Table of Contents


UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

x

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017.

¨

For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019.

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from             to

For the transition period from             to             .

Commission File Number 000-10843

000‑10843

CSP Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

Massachusetts

04‑2441294

Massachusetts04-2441294

(State of incorporation)

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

175 Cabot Street, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854

(Address of principal executive offices)

(978) 954-5038

954‑5038

(Registrant'sRegistrant’s telephone number including area code)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of Exchangeeach exchange on Which Registered

which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

NASDAQ

CSPI

Nasdaq Global Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes  x    No  ¨.

☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).   Yes  x    No  ¨.

☐.

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K(§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant'sregistrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K10‑K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

10‑K. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-212b‑2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer   ¨

Accelerated filer   ¨

Non-accelerated filer   ¨

Smaller Reporting Company   x

Emerging Growth Company   ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.    ¨


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-212b‑2 of the Exchange Act).   Yes   ¨    No   x

As of March 31, 2017, the

The aggregate market value of the registrant'sregistrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $36,981,362$40,671,108 based on the closing sale price of $10.42$11.15 as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market.

Market on March 29, 2019.

As of December 22, 2017,3, 2019, we had outstanding 3,924,1094,153,742 shares of common stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Certain portions of the information required in Part III of this Form 10-K10‑K are incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for our 20182020 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.2019.




TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Business

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Properties

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Item 16.

Form 10‑K Summary

Note: Items 1B, 6 and 7A are not required for Smaller Reporting Companies and therefore are not furnished.
36

Note: Items 1B, 6 and 7A are not required for Smaller Reporting Companies and therefore are not furnished.


i

i





Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements


This annual report on Form 10-K10‑K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This information may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements.  The discussion below contains certain forward-looking statements related but not limited to, among others, statements concerning future revenues and future business plans. Forward-looking statements include statements in which we use words such as “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and thus we cannot assure you that these expectations will prove to be correct, and actual results may vary from those contained in such forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks and uncertainties in Item 1A under the heading “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report.


Factors that may cause such variances include, but are not limited to, our dependence on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue, our high dependence on contracts with the U.S. federal government, our reliance in certain circumstances on single sources for supply of key product components, and intense competition in the market segments in which we operate.  Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this document. We have based the forward-looking statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K10‑K on information available to us on the date of this annual report, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, other than as required by law.


1


PART I

Item 1.Business

Item 1.     Business

CSP Inc. (“CSPI”("CSPi" or “the Company”"CSPI" or “we”"the Company" or “our”"we" or "our") was incorporated in 1968 and is based in Lowell, Massachusetts. To meet the diverse requirements of our commercial and defense customers worldwide, CSPICSPi and its subsidiaries develop and market IT integration solutions, advanced security andproducts, managed IT services, cloud services, purpose built network adapters, and high-performance cluster computer systems.


On July 31, 2018, CSPi LTD sold all of the outstanding stock of Modcomp GmbH for $14.4 million cash, and recognized a gain of $16.8 million. The divestiture of our German operations and our increased cash position enables us to focus time and resources on our higher-margin and greater-potential growth opportunities.  We are encouraged by the traction of our managed services business in the U.S. and we intend to continue to invest and focus on our new ARIA SDS cyber security products and to capitalize on the proliferation of our wireless service business.

Segments


CSPI operates in two segments;segments: Technology Solutions ("TS") and High Performance Products ("HPP") and Technology Solutions ("TS").

HPP Segment

The HPP segment revenue has four distinct product lines: (i) our Multicomputer product portfolio of computing systems for digital signal processing ("DSP") applications within the defense markets, (ii) our Myricom® ARC Series product line of network Ethernet adapters that are offered to both commercial and government customers, (iii) our Myricom nVoy Series solution for OEM and end customers and (iv) our ARIA™ Software Defined Security (SDS) platform of solutions which are also offered to commercial, OEM and government customers.

Our Multicomputer revenue flows from a modest number of existing high-value customers that support the deployment and maintenance of systems utilized by domestic and foreign government entities. In 2016, the Company decided to no longer design and develop new systems for the defense market and is not expected to participate in the next generation of defense systems and applications. Instead, the Company has focused on servicing the existing product line. As a result, the revenue from these products as a percentage of overall Company revenue is expected to decline over time as we focus on the growth of our Myricom and ARIA security solutions, as well as TS division service lines.

Our Myricom ARC Series product portfolio derives its revenue flow from a line of network Ethernet adapters purchased by a wide range of customers in three specialized markets: (i) packet capture, (ii) financial transactions and

(iii) the storage interconnect market. Our primary customers in the packet capture market include government agencies that want the ability to capture, inject, and analyze network traffic at line rate, and original equipment manufacturers ("OEM") selling into vendors of computer security appliances. Our customers in the financial transactions market include banks, brokerages, and other trading firms looking for low latency adapters with value-added features specifically tied to market data feeds. Our storage interconnect market customers are primarily in the film industry using our adapters for film editing.

Our Myricom nVoy solution will obtain revenue from a packet broker and packet recorder deployed as part of an overall data security environment. Our primary customers will be commercial end-users in regulated markets that require a data breach detection and notification system to augment their already installed network security infrastructure. We believe the product line will also be attractive to value added services providers looking to sell a broad set of security services.

Our ARIA Software Defined Security (SDS) product set is a new portfolio that will derive its revenues from security software applications that can be deployed on servers on enterprise premises, in data centers and within the Public Cloud, purchased by a wide range of customers across multiple markets. Our primary customers will be commercial customers and government agencies that have critical applications and data that must be protected from exposure and breach. We believe the product line will also be attractive to value added services providers looking to sell a broad set of security services and OEMs leveraging our capabilities to offer a broader set of security product solutions.

TS Segment


The TS segment consists of our wholly-owned Modcomp subsidiary, which operates in the United States Germany and the United Kingdom.


The TS segment generates product revenues by reselling third-party computer hardware and software as a value added reseller (“VAR”("VAR"). The TS segment generates service revenues by the delivery of integration services for complex IT environments, including advanced security; unified communications and collaboration; wireless and mobility; data center solutions; and network solutions as well as managed IT services ("MSP") that primarily serve the small and mid-sized business market ("SMB").


Third party products and professional services are marketed and sold through the Company'sCompany’s direct sales force into a variety of vertical markets, including; automotive; defense; health care; education; federal, state and local government; and maritime.

CSPi sold all of the outstanding stock of Modcomp GmbH to Reply AG on July 31, 2018 for total cash consideration of $14.4 million. CSPi recognized a one-time gain of $16.8 million. The Company determined the German subsidiary met the criteria for discontinued operations under ASC 205. The Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the results of Modcomp GmbH classified as discontinued operations at and as of September 30, 2018. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

HPP Segment

·

The HPP segment revenue comes from four distinct product lines: (i) a cybersecurity solution marketed as ARIA™ Software-Defined Security (“SDS”), which is offered to commercial, original equipment manufacturers ("OEM") and government customers; (ii) the Myricom® network adapters for commercial, government and OEM customers;  (iii) the ARIA nVoy Series of appliances for Managed Security Service Providers (“MSSPs”) and end-user customers; and (iv) the legacy Multicomputer product portfolio for digital signal processing ("DSP") applications within the defense markets.

·

The ARIA SDS solution is a software portfolio starting with the underlying  platform (orchestrator, light-weight instances), and hosted applications, as well as supporting hardware (turn-key security appliances), all developed to secure an organization’s network, enterprise-wide, to better protect critical devices, applications and high-


2

value data, such as personally identifiable information ("PII"), from breaches. Revenue will come from the sale of licenses of our software platform components, hosted applications, turnkey appliances and the required support packages.  The software licenses are renewable on an annual basis. The ARIA SDS platform and applications can be deployed on our separately sold Myricom adapters that can be deployed within our customers servers, or via our turn-key appliances that can be deployed in data centers or within the customers network to provide network security services.  Alternatively, with future releases, organizations will be able deploy ARIA SDS on cloud infrastructure as a service to protect this portion of their IT environment. We had our first sale in the last half of fiscal year 2019 and the pipeline has started to build up for fiscal year 2020. We expect to have additional revenue starting in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, which we expect will increase throughout the year.

·

We anticipate that the ARIA SDS portfolio will be of value to regulated industries, such as financial services or healthcare, due to the rise of data-privacy regulations enforced at the federal, U.S. state, and international level, as well as industry entities. We also believe the unique, patent-pending approach will be attractive to managed security services providers (MSSP) and OEMs that pursue differentiated security services for their customers. While our initial offerings of the ARIA SDS portfolio are available now, the number of offerings will continue to expand over time. 

·

The Myricom network adapters (ARC Series and SIA) are optimized for and sold into markets that require high bandwidth and low latency including (i) packet capture, (ii) financial transactions, and (iii) storage interconnect. And with our SIA organizations that require advanced security features added to their production server deployments. Our primary customers for packet capture include government agencies that need to capture, inject, and analyze network traffic at line rate, and OEMs selling into vendors of computer security appliances. Financial institutions, such as banks, and brokerage firms use Myricom adapters to decrease transaction times. Our storage interconnect customers, primarily in the film industry, use our adapters for video capture and film editing.  Organizations that run advanced network security features benefit from the ability to run such applications safely on our adapter preserving server performance for production applications.

·

The nVoy Series of appliances (Packet Recorder and Packet Broker) can be deployed as part of an organization’s data security structure as a new component to complement existing systems and provides data breach verification and notification as well as compliance reporting. The primary customers will be OEMs or MSSPs that are looking to expand their product and services offerings of industry regulation compliance and breach response solutions.

·

Multicomputer products for DSP applications are no longer being actively developed but will continue to be sold for deployment and supported for several years. Revenue flows come from servicing previously deployed products for a modest number of existing high-value defense customers. Therefore, the revenue from these products, as a percentage of overall Company revenue, is expected to decline over time.

Sales Information by Industry Segment

The following table details our sales by operating segment for fiscal years ending September 30, 20172019 and 2016.2018. Additional segment and geographical information is set forth in Note 1418  to ourthe consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Segment

    

2019

    

%

    

2018

    

%

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

TS

 

$

71,159

 

90

%  

$

62,437

 

86

%

HPP

 

 

7,902

 

10

%  

 

10,479

 

14

%

Total Sales

 

$

79,061

 

100

%  

$

72,916

 

100

%

3

Segment 2017 % 2016 %
  (Dollar amounts in thousands)
HPP $13,844
 12% $16,342
 16%
TS 97,638
 88% 87,025
 84%
Total Sales $111,482
 100% $103,367
 100%

HPP

TS Segment


Products and Services


In the HPP segment, we design, manufacture and deliver products and services to customers that require specialized cyber security services, networking and signal processing.



Products

Our Multicomputer product portfolio includes the 2000 SERIES VME and 3000 SERIES VXS systems. The 2000 SERIES products, based on PowerPC RISC processors with AltiVec™ technology, high-speed memory and Myrinet-2000™ cluster interconnect are in deployment by customers in the aerospace, commercial and defense markets. The 3000 SERIES VXS product line, incorporating the Freescale QorIQ PowerPC processors with AltiVec technology, targets high performance DSP, signal intelligence (“SIGINT”), radar and sonar applications in airborne, shipboard and unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) platforms where space, power and cooling are at a premium. The HPP segment continues to ship and repair existing products to its customer base and support an installed base of DSP systems.

Our Myricom ARC Series product line includes 10G Ethernet adapters and associated network adapter software for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and VMware ESX that we acquired through an asset purchase on November 4, 2013. The acquired line of network 10G Ethernet adapters, continues to meet the critical requirements of performance, multi-platform compatibility, software vendor approval, and maturity required in the media and entertainment market. Our ARC Series adapters are a preferred choice for media editors as they have been tested and qualified for use with the Avid® MediaCentral™ Platform and similar software packages popular among media editors. Our current generation of the ARC Series adapters is based on field-programmable gate array ("FPGA") technology and purpose built for complex and demanding applications including automated trading and network monitoring. We introduced the ARC Series with DBL™ (“DBL”) to the market during fiscal year 2015. DBL offers the ultra-low latency requirements of the high frequency trading market. However, adoption of the ARC Series with DBL product line was less than expected with limited success in Windows operating system environments. As a result, while we will continue to support DBL, we shifted focus of development resources to our ARC Series with Sniffer10G software to continue supporting the packet capture market during fiscal year 2017. Likely customers include enterprise and government customers seeking the ability to perform thorough inspection of network traffic to provide better detection of cyber threats enabled by 100% lossless packet capture and packet injection, such as required for network surveillance, including lawful intercept, deep packet inspection for use by Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), forensic tools, and denial of service (DDoS) defense applications. The latest product, the Myricom ARC Series Secure Intelligent Adapter (SIA) will provide, when available, more flexible and powerful compute capabilities and specialty hardware to handle advanced encryption functions. The SIA will run the ARIA Software Defined Security (SDS) platform applications, as well as provide an environment for our OEM and Services partners to run their own applications upon.

Also sold under the Myricom brand, our nVoy Series is comprised of a 100G Packet Broker and 10G Packet Recorder, as well as specialized software. These products were introduced to the market during fiscal year 2017 and likely customers are end-users responsible for network and/or data security in their organizations. Since all organizations have data security needs, the market for nVoy Series is potentially broad; however, we believe that nVoy is best suited for and its primary market will be mid to enterprise-sized companies in regulated industries such as banking, finance, insurance, retail and state and local government. These markets are under tremendous pressure to comply with data privacy regulations that are widespread across 49 of the U.S states as well as internationally. The nVoy solution assists customers in meeting compliance requirements related to notifying regulators and entities impacted by a potential breach. The nVoy’s capabilities of monitoring specified critical assets and automatically matching intrusion alerts generated by an organizations firewall or intrusion detection system (IDS) against those assets, as well as disseminating an email containing an extraction file of all conversations, enables information security resources to immediately start the breach investigative process thus reducing the breach response time, as well as assist in forensic analysis and incident auditing.

Our ARIA SDS platform, when available, will include a variety of lightweight cyber security software applications that can be deployed upon bare metal servers, virtual machines (VMs) and/or container compute environments. These applications include the ability to automatically implement and enforce security polices, which determine which applications can access which data and how. ARIA will have a combination of features sold as “security services” and these product sets will be priced separately and offered as part of an annual subscription priced software as a service (SaaS) offering. Note that this is a product solution, not a cloud-based service offering. The intent is to allow these ARIA software instances (SDSi) to run not only within a data center server based VMs and/or containers, but also within public cloud instances. The ARIA SDSi can be deployed across an organization’s enterprise as widespread or selectively as desired. ARIA SDSi will detect and programmatically execute the appropriate services feature set which is controlled through ARIA's services orchestrator ("SDSo"). The SDSo is the backbone of SDS platform and will be offered on a SaaS annual subscription basis and required to launch the purchased SDSi’s. ARIA products will also charge annual support fees. ARIA will lend itself to a set of professional services that can be provided by CSPi and/or its partners.






Royalties

We license the design of certain of our 2000 SERIES computer processor boards and switched interconnect technology to third parties. In exchange for licensing this technology, we receive a royalty payment for each processor board that the licensee produces that utilizes our design for these products.

Markets, Marketing and Dependence on Certain Customers

Aerospace & Defense Market

Our focus for fiscal 2018 and beyond is to continue our support of established products and the substantial investment in development, evaluation, and system deployments made by government entities with support requirements that often extend beyond twenty years.

Financial Transactions Market

Myricom network adapters with DBL application software address the need for the ultra-low latency required in the world of financial trading. Running DBL on ARC Series extreme performance network adapters provides unmatched acceleration for 10G Ethernet environments, with benchmarked application-to-application latency in the single digit microseconds for Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Packet Capture Market

Myricom Sniffer10G software, running on ARC Series Ethernet adapters, provides enterprise and government customers and partners the ability to capture, inject, and analyze network traffic at line rate for all Ethernet packet sizes, with low host-CPU overhead. Sniffer10G serves the following market segments: network surveillance, monitoring and analysis; test, measurement and packet generation; deep packet inspection (DPI); and as a critical technology component within Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), forensic tools and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) defense appliances.

Storage Interconnect Market

Myricom ARC Series network adapters are used in a wide range of applications that connect to storage subsystems using Ethernet. Most of these customers are using content creation applications requiring high performance networking from the storage system to video editing work stations. We also have customers in the supercomputing market and building cable head ends for video distribution. These adapters with the Myri10GE software deliver best in class throughput performance for Ethernet controllers.

Security Products Market

The Myricom nVoy solution is expected to be used by companies who wish to automatically monitor, and record packet level traffic to and from their most critical data assets, including those that store personally identifiable information (PII.) These capabilities are best suited to information security resources who need a means to quickly identify and validate a potential breach in order to meet compliance regulations; yet, taking this one step further, they desire immediate notification of any breach in order to minimize breach impact. This is critical due to the changing regulatory climate that requires improvement in the ability to react to breaches within a few days and thereby minimize damage. Using traditional techniques can take weeks to months to detect and determine the full scope of a breach. Given the increase in occurrences and sophistication of cyber breaches, the ability to properly identify and react to breaches has been getting worse. nVoy can be deployed to help reduce that time, and improve the accuracy of records breached to meet these new regulations. Value added resellers (VARs) will find nVoy of interest to flesh out their portfolio of security products and services and weed out less effective tools and processes in their customer environments.

The ARIA SDS software platform is expected to be sold across commercial, and state and local education divisions (SLED) vertices that focus on developing/running their own software applications - known as DevOps. These customers are changing the way they develop, rollout and operate their applications; these applications require a set of security capabilities that allow these DevOps groups to roll their applications out quickly but securely. The Myricom Secure Intelligent Adapter (SIA) can be added to current server and VM deployments, which will allow CPU intensive security processes, such as ARIA’s encryption services to be added, but offloaded from the server CPU cores. This will provide secure but optimized production application performance while preserving the life of these server deployments. In particular, ARIA SDS will allow such service

providers the ability to operationalize their security services quickly and efficiently both critical for success. Naturally, OEMs are the other security products providers who need to solve particular problems such as adding new features and solving performance issues. These OEMs may reference sell the products to be directly resold through Independent Software Vendor channels to the end customers in these markets.

Competition

The markets for our security products segment are very competitive. Customer requirements coupled with advances in technology will drive our efforts to continuously develop new feature capabilities. Applications expertise, product innovation, strong technical support and dedicated customer service allow us to compete as a provider of high-performance products and solutions.

Our primary direct competitors for the security products are traditional large security vendors including companies like: Dell, IBM, and to a lesser degree Intel, among others. In specific application areas, we also compete with traditional approaches to detecting breaches and/or applying 3rd party advanced security features. For breach detection, this includes firewall manufacturers such as Palo Alto or Cisco, and on the packet broker, Gigamon, Ixia as well as others. Competitors for SDS encryption include applications and appliances as provided by Talus and HPE’s Voltaic group plus others. Illumio for micro-segmentation capabilities, and other traditional end point security vendors that attempt to set security policies on containers and VMs. Intel’s chip level security functions highlighted on their product roadmap may provide more functionality that their market competitors could attempt to leverage, but this also opens up further opportunities for our ARIA SDS solution to leverage its functionality as well. We will be attractive to customers who need a combination of advanced protection features but who also require optimized application performance. Security adapter products will also leverage previous generation Myricom ARC Series network adapter capabilities that include advanced filtering, support for kernel bypass technologies, 100% lossless packet capture, as well as precision time stamping, combined with new capabilities to offer a variety of security service combinations that our customers can put to use.

Manufacturing, Assembly and Testing

Currently, all Multicomputer products are shipped to our customers directly from our plant in Lowell, Massachusetts. Our manufacturing activities consist mainly of final assembly and testing of printed circuit boards and systems that are designed by us and fabricated by outside third party vendors.

Upon our receipt of material and components from outside suppliers, our quality assurance technicians inspect these products and components. During manufacture and assembly, both sub-assemblies and completed systems are subjected to extensive testing, including burn-in and environmental stress screening designed to minimize equipment failure at delivery and over the useful service life of the system. We also use diagnostic programs to detect and isolate potential component failures. A comprehensive log is maintained of past failures to monitor the ongoing reliability of our products and improve design standards.

Currently, Myricom products, including nVoy and ARC Series are shipped to our customers directly from our plant in Lowell, Massachusetts. The packet recorder and packet broker appliances are sourced from third party partners and resold under the CSPi name, combined with CSPi provided software. Our network adapters are designed by us and fabricated by outside third party vendors. Material and components received from outside suppliers are inspected by our quality assurance technicians.

ARIA SDS software will be downloaded and licensed from servers or content delivery services controlled by CSPi. These can be sold in conjunction with the SIA, which may be preloaded with appropriate ARIA SDS software images. Licensing will be handled by the ARIA SDSo which will be accessible by CSPi’s licensing severs to allow proper flexible services feature set activation and payment.

We provide a warranty covering defects arising from the sale of Multicomputer and Myricom products, which varies from 90 days to three years, depending upon the particular unit in question.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

Several components used in our HPP segment products are obtained from sole-source suppliers. We are dependent on key vendors such as NXP, Inc. for PowerPC processors for our 2000 SERIES and our 3000 SERIES VXS products and Wind River Systems, Inc. for VxWorks operating system software. Despite our dependence on these sole-source suppliers, based on our current forecast, we do not consider the risk of interruption of supply to be significant, therefore we expect to meet our

projected sales obligations over the near term, because we have adequate inventory on hand and/or our current requirements can be met in the existing supply chain.

Research and Development

For the year ended September 30, 2017, our expenses for R&D were approximately $2.4 million compared to approximately $3.0 million for fiscal year 2016. Expenditures for R&D are expensed as they are incurred. Product development efforts in fiscal year 2017 involved development of the ARIA SDS product set, and enhancements to our Myricom products, in which we expect to continue to make investments related to the development of new hardware adapter products and the ARIA SDS software that enables the hardware to meet the needs of specific applications. Our current R&D plan is intended to extend the usefulness and marketability of these products by reducing latency, improving precision time stamping capabilities, and adding features, such as enhanced arbitration, to deliver products fine-tuned to meet the needs of our markets.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property rights. We have two pending patents for the ARIA software and will be pursuing additional patent rights over time.

Backlog
The backlog of customer orders and contracts in the HPP segment was approximately $0.8 million at September 30, 2017 as compared to $4.9 million at September 30, 2016. Our backlog can fluctuate greatly. These fluctuations can be due to the timing of receipt of large orders often for purchases from prime contractors for sales to the government. It is expected that all of the customer orders in backlog will ship within the next twelve months from September 30, 2017.

TS Segment
Products and Services

Integration Solutions


In the TS segment, we focus on value-added reseller ("VAR") integrated solutions including third-party hardware, software and technical computer-related consulting services and managed services. Our value proposition is our ability to integrate diverse third-party components together into a complete solution to install the system at the customer site and to offer high value IT consulting services to deliver solutions.


Third-Party Hardware and Software


Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Modcomp, sells

We sell third-party hardware and software products in the information technology market, with a strategic focus on industry standard servers and data center infrastructure solutions, midrange data storage infrastructure products, network products, unified communications, and IT security hardware and software solutions. Our key offerings include products from HPE,HPE/Aruba, Cisco Systems, IBM,Palo Alto Networks, DellEMC, Juniper Networks, Citrix, Dell, Intel, VMWare, Fortinet, Microsoft and Checkpoint. Through our business relationships with these vendors, we are able to offer competitively priced robust products to meet our customers'customers’ diverse technology needs, providing procurement and engineering expertise in server infrastructure, storage, security, unified communications and networking, to the small-to-medium sized businesses (“SMBs”("SMBs") and large enterprise businesses (“LEBs”("LEBs") with complex IT environments. We offer our customers a single point of contact for complex multi-vendor technology purchases. Many of our SMB customers have unique technology needs and may lack technical purchasing expertise or have very limited IT engineering resources on staff. We also provide installation, integration, logistical assistance and other value-added services that customers may require. Our current customers are in web and infrastructure hosting, education, telecommunications, healthcare services, distribution, financial services, professional services and manufacturing. We target SMBs and LEB customers across all industries.


Professional Services


We provide professional IT consulting services in the following areas:

·

Implementation, integration, migration, configuration, installation services and project management.


·

Hyper-Converged Infrastructure ("HCI") - We assist our clients with designing and implementing HCI solutions from multiple vendors including DellEMC, Nutanix, HPE and Cisco. HCI is a software-centric architecture that tightly integrates compute, storage and virtualization resources in a single system. The benefits of an HCI solution are improved performance, scalability and flexibility all in a reduced footprint.

Implementation, integration, migration, configuration, installation services and project management.

·

Virtualization - We help our customers implement virtualization solutions using products from companies such as VMWare and Citrix that allow one computer to do the job of multiple computers by sharing resources of a single computer across multiple environments. Virtualization eliminates physical and geographical limitations and enables users to host multiple operating systems and applications on fewer servers. Benefits include energy cost savings, lower capital expenditure requirements, high availability of resources, better desktop management, increased security and improved disaster recovery.


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Enterprise security intrusion prevention, network access control and unified threat management. Using third-party products from companies like Palo Alto, Aruba Networks, Juniper Networks, Fortinet, Checkpoint and Cisco Systems, our services are designed to ensure data security and integrity through the establishment of virtual private networks, firewalls and other technologies.

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IT security compliance services. We provide services for IT security compliance with personal privacy laws such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard ("PCI DSS"), the Health Insurance Portability and

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Unified Storage Platforms ("USPs"). We help our customers implement USP solutions using products from Dell, EMC, HP and NetApp. USPs have advantages over conventional storage architecture, which include cost savings from better utilization

Table of hardware and lower headcount requirements to run and maintain data storage systems, higher availability and faster data access rates resulting in increased productivity.Contents


Virtualization. We help our customers implement virtualization solutions using products from companies such as VMWare and Citrix that allow one computer to do the job of multiple computers by sharing resources of a single computer across multiple environments. Virtualization eliminates physical and geographical limitations and enables users to host multiple operating systems and applications on fewer servers. Benefits include energy cost savings, lower capital expenditure requirements, high availability of resources, better desktop management, increased security and improved disaster recovery.

Enterprise security intrusion prevention, network access control and unified threat management. Using third-party products from companies like Checkpoint, Palo Alto, Aruba Networks, Juniper Networks and Cisco Systems, our services are designed to ensure data security and integrity through the establishment of virtual private networks, firewalls and other technologies.

IT security compliance services. We provide services for IT security compliance with personal privacy laws such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and internal control regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).

Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), and internal control regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("SOX").


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Unified communications, wireless and routing and switching solutions using Cisco Systems and Aruba Networks products and services.

Unified communications, wireless and routing and switching solutions using Cisco Systems and Aruba Networks products and services.

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Custom software applications and solutions development and support. We develop custom applications to customer specifications using industry standard platforms such as Microsoft.Net, SharePoint and OnBase. We are a Microsoft Gold Partner.


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Managed IT services that include monitoring, reporting and management of alerts for the resolution and preventive general IT and IT security support tasks.

Custom software applications and solutions development and support. We develop custom applications to customer specifications using industry standard platforms such as Microsoft.Net, SharePoint and OnBase. We are a Microsoft Gold Partner.

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Maintenance and technical support for third-party products including hardware and software, operating system and user support.


Managed IT services that include monitoring, reporting and management of alerts for the resolution and preventive general IT and IT security support tasks.

Maintenance and technical support for third-party products including hardware and software, operating system and user support.

Managed and Cloud Services


As consumption models continue to evolve in our industry, Modcomp haswe have developed a robust managed & cloud services offering to provide alternative solutions to traditional capital expenditure investments in IT solutions and IT operations for our clients. Our value is to provide an elastic offering that will alsoallow the client to scale and consume these offerings with monthly billing options that help control costs and provide economies of scale.


We provide managed and cloud services in the following areas:

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Proactive monitoring and remote management of IT Infrastructure that includes network (both wired and wireless), data center (which includes compute, storage and virtualization), desktops, unified communications platforms and security.


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Managed and Hosted Unified Communication as a Service via a  Cisco Collaboration offering under an annuity program.

Proactive monitoring and remote management of IT Infrastructure that includes network (both wired and wireless), data center (which includes compute, storage and virtualization), desktops, unified communications platforms and security.

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Managed Security (firewall, endpoint protection, malware, anti-virus and SIEM).


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Managed BackUp and Replication.

Managed Collaboration solutions (voice and video), resale of Cisco Webex and SPARK under annuity program.

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Cloud services that include Microsoft Office 365, Azure, Greencloud and Amazon Web Services.


Managed Security (firewall, endpoint protection, malware, anti-virus and SIEM).

Managed BackUp and Replication.

Cloud services that include Microsoft Office 365, Azure, Greencloud and Amazon Web Services.


Markets, Marketing and Dependence on Certain Customers


We are an IT systems integrator and computer hardware and software VAR. We also provide technical services to achieve a value-add to our customers. We operate within the VAR sales channels of major computer hardware and software OEMs, primarily within the geographic areas of our sales offices and across the U.S. We provide innovative IT solutions, including a myriad of infrastructure products with customized integration consulting services and managed services to meet the unique requirements of our customers. We market the products and services we sell through sales offices in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. using our direct sales force (for a list of our locations, see Item 2 of this Form 10-K).


force.

