Cemtrex Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Sep 30, 2022

Cemtrex was incorporated in 1998, in the state of Delaware and has evolved through strategic acquisitions and internal growth into a multi-industry technology company. The Company has expanded in a wide range of sectors, including smart technologies, virtual and augmented realities, industrial solutions, and intelligent security systems. Unless the context requires otherwise, all references to “we”, “our”, “us”, “Company”, “registrant”, “Cemtrex” or “management” refer to Cemtrex, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The Company has two business segments, consisting of (i) Advanced Technologies (AT) and (ii) Industrial Services (IS).

Advanced Technologies (AT)

Cemtrex’s Advanced Technologies segment operates several brands that deliver cutting-edge software and hardware technologies:

• Vicon Industries – Vicon Industries, a majority owned subsidiary, provides end-to-end video security solutions to meet the toughest corporate, industrial and governmental security challenges. Vicon’s products include video monitoring systems and analytics-based recognition systems, cameras, servers, and access control systems for every aspect of security and surveillance in industrial, and commercial facilities, federal prisons, hospitals, universities, schools, and federal and state government offices. Vicon provides cutting edge, mission critical security and video surveillance solutions utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) based data algorithms.
• SmartDesk – SmartDesk is focused on reinventing the workspace through developing state-of-the-art, modern, fully integrated, workplace solutions.
• Cemtrex XR (“CXR”) – CXR is focused on realizing the potential of the metaverse. CXR delivers Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) solutions that provide higher productivity, progressive design and impactful experiences for consumer products, and various commercial and industrial applications. The Company is in the process of developing virtual reality applications for commercialization in the metaverse over the next couple years. CXR also invests in emerging startups focused on building best in class solutions for the metaverse.
• Virtual Driver Interactive (“VDI”) – VDI provides innovative driver training simulation solutions for effective and engaging learning for all ages and skills.
• Bravo Strong – Bravo Strong is a gaming and content studio working to building games and experiences for the metaverse.
• good tech (formerly Cemtrex Labs) – good tech provides mobile, web, and enterprise software application development services for startups to large enterprises.

Industrial Services (IS)

Cemtrex’s IS segment operates through a brand, Advanced Industrial Services (“AIS”), that offers single-source expertise and services for rigging, millwrighting, in plant maintenance, equipment erection, relocation, and disassembly to diversified customers. We install high precision equipment in a wide variety of industrial markets like automotive, printing & graphics, industrial automation, packaging, and chemicals among others. We are a leading provider of reliability-driven maintenance and contracting solutions for the machinery, packaging, printing, chemical, and other manufacturing markets. The focus is on customers seeking to achieve greater asset utilization and reliability to cut costs and increase production from existing assets, including small projects, sustaining capital, turnarounds, maintenance, specialty welding services, and high-quality scaffolding.

Recent Developments

Potential Impacts of COVID-19 on our Business

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our business operations and the results of our operations during fiscal years 2022 and 2021, primarily with delays in orders by many customers and new product development, including newer versions of surveillance software since our technical facility in Pune, India had been under lock down on multiple occasions. Overall bookings level in our business were down by more than 20%, compared to fiscal 2021 levels during certain periods. Bookings and revenue have largely recovered in this calendar year compared to last year. However, due to ongoing delays in certain supply chain areas, the expected launch times of our new products and new versions has resulted in delays of several months. These supply chain issues have also affected the Company’s ability to obtain inventory for our current bookings, and the Company has implemented a buildup of inventory levels to remain competitive and keep backlog orders at a minimum. Additionally, increased costs and the need to increase wages to retain talent may cause our gross margin percentages to shrink and our operational costs to rise. In response to these increased costs, the Company has implemented an ongoing review of our pricing to cover these additional costs while remaining competitive.

The broader implications of COVID-19 on our results from operations going forward remains uncertain. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting supply chain issues and inflation has the potential to cause adverse effects to our customers, suppliers or business partners in locations that have or will experience more pronounced disruptions, which could result in a reduction to future revenue and manufacturing output as well as delays in our new product development activities. However, opportunities in the video surveillance field have been growing for Vicon products.

The extent of the pandemic’s effect on our operational and financial performance will depend in large part on future developments, which cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. Future developments include the emergence of new virus variants that are more contagious or harmful than prior variants, the actions taken to contain or mitigate its impact both within and outside the jurisdictions where we operate, the impact on governmental programs and budgets, the development of treatments or vaccines, and the resumption of widespread economic activity. Due to the inherent uncertainty of the unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation, we are unable to predict with any confidence the likely impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future operations.

Settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission

On September 30, 2022, acting pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by the Company, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued an order pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act, directing the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder (the “SEC Order”).

The SEC Order also directed Mr. Saagar Govil to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act.

The SEC found that, as a result of its conduct, which was neither admitted nor denied, the Company violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, which prohibit fraudulent conduct in the offer or sale of securities and in connection with the purchase or sale of securities.

The SEC also found that, as a result of his conduct, which was neither admitted nor denied, Mr. Govil violated Section 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act, which makes it illegal to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser.

In addition to the above cease and desists, the Company undertook to not publicly announce that it has partnered with another company or that another company has become a customer of the Company without providing prior written notice, including a copy of the announcement text, to the businessperson at the other company responsible for that company’s relationship with the Company.

Also, the Company received a civil monetary penalty of two million two hundred thousand dollars ($2,200,000) in the aggregate that must be paid to the SEC. Mr. Govil also received a civil monetary penalty of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($350,000) in the aggregate that must be paid to the SEC. The company and Mr. Govil have remitted the payments as of September 30, 2022. The SEC Order can be accessed at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov).

Business Strategy

Our focus is to utilize our resources and capabilities to build brands and businesses in areas where we see unique opportunities to create exceptional value for our customers, shareholders, and employees over the long term. We aim to grow in markets where we see significant long-term opportunity to create an attractive return on shareholder equity. Generally, these markets are high growth markets that are changing due to innovation, new technologies, or other industry shifts taking place. In these markets we seek to build or acquire businesses that have attractive gross margins, strong opportunities for customer retention, and are asset light. We take a long-term approach with our strategies and seek returns over five years or longer time horizons.

We believe our ability to attract and retain new customers comes from our ongoing commitment to understanding our customers’ business performance requirements and our expertise in meeting or exceeding these requirements and enhancing their competitive advantage through cutting edge technology. We work closely with our customers from an operational and senior executive level to achieve a deep understanding of our customer’s goals, challenges, strategies, operations, and products to ultimately provide the best solutions for them.

We continue to seek and execute additional strategic acquisitions and focus on expanding our products and services as well as entering new markets. We believe that the diversity of our products & services and our ability to deliver full solutions to a variety of end markets provides us with multiple sources of income and growth and a competitive advantage relative to other players in the industry. We constantly look for opportunities to gain new customers and penetrate geographic locations and end markets or acquire new product or service opportunities through acquisitions that are operationally and financially beneficial for the Company.

