain in compliance with our credit facility covenants, and provide reliable financial reports, both to the public and to our lenders. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, both in accordance with current standards and as standards are modified over time, we could trigger an event of default under our credit facilities or lose the confidence of the investing community, both of which could result in a material adverse effect on our stock price, limit our ability to borrow funds, or result in the application of unfavorable commercial terms to borrowings then outstanding.

The impact of foreign trade relations and associated tariffs could adversely impact our business.

We currently source a number of raw materials from international suppliers. Import tariffs, taxes, customs duties and/or other trading regulations imposed by the U.S. government on foreign countries, or by foreign countries on the U.S., could significantly increase the prices we pay for certain raw materials, such as aluminum and wood, that are critical to our ability to manufacture our products. In addition, we may be unable to find a domestic supplier to provide the necessary raw materials on an economical basis in the amounts we require. If the cost of our raw materials increases, or if we are unable to procure the necessary raw materials required to manufacture our products, then we could experience a negative impact on our operating results, profitability, customer relationships and future cash flows.

Company Risks

Our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected by disruptions in the global economy caused by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption related to the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the military conflict currently ongoing in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. These conflicts could lead to market or operational disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. Russia, Europe’s largest provider of natural gas, has significantly reduced the export of natural gas compared to the beginning of the conflict resulting in the increase in natural gas prices and the potential for natural gas shortages. In many European countries, including Germany, alternatives to natural gas have limited capacity. This has had and may continue to have a negative impact on the energy costs of our European manufacturing facilities and may also negatively impact our customers and their demand for our products. In addition, one of the suppliers of a vapor barrier used in the production of our insulating glass spacers is located in Israel and may experience a disruption as a result of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. If supply chain interruptions or other disruptions result in the unavailability of raw materials or an increase to the price of raw materials or other commodities, we could experience a negative impact on our operating results, profitability and future cash flows.

Our business will suffer if we are unable to adequately address potential supplier or customer pricing pressures, both with respect to OEMs that have significant pricing leverage over suppliers, and to large suppliers who have significant pricing leverage over their customers.

Our primary customers are OEMs, who have substantial leverage in setting purchasing and payment terms. In addition, many of our suppliers are large international conglomerates with numerous customers that are much larger than us, which lessens our leverage in pricing and supply negotiations. We attempt to manage this pricing pressure and to preserve our business relationships with suppliers and OEMs by negotiating reasonable price concessions when needed, and by reducing our production costs through various measures, which may include managing our purchase process to control the cost of our raw materials and components, maintaining multiple supply sources where possible, and implementing cost-effective process improvements. However, our efforts in this regard may not be successful and our operating margins could be negatively impacted.

Our revenues could decline or we may lose business if our customers vertically integrate their operations, diversify their supplier base, or transfer manufacturing capacity to other regions.

Certain of our businesses or product lines are largely dependent on a relatively few large customers. Although we believe we have an extensive customer base, if we were to lose one of these large customers or if one such customer were to materially reduce its purchases as a result of vertical integration, supplier diversification, or a shift in regional focus, our revenue, general financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our credit facility contains certain operational restrictions, reporting requirements, and financial covenants that limit the aggregate availability of funds.

Our revolving credit facility contains certain financial covenants and other operating and reporting requirements that could present risk to our operating results or limit our ability to access capital for use in the business. For a full discussion of the various covenants and operating requirements imposed by our revolving credit facility and information related to the potential limitations on our ability to access capital, see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We may not be able to successfully manage or integrate acquisitions, and if we are unable to do so, then our profitability could be adversely affected.

We cannot provide assurance that we will successfully manage or integrate acquisition targets once we have purchased them. If we acquire a business for which we do not fully understand or appreciate the specific business risks, if we overvalue or fail to conduct effective due diligence on an acquisition, or if we fail to effectively and efficiently integrate a business that we acquire, then there could be a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve the projected growth and cash flow goals associated with the new business, which could result in an overall material adverse effect on our long-term profitability or revenue generation.

If our information technology systems fail, or if we experience an interruption in our operations due to an aging information system infrastructure, then our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

The failure of our information technology systems, our inability to successfully maintain, enhance and/or replace our information technology systems when necessary, or a significant compromise of the integrity or security of the data that is generated from our information technology systems, could adversely affect our results of operations and could disrupt business and prevent or severely limit our ability to respond to data requests from our customers, suppliers, auditors, shareholders, employees or government authorities.

We are subject to data security and privacy risks that could negatively affect our results or operations.

In addition to our own sensitive and proprietary business information, we collect transactional and personal information about our customers and employees. Any breach, including ransomware attacks or other cybersecurity breaches, of our or our service providers’ network or other vendor systems, may result in the loss of confidential business and financial data, misappropriation of our consumers’ or employees’ personal information or a disruption of our business. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business or our vendor and customer relationships, and could also result in unwanted media attention, reputational damage, or the imposition of fines, lawsuits, or significant legal or remediation expenses.

Epidemics, pandemics or other disease outbreaks could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our customers or suppliers.

If the COVID-19 coronavirus, or any other epidemic or pandemic, disrupts the worldwide economy, or if similar widespread disease outbreaks occur in the future, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected to the extent such event harms the economy or region in which we operate.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the occurrence of a widespread health epidemic or pandemic. In particular, any outbreak or resurgence of COVID-19 such as the spread of the Omicron variant, Delta variant or any other future variants, or governmental imposition of mandatory or voluntary closures in areas where our manufacturing facilities, suppliers or customers are located, could severely disrupt our operations and result in (a) plant slowdowns or shutdowns, (b) difficulty obtaining necessary supplies, and (c) reduced customer orders and revenues. In addition to this potential direct impact on our facilities and operations, continuing outbreaks of the virus could negatively impact our industry and end markets as a whole, or result in a longer-term economic recession. Any of these factors could negatively affect our business, financial condition, cash flows, profitability, and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had and may continue to create inefficiencies or interruptions in the supply chain as our suppliers may be forced to close their own plants or prove unable to obtain their own raw materials. If our suppliers are unable to timely meet our supply needs, it could impact our ability to provide our customers with high quality products on a timely basis, which could result in order cancellations, delivery refusals, price concessions, or other negative customer outcomes, any of which could negatively impact our business, revenues, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. We could also be forced to pay higher prices for the supplies we purchase, which could negatively impact our results of operations and profitability.