Competition


Our primary competition in the TS segment is other VARs ranging from small companies that number in the thousands, to large enterprises such as CDW, PC Connection, Insight, MoreDirect,Presidio, Dimension Data, Bechtle AG, Presidio and Computacenter AG & Co oHG.Limited. In addition, we compete directly with many of the companies that manufacture the third-party products we sell, including Cisco Systems, IBM, Hewlett Packard (HP)(HPE), EMC (now part of Dell) and others. In the network

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management, security and storage systems integration services business, our competitors are extensive and vary to a certain degree in each of the geographical markets, but they also include such national competitors as HP/EDS, IBM and Cap Gemini.


Nearly all of our product offerings are available through other channels. Favorable competitive factors for the TS segment include procurement capability, product diversity which enables the delivery of complete and custom solutions to our customers and the strength of our key business relationships with the major IT OEMs. We also consider our ability to meet the unique and/or specialized needs of the SMB and LEB markets and our strong knowledge of the IT products that we sell to be a key competitive advantage. Our ability to provide managed services through our network operations center and the consulting integrationprofessional IT services required to design and install the custom IT solutions that fitto address our customers' IT needs are distinct competitive advantages. Unfavorable competitive factors include low name recognition, limited geographic coverage and pricing.


Backlog

The backlog of customer orders and contracts for the TS segment was approximately $12.7$4.0 million at September 30, 2017,2019, as compared to $10.9$7.2 million at September 30, 2016.2018. Our backlog can fluctuate greatly. These fluctuations can be due to the timing of receiving large orders for third- partythird-party products and/or IT services. It is expected that all of the customer orders in backlog will ship and/or be provided during fiscal year 2018.2020.

HPP Segment

Products and Services

The mission of the HPP team is to deliver a differentiated, smarter approach to cybersecurity. Our software-defined platform makes it easier for organizations to achieve enterprise-wide network security and protection of critical assets, applications and devices by improving their network visibility capabilities and accelerating their incident response.

Products

The ARIA SDS solution will give organizations an automated, central, and coordinated way to accelerate cyber threat detection and response, implement and enforce security polices, control which applications can access critical assets, and to protect applications and the associated data. The ARIA Orchestrator ("SDSo") and instances ("SDSi"), provide the foundation of the ARIA platform, so that a series of lightweight advanced security applications can be deployed, provisioned and managed uniformly across any sized organization.

These instances can be deployed in a variety of scenarios including bare metal servers, virtual machines ("VMs"), and container-based compute environments. The ARIA SDSo will automatically detect any instances and will programmatically execute the specified applications security feature set strengthening an organization's security posture.

For customers that desire a turnkey solution, a bundled offering can be created for deployment and opens the possibility for professional services and integration services offerings to our channel.

ARIA SDS APPLICATIONS

The deployment of hosted applications bring life to the ARIA SDS platform.  Application availability will expand over time as new products are released. However, the current offerings we believe have significant market potential.

1) ARIA SDS Packet Intelligence: The ARIA Packet Intelligence ("PI") application directs all of an organization’s network traffic to existing intrusion detection systems (“IDS”) security tools such as security information and event management solutions ("SIEMs"), user and entity behavior analytics ("UEBA"), or network intrusion protection systems ("NIPS” or “IPS"), and making these tools more effective at detecting network-born threats.


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The ARIA PI application will be available as licensed functionality within a low-cost high-availability ("HA") security appliance, or probe, that taps into an organization’s network infrastructure, as well as on the Myricom Secure Intelligent Adapter ("SIA"). The probe will be able to mine data at 10-25G line rates and perform remedial actions to stop threats on a per-traffic stream basis while minimizing impact on network traffic performance. Built-in APIs allow compatible 3rd party threat detection tools to take actions to stop detected threats. It is our belief that competing solutions currently do not provide this mix and level of capability. We will be able to provide a packaged solution by installing 3rd party IPS/IDS applications, onto ARIA hardware appliances that run alongside and are fed by ARIA SDS applications, such as Packet Intelligence. The ARIA PI application will be able to improve IPS or IDS performance by preprocessing the data feeds, allowing such solutions to run effectively at higher line rates.

2) ARIA SDS Packet Capture: Our Sniffer10G ("SNF") software is used by intelligence agencies for packet capture, network surveillance applications, and to perform detailed cyber-threat analysis. It’s a recommended solution to increase the Zeek IDS (formerly known as Bro) to support 10G line rates rather than the standard 1G. With the introduction of ARIA SDS and the Myricom SIA, SNF will be upgraded to support a 25G line-rate. When used in conjunction with the Packet Intelligence application, the SNF application can provide the details required to determine the exact type of threat and/or identify the compromised data records.

3)ARIA SDS KMS (Key Management Server): The ARIA KMS application will make it easier to add encryption and decryption capabilities to applications which leverage a standards-based key management interoperability protocol ("KMIP") client. For example, each of VMware’s vSphere and vSAN instances leverage a KMIP client to encrypt their application data output. As such, they need to be fed KMIP compatible keys to perform encryption. Depending upon the size of the environment, this could require hundreds of keys per minute. Our KMS key management server solution provides such KMIP keys securely and rapidly at scale while ensuring that the key servers are highly available at all times. Our application was designed to solve the deployment complexity challenges currently associated with key management.

4) ARIA AIR (Automated Investigative Response) The ARIA AIR and Packet Recorder applications will make it easier to detect data breaches and exfiltrated data from critical data applications. Used in conjunction with threat intelligence tools which will alert if an internal system is accessing a bad site, we ingest the alert use it to trigger a search our recordings of the traffic flowing from the critical applications to determine if there is a match. This indicates a breach and provides a record of all the records that have been exfiltrated.

MYRICOM NETWORK ADAPTERS

Myricom ARC Series product line includes a portfolio of Ethernet adapters and specialized software, which is branded as DBL for financial institutions and Sniffer10G ("SNF") for network monitoring. Both are compatible with Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and VMware ESX. Our adapters act as stand-alone Network Interface Cards ("NIC”) and support purpose-built for applications that provide high bandwidth, low latency and line-rate packet capture, and processing off load for high-frequency financial trading and network traffic analysis applications.

Myricom Secure Intelligent Adapter ("SIA") is our next-generation adapter and will provide additional compute capabilities and specialized hardware to run the ARIA SDS platform and applications. A 25G version of SNF is being developed to deliver higher line rates as required by enterprise and government customers. This will also let these organizations achieve lossless packet capture and packet inspection, which is required for network surveillance use cases and tools, such as lawful intercept, deep packet inspection, forensic tools, and threat detection applications. Other customers for the SIA include OEMs and MSSP partners to run their own applications upon.

ARIA SECURITY APPLIANCES

ARIA Security Appliances provides a standalone solution that can be either deployed in line to provide network security or within a data center to provide security services. These appliances are built with one or multiple built in SIA adapters. This allows for broader options to deploy our services in a turnkey fashion.

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nVoy Series is comprised of a 100G Packet Broker and a 10G Packet Recorder appliance optimized to run our ARIA software. These tools assist customers in the deployment of our ARIA solution into higher speed networks, as well as provide the compute and storage intensive functions needs to provide some of our services such as Packet recording.

MULTICOMPUTER PRODUCTS

Multicomputer products portfolio includes the 2000 SERIES VME and 3000 SERIES VXS systems. The 2000 SERIES products, based on PowerPC RISC processors with AltiVec™ technology, high-speed memory, and Myrinet-2000™ cluster interconnect, are currently is use by customers in the aerospace, commercial, and defense markets. The 3000 SERIES VXS product line, incorporating the Freescale QorIQ PowerPC processors with AltiVec technology, targets high-performance DSP, signal intelligence ("SIGINT"), and radar and sonar applications in airborne, shipboard, and unmanned aerial vehicle ("UAV") platforms where space, power, and cooling are at a premium. The HPP segment will continue to ship and repair existing Multicomputer products to its customer base and support an installed base of DSP systems.

Royalties on Multicomputer products

We license the design of certain 2000 SERIES computer processor boards and switch interconnect technology to third parties. In exchange for licensing this technology, we receive a royalty payment for each processor board that utilizes our design for these products.

Markets, Marketing and Dependence on Certain Customers

Aerospace & Defense Market

Our focus for fiscal 2020 and beyond is to continue our support of established Multicomputer and Myricom products allowing system deployments to be made by government entities. These programs have support requirements that often extend beyond twenty years.

Financial Transactions Market

Myricom network adapters with DBL application software address the need for the ultra-low latency required in the world of financial trading. Running DBL on the Myricom ARC Series provides acceleration for 10G Ethernet environments, with benchmarked application-to-application latency in the single digit microsecond range for Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Packet Capture Market

Myricom Sniffer10G, and in development, the 25G software, running on Myricom Ethernet adapters, provides enterprise and government customers and partners the ability to capture, inject, and analyze network traffic at line rate for all Ethernet packet sizes, with low-cost CPU overhead. Sniffer10G serves the following market segments: network surveillance, monitoring and analysis, testing, measurement, and packet generation, as well as a technology component within intrusion detection systems ("IDS"), forensic tools, and threat detection and response solutions.

Storage Interconnect Market

Myricom ARC Series network adapters are used in a wide range of networked applications, including those that connect to storage subsystems using Ethernet. Many of these customers are using content-creation applications requiring high-performance networking from the storage system to video-editing workstations.

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Cyber Security Products Market

The ARIA SDS solution is targeted at organizations that need to get additional functionality out of their current cyber security solutions to find and stop intrusion threats, while also reducing their operating costs. While our ARIA SDS solutions will be offered through our direct sales channel, it is more likely that sales will come through via independent software vendor channels to the end customers. These value added resellers will find ARIA appealing to expand their portfolio of security products and services and replace less-effective tools and processes in their customer environments.

OEMs in the cyber security segments will be candidates for ARIA SDS deployments. These vendors can benefit from integrating the ARIA applications as internal solution toolsets to allow their application to scale, add critical functionality, or solve particular problems, such as poor performance. OEMs are interested in the Myricom Adapters including our SIA running our ARIA SDS applications, for use as Smart NICs within their appliances. We believe this will be a large growing market we can participate in in the coming years.

Another target for the ARIA solution will be the managed security services providers, as these providers’ desire simple, yet differentiated, solutions that can be deployed across their customer bases. The orchestration and automation capabilities found in ARIA SDS are valuable as they allow these security service providers to scale their offerings while increasing the productivity of their security operation center staff.

Competition

CSPi’s competition in the cybersecurity space comes primarily from the large, traditional security vendors like Dell, IBM, and Intel. Due to the ARIA’s approach to network and data security, we also face competition from traditional security tools and current approaches to finding network based attacks. The competition includes common firewall manufacturers with broad portfolios such as Palo Alto or Cisco, and in the case of data packet brokers, Gigamon and Ixia. Competitors for ARIA SDS encryption include applications and appliances provided by Thales, HPE’s Voltaic group, and other smaller market players.

In the crowded security products market, our history of supporting defense and government military programs, strong security application expertise, and the ability to develop optimized products for OEMs will help set us apart. However, we must continually develop new features and solutions to stay abreast of evolving customer requirements and leverage advances in technology. One example is Intel’s chip-level roadmap that may provide additional functionality for our ARIA SDS solution but our competitors could also attempt to leverage this. Some of these competitors may also be potential go-to-market partners or OEM customers looking to integrate our capabilities within their products and solutions.

Customers who need a combination of advanced data protection features and who require optimized application performance are best suited to the ARIA solution. Security adapter products will also leverage previous generation Myricom ARC Series network adapter capabilities that include advanced filtering, support for kernel bypass technologies, lossless packet capture, and precision time stamping. These new capabilities will offer a variety of security service combinations that our customers can put to use.

Manufacturing, Assembly and Testing

Currently, all Multicomputer products are shipped to our customers directly from our plant in Lowell, Massachusetts. Our manufacturing activities consist mainly of final assembly and testing of printed circuit boards and systems that are designed by us and fabricated by outside third-party vendors.

Upon our receipt of material and components from outside suppliers, our quality assurance technicians inspect these products and components. During manufacture and assembly, both sub-assemblies and completed systems are subjected to extensive testing, including burn-in and environmental stress screening designed to minimize equipment failure at delivery and over the useful service life of the system. We also use diagnostic programs to detect and isolate

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potential component failures. A comprehensive log is maintained of past failures to monitor the ongoing reliability of our products and improve design standards.

Currently, Myricom products, including the nVoy appliances and Myricom network adapters, are shipped to our customers directly from our plant in Lowell, Massachusetts. The packet recorder and packet broker appliances are sourced from third-party partners, integrated with CSPi software and resold under the CSPi brand. Our network adapters are designed in-house and fabricated by outside third party vendors. Material and components received from outside suppliers are inspected by our quality assurance technicians.

The ARIA SDS solution (platform and applications) will be downloaded and licensed from servers or content-delivery services directly controlled by CSPi. The ARIA software can be sold in conjunction with the Myricom SIA, or our appliances, which may be preloaded with the appropriate images. Licensing will be handled by the ARIA SDSo which will be accessible by CSPi’s licensing severs to allow proper flexible services feature set activation and payment.

We provide a warranty covering defects arising from the sale of Multicomputer and Myricom products, which varies from 90 days to three years, depending upon the particular unit in question.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

Several components used in our HPP segment products are obtained from sole-source suppliers. We are dependent on key vendors such as Xilinx or NXP for a variety of processors for certain products and Wind River Systems, Inc. for VxWorks operating system software. Despite our dependence on these sole-source suppliers, based on our current forecast and our projected sales obligations, we believe we have adequate inventory on hand and our current near-term requirements can be met in the existing supply chain.

Research and Development

For the year ended September 30, 2019, our expenses for R&D were approximately $2.8 million compared to approximately $3.3 million for fiscal year 2018. Expenditures for R&D are expensed as they are incurred. Product development efforts in fiscal year 2019 involved development of the ARIA SDS product set, and enhancements to our Myricom products, in which we expect to continue to make investments related to the development of new hardware adapter products and the ARIA SDS software that enables the hardware to meet the needs of specific applications. Our current R&D plan is intended to extend the usefulness and marketability of these products by adding features and capabilities to meet the needs of our markets.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property rights. We have two pending patents for the ARIA SDS software and will be pursuing additional patent rights over time.

Backlog

The backlog of customer orders and contracts in the HPP segment was approximately $0.5 million at September 30, 2019 as compared to $1.0 million at September 30, 2018. Our backlog can fluctuate greatly. These possible large fluctuations can be due to the timing of receipt of large orders often for purchases from prime contractors for sales to the government. It is expected that all of the customer orders in backlog will ship within the next twelve months from September 30, 2019.

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Significant Customers

See Note 1418 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for detailed information regarding customers which comprised 10% or more of consolidated revenues for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016.

2018.

Employees

On

As of September 30, 2017,2019, we had approximately 200114 full time equivalent employees worldwide for our consolidated operations. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we have had no work stoppages in the last three fiscal years. We consider relations with our employees to be good.

Company Website

The Company’s internet address is http://www.cspi.com. Through that address, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K, quarterly reports on Form 10‑Q, current reports on Form 8‑K and amendments to those reports are available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (Securities and Exchange Commission or Commission). The information contained on the Company’s website is not included in, nor incorporated by reference into, this annual report on Form 10‑K.

Financial Information about Geographic Areas

Information regarding our sales by geographic area and percentage of sales based on the location to which the products are shipped or services rendered are in Note 1418 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Item 1A.     Risk Factors


Item 1A.
Risk Factors

If any of the risks and uncertainties set forth below actually materialize, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, the trading price of our common stock could decline and a stockholder could lose all or part of its, his or her investment. The risks and uncertainties set forth below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also impair our business operations.


We depend on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue and loss of any customer could significantly affect our business.


Both the HPP and TS segments are reliant upon a small number of significant customers, and the loss of or significant reduction in sales to any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.  For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, two customers2019, one customer accounted for approximately $33.2$10.2 million in revenue, or 30%13% of our total revenues for the fiscal year. A significant reduction in the sales to or loss of any of our major customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our revenues are largely dependent upon the ability of our customers to continue to grow or need services or to develop and sell products that incorporate our products. No assurance can be given that our customers will not experience financial or other difficulties that could adversely affect their operations and, in turn, our results of operations.

We depend on key personnel and skilled employees and face competition in hiring and retaining qualified employees.

We are largely dependent upon the skills and efforts of our senior management, managerial, sales and technical employees.  None of our senior management personnel or other key employees are subject to any employment contracts except Victor Dellovo, our Chief Executive Officer and President.  The loss of services of any of our executives or other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Our future success will depend to a significant extent on our ability to attract, train, motivate and retain highly skilled technical professionals.  Our ability to maintain and renew existing engagements and obtain new business depends, in large part, on our ability to hire and retain technical personnel with the skills that keep pace with continuing changes in our industry standards and technologies.  The inability to hire additional qualified personnel could impair our ability to

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satisfy or grow our client base.  There can be no assurance that we will be successful in retaining current or future employees.


Our success depends in part on our timely introduction of new products and technologies and our results can be impacted by the effectiveness of our significant investments in new products and technologies

We have made significant investments in our Aria SDS cyber security products and services that may not achieve expected returns. We will continue to make significant investments in research, development, and marketing for Aria products, services, and technologies. Commercial success depends on many factors, including innovativeness, developer support, and effective distribution and marketing. If customers do not perceive our latest offerings as providing significant new functionality or other value, they may reduce their purchases of new software and hardware products or upgrades, unfavorably affecting revenue. We may not achieve significant revenue from new product, service, and distribution channel investments for several years. New products and services may not be profitable, and even if they are profitable, operating margins for some new products and businesses may not be as high as the margins we have experienced historically. Developing new technologies and products is complex. It can require long development and testing periods. Significant delays in new releases or significant problems in creating new products or services could adversely affect our revenue.

We depend on contracts with the federal government, primarily with the Department of Defense ("DoD"), for a significant portion of our revenue, and our business could be seriously harmed if the government significantly decreased or ceased doing business with us.

We derived 6%4% of our total revenue in fiscal year 20172019 and 6% of our total revenue in fiscal year 20162018 from the DoD as a subcontractor.  We expect that the DoD contracts will continue to be important to our business for the foreseeable future.  If we were suspended or debarred from contracting with the federal government generally, the General Services Administration, or any significant agency in the intelligence community or the DoD,  if our reputation or relationship with government agencies were to be impaired, or if the government otherwise ceased doing business with us or significantly decreased the amount of business it does with us, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results would be materially and adversely affected.


To be successful, we must respond to the rapid changes in technology. technology.  If we are unable to do so on a timely basis our business could be materially adversely affected.


Our future success will depend in large part on our ability to enhance our current products and to develop new commercial products on a timely and cost-effective basis in order to respond to technological developments and changing customer needs.  The design-in process is typically lengthy and expensive and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to meet the product specifications of our customers in a timely and adequate manner.  In addition, if we fail to anticipate or to respond adequately to changes in technology and customer preferences, or if there is any significant delay in product developments or introductions, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including the risk of inventory obsolescence.  Because of the complexity of our products, we have experienced delays from time to time in completing products on a timely basis.  If we are unable to design, develop or introduce competitive new products on a timely basis, our future operating results would be adversely affected, particularly in our HPP segment.  There can be no assurance that we will be successful in developing new products or enhancing our existing products on a timely or cost-effective basis, or that such new products or product enhancements will achieve market acceptance.



We rely on single sources for supply of certain components and our business may be seriously harmed if our supply of any of these components or other components is disrupted.

Several components used in our HPP products are currently obtained from sole-source suppliers. We are dependent on key vendors like Mellanox Technologies for our high-speed interconnect components.  Generally, suppliers may terminate our purchase orders without cause upon 30 days'days’ notice and may cease offering products to us upon 180 days'days’ notice. Although we do not consider the risk of interruption of supply to be a significant risk in the near term, if in the future, Mellanox Technologies were to limit or reduce the sale of such components to us, or if these or other

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component suppliers, some of which are small companies, were to experience future financial difficulties or other problems which could prevent them from supplying the necessary components, such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These sole source and other suppliers are each subject to quality and performance risks, materials shortages, excess demand, reduction in capacity and other factors that may disrupt the flow of goods to us or our customers, which thereby may adversely affect our business and customer relationships.

We have no guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers and there can be no assurance that our suppliers will continue to meet our requirements. If our supply arrangements are interrupted, there can be no assurance that we would be able to find another supplier on a timely or satisfactory basis. Any shortage or interruption in the supply of any of the components used in our products, or the inability to procure these components from alternate sources on acceptable terms, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that severe shortages of components will not occur in the future. Such shortages could increase the cost or delay the shipment of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Significant increases in the prices of these components would also materially adversely affect our financial performance since we may not be able to adjust product pricing to reflect the increase in component costs. We could incur set-up costs and delays in manufacturing should it become necessary to replace any key vendors due to work stoppages, shipping delays, financial difficulties or other factors and, under certain circumstances, these costs and delays could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.


Our international operations areoperation is subject to a number of risks.

We market and sell our products in certain international markets and we have established operations in the U.K.  and Germany.The sale of our German operation in fiscal year 2018 is treated as discontinued operations in our 2018 financial statements.  Foreign-based revenue is determined based on the location to which the product is shipped or services are rendered and represented 37%8% and 31%17% of our total revenue for the fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively.  If revenues generated by foreign activities are not adequate to offset the expense of establishing and maintaining these foreign activities, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.  In addition, there are certain risks inherent in transacting business internationally, such as changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, export and import restrictions, export controls relating to technology, tariffs and other trade barriers, longer payment cycles, problems in collecting accounts receivable, political instability, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, expatriation controls and potential adverse tax consequences, any of which could adversely impact the success of our international activities.  In particular, it is possible activity in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe will be adversely impacted and that we will face increased regulatory and legal complexities, including those related to tax, trade, and employee relations as a result of Brexit.  A portion of our revenues are from sales to foreign entities, including foreign governments, which are primarily paid in the form of foreign currencies.  There can be no assurance that one or more of such factors will not have a material adverse effect on our future international activities and, consequently, on our business, financial condition or results of operations.


Systems failures may disrupt our business and have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Any systems failures, including network, software or hardware failures, whether caused by us, a third party service provider, unauthorized intruders and hackers, computer viruses, natural disasters, power shortages or terrorist attacks, could cause loss of data or interruptions or delays in our business or that of our clients and reputational harm as a security provider.  Like other companies, we have experienced cyber security threats to our data and systems, our company sensitive information, and our information technology infrastructure, including malware and computer virus attacks, unauthorized access, systems failures and temporary disruptions.  We may experience similar security threats at customer sites that we operate and manage as a contractual requirement.  Prior cyber attacks directed at us have not had a material adverse impact on our business or our financial results, and we believe that our continuing commitment toward threat detection and mitigation processes and procedures will avoid such impact in the future.  Due to the evolving nature of these security threats, however, the impact of any future incident cannot be predicted.

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In addition, the failure or disruption of our email, communications or utilities could cause us to interrupt or suspend our operations or otherwise harm our business.  Our property and business interruption insurance may be inadequate to compensate us for all losses that may occur as a result of any system or operational failure or disruption and, as a result, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.


The systems and networks that we maintain for our clients, although highly redundant in their design, could also fail.  If a system or network we maintain were to fail or experience service interruptions, we might experience loss of revenue or face claims for damages or contract termination.  Our errors and omissions liability insurance may be inadequate to compensate us for all the damages that we might incur and, as a result, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.

We face competition that could adversely affect our sales and profitability.

The markets for our products are highly competitive and are characterized by rapidly changing technology, frequent product performance improvements and evolving industry standards.   Many of our competitors are substantially larger than we are and have greater access to capital and human resources and in many cases price their products and services less than ours.  In addition, due to the rapidly changing nature of technology, new competitors may emerge.  Competitors may be able to offer more attractive pricing or develop products that could offer performance features that are superior to our products, resulting in reduced demand for our products.  Such competitors could have a negative impact on our ability to win future business opportunities.  There can be no assurance that a new competitor will not attempt to penetrate the various markets for our products and services.  Their entry into markets historically targeted by us maycould have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.


Our business could be adversely affected by changes in budgetary priorities of the federal government.

Because we derive a significant percentage of our revenue from contracts with the federal government, changes in federal government budgetary priorities could directly affect our financial performance.  A significant decline in government expenditures, a shift of expenditures away from programs that we support or a change in federal government contracting policies could cause federal government agencies to reduce their purchases under contracts, to exercise their right to terminate contracts at any time without penalty or not to exercise options to renew contracts.

In years when Congress does not complete its budget process before the end of its fiscal year  (September 30), government operations are funded through a continuing resolution (CR)("CR") that temporarily funds federal agencies.  Recent CRs have generally provided funding at the levels provided in the previous fiscal year and have not authorized new spending initiatives.  When the federal government operates under a CR, delays can occur in the procurement of products and services.  Historically, such delays have not had a material effect on our business; however, should funding of the federal government by CR be prolonged or extended, and sequestration is not alleviated, it could continue to have significant consequences to our business and our industry.

Additionally, our business could be seriously affected if changes in DoD priorities reduces the demand for our services on contracts supporting some operations and maintenance activities or if we experience an increase in set-asides for small businesses, which could result in our inability to compete directly for contracts.


U.S. Federal government contracts contain numerous provisions that are unfavorable to us.

U.S. Federal government contracts contain provisions and are subject to laws and regulations that give the government rights and remedies, some of which are not typically found in commercial contracts, including allowing the government to:

·

cancel multi-year contracts and related orders if funds for contract performance for any subsequent year become unavailable;

cancel multi-year contracts and related orders if funds for contract performance for any subsequent year become unavailable;

·

claim rights in systems and software developed by us;

 claim rights in systems and software developed by us;

14

 suspend or debar us from doing business with the federal government or with a governmental agency;
 impose fines and penalties and subject us to criminal prosecution; and
 control or prohibit the export of our data and technology.

·

suspend or debar us from doing business with the federal government or with a governmental agency;

·

impose fines and penalties and subject us to criminal prosecution; and

·

control or prohibit the export of our data and technology.

If the government terminates a contract for convenience, we may recover only our incurred or committed costs, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to the termination.  If the government terminates a contract for default, we may be unable to recover even those amounts, and instead may be liable for excess costs incurred by the government in procuring undelivered items and services from another source.  Depending on the value of a contract, such termination could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.


As is common with government contractors, we have experienced and continue to experience occasional performance issues under certain of our contracts.  Depending upon the value of the matters affected, a performance problem that impacts


our performance of a program or contract could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.

We may be unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property rights which could result in the loss of a competitive advantage.


Our ability to compete effectively against other companies in our industry depends, in part, on our ability to protect our current and future proprietary technology under patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and unfair competition laws. We cannot assure that our means of protecting our proprietary rights in the United States or abroad will be adequate, or that others will not develop technologies similar or superior to our technology or design around our proprietary rights. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in attempting to protect our proprietary rights.


Also, despite the steps taken by us to protect our proprietary rights, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy or reverse-engineer aspects of our products develop similar technology independently or otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary and we may be unable to successfully identify or prosecute unauthorized uses of our technology.  Furthermore, with respect to our issued patents and patent applications, we cannot assure that patents from any pending patent applications (or from any future patent applications) will be issued, that the scope of any patent protection will exclude competitors or provide competitive advantages to us, that any of our patents will be held valid if subsequently challenged or that others will not claim rights in or ownership of the patents (and patent applications) and other proprietary rights held by us.


If we become subject to intellectual property infringement claims, we could incur significant expenses and could be prevented from selling specific products.


We may become subject to claims that we infringe the intellectual property rights of others in the future. We cannot assure that, if made, these claims will not be successful. Any claim of infringement could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim even if the claim is invalid, and could distract management from other business. Any judgment against us could require substantial payment in damages and could also include an injunction or other court order that could prevent us from offering certain products.


Our need for continued or increased investment in research and development may increase expenses and reduce our profitability.


Our industry is characterized by the need for continued investment in research and development. If we fail to invest sufficiently in research and development, our products could become less attractive to potential customers and our business and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. As a result of the need to maintain or increase spending levels in this area and the difficulty in reducing costs associated with research and development, our operating results could be materially harmed if our research and development efforts fail to result in new products or if revenues fall below expectations. In addition, as a result of our commitment to invest in research and development, spending levels of research and development expenses as a percentage of revenues may fluctuate in the future.


15

Our results of operations are subject to fluctuation from period to period and may not be an accurate indication of future performance.


We have experienced fluctuations in operating results in large part due to the sale of products and services in relatively large dollar amounts to a relatively small number of customers. Customers specify delivery date requirements that coincide with their need for our products and services. Because these customers may use our products and services in connection with a variety of defense programs or other projects with different sizes and durations, a customer’s orders for one quarter generally do not indicate a trend for future orders by that customer. As such, we have not been able in the past to consistently predict when our customers will place orders and request shipments so that we cannot always accurately plan our manufacturing, inventory, and working capital requirements. As a result, if orders and shipments differ from what we predict, we may incur additional expenses and build excess inventory, which may require additional reserves and allowances and reduce our working capital and operational flexibility. Any significant change in our customers’ purchasing patterns could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and reported earnings per share for a particular quarter. Thus, results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.