Suppliers

The Company is not dependent on, nor expects to become dependent on, any one or a limited number of suppliers. The Company buys parts and components to assemble and manufacture its equipment and products. The Company also utilizes sub-suppliers and third-party vendors to procure from or fabricate its components based on its design, engineering, and specifications. The Company also enters into subcontracts for field installation, which the Company supervises; and the Company manages all technical, physical and commercial aspects of the performance of the Company contracts. To date, the Company has not experienced major difficulties either in obtaining fabricated components and other materials and parts or in obtaining qualified subcontractors for installation work, however, there have been some delays in certain components due to COVID-19. The Company seeks to have many sources of supply for each of its major requirements in order to avoid significant dependence on any one or a few suppliers. However, the supply of materials or other items could be disrupted by natural disasters, international trade tariffs, wars, pandemics, disputes and or other events. Despite market price volatility for certain requirements and materials pricing pressures at some of our businesses, the raw materials and various purchased components needed for the Company’s products have generally been available in sufficient quantities. In some instances, lead times have extended beyond normal due to logistic delays and labor shortages occurring globally.

Competition

The Company faces substantial competition in each of its products & services and principal markets. Most of its competitors are larger and have greater financial resources than the Company; several are divisions of multi-national companies. The Company competes on the basis of price, engineering and technological expertise, know-how and the quality of its products, systems and services. Additionally, the Company’s management believes that the successful delivery, installation and performance of the Company’s products and systems is a key factor in gaining business as customers typically prefer to make significant purchases from a company with a solid performance history.

The Company obtains virtually all its contracts through competitive bidding. Although price is an important factor and may in some cases be the governing factor, it is not always determinative, and contracts are often awarded on the basis of the efficiency or reliability of products, past performance records, and the engineering and technical expertise of the bidder. Several companies market products that compete directly with Company’s products. Other companies offer products that potential customers may consider to be acceptable alternatives to Company’s products and services. The Company faces direct competition from companies with far greater financial, technological, manufacturing and personnel resources.

Intellectual Property

Over the years, the Company has developed proprietary technologies that give it an edge in competing with its competitors. Thus, the Company relies on a combination of trade secrets and know-how to protect its intellectual property. The Company currently has multiple patents and patent claims that it owns. Additionally, the Company has multiple patent applications pending related to the development of SmartDesk and will pursue those patents based upon its financial resources. Cemtrex continues to invest in research and development with intention of developing proprietary technology and intellectual property as allowed by its financial resources.

Sales and Marketing

The Company sells its products globally and depending on the brand, relies on direct sales force, manufacturing representatives, distributors, integrators and installers, commission sales agents, magazine advertisements, internet advertising, trade shows, trade directories and catalogue listings, e-commerce, to market its products and services. The Company’s arrangements with sales representatives accord each a defined territory or market within which to sell some or all of its products and systems, provide for the payment of agreed-upon sales commissions or wholesale pricing and are terminable at will. The Company’s sales representatives do not have authority to execute contracts on the Company’s behalf.

The Company’s sales representatives also serve as ongoing liaison function between the Company and its customers during the installation phase of the products and systems and address customers’ questions or concerns arising thereafter. The Company selects representatives based upon industry reputation, prior sales performance including number of prospective leads generated and sales closure rates, and the breadth of territorial coverage, among other criteria.

Technical inquiries received from potential customers are referred to the engineering personnel. Thereafter, the Company’s sales and engineering personnel jointly prepare a budget proposal, or a final bid. The period between initial customer contact and issuance of an order is generally between two and twelve months.

The Company has been selling its SmartDesk directly from its website whereby customers can place orders and make payments. The Company has been marketing SmartDesk through direct-to-consumer internet channels, including social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram as well as showcasing the product at several trade shows. The Company plans to continue its marketing efforts for the SmartDesk by marketing the product to enterprise clients and increase its overall marketing and sales efforts in online media.

Customers

The Company’s principal customers in its AT segment are generally consumers, government agencies or commercial businesses. The Company’s principal customers in its IS segment include businesses engaged in manufacturing, chemical, packaging, printing, electronics, automotive, construction, and metallurgical processing. Historically, most of the customers have purchased individual products or systems which, in many instances, operate in conjunction with products and systems supplied by others. No one single customer accounts for more than 10% of its annual sales.

For the AT segment, the Company is responsible for the design, production, supply, and delivery of products to its customers. In order to satisfy customer orders, the Company must consistently meet production deadlines and maintain a high standard of quality.

Insurance

The Company currently maintains different types of insurance, including general property coverage, and directors & officers’ insurance. The Company also maintains product liability insurance with respect to its products and equipment. Management believes that the insurance coverage that it has is adequate for its current business needs.

Employees

The Company employs approximately 385 full-time employees and approximately 3 part-time employees as of December 15, 2022, including 175 engaged in engineering, 95 in manufacturing & field service and 118 in administrative, sales and marketing functions.

Government Regulation

The Company’s operations are subject to certain foreign, federal, state and local regulatory requirements relating to, among others, environmental, waste management, labor and health and safety matters. Management believes that the Company’s business is operated in material compliance with all such regulations.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this report, including the consolidated audited financial statements and the related notes appearing at the end of this annual report on Form 10-K, with respect to any investment in shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of the date of this report (unless another date is indicated) and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements in light of future development.

Risks Related to Covid-19

The global pandemic may disrupt our business or the business of our customers.

In December 2019, a novel strain of corona virus, which causes the infectious disease known as COVID-19 was reported. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency and Global Pandemic. COVID-19 has severely impacted economies around the world.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our business operations and the results of our operations in this fiscal year, primarily with delays in expected orders by many customers and new product development, including newer versions of surveillance software since our technical facility in Pune, India has been under lock down on multiple occasions. Bookings and revenue have largely recovered in this calendar year compared to last year. In addition, due to delays in certain supply chain areas, the expected launch times of our new products and new versions has resulted in delays of several months.

The broader implications of COVID-19 on our results from operations going forward remains uncertain. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause adverse effects to our customers, suppliers or business partners in locations that have or will experience more pronounced disruptions, which could result in a reduction to future revenue and manufacturing output as well as delays in our new product development activities. However, on the other hand, opportunities in the video surveillance field have been growing for Vicon products.

The extent of the pandemic’s effect on our operational and financial performance will depend in large part on future developments, which cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. Future developments include the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the emergence of new virus variants that are more contagious or harmful than prior variants, the actions taken to contain or mitigate its impact both within and outside the jurisdictions where we operate, the impact on governmental programs and budgets, the development of treatments or vaccines, and the resumption of widespread economic activity. Due to the inherent uncertainty of the unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation, we are unable to predict with any confidence the likely impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future operations. This could materially impact our results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.

Risks Related to our Financial Condition

There is no guarantee that cash flow from operations and/or debt and equity financings will provide sufficient capital to meet our expansion goals working capital need, or fund our operations.

Our current strategic plan includes the expansion of our company both organically and through acquisitions if market conditions and competitive conditions allow. Due to the long-term nature of investments in acquisitions and other financial needs to support organic growth, including working capital, we expect our long-term and working capital needs to periodically exceed the short-term fluctuations in cash flow from operations. We anticipate that we will likely raise additional external capital from the sale of common stock, preferred stock and debt instruments as market conditions may allow, in addition to cash flow from operations (which may not always be sufficient), to fund our growth and working capital needs.

