Liquidmetal Technologies Inc: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2015

This management’s discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. All amounts described in this section are in thousands, except share and per share data.

This management’s discussion and analysis, as well as other sections of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, may contain “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding our plans, future events, objectives, expectations, forecasts, or assumptions. Any statement that is not a statement of historical fact is a forward-looking statement, and in some cases, words such as “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “seek,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from the anticipated outcomes or results, and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the matters discussed under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and other risks and uncertainties discussed in other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including risks described in subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, and Form 8-K and other filings). Liquidmetal Technologies disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Overview

We are a materials technology company that develops and commercializes products made from amorphous alloys. Our Liquidmetal® family of alloys consists of a variety of proprietary bulk alloys and composites that utilize the advantages offered by amorphous alloy technology. We design, develop and sell products and components from bulk amorphous alloys to customers in various industries. We also partner with third-party manufacturers and licensees to develop and commercialize Liquidmetal alloy products.

Amorphous alloys are, in general, unique materials that are distinguished by their ability to retain a random atomic structure when they solidify, in contrast to the crystalline atomic structures that form in other metals and alloys when they solidify. Liquidmetal alloys are proprietary amorphous alloys that possess a combination of performance, processing, and potential cost advantages that we believe will make them preferable to other materials in a variety of applications. The amorphous atomic structure of our alloys enables them to overcome certain performance limitations caused by inherent weaknesses in crystalline atomic structures, thus facilitating performance and processing characteristics superior in many ways to those of their crystalline counterparts. For example, in laboratory testing, our zirconium-titanium Liquidmetal alloys are approximately 250% stronger than commonly used titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, but they also have some of the beneficial processing characteristics more commonly associated with plastics. We believe these advantages could result in Liquidmetal alloys supplanting high-performance alloys, such as titanium and stainless steel, and other incumbent materials in a variety of applications. Moreover, we believe these advantages could enable the introduction of entirely new products and applications that are not possible or commercially viable with other materials.

Our revenues are derived from (i) selling our bulk Liquidmetal alloy products, which include non-consumer electronic devices, aerospace parts, medical products, automotive components, oil and gas exploration, and sports and leisure goods, (ii) selling tooling and prototype parts such as demonstration parts and test samples for customers with products in development, (iii) product licensing and royalty revenue, and (iv) research and development revenue.

Our cost of sales consists primarily of the costs of outsourcing our manufacturing to third parties. Selling, general, and administrative expenses currently consist primarily of salaries and related benefits, travel, consulting and professional fees, depreciation and amortization, insurance, office and administrative expenses, and other expenses related to our operations.

Research and development expenses represent salaries, related benefits expense, depreciation of research equipment, consulting and contract services, expenses incurred for the design and testing of new processing methods, expenses for the development of sample and prototype products, and other expenses related to the research and development of Liquidmetal bulk alloys. Costs associated with research and development activities are expensed as incurred. We plan to enhance our competitive position by improving our existing technologies and developing advances in amorphous alloy technologies. We believe that our research and development efforts will focus on the discovery of new alloy compositions, the development of improved processing technology, and the identification of new applications for our alloys.

Licensing Transactions

Transaction with Visser Precision Cast, LLC

On June 1, 2012, we entered into a Master Transaction Agreement (the “Visser MTA Agreement”) with Visser Precision Cast, LLC (“Visser”) relating to a strategic transaction for manufacturing services and financing.

Under the manufacturing and service component of the Visser MTA Agreement, we had agreed to engage Visser as a perpetual, exclusive manufacturer of non-consumer electronic products and to not, directly or indirectly, conduct manufacturing operations, subcontract for the manufacture of products or components or grant a license to any other party to conduct manufacturing operations, except for certain limited exceptions. Under the financing component of the Visser MTA Agreement, we issued and sold to Visser in a private placement transaction (i) 30,000,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.10 per share resulting in proceeds of $3,000, (ii) warrants to purchase 15,000,000 shares of common stock at an original exercise price of $0.22 per share which were to expire on June 1, 2017 and (iii) a secured convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of up to $2,000. No borrowings were made by us under the promissory note, and the deadline for making borrowings under the facility expired on November 15, 2012.

In November 2013, we entered into arbitration proceedings with Visser to resolve disputes associated with the Visser MTA Agreement.

On May 20, 2014, we and Visser entered into a settlement pursuant to which the parties agreed to terminate the existing arbitration proceedings, release each other from all claims we may have had against each other and substantially change the business relationship that had been reflected in the original Visser MTA Agreement. As part of the settlement, the parties have amended and restated the sublicense and financing components of the Visser MTA Agreement. Additionally, the manufacturing services component and remaining considerations of the Visser MTA Agreement were terminated.