High quarterly book-ship ratios may pressure inventory and cash flow management, necessitating increased inventory balances to ensure quarterly revenue attainment. Increased inventory balances tie up additional capital, limiting our operational flexibility. Some of our customers may have become conditioned to wait until the end of a quarter to place orders in the


expectation of receiving a discount. Customers conditioned to seek quarter-end discounts increase risk and uncertainty in our financial forecasting and decrease our margins and profitability.

Our quarterly results may be subject to fluctuations resulting from a number of other factors, including:

·

delays in completion of internal product development projects;


·

delays in shipping hardware and software;

·

delays in acceptance testing by customers;

·

a change in the mix of products sold to our served markets;

·

changes in customer order patterns;

·

production delays due to quality problems with outsourced components;

·

inability to scale quick reaction capability products due to low product volume;

·

shortages and costs of components;

·

the timing of product line transitions;

·

declines in quarterly revenues from previous generations of products following announcement of replacement products containing more advanced technology;

·

inability to realize the expected benefits from acquisitions and restructurings, or delays in realizing such benefits;

·

potential asset impairment, including goodwill and intangibles, write-off of deferred tax assets or restructuring charges; and

·

changes in estimates of completion on fixed price service engagements.

16


delays in shipping hardware and software;

delays in acceptance testing by customers;

a change in the mix of products sold to our served markets;

changes in customer order patterns;

production delays due to quality problems with outsourced components;

inability to scale quick reaction capability products due to low product volume;

shortages and costs of components;

the timing of product line transitions;

declines in quarterly revenues from previous generations of products following announcement of replacement products containing more advanced technology;

inability to realize the expected benefits from acquisitions and restructurings, or delays in realizing such benefits;

potential asset impairment, including goodwill and intangibles, or restructuring charges; and

changes in estimates of completion on fixed price service engagements.

In addition, from time to time, we have entered into contracts, referred to as development contracts, to engineer a specific solution based on modifications to standard products. Gross margins from development contract revenues are typically lower than gross margins from standard product revenues. We intend to continue to enter into development contracts and anticipate that the gross margins associated with development contract revenues will continue to be lower than gross margins from standard product sales.


Another factor contributing to fluctuations in our quarterly results is the fixed nature of expenditures on personnel, facilities and marketing programs. Expense levels for these programs are based, in significant part, on expectations of future revenues. If actual quarterly revenues are below management’s expectations, our results of operations will likely be adversely affected.  Further, the preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and changes in estimates in subsequent periods could cause our results of operations to fluctuate.


Changes in regulations could materially adversely affect us.


Our business, results of operations, or financial condition could be materially adversely affected if laws, regulations, or standards relating to us or our products are newly implemented or changed. In addition, our compliance with existing regulations may have a material adverse impact on us. Under applicable federal securities laws, we are required to evaluate and determine

the effectiveness of our internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting which in 2015, 2016 and 2017, we determined have not been effective due to a material weakness described below.procedures. If we have a material weakness in our internal controls, our results of operations or financial condition may be materially adversely affected or our stock price may decline.  As of September 30, 2017, we have identified a material weakness in connection with controls over revenue recognition in foreign subsidiaries. See Item 9A "Controls and Procedures" else where in this document.



If we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, we may not be able to recover successfully, which could cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm, or legal liability.


If we experience a local or regional disaster or other business continuity problem, such as a hurricane, earthquake, terrorist attack, pandemic or other natural or man-made disaster, our continued success will depend, in part, on the availability of our personnel, our office facilities, and the proper functioning of our computer, telecommunication and other related systems and operations. As we attempt to grow our operations, the potential for particular types of natural or man-made disasters, political, economic or infrastructure instabilities, or other country- or region-specific business continuity risks increases.


If we suffer any data breaches involving the designs, schematics, or source code for our products or other sensitive information, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.


We securely store our designs, schematics, and source code for our products as they are created. A breach, whether physical, electronic or otherwise, of the systems on which this sensitive data is stored could lead to damage or piracy of our products. If we are subject to data security breaches from external sources or from an insider threat, we may have a loss in sales or increased costs arising from the restoration or implementation of additional security measures, either of which could adversely affect our business and financial results. Other potential costs could include loss of brand value, incident response costs, loss of stock market value, regulatory inquiries, litigation, and management distraction. In addition, a security breach that involved classified information could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, loss of a government contract, loss of access to classified information, or debarment as a government contractor. Similarly, a breach that involved loss of customer-provided data could subject us to loss of a customer, loss of a contract, litigation costs and legal damages, and reputational harm.


17

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly.
Our operating results have fluctuated widely on a quarterly and annual basis during the last several years and we expect to experience significant fluctuations in future operating results. Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, have contributed to these fluctuations in the past and may continue to do so. Such factors include:
sales in relatively large dollar amounts to a relatively small number of customers;
competitive pricing programs and volume discounts;
loss of customers;

market acceptance of our products;
product obsolescence;
general economic conditions;
change in the mix of products sold;
whether or not we are able to secure design wins for significant customer systems;
timing of significant orders;
delays in completion of internal product development projects or introduction of new products;
delays in shipping our products;
delays in acceptance testing by customers;
production delays due to quality programs with outsourced components;
shortages of components;
timing of product line transitions;

uncertainty and timing of funding of governmental programs, including defense;
declines of revenues from previous generations of products following announcement of replacement products containing more advanced technology; and
fixed nature of our expenditures on personnel, facilities and marketing programs.
We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations will not necessarily be meaningful and should not be relied upon as indicative of our future performance. It is also possible that in some periods, our operating results may be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors. In such circumstances, the price of our common stock may decline.

We need to continue to expend resources on research and development ("R&D") efforts, particularly our HPP segment, to meet the needs of our customers.  If we are unable to do so, our products could become less attractive to customers and our business could be materially adversely affected.


Our industry requires a continued investment in research and development (R&D).R&D.  As a result of our need to maintain or increase our spending levels for R&D in this area and the difficulty in reducing costs associated with R&D, our operating results could be materially harmed if our revenues fall below expectations.  In addition, as a result of CSPI'sCSPI’s commitment to invest in R&D, spending as a percent of revenues may fluctuate in the future.  Further, if we fail to invest sufficiently in R&D or our R&D does not produce competitive results, our products may become less attractive to our customers or potential

customers, which could materially harm our business and results of operations.

Our business could be adversely impacted if we have deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls over financial reporting.

Our management identified a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting as of September 30, 2017. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting at our foreign subsidiaries, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected in a timely basis.

The material weakness, which was first identified in fiscal year 2015, was in connection with our controls over the revenue recognition process, specifically that revenue recognition criteria have been satisfied prior to recognizing revenue and the failure to sufficiently assess gross versus net revenue indicators to certain revenue transactions. We determined that controls over the revenue recognition process were not operating effectively and the resulting control deficiency amounted to a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, we have concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting are not effective as of September 30, 2017. Although we have implemented changes to our internal controls over financial reporting during the past three years, at this time we cannot conclude that the material weakness has been remediated.

Effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures are necessary in order for us to provide reliable financial and other reports and effectively prevent fraud. These types of controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the proper preparation of our financial statements, as well as regarding the timely reporting of material information. If we cannot maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, or provide reliable financial statements or SEC reports or prevent fraud, investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information, our common stock could be subject to delisting on the stock exchange where it is traded, our operating results and the trading price of our common stock could suffer and we might become subject to litigation.


While our management will continue to review the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, there is no assurance that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in accomplishing all control objectives, including the prevention and detection of fraud, all of the time.


Our stock price may continue to be volatile

Historically, the market for technology stocks has been extremely volatile. Our common stock has experienced and may continue to experience substantial price volatility. The following factors could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly:

·

loss of a major customer;

·

loss of a major supplier;

·

the addition or departure of key personnel;

·

variations in our quarterly operating results;

·

announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, new products or product enhancements;

·

acquisitions, distribution partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

·

regulatory changes;

·

sales of our common stock or other securities in the future;

·

changes in market valuations of technology companies; and

·

fluctuations in stock market prices and volumes.

18

loss of a major customer;
loss of a major supplier;
the addition or departure of key personnel;
variations in our quarterly operating results;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, new products or product enhancements;
acquisitions, distribution partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
regulatory changes;
sales of our common stock or other securities in the future;
changes in market valuations of technology companies; and
fluctuations in stock market prices and volumes.

In addition, the stock market in general and the NASDAQ Global Market and technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of such companies. These broad market and industry factors may materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company'scompany’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against such companies.  If any shareholders were to issue a lawsuit, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of management

could be diverted.

Item 2.Properties

Item 2.     Properties

Listed below are our principal facilities as of September 30, 2017.2019. Management considers all facilities listed below to be suitable for the purpose(s) for which they are used, including manufacturing, research and development, sales, marketing, service and administration.

Owned

Location

Principal Use

Owned 

or

Leased

Approximate

Floor Area

Location

Principal Use

Leased

Floor Area

TS Segment Properties:

Modcomp, Inc.

Division Headquarters

Leased

11,815 S.F.

1182 East Newport Center Drive

Sales, Marketing and

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Administration

Modcomp, Ltd.

Sales, Marketing and

Leased

887 S.F.

Trinity Court, Molly Millars Lane

Administration

Wokingham, Berkshire

United Kingdom

HPP Segment Properties:

CSP Inc.

Corporate Headquarters

Leased

13,515 S.F.

175 Cabot Street, Suite 210

Manufacturing, Sales,

Lowell, MA 01854

Marketing and

Administration

TS Segment Properties:
Modcomp, Inc.Division HeadquartersLeased11,815 S.F.
1182 East Newport Center DriveSales, Marketing and
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442Administration
Modular Computer Systems GmbHSales, Marketing, ServiceLeased11,031 S.F.
Oskar-Jager-Strasse 173/K4and Administration
D-50825 Koln
Germany
Modcomp, Ltd.Sales, Marketing andLeased2,490 S.F.
12a Oaklands Business Park, Fishponds RoadAdministration
Wokingham Berkshire
United Kingdom




Item 3.     Legal Proceedings


We are currently not a party to any material legal proceedings.



Item 4.     Mine Safety Disclosures


Not Applicable.

19


PART II

Item 5.Market for Registrant'sRegistrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities


Market information.   Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol CSPI. The following table provides the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

Fiscal Year:

    

High

    

Low

    

High

    

Low

1st Quarter

 

$

13.45

 

$

8.78

 

$

17.00

 

$

10.60

2nd Quarter

 

$

11.92

 

$

9.31

 

$

18.89

 

$

10.41

3rd Quarter

 

$

15.50

 

$

10.30

 

$

12.18

 

$

8.75

4th Quarter

 

$

15.18

 

$

12.21

 

$

14.87

 

$

9.71

 2017 2016
Fiscal Year: 
High  
 
Low 
 
High 
 
Low 
1st Quarter$11.95
 $7.89
 $7.18
 $5.28
2nd Quarter11.35
 8.25
 6.95
 5.36
3rd Quarter11.23
 10.00
 9.09
 5.92
4th Quarter11.20
 9.61
 10.95
 8.00

Stockholders.    We had approximately 7665 holders of record of our common stock as of December 22, 2017.3, 2019. This number does not include stockholders for whom shares were held in a “nominee” or “street” name. We believe the number of beneficial owners of our shares of common stock (including shares held in street name) at that date was approximately 1,783.1,450.

Dividends.   For the fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the Company declared and paid cash dividends as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

Amount Paid

Fiscal Year

 

Date Declared

 

Record Date

 

Date Paid

 

Per Share

2018

 

12/19/2017

 

12/29/2017

 

1/16/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

2/12/2018

 

2/28/2018

 

3/16/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

5/9/2018

 

5/31/2018

 

6/15/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

8/13/2018

 

8/31/2018

 

9/14/2018

 

$

0.15

2019

 

12/27/2018

 

1/7/2019

 

1/22/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

2/12/2019

 

2/28/2019

 

3/14/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

5/8/2019

 

5/31/2019

 

6/14/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

8/7/2019

 

8/30/2019

 

9/13/2019

 

$

0.15

Fiscal Year Date Declared Record Date Date Paid Amount Paid Per Share
2016 12/23/2015 12/31/2015 1/11/2016 $0.11
2016 2/16/2016 2/26/2016 3/11/2016 $0.11
2016 5/11/2016 5/27/2016 6/10/2016 $0.11
2016 8/18/2016 8/31/2016 9/9/2016 $0.11
2017 1/12/2017 1/27/2017 2/8/2017 $0.11
2017 2/23/2017 3/3/2017 3/17/2017 $0.11
2017 5/24/2017 6/1/2017 6/15/2017 $0.11
2017 8/14/2017 8/21/2017 9/5/2017 $0.11







Item 7.Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 7.     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and other portions of this filing contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking information.  You should review the “Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” sections of this annual report for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this filing.

Overview of Fiscal 20172019 Results of Continuing Operations


Revenue increased by approximately $8.1$6.2 million, or 8%, to $111.5$79.1 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 20172019 versus $103.4$72.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.


2018.

Our gross profit margin percentage decreased overall, from 24%25% of revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 20162018 to 23% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.2019.


20

We generated an operating incomeloss of approximately $3.8$0.8 million for both fiscal yearsyear ended September 30, 2017 and2019 as compared to an operating loss of approximately $1.6 million for fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.


2018.

On July 31, 2018, we completed the sale of all the outstanding stock of our Germany division of our TS segment.  The one time gain recorded due to the sale of all the stock of Modcomp GmbH was approximately $16.8 million.  No income taxes were provided as the transaction was a tax-free exchange in the U.K.  The Modcomp GmbH’s results have been recorded as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented.

The following table details our results of operations in dollars and as a percentage of sales for the fiscal years ended:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

%

 

 

    

September 30, 2019

    

of sales

    

September 30, 2018

    

of sales

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Sales

 

$

79,061

 

100

%  

$

72,916

 

100

%

Costs and expenses:

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

Cost of sales

 

 

61,035

 

77

%  

 

54,517

 

75

%

Engineering and development

 

 

2,800

 

 4

%  

 

3,277

 

 4

%

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

16,052

 

20

%  

 

16,723

 

23

%

Total costs and expenses

 

 

79,887

 

101

%  

 

74,517

 

102

%

Operating loss

 

 

(826)

 

(1)

%  

 

(1,601)

 

(2)

%

Other income

 

 

384

 

 —

%  

 

495

 

 1

%

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(442)

 

(1)

%  

 

(1,106)

 

(2)

%

Income tax (benefit) expense

 

 

(71)

 

 —

%  

 

882

 

 1

%

Net loss from continuing operations

 

 

(371)

 

(1)

%  

 

(1,988)

 

(3)

%

Gain on sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 —

%  

 

16,838

 

23

%

Net loss from discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 —

%  

 

(410)

 

(1)

%

Total income from discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 —

%  

 

16,428

 

22

%

Net (loss) income

 

$

(371)

 

(1)

%  

$

14,440

 

19

%


  September 30, 2017 
%
of sales
 September 30, 2016 
%
of sales
  (Dollar amounts in thousands)
Sales $111,482
 100% $103,367
 100 %
Costs and expenses:  
  
  
  
Cost of sales 85,992
 77% 78,326
 76 %
Engineering and development 2,362
 2% 2,984
 3 %
Selling, general and administrative 19,356
 17% 18,256
 18 %
Total costs and expenses 107,710
 97% 99,566
 96 %
Operating income 3,772
 3% 3,801
 4 %
Other income (expense), net 21
 % (201)  %
Income before income taxes 3,793
 3% 3,600
 3 %
Income tax expense 1,287
 1% 996
 1 %
Net income $2,506
 2% $2,604
 3 %

Revenues


Revenue increased by approximately $8.1$6.2 million, or 8%, to $111.5$79.1 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 20172019 versus $103.4$72.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.2018.  Our HPP segment revenue decreased by approximately $2.5$2.6 million primarily due to a decline of $2.3$1.7 million in the Myricom product revenue,royalty revenues, a decline of $0.2 million in Multicomputer service revenues, and a $1.3decline of $1.6 million decline in MulticomputerMyricom product revenues, partially offset by $1.1a  $0.9 million increase in royaltyMulticomputer product revenues. Our TS segment revenue increased by approximately $10.6$8.7 million from increasesan increase of $4.1 million, $3.5 million and $3.0$11.5 million in our U.S., U.K. and Germany divisions, respectively.


HPP segment revenue change by product and services lines for the fiscal years ended September 30 were as follows :
(Dollar amounts in thousands)     Increase (decrease)
  2017 2016 $ %
Product $7,608
 $11,190
 $(3,582) (32)%
Services 6,236
 5,152
 1,084
 21 %
Total $13,844
 $16,342
 $(2,498) (15)%


The HPP segment revenue division, partially offset with a decrease of  $2.5$2.8 million is primarily attributed to $2.3 million sales decline in the Myricom legacy Ethernet adapters with no significant increase in the FPGA products. There was also a $1.3 million decrease in Multicomputer product sales. The HPP segment's service revenue increase was due to additional royalty revenues related to the E2D program.

our U.K. division.

TS segment revenue change by product and services lines for the fiscal years ended September 30 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase

 

 

    

2019

    

2018

    

$

    

%

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Products

 

$

59,611

 

$

52,647

 

$

6,964

 

13

%

Services

 

 

11,548

 

 

9,790

 

 

1,758

 

18

%

Total

 

$

71,159

 

$

62,437

 

$

8,722

 

14

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)     Increase
  2017 2016 $ %
Product $77,067
 $66,645
 $10,422
 16%
Services 20,571
 20,380
 191
 1%
Total $97,638
 $87,025
 $10,613
 12%

The TS segment total revenue increased by approximately $8.7 million due to an increase of $11.5 million in theour U.S., U.K, and Germany divisions as previously noted. division partially offset by a decrease of  $2.8 million in our U.K. division. The $10.4$7.0 million increase in TS

21

segment product revenue is attributed to increasesan increase of $3.3 million, $3.7 million and $3.4$9.5 million in our U.S., U.K, division offset by a decrease of $2.5 million in our U.K. division. The increase in our U.S. division was primarily associated with two major customers and Germany divisions, respectively.the decrease in the U.K. division was primarily associated with a decrease with one major customer. The $0.2$1.8 million service revenue increase is related to an increase in the U.S. division of $0.8$2.0 million, partially offset by decreasesa decrease in Germany of $0.5 million and the U.K. division of $0.1$0.2 million.

HPP segment revenue change by product and services lines for the fiscal years ended September 30 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decrease

 

 

 

2019

    

2018

    

$

    

%

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Products

 

$

6,406

 

$

7,014

 

$

(608)

 

(9)

%

Services

 

 

1,496

 

 

3,465

 

 

(1,969)

 

(57)

%

Total

 

$

7,902

 

$

10,479

 

$

(2,577)

 

(25)

%


The decrease in HPP product revenues for the period of $0.6 million was primarily the result of an approximately $1.5 million decrease in Myricom product line shipments, partially offset by an increase in Multicomputer product line shipments of approximately $0.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The decrease in HPP services revenues of approximately $2.0 million for the period was primarily the result of an approximately $1.7 million decrease in royalty revenues on high-speed processing boards related to the E2D program during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Our total revenues by geographic area based on the location to which the products were shipped or services rendered were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase (Decrease)

 

 

    

2019

    

%

    

2018

    

%

    

$

    

%

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Americas

 

$

72,522

 

92

%  

$

60,458

 

83

%  

$

12,064

 

20

%

Europe

 

 

4,056

 

 5

%  

 

10,325

 

14

%  

 

(6,269)

 

(61)

%

Asia

 

 

2,483

 

 3

%  

 

2,133

 

 3

%  

 

350

 

16

%

Totals

 

$

79,061

 

100

%  

$

72,916

 

100

%  

$

6,145

 

 8

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
  For the years ended September 30, Increase (decrease)
  2017 % 2016 % $ %
Americas $69,982
 63% $71,115
 69% $(1,133) (2)%
Europe 37,498
 34% 27,960
 27% 9,538
 34 %
Asia 4,002
 4% 4,292
 4% (290) (7)%
Totals $111,482
 100% $103,367
 100% $8,115
 8 %

The large$12.1 million increase in Europe was largelythe Americas revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 is primarily due to the multinational customerincreased revenues by our TS segment of approximately $15.2 million, partially offset with decreased sales by our HPP segment of approximately $3.1 million. The $6.3 million decrease in Europe revenue is primarily due to decreased sales by our UK division of approximately $5.5 million combined with a decrease by our TS segment’s US division of approximately $0.3 million and a decrease in our U.K. divisionHPP segment of approximately $0.5 million. The decrease in sales to Europe is due to one large customer that had significantly lower activity for somethe year ended September 30, 2019 when compared to September 30, 2018. The $0.4 million increase in Asia is primarily the result of increased revenues by our U.S. based customers.


HPP segment of $1.1 million partially offset with a $0.7 million decrease in our TS segment.

Gross Margins


Our gross margins increased("GM") decreased by approximately $0.5$0.4 million to $25.5$18.0 million in fiscal year 20172019 as compared to gross margins of $25.0$18.4 million in fiscal year 2016.2018.


22

The following table summarizes gross margin ("GM")GM changes by segment for fiscal years 20172019 and 2016:2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

Increase (Decrease)

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

 

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

 

TS

 

$

13,889

 

20

%  

$

12,262

 

20

%  

$

1,627

 

 —

%

HPP

 

 

4,137

 

52

%  

 

6,137

 

59

%  

 

(2,000)

 

(7)

%

Total

 

$

18,026

 

23

%  

$

18,399

 

25

%  

$

(373)

 

(2)

%

The impact of product mix within our TS segment on gross margins for the fiscal years ended September 30 was as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

Increase

 

 

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Products

 

$

7,462

 

13

%  

$

6,886

 

13

%  

$

576

 

 —

%

Services

 

 

6,427

 

56

%  

 

5,376

 

55

%  

 

1,051

 

 1

%

Total

 

$

13,889

 

20

%  

$

12,262

 

20

%  

$

1,627

 

 —

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
  2017 2016 Increase (decrease)
  GM$GM% GM$GM% GM$ GM%
HPP $9,345
68% $10,111
62% $(766) 6 %
TS 16,145
17% 14,930
17% 1,215
  %
Total $25,490
23% $25,041
24% $449
 (1)%


The overall TS segment gross margin as a percentage of sales remained the same in fiscal year 2019 when compared to fiscal year 2018. The  $0.6 million increase in our TS segment product gross margins resulted from an   increase in product revenues in the U.S. division, partially offset by a decrease in the U.K division. The $1.1 million increase in the TS segment service gross margins primarily resulted from increased service revenues in the U.S. division.

The impact of product mix on gross margins within our HPP segment for the fiscal years ended September 30 was as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

Increase (Decrease)

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

 

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

    

GM$

    

GM%

 

Products

 

$

2,719

 

42

%  

$

2,775

 

40

%  

$

(56)

 

 2

%

Services

 

 

1,418

 

95

%  

 

3,362

 

97

%  

 

(1,944)

 

(2)

%

Total

 

$

4,137

 

52

%  

$

6,137

 

59

%  

$

(2,000)

 

(7)

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
  2017 2016 Increase (decrease)
  GM$GM% GM$GM% GM$ GM%
Product $3,249
43% $5,072
45% $(1,823) (2)%
Services 6,096
98% 5,039
98% 1,057
  %
Total $9,345
68% $10,111
62% $(766) 6 %

The overall HPP segment gross margins as a percentage of sales increaseddecreased to 68%52% in fiscal year 2017,2019 from 62%59% in fiscal year 2016.2018.  The 6% increase7%  decrease in gross margin as a percentage of sales in the HPP segment was primarily attributed to the impact of an increasea decrease of $1.1$1.7 million in high margin Multicomputer royalty revenues, which was partially offset by a decrease in lower margin HPP product revenues of approximately $3.6 million.

The impact of product mix within our TS segment on gross margins for the fiscal years ended September 30 was as follows:
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
  2017 2016 Increase (decrease)
  GM$GM% GM$GM% GM$ GM%
Product $10,124
13% $9,224
14% $900
 (1)%
Services 6,021
29% 5,706
28% 315
 1 %
Total $16,145
17% $14,930
17% $1,215
  %

     The overall TS segment gross margin as a percentage of sales was unchanged at 17% for the period. For fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016, the $0.9 million increase in our TS segment product gross margins resulted from increased product revenues in all three divisions. The $0.3 million increase in the TS segment service gross margins resulted from a combination of increased service revenues of approximately $0.2 million combined with a general increase in overall service revenue margins from the MSP business.

revenues.

Engineering and Development Expenses

The following table details our engineering and development expenses by operating segment for the fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016:2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year ended September 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

% of

    

 

 

    

% of

    

 

 

    

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

2019

 

Total

 

2018

 

Total

 

$ Decrease

 

% Decrease

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

By Operating Segment:

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

TS

 

$

 —

 

 —

%  

$

 —

 

 —

%  

$

 —

 

 —

%

HPP

 

 

2,800

 

100

%  

 

3,277

 

100

%  

 

(477)

 

(15)

%

Total

 

$

2,800

 

100

%  

$

3,277

 

100

%  

$

(477)

 

(15)

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
 For the years ended September 30,    
 2017 
% of
Total
 2016 
% of
Total
 $ Decrease % Decrease
By Operating Segment:           
HPP$2,362
 100% $2,984
 100% $(622) (21)%
TS
 % 
 % 
  %
Total$2,362
 100% $2,984
 100% $(622) (21)%
The $0.6 million decrease in engineering

Engineering and development expenses indecreased by $0.5 million to $2.8 million for the HPP segment resulted from transitioning from the external development of our latest generation Myricom products in fiscal year 2016ended September 30, 2019 as compared to $3.3 million for the internal development of our ARIA Software Defined Security ("SDS") product set in fiscal year 2017.ended September 30, 2018.  The current fiscal year 2017 expenses arewere primarily for product engineering expenses incurred in connection with the development of the nVoy and new

23

ARIA SDS cyber security products.



The decreased engineering and development expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 is primarily attributed to a decrease in consulting related expenses.

Selling, General and Administrative

The following table details our selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses by operating segment for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016:2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended September 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

% of

 

 

 

 

% of

 

$ Increase

 

% Increase

 

 

    

2019

    

Total

    

2018

    

Total

    

 (Decrease)

    

     (Decrease)

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

By Operating Segment:

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

TS segment

 

$

11,630

 

72

%  

$

11,086

 

66

%  

$

544

 

 5

%

HPP segment

 

 

4,422

 

28

%  

 

5,637

 

34

%  

 

(1,215)

 

(22)

%

Total

 

$

16,052

 

100

%  

$

16,723

 

100

%  

$

(671)

 

(4)

%

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
 For the years ended September 30,    
 2017 % of
Total
 2016 % of
Total
 $ Increase (decrease) % Increase (decrease)
By Operating Segment:           
HPP$5,516
 28% $5,663
 31% $(147) (3)%
TS13,840
 72% 12,593
 69% 1,247
 10 %
Total$19,356
 100% $18,256
 100% $1,100
 6 %

For fiscal year 20172019 compared to fiscal year 2016, the HPP segment SG&A spending decrease of $0.1 million is primarily attributed to decreases in variable compensation costs of approximately $0.5 million partially offset by increases in outside consulting expenses of approximately $0.3 million. In fiscal year 2016, we had a net gain of $0.4 million on insurance proceeds from an officer life insurance policy and a $0.3 million decrease in the cash surrender value of the underlying officer's life insurance policies. For fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016,2018, the TS segment SG&A spending increase of approximately $1.2$0.5 million is substantially the result of an increase in our U.S. division of $0.4$1.2 million primarily attributed to variable selling expenses and additional engineering and sales hires, combined with spending increases of $0.1 million andhires. This was partially offset by  a $0.7 million decrease in ourthe U.K. division attributed to reduction in staff and German divisions, respectively. Thevariable compensation expense.

For fiscal year 2019 compared to fiscal year 2018, the HPP segment SG&A spending increase in Germanydecrease of $1.2 million is primarily attributed to sellingdecreases in expenses related to the sale of our German operations, audit expenses, and the increase in the U.K. is attributed to administrative costs.

variable compensation.