In the event that we need to raise significant amounts of external capital at any time or over an extended period, we face a risk that we may need to do so under adverse capital market conditions with the result that our existing shareholders, as well as persons who acquire our common stock, may incur significant and immediate dilution should we raise capital from the sale of our common or preferred stock. Similarly, we may need to meet our external capital needs from the sale of secured or unsecured debt instruments at interest rates and with such other debt covenants and conditions as the market then requires. In all of these transactions we anticipate that we will likely need to raise significant amounts of additional external capital to support our growth. However, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to raise external capital on terms that are reasonable in light of current market conditions. In the event that we are not able to do so, those who acquire our common stock may face significant and immediate dilution and other adverse consequences. Further, debt covenants contained in debt instruments that we issue may limit our financial and operating flexibility with consequent adverse impact on our common stock market price.

We have a history of losses and may experience losses in the future, which could result in the market price of our common stock declining.

We have incurred net losses, including net losses attributable to Cemtrex, Inc. shareholders of $13.0 million in 2022, $7.8 million in 2021, and $10.5 million in 2020. We expect to continue to incur significant product development, sales and marketing and administrative expenses. As a result, we will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability. We cannot be certain that we will achieve profitability in the future or, if we achieve profitability, to sustain it. If we do not achieve and maintain profitability, the market price for our common stock may decline, perhaps substantially.

The Company is exposed to credit risk, market risk, and fluctuations in the values of its investment portfolio.

The Company invests excess cash that the Company has on hand in large cap securities listed on major exchanges, including stocks and options. The Company’s investments can be negatively affected by liquidity, credit deterioration, financial results, market and economic conditions, political risk, sovereign risk, interest rate fluctuations or other factors.

Although we have not recognized any material losses related to our cash equivalents, short-term investments, or long-term investments, future declines in the market values of such investments could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. As a result, the value and liquidity of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities may fluctuate substantially. Therefore, although the Company has not realized any significant losses on its cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, future fluctuations in their value could result in significant losses and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and operating results.

We have substantial debt which could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund operations and prevent us from meeting our obligations under outstanding indebtedness.

As of September 30, 2022, our total indebtedness was approximately $20.6 million, including notes payable of $17.7 million, mortgage payable of $2.3 million, and bank loans of $0.6 million, including $0.1 million of PPP loans that the Company expects to be forgiven. By comparison, as of September 30, 2021, our total indebtedness was approximately $17.3 million, including notes payable of $12.3 million, mortgage payable of $2.3 million, and bank loans of $2.7 million, including $1.1 million of PPP loans that the Company expects to be forgiven. For 2022 and 2021 approximately $18.2 million and $10.6 million, respectively, of such debt is classified as current. This substantial debt could have important consequences, including the following: (i) a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for operations, future business opportunities and capital expenditures; (ii) our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, debt service requirements and general corporate purposes in the future may be limited; (iii) we may face a competitive disadvantage to lesser leveraged competitors; (iv) our debt service requirements could make it more difficult to satisfy other financial obligations; and (v) we may be vulnerable in a downturn in general economic conditions or in our business and we may be unable to carry out activities that are important to our growth.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, or to pay interest on, or to refinance our indebtedness depends on and is subject to our financial and operating performance, which in turn is affected by general and regional economic, financial, competitive, business and other factors beyond management’s control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs, we will need to restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, which could impair our liquidity. Any refinancing of indebtedness, if available at all, could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants that could further restrict our business operations. Despite our significant amount of indebtedness, we may need to incur significant additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial debt.

Our ability to secure and maintain sufficient credit arrangements is key to our continued operations and there is no assurance we will be able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing in the future.

There is no assurance that we will be able to retain or renew our credit agreements and other finance agreements in the future. In the event our company grows rapidly, the uncertain economic climate continues, or we acquire one or more other companies, additional financing resources will likely be necessary in the current or future fiscal years. As a smaller public company with a limited ability to attract and obtain financing, there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing in the future on terms that are reasonable in light of current market conditions.

Risks Related to our Business

We are substantially dependent upon the success and continued market acceptance of our technology, the absence of which may significantly reduce our sales, profits and cash flow and adversely impact our financial condition.

In addition to overall reduced market demand, other competing technologies may be offered by both existing competitors or by those that enter the market, and these competing technologies may offer a better cost-benefit ratio than our products and/or at lower prices with the result that our sales, profits, and cash flow may suffer significantly over an extended period with serious adverse impact on our financial condition.

We have taken a multi-operational approach, and some of our business segments have historically failed to benefit our company to date, and there remains a risk that our remaining segments may not prove to be successful. We may divest or expand into new areas that are outside of our current business activities and those activities may not prove to be successful.

We continuously assess the composition of our portfolio businesses to ensure it is aligned with our strategic objectives and positioned to maximize growth and return in the coming years. Since our business concerns new and developing technologies, and many of these endeavors fail, some of the businesses in our portfolio may not be successful in generating sufficient revenue to be a viable option for our company.

Currently, the Company has two business segments, consisting of (i) Advanced Technologies (AT) and (ii) Industrial Services (IS). Within these segments there are a number of technologies that we are pursuing, as discussed in this annual report under “Item 1. Business.” There is a risk that one or more of our technologies will not be successful in generating revenue to sustain the expenditures associated with its existence. Moreover, having multiple business segments may present challenges, such as fluctuations in our operating results, using the company’s limited resources on less worthy business pursuits, and distracting management from obtaining its goals with respect to our overall operations. If we are unable to establish our technologies in the market, and overcome the challenges of doing so, we could go out of business.

As we continuously review our portfolio of businesses we may exit or enter into new business activities which may ultimately prove to be unsuccessful.

Our future operating results depend in part on continued successful research, development and marketing of new and improved products and services through our Advanced Technologies segment, and there can be no assurance that we will successfully introduce new products and services into the market.

The success of new and improved products and services through our Advanced Technologies segment depends on our research and development efforts and the initial acceptance of our products and solutions by consumers. In most instances these are all new lines of business for our company, and IoT, VR & AR industries are changing rapidly, and our management has limited experience with consumer products in general. Our business is affected by varying degrees of technological change and corresponding shifts in customer demand, which result in unpredictable product transitions, shortened life cycles and increased importance of being first to market with new products and services. We may experience difficulties or delays in the research & development, production and/or marketing of new products and services due to lack of capital, which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to continue to bring new products and services to market.

Our future operating results depends in part on the continued successful operation of our Industrial Services segment, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in this business.

The success of selling services through our Industrial Services segment depends on our ability to hire and retain talent, our ability to market these services successfully to clients, the overall demand for these services, and the quality of our workmanship by our customers, among other factors. Our business is affected by varying degrees of technological change and corresponding shifts in customer demand, which result in unpredictable product transitions, shortened life cycles and increased importance of being first to market with new products and services. We may experience difficulties or delays in the delivery of services due to lack of capital or lack of adequate talent, which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to continue to compete in our markets.

