CPS Technologies Corp: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2022

CPS Technologies Corp. (the ‘Company’ or ‘CPS’) provides advanced material solutions for the transportation, automotive, energy, computing/internet, telecommunications, aerospace and defense markets. CPS products are important elements in electrifying the green economy and in the protection of military personnel around the world.

Our primary material solution is metal matrix composites (MMCs). We design, manufacture and sell custom metal matrix composite components for the performance and reliability of systems in the end markets described above.

The Company is an important participant in the growing movement towards alternative energy and green lifestyles. The Company’s products are used in high-speed trains, mass transit, hybrid and electric cars, wind-turbines for electricity generation, routers, switches and fiber optic components for the internet backbone. The Company’s products are used in high reliability communications and power modules for avionics and satellite applications such as the current generation of GPS satellites. The Company also produces housings and heatspreaders for high-performance microprocessors, graphics processing chips, and application-specific integrated circuits. All of these applications involve electrical energy use or energy generation; the Company’s products allow higher performance and improved energy efficiency.

Using its proprietary MMC technology, the Company also produces light-weight armor. Due to its ability to withstand extreme environments and high threat levels, CPS armor has been selected as the solution for the U.S. Navy’s crew served weapons station program. Its light weight also makes it an ideal solution for aircraft and other vehicles requiring a high strength to weight ratio.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are a class of materials consisting of a combination of metals and ceramics. Compared to conventional materials, MMCs provide superior thermal conductivity, improved thermal expansion matching, greater stiffness and lighter weight. These factors, in particular the lighter weight, are among the reasons CPS parts are on the last two Mars Rovers as well as many satellites.

CPS is a fully qualified manufacturer for many of the world’s largest electronics OEMs.

In 2022 CPS resumed its participation in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, sponsored by the US Small Business Administration. These programs provide funding for innovative research and development. We feel these programs will further enhance CPS’ intellectual property portfolio.

CPS management believes our business model of providing advanced material solutions to a portfolio of high growth end markets in various stages of the technology adoption lifecycle provides CPS with the opportunity for sustained growth and a diversified customer base. We believe we have validated this model as we are now supplying customers at all stages of the technology adoption lifecycle.

Our products are manufactured by proprietary processes we have developed including the QuicksetTM Injection Molding Process (‘Quickset Process’) and the QuickCastTM Pressure Infiltration Process (‘QuickCast Process’).

CPS was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1984 as Ceramics Process Systems Corporation and reincorporated in Delaware in April 1987 through a merger into a wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary organized for purposes of the reincorporation. In July 1987, CPS completed our initial public offering of 1.5 million shares of our Common Stock. In March 2007, the Company changed its name from Ceramics Process Systems Corporation to CPS Technologies Corp.

CPS website is http://www.cpstechnologysolutions.com.

Overview of Markets and Products

Electronics Markets Overview

The electronics world can be divided into power processing and signal processing. Power processing consists of converting the electrical power provided by the power source into the appropriate voltage and amperage needed for the device using the power. Signal processing consists of the myriad ways digital and analog signals are used in computing, communications, and related applications.

In both power processing and signal processing end-user demand continues to motivate the electronics industry to produce products which:

- operate with lower losses and/or at higher speeds;

- are smaller in size; and

- operate with higher reliability.

While these three requirements result in products of ever-increasing performance, these requirements also create a fundamental challenge for the designer to manage the heat generated by the system operating at higher speeds and/or higher power. Smaller assemblies further concentrate the heat and increase the difficulty of removing it.

This challenge is found at each level in an electronic assembly: at the integrated circuit level speeds are increasing and line widths are decreasing; at the circuit board level higher density devices are placed closer together; and at the system level higher density circuit boards are being assembled closer together.

The designer must resolve the thermal management issues or the system will fail. For every 10 degree Celsius rise in temperature above a threshold level, the reliability of an integrated circuit is decreased by approximately half. In addition, heat usually causes changes in parameters which degrade the performance of both active and passive electronic components.

To resolve thermal management issues the designer is primarily concerned with two properties of the materials which comprise the system: 1) thermal conductivity, which is the rate at which heat moves through materials, and 2) thermal expansion rate (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion or CTE) which is the rate at which materials expand or contract as temperature changes. The designer must ensure that the temperature of an electronic assembly stays within a range in which the differences in the expansion rates of the materials in the assembly do not cause a failure from breaking, delaminating, etc.

CPS combines at the microstructural level a ceramic with a metal to produce a metal matrix composite which has the thermal conductivity needed to remove heat, and a thermal expansion rate which is sufficiently close to other components in the assembly to ensure the assembly is reliable. The ceramic is silicon carbide (SiC), the metal is aluminum (Al), and the composite is aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC), a metal-matrix composite. CPS can adjust the thermal expansion rate of AlSiC components to match the specific application by modifying the amount of SiC compared to the amount of Al in the component. The Company also has the capability of encapsulating pyrolytic graphite inserts to enhance the thermal conductivity of the AlSiC composite.

CPS produces products made of AlSiC in the shapes and configurations required for each application, for example, in the form of lids, substrates, housings, etc. Every product is made to a customer’s blueprint. The CPS process technology allows most products to be made to net shape, requiring little or no final machining.