Other Income/Expenses

The following table details our other income/expenses for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016:2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase

 

 

    

September 30, 2019

    

September 30, 2018

    

(Decrease)

 

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

 

Interest expense

 

$

(99)

 

$

(85)

 

$

(14)

 

Interest income

 

 

323

 

 

20

 

 

303

 

Foreign exchange gain (loss)

 

 

157

 

 

263

 

 

(106)

 

Other income, net

 

 

 3

 

 

297

 

 

(294)

 

Total other income (expense), net

 

$

384

 

$

495

 

$

(111)

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)
 For the years ended September 30,
 2017 2016 Increase (decrease)
Interest expense$(76) $(87) $11
Interest income11
 7
 4
Foreign exchange loss(3) (134) 131
Other income, net89
 13
 76
Total other income (expense), net$21
 $(201) $222

The decrease to other income (expenses) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 was primarily driven by a decrease in Other income, net of $0.3 million and a decrease of $0.1 million foreign exchange gain (loss), partially offset by an increase of $0.3 million in interest income.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded an income tax expensebenefit of approximately $1.3 million, which reflected an effective tax expense rate of 33.9% for the year ended September 30, 2017, which was lower than the statutory rate due in part to the tax benefit from research and development credits. For the year ended September 30, 2016, the income tax expense was approximately $1.0 million,$71 thousand, which reflected an effective tax rate of 27.7%.16.1% for the year ended September 30, 2019. The lowertax benefit includes an increase in the valuation allowance for net operating losses for state income tax related in the High Performance Products segment where we also had a reversal of the uncertain tax position of $54 thousand as that the statute of limitations have expired. For the year ended September 30, 2018, the income tax expense was approximately $882 thousand, which reflected an effective tax rate of (79.7%). The impact  of the Tax Reform Act, which was recorded in fiscal year 2018, included remeasurement of the Company’s US deferred tax assets and liabilities to a 24.3% for 2016 as comparedcurrent and 21% for the non-current portions resulted in

24

a tax expense of approximately $588 thousand consisting of a reduction of the Company’s net deferred tax asset. The Company recorded tax expense of approximately $771 thousand related to the statutory rate was due in part to a large research and development credit.


deemed repatriation.

As of September 30, 2017,2019, management assessed the positive and negative evidence in the U.SU.S. operations, and estimated that we will have sufficient future taxable income to utilize the existing deferred tax assets. Significant objective positive evidence included the cumulative profits that we realized in recent fiscal years. This evidence enhances our ability to consider other subjective evidence such as our projections for future growth. Other factors that we considered are the likelihood for continued royalty income in future years, new product revenue from cyber security products, and our expectation that the TS segment will continue to be profitable in future years. On the basis of this evaluation, as of September 30, 2017,2019, we have concluded that our U.S. deferred income tax asset related to net operating losses carryforward for the High Performance Products segment is more likely than not to be realized except for certain state net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carry forwards. We recorded a $235 thousand valuation allowance for certain state-related assets that are not likely to be realized. It should be noted however, that the amount of the deferred tax asset not to be realized could be adjusted in future years, if estimates of taxable income during the carryforward periods are reduced,increased, or if there is objective negativepositive evidence in the form of cumulative losses. On December 20, 2017, the Tax Cuts


and Jobs Act bill was passed by Congress. Once the bill is signed into law, the change in the tax law will lower our overall tax rate and reduce our deferred taxes and will be treated as a discrete item in the quarter enacted. earnings.

We will still need to assess the effect of the new law when enacted on our effective tax rate.


Wealso continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against our U.K. deferred tax assets as we have experienced cumulative losses and do not have any indication that the operation will be profitable in the future to an extent that will allow us to utilize much of our net operating loss carryforwards. To the extent that actual experience deviates from our assumptions, our projections would be affected and hence our assessment of realizability of our deferred tax assets may change.

Results of Discontinued Operations

CSPi LTD, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company, sold all of the outstanding stock of Modcomp GmbH to Reply AG, an affiliate of Reply SpA, a holding company for a worldwide group of companies, on July 31, 2018 for $14.4 million cash, and recognized a gain of $16.8 million. The divestiture of CSPi’s German operations and our increased cash position will enable us to focus time and resources on our higher-margin and greater-potential growth opportunities.  We are encouraged by the traction of our managed services business in the U.S. and we intend to continue to invest and focus on our new ARIA SDS cyber security products and to capitalize on the proliferation of our wireless service business. This divestiture of our German operations is another positive step toward our future growth.

The following table is a summary of the operating results of the Germany division of our TS segment which have been reflected as discontinued operations.  See Note 2 for additional information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

    

September 30, 2019

    

September 30, 2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Revenues

 

$

 —

 

$

18,365

Net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

$

 —

 

$

(410)



Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary source of liquidity is our cash and cash equivalents, which increaseddecreased by approximately $0.8$7 million to $13.9$18.1 million as of September 30, 20172019 from $13.1$25.1 million as of September 30, 2016. At September 30, 2017, cash equivalents totaled $0.5 million of this amount.

2018.  

Significant sources of cash for the year ended September 30, 20172019 included net income of approximately $2.5 million, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $6.5$6.4 million, an increase in deferred revenuesproceeds from debt of approximately $1.2$1.0 million, and a decrease in life insurance receivablesrefundable income taxes of approximately $0.4$0.6 million.  PartiallyMore than offsetting these significant sources of cash were an increase in long term receivables of approximately $5.3 million, an increase in other assets and deferred costs of approximately $3.1 million, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $8.1$2.1 million, and payment of dividends of approximately $1.7 million, an increase in deferred costs$2.5 million. 

25

Cash

Cash held by our foreign subsidiaries locatedsubsidiary in Germany and the U.K.United Kingdom totaled approximately $4.6$9.1 million as of September 30, 20172019, which consists of 3.1 million euros, 0.2 million British Pounds, and $6.45.9 million as of September 30, 2016.U.S. Dollars. This cash is included in our total cash and cash equivalents reported above. We consider this cash to be permanently reinvested into these foreign locations to support their operations and growth.

As of September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016,2018, the Company maintained a line of credit that allows for borrowings of up to $1.0 million. Availability under the facility iswas reduced by outstanding borrowings thereunder. The interest rates on outstanding borrowings iswas London Inter-Bank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”("LIBOR") plus 2.5%, with a floor of 4%. Borrowings under the credit agreements are required to be repaid on demand in certain circumstances, upon termination of the agreements, or may be prepaid by the Company without penalty. The Company had no amounts outstanding under the line of credit during the fiscal years endingat September 30, 2017 and 2016.


2018. This line of credit closed during fiscal year 2019.

As of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, the Company also maintained an inventory line of credit that may be used by the TS segment in the U.S. to purchase inventory from approved vendors with payment terms which exceed those offered by the vendors. In fiscal year 2019, HPP gained access to this inventory line of credit, but did not use it. No interest accrues under the inventory line of credit when advances are paid within terms, however, late payments are subject to an interest charge of Prime plus 5%.  The credit agreementsagreement for the inventory line of credit containcontains financial covenants which require the Company to maintain the following TS segment-specific financial ratios: (1) a minimum current ratio of 1.2, (2) tangible net worth of no less than $4.0 million, and (3) a maximum ratio of total liabilities to total net worth of less than 5.0:1.  As of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, Company borrowings under the inventory line of credit which is included as a component of accounts payable and accrued expenses on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, were $3.1$2.5 million and $3.2 million, respectively, and the Company was in compliance with all covenants.


For more information, please refer to Note 1216 - Lines of Credit, in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K.


10‑K.

If cash generated from operations is insufficient to satisfy working capital requirements, we may need to access funds through bank loans, the equity markets, or other means. There is no assurance that we will be able to raise any such capital on terms acceptable to us, on a timely basis or at all. If we are unable to secure additional financing, we may not be able to complete development or enhancement of products, take advantage of future opportunities, respond to competition or continue to effectively operate our business.

Based on our current plans and business conditions, management believes that the Company’s available cash and cash equivalents, the cash generated from operations and availability on our lines of credit will be sufficient to provide for the Company’s working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the foreseeable future.


Critical Accounting Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to uncollectible receivables, inventory valuation, goodwill and intangibles, income taxes, deferred compensation, revenue recognition, retirement plans, restructuring costs and contingencies. We base our estimates on historical performance and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements: revenue recognition; valuation allowances, specifically the allowance for doubtful accounts and net deferred tax asset valuation allowance; inventory valuation; intangibles; and pension and retirement plans.


26

Revenue Recognition

Effective October 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014‑09, Revenue Recognitionfrom Contracts with Customers

, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. See Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for effects of initial adoption. The following reflects the accounting policy change for revenue starting on the date of adoption:

We derive revenue from the sale of integrated hardware and software, third-party service contracts, professional services, maintenance contracts, othermanaged services, financing of hardware and third party service contracts. Professional services generally include implementation, installation, and training services. Other services generally include revenue generated through our royalty and extended warranty contracts. We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of the product or service has occurred, the fee is fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. We enter into multiple element arrangements as well as standalone sales of product, professional services,software, and other services.


We recognize revenue from standalone product saleshardware upon transfer of title,control, which is at a point in time typically upon shipment provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.when title transfers. Revenue generated from standalone professional services and extended warranty contractssoftware is recognized as services are performed, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. In some instances professional service contracts includeat a customer acceptance provision,point in which case revenuetime when the license is deferred until we have evidence of customer acceptance. granted.

We recognize revenue from usage based royalty contracts upon confirmation from the customer of shipment of the system produced pursuant to the royalty agreement.


We recognize revenue from multiple element arrangements in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 605-25, Multiple Element Arrangements. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. ASC 605-25 establishes a hierarchy for determining the amount to allocate to each separate deliverable in an arrangement. We determine selling price using vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”), if it exists; or, if VSOE does not exist, third party evidence (“TPE”) of fair value is applicable; otherwise, we use the best estimate of selling price (“BESP”). The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact if the element was sold on a standalone basis. Management’s determination of BESP involves several factors including budgeted profit margins, and cost to complete services.

We recognize revenue from third partythird-party service contracts as either gross sales or net sales in accordance with ASC 605-45, Principal Agent Considerations, which requires us to determine ifdepending on whether the Company is acting as a principal party to the transaction or simply acting as an agent or broker. Under ASC 605-45,broker based on control and timing. The Company is a principal if it controls the assumption of the risks and rewards under the arrangement are considered indicators of principal partiesgood or service before that good or service is transferred to the arrangement.customer. We record revenue as gross when itthe Company is a principal party to the arrangement and net of cost when we are acting as a broker or agent. Under gross sales recognition, the entire selling price is recorded in revenue and our cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded in cost of goods sold. Under net sales recognition, the cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded as a reduction to revenue resulting in net sales equal to the gross profit on the transaction. Third-party service contracts are sold in different combinations with hardware, software, and services. We have determined the third-party services contracts are a single performance obligation in each sale. When the Company is an agent, revenue is typically recorded at a point in time. When the Company is the principal, revenue is recognized over the contract term.

Professional services generally include implementation, installation, and training services. Professional services are considered a series of distinct services that form one performance obligation and revenue is recognized over time as services are performed.

Revenue generated from managed services is recognized over the term of the contract. Certain managed services contracts include financing of hardware and software. Revenues from arrangements which include financing are allocated considering relative standalone selling prices of lease and non-lease components within the agreement. The lease components include the hardware and software, which are subject to ASC 840. The non-lease component includes the managed services and is subject to ASC 606.

Other services generally include revenue generated through our royalty, extended warranty, multicomputer repair, and maintenance contracts. Royalty revenue is sales-based and recognized on date of subsequent sale of the product, which occurs on the date of customer shipment. Revenue from extended warranty contracts is recognized evenly over the period of the warranty. Multicomputer repair services revenue is recognized upon control transfer when the customer takes possession of the computer at time of shipping. Revenue generated from maintenance services is recognized evenly over the term of the contract.

Variable consideration is immaterial. Any products sold with right to return exists with the manufacturer. Managed service contracts contain the right to refund if canceled within 30 days of inception. Any products with a standard warranty are treated as a warranty obligation under ASC 460,

Guarantees.

The following policies are applicable to our major categories of segment revenue transactions:

TS Segment Revenue

TS Segment revenue is derived from the sale of hardware, software, professional services, third-party service contracts, maintenance contracts, managed services, and financing of hardware and software. Financing revenue is


27

recognized in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Financing revenue is recorded in revenue as equipment leasing and is part of the Company’s operations.

Third-party service contracts are evaluated to determine whether such service revenue should be recorded as gross sales or net and whether over time or at point in time.

HPP Segment Revenue


HPP segment revenue is derived from the sale of integrated hardware and software, maintenance, and other services through the Multicomputer and Myricom product lines. Multicomputer product revenue is generally recognized when product is shipped, provided that all revenue recognition criteria are met. Service revenue consists principally of warranty and royalty revenue. Revenue generated from extended warranty contracts is recognized as services are performed over the term


of the contract, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met We recognize revenue from usage based royalty contracts upon confirmation from the customer of shipment of the system produced pursuant to the royalty agreement.

Myricom revenue is derived from the sale of products, which are comprised of both hardware and embedded software which is essential to the products functionality, and post contract maintenance and support. Revenue from multiple element arrangements is recognized in accordance with ASC 605-25. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. We determine selling price using BESP. Management’s determination of BESP is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, internal costs and gross margin objectives. Accordingly, revenue for postPost contract maintenance and support is recognized overconsidered immaterial in the implied maintenance periodcontext of three years,the contract and therefore is not a separate performance obligation.

Significant Judgments

The input method using labor hours expended relative to the total expected hours is used to recognize revenue for professional services. Only the hours that depict the Company’s performance toward satisfying a performance obligation are used for progress. An estimate for professional services is made at the beginning of each contract based on prior experience and monitored throughout the services. This method is most appropriate as it depicts the measure of progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligation.

When product salesand services are sold together, the allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation is recognized upon delivery assuming allcalculated using a budgeted cost-plus margin approach. Due to the complex nature of these contracts, there is significant judgment in allocating the transaction price. These estimates are periodically reviewed by project managers, engineers, and other revenue recognition criteria have been met.


TS Segment Revenue

TS Segment revenue is derived from the sale ofstaff involved to ensure estimates are appropriate. For items sold separately, including hardware, software, professional services, maintenance contracts, other services, and third partythird-party service contracts. TS productcontracts, there is no allocation performed as there is one performance obligation.

Contract Assets and Liabilities

When the Company has performed work but does not have an unconditional right to payment, a contract asset is recorded. When the Company has the right to bill a customer, accounts receivable is recorded as an unconditional right exists. Contract liabilities arise when payment is received before the Company transfers a good or service to the customer.

Contract Costs

Incremental costs of obtaining a contract involving customer transactions where the revenue and the related transfer of goods and services are less than a one-year period, are expensed as incurred, utilizing the practical expedient in ASC 340‑40‑25‑4. For a period greater than one year, incremental contract costs are capitalized if the Company expects to recover these costs. These costs are only capitalized if the contract is obtained. The costs are amortized over the contract term and expected renewal periods. The period of amortization is generally recognizedthree to six years. Incremental costs are related to commissions in the TS portion of the business.

Costs to fulfill a contract are capitalized when product is shipped, providedthe costs are related to a contract or anticipated contract, generate or enhance resources that all revenue recognition criteriawill be used in satisfying performance obligations in the future, and costs are met. Service revenue consistsrecoverable. Costs to fulfill a contract are related to the TS portion of professionalthe business and involve activities performed before managed services which generally include implementation, installation,can be completed. Current capitalized fulfillment costs are in the account other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

28

Other

Projects are typically billed upon completion or at certain milestones. Product and training services. Revenue generated from standalone professional services is recognized as the services are completed, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Our standard sales agreements generally do not include customer acceptance provisions. However, in certain instancestypically billed when arrangements include a customer acceptance provisionshipped or there is uncertainty about customer acceptance, revenue is deferred until we have evidence of customer acceptance.


Revenue derived from the sale of products, which are comprised of both hardware and software, and professional services is recognized in accordance with ASC 605-25. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. We determine selling price using BESP. Management’s determination of BESP is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, internal costs and gross margin objectives. Accordingly revenue for professional services is recognized as services are completed,being performed. Payment terms are typically 30 days to pay in full except in Europe where it could be up to 90 days. There are certain contracts that do contain a financing component. See Note 3 for details. Most of the Company’s contracts are less than one year. As a practical expedient, the Company has elected not to adjust the amount of consideration for effects of a significant financing component when it is anticipated the promised good or service will be transferred and revenue forthe subsequent payment will be one year or less. The Company elected to use the optional exemption to not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations that have an original expected duration of one year or less. This is due to a low amount of performance obligations less than one year being unsatisfied at each period end. Most of these contracts are related to product salessales. The Company has certain contracts that have an original term of more than one year. The royalty agreement is recognized upon delivery assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.

We also recognize TS segment revenue from certain third partylonger than one year and managed service contracts which are evaluated to determine whether such service revenue should be recorded as gross sales or net sales in accordance with ASC 605-45. We evaluate all third party service contracts to determine whether we act as a principal in the transaction and assume the risks and rewards of ownership or if we are simply acting as an agent or broker. Under gross sales recognition, the entire selling price is recorded in sales and our cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded in cost of goods sold. Under net sales recognition, the cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded as a reduction to sales resulting in net sales equal to the gross profit on the transaction and there are no costs of goods sold. We use the net sales recognition method for the third party service contracts that we sell when we are not the primary obligor on the contract. We use the gross sales recognition for the third party service contracts that we sell when we act as principal and are the primary obligor.

generally longer than one year.

Product Warranty Accrual

Our product sales generally include a 90-day90‑day to three-year hardware warranty. At time of product shipment, we accrue for the estimated cost to repair or replace potentially defective products. Estimated warranty costs are based upon prior actual warranty costs for substantially similar products.

Engineering and Development Expenses

Engineering and development expenses include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation and other headcount-related expenses associated with product development.  Engineering and development expenses also include third-party development and programming costs. We consider technological feasibility for our software products to be reached upon the release of the software, accordingly, no internal software development costs have been capitalized.


Income Taxes

We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment


date. We also reduce deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods. This methodology requires estimates and judgments in the determination of the recoverability of deferred tax assets and in the calculation of certain tax liabilities. Valuation allowances are recorded against the gross deferred tax assets that management believes, after considering all available positive and negative objective evidence, historical and prospective, with greater weight given to historical evidence, that it is more likely than not that these assets will not be realized.

In addition, we are required to recognize in the consolidated financial statements, those tax positions determined to be more-likely-than-not of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the positions as of the reporting date. If a tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the position are recognized.

In addition, the calculation of the Company'sCompany’s tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions. The Company records liabilities for estimated tax obligations in the U.S. and other tax jurisdictions. These estimated tax liabilities include the provision for taxes that may become payable in the future.


29

Intangible

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets that are not subject to amortization are also required to be tested annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. We did not have intangible assets with indefinite lives at any time during the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. Intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized over their estimated useful lives, generally three to ten years, and are carried at net book value. The remaining useful lives of intangible assets are evaluated on an annual basis. Intangible assets subject to amortization are also tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the fair value of an intangible asset subject to amortization is determined to be less than its carrying value, then an impairment charge is recorded to write down that asset to its fair value.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined using the first-in, first-out method. The recoverability of inventories is based upon the types and levels of inventories held, forecasted demand, pricing, competition and changes in technology. We write down our inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.


Pension and Retirement Plans

The funded status of pension and other post-retirement benefit plans is recognized prospectively on the consolidated balance sheet. Gains and losses, prior service costs and credits and any remaining transition amounts that have not yet been recognized through pension expense will be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax, until they are amortized as a component of net periodic pension/post-retirement benefits expense. Additionally, plan assets and obligations are measured as of our fiscal year-end balance sheet date (September 30).


We have defined benefit and defined contribution plans in the U.K., Germany and in the U.S. In the U.K. and Germany,, the Company provides defined benefit pension plans for certain employees and former employees and defined contribution plans for the majority of the employees. The defined benefit plans in both the U.K. and Germany are closed to newly hired employees and have been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. In the U.S., the Company provides defined contribution plans that cover most employees and supplementary retirement plans to certain employees and former employees who are now retired. These supplementary retirement plans are also closed to newly hired employees and have been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. These supplementary plans are funded through whole life insurance policies. The Company expects to recover all insurance premiums paid under these policies in the future, through the cash surrender value of the policies and any death benefits or portions thereof to be paid upon the death of the participant. These whole life insurance policies are carried on the balance sheet at their cash surrender values as they are owned by the Company and not assets of the defined benefit plans. In the U.S., the Company also provides for officer death benefits and post-retirement health insurance benefits through supplemental post-retirement plans to certain officers. The Company also funds these supplemental plans'plans’ obligations through whole life insurance policies on the officers.

Pension expense is based on an actuarial computation of current future benefits using estimates for expected return on assets, expected compensation increases and applicable discount rates. Management has reviewed the discount rates and rates


of return with our consulting actuaries and investment advisers and concluded they were reasonable.  A decrease in the expected return on pension assets would increase pension expense. Expected compensation increases are estimated based on historical and expected increases in the future. Increases in estimated compensation increases would result in higher pension expense while decreases would lower pension expense. Discount rates are selected based upon rates of return on high quality fixed income investments currently available and expected to be available during the period to maturity of the pension benefit. A decrease in the discount rate would result in greater pension expense while an increase in the discount rate would decrease pension expense.

30

The Company funds its pension plans in amounts sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in applicable employee benefits laws and local tax laws. Liabilities for amounts in excess of these funding levels are accrued and reported in the consolidated balance sheets.


Inflation and Changing Prices

Management does not believe that inflation and changing prices had significant impact on sales, revenues or income during fiscal years 20172019 or 2016.2018. There is no assurance that the Company'sCompany’s business will not be materially and adversely affected by inflation and changing prices in the future.

Item 8.     Financial Statements and Supplementary Data



Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The consolidated financial statements are included herein.

31


Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

None.


None.

Item 9A.     Controls and Procedures


Evaluation of Controls and Procedures


Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2017.2019. Our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and other members of our senior management team supervised and participated in this evaluation. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e)13a‑15(e) and 15d-15(e)15d‑15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC'sSecurities and Exchange Commission’s ("SEC") rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company'scompany’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.  Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2017,2019, the Company’s Chief Executive


Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due to the fact that we are not yet able to conclude that the material weakness described in this Item 9A has been remediated by the changes we made in response to that material weakness.

Management'seffective.  

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.


The Company'sCompany’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. As defined in Rule 13a-15(f)13a‑15(f) under the Exchange Act, internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by or under the supervision of a company'scompany’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by a company'scompany’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. It includes those policies and procedures that:

·

pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of a company;


·

provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of a company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and the board of directors of a company; and

pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of a company;

·

provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of a company’s assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements.


provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of a company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and the board of directors of a company; and

provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of a company's assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements.

Management has assessed the effectiveness of the Company'sCompany’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2017.2019. In making its assessment of internal control, management used the criteria described in “Internal Control-Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”("COSO") of the Treadway Commission.  As a result of its assessment, management has concluded that the Company's internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of September 30, 2017.


As of September 30, 2017, management has identified a material weakness. 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 the Company's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected in a timely basis.

The material weakness is in connection with our controls over the revenue recognition process at our foreign subsidiaries, specifically whether revenue recognition criteria have been satisfied prior to recognizing revenue and the failure to sufficiently assess gross versus net revenue indicators to certain revenue transactions. We determined that controls over the revenue recognition process were not operating effectively and the resulting control deficiency amounted to a material weakness in our controls over financial reporting. As a result, we have concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of September 30, 2017. Although we have implemented changes to our internal controls over financial reporting as described below, at this time, we cannot conclude that the material weakness has been remediated, as we continued to make personnel changes and upgrade systems throughout fiscal year 2017.

During the periods following our initial identification of the material weakness referred to above, management assessed various alternatives to remediate this material weakness and we implemented additional changes to our system of internal controls, which included the implementation of enhanced internal auditing procedures, whereby a comprehensive review form is prepared for all new revenue transactions. Our review process has been expanded to include corporate and TS accounting personnel reviews to ensure the correct accounting methodology is applied to all revenue transactions. We also created new revenue reports from the German ERP system to assist in the revenue transaction review process. During the twelve months ended September 30, 2017, management took additional actions to upgrade our international accounting staff with the hiring of a new controller and added consultants to assist in the revenue transaction processing which will improve accounting operations in our European divisions.

2019.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls

32

may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.


This Annual Report on Form 10-K10‑K does not include an attestation report of the Company'sCompany’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management'sManagement’s assessment of the effectiveness of the


Company's Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 20172019 was not subject to attestation by the Company'sCompany’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that call for the Company to provide only management'smanagement’s report in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

10‑K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.


During the quarter ended September 30, 2017,2019, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.




Item 9B.     Other Information

None.


None.

PART III


Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Item 10.     Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

We incorporate the information required by this item by reference to the sections captioned “Nominees for Election”, “Our Board of Directors”, “Our Executive Officers”, “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” and “Corporate Governance” in our Schedule 14A Proxy Statement for our 20182020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 20172019.

Item 11..


Executive Compensation

Item 11.
Executive Compensation

We incorporate the information required by this item by reference to the sections captioned “Compensation of Executive Officers” and “Compensation of Non-Employee Directors” in our Schedule 14A Proxy Statement for our 20182020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 20172019.

Item 12.     .

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans.

The equity compensation plans approved by our stockholders consist of the CSP, Inc.1997Inc. 1997 Incentive Stock Option Plan, the 2003 Stock Incentive Plan, the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan, the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP") and the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan .Plan. In fiscal 20172019 and 2016,2018, the Company granted to certain key employees, certain officers including its Chief Executive Officer and non-employee directorsdirectors’ shares of non-vested common stock instead of stock options. The vesting periods for the officers'key employees’, officers’, the Chief Executive Officer'sOfficer’s and the directors'non-employee directors’ non-vested stock awards are four years, three years and one year, respectively. The following

33

table sets forth information as of September 30, 20172019 regarding the total number of securities outstanding under these equity compensation plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

(a) (1)(2)

    

(b)

    

(c)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

remaining available for future

 

 

Number of securities to be

 

Weighted-average

 

issuance under equity

 

 

issued upon exercise of

 

exercise price of outstanding

 

compensation plans (excluding

 

 

outstanding options,

 

stock options, warrants and

 

securities reflected in column

Plan Category

 

warrants and rights

 

rights

 

(a))(3)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

 

192,735

 

$

3.75

 

417,668


  
(a) (1)(2)
 (b) 
(c) 
Plan Category
 
 
Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options, warrants and rights  
 
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding
stock options, warrants and rights
 
Number of securities
remaining available for future
issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding
securities reflected in column)
(a))(3)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 189,197
 $4.49
 333,051

(1)

Includes 179,821190,735 non-vested shares issued and 2,000 stock options issued.

(2)

Does not include purchase rights under the ESPP, as the purchase price and number of shares to be purchased under the ESPP are not determined until the end of the relevant purchase period.

(3)

Includes 183,965320,715 shares available for future issuance under the stock incentive and stock option plans and 149,08696,953 under the ESPP.


We incorporate additional information required by this Item by reference to the section captioned “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in our Schedule 14A Proxy Statement for our 20182020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.


2019.

Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

Item 13.     Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

We incorporate the information required by this item by reference to the section captioned “Corporate Governance” in our Schedule 14A Proxy Statement for our 20182020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.


2019.

Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Item 14.     Principal Accountant Fees and Services

We incorporate the information required by this item by reference to the sections captioned “Fees for Professional Services” and “Pre-approval Policies and Procedures” in our Schedule 14A Proxy Statement for our 20182020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended September 30, 20172019.

.



PART IV

Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Item 15.     Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a)   (1)   Financial statements filed as part of this report:

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 20172019 and 2016

2018

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016


2018

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016

2018

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders'Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016

2018

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018

34

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(2)   Financial statement schedules

All other financial statements and schedules not listed have been omitted since the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto included in Item 8, or is not applicable, material or required.

(3)   Exhibits


 

 

 

 

 

 

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit
No.

    

Description

    

Filed with
this Form
10‑K

 

Form

    

Filing Date

    

Exhibit
No.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.1

 

Articles of Organization and amendments thereto

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 26, 2007

 

3.1

3.2

 

By-laws, as amended December 13, 2012

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 20, 2012

 

3.2

10.1

 

Form of Employee Invention and Non-Disclosure Agreement

 

 

 

10‑K

 

November 22, 1996

 

10.3

10.2

 

CSPI Supplemental Retirement Income Plan

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 29, 2008

 

10.2

10.3*

 

2007 Stock Incentive Plan

 

 

 

DEF 14A

 

March 30, 2007

 

B

10.4*

 

2014 Variable Compensation (Executive Bonus) and Base Programs dated November 12, 2013

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 23, 2014

 

10.10

10.5*

 

Death Benefit and Retirement Benefit Agreement between the Company and Victor Dellovo dated September 13, 2013

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 24, 2013

 

10.11

10.6*

 

Form of Change of Control Agreement with Gary W. Levine dated January 11, 2008

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 23, 2010

 

10.11

10.7*

 

2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

 

 

DEF 14A

 

January 6, 2014

 

A

10.8*

 

2015 Stock Incentive Plan

 

 

 

DEF 14RA

 

January 25, 2019

 

A

10.9

 

2015 Lowell, MA Lease

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 24, 2015

 

10.21

10.10

 

2015 Deerfield Beach, FL Lease

 

 

 

10‑K

 

December 24, 2015

 

10.20

10.11*

 

Executive Retention and Service Agreement with Victor Dellovo, dated September 4, 2012

 

 

 

10‑Q

 

February 14, 2018

 

10.1

10.12*

 

Forms of Employee Restricted Stock Award Agreement

 

 

 

10‑Q

 

February 14, 2018

 

10.2

10.13

 

Share Purchase and Assignment Agreement

 

 

 

8‑K

 

June 27, 2018

 

2.1

21.1

 

Subsidiaries

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

23.1

 

Consent of RSM LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

32.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS

 

XBRL Instance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

XBRL Taxonomy Schema

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3)   Exhibits

35

Exhibit
No.
 