We may not have the right personnel in place to achieve our operating goals, and the rural location of some of our operations may make it difficult to locate or hire highly skilled employees.

We operate in some rural areas and small towns where the competition for labor can be fierce, and where the pool of qualified employees may be very small. If we are unable to obtain or retain skilled workers and adequately trained professionals to conduct our business, we may not be able to manage our business to the necessary high standards. In addition, we may be forced to pay higher wages or offer other benefits that might impact our cost of labor and thereby negatively impact our profitability.

Equipment failures or catastrophic loss at any of our manufacturing facilities could prevent us from producing our products.

An interruption in production capabilities at any of our facilities due to equipment failure, catastrophic loss, or other reasons could result in our inability to manufacture products, which could severely affect delivery times, return or cancellation rates, and future sales, any of which could result in lower sales and earnings or the loss of customers. Although we have a disaster recovery plan in place, we currently have one plant which is the sole source for our insulating glass spacer business in the U.S. If that plant were to experience a catastrophic loss and our disaster recovery plan were to fail, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Product liability claims and product replacements could harm our reputation, revenue generation and financial condition, or could result in costs related to litigation, warranty claims, or customer accommodations.

We have, on occasion, found flaws and deficiencies in the manufacturing, design, testing or installation of our products, which may result from a product defect, a defect in a component part provided by our suppliers, or as a result of the product being installed incorrectly by our customer or an end user. The failure of products before or after installation could result in litigation or claims by our customers or other users of the products, or in the expenditure of costs related to warranty coverage, claim settlement, litigation, or customer accommodation. In addition, we are currently party to certain legal claims related to a commercial sealant product, and there is no assurance that we will prevail on those claims. We may be required to expend legal fees, expert costs, and other costs associated with defending the claims and/or lawsuits. We may elect to enter into legal settlements or be forced to pay any judgments that result from an adverse court decision. Any such settlements, judgments, fees and/or costs could negatively impact our profitability, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our insurance coverage may be inapplicable or inadequate to cover certain liabilities, and our insurance policies may exclude coverage for certain matters.

While we maintain a robust insurance program that is reasonably designed to cover our known and unknown risks, there is no assurance that our insurance carriers will voluntarily agree to cover every potential liability, or that our insurance policies include limits high enough to cover all liabilities associated with our business or products. In addition, coverage under our insurance policies may be unavailable in the future for certain products. For example, during a prior renewal of our insurance program, our insurance carriers excluded future coverage of a product line we no longer manufacture or sell. If our insurers refuse to cover claims, in whole or in part, or if we exhaust our available insurance coverage at some point in the future, then we might be forced to expend legal fees and settlement or judgment costs, which could negatively impact our profitability, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Climate change and related extreme weather events could disrupt our supply chain, decrease customer demand for our products, or damage our manufacturing facilities.

We, along with many of our customers and suppliers, operate manufacturing facilities in areas at risk for extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, wildfires, winter storms, or floods. Ongoing climate change has increased the frequency and severity of these events and the related risk of a catastrophic weather event affecting one of our plants, or a plant owned by one of our customers or suppliers. If such an event occurs at a facility belonging to one of our customers, we could see reduced demand for our products. If such an event occurs at a facility belonging to us or one of our suppliers, we may be unable to timely and cost-effectively manufacture products for our customers. These declines in demand or impacts to our ability to manufacture our products could negatively impact our revenues, earnings, cash flow, and other operating results.

Changes in taxation as well as the inherent difficulty in quantifying potential tax effects of business decisions could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

We file income tax returns, including tax returns for our subsidiaries, with federal, state, local, and foreign jurisdictions. We consider the United States to be our most significant jurisdiction; however, all tax returns are subject to routine compliance review by the taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we file tax returns in the ordinary course of business. We make judgments regarding the utilization of existing deferred tax assets and the potential tax effects of various financial transactions and results of operations to estimate our obligations to taxing authorities. Tax obligations include income, franchise, real estate, sales and use, and employment-related taxes. These judgments include reserves for potential adverse outcomes regarding tax positions that have been taken. Changes in federal, state, or local tax laws, adverse tax audit results, or adverse tax rulings on positions taken could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

Bank failures or other events affecting financial institutions could adversely affect our liquidity and financial performance.

The recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits or lending commitments due to bank failures and banking industry instability could materially and adversely affect the Company’s liquidity, access to cash and credit, and the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as those of the Company’s third-party suppliers or vendors. The recent closures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank and their placement into receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) along with the FDIC’s seizure and sale of First Republic Bank created market disruption and uncertainty with respect to the financial condition of a number of other banking institutions in the United States. While the Company does not have any direct exposure to SVB, Signature Bank, or First Republic Bank, the Company does maintain its cash at financial institutions, sometimes in balances that exceed the current FDIC insurance limits.

If other banks and financial institutions enter receivership or become insolvent in the future due to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, the Company’s ability to access its cash and cash equivalents, including transferring funds, making payments or receiving funds, and the Company’s access to credit, as well as those of its third-party suppliers or vendors, may be threatened and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and financial condition.