In the metal matrix composite world, the Company primarily manufactures AlSiC components. Nevertheless, its proprietary Quickset- Quickcast process technology can be used to produce other metal-matrix composites to meet future market needs. For example, CPS is able to combine Aluminum with other ceramic fillers such as graphite and fibers.

An important development in power processing is the emergence of wide-band gap semiconductors, particularly SiC semiconductors. SiC chips are more efficient than Si chips and are being used more frequently in power applications. Modules using SiC chips run at higher temperatures, increasing the need for improved thermal management, a need which the Company’s products meet.

Armor Markets Overview

Armor has traditionally been steel panels. As threat levels have increased the amount of steel required to provide ballistic protection has reached a point where the weight degrades a vehicle’s performance. The U.S. military has increasingly used ceramic armor in weight sensitive applications. However, ceramic armor has several limitations, including limited multi-hit capability. By embedding ceramic armor tiles in a metal matrix, these problems are overcome; the result is armor that is light-weight, has excellent ballistic protection, and environmental durability.

The Company’s HybridTech Armor® panels are particularly well suited for extreme environments – the panels do not degrade in salt spray, or extreme heat. The Company is producing armor panel strikefaces for the U.S. Navy and believes it will increasingly be used in these and other surface vessel applications.

Specific Markets and Products

Motor Controller Applications (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor ("IGBT") Applications)

The electrification of the economy – particularly the use of electric motors and power modules to control electric motors of all sizes - is growing. This growth is the result of several factors including emerging high-power applications which demand power controllers such as trains, subways and certain industrial equipment, and cost declines in power modules which increasingly make variable speed drives cost effective. Power semiconductors are a very significant portion of the cost of variable speed drives, and the cost of the module housing and thermal management system are also significant; declines in the costs of all these components is driving increased use of variable speed drives.

We provide baseplates and heat spreaders on which power semiconductors are mounted to produce modules for motor control. The power semiconductors are typically IGBTs and these applications are often referred to as IGBT applications. Our MMC (AlSiC) baseplates have sufficient thermal conductivity to allow for removal of heat through the baseplate and have a thermal expansion rate sufficiently similar to the other components in the assembly to ensure reliability over time as the assembly thermally cycles. We believe this market will continue to grow as the use of power modules penetrates additional motor applications, and as electric motors themselves penetrate new applications such as the hybrid and electric vehicles.

Today our primary products for IGBT applications are used in electric trains, subway cars, wind turbines and hybrid and electric vehicles.

Major automobile companies around the world are introducing hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicle (EVs) at an increasing rate. This focus on more energy efficient vehicles is being driven by concerns about climate change. There are many varieties of HEVs and EVs, but all HEVs and EVs contain an electric motor and contain one or more motor controller modules. The Company provides baseplates on which motor controller modules are assembled; these baseplates are lighter weight and provide greater reliability than baseplates made from more conventional materials, typically copper.

Copper is less expensive than the Company’s MMC solution, but its rate of thermal expansion is significantly different than that of the silicon semiconductors mounted to baseplates. In low voltage applications this is not a problem as the heat being generated is not enough to degrade the reliability of the power module. As voltage levels and the heat related to them go up, MMC baseplates become the preferred solution. Currently HEV/EV manufacturers are in the general area where those who want to save on short term costs are fine using power modules with copper baseplates, while those who want longer term reliability, more the luxury market, will use power modules with an MMC (AlSiC) baseplate.

Of particular interest is the move to using Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors instead of silicon semiconductors. SiC has proven to be more efficient than silicon allowing, among other things for EV’s and HEV’s to run for longer distance on a single charge of the auto’s battery. This is important to CPS as SiC semiconductors run hotter than silicon semiconductors. As such, the voltage levels for which AlSiC would be preferred over copper would be lower meaning the AlSiC baseplate would be the better choice for manufacturers currently on the margin when it comes to the voltage levels being utilized in their vehicles.

The Company is working with multiple tier one and tier two suppliers to the automobile industry on several new designs, including SiC modules, for future introduction. The Company believes the HEV and EV markets will be the source of significant and long-term growth for the Company.

Hermetic Packages

The prime uses of hermetic packaging are for space applications such as satellites, flight applications such as avionics and undersea applications such as torpedoes, submarines and communications buoys. Hermetic packages allow the assembly of multiple semiconductor devices known as Hybrid Microelectronic Assemblies (HMA). Today’s HMA technology can, in a CPS 2x2 inch package, provide the computing technology of today's typical server or yesterday's small mainframe.

CPS is the only producer of hermetic packages with AlSiC bases, combining our expertise in hermetic package production with our expertise in MMC production. The CPS AlSiC hermetic package provides tremendous benefits in terms of reduced weight and CTE matching which are extremely important for space based programs. CPS hermetic packages are used in every current generation GPS satellite, the Mars Perseverance rover as well as many other aerospace applications.

Customers

We sell primarily to major microelectronics systems houses in the United States, Europe and Asia. Our customers typically purchase prototype and evaluation quantities of our products over a one to three year period before purchasing production volumes.

In 2022, our three largest customers accounted for 21%, 17%, and 15% of revenues, respectively. In 2022, approximately 65% of our revenues were derived from commercial applications and 35% from defense-related applications.