Our failure to successfully develop, sell and market our SmartDesk in a timely and cost-effective manner could adversely affect our future profitability.

We believe that our profitability will depend in part on our ability to effectively (i) market and sell SmartDesk, (ii) continue our engineering effort to develop new features for the SmartDesk as requested by customers, (iii) market SmartDesk through our own marketing organization and via third-party distribution channels in the United States and internationally, and (iv) deliver SmartDesk to customers with appropriate installation and service. Failure to successfully execute these tasks in a timely and cost-effective manner could adversely affect profitability. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in these efforts or that even when our SmartDesk is delivered, it will achieve market acceptance in a timely fashion. Further, there can be no assurance that expenses incurred in connection with the development, sales and marketing of SmartDesk will not exceed our expectations, or that SmartDesk will generate revenues sufficient to offset these expenses. In addition, although we have filed numerous U.S. patent applications relating to various aspects and features of our SmartDesk, there can be no assurance that any patents will issue on any of the pending patent applications.

Our operating results may fluctuate, which could have a negative impact on our ability to grow our client base, establish sustainable revenues and succeed overall.

Our results of operations may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control including but not limited to:

• general economic conditions in the geographies and industries where we sell our services and conduct operations; legislative policies where we sell our services and conduct operations;
• the budgetary constraints of our customers; seasonality;
• success of our strategic growth initiatives;
• costs associated with the launching or integration of new or acquired businesses;
• timing of new product introductions by us, our suppliers and our competitors; product and service mix, availability, utilization and pricing;
• the mix, by state and country, of our revenues, personnel and assets;
• movements in interest rates or tax rates;
• changes in, and application of, accounting rules;
• changes in the regulations applicable to us;
• litigation matters.

As a result of these factors, we may not succeed in our business, and we could go out of business.

We operate in a cyclical business, which could result in significant fluctuations in demand for our products

Cyclical changes in our customers’ businesses have, in the past, resulted in, and may in the future result in, significant fluctuations in demand for our products, selling prices, and our profitability. Most of our customers operate in cyclical industries. Their requirements for our technologies fluctuate significantly as a result of changes in general economic conditions, technological changes, customer demand, and other factors. During periods of increasing demand, our customers typically seek to increase their inventory of our products to avoid production bottlenecks. When demand for their products peaks and begins to decline, as has happened in the past, they tend to reduce or cancel orders for our products while they use up accumulated inventory. Business cycles vary somewhat in different geographical regions and customer industries. Significant fluctuations in sales of our products affect our unit manufacturing costs and affect our profitability by making it more difficult for us to predict our production, raw materials, and shipping needs. Changes in demand mix, needed technologies, and end-use markets may adversely affect our ability to match our products, inventory, and capacity to meet customer demand and could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. We are also vulnerable to general economic events or trends beyond our control, and our sales and profits may suffer in periods of weak demand.

Our sales and gross margins depend significantly on market demand for our products, as to which there can be no assurance.

The uncertainty in the United States and in the international economic and political environment could result in a decline in demand for our products in any industry. Our gross margins are dependent upon our ability to maintain sales volumes at levels that allow us to cover our fixed costs and variable costs per unit. To the extent that one or more product lines experience a significant and protracted decline in sales volume, we may experience significant declines in our gross margins that may result in losses. Further, any adverse changes in tax rates and laws affecting our customers could result in decreases in demand of our products and thus decrease our gross margins. Any of these factors could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In these circumstances, we anticipate that we could be required to increase or decrease staffing and more closely manage other expenses in order to meet the anticipated demand of our existing and future customers. Orders from our customers are subject to cancellation, and delivery schedules from our customers fluctuate as a result of changes in our customers’ demand, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations, and may result in higher inventory levels. Higher inventory levels may cause us to need greater external financing, which adversely affects our financial performance.

Our products face intense competitive challenges, including rapid technological changes, and pricing pressure from competitors, which could adversely affect our business.

All of our product lines are subject to significant competition from existing and future competitors, market conditions and technological change, or a combination of them, and our sales revenues and gross margins may suffer protracted and serious declines with the result that we would likely incur protracted losses. Further, the barriers to entry in several of our lines of business are not so significant that we may be facing competition from others who see significant opportunities to enter the market and undercut our prices with products that possess superior technological attributes at prices that offer our customers a better value. In this instance, we could incur protracted and significant losses and persons who acquire our common stock would suffer losses thereby.

From time to time, we may need to reduce our prices in response to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain our market share. Competition and customer pressures may also restrict our ability to increase prices in response to commodity and other input cost increases. Our results of operations will suffer if profit margins decrease, as a result of a reduction in prices, increased input costs or other factors, and if we are unable to increase sales volumes to offset those profit margin decreases. We may also need to increase spending on marketing, advertising and new product innovation to protect existing market share or increase market share. The success of our investments is subject to risks, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance. As a result, our increased expenditures may not maintain or enhance market share and could result in lower profitability.

Factors affecting the industries that utilize our products could negatively impact our customers and us.

We have no real control over factors affecting the industries that utilize our products and to the extent that any one or more of these industries change dramatically, we may be facing significant financial challenges that are in excess of our existing capabilities. These factors include:

• increased competition among our customers and their competitors;
• the inability of our customers to develop and market their products;
• recessionary periods in our customers’ markets;
• the potential that our customers’ products become obsolete;
• our customers’ inability to react to rapidly changing technology; and
• our customers’ inability to pay for our products, which could, in turn, affect the company’s results of operations.

If we are unable to develop new products, our competitors may develop and market products with better features that may reduce demand for our existing and potential products or otherwise result in our products becoming obsolete and could materially and adversely affect our ability to sustain profitability.

There are many larger competitors who compete directly with us and who have significantly greater financial, technological and research resources. This may serve to severely damage our ability to market and sell our products at price levels that would allow us to achieve and maintain profit margins and positive cash flow.

We are a smaller public company, and we face rapid technological change in many of our product markets and we may not be able to introduce any successful new products or any enhancements to our existing products on a timely basis, or at all. This could result in prolonged and significant losses. In addition, our introduction of new products could adversely affect sales of certain of our existing products if these new products directly compete with our existing products. If our competitors develop innovative technologies that are superior to our products or if we fail to accurately anticipate market trends and respond on a timely basis with our own innovations, we may not achieve sufficient growth in its revenues to attain profitability or if we do, we may not be able sustain profitability.

The success of new product introductions is dependent on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, timely and successful development of new products, including software development, market acceptance of these products and our ability to manage the risks associated with these introductions. These risks include development and production capabilities, management of inventory levels to support anticipated demand, the risk that new products may have quality defects in the early stages of introduction, and obsolescence risk of existing products.

Developing and maintaining a patent portfolio is an expensive and time-consuming process and there is no assurance the Company will successfully develop patents to protect the intellectual property it is working on.