Risks Associated with Investment in Quanex Securities

Our corporate governance documents and the provisions of Delaware law may delay or preclude a business acquisition or divestiture that stockholders may consider to be favorable, which might result in a decrease in the value of our common shares.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our Board of Directors. These provisions include restrictions on the ability of our stockholders to remove directors and supermajority voting requirements for stockholders to amend our organizational documents and limitations on action by our stockholders by written consent. In addition, our Board of Directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer. Although we believe these provisions protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics, and thereby provide for an opportunity for us to receive a higher bid by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders.

We have the ability to issue additional equity securities, which would lead to dilution of our issued and outstanding common stock.

We are authorized to issue, without stockholder approval, 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value, in one or more series, which may give other stockholders dividend, conversion, voting, and liquidation rights, among other rights, which may be superior to the rights of holders of our common stock. The issuance of additional equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities would result in dilution of existing stockholders' equity interests. Our Board of Directors has no present intention to issue any such preferred shares, but has the right to do so in the future. In addition, we were authorized, by prior stockholder approval, to issue up to 125,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of which 37,176,958 were issued at October 31, 2023. These authorized shares can be issued, without stockholder approval, as securities convertible into either common stock or preferred stock.

The following table lists our principal properties by location, general character and use as of October 31, 2023.

* These locations are leased as of October 31, 2023.

In addition to the locations identified above, our North American Fenestration Segment maintains 14 additional facilities for the manufacture and distribution of fenestration, spacer and extrusion products within the continental U.S., our European Fenestration Segment maintains one additional location for the production of spacer in the U.K., and our North American Cabinet Components Segment maintains 11 locations to manufacture hardwood doors and other wood components for kitchen and bath cabinets. See Note 1, “Nature of Operations, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies - Restructuring,” to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We believe our operating properties are in good condition and well maintained, and are generally suitable and adequate to carry on our business. In fiscal 2023, on a consolidated basis, our facilities operated at approximately 54% of machine capacity. This capacity utilization is subject to variability by product line, seasonality, location, labor shortages and supply chain interruptions.

From time to time, we, along with our subsidiaries, are involved in various litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of our business, including those arising from or related to contractual matters, commercial disputes, intellectual property, personal injury, environmental matters, product performance or warranties, product liability, insurance coverage and personnel and employment disputes.

We regularly review with legal counsel the status of all ongoing proceedings, and we maintain insurance against these risks to the extent deemed prudent by our management and to the extent such insurance is available. However, there is no assurance that we will prevail in these matters or that our insurers will accept full coverage of these matters, and we could, in the future, incur judgments, enter into settlements of claims, or revise our expectations regarding the outcome or insurability of matters we face, which could materially impact our results of operations.

We have been and are currently party to multiple claims, some of which are in litigation, relating to alleged defects in a commercial sealant product that was manufactured and sold during the 2000’s. Several claims were resolved during fiscal 2020, 2021 and 2022, and we continue to defend the remaining claims. While we believe that our product was not defective and that we would prevail in these commercial sealant product claims if taken to trial, the timing, ultimate resolution and potential impact of these claims is not currently determinable. Nevertheless, after taking into account all currently available information, including our defenses, the advice of our counsel, and the extent and currently-expected availability of our existing insurance coverage, we believe that the eventual outcome of these commercial sealant claims will not have a material adverse effect on our overall financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and we have not recorded any accrual with regard to these claims.

We reserve for litigation loss contingencies that are both probable and reasonably estimable. We do not expect that losses resulting from any current legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements if or when such losses are incurred.

For discussion of environmental issues, see Item 1, “Business - Environmental and Employee Safety Matters,” discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based on our current assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections about our business and the homebuilding industry, and therefore, it should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto, as well as our “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” discussed elsewhere within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For a listing of potential risks and uncertainties which impact our business and industry, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Actual results could differ from our expectations due to several factors which include, but are not limited to: the impact of market price and demand for our products, economic and competitive conditions, capital expenditures, new technology, regulatory changes and other uncertainties. Unless otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

Our Business

We currently manufacture components for original equipment manufacturers in the building products industry. The majority of these components can be categorized as window and door (fenestration) components and kitchen and bath cabinet components. Examples of fenestration components include (1) energy-efficient flexible insulating glass spacers, (2) extruded vinyl profiles, (3) window and door screens, and (4) precision-formed metal and wood products. In addition, we provide certain other non-fenestration components and products, which include solar panel sealants, trim moldings, vinyl decking, vinyl fencing, water retention barriers, custom compound mixing, and conservatory roof components. We use low-cost production processes and engineering expertise to provide our customers with specialized products for their specific applications. We believe these capabilities provide us with unique competitive advantages. We serve a primary customer base in North America and the U.K., and also serve customers in international markets through our operating plants in the U.K. and Germany, as well as through sales and marketing efforts in other countries.

We continue to invest in organic growth initiatives and we intend to continue evaluating business acquisitions that allow us to expand our existing fenestration and cabinet component footprint, enhance our product offerings, provide new complementary technology, enhance our leadership position within the markets we serve, and expand into new markets or service lines. We have disposed of non-core businesses in the past, and continue to evaluate our business portfolio to ensure that we are investing in markets where we believe there is potential future growth.