Under the amended and restated sublicense agreement, we have granted to Visser a fully paid-up, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-transferable, nonexclusive sublicense to all of our intellectual property developed on or prior to May 20, 2014 (the “Effective Date”), for all fields of use other than certain excluded fields as set forth therein. Visser does not have any rights, now or in the future, to our intellectual property developed after the Effective Date of the agreement. The license to our intellectual property developed on or prior to the Effective Date does not include the right to use the “Liquidmetal” trademark or any of our other trademarks, except in certain defined situations, as set forth in the amended and restated agreement.

With the foregoing revised arrangements, we are no longer required to use Visser as our exclusive manufacturer and are free to license other manufacturers on a non-exclusive basis in any industry or geographic market as to which we have not previously granted an exclusive license to a third party. Any such manufacturers licensed by us in the future will be able both to manufacture parts for us and our customers, and manufacture and sell products for their own account for such industries or markets as we may agree, subject to whatever royalty arrangements we may negotiate. We have not yet licensed any manufacturers other than Visser. Visser will also have the right to manufacture and sell products under the amended and restated sublicense agreement.

The settlement amends and restates two warrants we issued to Visser in June 2012 to purchase 15,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.22 per share. Those warrants contained anti-dilution mechanisms under which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of those warrants would be increased, and the exercise price for such shares would be reduced if we issued shares of our common stock at prices less than the warrants’ exercise price. The amended and restated warrant agreement includes the effect of such anti-dilution adjustments and is exercisable for 18,611,079 shares of common stock (increased further to 18,706,235 shares under the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, see note 8) at an exercise price of $0.18 per share as of March 31, 2015. The amended and restated warrant agreement continues to contain comparable anti-dilution adjustment mechanisms. The amended and restated warrant agreement also removes certain lock-up provisions that were included in the original warrants. These warrants expire on June 1, 2017.

Apple License Transaction

On August 5, 2010, we entered into a license transaction with Apple Inc. (“Apple”) pursuant to which (i) we contributed substantially all of our intellectual property assets to a newly organized special-purpose, wholly-owned subsidiary, called Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC (“CIP”), (ii) CIP granted to Apple a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in the field of consumer electronic products, as defined in the license agreement, in exchange for a license fee, and (iii) CIP granted back to us a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in all other fields of use.

Under the agreements relating to the license transaction with Apple, we were obligated to contribute to CIP all intellectual property that we developed through February 2012 (“Capture Period”). Subsequently, we have amended the Capture Period to extend through February 2015. We are also obligated to maintain certain limited liability company formalities with respect to CIP at all times after the closing of the license transaction.

Other License Transactions

On January 31, 2012, we entered into a Supply and License Agreement for a five year term with Engel Austria Gmbh (“Engel”) whereby Engel was granted a non-exclusive license to manufacture and sell injection molding machines to our licensees. Since that time, we and Engel have agreed on an injection molding machine configuration that can be commercially supplied and supported by Engel. On December 6, 2013, the companies entered into an Exclusive License Agreement for a 10 year term whereby Engel was granted an exclusive license to manufacture and sell injection molding machines to our licensees in exchange for certain royalties to be paid by Engel to us based on a percentage of the net sales price of such injection molding machines.

On November 16, 2011, we entered into a Development Agreement with Materion Brush Inc. (“Materion”) to evaluate, analyze and develop amorphous alloy feedstock to be supplied in commercial quantities. Further, on June 17, 2012, we entered into a Sales Representation Agreement with Materion whereby Materion will promote the sale of our products for certain commissions. This agreement is for a two year initial term with annual, automatic renewals. To date, there have been no commission payments related to this agreement.

Our Liquidmetal Golf subsidiary has the exclusive right and license to utilize our Liquidmetal alloy technology for purposes of golf equipment applications. This right and license is set forth in an intercompany license agreement between Liquidmetal Technologies and Liquidmetal Golf. This license agreement provides that Liquidmetal Golf has a perpetual and exclusive license to use Liquidmetal alloy technology for the purpose of manufacturing, marketing, and selling golf club components and other products used in the sport of golf. We own 79% of the outstanding common stock of Liquidmetal Golf.

In June 2003, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with LLPG, Inc. (“LLPG”). Under the terms of the agreement, LLPG has the right to commercialize Liquidmetal alloys, particularly precious-metal based compositions, in jewelry and high-end luxury product markets. We, in turn, will receive royalty payments over the life of the contract on all Liquidmetal products produced and sold by LLPG. The exclusive license agreement with LLPG expires on December 31, 2021.