We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and if we are unable to protect against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks, or network security breaches our operations could be disrupted and we could incur significant costs and reputational harm as a result

We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic and financial information; to manage a variety of business processes and activities; and to comply with regulatory, legal, and tax requirements. We also depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing and sales activities and for electronic communications among our locations, personnel, customers, and suppliers around the world. Many of the information technology systems used by us globally have been in place for many years and not all hardware and software is currently supported by vendors. These information technology systems are susceptible to damage, disruptions, or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, telecommunication failures, user errors, or catastrophic events. If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption, or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results.

We have been, and likely will continue to be, subject to various cyber-attacks. To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks or events. Any future significant compromise, breach, or misuse of our data security could result in significant costs and damage to our reputation. The ever-evolving threats mean us and our third-party service providers must continually evaluate and adapt our respective systems and processes and overall security environment, as well as those of any companies we acquire. There is no guarantee that these measures will be adequate to safeguard against all data security compromises, breaches, or misuses. In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, compliance with those requirements could also result in additional costs.

Third-party service providers, such as distributors, subcontractors, vendors, and data processors have access to certain portions of our sensitive data. In the event that these service providers do not appropriately protect our data, the result could be a security breach or loss of our data. Any such loss of data by our third-party service providers could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

In addition, if we are unable to prevent security breaches, we may suffer financial and reputational damage or penalties because of the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our customers or suppliers. Furthermore, the disclosure of non-public sensitive information through external media channels could lead to the loss of intellectual property or damage our reputation and brand image.

We are also in the process of converting certain information technology networks and systems and consolidating certain global systems. If such projects fail, or if unexpected technical difficulties arise, our operations and financial systems could be adversely affected. Further, we could incur additional costs or require additional technical support to resolve such difficulties.

Our operating results are sensitive to raw material and resale product availability, quality, and cost

We seek to have many sources of supply for each of our major requirements in order to avoid significant dependence on any one or a few suppliers. However, the supply of materials or other items could be disrupted by natural disasters, international trade tariffs, wars, pandemics, disputes and or other events. Despite market price volatility for certain requirements and materials pricing pressures at some of our businesses, the raw materials and various purchased components needed for our products have generally been available in sufficient quantities. In some instances, lead times have extended beyond normal due to logistic delays and labor shortages occurring globally. Some of our products, however, require the use of raw materials that are available from only a limited number of regions around the world, are available from only a limited number of suppliers, or may be subject to significant fluctuations in market prices. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if we have difficulty obtaining these raw materials, our key suppliers experience financial difficulties, the quality of available raw materials deteriorates, or there are significant price increases for these raw materials. Our inability to recover increased costs through increased sales prices could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. For periods in which the prices for these raw materials rise, we may be unable to pass on the increased cost to our customers, which would result in decreased sales margins for the products in which they are used. For periods in which prices for these raw materials decline, we may be required, as has occurred in the past, to write down our inventory carrying cost of these raw materials and products. Depending on the extent of the difference between market price and our carrying cost, the write-down could have a significant adverse effect on our results of operations.

We resell products manufactured by other component and interconnect product manufacturers. Should these manufacturers experience difficulties supplying the products that we resell, or such suppliers use other channels to market their products, we could experience lower sales, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by non-U.S. operations

We have significant international operations, and our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected by economic, political, health, regulatory, and other circumstances existing in foreign countries in which we operate. International manufacturing and sales are subject to inherent risks, including production disruption by employee union or works council actions, changes in local economic or political conditions, the imposition of currency exchange restrictions, unexpected changes in regulatory environments, potentially adverse tax law changes, changes in trade, import or export laws and regulations, and the exchange rate risk discussed above. Although we have operations around the world, a significant natural event could disrupt supply or production or significantly affect the market for some or all of our products. There can be no assurance that these factors will not have an adverse impact on our production capabilities or otherwise adversely affect our business and operating results.

In addition to specific country risks, our operations and sales are dependent on an integrated global operation. As a result, disruptions resulting from inter-governmental trade disputes, imposition of tariffs, and imposition of trade sanctions could adversely affect our operations, growth, or profitability.

Volatility in currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our international operations accounted for approximately 4% of our net sales in 2022. We are exposed to the effects (both positive and negative) that fluctuating exchange rates have on translating the financial statements of our international operations, most of which are denominated in local currencies, into the U.S. dollar. Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect product demand and reported profits in our international operations. In addition, currency fluctuations may affect the prices we pay suppliers for materials used in our products, along with other local costs incurred in foreign countries for foreign entities with U.S. dollar functional currency. As a result, fluctuating exchange rates may adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

Our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by compliance with import and export laws.

We must comply with various laws and regulations relating to the import and export of products, services and technology from the U.S. and other countries having jurisdiction over our operations, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners and other persons. In certain circumstances, export control and economic sanctions regulations may prohibit the export of certain products, services, and technologies and in other circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting a controlled item. The length of time required by the licensing processes can vary, potentially delaying the shipment of products or performance of services and the recognition of the corresponding revenue. In addition, failure to comply with any of these regulations could result in civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties, disruptions to our business, limitations on our ability to import and export products and services and damage to our reputation. Moreover, any changes in export control or sanctions regulations may further restrict the export of our products or services, and the possibility of such changes requires constant monitoring to ensure we remain compliant. Any restrictions on the export of our products or product lines could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

Risks Related to Legal Uncertainty

We could be subject to additional civil penalties or face criminal penalties and sanctions if we violate the terms of settlement with the SEC.

On September 30, 2022, acting pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by the Company, the SEC issued an order pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act, directing the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder (the “SEC Order”).

While we have already paid the penalties imposed by the order into which we entered pursuant to the SEC Order, it contains ongoing and continuing requirements that we refrain from violating the Securities Act. Any future violation of applicable securities laws by us or management could result in harsher sanctions and fines, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plans. SEC staff can make reasonable requests from us for further evidence of compliance. Such requests for further information, record-keeping requirements and others generally could divert management’s attention from implementing its business plans and could require additional material expenditures by us to legal counsel or other advisors and service providers. Further issues could reduce investor and shareholder confidence in our company and could result in a failure to execute on our business plan, which would negatively impact our business. A copy of the SEC Order can be found at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov).

Our global operations subject us to many different and complex laws and rules, and we may face difficulty in compliance.

Due to our global operations, we are subject to many laws governing international relations (including but not limited to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. Export Administration Act the EU General Data Protection Regulation, and the U.K. Modern Anti-Slavery Act); which prohibit improper payments to government officials and restrict where and how we can do business, what information or products we can supply to certain countries, what personal information we can transfer, and what information we can provide to a non-U.S. government. Although we have procedures and policies in place that should mitigate the risk of violations of these laws, there is no guarantee that they will be sufficiently effective. If, and when we acquire new businesses, we may not be able to ensure that the pre-existing controls and procedures meant to prevent violations of the rules and laws were effective, and we may not be able to implement effective controls and procedures to prevent violations quickly enough when integrating newly acquired businesses. Acquisitions of new businesses in new non-U.S. jurisdictions may also subject us to new regulations and laws, and we may face difficulties ensuring compliance with these new requirements.

Provisions in the Delaware law and our Bylaws could make it very difficult for an investor to bring any legal actions against our directors or officers for violations of their fiduciary duties or could require us to pay any amounts incurred by our directors or officers in any such actions.