Availability of Raw Materials

We use a variety of raw materials from numerous domestic and foreign suppliers. These materials are primarily aluminum ingots, ceramic powders, chemicals and hermetic assembly components. The raw materials we use are available from domestic and foreign sources and none is believed to be scarce or restricted for national security reasons. We use no conflict metals.

Patents and Trade Secrets

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 11 United States patents. In addition, the Company had several international patents covering the same subject matter as the U.S. patents.

We intend to continue to apply for domestic and foreign patent protection in appropriate cases. In other cases, we believe we are better served by reliance on trade secret protection. In all cases, we seek protection for our technological developments to preserve our competitive position.

Backlog and Contracts

Virtually 100% of the Company's product sales are custom in that they are based on customers’ drawings and the large majority of these sales are "designed in" and are sold over multiple years. Major customers typically give the Company a non-binding forecast of demand for a one-year period and then negotiate a pricing agreement with the Company valid for that one-year period. These and other customers typically issue purchase orders to be shipped on a particular date, or to be drawn against and shipped under releases. The Company has a backlog of $22 million as of December 31, 2022. This backlog consists of orders received from customers and which are for the most part scheduled to ship in 2023. Readers should be aware that under certain circumstances customers may be able to cancel existing orders, some of which may be significant, which would reduce this backlog.

Competition

We have developed and expect to continue to develop products for a number of different end markets and we will encounter competition from different producers of metal-matrix composites, hermetic packages, armor, and other competing materials.

We believe that the principal competitive factors in our end markets today include technical competence, product performance, quality, reliability, price, delivery performance, corporate reputation, and strength of sales and marketing resources. We believe our proprietary processes, reputation, and the price at which we can offer products for sale will enable us to compete successfully in the many electronics, aerospace and defense end markets.

Our primary direct competitor in metal matrix composites is Denka, a large chemical company based in Japan. We see manufacturers in China seeking to penetrate our markets. We believe they offer their products at lower prices but have generally not yet been to be able to provide the delivery, performance, quality and reliability required by the market.

Regarding hermetic packages, the market is much more fragmented. There are a number of different hermetic package types allowing certain companies to specialize in a particular area of the overall hermetic package market. Some of these companies are competitors of CPS, while others focus on product types not sold by CPS. In 2022 CPS significantly expanded its technical competence through the hire of several employees who are allowing the Company to expand its presence in areas in which we previously did not participate. Combined with our emphasis on quality and customer service we expect to see continued growth in our hermetic package product line. Management believes our main domestic competitors in this arena are Egide, Ametek, and Qnnect (formerly Hermetic Solutions Group).

The company currently has contracts to produce its HybridTech Armor® panels. To our knowledge, we do not have any direct competitors who produce encapsulated armor. Our competition in this area is alternatives to our HybridTech Armor® which involve tradeoffs regarding cost, weight, anti-ballistic properties, etc. As CPS expands its armor capabilities, we could begin to see more direct competition from more established armor producers.

Government Regulation

We produce non-nuclear, non-medical hazardous waste in our development and manufacturing operations. The disposal of such waste is governed by state and federal regulations. Various customers, vendors, and collaborative development agreement partners of CPS may reside abroad, thereby possibly requiring export and import of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished products, as well as potential technology transfer abroad under collaborative development agreements. These types of activities are regulated by bureaus within the Departments of Commerce, State and Treasury.

Employees

As of December 31, 2022, we had 86 permanent full-time employees. 74 were engaged in manufacturing and engineering and 12 in sales and administration, including finance, human resources and general management. We also have approximately 20 manufacturing people working with us through temporary employment agencies. During 2022, the Company continued its efforts to increase factory efficiency both in terms of employee training as well as increased automation.

None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relations with our employees to be excellent.

The risks set forth below may not be the only risk factors relating to the Company. Any of these factors, many of which are beyond our control, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flow and stock price.

Business or economic disruptions or global health concerns could seriously harm our business.

Broad-based business, economic disruptions or global health concerns could adversely affect our business and the sale of our products. For example, in December 2019 an outbreak of a novel strain of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to a number of other countries, including the United States. Initially, this outbreak resulted in extended shutdowns of certain businesses in the Wuhan region and had ripple effects to businesses around the world. While the impact of this pandemic has largely subsided, a resurgence of this virus or another could have an impact on our business. Although the Company has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, complete or partial government shutdowns of many businesses, schools, bars and restaurants have occurred. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could also adversely affect our business in spite of the immaterial amount of direct business we have done in this region in the past. We cannot presently predict the scope and severity of any future business shutdowns or disruptions to us, but if we or any of the third parties with whom we engage, including our customers, suppliers and other third parties with whom we conduct business, were to experience extended shutdowns or other business disruptions, our ability to conduct our business could be materially and negatively impacted, and could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operation and financial condition.

A pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or worldwide may adversely affect our business.