In March 2009, we entered into a license agreement with Swatch Group, Ltd. (“Swatch”) under which Swatch was granted a non-exclusive license to our technology to produce and market watches and certain other luxury products. In March 2011, this license agreement was amended to grant Swatch exclusive rights as to watches and all third parties (including us), but non-exclusive as to Apple, and our license agreement with LLPG was simultaneously amended to exclude watches from LLPG’s rights. We will receive royalty payments over the life of the contract on all Liquidmetal products produced and sold by Swatch. The license agreement with Swatch will expire on the expiration date of the last licensed patent.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to our consolidated financial statements since these policies require significant judgment or involve complex estimates that are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and operating results:

• Revenue recognition
• Impairment of long-lived assets and definite-lived intangibles
• Deferred tax assets
• Valuation of liability classified warrants
• Share based compensation

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 (the “2014 Annual Report”) contains further discussions on our critical accounting policies and estimates.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

In discussing our results of our operations, we have categorized the specific items of our consolidated statements of operations into various categories to facilitate the understanding of our core business operations. Explanations of each category as well as analyses of specific items contained in that category are discussed below:

Operating revenue and expenses

The “Operating revenue and expenses” category of statements of operations items represent those items that pertain to our core operations in the bulk alloy manufacturing and licensing business as follows:

Revenue. Total revenue decreased to $26 for the three months ended March 31, 2015 from $160 for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The decrease for the period was primarily attributable to a reduction in research and development services to licensees during 2015 as a result of a shift towards prototyping activities with potential customers to support the commercialization of our technology.

Cost of sales. Cost of sales was $19, or 83% of products revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2015, a decrease from $140, or 90% of products revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The decrease in our cost of sales is primarily attributable to the decrease in revenue, as discussed above. The cost to manufacture parts from our bulk alloys manufacturing business is variable and differs based on the unique design of each product. In addition, much of our current product mix consists of prototype parts and other revenue which have higher internal variable cost percentages, relative to products revenue, than would otherwise be incurred by contract manufacturers. Therefore, our cost of sales as a percentage of products revenue may not be representative of our future cost percentages. When we begin increasing our products revenues with shipments of routine, commercial parts through our manufacturing facility or third party contract manufacturers, we expect our cost of sales percentages to stabilize and be more predictable.

Gross margin. Our gross margin decreased to $7 from $20 for the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Our gross margin, as a percentage of products revenue, increased to 30% from 13% for the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As discussed above under “Cost of sales”, much of our current product mix consists of prototype parts and other revenue which have higher internal variable cost percentages, relative to revenue, than would otherwise be incurred by contract manufacturers. As such, our gross margin percentages may fluctuate based on volume and quoted production prices per unit and may not be representative of our future business. When we begin increasing our products revenues with shipments of routine, commercial parts through our manufacturing facility or third party contract manufacturers, we expect our cost of sales percentages to stabilize and be more predictable.

Selling, Marketing, General and Administrative. Selling, marketing, general and administrative expenses were $1,852 for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1,851 for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Research and Development. Research and development expenses increased to $482 for the three months ended March 31, 2015, from $334 for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The increase from the prior year was mainly due to additional research projects and additional personnel hires to support our manufacturing and process development efforts. We continue to (i) perform research and development of new Liquidmetal alloys and related processing capabilities, (ii) develop new manufacturing techniques, and (iii) contract with consultants to advance the development of Liquidmetal alloys and related production processes.

Operating loss. Operating loss was $2,327 for the three month period ended March 31, 2015. This compares to $2,165 for the three month period ended March 31, 2014. The increase in our operating loss is primarily attributable to the increase in operating expenses, as discussed above.

We continue to invest in our technology infrastructure to expedite the adoption of our technology, but we have experienced long sales lead times for customer adoption of our technology. Until that time where we can either (i) increase our revenues with shipments of routine, commercial parts through our third party contract manufacturer or (ii) obtain significant licensing revenues, we expect to have operating losses for the foreseeable future.

Non-operational expenses

Our statement of operations contains various, significant items that are non-operational in nature. These categories of expenses may have significant gains and losses based on the volatility of our stock price as follows:

Change in Value of Warrants. The change in value of warrants was a non-cash loss of $161 for the three months ended March 31, 2015. This compares to a non-cash loss of $1,726 for the three months ended March 31, 2014. These losses result from periodic valuation adjustments related to fluctuations in our stock price for warrants issued in connection with the Visser MTA Agreement and our Senior Convertible Notes issued in our private placement that closed in July 2012, as further described in note 3 to the accompanying financial statements (the “July 2012 Private Placement”). Changes in the value of our warrants are non-cash and do not affect the core operations of our business or liquidity.