Members of our board of directors and our officers will have no liability for breaches of their fiduciary duty of care as a director or officer, except in limited circumstances, pursuant to provisions in the Delaware law and our Bylaws. Accordingly, you may be unable to prevail in a legal action against our directors or officers even if they have breached their fiduciary duty of care. In addition, our Bylaws allow us to indemnify our directors and officers from and against any and all costs, charges and expenses resulting from their acting in such capacities with us. This means that if you were able to enforce an action against our directors or officers, in all likelihood, we would be required to pay any expenses they incurred in defending the lawsuit and any judgment or settlement they otherwise would be required to pay. Accordingly, our indemnification obligations could divert needed financial resources and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.

If we fail to establish, maintain, and enforce intellectual property rights with respect to our technology, our financial condition, results of operations and business could be negatively impacted.

Our ability to establish, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights with respect to our proprietary technologies, patents, patent applications, software and other rights will be a significant factor in determining our future financial and operating performance. We seek to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on a combination of patent, trade secret and copyright laws. We also use confidentiality and other provisions in our agreements that restrict access to and disclosure of our confidential know-how and trade secrets.

We have filed patent applications with respect to many aspects of our technologies. However, we cannot provide any assurances that any of these applications will ultimately result in issued patents or, if patents are issued, that they will provide sufficient protections for our technology against competitors. Although we have filed various patent applications for some of our core technologies, we currently hold only six issued patents, with two in the United States and four in Canada, and we may face delays and difficulties in obtaining our other filed patents, or we may not be able to obtain such patents at all.

Outside of these patent applications, we seek to protect our technology as trade secrets and technical know-how. However, trade secrets and technical know-how are difficult to maintain and do not provide the same legal protections provided by patents. In particular, only patents will allow us to prohibit others from using independently developed technology that are similar. If competitors develop knowledge substantially equivalent or superior to our trade secrets and technical know-how or gain access to our knowledge through other means such as observation of our technology that embodies trade secrets at customer sites which we do not control, the value of our trade secrets and technical know-how would be diminished.

While we strive to maintain systems and procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of our trade secrets and technical know-how, these systems and procedures may fail to provide an adequate degree of protection. For example, although we generally enter into agreements with our employees, consultants, advisors, and strategic partners restricting the disclosure and use of trade secrets, technical know-how and confidential information, we cannot provide any assurance that these agreements will be sufficient to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure. In addition, some of the technology deployed at customer sites in the future, which we do not control, may be readily observable by third parties who are not under contractual obligations of non-disclosure, which may limit or compromise our ability to continue to protect such technology as a trade secret.

Monitoring and policing unauthorized use and disclosure of intellectual property is difficult. If we learned that a third party was in fact infringing or otherwise violating our intellectual property, we may need to enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation. Litigation relating to our intellectual property may not prove successful and might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

From our customers’ standpoint, the strength of the intellectual property under which we control can be a critical determinant of the value of our products and services. If we are unable to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property, it may become more difficult for us to attract new customers. Any such development could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not have sufficient financial resources to defend our intellectual property rights or otherwise successfully defend against claims that we have infringed on a third party’s intellectual property and, as a result, it may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Even if such claims are not valid, they could subject us to significant costs. In addition, it may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation may also be necessary to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity by others. We may not have sufficient financial resources to defend our intellectual property rights or otherwise to successfully defend the company against valid or spurious claims that we have infringed upon the intellectual property rights of others. An adverse outcome in litigation or any similar proceedings could force us to take actions that could harm its business. These include: (i) ceasing to sell products that contain allegedly infringing property; (ii) obtaining licenses to the relevant intellectual property which we may not be able to obtain on terms that are acceptable, or at all; (iii) indemnifying certain customers or strategic partners if it is determined that we have infringed upon or misappropriated another party’s intellectual property; and (iv) redesigning products that embody allegedly infringing intellectual property. Any of these results could adversely and significantly affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the cost of defending or asserting any intellectual property claim, both in legal fees and expenses, and the diversion of management resources, regardless of whether the claim is valid, could be significant and lead to significant and protracted losses.

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of our product or any future products that we may develop.

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the sale of our products and the future sale of planned products. We may be sued if any of our products allegedly causes injury. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties. We may also be subject to liability for a misunderstanding of, or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product or planned products caused injuries, we may incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

• decreased demand for our product or any planned products that we may develop;
• injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
• significant costs to defend the related litigation and distraction to our management team;
• substantial monetary awards to plaintiffs;
• loss of revenue; and
• the inability to commercialize any future products that we may develop.

Such events could subject us to costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured parties, delay, negatively impact, or end our opportunity to market those products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts. Even in a circumstance in which we do not believe that an adverse event is related to our product, the investigation into the circumstance may be time-consuming or inconclusive. These investigations may interrupt our sales efforts. As a result of these factors, a product liability claim, even if successfully defended, could harm our business.

We currently maintain product liability insurance coverage, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

If we experience material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and provide a management report on internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. The identification of one or more material weaknesses would preclude a conclusion that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, there could continue to be a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013). Based on its evaluation, our management concluded that as of September 30, 2022, that our internal control over financial reporting were not effective and there are material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

We are required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis. However, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we are no longer an “smaller reporting company.” At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

Risks Related to Acquisitions

We have grown through acquisitions and are continuously looking to fund other acquisitions; our failure to raise funds for acquisitions may have the effect of slowing down our growth and our use of funds for acquisitions subjects us to acquisition-related risks.

We intend to make acquisitions of complementary (including competitive) businesses, products and technologies. However, any future acquisitions may result in material transaction costs, increased interest and amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, increased depreciation expense and increased operating expenses, any of which could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial position. Acquisitions will require integration of acquired assets and management into our operations to realize economies of scale and control costs. Acquisitions may involve other risks, including diversion of management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing internal development of our business and risks inherent in entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience. In connection with future acquisitions, we may make potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities. In addition, consummation of acquisitions may subject us to unanticipated business uncertainties, contingent liabilities or legal matters relating to those acquired businesses for which the sellers of the acquired businesses may not fully indemnify us. There can be no assurance that our business will grow through acquisitions, as anticipated.

We may fail to successfully integrate our acquisitions or otherwise be unable to benefit from pursuing acquisitions.

We believe there are meaningful opportunities to grow through acquisitions and joint ventures across all product categories and we expect to continue a strategy of selectively identifying and acquiring businesses with complementary products. We may be unable to identify, negotiate, and complete suitable acquisition opportunities on reasonable terms. There can be no assurance that any business acquired by us will be successfully integrated with our operations or prove to be profitable to us. We may incur future liabilities related to acquisitions. Should any of the following problems, or others, occur as a result of our acquisition strategy, the impact could be material:

• difficulties integrating personnel from acquired entities and other corporate cultures into our business;
• difficulties integrating information systems;
• the potential loss of key employees of acquired companies;
• the assumption of liabilities and exposure to undisclosed or unknown liabilities of acquired companies; or
• the diversion of management attention from existing operations.