Our operations expose us to risks associated with pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies, such as the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has spread around the world. Outbreaks such as these have resulted, and can continue to result, in governments around the world implementing increasingly stringent measures to help control the spread, including quarantines, "shelter in place" and "stay at home" orders, travel restrictions, business curtailments, school closures, and other measures. Government imposed requirements regarding vaccines, testing etc., could negatively impact the Company’s ability to hire or retain certain employees who are important to our business operations. These actions with respect to the COVID-19 outbreak have negatively impacted, and could continue to have negative impacts on, our operations, supply chain, transportation networks, customers and employees. The COVID-19 outbreak could materially and adversely affect us. Any continuing economic downturn as a result of this pandemic could adversely affect, demand for our products, and negatively impact our business or results of operations through the temporary closure of our operating locations or those of our customers or suppliers.

The extent to which a COVID-19 resurgence may adversely impact our business depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable, including new information concerning the severity of an outbreak and the effectiveness of actions globally to contain or mitigate its effects, including the deployment and efficacy of vaccines. While we expect this matter to materially and adversely impact our financial results, the current level of uncertainty over the economic and operational impacts of COVID-19 means the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

We have a highly concentrated customer base so that changes in ordering patterns, delays or order cancellations could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Three customers accounted for 53% of revenue in 2022 and 51% of revenue in 2021. We believe that our relationships with these customers are positive and may provide us with ongoing continuous sustainability for years to come, however a large customer, if lost, would be difficult to be replace, and our inability to do so may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. We expect that orders from a relatively limited number of customers will continue to account for a substantial portion of our business. The mix and type of customers, and sales to any single customer, may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and from year to year. If any of our significant customers do not place orders, or they substantially reduce, delay or cancel orders, we may not be able to replace the business in a timely manner or at all, which can and has had a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Major customers may also seek, and on occasion receive, pricing, payment or other commercial terms that are less favorable to us and can hurt our competitive position.

Our lengthy and variable sales cycle makes it difficult to predict our financial results.

The sales cycle for our products is often lengthy, ranging from several months to several years. In many cases potential customers must evaluate the properties of our product against their current solution, which may not be as robust as the CPS solution, but is often less expensive. In many cases potential customers must redesign other components of the end product they are making to realize the full benefits of using our products. The lengthy sales cycle makes forecasting the volume and timing of sales difficult and raises additional risks that customers may cancel or delay introduction of their end-products into the marketplace, thus affecting our demand. The length of the sales cycle depends on the size and complexity of the project, and the depth of the evaluation of our products conducted by the customers.

Because a significant portion of our operating expenses is fixed, we have and may continue to incur substantial expense before we earn associated revenue. If customer cancellations occur, they could result in the loss of anticipated sales without allowing us sufficient time to reduce our operating expenses.

Our success is highly dependent on managerial contributions of key individuals and we may be unable to retain these individuals or recruit others.

We depend on our senior executives and certain key managers as well as engineering, research and development, sales, marketing and manufacturing personnel, who are critical to our business. We do not have long-term employment agreements with our key employees. Furthermore, larger competitors may be able to offer more generous compensation packages to our executives and key employees, and therefore we risk losing key personnel to those competitors. If we were to lose the services of any of our key personnel, or if we fail to attract and train qualified personnel, our engineering, product development, manufacturing and sales efforts could be slowed. In particular, we have, from time to time, experienced difficulty in hiring and retaining skilled engineers with appropriate qualifications to support our growth strategy. Our success depends on our ability to identify, hire, train and retain qualified engineering personnel with experience in equipment design. Specifically, we need to continue to attract and retain product development, materials and manufacturing engineers to work with our direct sales force to technically qualify and perform on new sales opportunities and orders, and to demonstrate our products.

We may also incur increased operating expenses and be required to divert the attention of our senior executives to search for replacements. The integration of any new personnel could disrupt our ongoing operations.

Acquisitions can result in an increase in our operating costs, divert management’s attention away from other operational matters and expose us to other associated risks.

From time to time, we evaluate potential acquisitions of businesses and technologies, and we consider targeted acquisitions that expand our core competencies to be an important part of our future growth strategy. We expect that any acquisitions of other businesses will have synergistic products, services and technologies.

Acquisitions involve numerous risks, which include but are not limited to:

• difficulties and increased costs in connection with the integration of the personnel, operations, technologies, services and products of the acquired companies into our existing facilities and operations;
• diversion of management’s attention from other operational matters;
• failure to commercialize the acquired technology;
• the potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies;
• lack of synergy, or inability to realize expected synergies, resulting from the acquisitions;
• the risk that the issuance of our common stock, if any, in an acquisition or merger could be dilutive to our shareholders;
• the inability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights in key technologies; and
• the acquired assets becoming impaired as a result of technological advancements or worse-than-expected performance of the acquired assets.

The conditions of the markets in which we operate are volatile. The demand for our products and the profitability of our products can change significantly from period to period as a result of numerous factors.

The industries in which we operate are characterized by ongoing changes, including:

• the availability of funds for research and development;
• global and regional economic conditions;
• governmental budgetary and political constraints; and
• changes in technology.

For these and other reasons, our results of operations for past periods may not necessarily be indicative of future operating results.

Volatile and cyclical demand for our products may make it difficult for us to accurately budget our expense levels, which are based in part on our projections of future revenues.