Description 
 
Filed with
this Form
10-K
 Incorporated by Reference
 Form Filing Date 
Exhibit
No.
           
3.1 Articles of Organization and amendments thereto   10-K December 26, 2007 3.1
3.2 By-laws, as amended December 13, 2012   10-K December 20, 2012 3.1
10.1 Form of Employee Invention and Non-Disclosure Agreement   10-K November 22, 1996 10.3
10.2 CSPI Supplemental Retirement Income Plan   10-K December 29, 2008 10.2
10.3* 2007 Stock Incentive Plan   DEF 14A March 30, 2007 B
10.4* 2014 Variable Compensation (Executive Bonus) and Base Programs dated November 12, 2013   10-K December 23, 2014 10.10
10.5* Death Benefit and Retirement Benefit Agreement between the Company and Victor Dellovo dated September 13, 2013   10-K December 24, 2013 10.11
10.6* Form of Change of Control Agreement with Gary W. Levine and William E. Bent Jr. each dated January 11, 2008   10-K December 22, 2009 10.11
10.7* 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan   DEF 14A January 6, 2014 A
10.8* 2015 Stock Incentive Plan   DEF 14A January 5, 2015 A
10.9 2015 Lowell, MA Lease   10-K December 24, 2015 10.21
10.10 2015 Deerfield Beach, FL Lease   10-K December 24, 2015 10.20
 Subsidiaries X      
 Consent of RSM LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm X      
 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 X      
 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 X      
 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 X      
101.INS XBRL Instance        
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Schema        
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation        
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition        
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels        
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation        

101.LAB

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels

*

101.PRE

Management contract or compensatory plan.

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation



*Management contract or compensatory plan.

Item 16.Form 10‑K Summary

None.

36

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

CSP INC.

By:

CSP INC.
By:

/s/ Victor Dellovo

Victor Dellovo


Chief Executive Officer and President

Date: December 22, 2017

10, 2019

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name

Title

Date

Name
Title 
Date
  /s/

/s/ Victor Dellovo

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

December 22, 201710, 2019

Victor Dellovo

/s/ Gary W. Levine

Chief Financial Officer


(Principal Financial Officer)

December 22, 201710, 2019

Gary W. Levine

/s/ Mike Newbanks

Vice President of Finance


(Chief Accounting Officer)

December 22, 201710, 2019

Mike Newbanks

/s/ C. Shelton James

Director

December 22, 201710, 2019

C. Shelton James

/s/ Raymond Charles Blackmon

Director

December 22, 201710, 2019

Raymond Charles Blackmon

/s/ Marilyn T. Smith

Director

December 22, 201710, 2019

Marilyn T. Smith

/s/ Izzy Azeri

Director

December 22, 201710, 2019

Izzy Azeri







37




Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors and Shareholders

of CSP Inc. and Subsidiaries
Lowell, MA

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of CSP Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of September 30, 20172019 and 2016, and2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, (loss), shareholders'shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years then ended. ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company'sCompany’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on thesethe Company’s financial statements based on our audits.

We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the auditsaudit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. OurAs part of our audits included considerationwe are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence supportingregarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessingstatements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement presentation.statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.


/s/ RSM US LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2007.

Boston, Massachusetts

December 10, 2019

December 22, 2017


38


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except par value)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

  

 

 

  

Current assets:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

18,099

 

$

25,107

Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $138 and $87

 

 

15,114

 

 

11,980

Unbilled accounts receivable

 

 

 —

 

 

1,166

Investment in lease, net-current portion

 

 

367

 

 

246

Inventories

 

 

7,818

 

 

7,558

Refundable income taxes

 

 

487

 

 

480

Other current assets

 

 

4,649

 

 

1,878

Total current assets

 

 

46,534

 

 

48,415

Property, equipment and improvements, net

 

 

1,273

 

 

847

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other assets:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Intangibles, net

 

 

37

 

 

48

Investment in lease, net-less current portion

 

 

417

 

 

564

Long term receivable

 

 

5,328

 

 

 —

Deferred income taxes

 

 

1,946

 

 

1,895

Cash surrender value of life insurance

 

 

3,718

 

 

3,441

Other assets

 

 

116

 

 

65

Total other assets

 

 

11,562

 

 

6,013

Total assets

 

$

59,369

 

$

55,275

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

  

 

 

  

Current liabilities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$

16,175

 

$

9,277

Line of credit

 

 

2,459

 

 

3,247

Note payable - current portion

 

 

317

 

 

 —

Deferred revenue

 

 

741

 

 

1,197

Pension and retirement plans

 

 

335

 

 

340

Total current liabilities

 

 

20,027

 

 

14,061

Pension and retirement plans

 

 

6,904

 

 

6,168

Note payable - noncurrent portion

 

 

684

 

 

 —

Income taxes payable

 

 

694

 

 

709

Other noncurrent liabilities

 

 

632

 

 

535

Total liabilities

 

 

28,941

 

 

21,473

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Common stock, $.01 par value per share; authorized, 7,500 shares; issued and outstanding 4,154 and 4,017 shares, respectively

 

 

42

 

 

40

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

15,733

 

 

14,661

Retained earnings

 

 

27,246

 

 

29,926

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(12,593)

 

 

(10,825)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

30,428

 

 

33,802

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

$

59,369

 

$

55,275

 September 30,
2017
 September 30,
2016
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$13,885
 $13,103
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $261 and $24027,630
 18,997
Unbilled accounts receivable772
 567
Inventories5,971
 5,580
Deferred costs929
 635
Deferred income taxes1,393
 1,331
Other current assets1,139
 1,586
Total current assets51,719
 41,799
Property, equipment and improvements, net1,508
 1,680
    
Other assets: 
  
Intangibles, net167
 287
Deferred costs609
 18
Deferred income taxes1,434
 1,723
Cash surrender value of life insurance3,300
 3,015
Other assets191
 185
Total other assets5,701
 5,228
Total assets$58,928
 $48,707
    
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Accounts payable and accrued expenses$18,845
 $11,932
Deferred revenue6,202
 4,704
Pension and retirement plans534
 581
Income taxes payable442
 166
Total current liabilities26,023
 17,383
Pension and retirement plans11,818
 13,441
Other long term liabilities86
 228
Total liabilities37,927
 31,052
    
Commitments and contingencies

 

    
Shareholders’ equity:   
Common stock, $.01 par value per share; authorized, 7,500 shares; issued and outstanding 3,935 and 3,821 shares, respectively40
 39
Additional paid-in capital13,717
 12,924
Retained earnings17,407
 16,623
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(10,163) (11,931)
Total shareholders’ equity21,001
 17,655
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$58,928
 $48,707

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.


39


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands, except for per share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

 

 

September 30, 

    

September 30, 

 

    

 

2019

 

2018

Sales:

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Product

 

 

$

66,017

 

$

59,661

Services

 

 

 

13,044

 

 

13,255

Total sales

 

 

 

79,061

 

 

72,916

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of sales:

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Product

 

 

 

55,836

 

 

50,000

Services

 

 

 

5,199

 

 

4,517

Total cost of sales

 

 

 

61,035

 

 

54,517

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross profit

 

 

 

18,026

 

 

18,399

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Engineering and development

 

 

 

2,800

 

 

3,277

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

 

16,052

 

 

16,723

Total operating expenses

 

 

 

18,852

 

 

20,000

Operating loss

 

 

 

(826)

 

 

(1,601)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Foreign exchange gain

 

 

 

157

 

 

263

Other income, net

 

 

 

227

 

 

232

Total other income

 

 

 

384

 

 

495

Loss before income taxes

 

 

 

(442)

 

 

(1,106)

Income tax (benefit) expense

 

 

 

(71)

 

 

882

Net loss from continuing operations

 

 

 

(371)

 

 

(1,988)

Discontinued operations:

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Gain from sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 

 —

 

 

16,838

Loss from discontinued operations

 

 

 

 —

 

 

(410)

Net income from discontinued operations

 

 

 

 —

 

 

16,428

Net (loss) income

 

 

$

(371)

 

$

14,440

Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders

 

 

$

(371)

 

$

13,842

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations per share – basic

 

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

(0.52)

Gain per share from sale of discontinued operations - basic

 

 

$

 —

 

$

4.41

Net loss from discontinued operations per share – basic

 

 

 

 —

 

 

(0.11)

Total income per share of discontinued operations - basic

 

 

$

 —

 

$

4.30

Net (loss) income per share – basic

 

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

3.62

Weighted average shares outstanding – basic

 

 

 

3,924

 

 

3,822

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations per share – diluted

 

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

(0.52)

Gain per share from sale of discontinued operations - diluted

 

 

$

 —

 

$

4.32

Net loss from discontinued operations per share – diluted

 

 

 

 —

 

 

(0.11)

Total income per share of discontinued operations - diluted

 

 

$

 —

 

$

4.21

Net (loss) income per share – diluted

 

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

3.55

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

 

 

 

3,924

 

 

3,901


 For the years ended
 September 30,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Sales:   
Product$84,675
 $77,835
Services26,807
 25,532
Total sales111,482
 103,367
    
Cost of sales:   
Product71,302
 63,539
Services14,690
 14,787
Total cost of sales85,992
 78,326
    
Gross profit25,490
 25,041
    
Operating expenses:   
Engineering and development2,362
 2,984
Selling, general and administrative19,356
 18,256
Total operating expenses21,718
 21,240
Operating income3,772
 3,801
    
Other expense:   
Foreign exchange loss(3) (134)
Other income (expense), net24
 (67)
Total other income (expense), net21
 (201)
Income before income taxes3,793
 3,600
Income tax expense1,287
 996
Net income$2,506
 $2,604
Net income attributable to common stockholders$2,398
 $2,495
Net income per share – basic$0.64
 $0.69
Weighted average shares outstanding – basic3,723
 3,609
Net income per share – diluted$0.63
 $0.67
Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted3,817
 3,734

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

40


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Amounts in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year Ended

 

 

September 30, 

    

September 30, 

 

 

2019

 

2018

Net (loss) income

 

$

(371)

 

$

14,440

Other comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

  

 

 

  

Unrealized actuarial (loss) gain on minimum pension liability, net of tax effect

 

 

(1,003)

 

 

470

Foreign currency translation loss adjustments

 

 

(765)

 

 

(1,132)

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

(1,768)

 

 

(662)

Total comprehensive (loss) income

 

$

(2,139)

 

$

13,778


  For the years ended
  September 30,
2017
 September 30,
2016
     
Net income $2,506
 $2,604
Other comprehensive income (loss):    
Unrealized actuarial gain (loss) on minimum pension liability, net of tax effect 2,175
 (3,564)
Foreign currency translation gain (loss) (407) 18
Other comprehensive gain (loss) 1,768
 (3,546)
Total comprehensive income (loss) $4,274
 $(942)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.


41


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Year Ended September 30, 2017:

2019 and 2018:

(Amounts in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

other

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in

 

Retained

 

comprehensive

 

Shareholders’

For the year ended September 30, 2018:

    

Shares

    

Amount

    

Capital

    

Earnings

    

loss

    

Equity

Balance as of September 30, 2017

 

3,935

 

$

40

 

$

13,717

 

$

17,407

 

$

(10,163)

 

$

21,001

Comprehensive income:

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Net income

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

14,440

 

 

 —

 

 

14,440

Other comprehensive loss

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(662)

 

 

(662)

Exercise of stock options

 

 5

 

 

 —

 

 

22

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

22

Stock-based compensation

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

691

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

691

Restricted stock cancellation

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Restricted stock issuance

 

54

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plan

 

23

 

 

 —

 

 

231

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

231

Cash dividends paid on common stock ($0.48 per share)

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(1,921)

 

 

 —

 

 

(1,921)

Balance as of September 30, 2018

 

4,017

 

$

40

 

$

14,661

 

$

29,926

 

$

(10,825)

 

$

33,802

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

other

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in

 

Retained

 

comprehensive

 

Shareholders’

For the year ended September 30, 2019:

    

Shares

    

Amount

    

Capital

    

Earnings

    

loss

    

Equity

Balance as of September 30, 2018

 

4,017

 

$

40

 

$

14,661

 

$

29,926

 

$

(10,825)

 

$

33,802

Comprehensive income:

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Adoption of ASU 2014-09 (see note 1)

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

158

 

 

 —

 

 

158

Net loss

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(371)

 

 

 —

 

 

(371)

Other comprehensive loss

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(1,768)

 

 

(1,768)

Exercise of stock options

 

 1

 

 

 —

 

 

 3

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 3

Stock-based compensation

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

792

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

792

Restricted stock cancellation

 

(3)

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Restricted stock issuance

 

108

 

 

 1

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 1

Issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plan

 

31

 

 

 1

 

 

277

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

278

Cash dividends paid on common stock ($0.60 per share)

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(2,467)

 

 

 —

 

 

(2,467)

Balance as of September 30, 2019

 

4,154

 

$

42

 

$

15,733

 

$

27,246

 

$

(12,593)

 

$

30,428

 Shares Amount 
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 
Retained
Earnings
 
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss
 
Total
Shareholders’
Equity
Balance as of September 30, 20153,688
 $37
 $12,249
 $15,689
 $(8,385) $19,590
Comprehensive loss:           
Net income
 
 
 2,604
 
 2,604
Other comprehensive loss
 
 
 
 (3,546) (3,546)
Stock-based compensation
 
 414
 
 
 414
Restricted stock issuance86
 1
 
 
 
 1
Issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plan33
 1
 175
 
 
 176
Exercise of stock options14
   86
 
 
 86
Cash dividends on common stock ($0.44 per share)
 
 
 (1,670) 
 (1,670)
Balance as of September 30, 20163,821
 39
 12,924
 16,623
 (11,931) 17,655
Comprehensive income:           
Net income
 
 
 2,506
 
 2,506
Other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 1,768
 1,768
Stock-based compensation
 
 577
 
 
 577
Restricted stock issuance86
 1
 
 
 
 1
Issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plan23
 
 201
 
 
 201
Exercise of stock options5
 
 15
 
 
 15
Cash dividends on common stock ($0.44 per share)
 
 
 (1,722) 
 (1,722)
Balance as of September 30, 20173,935
 $40
 $13,717
 $17,407
 $(10,163) $21,001

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

42


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

Cash flows used in operating activities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Net loss from continuing operations

 

$

(371)

 

$

(1,988)

Net income from discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

16,428

Net (loss) income

 

$

(371)

 

$

14,440

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Depreciation

 

 

405

 

 

506

Amortization of intangibles

 

 

11

 

 

119

Loss on disposal of property, equipment and improvements

 

 

 —

 

 

 4

Gain on sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

(16,838)

Foreign exchange gain

 

 

(157)

 

 

(263)

Non-cash changes in accounts receivable

 

 

53

 

 

(38)

Non-cash changes in inventories

 

 

503

 

 

555

Stock-based compensation expense on stock options and restricted stock awards

 

 

792

 

 

691

Deferred income taxes

 

 

(209)

 

 

173

(Increase) decrease in cash surrender value of life insurance

 

 

(134)

 

 

 9

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable

 

 

(2,128)

 

 

5,191

Decrease (increase) in life insurance receivable

 

 

256

 

 

(256)

Increase in inventories

 

 

(777)

 

 

(2,562)

Decrease (increase) in refundable income taxes

 

 

585

 

 

(654)

Increase in other assets and deferred costs

 

 

(3,091)

 

 

(522)

Decrease (increase) in investment in lease

 

 

26

 

 

(810)

Increase in long term receivable

 

 

(5,328)

 

 

 —

Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

 

7,232

 

 

(2,538)

Increase in deferred revenue

 

 

(244)

 

 

262

Decrease in pension and retirement plans liabilities

 

 

(353)

 

 

(120)

(Decrease) increase in income taxes payable

 

 

(500)

 

 

464

(Decrease) increase in other long term liabilities

 

 

100

 

 

576

Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations

 

 

(3,329)

 

 

(1,611)

Net cash provided by operating activities of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

4,491

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

 

 

(3,329)

 

 

2,880

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows used in investing activities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Life insurance premiums paid

 

 

(144)

 

 

(150)

Proceeds from sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

14,387

Purchases of property, equipment and improvements

 

 

(832)

 

 

(438)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities of continuing operations

 

 

(976)

 

 

13,799

Net cash used in investing activities of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

(154)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

(976)

 

 

13,645

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows used in financing activities:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Dividends paid

 

 

(2,467)

 

 

(1,921)

Net borrowings under line-of-credit agreement

 

 

(788)

 

 

137

Proceeds from debt

 

 

1,001

 

 

 —

Principal payments on capital leases

 

 

(276)

 

 

(70)

Proceeds from issuance of shares under equity compensation plans

 

 

280

 

 

253

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(2,250)

 

 

(1,601)

Effects of exchange rate on cash

 

 

(453)

 

 

(238)

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(7,008)

 

 

14,686

Cash and cash equivalents beginning of period

 

 

25,107

 

 

10,421

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

18,099

 

$

25,107

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplementary cash flow information:

 

 

  

 

 

  

Cash paid for income taxes

 

$

52

 

$

900

Cash paid for interest

 

$

68

 

$

73

Supplementary non-cash financing and investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-cash purchases of property and equipment

 

$

141

 

$

865

 For the years ended
 September 30,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Cash flows from operating activities:   
Net income$2,506
 $2,604
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: 
  
Depreciation553
 570
Amortization of intangibles120
 129
Loss on disposal of property, equipment and improvements5
 51
Foreign exchange loss3
 134
Non-cash changes in accounts receivable47
 27
Non-cash changes in inventory294
 602
Stock-based compensation expense on stock options and restricted stock awards577
 414
Deferred income taxes262
 (18)
(Increase) decrease in cash surrender value of life insurance(135) 210
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: 
  
Increase in accounts receivable(8,095) (8)
(Increase) decrease in officer life insurance settlement receivable413
 (413)
Increase in inventories(660) (814)
(Increase) decrease in deferred costs(797) 23
Decrease in refundable income taxes34
 44
Decrease in other assets3
 322
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued expenses6,483
 (1,648)
Increase in deferred revenue1,219
 1,769
Increase (decrease) in pension and retirement plans liability(291) 606
Increase in income taxes payable258
 167
Increase (decrease) in other long term liabilities(140) 233
Net cash provided by operating activities2,659
 5,004
    
Cash flows from investing activities: 
  
Life insurance premiums paid(150) (161)
Purchases of property, equipment and improvements(358) (735)
Net cash used in investing activities(508) (896)
    
Cash flows from financing activities: 
  
Dividends paid(1,722) (1,670)
Proceeds from issuance of shares under equity compensation plans216
 263
Net cash used in financing activities(1,506) (1,407)
Effects of exchange rate on cash137
 (779)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents782
 1,922
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period13,103
 11,181
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$13,885
 $13,103
    
Supplementary cash flow information: 
  
Cash paid for income taxes$1,142
 $334
Cash paid for interest$75
 $86

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

43


CSP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 20172019 AND 2016


2018

Organization and Business

CSP Inc. (“CSPI”("CSPi" or “the Company”"CSPI" or “we”"the Company" or “our”"we" or "our") was founded in 1968 and is based in Lowell, Massachusetts. To meet the diverse requirements of commercial and defense customers worldwide, CSPI and its subsidiaries develop and market IT integration solutions, advanced security products, managed IT services, purpose built network adapters, and high-performance cluster computer systems. The Company operates in two segments, its HPPHigh Performance Products ("HPP") segment and its TSTechnology Solutions ("TS") segment.


1.     Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.


Foreign Currency Translation

The U.S. Dollar is the reporting currency for all periods presented. The financial information for entities outside the United States is measured using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of the Company'sCompany’s foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at average rates in effect during the period. The resulting translation adjustment is reflected as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss),loss, a separate component of shareholders'shareholders’ equity on the consolidated balance sheets. The translation adjustment for intercompany foreign currency loans that are of a long-term-investment nature is also reflected as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Currency transaction gains and losses are recorded as other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations.

Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the consolidated statements of cash flows, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of acquisition are considered cash equivalents.


Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments are limited to cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, pension plan assets, accounts payable and our inventory line of credit. Fair value of these financial instruments was not materially different from their carrying values at September 30, 2017, and 2016.

Research and Development Expense


For the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, our expenses for research and development were approximately $2.4$2.8 million and $3.0$3.3 million,, respectively. Expenditures for research and development are expensed as they are incurred.


Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews its long-lived assets, including intangible assets subject to amortization, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Management assesses the recoverability of the long-lived assets (other than goodwill) by comparing the estimated undiscounted cash flows associated with the related asset or group of assets against their respective carrying amounts. The amount of impairment, if any, is calculated based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of those assets. Intangible assets that are not subject to amortization are also required to be tested annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. We did not have intangible assets with indefinite lives at any time during the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. Intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, generally three to ten years, and are carried at net book value. The remaining useful lives of intangible assets are evaluated on an annual basis. Intangible assets subject to amortization are

44

also tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate


that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the fair value of an intangible asset subject to amortization is determined to be less than its carrying value, then an impairment charge is recorded to write down that asset to its fair value.

Investment in lease, net

A lease receivable for equipment is recorded at lease inception, which includes future minimum lease payments at present value using the implicit interest rate, net of unearned interest income. Interest income is recognized on a monthly basis utilizing the effective-interest method. Interest income is recorded in revenue as equipment leasing is part of the Company’s central operations.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market,net realizable value, with cost determined using the first-in, first-out method. The recoverability of inventories is based upon the types and levels of inventories held, forecasted demand, pricing, competition and changes in technology. We write down our inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required. For the years endedAs of September 30, 2017,2019, and September 30, 2016,2018, the Company wrote down approximately $294 thousandmaintained inventory reserves of $3.8 million and $602 thousand of inventory,$3.3 million, respectively.

Property, Equipment and Improvements

The components of property, equipment and improvements are stated at cost. The Company provides for depreciation by use of the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets (three(three to seven years). Leasehold improvements are amortized by use of the straight-line method over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the lease term. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Property, equipment and improvements are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the fair value of property, equipment and improvements is determined to be less than their carrying value, then an impairment charge is recorded to write down that asset to its fair value.


Trade Accounts Receivable, Long Term Receivable, and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Trade accounts receivable are stated at amounts that have been billed to customers less an allowance for doubtful accounts. Allowances for doubtful accounts are recorded for the estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. The estimates for the allowance for doubtful accounts are based on the length of time the receivables are past due, current business environment, and our historical experience. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. Accounts receivable are charged off against the reserve when management has determined they are uncollectible.

Within trade accounts receivable and long-term receivable are financing agreements with an original payment term of greater than one year. Interest income earned on these receivables is recognized using the effective interest method. See Note 3 Accounts and Long Term Receivables.

Pension and Retirement Plans

The funded status of pension and other postretirement benefit plans is recognized on the consolidated balance sheet. Gains and losses, prior service costs and credits and any remaining transition amounts that have not yet been recognized through pension expense will be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income,loss, net of tax, until they are amortized as a component of net periodic pension/postretirement benefits expense. Additionally, plan assets and obligations are measured as of our fiscal year-end balance sheet date (September 30).

We have defined benefit and defined contribution plans in the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), Germany and in the U.S. In the U.K. and Germany, the Company provides defined benefit pension plans for certain employees and former employees and defined contribution plans for the majority of the employees. The defined benefit plansplan in both the U.K. and Germany areis closed to newly hired

45

employees and havehas been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. In the U.S., the Company also provides defined contribution plans that cover most employees and supplementary retirement plans to certain employees and former employees who are now retired. These supplementary retirement plans are also closed to newly hired employees and have been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. These supplementary plans are funded through whole life insurance policies. The Company expects to recover all insurance premiums paid under these policies in the future, through the cash surrender value of the policies and any death benefits or portions thereof to be paid upon the death of the participant. These whole life insurance policies are carried on the balance sheet at their cash surrender values as they are owned by the Company and not assets of the defined benefit plans. In the U.S., the Company also provides for officer death benefits and post-retirement health insurance benefits through supplemental post-retirement plans to certain officers. The Company also funds these supplemental plans'plans’ obligations through whole life insurance policies on the officers.

Pension expense is based on an actuarial computation of current future benefits using estimates for expected return on assets, expected compensation increases and applicable discount rates. Management has reviewed the discount rates and rates of return with our consulting actuaries and investment advisor and concluded they were reasonable. A decrease in the expected return on pension assets would increase pension expense. Expected compensation increases are estimated based on historical and expected increases in the future. Increases in estimated compensation increases would result in higher pension expense while decreases would lower pension expense. Discount rates are selected based upon rates of return on high quality fixed income investments currently available and expected to be available during the period to maturity of the pension benefit. A


decrease in the discount rate would result in greater pension expense while an increase in the discount rate would decrease pension expense.

The Company funds its pension plans in amounts sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in applicable employee benefits laws and local tax laws. Liabilities for amounts in excess of these funding levels are accrued and reported in the consolidated balance sheets.

Segment Information


We have two operating segments; (i) High Performance Products ("HPP") and (ii) Technology Solutions ("TS"). In the HPP segment, we design, manufacture and deliver products and services to customers that require specialized cyber security services, networking and signal processing.processing products. In the TS segment, we focus on value added reseller ("VAR") integrated solutions including third party hardware, software and technical computer-related consulting and mangedmanaged services. The operations and assets of our HPP segment are located in the United States. The operations and assets of our TS segment are located in the United States Germany, and the United Kingdom.


Revenue Recognition

Effective October 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2014‑09, Revenue Recognitionfrom Contracts with Customers

, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. See below for effects of initial adoption. The following reflects the accounting policy change for revenue starting on the date of adoption:

We derive revenue from the sale of integrated hardware and software, third-party service contracts, professional services, maintenance contracts, othermanaged services, financing of hardware and third party service contracts. Professional services generally include implementation, installation, and training services. Other services generally include revenue generated through our royalty and extended warranty contracts. We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of the product or service has occurred, the fee is fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. We enter into multiple element arrangements as well as standalone sales of product, professional services,software, and other services.


We recognize revenue from standalone product saleshardware upon transfer of title,control, which is at a point in time typically upon shipment provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.when title transfers. Revenue generated from standalone professional services and extended warranty contractssoftware is recognized as services are completed, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. In some instances professional service contracts includeat a customer acceptance provision,point in which case revenuetime when the license is deferred until we have evidence of customer acceptance. granted.

We recognize revenue from usage based royalty contracts upon confirmation from the customer of shipment of the system produced pursuant to the royalty agreement.


We recognize revenue from multiple element arrangements in accordance with ASC 605-25, Multiple Element Arrangements. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. ASC 605-25 establishes a hierarchy for determining the amount to allocate to each separate deliverable in an arrangement. We determine selling price using vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”), if it exists; or, if VSOE does not exist, third party evidence (“TPE”) of fair value if applicable; otherwise, we use the best estimate of selling price (“BESP”). The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact if the element was sold on a standalone basis. Management’s determination of BESP involves several factors including budgeted profit margins, and cost to complete services.

We recognize revenue from third partythird-party service contracts as either gross sales or net sales in accordance with ASC 605-45, Principal Agent Considerations, which requires us to determine ifdepending on whether the Company is acting as a principal party to the transaction or simply acting as an agent or broker. Under ASC 605-45,broker based on control and timing. The Company is a principal if it controls the assumption of the risks and rewards under the arrangement are considered indicators of principal partiesgood or service before that good or service is transferred to the arrangement.customer. We record revenue as gross when itthe Company is a principal party to the arrangement and net of cost when we are acting as a broker or agent. Under gross sales recognition, the entire selling price is recorded in revenue and our cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded in cost of goods sold. Under net sales recognition, the cost

46

to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded as a reduction to revenue resulting in net sales equal to the gross profit on the transaction. Third-party service contracts are sold in different combinations with hardware, software, and services. We have determined the third-party services contracts are a single performance obligation in each sale. When the Company is an agent, revenue is typically recorded at a point in time. When the Company is the principal, revenue is recognized over the contract term.

Professional services generally include implementation, installation, and training services. Professional services are considered a series of distinct services that form one performance obligation and revenue is recognized over time as services are performed.

Revenue generated from managed services is recognized over the term of the contract. Certain managed services contracts include financing of hardware and software. Revenues from arrangements which include financing are allocated considering relative standalone selling prices of lease and non-lease components within the agreement. The lease components include the hardware and software, which are subject to ASC 840. The non-lease component includes the managed services and is subject to ASC 606.

Other services generally include revenue generated through our royalty, extended warranty, multicomputer repair, and maintenance contracts. Royalty revenue is sales-based and recognized on date of subsequent sale of the product, which occurs on the date of customer shipment. Revenue from extended warranty contracts is recognized evenly over the period of the warranty. Multicomputer repair services revenue is recognized upon control transfer when the customer takes possession of the computer at time of shipping. Revenue generated from maintenance services is recognized evenly over the term of the contract.

Variable consideration is immaterial. The right of return risk lies with the original manufacturer of the product. Managed service contracts contain the right to refund if canceled within 30 days of inception. Any products with a standard warranty are treated as a warranty obligation under ASC 460,

Guarantees.

