CPS Technologies Corp: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 30, 2024

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements of the Company and notes thereto included in this report and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023 and in CPS’s other SEC reports, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov) and the Company’s website at www.cpstechnologysolutions.com (http://www.cpstechnologysolutions.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There are a number of factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those forecasted or projected in such forward-looking statements. This includes the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other conflicts and potential conflicts throughout the world, which are discussed in Item 3 of this report. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or changed circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Critical Accounting Policies

The critical accounting policies utilized by the Company in preparation of the accompanying financial statements are set forth in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023, under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. There have been no material changes to these policies since December 30, 2023.

Overview

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 baseplates and housings used in radar, satellite and avionics applications. We provide lids and heat spreaders used with high performance integrated circuits for use in internet switches and routers. We provide baseplates and housings used in modules built with Wide Band Gap Semiconductors like Silicon Carbide (“SiC”) and Gallium Nitride (“GaN”), collectively Metal Matrix Composites (“MMC”). 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, cold rolled steel and Kovar. Using its proprietary MMC technology, the Company also produces light-weight vehicle armor, particularly for extreme environments and heavy threat levels.

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 such as engineering, tooling design and fabrication, process engineering, and others. 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 MMC, housings for hybrid circuits and our proprietary armor solution 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.

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, we changed our name from Ceramics Process Systems Corporation to CPS Technologies Corporation.

Results of Operations for the First Fiscal Quarter of 2024 (Q1 2024) Compared to the First Fiscal Quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023); (all $ in 000’s)

Revenues totaled $5,913 in Q1 2024 compared with $7,100 generated in Q1 2023, a decrease of 17%. Two factors in particular contributed to this decrease. One of our largest customers in 2023 significantly reduced their purchases due to their having excess inventory that they are in the process of working down. Additionally, while we are cautiously optimistic that identified quality issues have been resolved, we continue to run tests which occupy machine time that would otherwise have been spent on production for customers.

Gross margin in Q1 2024 totaled $906 or 15% of sales. This compares with gross margin in Q1 2023 of $2,245 or 32% of sales. This decrease was due to the lower sales volumes on fixed costs as well as the aforementioned testing being done on the quality issues.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses totaled $1,166 in Q1 2024 compared with SG&A expenses of $1,551 in Q1 2023. This decrease was due in part to a reduction in variable compensation as well as lower commission expense due to lower revenue numbers and their impact on profitability. In addition, there are a number of areas in which management has been able to reduce SG&A expenses compared to last year.

The Company experienced an operating loss of $260 in Q1 2024 compared with an operating profit of $694 in Q1 2023, a decrease of 137%. This decrease was a result of the decreased gross margin, partially offset by the decrease in SG&A expenses.

CPS does not rely on raw materials from Ukraine, Russia, Israel or Gaza. As a result, we do not believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the conflict in Israel and Gaza will have a direct impact on our results. Nevertheless, there could be an indirect impact regarding supply chain and inflationary issues as a result of these conflicts.

Inflation has had an impact on our costs. Thus far, we have been able to pass along these increases to our customers, but there is no guarantee that we will be able to continue this in the future. In addition, there is often a lag between when the costs increase and when we can adjust customer prices. Some of our larger customers will have pricing agreements, typically for one year, and we must wait for those agreements to end before making any pricing adjustments. Wage increases are also part of the inflation impact. We have instituted a combination of wage increases as well as richer benefits, such as the increased 401k match mentioned above, in order to retain the folks making up our workforce.

These factors combine to create a higher degree of uncertainty regarding future financial performance.

Liquidity and Capital Resources (all $ in 000’s unless noted)

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents at March 30, 2024 totaled $8,668. This compares to cash and cash equivalents at December 30, 2023 of $8,814. The Company has invested in new equipment to enable us to be more cost effective as well as improving our quality department’s ability to ensure we are shipping better product, going forward.

Accounts receivable at March 30, 2024 totaled $3,876 compared with $4,472 at December 30, 2023. Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) decreased from 60 days at the end of 2023 to 59 days at the end of Q1 2024. The accounts receivable balances at December 30, 2023, and March 30, 2024 were both net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $10.

Inventories totaled $4,611 at March 30, 2024 compared with inventory totaling $4,582 at December 30, 2023. The inventory turnover in the most recent four quarters ending Q1 2024 was 4.4 times (based on a 5 quarter end average) compared with 4.3 times averaged during the four quarters of 2023.

The Company expects it will continue to be able to fund its operations for the remainder of 2024 from operations and existing cash balances.

The Company continues to sell to a limited number of customers and the loss of any one of these customers 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.

Management believes that existing cash balances will be sufficient to fund our cash requirements for the foreseeable future. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient revenues or reduce certain discretionary spending in the event that planned operational goals are not met such that we will be able to meet our obligations as they become due.

Contractual Obligations (all $ in 000’s unless otherwise noted)

In May 2023, the Company terminated its $3.0 million revolving line of credit (LOC) with Massachusetts Business Development Corporation (BDC). A new LOC in the amount of $3.0 million was entered into with Rockland Trust Company. The LOC is secured by the accounts receivable and other assets of the Company and has an interest rate of the National Prime Rate as published by the Wall Street Journal. On March 30, 2024, the Company had $0 of borrowings under this LOC and its borrowing base at the time would have permitted an additional $3.0 million to have been borrowed. The LOC remains in effect until terminated per mutual agreement by both parties.

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 fixed rate of 6.47%

The Company has one real estate lease expiring in February 2026. CPS also has a few other leases for equipment which are minor in nature and are generally short-term in duration. None of these have been capitalized. (Note 4, Leases)

The Company is not significantly exposed to the impact of interest rate changes or foreign currency fluctuations. The Company has not used derivative financial instruments.

Although CPS has not been directly impacted by the war in Ukraine or by the war between Israel and Gaza, potential supply chain disruptions and its impact on energy costs are areas where we could be impacted in the future.

Inflation is an area where we have seen some impact on our business. We have seen price increases in commodity raw materials, as well as increases in other costs of doing business. As we receive new orders we have been able to pass on most of these costs to our customers. In the case of longer term pricing agreements, we have been able to pass on some of these costs through surcharges and in other ways to mitigate the impact on our profit. As inflation continues, our ability to continue to absorb higher costs by raising customer prices cannot be guaranteed.

(a) The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-14(c) and 15d - 14(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q (the “Evaluation Date”). Based on such evaluation, such officers have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, 1) the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports the Company files under the Securities Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and 2) the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

(b) Changes in Internal Controls. There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.