Debt Discount Amortization. Debt discount amortization expense was $0 and $21 of non-cash expense for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, debt discount amortization primarily related to the periodic amortization of issuance costs associated with the 2013 Purchase Agreement. No such costs were incurred during the three-months ended March 31, 2015 following the termination of the 2013 Purchase Agreement in the third quarter of 2014.

Interest Income. Interest income relates to interest earned from our cash deposits for the respective periods. Such amounts were $8 and $0 for the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, our cash used in operations was $1,688, cash used in investing activities was $2,121, primarily due to increases in restricted cash to support line of credit facilities, and cash provided by financing activities was $0. As of March 31, 2015, our cash balance was $6,200 and restricted cash was $2,005, as compared to $10,009 in cash and $0 in restricted cash as of December 31, 2014.

In February 2015, we entered into a $2,000 line of credit facility that will be used to fund future capital expenditures and general operations over the access period. To date there have been no borrowings under this arrangement. This line of credit is secured by cash collateral and will terminate on February 13, 2016, subject to annual renewals.

On August 20, 2014, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (“2014 Purchase Agreement”) with Aspire Capital Fund LLC (“Aspire Capital”), which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $30,000 worth of our common stock, $0.001 par value, over the 36-month term of the 2014 Purchase Agreement.

From time to time over the term of the 2014 Purchase Agreement, we may, in our sole discretion, provide Aspire Capital with a regular purchase notice (each a “Regular Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares, but not to exceed $400, of our common stock per trading day at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the lowest sale price of our common stock on the purchase date; or (ii) the arithmetic average of the three lowest closing sale prices for our common stock during the twelve consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date. In addition, on any date on which we submit a Regular Purchase Notice to Aspire Capital for the purchase of at least 500,000 shares at a price above $0.30, we also have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of our common stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares that we may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice is generally 95% of the volume-weighted average price for our common stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.

We may deliver multiple Regular Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the 2014 Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed. The 2014 Purchase Agreement provides that we and Aspire Capital shall not effect any sales under the 2014 Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of our common stock is less than $0.10 per share. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the 2014 Purchase Agreement, and we will control the timing and amount of sales of our common stock to Aspire Capital.

On September 9, 2014, an initial registration statement covering 75,000,000 shares issued and issuable pursuant to the 2014 Purchase Agreement was declared effective by the SEC. As of March 31, 2015, there have been no transactions under the 2014 Purchase Agreement.

On November 8, 2013, we entered into the 2013 Purchase Agreement which allowed us to raise up to $20,000 through periodic issuances of common stock over a three year period. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we received an aggregate of $16,000 under the 2013 Purchase Agreement through the issuance of 85,355,615 shares of its common stock at a weighted average price of $0.19 per share. This agreement was effectively terminated on August 25, 2014.

We anticipate that our current capital resources, when considering expected losses from operations, will be sufficient to fund our operations through the end of 2015. We have a relatively limited history of producing bulk amorphous alloy components and products on a mass-production scale. Furthermore, the ability of future contract manufacturers to produce our products in desired quantities and at commercially reasonable prices is uncertain and is dependent on a variety of factors that are outside of our control, including the nature and design of the component, the customer’s specifications, and required delivery timelines. These factors will likely require that we make future equity sales under the 2014 Purchase Agreement, raise additional funds by other means, or pursue other strategic initiatives to support our operations beyond the end of 2015 and into 2016. There is no assurance that we will be able to make equity sales under the 2014 Purchase Agreement or raise additional funds by other means on acceptable terms, if at all. If we were to make equity sales under the 2014 Purchase Agreement or to raise additional funds through other means by issuing securities, existing stockholders may be diluted. If funding is insufficient at any time in the future, we may be required to alter or reduce the scope of our operations or to cease operations entirely. Uncertainty as to the outcome of these factors raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2015, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Interest Rate Risk

Our line of credit facility provides for a fixed interest rate of 2.1% per annum on all outstanding borrowings. A change in interest rates impacts the fair value of our outstanding debt under the line of credit facility but has no impact on interest incurred or cash flows. To date there have been no borrowings under our line of credit facility.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), we carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of March 31, 2015. Based on their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2015.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended March 31, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II

OTHER INFORMATION

For a detailed discussion of the risk factors that should be understood by any investor contemplating an investment in our stock, please refer to Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in the 2014 Annual Report.