The following policies are applicable to our major categories of segment revenue transactions:


TS Segment Revenue

TS Segment revenue is derived from the sale of hardware, software, professional services, third-party service contracts, maintenance contracts, managed services, and financing of hardware and software. Financing revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Financing revenue is recorded in revenue as equipment leasing and is part of the Company’s operations.

Third-party service contracts are evaluated to determine whether such service revenue should be recorded as gross or net sales and whether over time or at point in time.

HPP Segment Revenue


HPP segment revenue is derived from the sale of integrated hardware and software, maintenance, and other services through the Multicomputer and Myricom product lines. Multicomputer product revenue is generally recognized when product is shipped, provided that all revenue recognition criteria are met. Service revenue consists principally of other services which comprise of warranty and royalty revenue. Revenue generated from extended warranty contracts is recognized as services are completed, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met We recognize revenue from usage


based royalty contracts upon confirmation from the customer of shipment of the system produced pursuant to the royalty agreement. In the years ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, $5.4 million and $4.3 million of royalty income is included in service revenues.

Myricom revenue is derived from the sale of products, which are comprised of both hardware and embedded software which is essential to the products functionality, and post contract maintenance and support. Revenue on multiple element arrangements is recognized in accordance with ASC 605-25. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. We determine selling price using BESP. Management’s determination of BESP is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, internal costs and gross margin objectives. Accordingly revenue for postPost contract maintenance and support is recognized overconsidered immaterial in the implied maintenance periodcontext of either one or three years,the contract and therefore is not a separate performance obligation.

47

See disaggregated revenues below by products/services and geography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Solutions Segment

 

 

 

 

High

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Products

 

United

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated

For the year ended September 30, 

    

Segment

    

Kingdom

    

U.S.

    

Total

    

Total

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product

 

$

6,406

 

$

4,936

 

$

54,540

 

$

59,476

 

$

65,882

Service

 

 

1,496

 

 

380

 

 

11,168

 

 

11,548

 

 

13,044

Finance *

 

 

 

 

 

 

135

 

 

135

 

 

135

Total sales

 

$

7,902

 

$

5,316

 

$

65,843

 

$

71,159

 

$

79,061

*     Finance revenue is related to equipment leasing and is not subject to the guidance on revenue from contracts with customers (ASC 606).

Significant Judgments

The input method using labor hours expended relative to the total expected hours is used to recognize revenue for professional services. Only the hours that depict the Company’s performance toward satisfying a performance obligation are used for progress. An estimate for professional services is made at the beginning of each contract based on prior experience and monitored throughout the services. This method is most appropriate as it depicts the measure of progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligation.

When product salesand services are sold together, the allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation is recognized upon delivery assuming allcalculated using a budgeted cost-plus margin approach. Due to the complex nature of these contracts, there is significant judgment in allocating the transaction price. These estimates are periodically reviewed by project managers, engineers, and other revenue recognition criteria have been met.


TS Segment Revenue
TS Segment revenue is derived from the sale ofstaff involved to ensure estimates are appropriate. For items sold separately, including hardware, software, professional services, maintenance contracts, other services, and third partythird-party service contracts. TS product revenuecontracts, there is generally recognized when productno allocation performed as there is shipped, provided that all revenue recognition criteria are met. Service revenue consists of professional services which generally include implementation, installation,one performance obligation.

Contract Assets and training services. Revenue generated from standalone professional servicesLiabilities

When the Company has performed work but does not have an unconditional right to payment, a contract asset is recognized as services are completed, provided all other revenue recognition criteriarecorded. When the Company has been met. Our standard sales agreements generally do not include customer acceptance provisions. However, in certain instances when arrangements includethe right to bill a customer, acceptance provision or thereaccounts receivable is uncertainty about customer acceptance, revenue is deferred until we have evidence of customer acceptance.

Revenue derived from the sale of products, which are comprised of both hardware and software, and professional services is recognized in accordance with ASC 605-25. We evaluate multiple element arrangements to determine if separate units of accounting exist, and if so, we allocate revenue to each element based upon the relative selling price of each element. We determine selling price using BESP. Management’s determination of BESP is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, internal costs and gross margin objectives. Accordingly revenue for professional services is recognized as services are completed, and revenue for product sales is recognized upon delivery assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.

We recognize revenue from certain third party service contracts, which are evaluated to determine whether such service revenue should be recorded as gross sales or net sales in accordance ASC 605-45. We evaluate all third party service contracts to determine whether we actan unconditional right exists. Current contract assets were $0.6 million and $1.1 million as a principal in the transactionof September 30, 2019 and assume the risks and rewards of ownership or if we are simply acting as an agent or broker. Under gross sales recognition, the entire selling priceOctober 1, 2018, respectively. The current portion is recorded in salesother current assets on the consolidated balance sheets.  There were no non-current contract assets as of September 30, 2019 and our costOctober 1, 2018. The difference in the balances is due to regular timing differences between when work is performed and having an unconditional right to payment.

Contract liabilities arise when payment is received before the Company transfers a good or service to the third-party service providercustomer. Current contract liabilities were $0.7 million and $0.9 million as of September 30, 2019 and October 1, 2018, respectively. The current portion of contract liabilities is recorded in deferred revenue on the consolidated balance sheets. The long-term portion of contract liabilities were $0.3 million as of September 30, 2019. There were none at October 1, 2018. These non-current liabilities are recorded in other noncurrent liabilities. Revenue recognized for the year ended September 30, 2019 that was included in contract liabilities as of the beginning of the period was $0.8 million.

Contract Costs

Incremental costs of obtaining a contract involving customer transactions where the revenue and the related transfer of goods and services are less than a one-year period, are expensed as incurred, utilizing the practical expedient in ASC 340‑40‑25‑4. For a period greater than one year, incremental contract costs are capitalized if the Company

48

expects to recover these costs. These costs are only capitalized if the contract is obtained. The costs are amortized over the contract term and expected renewal periods. The period of amortization is generally three to six years. Incremental costs are related to commissions in the TS portion of the business. Current capitalized contract costs are within the account other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets for the periods ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. The portion of current capitalized costs was $85 thousand and $71 thousand as of September 30, 2019 and October 1, 2018, respectively. There are no non-current capitalized costs on the consolidated balance sheets. The amount of incremental costs amortized for the year ended September 30, 2019 was $235 thousand, which is recorded in selling, general, and administrative expenses. There was no impairment related to incremental costs capitalized during the year ended September 30, 2019.

Costs to fulfill a contract are capitalized when the costs are related to a contract or vendoranticipated contract, generate or enhance resources that will be used in satisfying performance obligations in the future, and costs are recoverable. Costs to fulfill a contract are related to the TS portion of the business and involve activities performed before managed services can be completed. Current capitalized fulfillment costs are in the account other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets. The portion of current capitalized costs was $47 thousand and $60 thousand as of September 30, 2019 and October 1, 2018, respectively. There are no non-current capitalized fulfillment costs on the consolidated balance sheets. The amount of fulfillment costs amortized for year ended September 30, 2019 was $13 thousand, which is recorded in cost of goods sold. Under net sales recognition,sales. There was no impairment related to fulfillment costs capitalized.

Other

Projects are typically billed upon completion or at certain milestones. Product and services are typically billed when shipped or as services are being performed. Payment terms are typically 30 days to pay in full except in Europe where it could be up to 90 days. Most of the costCompany’s contracts are less than one year. As a practical expedient, the Company has elected not to adjust the amount of consideration for effects of a significant financing component when it is anticipated the promised good or service will be transferred and the subsequent payment will be one year or less. There are certain contracts that do contain a financing component. See Note 3 to the third-partyconsolidated financial statements for additional information. The Company elected to use the optional exemption to not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations that have an original expected duration of one year or less. This is due to a low amount of performance obligations less than one year being unsatisfied at each period end. Most of these contracts are related to product sales.

The Company has certain contracts that have an original term of more than one year. The royalty agreement is longer than one year and managed service provider or vendor is recorded as a reduction to sales resulting in net sales equalcontracts are generally longer than one year. For these contracts the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to the gross profit on the transaction and thereperformance obligations that are no costsunsatisfied or partially unsatisfied as of goods sold. We use the net sales recognition method for the third partySeptember 30, 2019 is mainly related to managed service contracts that we sell when we are notand is set forth in the primary obligor on the contract. We use the gross sales recognition for the third party service contracts that we sell when we act as principal and are the primary obligor.table below:

(Amounts in thousands)

Fiscal 2020

$

2,019

Fiscal 2021

1,033

Fiscal 2022

300

Fiscal 2023

60

$

3,412

Product Warranty Accrual

Our product sales generally include a hardware warranty which ranges from 90-days90‑days to three-years. At time of product shipment, we accrue for the estimated cost to repair or replace potentially defective products. Estimated warranty costs are based upon prior actual warranty costs for substantially similar products.

49

Engineering and Development Expenses

Engineering and development expenses include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation and other headcount-related expenses associated with product development. Engineering and development expenses also include third-party development and programming costs. We consider technological feasibility for our software products to be reached upon the release of the software, accordingly, no internal software development costs have been capitalized.

Income Taxes

We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using


enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We also reduce deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods. This methodology requires estimates and judgments in the determination of the recoverability of deferred tax assets and in the calculation of certain tax liabilities. Valuation allowances are recorded against the gross deferred tax assets that management believes, after considering all available positive and negative objective evidence, historical and prospective, with greater weight given to historical evidence, that it is more likely than not that these assets will not be realized.

In addition, we are required to recognize in the consolidated financial statements, those tax positions determined to be more-likely-than-not of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the positions as of the reporting date. If a tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the position are recognized.

In addition, the calculation of the Company'sCompany’s tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions. The Company records liabilities for estimated tax obligations in the U.S. and other tax jurisdictions. These estimated tax liabilities include the provision for taxes that may become payable in the future.

Earnings per Share of Common Stock

Basic net income per common share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per common share reflects the maximum dilution that would have resulted from the assumed exercise and share repurchase related to dilutive stock options and is computed by dividing net income by the assumed weighted average number of common shares outstanding.

We are required to present earnings per share or EPS,("EPS") utilizing the two class method because we had outstanding, non-vested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, which are considered participating securities.

50

Basic and diluted earnings per share computations for the Company'sCompany’s reported net income attributable to common stockholders are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the years ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2019

    

September 30, 2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands except per share data)

Loss from continuing operations

 

$

(371)

  

$

(1,988)

Gain from sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

  

 

16,838

Loss from discontinued operations

 

 

 —

  

 

(410)

Total income from discontinued operations

 

 

 —

  

 

16,428

Net (loss) income

 

 

(371)

  

 

14,440

Less: net income attributable to nonvested common stock

 

 

 —

  

 

598

Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders

 

$

(371)

  

$

13,842

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average total shares outstanding – basic

 

 

3,924

  

 

3,987

Less: weighted average non–vested shares outstanding

 

 

 —

  

 

165

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic

 

 

3,924

  

 

3,822

Potential common shares from non–vested stock awards and the assumed exercise of stock options

 

 

 —

  

 

79

Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted

 

 

3,924

  

 

3,901

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations per share – basic

 

$

(0.09)

  

$

(0.52)

Net income from discontinued operations per share – basic

 

$

 —

  

$

4.30

Net (loss) income share – basic

 

$

(0.09)

  

$

3.62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net (loss) from continuing operations per share – diluted

 

$

(0.09)

  

$

(0.52)

Net income from discontinued operations per share – diluted

 

$

 —

  

$

4.21

Net (loss) income per share – diluted

 

$

(0.09)

  

$

3.55

 
For the years ended  
 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands except per share data)
Net income$2,506
 $2,604
Less: Net income attributable to nonvested common stock108
 109
Net income attributable to common stockholders$2,398
 $2,495
Weighted average total shares outstanding - basic3,890
 3,766
Less: weighted average non-vested shares outstanding167
 157
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic3,723
 3,609
Potential common shares from non-vested stock awards and the assumed exercise of stock options94
 125
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted3,817
 3,734
Net income per share - basic$0.64
 $0.69
Net income per share - diluted$0.63
 $0.67

All anti-dilutive securities, including stock options, are excluded from the diluted income per share computation. ForNon-vested restricted stock awards of 165,000 shares were excluded from net income per share for the year ended September 30, 2017, there were no shares subject to stock options excluded from the diluted income per share calculation because2018, and their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, approximately 25 thousand stock options were excluded from the diluted income per share calculation because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues


and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure and recognize compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees and directors including stock options and nonvested shares of restricted common stock based on estimated fair values of stock-based payment awards on the date of grant. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to calculate the fair value of stock option grants. The fair value of nonvested restricted share awards is equal to the quoted market price of our common stock as quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market on the date of grant. The fair value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods in the Company'sCompany’s consolidated statements of operations.

Because stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statements of operations for the fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for

51

estimated forfeitures and will be revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

Stock-based compensation expense recognized for the fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 consisted of stock-based compensation expense related to options and restricted stock granted pursuant to the Company'sCompany’s stock incentive and employee stock purchase plans of approximately $0.6$0.8 million and $0.4$0.7 million, respectively.


Concentrations of Credit Risk

Cash and cash equivalents are maintained with several financial institutions in the U.S., Germany and in the U.K. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance on such deposits. Generally, these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents.

Subsequent Events


The Company recognizes in the consolidated financial statements the effects of all subsequent events that provide additional evidence about conditions that existed at the date of the statement of financial position, including the estimates inherent in the process of preparing financial statements. The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of this filing.


New

Accounting Pronouncements


standards recently adopted

In May 2014, the FASBFinancial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2014-09,2014‑09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective for the Company on October 1, 2018, and it does not plan to early adopt this ASU. The standard outlines a five-step model whereby revenue is recognized as performance obligations within a contract are satisfied. The standard also requires new, expanded disclosures regarding revenue recognition. We are utilizingThe ASU replaces most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP. The new standard was adopted by the Company effective October 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach only to contracts that were not completed as of adoption date. The Company recognized the cumulative effect of initial application as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. This resulted in an increase of $158 thousand to retained earnings as of October 1, 2018. This was primarily due to revenue related to customer support in the HPP segment no longer being deferred, which resulted in a bottom-up approach to analyze the standard's impact on our contract portfolio, comparing our historical accounting policies and practices, and identifying potential differences from applying the requirementsdecrease of deferred revenue as part of the new standardcumulative effect. Additionally, revenue from software sales is no longer being deferred under ASC 606 as recognition is now when control transfers to our contracts. While this assessment continues, we have not yet completed our determinationthe customer. There were no previous period financial statement adjustments.

52

The effects of the standard or the effect of these impacts on our consolidated financial statements. Consequently, we have not yet selected a transition method. We expect this determination will near completion in the first half of 2018. Because the new standard will impact our business processes, systems and controls, we are developing a comprehensive change management project plan to guide the implementation.


Effective September 30, 2017,ASC 606 adoption for the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2014-15, Disclosurefor the condensed consolidated statements of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continueoperations and balance sheet are as a Going Concern, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The ASU has added additional disclosure requirements to the codification. It requires management to assess, at each interim and annual reporting period, whether substantial doubt exists about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Substantial doubt exists if it is probable (the “probable” threshold under GAAP has generally been interpreted to be between 75 and 80 percent) that the entity will be unable to meet its obligations as they become due within one year after the date the financial statements are issued or available to be issued (assessment date). This guidance did not have an impact to the Company's consolidated financial statements.follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year ended September 30, 2019

 

 

(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

Balances

 

Effect of

 

 

 

 

 

without

 

change

 

 

As

 

adoption of

 

Higher/

 

    

Reported

    

ASC 606

    

(Lower)

Total sales

 

$

79,061

 

$

78,563

 

$

498

Total cost of sales

 

 

61,035

 

 

60,567

 

 

468

Gross profit

 

 

18,026

 

 

17,996

 

 

30

Operating loss

 

 

(826)

 

 

(856)

 

 

30

Income tax benefit

 

 

(71)

 

 

(76)

 

 

 5

Net loss

 

 

(371)

 

 

(396)

 

 

25

Net loss attributable to common stockholders

 

$

(371)

 

$

(396)

 

$

25

Basic earnings per share

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

(0.10)

 

$

0.01

Diluted earnings per share

 

$

(0.09)

 

$

(0.10)

 

$

0.01


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of September 30, 2019

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

Balances

 

Effect of

 

 

 

 

 

without

 

change

 

 

As

 

adoption of

 

Higher/

 

    

Reported

    

ASC 606

    

(Lower)

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

$

15,114

 

$

14,929

 

$

185

Unbilled accounts receivable

 

 

 —

 

 

565

 

 

(565)

Inventories

 

 

7,818

 

 

8,484

 

 

(666)

Other current assets

 

 

4,649

 

 

4,069

 

 

580

Deferred tax asset

 

 

1,946

 

 

2,000

 

 

(54)

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred revenue

 

$

741

 

$

1,444

 

$

(703)

Shareholders' Equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retained Earnings

 

$

27,246

 

$

27,063

 

$

183


In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires entities to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value, except for inventory measured using last-in, first-out (LIFO) or the retail inventory method. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and requires prospective application, with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company has not yet assessed the potential impact of implementing this ASU on our consolidated financial statements.


In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No, 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740) Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, which require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this Topic apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position. The current requirement that deferred tax liabilities and assets of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by the amendments in this Topic. The amendments in this Topic are effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Beginning October 1, 2017, the Company adopted the ASU and it hasn’t had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In FebruaryMay 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02,2016-01, Leases (Topic 842)Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10), , an amendmentwhich included updates to the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities. It also modified the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for most lease arrangements. disclosure requirements, which are reflected in Note 19. The new standard is effective forwas adopted by the Company oneffective October 1, 2019. The standard mandates a modified retrospective transition method for all entities2018 and early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08 (Topic 606), Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) to clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The amendments in this update provides additional guidance on indicators to assist an entity in determining whether it controls a specified good or service before it is transferred to the customer and doesdid not change the core principle of previously issued guidance. The amendments in this Topic are effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those annual periods. The Company does not expect the implementation of this ASU to have a material impact on ourthe consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09 (Topic 718), Compensation - Stock Compensation, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Additionally, the amendments eliminate the guidance in Topic 718 that was indefinitely deferred shortly after the issuance of FASB Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment. This should not result in a change in practice because the guidance that is being superseded was never effective. The Company has adopted this ASU effective October 1, 2017 and it hasn’t had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU will reduce diversity in practice for classifying cash payments and receipts in the statement of cash flows for a number of common transactions. It will also clarify when identifiable cash flows should be separated versus classified based on their predominant source or use. This ASU is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The new standard was adopted by the Company is evaluatingeffective October 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the effect that ASU 2016-15 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.statements.


In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU requires the seller and buyer to recognize at the transaction date the current and deferred income tax consequences of intercompany asset transfers (except transfers of

53

inventory). Under current GAAP, the seller and buyer defer the consolidated tax consequences of an intercompany asset transfer from the period of the transfer to a future period when the asset is transferred out of the consolidated group, or otherwise affects consolidated earnings. This standard will cause volatility in companies’ effective tax rates, particularly for those that transfer intangible assets to foreign subsidiaries. For public entities, the new standard is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. An entity may early adopt the standard but only at the beginning of an annual period for which it has not issued or made available for issuance financial statements (interim or


annual). The new standard was adopted by the Company is evaluatingeffective October 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the effect that ASU 2016-16 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

statements.

In January 2017, FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, BusinessCombinations Clarifying the Definition of a Business" Business (Topic 805)(Topic 805) (“ASU No. 2017-01”). ASU 2017-01 provides a framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. ASU 2017-01 provides more consistency in applying the business combination guidance, reduces the costs of application, and makes the definition of a business more operable. ASU 2017-01 is effective for interim and annual periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The new standard was adopted by the Company is currently evaluating theeffective October 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact ASU 2017-01 will have on the Company’s results of operations,consolidated financial position and disclosures.statements.


In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU requires employers that sponsor defined benefit pension and/or other post-retirement benefit plans to report the service cost component of net benefit cost in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. Employers are required to present the other components of net benefit costs in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. Additionally, only the service cost component of net periodic pension cost will be eligible for asset capitalization. For public entities, the new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that annual period. EarlyThe new standard was adopted by the Company effective October 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

New accounting standards not adopted as of September 30, 2019

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016‑02, Leases (Topic 842), an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for most lease arrangements. The new standard is effective for the Company on October 1, 2019. The standard mandates a modified retrospective transition method for all entities and early adoption is permittedpermitted.  The Company will adopt the new lease guidance using the modified retrospective approach at the period of adoption (October 1, 2019) with no adjustment to prior period disclosures.  A package of three practical expedients that is applicable to all leases as lessee or lessor will be adopted. This includes not reassessing whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, not reassessing lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and not reassessing initial direct cost for any existing lease under ASC Topic 840. The Company also elected the practical expedient as a lessee to not separate non-lease components. A material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet is anticipated due to the recognition of the beginning of an annual periodright-of-use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases, which financial statements (interim or annual) haveare currently not been issued or made available for issuance. This ASU should be applied retrospectively for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit costrecorded. There is no material effect anticipated in the income statement and prospectively, on and after the effective date, for the capitalization of the service cost component of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit in assets.operations. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2017-072016‑02 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016‑13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. This ASU will change how entities account for credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments. For trade receivables, loans and held-to-maturity debt securities entities will be required to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. For available-for-sale debt securities entities will be required to recognize an allowance for credit losses rather than a reduction to the carrying value of the asset. Additionally, there will be a significant increase in the amount of disclosures by year of origination for certain financing receivables. For public entities, the new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that annual period. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2016‑13 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.


54

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018‑02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate on the gross deferred tax amounts at the date of enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “2017 Tax Act”). The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2018‑02 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018‑07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. Under this ASU companies will no longer be required to value non-employee awards differently from employee awards, but the accounting remains different for attribution and a contractual term election for valuing nonemployee equity share options. Equity-classified awards to nonemployees will now be measured at the grant date using fair value of the equity instruments the company is obligated to issue and recognition is associated with the probable outcome. Awards are subsequently measured using stock compensation guidance unless they are modified after the nonemployee stops providing goods or services. Existing disclosure requirements within the stock compensation guidance also apply to nonemployee awards. For public entities, the new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2018‑07 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018‑14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715‑20), Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. Under this ASU existing disclosures not considered cost beneficial are removed, disclosures identified as relevant are added, and there is added clarification regarding specific existing disclosures. For public entities, the new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2018‑14 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. 

2.     InventoriesDiscontinued Operations of TS segment

On July 31, 2018, CSPi LTD, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company, completed its sale of all of the outstanding stock of Modcomp GmbH, to Reply AG, an affiliate of Reply SpA, a holding company for a worldwide group of companies, pursuant to the terms of a Share Purchase and Assignment Agreement dated June 27, 2018. Modcomp GmbH, dba CSPI GmbH, through itself and its wholly owned subsidiaries, provided managed security services to customers primarily in Germany.

Upon the closing of the Share Purchase Agreement, Reply AG paid to CSPI total cash at closing of approximately $14.4 million, which consisted of the original purchase price of $11.7 million plus an adjustment at closing for Net Cash (as defined in the Share Purchase Agreement) of approximately $2.7 million. An additional €400 thousand is included in escrow and will be recorded if and when received by the Company. Accordingly, CSPi determined that the assets and liabilities of this reportable segment met the discontinued operations criteria in U.S. GAAP in the year ended September 30, 2018. The gain recorded due to the sale of all the stock of Modcomp GmbH was approximately $16.8 million. No income taxes were provided as the transaction was a tax-free exchange in the U.K. As such, Modcomp GmbH’s results have been recorded as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented.

55

Summarized Discontinued Operations Financial Information

As the sale of the subsidiary occurred prior to September 30, 2018 there were no assets or liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets for the years ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

The following table summarizes the results of discontinued operations for the years ended September 30, 2019, and 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

 

$

 —

 

$

18,365

 

Cost of sales

 

 

 —

 

 

15,843

 

Gross profit

 

 

 —

 

 

2,522

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

 —

 

 

2,837

 

Operating loss

 

 

 —

 

 

(315)

 

Other expenses

 

 

 —

 

 

(95)

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

 —

 

 

(410)

 

Income tax expense

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

Loss from discontinued operations

 

$

 —

 

$

(410)

 

Gain from sale of discontinued operations

 

 

 —

 

 

16,838

 

Total income from discontinued operations

 

$

 —

 

$

16,428

 

3.    Accounts and Long Term Receivable

Within accounts receivable and long term receivable there are amounts due reflecting sales whose payment terms exceed one year. This financing is separate from agreements with a leasing component, see Note 4 for financing through leases.  These receivables are included in Accounts Receivable and Long Term Receivable in the amount of $2.1 million and $5.0 million as of September 30, 2019. The long-term receivable carries a weighted interest rate of 6.9%, which reflects the approximate interest rate consistent with a separate financing transaction with the customer. The Company did not finance any sales of hardware, software, or services in fiscal year 2018, except for agreements containing a lease which is described in Note 4.

There is not an allowance for credit losses nor impairments for accounts and long term receivables with a contractual maturity of over one year. There was also no activity in the allowance for credit losses of these receivables for the year ended September 30, 2019. All these agreements are looked at as one portfolio in determining credit losses. There are various factors that are considered in extending a customer payment terms longer than one year including payment history, economic conditions, and capacity to pay. The credit quality of customers is monitored by payment activity. The unearned income represents a rate similar to market.

Contractual maturities of outstanding financing with an original contractual maturity over one year are as follows:

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

2,502

2021

 

 

2,258

2022

 

 

1,880

2023

 

 

1,423

    Total payments

 

 

8,063

    Less: unearned income

 

 

976

      Total, net of unearned income

 

$

7,087

56

The current portion of $2.1 million is within accounts receivable. Total long term receivable was $5.3 million at September 30, 2019, which included $5.0 million from financing and $0.3 million that did not have a financing component. The $0.3 million was recorded as the contract it relates to is noncancelable.

4.    Investment in Lease

Investment in Lease, net

The Company enters into certain agreements where it supplies equipment to be used in a customer’s IT infrastructure in conjunction with the Company providing managed services. Agreements contain a lease because the customer has a right to use the equipment for a stated period of time. The leases are either a direct-financing or sales-type. At lease inception a lease receivable is recorded, which includes future minimum lease payments at present value using the implicit interest rate. Interest income is recognized on a monthly basis utilizing the effective-interest method. Interest income from leases is recorded in revenue as equipment leasing is part of the Company’s central operations.

A summary of components for the Company’s investment in lease, net is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2019

    

September 30, 2018

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Investment in lease, gross

$

889

 

$

1,038

Unearned income

 

(105)

 

 

(228)

Total investment in lease, net

$

784

 

$

810

Current portion

$

367

 

$

246

Noncurrent portion

$

417

 

$

564

The schedule of future minimum lease payments receivable is as follows:

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

451

2021

 

 

356

2022

 

 

67

2023

 

 

12

2024

 

 

 3

Minimum lease payments including interest

 

$

889

Amount representing interest

 

 

(105)

Minimum lease payments excluding interest

 

$

784

5.     Inventories

Inventories consist of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Raw materials

 

$

671

 

$

1,098

Work-in-process

 

 

93

 

 

226

Finished goods

 

 

7,054

 

 

6,234

Total

 

$

7,818

 

$

7,558

57

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Raw materials$1,334
 $1,658
Work-in-process260
 814
Finished goods4,377
 3,108
Total$5,971
 $5,580
Finished goods includes inventory that has been shipped, but for which all revenue recognition criteria has not been met,

Table of approximately $0.4 million and $0.1 million as of September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively.

Contents


3.

6.     Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss


The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Effect of

    

 

 

    

Accumulated

 

 

Foreign

 

Minimum

 

Other

 

 

Currency

 

Pension

 

Comprehensive

 

 

Translation

 

Liability

 

Loss

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Balance as of September 30, 2017

 

$

(3,214)

 

$

(6,949)

 

$

(10,163)

Change in period

 

 

(1,132)

 

 

475

 

 

(657)

Tax effect of change in period

 

 

 —

 

 

(5)

 

 

(5)

Balance as of September 30, 2018

 

$

(4,346)

 

$

(6,479)

 

$

(10,825)

Change in period

 

 

(765)

 

 

(1,063)

 

 

(1,828)

Tax effect of change in period

 

 

 —

 

 

60

 

 

60

Balance as of September 30, 2019

 

$

(5,111)

 

$

(7,482)

 

$

(12,593)

  Effect of Foreign Currency Translation Minimum Pension Liability Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
  (Amounts in thousands)
Balance as of September 30, 2015 $(2,825) $(5,560) $(8,385)
Change in period 18
 (3,413) (3,395)
Tax effect of change in period 
 (151) (151)
Balance as of September 30, 2016 $(2,807) $(9,124) $(11,931)
Change in period (407) 1,944
 1,537
Tax effect of change in period 
 231
 231
Balance as of September 30, 2017 $(3,214) $(6,949) $(10,163)

The changes in the minimum pension liability are net of amortization of net gainloss of $389$127  thousand in 20172019 and net gain of $90$151 thousand in 20162018 included in net periodic pension cost.