We currently have three reportable business segments: (1) North American Fenestration segment (“NA Fenestration”), comprising three operating segments, consisting of manufacturing vinyl profiles, IG spacers, screens, custom compound mixing and other fenestration components; (2) European Fenestration segment (“EU Fenestration”), comprising our U.K.-based vinyl extrusion business, manufacturing vinyl profiles and conservatories, and the European insulating glass business manufacturing IG spacers; and (3) North American Cabinet Components segment (“NA Cabinet Components”), comprising our North American cabinet door and components business and two wood-manufacturing plants. We maintain a grouping called Unallocated Corporate & Other, which includes transaction expenses, stock-based compensation, long-term incentive awards based on the performance of our common stock and other factors, certain severance and legal costs not deemed to be allocable to all segments, depreciation of corporate assets, interest expense, other, net, income taxes and inter-segment eliminations, and executive incentive compensation and medical expense fluctuations relative to planned costs as determined during the annual planning process. Other corporate general and administrative costs have been allocated to the reportable business segments, based upon a relative measure of profitability in order to more accurately reflect each reportable business segment's administrative costs. We allocate corporate expenses to businesses acquired mid-year from the date of acquisition. The accounting policies of our operating segments are the same as those used to prepare our accompanying consolidated financial statements. Corporate general and administrative expenses allocated during the years ended October 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $23.5 million, $24.5 million and $21.6 million, respectively.

Recent Transactions and Events

On November 1, 2022, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with LMI and the equity owners of LMI, Lauren International, Ltd. and Meteor-US-Beteiligungs GMBH. Under the Purchase Agreement, we acquired substantially all of the operating assets comprising LMI’s polymer mixing and rubber compound production business and also agreed to assume certain liabilities relating to the Acquisition. LMI is allocated entirely to our North American Fenestration reportable operating segment. As consideration for the Purchased Assets, we paid $91.3 million in cash utilizing funds borrowed under our Credit Facility. In connection with the Acquisition, we amended our existing finance lease with Lauren Real Estate Holding LLC for the purpose of adding an additional lease renewal option and increasing rental space by approximately 60,000 square feet of rental space which was added to the 313,595 square feet of rentable area located in Cambridge, Ohio.

U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the military conflicts currently ongoing in Ukraine and Gaza. Although the length and impact of these ongoing military conflicts are highly unpredictable, the conflicts could lead to market or operational disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. Russia, Europe’s largest provider of natural gas, has significantly reduced the export of natural gas compared to the beginning of the conflict resulting in the increase in natural gas prices and the potential for natural gas shortages. In addition, one of the suppliers of a vapor barrier used in the production of our insulating glass spacers is located in Israel and may experience a disruption as a result of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. If these trends continues, this would not only negatively impact our European manufacturing facilities, this may also impact our customers and their demand for our products. We continue to monitor these situations and their impact on our business.

The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and their impacts on the global economy, including inflation and the price of raw materials, supply chain disruptions, and the volatility in interest rates including home mortgage rates, are unpredictable and there may be developments outside our control requiring us to adjust our operating plan.

Market Overview and Outlook

We believe the primary drivers of our operating results continue to be North American residential remodeling and replacement (R&R) and new home construction activity. We believe that housing starts and window shipments are indicators of activity levels in the homebuilding and window industries, and we use this data, as published by or derived from third-party sources, to evaluate the market. We have historically evaluated the market using data from the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) with regard to housing starts, and published reports by Ducker Worldwide, LLC (Ducker), a consulting and research firm, with regard to window shipments in the U.S.

In November 2023, the NAHB forecasted calendar-year housing starts (excluding manufactured units) to be 1.4 million in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 calendar-years. The November 2022 Ducker forecast indicated that window shipments in the R&R market are expected to decrease approximately 6% and increase 1% in the calendar-years ended 2023 and 2024, respectively, and window shipments in the new construction market are expected to decrease 10% and increase 5% in the calendar-years ended 2023 and 2024, respectively, resulting in overall window shipment decline of 8% in 2023 and increase 3% in 2024. Derived from reports published by Ducker, the overall decrease in window shipments for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2023 was 8%. During this period, new construction activities decreased 13% and R&R decreased 3%.

Our U.K. vinyl business (commonly referred to as “Liniar”) is largely focused on the sale of vinyl house systems under the trade name “Liniar” to smaller window manufacturers in the U.K. Liniar is one of the larger providers of vinyl extruded products in the U.K. in terms of volume shipped. Currently, the U.K. is experiencing a shortage in affordable housing, with rising demand due in part to a growing immigrant population. Liniar’s current primary customers are smaller window fabricators, as opposed to the larger OEMs that comprise a large portion of the North American market. These manufacturers seek the quality and technology of the specific products identified by the Liniar trade name. In addition, Liniar services non-fenestration markets including the manufacture of roofing for conservatories, vinyl decking and vinyl water retention barriers used for landscaping. We believe there are growth opportunities within these markets in the U.K. and potential synergies which may enable us to sell complementary products.

NA Cabinet Components manufactures kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors and components, amongst other products, using a variety of woods from traditional hardwoods to engineered wood products. Currently, most of the revenue in the NA Cabinet Components segment is earned in the U.S., so domestic housing starts and R&R activity constitute the primary drivers of this business as well. The cabinet door market is stratified as follows: stock (low-cost, low-variations), semi-custom (more customized, just-in-time manufacturing, higher price point) and custom (precise customer specifications, just-in-time manufacturing, high-end price point). NA Cabinet Component's primary market is semi-custom.

Our business is seasonal, particularly our fenestration business, as inclement weather during the winter months tends to slow down construction, particularly as related to “outside of the house” construction. To some extent, we believe our kitchen and bathroom cabinet door business lessens the impact of seasonality on our operating results, as the cabinet business is “inside of the house” and less susceptible to weather.

We are impacted by regulation of energy standards. Although the U.S. government has been less aggressively pursuing higher energy efficiency standards in recent years, other countries have implemented higher energy efficiency standards which should bode well for our fenestration-related business in these markets, particularly our warm-edge spacer products.

Several commodities in our business are subject to pricing fluctuations, including polyvinyl resin (PVC), titanium dioxide (TiO2), petroleum products, aluminum and wood. For the majority of our customers and critical suppliers, we have price adjusters in place which effectively share the base pass-through price changes for our primary commodities with our customers commensurate with the market at large. Our long-term exposure to these price fluctuations is somewhat mitigated due to the contractual component of the adjuster program. However, these adjusters are not in place with all customers and for all commodities, and there is a level of exposure to such volatility due to the lag associated with the timing of price updates in accordance with our customer agreements, particularly with regard to hardwoods. In addition, some of these commodities are in high demand, particularly in Europe, which can affect the cost of the raw materials, a portion of which we may not be able to fully recover.