Risks Related to Our Management and Control Persons

The loss of the services of Saagar Govil for any reason would materially and adversely affect our business operations and prospects.

Our financial success is dependent to a significant degree upon the efforts of Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Saagar Govil possesses engineering, sales and marketing experience concerning our company that our other officers do not have. We have not entered into an employment arrangement with Mr. Govil, and we have not obtained key man insurance over him. There can be no assurance that Saagar Govil will continue to provide services to us. A voluntary or involuntary departure by Saagar Govil could have a materially adverse effect on our business operations if we were not able to attract a qualified replacement for them in a timely manner.

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, especially our design and technical personnel, we may not be able to execute our business strategy effectively.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain, attract and motivate qualified personnel, including our management, sales and marketing, finance, and especially our design and technical personnel. As the source of our technological and product innovations, our design and technical personnel represent a significant asset. Any inability to retain, attract or motivate such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our management stockholders have significant stockholdings in and influence over our company which could make it impossible for public stockholders to influence the affairs of our company.

We are a “controlled company” under Nasdaq Listing Rules. Approximately 90% of our outstanding voting shares, which includes our common stock, Series C preferred stock and Series 1 preferred stock, are beneficially held by Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to certificate of designation for our Series C preferred, each outstanding share of Series C Preferred Stock is entitled to the number of votes equal to the result of (i) the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding at the time of such vote multiplied by 10.01, and divided by (ii) the total number of shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding at the time of such vote, at each meeting of our shareholders with respect to any and all matters presented to our shareholders for their action or consideration, including the election of directors. As a result of Saagar Govil’s ownership of our common stock, Series C preferred stock, and Series 1 preferred stock, he controls, and will control in the future, substantially all matters requiring approval by the stockholders of our company, including the election of all directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This could make it impossible for public stockholders to influence the affairs of our company.

Risks Related to Our Securities

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could depress the market price of our common stock.

Our common stock and Series 1 Preferred Stock are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our securities in the public market, including the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of our Series 1 warrants and stock options, and shares issued as consideration in future acquisitions, or the market perceives that such sales may occur, the market price of our securities could fall and we may be unable to sell our securities in the future.

Our securities may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations, which could lead to costly litigation for us and make an investment in us less appealing.

The market price of our securities may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including:

• our business strategy and plans;
• changing factors related to doing business in various jurisdictions within the United States;
• new regulatory pronouncements and changes in regulatory guidelines and timing of regulatory approvals;
• general and industry-specific economic conditions;
• additions to or departures of our key personnel;
• variations in our quarterly financial and operating results;
• changes in market valuations of other companies that operate in our business segments or in our industry;
• lack of trading liquidity;
• announcements about our business partners;
• Intellectual property disputes;
• Operating results below or exceeding expectations or period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results;
• Whether we achieve profits or not;
• changes in accounting principles; and
• general market conditions, economic and other external factors.

20

The market prices of the securities of early-stage companies, particularly companies like ours without consistent product revenues and earnings, have been highly volatile and are likely to remain highly volatile in the future. This volatility has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. In the past, companies that experience volatility in the market price of their securities have often faced securities class action litigation. Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could result in substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Our Series 1 preferred stock and all of our existing and future indebtedness rank senior to our common stock in the event of a liquidation, winding up or dissolution of our business.

In the event of our liquidation, winding up or dissolution, our assets would be available to make payments to holders of all existing and future indebtedness and Series 1 preferred stock before payments to holders of our common stock. In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or winding up, there may not be sufficient assets remaining, after paying amounts to the holders of our indebtedness and Series 1 preferred stock, to pay anything to common stockholders. As of September 30, 2022, we had total consolidated debt of approximately $20.6 million and 2,079,122 shares issued and 2,015,022 shares of Series 1 preferred stock outstanding. Any liquidation, winding up or dissolution of our company or of any of our wholly or partially owned subsidiaries would have a material adverse effect on holders of our common stock.

Our common stockholders may be adversely affected by the issuance of any subsequent series of preferred stock.

Our certificate of incorporation does not restrict our ability to offer one or more additional new series of preferred stock, any or all of which may rank equally with or have preferences over our common stock as to dividend payments, voting rights, rights upon liquidation or other types of rights. We would have no obligation to consider the specific interests of the holders of common stock in creating any such new series of preferred stock or engaging in any such offering or transaction. Our creation of any new series of preferred stock or our engaging in any such offering or transaction could have a material adverse effect on holders of our common stock.

The public trading market for the common stock may be limited in the future.

Our common stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol CETX. The trading volume fluctuates and there have been time periods during which the common stock trading volume has been limited. Management can make no assurances that trading volume will not be similarly limited in the future. Without an active trading market, there can be no assurance of any liquidity or resale value of the common stock, and stockholders may be required to hold their shares of common stock for an indefinite period of time.

We may not pay cash dividends on our common stock.

Our board of directors declared a one-time cash dividend on our common stock in April 2017. The terms of our series 1 preferred stock provide for the payment of semiannual dividends on the last day of March and September in each year, which began in March 2017. No other cash dividends have been declared or paid by us on our stock during either of the two most recent fiscal years or the period through the date of this prospectus. Other than with respect to our series 1 preferred stock, our board of directors declares dividends when, in its discretion, it determines that a dividend payment, as opposed to another use of cash, is in the best interests of the stockholders. Such decisions are based on the facts and circumstances then existing including, without limitation, our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. As a result, we cannot predict when, or whether, another dividend on our common stock will be declared in the future.

The Company has the following properties:

The Company has its corporate headquarters in New York City with a 12-month lease of 2,500 square feet of office space at a rate of $10,000 per month expiring February 28, 2023.

The Company’s IS segment owns approximately 25,000 square feet of warehouse space in Manchester, PA and approximately 43,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in York, PA. The IS segment also leases approximately 15,500 square feet of warehouse space in Emigsville, PA from a third party in a three-year lease at a monthly rent of $5,099 expiring on August 31, 2025.

The Company’s AT segment leases (i) approximately 6,700 square feet of office and warehouse space in Pune, India from a third party in an five year lease at a monthly rent of $5,810 (INR473,415) expiring on February 28, 2024, (ii) approximately 30,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in Hauppauge, New York from a third party in a seven-year lease at a monthly rent of $28,719 expiring on March 31, 2027, (iii)approximately 4,570 square feet of office space in El Dorado Hills, California in a 63 month lease assumed by the company upon the acquisition of VDI expiring on November 30, 2022, and (iv) approximately 9,400 square feet of office and warehouse space in Hampshire, England in a fifteen-year lease with at a monthly rent of $9,821 (£7,669) which expires on March 24, 2031 and contains provisions to terminate in 2026.

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise, in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results.

Except for historical information contained in this report, the matters discussed are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this report, words such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”, “may”, “plans”, “potential” and “intends” and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company’s management. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the effect of business and economic conditions; the impact of competitive products and their pricing; unexpected manufacturing or supplier problems; the Company’s ability to maintain sufficient credit arrangements; changes in governmental standards by which our environmental control products are evaluated and the risk factors reported from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including this report on Form 10-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments.

Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates

The following discussion and analysis is based upon our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of our financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, and assets and liabilities during the periods reported. Estimates are used when accounting for certain items such as revenues, allowances for returns, early payment discounts, customer discounts, doubtful accounts, employee compensation programs, depreciation and amortization periods, taxes, inventory values, and valuations of investments, goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets. We base our estimates on historical experience, where applicable and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from our estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Please see Note 2 for detailed information regarding our significant accounting policies and estimates in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this 2022 Form 10-K.

Results of Operations - For the fiscal years ending September 30, 2022 and 2021

Total revenue for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 was $50,274,923 and $43,130,934, respectively, an increase of $7,143,989, or 17%. Net loss for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 was $13,292,242 and $7,886,269 respectively, an increase of the loss of $5,405,973 or 69%. Total revenue for the period increased, as compared to total revenue in the same period last year, due to increased demand for the Company’s products and services. Net loss increased due to an impairment of goodwill, write-off of related party receivables, increased expenses related to personnel costs, depreciation and amortization, insurance, travel, and research and development costs.

Revenues

Our Advanced Technologies segment revenues for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 were $29,068,907 and $24,154,488, respectively, an increase of $4,914,419 or 20%. This increase is due to an increased demand for security technology products under our Vicon brand.

Our Industrial Services segment revenues for the year ended September 30, 2022, increased by $2,229,570 or 12%, to $21,206,016 from $18,976,446 for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase is mainly due to an increased demand for the segment’s products and services.

Gross Profit

Gross Profit for the year ended September 30, 2022, was $19,055,518 or 38% of revenues as compared to gross profit of $16,968,352 or 39% of revenues for the year ended September 30, 2021. The decrease in gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the year ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the prior year, was due to increased cost of revenues as a result of increased costs for goods, and increased transportation costs for goods. The Company’s gross profit margins vary from product to product and from customer to customer.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and Administrative Expenses for the year ended September 30, 2022, increased $5,217,663 or 23% to $27,756,159 from $22,538,496 for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase in general and administrative expenses is the result of increased personnel, increased by approximately 21%, travel, increased by approximately 96%, depreciation and amortization, increased by approximately 39%, legal, and professional accounting fees increased by approximately 59%, and a one-time write off of related party receivables of $708,512.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and Development expenses for the year ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 were $4,851,720 and $3,171,676, respectively. The increase in Research and Development expenses are primarily related to the Advanced Technologies Segment’s development of proprietary technology and further developments of the SmartDesk and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and next generation solutions associated with security and surveillance systems software.

Other Income/(Expense)

Other income/(expense) for the year ended September 30, 2022 was $3,367,574 as compared to $9,511,032 for the year ended 2021. Other income/(expense) for the year ended September 30, 2022, included the following one-time items (i) the settlement with Securities and Exchange Commission, generated other expense of $2,200,000, (ii) other income resulting from the forgiveness of our PPP loans of $971,500. Additionally, the company had realized gains on marketable securities of $8,402,125. Other income/(expense) for the year ended September 30, 2021, included the following one-time items (i) the settlement with Aron Govil, generated other income of $3,674,165, (ii) employee retention credits of $733,426 (iii) other income resulting from the forgiveness of our PPP loans of $5,320,485. Additionally, the company had realized and unrealized gains on marketable securities of $2,612,632.

Income Tax Benefit/(Expense)

During the fiscal year of 2022 we recorded an income tax benefit of $208,545 compared to an expense of $375,434 for the fiscal year of 2021. The decrease in the expense for income tax is mainly due to an increase in the net loss compared to the prior year.

Effects of Inflation

The Company’s business and operations have not been materially affected by inflation during the periods for which financial information is presented.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Working capital was $4,754,493 at September 30, 2022, compared to $15,088,892 at September 30, 2021. This includes cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash of $12,188,096 at September 30, 2022, and $17,186,323 at September 30, 2021, respectively. The decrease in working capital was primarily due to the decrease in the Company’s current assets of $4,262,796 and an increase in the Company’s current liabilities of $5,861,395. The primary reason for the decrease in current assets was the cash used for operations during the fiscal year and the decrease in trade receivables, net, trade receivables – related party, the primary reason for the increase in current liabilities was the increase in the Company’s current portion of long-term liabilities, due to the maturity of our Notes Payable.

Operating activities for continuing operations used $16,093,504 for the year ended September 30, 2022, compared to using $10,051,165 of cash for the year ended September 30, 2021.

Trade receivables decreased by $1,850,210 or 24% to $5,960,686 at September 30, 2022, from $7,810,896 at September 30, 2021. The decrease in trade receivables is mainly due to maintaining collection efforts.

Inventories increased by $3,874,395 or 68% to $9,531,682 at September 30, 2022, from $5,657,287 at September 30, 2021. The increase in inventories is attributable to the company’s purchase of inventory for the security business of its Advanced Technology segment to maintain sufficient stock on hand for sale to overcome the recent supply chain delays.

Investing activities for continuing operations provided $6,610,127 of cash during the year ended September 30, 2021, compared to $840,901 provided in the year ended September 30, 2021. Investing activities for fiscal year 2022 were mainly driven by the purchase and sale of marketable securities.

Financing activities for continuing operations provided $5,022,537 for the year ended September 30, 2022, as compared to $4,445,932 provided in the year ended September 30, 2021. In fiscal 2022 our financing activities were mainly comprised of the proceeds from notes payable offset by payments on our debt.

Overall, there is no guarantee that cash flow from our existing or future operations and any external capital that we may be able to raise will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs for the next twelve months. We currently do not have adequate cash to meet our short or long-term needs. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to this uncertainty.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and we necessarily are required to apply our judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible disclosure controls and procedures.

Based on an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2022 due to the material weaknesses described below.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes, in accordance with GAAP. Because of inherent limitations, a system of internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Additionally, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate due to change in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013). Based on its evaluation, our management concluded that as of September 30, 2022, that our internal control over financial reporting were not effective and there are material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. The material weaknesses relate to the Company lacking sufficient, qualified, accounting personnel. The shortage of qualified accounting personnel resulted in the Company lacking entity level controls around the review of period-end reporting processes, accounting policies and public disclosures. Additionally, the Company’s current processes and systems do not provide for necessary timely reconciliation of certain accounts and sufficient consideration regarding recoverability of certain assets. These deficiencies are common in small companies, similar to us, with limited personnel.

In order to mitigate the material weaknesses, the Company has implemented measures that they believe have mitigated these weaknesses but has not had sufficient time to fully test these measures. These measures include; (i) updating our accounting software to ensure tighter control over entries and providing improved data for timely reconciliation of certain accounts, and (ii) engaged a third-party accounting firm to provide review of period-end reporting processes, accounting policies and public disclosures

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 Commission rules that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.

This report shall not be deemed to be filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and is not incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

During the year ended September 30, 2022, The Company engaged a third-party accounting firm to assist with entity level controls around the review of period-end reporting processes, accounting policies and public disclosures that is reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.