4.Income Taxes

7.     Income Taxes

The components of income before income tax and income tax (benefit) expense are comprised of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Years Ended

 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Income before income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S.

 

$

(663)

  

$

(1,077)

Foreign

 

 

221

  

 

(29)

 

 

$

(442)

  

$

(1,106)

Income tax (benefit) expense:

 

 

 

  

 

 

Current:

 

 

 

  

 

 

Federal

 

$

(141)

  

$

771

State

 

 

122

  

 

47

Foreign

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

(19)

  

 

818

Deferred:

 

 

 

  

 

 

Federal

 

 

(73)

  

 

259

State

 

 

21

  

 

(118)

Foreign

 

 

 —

  

 

(77)

 

 

 

(52)

  

 

64

 

 

$

(71)

  

$

882

 For the Years Ended September 30,
 2017 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Income before income tax:   
U.S.$3,383
 $3,418
Foreign410
 182
 $3,793
 $3,600
Income tax expense: 
  
Current: 
  
Federal$1,067
 $303
State119
 118
Foreign132
 159
 1,318
 580
Deferred: 
  
Federal(86) 400
State37
 46
Foreign18
 (30)
 (31) 416
 $1,287
 $996

As of September 30, 2017,2019, management assessed the positive and negative evidence in the U.SU.S. operations, and estimated we will have sufficient future taxable income to utilize the existing deferred tax assets, except for certain state net operating losses and tax


credit carry-forwards.carryforwards. Significant objective positive evidence included the cumulative profits that we realized over the most recent years. This evidence enhances our ability to consider other subjective evidence such as our projections for future growth. Other factors we considered are the likelihood for new revenue from cyber security products, continued royalty income in future years, and our expectation that the TS segment will continue to be profitable in future years. On the basis of this evaluation, as of September 30, 2017,2019, we have concluded that our U.S. deferred tax asset is more likely than not to be realized. It should be noted however, that the amount of the deferred tax

58

asset realized could be adjusted in future years, if estimates of taxable income during the carryforward periods are reduced, or if objective negative evidence in the form of cumulative lossesloses is present.


The recording and ultimate reversal of valuation allowances for our deferred tax asset requires significant judgment associated with past and projected performance. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, we consider our taxable future earnings and the expected timing of the reversal of temporary differences. We recorded a valuation allowance which reduced the gross deferred tax asset to an amount that we believed was more likely than not to be realized because of the cumulative losses incurred in the U.K. in recent years, which represented sufficient negative evidence to record a valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets.


We continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against our U.K. deferred tax assets as we have experienced cumulative lossesloses and do not have any indication that the operation will be profitable in the future to an extent that will allow us to utilize much of our net operating loss carryforwards. To the extent that actual experience deviates from our assumptions, our projections would be affected and hence our assessment of realizability of our deferred tax assets may change.


Reconciliation of federal statutory rate and income tax expense to the Company'sCompany’s effective tax rate and actual income tax expense is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Years Ended September 30, 

 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

 

 

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Computed “expected” tax benefit

    

$

(93)

    

21.0

%  

$

(269)

    

24.3

%

Increases (reductions) in taxes resulting from:

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit

 

 

(73)

 

16.5

%  

 

(107)

 

9.7

%

Foreign operations

 

 

(46)

 

10.4

%  

 

(70)

 

6.3

%

Permanent differences

 

 

31

 

(7.0)

%  

 

(14)

 

1.3

%

Change in valuation allowance

 

 

235

 

(53.2)

%  

 

118

 

(10.7)

%

Deferred revenue

 

 

(48)

 

10.9

%  

 

 —

 

 —

%  

Impact of 965 one-time transition tax

 

 

 —

 

 —

%  

 

771

 

(69.7)

%  

Federal tax rate change

 

 

 —

 

 —

%  

 

588

 

(53.2)

%  

Payable true up

 

 

17

 

(3.8)

%  

 

 —

 

 —

%  

Uncertain tax liability adjustment

 

 

(41)

 

9.3

%  

 

11

 

(1.0)

%

Research & development credit

 

 

(90)

 

20.4

%  

 

(125)

 

11.3

%

Other items

 

 

37

 

(8.4)

%  

 

(21)

 

2.0

%

Income tax (benefit) expense

 

$

(71)

 

16.1

%  

$

882

 

(79.7)

%

59

 For the Years Ended September 30,
 2017 2016
 (Dollar amounts in thousands)
Computed “expected” tax expense$1,289
 34.0 % $1,224
 34.0 %
Increases (reductions) in taxes resulting from:       
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit80
 2.1 % 124
 3.5 %
Foreign operations11
 0.3 % 67
 1.9 %
Permanent differences(4) (0.1)% (20) (0.6)%
Change in valuation allowance(37) (1.0)% 
  %
Uncertain tax liability adjustment8
 0.2 % 8
 0.2 %
Research & development credit(53) (1.4)% (344) (9.6)%
Other items(7) (0.2)% (63) (1.7)%
Income tax expense$1,287
 33.9 % $996
 27.7 %


For the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, temporary differences, which give rise to deferred tax assets (liabilities), are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Deferred tax assets:

 

  

 

 

  

 

Pension

 

$

1,378

 

$

1,390

Intangibles

 

 

81

 

 

104

Other reserves and accruals

 

 

291

 

 

451

Inventory reserves and other

 

 

619

 

 

502

State credits, net of federal benefit

 

 

380

 

 

380

Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards

 

 

928

 

 

626

Foreign net operating loss carryforwards

 

 

1,393

 

 

1,489

Foreign exchange on intercompany loan

 

 

 7

 

 

 7

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

(232)

 

 

(396)

Gross deferred tax assets

 

 

4,845

 

 

4,553

Less: valuation allowance

 

 

(2,899)

 

 

(2,658)

Realizable deferred tax asset

 

 

1,946

 

 

1,895

Gross deferred tax liabilities

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Net deferred tax assets

 

$

1,946

 

$

1,895

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:   
Pension$2,470
 $2,896
Intangibles219
 315
Other reserves and accruals633
 671
Inventory reserves and other563
 470
State credits, net of federal benefit318
 313
Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards52
 61
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards1,531
 1,704
Foreign exchange on intercompany loan(77) 
Foreign tax credits7
 7
Depreciation and amortization(177) (203)
Gross deferred tax assets5,539
 6,234
Less: valuation allowance(2,712) (3,180)
Realizable deferred tax asset2,827
 3,054
Gross deferred tax liabilities
 
Net deferred tax assets$2,827
 $3,054
    

The deferred tax valuation allowance decreasedincreased by approximately $468$241 thousand, as shown above.which was primarily due to the U. S. valuation allowance on the deferred tax asset for certain state net operating losses carryover. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers its taxable future earnings and the expected timing of the reversal of temporary differences. Accordingly, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance which reduces the gross deferred tax asset to an amount which management believes will more likely than not be realized. The valuation allowance was determined by assessing both positive and negative evidence whether it is more likely than not that deferred tax assets are realizable. Such assessment is done on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. The Company's inability to project future profitability in certain states beyond fiscal year 20172019 and the cumulative losses incurred in recent years in the U.K. represent sufficient negative evidence to record a valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets.

In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Reform Act") was enacted. The legislation significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a territorial tax system, expanding the tax base and imposing a tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Reform Act permanently reduces the U.S. corporate federal income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018. The Company has recognized the impact of the Tax Reform Act in these consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in 2018. The impact of the remeasurement of the Company’s US deferred tax assets and liabilities to 21% resulted in a tax expense of approximately $0.6 million consisting of a reduction of the Company’s net deferred tax asset. The Company recorded tax expense of approximately $0.8 million related to the deemed repatriation tax.

The Company’s used a blended U.S. statutory tax rate for fiscal 2018 of 24.28% and in fiscal 2019 the corporate tax rate was 21%.

As of September 30, 20172019, and 2016,2018, the Company had U.S. net operating loss carryforwards for state taxfederal purposes of approximately $0.4$2 million and $0.4$1 million, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income

60

with no expiration. The Company had U.S. net operating loss carryforwards for state purposes of approximately $4.8 million and $2.0 million, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income through 2033.

2035.

As of September 30, 2017,2019, the Company had other state tax credit carryforwards of $55 thousand available to reduce future state tax expense which has unlimited carryover status.


As of September 30, 2017,2019, the Company concluded that a net increase of $43$241 thousand of the valuation allowanceallowances for the U.S. was appropriate. As part of the Company’s analysis, the Company evaluated, among other factors, its recent history of generating taxable income in state jurisdictions and its near-term forecasts of future taxable income. The net increase in the Company’s valuation allowance of $43$241 thousand is to reserve for certain state net operating losses and state tax credit carryforwards that the Company believes will expire unused.


As of September 30, 2017,2019, the Company had U.K. net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $9.0$8.2 million that have an indefinite life with no expiration.

Undistributed earnings of the Company's foreign subsidiaries amounted to approximately $2.8$11.0 million and $2.5$12.7 million at September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively. The Company's policy is that itsconsidering cash distribution of undistributed foreign earnings are indefinitely reinvestedin the future and accordingly, nowill continue to assess the potential impact of any future distributions on U.S. federalTaxes. The state tax impact of a distribution of foreign earnings and state deferred tax liabilities have been recorded.

profits would not be material.

In addition, the calculation of the Company's tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions. The Company records liabilities for estimated tax obligations in the U.S. and other tax jurisdictions. These estimated tax liabilities include the provision for taxes that may become payable in the future.

As of September 30, 2017,2019, the total amount of uncertain tax liabilities was $209 thousand. We recognized $7 thousandreversed since the statute of interest andlimitations have expired on the potential penalties accrued related to unrecognizeduncertain tax benefits in our provision for income taxes.



position.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the total amounts of gross unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

For the Year Ended

    

For the Year Ended

 

 

September 30, 2019

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Balance, beginning of year

 

$

220

 

$

209

Accrued penalties and interest

 

 

13

 

 

11

Reversal for statute of limitations

 

 

(233)

 

 

 —

Balance, end of period

 

$

 —

 

$

220

 For the Year Ended September 30, 2017 For the Year Ended September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Balance, beginning of year$202
 $195
Accrued penalties and interest7
 7
Balance, end of period$209
 $202
    

We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions. The Company has reviewed the tax positions taken on returns filed domestically and in its foreign jurisdictions for all open years, generally fiscal 20142015 through 2017,2019, and believes that tax adjustments in any audited year will not be material, except for the uncertain tax position described above.material.


61

On December 20, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill was passed by Congress. Once the bill is signed into law, the change in the tax law will lower our overall tax rate and reduce our deferred taxes and will be treated as a discrete item in the quarter enacted. We will still need to assess the effect

5.

8.     Property, Equipment and Improvements, Net

Property, equipment and improvements, net consist of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30, 

    

September 30, 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Leasehold improvements

 

$

224

 

$

224

Equipment

 

 

8,397

 

 

7,574

Automobiles

 

 

98

 

 

101

 

 

 

8,719

 

 

7,899

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

(7,446)

 

 

(7,052)

Property, equipment and improvements, net

 

$

1,273

 

$

847

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Leasehold improvements$224
 $263
Equipment9,055
 8,629
Automobiles74
 74
 9,353
 8,966
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization(7,845) (7,286)
Property, equipment and improvements, net$1,508
 $1,680

The Company uses the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets to record depreciation expense. Depreciation expense was $553$405 thousand and $570$506 thousand for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2018, respectively.

9 and 2016, respectively.



6..     Acquired Intangible Assets

As of September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, intangible assets are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2019

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

Amortization

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

    

Period

    

Gross

    

Amortization

    

Net

    

Period

    

Gross

    

Amortization

    

Net

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Customer list

 

years

 

$

910

 

$

873

 

$

37

 

years

 

$

910

 

$

864

 

$

46

Non-compete agreements

 

0 years

 

 

93

 

 

93

 

 

 —

 

0 years

 

 

93

 

 

93

 

 

 —

Developed technology

 

0 years

 

 

30

 

$

30

 

$

 —

 

0 years

 

 

30

 

$

30

 

$

 —

Trade name

 

0 years

 

 

140

 

$

140

 

$

 —

 

0 years

 

 

140

 

$

138

 

$

 2

Total

 

  

 

$

1,173

 

$

1,136

 

$

37

 

  

 

$

1,173

 

$

1,125

 

$

48

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
Weighted Average Remaining Amortization Period Gross Accumulated Amortization Net Weighted Average Remaining Amortization Period Gross Accumulated Amortization Net
 (Amounts in thousands)
Customer list2 years $910
 $773
 $137
 3 years $910
 $682
 $228
Non-compete agreements0 years 93
 93
 
 0 years 93
 93
 
Developed technology0 years 30
 $30
 $
 0 years 30
 29
 1
Trade name1 year 140
 $110
 $30
 2 years 140
 82
 58
Total  $1,173
 $1,006
 $167
   $1,173
 $886
 $287

Amortization expense on these intangible assets was $120$11 thousand and $129$119 thousand for fiscal 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively.

Annual amortization expense related to intangible assets for each of the following successive fiscal years is as follows:

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

 

 9

2021

 

 

 9

2022

 

 

 9

2023

 

 

 9

2024

 

 

 1

Total

 

$

37

62

Fiscal year ending September 30: 
(Amounts in thousands)
2018119
201911
20209
20219
20229
Thereafter10
Total$167
  

7.

10.     Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Accounts payable

 

$

13,495

 

$

4,466

Commissions

 

 

359

 

 

312

Compensation and fringe benefits

 

 

992

 

 

1,836

Professional fees and shareholders’ reporting costs

 

 

369

 

 

308

Taxes, other than income

 

 

353

 

 

313

Warranty

 

 

105

 

 

108

Other

 

 

502

 

 

1,934

 

 

$

16,175

 

$

9,277

11.     Note Payable

In September 2019, the Company borrowed $1.0 million with a 5.0% rate of interest related to a multi-year agreement with a customer (see Note 3 for the disclosure related to the receivable). Payments are due each month and maturities are outlined in the tables below.  

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

359

2021

 

 

359

2022

 

 

359

    Total

 

 

1,077

    Less: note discount

 

 

76

      Total

 

$

1,001

 

 

 

 

As of September 30, 2019

    

(Amounts in thousands)

Current

 

$

359

 Less: note discount

 

 

42

Note payable - current portion

 

$

317

 

 

 

 

Noncurrent

 

$

718

 Less: note discount

 

 

34

Note payable - noncurrent portion

 

$

684

 September 30,
 2017 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Accounts payable$10,941
 $4,360
Inventory line of credit3,110
 3,151
Commissions269
 269
Compensation and fringe benefits2,147
 2,139
Professional fees and shareholders' reporting costs789
 594
Taxes, other than income866
 353
Warranty121
 131
Other602
 935
 $18,845
 $11,932
    

8.

12.     Product Warranties


Product warranty activity for the years ended September 30 was as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

2019

    

2018

Balance at the beginning of the period

 

$

107,538

 

$

121,450

Accruals for warranties for products sold in the period

 

 

34,207

 

 

26,539

Fulfillment of warranty obligations

 

 

(37,007)

 

 

(40,451)

Balance at the end of the period

 

$

104,738

 

$

107,538

These amounts are within accounts payable and accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheets.


63

 2017 2016
Balance at the beginning of the period

$130,841
 $125,423
Accruals for warranties for products sold in the period

75,816
 52,066
Fulfillment of warranty obligations

(85,207) (46,648)
Balance at the end of the period

$121,450
 $130,841



9.

13.    Stock Based Incentive Compensation

In 1997, the Company adopted the 1997 Stock Option Plan (the “1997 Plan”), and authorized 199,650 shares of common stock to be reserved for issuance pursuant to the 1997 Plan. The 1997 plan expired in 2007. Because the 1997 Plan has expired, no further awards will be issued under this plan. In 2003, the Company adopted the 2003 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2003 Plan”) and authorized 200,000 shares of common stock to be reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2003 Plan. The 2003 plan expired in 2013. Because the 2003 Plan has expired, no further awards will be issued under this plan. In 2007, the Company adopted the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”) and authorized 250,000 shares of common stock to be reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2007 Plan. The 2007 plan expired in 2017. Because the 2007 Plan has expired, no further awards will be issued under this plan.

In 2015, the Company adopted the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”"2015 Plan") and authorized


300,000 shares of common stock to be reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2015 Plan. During 2019 an additional 300,000 shares of common stock were authorized to be reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2015 Plan. As of September 30, 2017,2019, there were 183,965320,715 shares available to be granted under the 2015 Plan.  Under all of the stock incentive plans, both incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options may be granted to officers, key employees and other persons providing services to the Company. The 2003 Plan and 2007 Plan also provide for awards of nonvested shares of common stock. All of the Company'sCompany’s stock incentive plans have a ten year life. The total number of available shares under all plans for future awards was 183,965 as of September 30, 2017.

Awards issued under any of the stock option plans are not affected by termination of the plan. The Company issues stock options at their fair market value on the date of grant. Vesting of stock options granted pursuant to the Company'sCompany’s stock incentive plans is determined by the Company'sCompany’s compensation committee. Generally, options granted to employees vest over four years and expire ten years from the date of grant. Options granted to non-employee directors have historically included cliff vesting after six months from the date of grant and expire three years from the date of grant. In fiscal years 20152016 through 2017,2019, the Company granted certain officers including its Chief Executive Officer and non-employee directors, and key employees shares of nonvested common stock instead of stock options. The vesting periods for the officers'officers’, the Chief Executive Officer'sOfficer’s and the directors'non-employee directors’ nonvested stock awards are four years,  three years and one year, respectively. The vesting period for the key employees'employees’ awards is four years.

We measure and recognize compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees and directors including employee stock options and awards of nonvested stock based on estimated fair values, as described in Note 1. Stock-based compensation expense incurred and recognized for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 related to stock options and nonvested stock granted to employees and non-employee directors under the Company'sCompany’s stock incentive and employee stock purchase plans totaled approximately $577$792 thousand and $414$691 thousand, respectively. The classification of the cost of stock-based compensation, in the consolidated statements of operations, is consistent with the nature of the services being rendered in exchange for the share based payment.

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense in the Company'sCompany’s consolidated statements of operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years Ended

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Cost of sales

 

$

 7

 

$

 5

Engineering and development

 

 

49

 

 

32

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

736

 

 

654

Total

 

$

792

 

$

691

 Years ended
 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Cost of sales$6
 $2
Engineering and development24
 6
Selling, general and administrative547
 406
Total$577
 $414
    

For the year ended September 30, 2017,2019, the Company granted 34,00033,000 nonvested shares to certain key employees, 40,00055,000 nonvested shares to certain officers including 30,00035,000 shares granted to the Chief Executive Officer, and 20,000 nonvested shares to its non-employee directors. For the year ended September 30, 2016,2018, the Company granted 28,00012,000 nonvested shares to certain key employees, 57,00040,000 nonvested shares to certain officers including 40,00030,000 to its Chief Executive Officer and 20,39520,000 nonvested shares to its non-employee directors.

The Company measures the fair value of nonvested stock awards based upon the market price of its common stock as of the date of grant. The Company used the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to value stock options. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of a number of assumptions including volatility of the Company'sCompany’s stock price, the weighted average risk-free interest rate and the weighted average expected life of the options, at the time of grant. The expected dividend yield is equal to the divided per share declared, divided by the closing share price on the date the options were granted.  All equity compensation awards granted for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 20162018 were nonvested stock awards.

64

As stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statements of operations is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, expense for grants beginning upon adoption on October 1, 2005 has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. The forfeiture rates for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 were based on actual forfeitures.

No cash was used to settle equity instruments granted under share-base payment arrangements in any of the years in the two-year period ended September 30, 2017.


2019.

The following tables provide summary data of stock option award activity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

Average

 

Aggregate

 

 

 

 

average

 

Remaining

 

Intrinsic

 

 

Number

 

exercise

 

Contractual

 

Value

 

    

of Shares

    

price

    

Term

    

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at September 30, 2017

 

9,376

 

 

4.49

 

 —

 

 

 —

Granted

 

 —

 

$

 —

 

 —

 

 

 —

Expired

 

(1,250)

 

 

6.82

 

 —

 

 

 —

Forfeited

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 —

 

 

 —

Exercised

 

(4,626)

 

 

4.67

 

 —

 

 

 —

Outstanding at September 30, 2018

 

3,500

 

$

3.42

 

 —

 

 

 —

Granted

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 —

 

 

 —

Expired

 

(500)

 

$

2.99

 

 —

 

 

 —

Forfeited

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 —

 

 

 —

Exercised

 

(1,000)

 

 

2.99

 

 —

 

 

 —

Outstanding at September 30, 2019

 

2,000

 

$

3.75

 

.98 Years

 

$

19

Exercisable at September 30, 2019

 

2,000

 

$

3.75

 

.98 Years

 

$

19

Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2019

 

2,000

 

$

3.75

 

.98 Years

 

$

19

 
Number
of Shares
 
Weighted
average
exercise
price
 
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
 
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)
        
Outstanding at September 30, 201555,126
 $6.43
 
 
Granted
 
 
 
Expired(17,500) $6.61
 
 
Forfeited
 
 
 
Exercised(14,000) 6.20
 
 
Outstanding at September 30, 201623,626
 $5.76
 
 
Granted
 
 
 
Expired(9,250) $9.30
 
 
Forfeited
 
 
 
Exercised(5,000) 2.99
 
 
Outstanding at September 30, 20179,376
 $4.49
 1.35 Years
 $62
Exercisable at September 30, 20179,376
 $4.49
 1.35 Years
 $62
Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 20179,376
 $4.49
 1.35 Years
 $62

There were no stock options granted in the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016.2018. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 was $38$8 thousand and $51$34 thousand, respectively.

Therespectively.The following table provides summary data of nonvested stock award activity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Average

 

Aggregate

 

 

Number of 

 

grant date

 

Remaining

 

Intrinsic

 

 

nonvested

 

Fair

 

Contractual

 

Value

 

    

shares

    

Value

    

Term

    

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2017

 

179,821

 

$

8.64

 

2.23 Years

 

$

1,987

Activity in 2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

72,000

 

$

11.83

 

 —

 

 

 —

Vested

 

(80,969)

 

$

8.18

 

 —

 

 

 —

Forfeited

 

(16,500)

 

$

8.90

 

 —

 

 

 —

Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2018

 

154,352

 

$

10.34

 

2.11 Years

 

$

2,025

Activity in 2019:

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

Granted

 

108,000

 

$

9.98

 

 —

 

 

 —

Vested

 

(68,867)

 

$

10.39

 

 —

 

 

 —

Forfeited

 

(2,750)

 

$

8.91

 

 —

 

 

 —

Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2019

 

190,735

 

$

10.12

 

2.21 Years

 

$

2,560

Vested at September 30, 2019

 

400,700

 

$

7.17

 

0.20 Years

 

$

5,377

Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2019

 

591,435

 

$

8.12

 

0.85 Years

 

$

7,937

65

 
Number of
nonvested
shares
 
Weighted
Average
grant date
Fair
Value
 
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term 
 
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value 
(in thousands)
  
Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2015130,457
 $6.08
 2.12 Years
 $714
Activity in 2016: 
  
  
  
Granted105,395
 $6.47
 
 
Vested(48,444) $6.33
 
 
Forfeited(21,700) 7.38
 
 
Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2016165,708
 $6.38
 2.20 Years
 $1,695
Activity in 2017: 
  
  
  
Granted94,000
 $10.18
 
 
Vested(71,587) $6.59
 
 
Forfeited(8,300) 7.11
 
 
Nonvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2017179,821
 $8.64
 2.23 Years
 $1,987
Vested at September 30, 2017250,864
 $5.96
 0.31 Years
 $2,772
Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2017430,685
 $7.08
 1.11 Years
 $4,759

As of September 30, 2017,2019, there was $1.09$1.4  million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock-based compensation arrangements (including stock option and nonvested stock awards) granted under the Company'sCompany’s stock incentive plans. This cost is expected to be expensed over a weighted average period of approximately 2.682.50 years. The total fair value of shares vested during the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 was $472$716 thousand and $307$662 thousand, respectively.



10.

14.    Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In December 2013, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan covering up to 250,000 shares of Common Stock (the "ESPP”"ESPP"), which was ratified by a vote of the Company'sCompany’s shareholders in February 2014. Under the ESPP, the Company’s employees may purchase shares of common stock at a price per share that is currently 95% of the lesser of the fair market value as of the beginning or end of semi-annual option periods. Pursuant to the ESPP, the Company issued 22,99629,238 and 33,24822,895 shares for the two years ended September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, respectively. Since inception of the plan, there are 149,086 shares available for future issuance under the ESPP as of September 30, 2017.



11.

15.    Pension and Retirement Plans

We have defined benefit and defined contribution plans in the U.K., Germany and in the U.S. In the U.K. and Germany,, the Company provides defined benefit pension plans for certain employees and former employees and defined contribution plans for the majority of the employees. The defined benefit plans in both the U.K. and Germany are closed to newly hired employees and have been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. In the U.S., the Company also provides defined contribution plans that cover most employees and supplementary retirement plans to certain employees and former employees who are now retired. These supplementary retirement plans are also closed to newly hired employees and have been for the two years ended September 30, 2017.2019. These supplementary plans are funded through whole life insurance policies. The Company expects to recover all insurance premiums paid under these policies in the future, through the cash surrender value of the policies and any death benefits or portions thereof to be paid upon the death of the participant. These whole life insurance policies are carried on the balance sheet at their cash surrender values as they are owned by the Company and not assets of the defined benefit plans. In the U.S., the Company also provides for officer death benefits and post-retirement health insurance benefits through supplemental post-retirement plans to certain officers. The Company also funds these supplemental plans'plans’ obligations through whole life insurance policies on the officers.

Defined Benefit Plans

The Company funds its pension plans in amounts sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in applicable employee benefits laws and local tax laws. Liabilities for amounts in excess of these funding levels are accrued and reported in the consolidated balance sheet.

The German Plan does not have any assets and therefore all costs and benefits of the plan are funded annually with cash flow from operations.

The domestic supplemental retirement plans have life insurance policies which are not considered plan assets but were purchased by the Company as a vehicle to fund the costs of the plan. These insurance policies are included in the balance sheet at their cash surrender value, net of policy loans, aggregating $2.1$2.2  million and $1.9$2.1 million as of September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively. The loans against the policies have been taken out by the Company to pay the premiums. The costs and benefit payments for these plans are paid through operating cash flows of the Company to the extent that they cannot be funded through the use of the cash values in the insurance policies. The Company expects that the recorded value of the insurance policies will be sufficient to fund all of the Company'sCompany’s obligations under these plans.

66

Assumptions:

Assumptions:

The following table provides the weighted average actuarial assumptions used to determine the actuarial present value of projected benefit obligations at:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domestic

 

International

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

 

    

2019

    

2018

    

2019

    

2018

 

Discount rate:

 

3.00

%  

4.00

%  

1.90

%  

2.90

%

Expected return on plan assets:

 

  

 

  

 

3.40

%  

3.80

%

Rate of compensation increase:

 

  

 

  

 

 —

%  

 —

%

 
Domestic 
 
International 
 
September 30, 
 
September 30, 
 2017 2016 2017 2016
Discount rate:3.75% 3.50% 2.34% 1.77%
Expected return on plan assets:    3.70% 3.60%
Rate of compensation increase:    1.00% 1.00%

The following table provides the weighted average actuarial assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost for years ended:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domestic

    

International

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

 

    

2019

    

2018

    

2019

    

2018

 

Discount rate:

 

4.00

%  

3.75

%  

1.90

%  

2.80

%

Expected return on plan assets:

 

  

 

  

 

3.40

%  

3.70

%

Rate of compensation increase:

 

  

 

  

 

 —

%  

 —

%

 
Domestic 
 
International 
 
September 30, 
 
September 30, 
 2017 2016 2017 2016
Discount rate:3.50% 4.25% 1.77% 3.10%
Expected return on plan assets:    3.60% 4.20%
Rate of compensation increase:    1.00% 1.00%

For domestic plans, the discount rate was determined by comparison against the Citigroup Pension Discount Curve and Liability IndexFTSE pension liability index for AA rated corporate instruments. The Company monitors other indices to assure that the pension obligations are fairly reported on a consistent basis. The international discount rates were determined by comparison against country specific AA corporate indices, adjusted for duration of the obligation.

The periodic benefit cost and the actuarial present value of projected benefit obligations are based on actuarial assumptions that are reviewed on an annual basis. The Company revises these assumptions based on an annual evaluation of long-term trends, as well as market conditions that may have an impact on the cost of providing retirement benefits.

67

The components of net periodic benefit costs related to the U.S. and international plans are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended September 30, 

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

    

U.K.

    

U.S.

    

Total

    

U.K.

    

U.S.