The global economy remains uncertain due to currency devaluations, political unrest, terror threats, global pandemics such as COVID-19, and even the political landscape in the U.S. These and other macro-economic factors have impacted the global financial markets, which may have contributed to significant changes in foreign currencies. We continue to monitor our exposure to changes in exchange rates.

Comparison of the fiscal years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022

This table sets forth our consolidated results of operations for the twelve-month periods ended October 31, 2023 and 2022.

(Dollars in thousands)

Our year-over-year results by reportable segment follow. Our comparison of the results for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2022 and 2021 by reportable segment for the prior year comparative periods can be found in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2022.

Changes Related to Operating Income by Reportable Segment:

NA Fenestration

(Dollars in thousands)

Net Sales. Net sales decreased $20.0 million, or 3%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, which was primarily driven by an $86.9 million decrease in volumes mainly due to softer market demand, a return to normal seasonality, customer destocking, and a decrease in price and raw material surcharges of $8.7 million, partially offset by a $75.6 million contribution from the addition of LMI in 2023.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales decreased $20.1 million, or 4%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Cost of sales, including labor, decreased primarily due to lower volumes and deflation of raw materials during the period partially offset by the addition of LMI’s cost of sales in 2023.

Selling, General and Administrative. Our selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $1.8 million, or 3%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. This decrease was due primarily to decreases in labor costs year-over-year.

Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased $4.3 million, or 26%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to the acquisition of LMI’s property, plant and equipment and intangible assets.

EU Fenestration

(Dollars in thousands)

Net Sales. Net sales decreased $11.3 million, or 4%, when comparing the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, which was primarily driven by a $19.2 million decrease in volumes largely due to softer market demand, a return to normal seasonality, and customer destocking, and $4.1 million of foreign currency rate change, partially offset by $12.0 million of base price increases.

Cost of Sales. The cost of sales decreased $21.8 million, or 12%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Cost of sales decreased primarily due to a decrease in volumes, deflation in the price of raw materials and foreign currency impacts.

Selling, General and Administrative. Our selling, general and administrative expense increased $0.5 million, or 2%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The increase is primarily due to an increase in labor costs partially offset by a decrease in professional fees and foreign currency impacts year-over-year.

NA Cabinet Components

(Dollars in thousands)

Net Sales. Net sales decreased $60.3 million, or 22%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, which was primarily driven by a $49.5 million decrease in volumes due to softer market demand driven by weaker consumer confidence and a $10.8 million decrease in raw material indexes.

Cost of Sales. The cost of sales decreased $58.5 million, or 25%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily as a result of lower volumes year-over-year and lumber price deflation.

Selling, General and Administrative. Our selling, general and administrative expense decreased $0.9 million, or 4%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The decrease is primarily due to lower labor costs partially offset by an increase in professional fees and the loss on an asset caused by wind damage to a manufacturing facility.

Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense decreased $1.6 million, or 12%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022, reflecting the run-off of depreciation expense related to existing assets.

Unallocated Corporate & Other

(Dollars in thousands)

Net Sales. Net sales for Unallocated Corporate & Other represents the elimination of inter-segment sales for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 and 2022.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales for Corporate & Other consists of the elimination of inter-segment sales, profit in inventory, and other costs.

Selling, General and Administrative. Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased $9.0 million, or 195%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. This increase is primarily attributable to an increase in transaction fees and compensation expense including the valuations of our stock-based compensation awards during the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

Changes Related to Non-Operating Items:

Interest Expense. Interest expense increased $5.6 million, or 218%, for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 as a result of higher borrowings outstanding during the period and an increase in interest rates. The weighted average interest rate for borrowings outstanding for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 was 6.01% compared with 2.16% for the twelve months ended October 31, 2022.

Other, net. Other loss increased $6.6 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The increase is primarily due to pension settlement expense.

Income Taxes. We recorded income tax expense of $14.5 million on pre-tax income of $97.0 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2023, an effective rate of 15.0%, and income tax expense of $21.4 million on pre-tax income of $109.8 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2022, an effective rate of 19.5%. The October 31, 2023 effective rate is lower than the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the U.K. patent box benefit, tax return to accrual adjustments, and changes in uncertain tax positions, offset by state and local income tax, non U.S. income tax and nondeductible expenses. The effective rate for the twelve months ended October 31, 2022 was impacted by U.S. patent box benefit, state and local income taxes, non U.S. income tax and nondeductible expenses.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Historically, our principal sources of funds have been cash on hand, cash flow from operations, and borrowings under our credit facilities. As of October 31, 2023, we had $58.5 million of cash and cash equivalents, $15.0 million outstanding under our credit facilities, $5.0 million of outstanding letters of credit and $55.0 million outstanding leases under finance leases and other debt. Of the $55.0 million outstanding under finance leases and other debt, $51.5 million relates to real estate leases. We had $305.0 million available for use under a revolving credit facility at October 31, 2023.

On July 6, 2022, we entered into our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Facility”) with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as Agent, Swingline Lender and Issuing Lender, and BofA Securities, Inc. serving as Syndication Agent. We capitalized $1.2 million of deferred financing fees related to the Credit Facility during the year ended October 31, 2022. This $325.0 million revolving credit facility has a five-year term, maturing on July 6, 2027, and replaces our previous credit facility we entered into on October 18, 2018.