When cyclical fluctuations result in lower-than-expected revenue levels, operating results may be materially adversely affected and cost reduction measures may be necessary for us to remain competitive and financially sound. During a down cycle, we must be able to make timely adjustments to our cost and expense structure to correspond to the prevailing market conditions. In addition, during periods of rapid growth, we must be able to increase manufacturing capacity and the number of our personnel to meet customer demand, which may require additional liquidity. We can provide no assurance that these objectives can be met in a timely manner in response to changes within the industry cycles in which we operate. If we fail to respond to these cyclical changes, our business could be seriously harmed.

We do not have long-term volume production contracts with our customers, and we do not control the timing or volume of orders placed by our customers. Whether and to what extent our customers place orders for any specific products, and the mix and quantities of products included in those orders are factors beyond our control. Insufficient orders would result in under-utilization of our manufacturing facilities and infrastructure, and will negatively affect our financial position and results of operations.

We face significant competition, are relatively small in size and have fewer resources in comparison with some of our competitors.

We face significant competition throughout the world, which may increase as certain markets in which we operate continue to evolve. Our future performance depends, in part, upon our ability to continue to compete successfully worldwide. Some of our competitors are diversified companies that have substantially greater financial resources and more extensive research, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and customer service and support capabilities than we can provide. Our failure to compete successfully with these other companies would seriously harm our business. There is a risk that larger, better financed competitors will develop and market more advanced products than those we currently offer, or that competitors with greater financial resources may decrease prices, thereby putting us under financial pressure.

We may experience increasing price pressure.

Our historical business strategy for many of our products has focused on product performance and customer service rather than on price. As a result of budgetary constraints, many of our customers are extremely price sensitive when purchasing our products. Recent inflationary trends could further exacerbate this issue. If we are unable to obtain prices that allow us to continue to compete on the basis of product performance and customer service, our profit margins will be reduced.

Manufacturing interruptions or delays could affect our ability to meet customer demand and lead to higher costs.

We may experience significant interruptions of our manufacturing operations, delays in our ability to deliver products or services, increased costs or customer order cancellations as a result of:

• the failure or inability of suppliers to timely deliver sufficient quantities of materials and components on a cost-effective basis;
• volatility in the availability and cost of materials;
• difficulties or delays in obtaining required import or export approvals;
• information technology or infrastructure failures;
• natural disasters or other events beyond our control (such as earthquakes, floods or storms, regional economic downturns, pandemics, social unrest, political instability, terrorism, or acts of war); and
• the effects of a global pandemic on our employees, suppliers and other third-parties upon which we rely.

Continued growth could result in the need to move or expand our facilities. The costs of such a move or expansion could be significant to our profitability.

Our ability to meet our customer’s needs including the on-time shipment of products, is paramount to our success. Our current facility may not be able to adequately handle future growth and our ability to meet the needs of our customers. This could result in our having to relocate to a new facility which could have a material impact on our profitability.

We have made investments in our proprietary technologies. If third parties violate our proprietary rights, or accuse us of infringing upon their proprietary rights, such events could result in a loss of value of some of our intellectual property or costly litigation.

Our success is dependent in part on our technologies and our other proprietary rights. We believe that while patents can be useful and may be utilized by us in the future, they are not always necessary or feasible to protect our intellectual property. The process of seeking patent protection is lengthy and expensive, and we cannot be certain that applications will actually result in issued patents or that issued patents will be of sufficient scope or strength to provide meaningful protection or commercial advantage to us. In addition to patent protection, we have also historically protected our proprietary information and intellectual property such as design specifications, blueprints, technical processes and employee know-how, by limiting access to this confidential information and trade secrets and through the use of non-disclosure agreements. Other companies and individuals, including our competitors, may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology, or design around the intellectual property that we own or license. Our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property, could result in the reduction or extinguishment of our rights to such intellectual property. We also assert rights to certain trademarks relating to certain of our products and product lines.

While patent, copyright and trademark protection for our intellectual property may be important, we believe our future success in highly dynamic markets is most dependent upon the technical competence and creative skills of our personnel. We attempt to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information through confidentiality agreements with our customers, suppliers, employees and consultants, and through other internal security measures. However, these employees, consultants and third parties may breach these agreements, and we may not have adequate remedies for wrongdoing. In addition, the laws of certain territories in which we sell our products may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

We may receive communications from other parties asserting the existence of patent rights or other intellectual property rights that they believe cover certain of our products, processes, technologies or information. If such cases arise, we will evaluate our position and consider the available alternatives, which may include seeking licenses to use the technology in question on commercially reasonable terms, or defending our position. Nevertheless, we cannot ensure that we will be able to obtain licenses, or, if we are able to obtain licenses, that related terms will be acceptable, or that litigation or other administrative proceedings will not occur. Defending our intellectual property rights through litigation could be very costly. If we are not able to negotiate the necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms or successfully defend our position, our financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The price of our common shares is volatile and could decline significantly.