    

Total

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Pension:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest cost

 

$

362

 

$

24

 

$

386

 

$

370

 

$

25

 

$

395

Expected return on plan assets

 

 

(327)

 

 

 —

 

 

(327)

 

 

(312)

 

 

 —

 

 

(312)

Amortization of net gain (loss)

 

 

149

 

 

(3)

 

 

146

 

 

170

 

 

(1)

 

 

169

Net periodic benefit cost

 

$

184

 

$

21

 

$

205

 

$

228

 

$

24

 

$

252

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post Retirement:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Service cost

 

$

 —

 

$

34

 

$

34

 

$

 —

 

$

40

 

$

40

Interest cost

 

 

 —

 

 

53

 

 

53

 

 

 —

 

 

47

 

 

47

Amortization of net loss

 

 

 —

 

 

(20)

 

 

(20)

 

 

 —

 

 

(18)

 

 

(18)

Net periodic cost

 

$

 —

 

$

67

 

$

67

 

$

 —

 

$

69

 

$

69

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pension:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Decrease in minimum liability included in other comprehensive income (loss)

 

$

914

 

 

18

 

$

932

 

$

(462)

 

$

(7)

 

$

(469)

Post Retirement:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Decrease in minimum liability included in other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

 —

 

 

131

 

 

131

 

 

 —

 

 

(6)

 

 

(6)

Total:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Decrease in minimum liability included in comprehensive income (loss)

 

$

914

 

$

149

 

$

1,063

 

$

(462)

 

$

(13)

 

$

(475)

68

 
Years Ended September 30 
 2017 2016
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 (amounts in thousands)
Pension:           
Service cost$41
 $
 $41
 $35
 $
 $35
Interest cost386
 29
 415
 571
 43
 614
Expected return on plan assets(268) 
 (268) (357) 
 (357)
Amortization of net (gain)/loss370
 4
 374
 174
 (5) 169
Net periodic benefit cost$529
 $33
 $562
 $423
 $38
 $461
            
Post Retirement:       
  
  
Service cost$
 $38
 $38
 $
 $27
 $27
Interest cost
 44
 44
 
 42
 42
Amortization of net (gain)/loss
 15
 15
 
 (79) (79)
Net periodic benefit cost$
 $97
 $97
 $
 $(10) $(10)
            
Pension:       
  
  
Increase (decrease) in minimum liability included in other comprehensive income (loss)$(1,831) $(14) $(1,845) $3,105
 $25
 $3,130
Post Retirement: 
  
  
  
  
  
Increase (decrease) in minimum liability included in other comprehensive income (loss)
 (99) (99) 
 283
 283
Total: 
  
  
  
  
  
Increase (decrease) in minimum liability included in comprehensive income (loss)$(1,831) $(113) $(1,944) $3,105
 $308
 $3,413

The following table presents an analysis of the changes in 20172019 and 20162018 of the benefit obligation, the plan assets and the funded status of the plans:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years Ended September 30

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

    

Foreign

    

U.S.

    

Total

    

Foreign

    

U.S.

    

Total

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Pension:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in projected benefit obligation (“PBO”)

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Balance beginning of year

 

$

12,874

 

$

585

 

$

13,459

 

$

13,285

 

$

677

 

$

13,962

Service cost

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Interest cost

 

 

362

 

 

24

 

 

386

 

 

370

 

 

25

 

 

395

Changes in actuarial assumptions

 

 

1,273

 

 

15

 

 

1,288

 

 

(165)

 

 

(7)

 

 

(172)

Foreign exchange impact

 

 

(772)

 

 

 —

 

 

(772)

 

 

(364)

 

 

 —

 

 

(364)

Benefits paid

 

 

(290)

 

 

(110)

 

 

(400)

 

 

(252)

 

 

(110)

 

 

(362)

Projected benefit obligation at end of year

 

$

13,447

 

$

514

 

$

13,961

 

$

12,874

 

$

585

 

$

13,459

Changes in fair value of plan assets:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year

 

$

8,270

 

$

 —

 

$

8,270

 

$

8,239

 

$

 —

 

$

8,239

Actual gain on plan assets

 

 

194

 

 

 —

 

 

194

 

 

291

 

 

 —

 

 

291

Company contributions

 

 

545

 

 

110

 

 

655

 

 

227

 

 

110

 

 

337

Foreign exchange impact

 

 

(481)

 

 

 —

 

 

(481)

 

 

(235)

 

 

 —

 

 

(235)

Benefits paid

 

 

(290)

 

 

(110)

 

 

(400)

 

 

(252)

 

 

(110)

 

 

(362)

Fair value of plan assets at end of year

 

$

8,238

 

$

 —

 

$

8,238

 

$

8,270

 

 

 —

 

$

8,270

Funded status \ net amount recognized

 

$

(5,209)

 

$

(514)

 

$

(5,723)

 

$

(4,604)

 

$

(585)

 

$

(5,189)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post Retirement:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Change in projected benefit obligation (“PBO”):

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Balance beginning of year

 

$

 —

 

$

1,318

 

$

1,318

 

$

 —

 

$

1,255

 

$

1,255

Service cost

 

 

 —

 

 

34

 

 

34

 

 

 —

 

 

40

 

 

40

Interest cost

 

 

 —

 

 

53

 

 

53

 

 

 —

 

 

47

 

 

47

Changes in actuarial assumptions

 

 

 —

 

 

111

 

 

111

 

 

 —

 

 

(24)

 

 

(24)

Projected benefit obligation at end of year

 

$

 —

 

$

1,516

 

$

1,516

 

$

 —

 

$

1,318

 

$

1,318

Funded status \ net amount recognized

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,516)

 

$

(1,516)

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,318)

 

$

(1,318)

69

 
Years Ended September 30 
 2017 2016
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 (Amounts in thousands)
Pension:           
Change in projected benefit obligation (“PBO”)           
Balance beginning of year$19,564
 $829
 $20,393
 $17,979
 $1,022
 $19,001
Service cost42
 
 42
 35
 
 35
Interest cost386
 29
 415
 571
 43
 614
Changes in actuarial assumptions(1,582) (9) (1,591) 3,948
 20
 3,968
Foreign exchange impact651
 
 651
 (2,069) 
 (2,069)
Benefits paid(402) (172) (574) (900) (256) (1,156)
Projected benefit obligation at end of year$18,659
 $677

$19,336

$19,564

$829

$20,393
Changes in fair value of plan assets:       
  
  
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year$7,629
 $
 $7,629
 $9,301
 $
 $9,301
Actual gain on plan assets368
 
 368
 111
 
 111
Company contributions376
 172
 548
 406
 256
 662
Foreign exchange impact268
 
 268
 (1,289) 
 (1,289)
Benefits paid(402) (172) (574) (900) (256) (1,156)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year$8,239
 $
 $8,239
 $7,629
 
 $7,629
Funded status \ net amount recognized$(10,420) $(677) $(11,097) $(11,935) $(829) $(12,764)
            
Post Retirement: 
  
  
  
  
  
Change in projected benefit obligation (“PBO”): 
  
  
  
  
  
Balance beginning of year$
 $1,257
 $1,257
 $
 $985
 $985
Service cost
 38
 38
 
 27
 27
Interest cost
 44
 44
 
 42
 42
Changes in actuarial assumptions
 (84) (84) 
 203
 203
Projected benefit obligation at end of year$
 $1,255
 $1,255
 $
 $1,257
 $1,257
Funded status \ net amount recognized$
 $(1,255) $(1,255) $
 $(1,257) $(1,257)

The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheet consist of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years Ended September 30

 

 

2019

 

2018

 

    

Foreign

    

U.S.

    

Total

    

Foreign

    

U.S.

    

Total

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Pension:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued benefit liability

 

$

(5,209)

 

$

(514)

 

$

(5,723)

 

$

(4,604)

 

$

(585)

 

$

(5,189)

Deferred tax

 

 

 —

 

 

15

 

 

15

 

 

(1)

 

 

22

 

 

21

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

6,165

 

 

24

 

 

6,189

 

 

5,251

 

 

13

 

 

5,264

Net amount recognized

 

$

956

 

$

(475)

 

$

481

 

$

646

 

$

(550)

 

$

96

Post Retirement:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Accrued benefit liability

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,516)

 

$

(1,516)

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,320)

 

$

(1,320)

Deferred tax

 

 

 —

 

 

41

 

 

41

 

 

 —

 

 

93

 

 

93

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

 —

 

 

113

 

 

113

 

 

 —

 

 

34

 

 

34

Net amount recognized

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,362)

 

$

(1,362)

 

$

 —

 

$

(1,193)

 

$

(1,193)

Total pension and post retirement:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Accrued benefit liability

 

$

(5,209)

 

$

(2,030)

 

$

(7,239)

 

$

(4,604)

 

$

(1,904)

 

$

(6,508)

Deferred tax

 

 

 —

 

 

56

 

 

56

 

 

(1)

 

 

115

 

 

114

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

6,165

 

 

137

 

 

6,302

 

 

5,251

 

 

47

 

 

5,298

Net amount recognized

 

$

956

 

$

(1,837)

 

$

(881)

 

$

646

 

$

(1,742)

 

$

(1,096)

Accumulated Benefit Obligation:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Pension

 

$

(13,447)

 

$

(514)

 

$

(13,961)

 

$

(12,874)

 

$

(585)

 

$

(13,459)

Post Retirement

 

 

 —

 

 

(1,516)

 

 

(1,516)

 

 

 —

 

 

(1,320)

 

 

(1,320)

Total accumulated benefit obligation

 

$

(13,447)

 

$

(2,030)

 

$

(15,477)

 

$

(12,874)

 

$

(1,905)

 

$

(14,779)

 
Years Ended September 30 
 2017 2016
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 
Foreign 
 
U.S. 
 
Total 
 (Amounts in thousands)
Pension: 
  
  
  
  
  
Accrued benefit liability$(10,420) $(677) $(11,097) $(11,936) $(829) $(12,765)
Deferred tax(493) 19
 (474) (216) 14
 (202)
Accumulated other comprehensive income6,893
 18
 6,911
 9,001
 26
 9,027
Net amount recognized$(4,020) $(640) $(4,660) $(3,151) $(789) $(3,940)
Post Retirement: 
  
  
  
  
  
Accrued benefit liability$
 $(1,255) $(1,255) $
 $(1,257) $(1,257)
Deferred tax
 91
 91
 
 52
 52
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
 38
 38
 
 97
 97
Net amount recognized$
 $(1,126) $(1,126) $
 $(1,108) $(1,108)
Total pension and post retirement: 
  
  
  
  
  
Accrued benefit liability$(10,420) $(1,932) $(12,352) $(11,936) $(2,086) $(14,022)
Deferred tax(493) 110
 (383) (216) 66
 (150)
Accumulated other comprehensive income6,893
 56
 6,949
 9,001
 123
 9,124
Net amount recognized$(4,020) $(1,766) $(5,786) $(3,151) $(1,897) $(5,048)
Accumulated Benefit Obligation: 
  
  
  
  
  
Pension$(18,514) $(677) $(19,191) $(19,396) $(829) $(20,225)
Post Retirement
 (1,255) (1,255) 
 (1,257) (1,257)
Total accumulated benefit obligation$(18,514) $(1,932) $(20,446) $(19,396) $(2,086) $(21,482)

Plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets are attributable to unfunded domestic supplemental retirement plans, our German plans which are legally not required to be funded and our U.K. retirement plan.

Accrued benefit liability reported as:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Current accrued benefit liability

 

$

335

 

$

340

Non-current accrued benefit liability

 

 

6,904

 

 

6,168

Total accrued benefit liability

 

$

7,239

 

$

6,508

 
September 30, 
 2017 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
Current accrued benefit liability$534
 $581
Non-current accrued benefit liability11,818
 13,441
Total accrued benefit liability$12,352
 $14,022

As of September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income, consisted of deferred net losses totaling approximately $6.9$6.3 million and $9.1$5.3 million, respectively.

The amount of net deferred gainloss expected to be recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost for the year ending September 30, 2018,2019, is approximately $186$229 thousand.

Contributions

The Company expects to contribute $0.5$0.4 million to its pension plans for fiscal 2018.2020.

70

Estimated Future Benefit Payments

The following benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, are expected to be paid (amounts in thousands):

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

401

2021

 

$

408

2022

 

$

441

2023

 

$

475

2024

 

$

514

Thereafter

 

$

843

Fiscal year ending September 30: 
 (Amounts in thousands)
2018 $606
2019 651
2020 667
2021 691
2022 724
Thereafter 4,225

Plan Assets


At September 30, 2017,2019, our pension plan in the U.K. was the only plan with assets, holding investments of approximately $8.2 million. Pension plan assets are managed by a fiduciary committee. The Company'sCompany’s investment strategy for pension plan assets is to maximize the long-term rate of return on plan assets within an acceptable level of risk while maintaining adequate funding levels. Local regulations, local funding rules, and local financial and tax considerations are part of the funding and investment process.  In deciding on the investments to be held, the trustees take into account the risk of possible fluctuations in income from, and market values of, the assets as well as the risk of departing from an asset profile which broadly matches the liability profile. The committee has invested the plan assets in a single pooled fund with an authorized investment company (the “Fund”). The Fund selected by the trustees is consistent with the plan'splan’s overall investment principles and strategy described herein. There are no specific targets as to asset allocation other than those contained within the Fund that is managed by the authorized investment company.


The fair value of the assets held by the U.K. pension plan by asset category are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair Values as of

 

 

September 30, 2019

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

Fair Value Measurements Using Inputs Considered as

 

Fair Value Measurements Using Inputs Considered as

Asset Category

    

Total

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Total

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

Cash on deposit

 

$

279

 

$

279

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

36

 

$

36

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

Pooled funds

 

 

7,959

 

 

7,959

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

8,234

 

 

8,234

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Total plan assets

 

$

8,238

 

$

8,238

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

8,270

 

$

8,270

 

$

 —

 

$

 —


 Fair Values as of
 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 Fair Value Measurements Using Inputs Considered as Fair Value Measurements Using Inputs Considered as
Asset CategoryTotal Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
 (Thousands)
Cash on deposit$62
 $62
 $
 $
 $86
 $86
 $
 $
Pooled funds8,177
 8,177
 
 
 7,543
 7,543
 
 
Total plan assets$8,239
 $8,239
 $
 $
 $7,629
 $7,629
 $
 $
  
  
  
  
        

The expected long-term rates of return on plan assets are equal to the yields to maturity of appropriate indices for government and corporate bonds and by adding a premium to the government bond return for equities. The expected rate of return on cash is the Bank of England base rate in force at the effective date.


Level 1 investments represent mutual funds for which a quoted market price is available on an active market. These investments primarily hold stocks or bonds, or a combination of stocks and bonds.


Defined Contribution Plans

The Company has defined contribution plans in domestic and international locations under which the Company matches a portion of the employee'semployee’s contributions and may make discretionary contributions to the plans. The Company'sCompany’s contributions were $152178 thousand and $129$204 thousand for the years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively.


71


16.    Lines of Credit

As of September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016,2018, the Company maintained a line of credit note that allows for borrowings of up to $1.0 million. Availability under thisthe facility iswas reduced by outstanding borrowings thereunder. The interest rates on outstanding borrowings is thewas London Inter-Bank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”("LIBOR") plus 2.5%, with a floor of 4%. Borrowings under the credit agreementagreements are required to be repaid on demand by the lender in some cases,certain circumstances, upon termination of the agreements, or may be prepaid by the Company without penalty. The credit agreement is not subject to financial covenants and the Company did not borrowhad no amounts outstanding under the line of credit during the fiscal yearsyear ending September 30, 2017 and 2016.


2018. This line of credit closed during fiscal year 2019.

As of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, the Company also maintained an inventory line of credit that may be used by the TS divisionsegment in the U.S. to purchase inventory from approved vendors with payment terms which exceed those offered by the vendors. In fiscal year 2019, HPP gained access to this inventory line of credit, but did not use it in fiscal year 2019. No interest accrues under the inventory line of credit when advances are paid within terms, however, late payments are subject to an interest charge of Prime plus 5%. The credit agreements containagreement for the inventory line of credit contains financial covenants which require the Company to maintain the following division specificTS segment-specific financial ratios: (1) a minimum current ratio of 1.2,  (2) tangible net worth of $2.5no less than $4.0 million, and (3) a maximum ratio of total liabilities to total net worth of less than 5.0:1.  As of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, Company borrowings under the inventory line of credit were $3.1$2.5 million and $3.2 million, respectively, which is included as a component of accounts payable and accrued expenses on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.




13.Company was in compliance with all covenants.

17.    Commitments and Contingencies

Operating Leases

The Company occupies office space under lease agreements expiring at various dates during the next ten years.two years, which all have renewal options and escalation clauses. The leases are classified as operating leases and provide for the payment of real estate taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance.

The Company also leases equipment under lease agreements expiring at various dates during the next four years.

The Company was obligated under non-cancelable operating leases with an initial term in excess of one year as follows:

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

475

2021

 

 

173

2022

 

 

58

2023

 

 

43

Total

 

$

749

Fiscal year ending September 30: 
 (Amounts in thousands)
2018 $852
2019 735
2020 609
2021 295
2022 201
  $2,692

Occupancy expenses under the operating leases approximated $1.0$0.7 million in 20172019 and $1.2$0.8 million in 2016.2018.

Capital Leases

The Company leases equipment under agreements  expiring at various times during the next four years. The Company has the capital lease obligation within its consolidated balance sheets. The current portion of $0.4 million is within accounts payable and accrued expenses and the long-term portion of $0.3 million is included in other long term liabilities. The assets acquired under the capital leases were sub-leased to a customer. See Investment in Lease Note 4.

72

The Company was obligated under non-cancelable capital leases as follows:

 

 

 

 

Fiscal year ending September 30:

    

(Amounts in thousands)

2020

 

$

363

2021

 

 

285

2022

 

 

51

2023

 

 

 5

Minimum lease payments including interest

 

$

704

Amount representing interest

 

 

(46)

Minimum lease payments excluding interest

 

$

658

Common Stock Repurchase

From time to time the Company'sCompany’s Board of Directors passes resolutions to authorize the Company to purchase shares of its outstanding common stock. The Company did not repurchase any shares during the years ended years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016.2018. As of September 30, 2017,2019, the Company is authorized to repurchase an additional 201 thousand shares pursuant to such resolutions.



14.      

18.    Segment Information

The following table presents certain operating segment information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Solutions Segment

 

 

 

 

 

High

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Products

 

United

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated

For the year ended September 30, 

    

Segment

    

Kingdom

    

U.S.

    

Total

    

Total

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product

 

$

6,406

 

$

4,936

 

$

54,675

 

$

59,611

 

$

66,017

Service

 

 

1,496

 

 

380

 

 

11,168

 

 

11,548

 

 

13,044

Total sales

 

 

7,902

 

 

5,316

 

 

65,843

 

 

71,159

 

 

79,061

Income (loss) from operations

 

 

(3,085)

 

 

(62)

 

 

2,321

 

 

2,259

 

 

(826)

Total assets

 

 

11,548

 

 

10,530

 

 

37,291

 

 

47,821

 

 

59,369

Capital expenditures

 

 

310

 

 

 6

 

 

516

 

 

522

 

 

832

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

230

 

 

 6

 

 

180

 

 

186

 

 

416

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Sales:

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Product

 

$

7,014

 

$

7,501

 

$

45,146

 

$

52,647

 

$

59,661

Service

 

 

3,465

 

 

606

 

 

9,184

 

 

9,790

 

 

13,255

Total sales

 

 

10,479

 

 

8,107

 

 

54,330

 

 

62,437

 

 

72,916

Income (loss) from operations

 

 

(2,777)

 

 

(475)

 

 

1,651

 

 

1,176

 

 

(1,601)

Total assets

 

 

14,869

 

 

13,854

 

 

26,552

 

 

40,406

 

 

55,275

Capital expenditures

 

 

99

 

 

 1

 

 

338

 

 

339

 

 

438

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

243

 

 

 7

 

 

375

 

 

382

 

 

625

    TS Segment  
For the Years Ended September 30, 
HPP
Segment
 Germany 
United
Kingdom
 U.S. Total 
Consolidated
Total
  (Amounts in thousands)
2017            
Sales:            
      Product $7,608
 $8,322
 $10,727
 $58,018
 $77,067
 $84,675
      Service 6,236
 14,668
 763
 5,140
 20,571
 26,807
Total sales 13,844
 22,990
 11,490
 63,158
 97,638
 111,482
Profit (loss) from operations 1,467
 377
 (30) 1,958
 2,305
 3,772
Assets 17,782
 17,055
 6,878
 17,213
 41,146
 58,928
Capital expenditures 99
 151
 
 108
 259
 358
Depreciation and amortization 224
 188
 9
 252
 449
 673
             
2016  
  
  
  
  
  
Sales:  
  
  
  
  
  
Product $11,190
 $4,863
 $7,066
 $54,716
 $66,645
 $77,835
Service 5,152
 15,130
 925
 4,325
 20,380
 25,532
Total sales 16,342
 19,993
 7,991
 59,041
 87,025
 103,367
Profit (loss) from operations 1,464
 676
 (363) 2,024
 2,337
 3,801
Assets 17,717
 13,751
 3,748
 13,491
 30,990
 48,707
Capital expenditures 227
 322
 97
 89
 508
 735
Depreciation and amortization 232
 158
 79
 230
 467
 699

Profit (loss) from operations is sales less cost of sales, engineering and development, selling, general and administrative expenses but is not affected by either non-operating charges/income or by income taxes. Non-operating charges/income consists principally of investment income and interest expense. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

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The following table details the Company'sCompany’s sales by operating segment for fiscal years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016.2018. The Company'sCompany’s sales by geographic area based on the location of where the products were shipped or services rendered are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

% of

 

2019

 

Americas

 

Europe

 

Asia

 

Total

 

Total

 

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

 

TS

 

$

67,228

 

$

3,285

 

$

646

 

$

71,159

 

90

%

HPP

 

 

5,294

 

 

771

 

 

1,837

 

 

7,902

 

10

%

Total

 

$

72,522

 

$

4,056

 

$

2,483

 

$

79,061

 

100

%

% of Total

 

 

92

%  

 

 5

%  

 

 3

%  

 

100

%  

  

 

2018

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

TS

 

$

52,034

 

$

9,059

 

$

1,344

 

$

62,437

 

86

%

HPP

 

 

8,424

 

 

1,266

 

 

789

 

 

10,479

 

14

%

Total

 

$

60,458

 

$

10,325

 

$

2,133

 

$

72,916

 

100

%

% of Total

 

 

83

%  

 

14

%  

 

 3

%  

 

100

%  

  

 

2017
Americas 
 
Europe 
 
Asia 
 
Total 
 
 
% of
Total 
 (Amounts in thousands)
HPP$10,340
 $1,437
 $2,067
 $13,844
 12%
TS59,642
 36,060
 1,936
 97,638
 88%
Total$69,982
 $37,497
 $4,003
 $111,482
 100%
% of Total63% 34% 3% 100%  
2016         
HPP$11,417
 $1,584
 $3,341
 $16,342
 16%
TS59,698
 26,376
 951
 87,025
 84%
Total$71,115
 $27,960
 $4,292
 $103,367
 100%
% of Total69% 27% 4% 100%  

Substantially all Americas amounts are United States.



Long-lived assets by geographic location at years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

North America

 

$

1,270

 

$

844

Europe

 

 

 3

 

 

 3

Totals

 

$

1,273

 

$

847

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
North America$1,078
 $1,348
Europe597
 619
Totals$1,675
 $1,967

Deferred tax assets by geographic location at years ended September 30, 20172019 and 20162018 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

 

    

2019

    

2018

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

North America

 

$

1,946

 

$

1,895

Europe

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Totals

 

$

1,946

 

$

1,895

 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 (Amounts in thousands)
North America$1,962
 $1,990
Europe865
 1,064
Totals$2,827
 $3,054

The following table lists customers from which the Company derived revenues in excess of 10% of total revenues for the years ended years ended September 30, 20172019 and 2016.2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the years ended

 

 

 

September 30, 2019

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

    

 

 

    

% of

    

 

 

    

% of

 

 

 

Amount

 

Revenues

 

Amount

 

Revenues

 

 

 

(Amounts in millions)

 

Customer A

 

$

3.8

 

 5

%  

$

7.5

 

10

%

Customer B

 

$

10.2

 

13

%  

$

1.1

 

 3

%

 For the years ended
 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
 Amount 
% of
Revenues
 Amount 
% of
Revenues
 (Amounts in millions)
Customer A$22.1
 20% $19.6
 19%
Customer B$11.1
 10% $13.2
 13%

In addition, accounts receivable from Customer A totaled approximately $2.4$0.3 million, or 9%1%, and approximately $3.0$1.1 million, or 15%9%, of total consolidated accounts receivable as of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016,2018, respectively. Accounts receivable and long term receivable from Customer B totaled approximately $3.9$7.4 million, or 14%36%, and approximately $2.5$0.2 million, or 13%2%, of total consolidated accounts receivable as of September 30, 20172019 and September 30, 2016, respectively.

Two additional customers, C and D, accounted for accounts receivable of 10% or more but did not account for sales of 10% or more. Accounts receivable from Customer C totaled approximately $4.5 million, or 16%, and approximately $1.5 million, or 8%, of total consolidated accounts receivable as of September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. Accounts receivable from Customer D totaled approximately $4.2 million, or 15%, and approximately $0.7 million, or 3%, of total consolidated accounts receivable as of September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016,2018, respectively. We believe that the Company is not exposed to any significant credit risk with respect to the accounts receivable with these customers as of September 30, 2017.2019. No other customers accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated accounts receivable as of September 30, 2017 or September 30, 2016.2019.

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15.       

19.    Fair Value Measures


Disclosures

Under the fair value standards fair value is based on the exit price and defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value measurement should reflect all the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. A fair value hierarchy is established in the authoritative guidance outlined in three levels ranking from Level 1 to level 3 with Level 1 being the highest priority.

Level 1: observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets

Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly

Level 3: unobservable inputs (e.g., a reporting entity’s or other entity’s own data)

The Company had no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring (except our pension plan assets, see Note 15) or non-recurring basis as of September 30, 20172019 or September 30, 2016, except for pension plan assets values,2018.

To estimate fair value of the financial instruments below quoted market prices are used when available and classified within Level 1. If this data is not available, we use observable market based inputs to estimate fair value, which are discussed in classified within Level 2. If the preceding information is unavailable, we use internally generated data to estimate fair value which is classified within Level 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of September 30, 2019

 

 

As of September 30, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrying Amount

 

 

Fair Value

 

 

Carrying Amount

 

 

Fair Value

 

Fair Value Level

 

Reference

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

 

 

 

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

18,099

 

$

18,099

 

$

25,107

 

$

25,107

 

1

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Accounts & long term receivable*

 

7,087

 

 

7,087

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

3

 

Note 3

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note payable

 

1,001

 

 

1,001

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

2

 

Note 11

*Original maturity over one year

Cash and cash equivalents

Carrying amount approximated fair value.

Accounts and long term receivable with original maturity over one year

Fair value was estimated by discounting future cash flows based on the current rate with similar terms.

Note 11.Payable

Fair value was estimated based on quoted market prices.

Fair value of accounts receivable with an original maturity of one year or less and accounts payable was not materially different from their carrying values at September 30, 2019, and 2018.


75


20.    Dividend

For the years ended September 30,201730, 2019 and 2016,2018, the Company declared and paid cash dividends as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

Amount Paid

Fiscal Year

 

Date Declared

 

Record Date

 

Date Paid

 

Per Share

2018

 

12/19/2017

 

12/29/2017

 

1/16/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

2/12/2018

 

2/28/2018

 

3/16/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

5/9/2018

 

5/31/2018

 

6/15/2018

 

$

0.11

2018

 

8/13/2018

 

8/31/2018

 

9/14/2018

 

$

0.15

2019

 

12/27/2018

 

1/7/2019

 

1/22/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

2/12/2019

 

2/28/2019

 

3/14/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

5/8/2019

 

5/31/2019

 

6/14/2019

 

$

0.15

2019

 

8/7/2019

 

8/30/2019

 

9/13/2019

 

$

0.15


76

Fiscal Year Date Declared Record Date Date Paid Amount Paid Per Share
2016 12/23/2015 12/31/2015 1/11/2016 $0.11
2016 2/16/2016 2/26/2016 3/11/2016 $0.11
2016 5/11/2016 5/27/2016 6/10/2016 $0.11
2016 8/18/2016 8/31/2016 9/9/2016 $0.11
2017 1/12/2017 1/27/2017 2/8/2017 $0.11
2017 2/23/2017 3/3/2017 3/17/2017 $0.11
2017 5/24/2017 6/1/2017 6/15/2017 $0.11
2017 8/14/2017 8/21/2017 9/5/2017 $0.11


17. Related Party Transactions

During the normal course of business, the Company sold products to a company whose Board of Directors included two members of CSP Inc.'s Board of Directors. The total sales were $283 thousand for the fiscal year ended 2016. The trade receivable was $64 thousand thousand as of September 30, 2016. CSP Inc's two board members were no longer board members of the same company at the end of fiscal year 2017.


18. Subsequent Events

On December 20, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill was passed by Congress. Once the bill is signed into law, the change in the tax law will lower our overall tax rate and reduce our deferred taxes and will be treated as a discrete item in the quarter enacted. We will still need to assess the effect of the new law when enacted on our effective tax rate.






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