Interest payments for the Credit Facility are calculated, at our election and depending upon the Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio, at a Base Rate (0.25% to 1.00%) plus an applicable margin or at the same rate as Risk-Free Rate (“RFR”) Loans for domestic borrowings or Eurocurrency Rate Loans (1.25% to 2.00%) plus an applicable margin. In addition, we are subject to commitment fees (0.150% to 0.250%) for the unused portion of the Credit Facility. As of October 31, 2023, the applicable rate was RFR + 1.25%.

The weighted average interest rate of borrowings outstanding for the twelve-month periods ended October 31, 2023 and 2022 was 6.01% and 2.16%, respectively. We were in compliance with our debt covenants as of October 31, 2023. For additional details of the Revolving Credit Facility, see Note 9, “Debt,” included elsewhere within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We expect to repatriate excess cash moving forward and use the funds to retire debt or meet current working capital needs. We believe our business model, our current cash reserves and the recent steps we have taken to strengthen our balance sheet leave us well-positioned to manage our business and remain in compliance with our debt covenants.

Analysis of Cash Flow

The following table summarizes our cash flow results for the years ended October 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021:

(In thousands)

Our year-over-year cash flow analysis follows. Our cash flow analysis for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2022 and 2021 for the prior year comparative periods can be found in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2022.

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities increased $49.1 million for the year ended October 31, 2023 compared to the year ended October 31, 2022. The increase in operating cash flows is primarily due to favorable changes to working capital partially offset by lower net income year-over-year due to a decrease in customer demand. The favorable changes in working capital were largely driven by a decrease in inventory value due to raw material price deflation partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable.

Investing Activities

Cash used for investing activities for the year ended October 31, 2023 increased $95.5 million compared to the year ended October 31, 2022, primarily as a result of the acquisition of the LMI Custom Mixing assets.

At October 31, 2023, we had firm purchase commitments of approximately $1.4 million for the purchase or construction of capital assets. We plan to fund these capital expenditures through cash from operations or borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

Financing Activities

Cash used for financing activities was $16.2 million for the year ended October 31, 2023 compared to the year ended October 31, 2022, which included $10.6 million of dividends paid to our shareholders, and $5.6 million related to the purchase of treasury stock.

Liquidity Requirements

Our strategy for deploying cash is to invest in organic growth opportunities, develop our infrastructure, and explore strategic acquisitions. Other uses of cash include paying cash dividends to our shareholders and repurchasing our own stock. We maintain cash balances in foreign countries which totaled $17.8 million and $13.6 million as of October 31, 2023 and 2022. During the years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022, we repatriated $47.1 million and $28.9 million, respectively, of foreign earnings from our international divisions.

We believe that we have sufficient funds and adequate financial resources available to meet our anticipated liquidity needs. We expect to use our cash flow from operations to fund operations for the next twelve months and the foreseeable future.

We believe these funds should be adequate to provide for our working capital requirements, capital expenditures, and dividends, while continuing to meet our debt service requirements.

Revolving Credit Facility

We maintain our $325.0 million Credit Facility, which contains a revolving credit facility, with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as Agent, Swingline Lender and Issuing Lender, and BofA Securities, Inc. serving as Syndication Agent. The Credit Facility has a five-year term, maturing on July 6, 2027, and requires interest payments calculated, at our election and depending upon our Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio, at a Base Rate plus an applicable margin or at the same rate as Risk-Free Rate (“RFR”) Loans for domestic borrowings or Eurocurrency Rate Loans plus an applicable margin. At the time of the initial borrowing, the applicable rate was RFR + 1.25%. In addition, we are subject to commitment fees for the unused portion of the Credit Facility. The applicable margin and commitment fees range from 0.15% to 0.25%, depending upon the type of loan and Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio.

The Credit Facility provides for revolving credit commitments for a minimum principal amount of $10.0 million, up to an aggregate amount of $150.0 million or 100% of Consolidated EBITDA, subject to the lender's discretion to elect or decline the incremental increase. We can also borrow up to the lesser of $15.0 million or the revolving credit commitment, as defined, under a Swingline feature of the Credit Facility.

The Credit Facility contains a: (1) Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio requirement whereby we must not permit the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio, as defined, to be less than 3.00 to 1.00, and (2) Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio requirement, whereby we must not permit the Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio, as defined, to be greater than 3.25 to 1.00.

In addition to maintaining these financial covenants, the Credit Facility also limits our ability to enter into certain business transactions, such as to incur indebtedness or liens, to acquire businesses or dispose of material assets, make restricted payments, pay dividends (limited to $25.0 million per year) and to conduct other transactions as further defined in the Credit Facility. Some of these limitations, however, do not take effect so long as Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio is less than or equal to 2.75 to 1.00 and available liquidity exceeds $25.0 million. Substantially all of our domestic assets, with the exception of real property, are pledged as collateral for the Credit Facility.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

During December 2021, our Board of Directors approved a new stock repurchase program that authorized the repurchase of up to $75.0 million worth of shares of our common stock. During the years ended October 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we purchased 275,000, 291,000 and 478,311 shares, respectively, at a cost of $5.6 million, $6.6 million and $11.2 million, respectively, under these programs.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Estimates and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be perceived with certainty. Estimates may change as new events occur, as more experience is acquired, as additional information becomes available and as our operating environment changes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, and that we believe provide a basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily available through open market quotes. We must use our judgment with regard to uncertainties in order to make these estimates. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

We believe the following are the most critical accounting policies used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements as well as the significant judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of these policies. We consider an estimate to be critical if it is subjective and if changes in the estimate using different assumptions would result in a material impact to our financial position or results of operations.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets

Property, Plant and Equipment and Intangible Assets with Defined Lives

We make judgments and estimates in conjunction with the carrying value of our long-term assets, including property, plant and equipment, and identifiable intangibles. These judgments may include the basis for capitalization, depreciation and amortization methods and the useful lives of the underlying assets. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we review the carrying values of these assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. We determine that the carrying amount is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset. If the carrying value exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows and after considering alternate uses for the asset, an impairment charge would be recorded in the period in which such review is performed. We measure the impairment loss as the amount by which the carrying amount of the long-lived asset exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined by reference to quoted market prices in active markets, if available, or by calculating the discounted cash flows associated with the use and eventual disposition of the asset. Therefore, if there are indicators of impairment, we are required to make long-term forecasts of our future revenues and costs related to the assets subject to review. Forecasts require assumptions about demand for our products and future market conditions. Although there may be no indicators of impairment in the current period, unanticipated changes to assumptions or circumstances in future periods could result in an impairment charge in the period of the change. No impairment charges were incurred with regard to our property, plant and equipment for the years ended October 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

We monitor relevant circumstances, including industry trends, general economic conditions, and the potential impact that such circumstances might have on the valuation of our identifiable intangibles. Events and changes in circumstances that may cause a triggering event and necessitate such a review include, but are not limited to: a decrease in sales for certain customers, improvements or changes in technology, and/or a decision to phase-out a trademark or trade name. Such events could negatively impact the carrying value of our identifiable intangibles. It is possible that changes in such circumstances or in the numerous variables associated with the judgments, assumptions, and estimates made by us in assessing the appropriate valuation of our identifiable intangibles could require us to further write down a portion of our identifiable intangibles and record related non-cash impairment charges in the future. We apply a variety of techniques to establish the carrying value of our intangible assets, including the relief from royalty and excess current year earnings methods.

Goodwill

We use the acquisition method to account for business combinations and, to the extent that the purchase price exceeds the fair value of the net assets acquired, we record goodwill. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we are required to evaluate our goodwill at least annually. We perform our annual goodwill assessment as of August 31, or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist. Qualitative factors that indicate impairment could include, but are not limited to, (i) macroeconomic conditions, (ii) industry and market considerations, (iii) cost factors, (iv) overall financial performance of the reporting unit, and (v) other relevant entity-specific events. The first step in our annual goodwill assessment is to perform the optional qualitative assessment allowed by ASC Topic 350 “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other” (ASC 350). In our qualitative assessment, we evaluate relevant events or circumstances to determine whether it is more likely than not (i.e., greater than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, ASC 350 requires us to compare the fair value of such reporting unit to its carrying value including goodwill. To determine the fair value of our reporting units, we use multiple valuation techniques including a discounted cash flow analysis, using the applicable weighted average cost of capital, in combination with a market approach that uses market multiples and a selection of guideline public companies. This test requires us to make assumptions about the future growth of our business and the market in general, as well as other variables such as the level of investment in capital expenditure, growth in working capital requirements and the terminal or residual value of our reporting units beyond the periods of estimated annual cash flows. We use a third-party valuation firm to assist us with this analysis. If the fair value of each reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, no action is required. Otherwise, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the carrying amount of the reporting unit including goodwill exceeds the fair value of that reporting unit. We believe the estimates and assumptions used in our impairment assessment are reasonable based on available market information, but variations in any of the assumptions could result in materially different calculations of fair value and determinations of whether or not an impairment is indicated during current or future periods.

At our annual testing date, August 31, 2023, we had six reporting units with goodwill balances: three reporting units included in our NA Fenestration operating segment, two reporting units included in our EU Fenestration operating segment, and one reporting unit included in our NA Cabinet Components operating segment. We performed a qualitative assessment for the three of the reporting units in the NA Fenestration segment and the two reporting units in the EU Fenestration segment. This review included an analysis of historical goodwill test results, operating results relative to forecast, projected results over the next five years, and other measures and concluded that there were no indicators of potential impairment associated with these reporting units. Therefore, no additional testing was deemed necessary for the reporting units in the NA Fenestration segment and the EU Fenestration segment that were assessed qualitatively. We also updated the quantitative assessments for the reportable unit in the NA Cabinet Components segment. We determined the fair value of these reportable units exceeded the carrying value by 12.9% and concluded that no impairment was necessary.

Income Taxes

We operate in various jurisdictions and therefore our income tax expense relates to income taxes in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Germany, as well as local and state income taxes. We recognize the effect of a change in tax rates in the period of the change. We record the estimated future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the amounts reported in our consolidated balance sheets, as well as net operating losses and tax credit carry forward. We evaluate the carrying value of our net deferred tax assets and determine if our business will generate sufficient future taxable income to realize the net deferred tax assets. We perform this review for recoverability on a jurisdictional basis, whereby we consider both positive and negative evidence related to the likelihood of realization of the deferred tax assets. The weight given to the positive and negative evidence is commensurate with the extent to which the evidence can be objectively verified. We evaluate recoverability based on an estimate of future taxable income using the long-term forecasts we use to evaluate long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets for impairment, taking into consideration the future reversal of existing taxable temporary differences and reviewing our current financial operations. In the event that our estimates and assumptions indicate we will not generate sufficient future taxable income to realize our deferred tax assets, we will record a valuation allowance, to the extent indicated, to reduce our deferred tax assets to their realizable value.

Annually, we evaluate our tax positions to determine if there have been any changes in uncertain tax positions or if there has been a lapse in the statute of limitations with regard to such positions. As of October 31, 2023 and 2022 our liability for uncertain tax positions was $0.3 million and $1.4 million, respectively. These tax positions related to certain federal and state tax items regarding the interpretation of tax laws and regulations.

We believe we will have sufficient taxable income in the future to fully utilize our deferred tax assets recorded as of October 31, 2023, net of our valuation allowance. There is a risk that our estimates related to the future use of loss carry forwards and our ability to realize our deferred tax assets may not come to fruition, and that the results could materially impact our financial position and results of operations. Our total gross deferred tax assets as of October 31, 2023 and 2022 were $11.8 million and $13.9 million, respectively, for which we reserved a valuation allowance of $0.6 million and $0.5 million for the corresponding periods.