The stock market has at times over the last 15 years experienced periods of high and extreme volatility. If these market fluctuations continue, the trading price of our common shares could decline significantly independent of the overall market, and stockholders could lose all or a substantial part of their investment. The market price of our common shares could fluctuate significantly in response to several factors, including, among others:

• difficult macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, unfavorable geopolitical events, and general stock market uncertainties, such as those occasioned by a global liquidity crisis and a failure of large financial institutions;
• receipt of large orders or cancellations of orders for our products;
• issues associated with the performance and reliability of our products;
• actual or anticipated variations in our results of operations;
• announcements of financial developments or technological innovations;
• changes in recommendations and/or financial estimates by investment research analysis;
• strategic transactions, such as acquisitions, divestitures, or spin-offs; and
• the occurrence of major catastrophic events, including the effects of a possible resurgence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Significant price and value fluctuations have occurred with respect to our publicly traded securities. The price of our common shares is likely to be volatile in the future. In the past, securities class action litigation often has been brought against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. If similar litigation were pursued against us, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity.

If we are subject to cyber-attacks, we could incur substantial costs and, if such attacks are successful, we could incur significant liabilities, reputational harm, and disruption to our operations.

We manage, store and transmit proprietary information and sensitive data relating to our operations. We may be subject to breaches of the information technology systems we use for these purposes. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate and/or compromise our confidential information (and or third-party confidential information), create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. Computer programmers and hackers also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that attack our systems or our products, or that otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities.

The costs to address the foregoing security problems and security vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be significant. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service, and loss of existing or potential customers, impeding our sales, manufacturing, distribution, or other critical functions. In addition, breaches of our security measures and the unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive data about us, our customer, or other third parties, could expose us, our customers, or other third parties to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, damage our reputation, or otherwise harm our business.

As of December 31, 2022, all of our manufacturing, engineering, sales and administrative operations were located in leased facilities in Norton, Massachusetts.

In February 2021, the Company extended the lease for the Norton facility through February 2026. The leased facilities comprise approximately 38 thousand square feet. The lease is a triple net lease wherein the Company is responsible for payment of all real estate taxes, operating costs and utilities. The Company also has an option to buy the property and a first right of refusal during the term of the lease. Annual rental payments for 2022 were $160 thousand.

While adequate for current business volumes, continued expected growth of our business may result in the need to move to a larger location, open a second location or expand our footprint at our current location.

This document contains forward-looking statements, based on numerous assumptions, subject to risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not and cannot give any assurance that our beliefs and expectations will prove to be correct. Many factors could significantly affect our operations and cause our actual results to be substantially different from our expectations. Those factors include, but are not limited to: (i) general economic and business conditions; (ii) customer acceptance of our products; (iii) materials and manufacturing costs; (iv) the financial condition of customers, competitors and suppliers; (v) technological developments; (vi) increased competition; (vii) changes in capital market conditions; (viii) governmental and business conditions in countries where our products are manufactured and sold; (ix) changes in trade regulations; (x) the effect of acquisition activity; (xi) changes in our plans, strategies, objectives, expectations or intentions; and (xii) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested by any forward-looking statements in this report. We do not have an obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.

Overview

The Company’s products contribute to the electrification of the green economy. The products we provide include baseplates for motor controllers used in high-speed electric trains, subway cars, wind turbines, and hybrid and electric vehicles. We provide hermetic packages used in radar, satellite and avionics applications. We provide lids and heatspreaders used with high performance integrated circuits in internet switches and routers. We provide armor for naval and other military applications.

We provide baseplates and housings used in modules built with Wide Band Gap Semiconductors like SiC and GaN. CPS also assembles housings and packages for hybrid circuits. These housings and packages may include MMC components; they may include components made of more traditional materials such as aluminum, copper-tungsten, etc.

CPS’s products are custom rather than catalog items. They are made to customers’ designs and are used as components in systems built and sold by our customers. At any point in time our product mix will consist of some products with on-going production demand, and some products which are in the prototyping or evaluation stages at our customers. The Company seeks to have a portfolio of products which include products in every stage of the technology adoption lifecycle at our customers. CPS’ growth is dependent upon the level of demand for those products already in production, as well as its success in achieving new "design wins" for future products.

As a manufacturer of highly technical and custom products, the Company incurs fixed costs needed to support the business, but which do not vary significantly with changes in sales volume. These costs include the fixed costs of applications engineering, tooling design and fabrication, process engineering, etc. Accordingly, particularly given our current size, changes in sales volume generally result in even greater changes in financial performance on a percentage basis as fixed costs are spread over a larger or smaller base. Sales volume is therefore a key financial metric used by management.

The Company believes the underlying demand for metal matrix composites is growing as the electronics and other industries seek higher performance, higher reliability, and reduced costs. CPS believes that the Company is well positioned to offer our solutions to current and new customers as these demands grow. In 2022 the Company’s top three customers accounted for 53% of revenue and the remaining 47% of revenue was derived from 49 other customers. In 2021 the top three customers accounted for 51% of revenue and the remaining 49% of revenue was derived from approximately 57 customers.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies

Financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. As such, the Company is required to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that it believes are reasonable based upon the information available. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. CPS’s significant accounting policies are presented within Note 2 to the financial statements; the significant accounting policies which management believes are most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating its reported financial results include the following:

a) Allowance for doubtful accounts

The Company performs ongoing monitoring of the status of its receivables based on the payment history and the credit worthiness of our customers, as determined by a review of their current credit information. Management continually monitors collections and payments from customers and maintains a provision for estimated credit losses based upon historical experience and any specific customer collection issues that have been identified. While such credit losses have historically been low and within expectations, there is no guarantee that we will continue to experience the same credit loss rates as in the past. Although the Company’s major customers are large and have a favorable payment history, a significant change in the liquidity or financial position of one of them could have a material adverse impact on the collectability of accounts receivable and future operating results. To further mitigate the potential for credit losses the Company has acquired a credit insurance policy covering most of our sales to non-US accounts.

b) Inventory valuation

The Company has a build-to-order business model and manufactures product to ship against specific purchase orders; occasionally CPS manufactures product in advance of anticipated purchase orders to level load production or prepare for a ramp-up in demand. In addition, virtually 100% of the Company’s products are custom, meaning they are produced to a customer’s design and generally cannot be used for any other purpose. Purchase orders generally have cancellation provisions which vary from customer to customer, but which can result occasionally in CPS producing product which the customer is not obligated to purchase. However, once a product has gone into production, most customer orders are recurring and order cancellations are rare. The Company’s general obsolescence policy is to reserve against inventory when there has been no activity on a particular part for a twelve month period and there are no pending or expected customer orders.

In some cases, customers place blanket purchase orders and request the Company to maintain inventory sufficient to respond quickly upon receiving a shipment request. The Company manufactures to specifications and the products typically have a life which extends over several years and does not deteriorate over time. Therefore, the risk of obsolescence due to the passage of time, per se, is minimal. However, in order to more efficiently schedule production or to meet agreements with customers to have inventory in the pipeline, the Company occasionally manufactures products in advance of purchase orders. In these instances, the Company bears the risk that it will be left with product manufactured to specification for which there are no customer purchase orders. The Company scrutinizes its inventory and, in the absence of pending orders or strong evidence of future sales, establishes an obsolescence reserve when there has been no activity or pending or expected customer orders on a particular part for a twelve month period.

In determining inventory cost, the Company uses the first-in, first-out method and states inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Virtually, all of the Company’s inventory is customer specific; as a result, if a customer’s order is cancelled, it is unlikely that CPS would be able to sell that inventory to another customer. Likewise, if the Company chooses to manufacture product in advance of anticipated purchase orders and those orders do not materialize, it is unlikely that it would be able to sell that inventory to another customer. The value of CPS’s work in process and finished goods is based on the assumption that specific customers will take delivery of specific items of inventory. The Company has not experienced losses to date as a result of customer cancellations and has not established a reserve for such cancellations.

The Company typically buys ‘lots’ of components for its hermetic packaging products. Often all the components in a lot are not necessary to complete the order. Annually the company reviews this unused material and establishes an obsolescence reserve for the amount it does not expect to use over the next three years.

c) Valuation of deferred tax assets

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are based on the net tax effects of tax credits, operating loss carryforwards and temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company considers many factors in assessing whether or not a valuation allowance for its Deferred Tax Asset is warranted. In 2018 the Company concluded that it was more likely than not that a portion or all of the Deferred Tax Asset would not be used before it expires. As of September 25, 2021 the Company re-evaluated the need for this reserve, in light of recent profitability and expected future profitability. It was determined that this reserve was no longer needed as it is now more likely than not that the Company would be able to fully utilize its Deferred Tax Asset.

At December 31, 2022, the Company’s Deferred Tax Asset and other temporary differences will require taxable income of approximately $10 million and reversals of existing temporary differences to fully utilize the Deferred Tax Asset, assuming a statutory corporate tax rate of 21%.

Results of Operations (all $ in millions unless noted)

Results of Operations for the year 2022 (“2022”) compared with the year 2021 (“2021”):

Total revenue was $26.6 million in 2022, a 19% increase compared with total revenue of $22.4 million in 2021. This increase was due primarily to an increase in the sales of armor, which did not start until May of 2021, and the recovery of business from a major customer who was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Gross margin in 2022 totaled $7.3 million or 27% of sales. This compares with $4.8 million, or 21% of sales, generated during 2021. The improvement in margin was primarily due to the impact of increased sales on the absorption of fixed costs.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $5.1 million during 2022, an increase of 19% compared with SG&A expenses of $4.3 million incurred during 2021. Several factors contributed to this increase. The Company hired a Chief Development Officer in early 2022 which was a new position. The Company incurred higher variable compensation costs in 2022 due to its strong financial performance. Travel costs were significantly higher in 2022 due to the limited nature of travel in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, higher sales lead to higher commission costs in 2022, compared to 2021.

The Company generated operating income of $2.2 million in 2022, compared with an operating income of $0.5 in 2021. This increase was due primarily to the increase in Sales and its resulting impact on the absorption of fixed costs, discussed above. The Company recorded net income of $2.1M in 2022 compared to $3.2M in 2021. In 2022 the Company had a provision for income taxes of 0.8 million. In addition, the Company filed for the Employee Retention Tax Credit of 0.7 million in 2022. In 2021 the Company reevaluated its valuation allowance against its deferred tax asset which resulted in a tax benefit in 2021 of $2.8 million. For further explanation see below.

A valuation allowance against deferred tax assets is required to be established or maintained when it is "more likely than not" that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. In December 2018, the Company established a valuation allowance reserve, as it was judged more likely than not that all or a portion of its deferred tax assets would not be utilized before they expire. This decision was reached after giving greater weight to the Company’s losses in recent years as compared to its forecasts.