Inventory

We record inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventories are valued using the first-in first-out (FIFO) method. Fixed costs related to excess manufacturing capacity have been expensed in the period, and therefore, are not capitalized into inventory. Inventory quantities are regularly reviewed and provisions for excess or obsolete inventory are recorded primarily based on our forecast of future demand and market conditions. Significant unanticipated changes to our forecasts or changes in the net realizable value of our inventory would require a change in the provision for excess or obsolete inventory. For the years ended October 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our inventory reserves are approximately 3% of gross inventory.

Retirement Plans

We have historically sponsored a defined benefit pension plan. On January 1, 2020, we enacted changes to our pension plan whereby the benefits for all participants were frozen and thereafter those participants will receive increased benefits in the company sponsored defined contribution plan in lieu of participation in a defined benefit plan. During the three months ended October 31, 2023, we contributed $6.3 million to the pension plan and settled the pension benefit obligation and the defined benefit pension plan as terminated. As a result, our accumulated benefit obligation was zero as of October 31, 2023.

Under U.S. GAAP, we are not required to immediately recognize the effects of a deviation between actual and assumed experience under our pension plan, or to revise our estimate as a result. This approach allows the favorable and unfavorable effects that fall within an acceptable range to be netted and disclosed as an unrecognized gain or loss. As of October 31, 2023 and 2022, a net actuarial loss of zero and $3.6 million, respectively, was included in our accumulated other comprehensive income. There were no net prior service costs or transition obligations for the years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

Our contractual obligations and commercial commitments include unconditional purchase obligations which consist of commitments to buy miscellaneous parts, inventory, and expenditures related to capital projects in progress.

Our supplemental benefit plan and deferred compensation plans were terminated in June 2023. As a result, our liabilities for these plans will be distributed in June 2024 in accordance with IRS requirements. As of October 31, 2023, our liability under the supplemental benefit plan and the deferred compensation plan was approximately $2.0 million and $3.9 million, respectively.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as such term is defined in the rules promulgated by the SEC, that we believe would be material to investors and for which it is reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Effects of Inflation

We have experienced the impact of inflation on our cost of raw materials, labor, freight and overhead, particularly during the year ended October 31, 2023. Although we use contractual price indexing along with periodic base price increases to minimize the effect of inflation on our results, we have not been able to fully recover all of the inflationary cost increases. We cannot provide assurance that our results of operations and financial position will not be materially impacted by inflation in the future.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) or other standards setting bodies that we adopt as of the specified effective date. We did not adopt any new accounting pronouncements during the twelve months ended October 31, 2023. As of October 31, 2023, we believe the impact of any recently issued standards that are not yet effective are either not applicable to us at this time or will not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

The following discussion of our exposure to various market risks contains “forward looking statements” regarding our estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning our exposure. Although we believe these estimates and assumptions are reasonable in light of information currently available to us, we cannot provide assurance that these estimates will not materially differ from actual results due to the inherent unpredictability of interest rates, foreign currency rates and commodity prices as well as other factors. We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes.

Interest Rate Risk

Our outstanding debt bears interest at variable rates and accordingly is sensitive to changes in interest rates. Based upon the balances of the variable rate debt at October 31, 2023, a hypothetical 1.0% increase or decrease in interest rates could result in approximately $0.2 million of additional pre-tax charges or credit to our operating results. This sensitivity pertains primarily to our outstanding revolving credit facility borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility as of October 31, 2023.

Foreign Currency Rate Risk

Our international operations have exposure to foreign currency rate risks, primarily due to fluctuations in the Euro, the British Pound Sterling and the Canadian Dollar. From time to time, we enter into foreign exchange contracts associated with our operations to manage a portion of the foreign currency rate risk. There were no derivatives outstanding as of October 31, 2023 or 2022.

Commodity Price Risk

We purchase PVC as the significant raw material consumed in the manufacture of vinyl extrusions. We have resin adjusters in place with a majority of our customers and our resin supplier that is adjusted based upon published indices for lagging resin prices. These adjusters effectively share the base pass-through price changes of PVC with our customers commensurate with the market at large. Our long-term exposure to changes in PVC prices is somewhat mitigated due to the contractual component of the resin adjuster program. However, there is a level of exposure to short-term volatility due to timing lags.

We adjust the pricing of petroleum-based raw materials for the majority of our customers who purchase products using these materials. This is intended to offset the fluctuating cost of products which are highly correlated to the price of oil including butyl and other oil-based raw materials. This program is adjusted monthly based upon the 90-day average published price for Brent crude. The oil-based raw materials that we purchase are subject to similar pricing schemes. As such, our long-term exposure to increases in oil-based raw material prices is significantly reduced under this program.

Similarly, NA Cabinet Components includes a price index provision in the majority of its customer arrangements to insulate against significant fluctuations in the price for various hardwood products used as the primary raw material for kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors. Like our vinyl extrusion business, we are exposed to short-term volatility in wood prices due to a lag in the timing of price updates which generally could extend for up to three months.

We have begun implementing additional programs for other raw materials to facilitate more accurate pricing and reduce our exposure to changing material costs when necessary, however these are also subject to timing lags. While we maintain surcharges and other adjusters to manage our exposure to changes in the prices of our critical raw materials, we use several commodities in our business that are not covered by contractual surcharges or adjusters for which pricing can fluctuate, including PVC compound micro ingredients, silicone and other inputs.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (1934 Act) as of October 31, 2023. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of October 31, 2023, the disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Refer to Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting located in “Part 2, Item 8. Financial Information” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Auditor's Report Relating to Effectiveness of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Refer to the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm located in “Part 2, Item 8. Financial Information” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the 1934 Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.