In September 2021 this decision was reevaluated in light of the Company’s recent profitability and its forecasts for future profitability. It is now judged that it is “more likely than not” that the Company will be able to fully utilize the deferred tax asset. This reversal of the valuation allowance was made net of the expected tax liability for 2021.

Significant Fourth Quarter Activity in 2022:

Revenues totaled $6.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 versus $6.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of 2%. This decrease was due primarily to sales orders due to ship from our plating vendors not being shipped in late December as scheduled.

Gross margin increased in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the fourth quarter of 2021 to $1.6 million from $1.4 million. This increase was due to operating efficiencies that the Company implemented throughout 2022 in its production process.

SG&A expenses totaled $1.3 million during the quarter, an increase of 30% compared to $1.0 million in the same quarter of 2021. This increase was primarily due to the increased variable compensation costs and travel costs discussed above.

The Company recorded operating income of $0.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to operating income of $0.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The Company recorded net income of $0.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to net income of $0.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. The reduction in sales and increase in SG&A expenses, offset by the increase in gross margin, all discussed above, accounted for this.

Liquidity and Capital Resources (all $ in millions unless noted)

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2022 totaled $8.3 compared with cash and cash equivalents at December 25, 2021 of $5.1. This increase was primarily due to the Company’s profitability for the year.

Accounts receivable at December 31, 2022 totaled $3.8 compared to $4.9 at December 25, 2021. Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) decreased to 52 days at the end of 2022 compared to 72 days at the end of 2021. This change was due to the reduction of deferred revenue occurring in the 4th quarter. Prepayments received in 2021 were used to pay for shipments shipped in the 4th quarter thus immediately reducing accounts receivable, rather than the customer paying 30-45 days later. Prepaid billings of $0.9 were shipped in the 4th quarter. The accounts receivable balances at December 31, 2022, and December 25, 2021 were both net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $10 thousand.

Inventories increased to $4.9 at December 31, 2022 from $3.9 at December 25, 2021. The inventory turnover in the four quarters ending 2022 was 4.2 times, down from 4.7 times averaged during the four quarters of 2021 (each based on a 5 point average). In 2022 we had several large orders in inventory that were not scheduled to ship until early 2023.

The Company had no inventory on consignment at any customers at the end of 2022 or 2021. At December 31, 2022 and December 25, 2021 inventory of, $0.8 and $0.4, respectively, was located at vendor locations pursuant to inventory agreements.

The Company funded its operations from its profit in 2022. The Company expects it will continue to be able to fund its operations during 2023 from existing cash balances and profits.

The Company continues to sell to a limited number of customers and the loss of any one of these customers or vendors could cause the Company to require additional external financing. Failure to generate sufficient revenues, raise additional capital or reduce certain discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to achieve its business objectives.

Contractual Obligations

In September 2019, the Company entered into revolving line of credit (LOC) with Massachusetts Business Development Corporation (BDC) in the amount of $2.5 million, which was increased to 3.0 million in May of 2020. The agreement includes a demand note allowing the Lender to call the loan at any time. The Company may terminate the agreement without a termination fee after 3 years. The LOC is secured by the accounts receivable and other assets of the Company and has an interest rate of LIBOR plus 550 basis points. BDC requires that quarterly and year to date earnings may not be less than projected amounts provided to the bank and the Company may not incur capital expenditures in excess of $50 thousand per year over its depreciation expense, or $25 thousand per transaction. The Company met the earnings covenant and has received a waiver for its capital expenditures. At December 31, 2022 the Company had $0 borrowings under this LOC and its borrowing base at the time would have permitted an additional $2.9 million to have been borrowed.

In March 2020, the Company acquired a scanning acoustic microscope for a price of $208 thousand. The full amount was financed through a 5 year note payable with a financing company. The note is collateralized by the microscope and is being paid in monthly installments of $4 thousand, consisting of principal plus interest at a rate of 6.47%

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $65 thousand of construction in progress and no outstanding commitments to purchase production equipment.

During 2022, our leasing arrangements consisted of the Norton, MA facility lease. The Norton facility lease was renewed in February 2021, expires in February 2026 and is a triple net lease wherein the Company is responsible for payment of all real estate taxes, operating costs and utilities. The Company also has an option to buy the property and a first right of refusal during the term of the lease. Annual rental payments were $160 thousand in 2022.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Inflation

Thus far inflation has not had a significant impact on our profitability. We have had higher than normal wage increases, have implemented other programs to ameliorate the effects of inflation on our employees (for example, we increased the Company share of health insurance premiums and increased the Company 401k match in 2022) and seen price increases from some of our suppliers. We have been able to pass along many of these price increases to our customers. There can be no assurance that our customers will continue to accept further price increases, that our employees will continue to be satisfied with their wage and benefit increases and that inflation will not affect our operations or business in the future.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Securities and Exchange Commission reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the direction of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, management has carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as such item is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2022.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no material changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during fiscal 2022.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the Company’s assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the Company’s management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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

Under the direction of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, management has assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth in the "Internal Control Integrated Framework" issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) (2013). Based on this assessment, management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.

This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.