Item 1. Business
Item
1. Business
Background
Current
Line of Business
We
manufacture optical sighting systems and assemblies, primarily for Department of Defense applications. Our products are installed on
various types of U.S. military land vehicles, such as the Abrams and Bradley fighting vehicles, light armored and armored security vehicles
and the Stryker family of vehicles. We also manufacture and deliver numerous periscope configurations, rifle and surveillance sights
and night vision optical assemblies. Our products consist primarily of build-to-customer print products that are delivered both directly
to the armed services and to other defense prime contractors. Less than 1% of our revenue is related to the resale of products substantially
manufactured by others. In this case, the product would likely be a simple replacement part of a larger system previously produced by
us.
We
continue to field new product opportunities from both domestic and international customers. We believe that given continuing unrest in
multiple global hot spots, the need for precision optics continues to increase. Most of these requirements are for observation and situational
awareness applications; however, we continue to see requests for higher magnification and custom reticles in various product modifications.
The basic need to protect the soldier while providing information about the mission environment continues to be the primary driver for
these requirements.
Recent
Events
NASDAQ
Listing Application
On
December 7, 2022 the Company submitted an application to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market. There are no assurances
(1) that the Company will continue to meet the initial listing criteria throughout the pendency of the application (including with respect
to its share price), (2) that NASDAQ will approve the application or (3) relating to the timing of any such approval. If and when listed
on NASDAQ, there are no assurances that the Company will continue to meet NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements.
Amended
and Restated Employment Agreement for Danny Schoening
On
November 28, 2022, the Company entered into a new employment agreement with Danny Schoening. Pursuant to the agreement, which is dated
as of December 1, 2022, Mr. Schoening will continue to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer through November
30, 2025. Mr. Schoening’s base salary initially is $304,912 per annum, and will be increased to $314,060 on December 1, 2023 and
$323,481 on December 1, 2024. Mr. Schoening will be eligible for a performance bonus based on a one-year operating plan adopted by the
Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). The bonus will be based on financial and/or operating metrics decided annually
by the Board or the Compensation Committee and tied to such one-year plan. The target bonus will equate to 30% of Mr. Schoening’s
base salary. The Board will have discretion in good faith to alter the performance bonus upward or downward by 20%.
3
The
updated employment agreement also served to amend Mr. Schoening’s RSU Agreement, dated January 2, 2019, which had been previously
amended as of December 1, 2021, by changing the third and final vesting date for the restricted stock units granted under such agreement
from the “change of control date” to January 1, 2023.
The
employment agreement events of termination consist of: (i) death or permanent disability of Mr. Schoening; (ii) termination by the Company
for cause (including conviction of a felony, commission of fraudulent, illegal or dishonest acts, certain willful misconduct or gross
negligence by Mr. Schoening, continued failure to perform material duties or cure material breach after written notice, violation of
securities laws and material breach of the employment agreement), (iii) termination by the Company without cause and (iv) termination
by Mr. Schoening for good reason (including continued breach by the Company of its material obligations under the agreement after written
notice, the requirement for Mr. Schoening to move more than 100 miles away for his employment without consent, and merger or consolidation
that results in more than 66% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities or those of its successor
changing ownership or a sale of all or substantially all of its assets, without the surviving entity assuming the obligations under the
agreement). For a termination by the Company for cause or upon death or permanent disability of Mr. Schoening, Mr. Schoening will be
paid accrued and unpaid salary and any bonus earned through the date of termination. For a termination by the Company without cause or
by Mr. Schoening with good reason, Mr. Schoening will also be paid six months’ base salary in effect.
New
Loan Agreement
On
April 12, 2022, the Company and its subsidiary, Optex Systems, Inc. (collectively with the Company, the “Borrowers”), entered
into an Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with PNC Bank, National Association, successor to BBVA
USA (the “Lender”), pursuant to which the Borrowers’ existing revolving line of credit facility was decreased from
$2.25 million to $1.125 million, and the maturity date was extended from April 15, 2022 to April 15, 2023.
The
Loan Agreement requires the Borrowers to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.25:1.
On
November 21, 2022, the Borrowers issued an Amended and Restated Revolving Line of Credit Note (the “Line of Credit Note”)
to the Lender in connection with an increase of the Borrowers’ revolving line of credit facility under the Loan Agreement from
$1.125 million to $2.0 million. The maturity date remains April 15, 2023. Obligations outstanding under the credit facility will accrue
interest at a rate equal to the Lender’s prime rate minus 0.25%.
The
Line of Credit Note and Loan Agreement contain customary events of default and negative covenants, including but not limited to those
governing indebtedness, liens, fundamental changes, investments, and restricted payments. The credit facility is secured by substantially
all of the operating assets of the Borrowers as collateral. The Borrowers’ obligations under the credit facility are subject to
acceleration upon the occurrence of an event of default as defined in the Line of Credit Note and Loan Agreement.
Election
of New Director
On
October 19, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Company expanded the size of the Board from four to five members and elected Mr. Dayton
Judd as a director, to hold office until the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders and until his successor has been elected
and qualified.
Tender
Offer
On
September 15, 2022, the Company’s “modified Dutch auction” tender offer expired. In accordance with the terms and conditions
of the tender offer, the Company accepted for purchase 1,603,773 shares of common stock at a price of $2.65 per share, for an aggregate
cost of approximately $4.25 million, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. These shares represented approximately
19.3% of its shares of common stock outstanding as of September 15, 2022. Because the tender offer was oversubscribed, the Company accepted
for payment only a pro-rated portion of the shares of common stock properly tendered by each tendering stockholder (other than “odd
lot” holders whose shares were purchased on a priority basis).
4
Renewal
of Employment Agreement for Karen Hawkins
On
July 1, 2022, the employment agreement for Karen Hawkins, CFO, auto-renewed for an additional 18-month period, expiring on December 31,
2023. The contract automatically renews for subsequent 18-month periods unless Ms. Hawkins or the Company give notice of termination
at least 90 days before the end of the term then in effect. On March 28, 2022, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors approved
a salary increase of 4% for Karen Hawkins, CFO to be effective on April 1, 2022. As a result of the increase, the salary has been changed
from $205,425 to $213,642.
Stock
Repurchases
On
September 22, 2021 the Company announced authorization for a $1 million stock repurchase program.
During
the twelve months ended October 2, 2022, there were 190,954 common shares repurchased through the repurchase programs at a cost of $371
thousand. As of October 2, 2022, there were zero shares held in treasury purchased under the September 2021 stock repurchase program.
The shares authorized to be repurchased under the repurchase program were purchased from time to time at prevailing market prices,
through open market or in negotiated transactions, depending upon market conditions and subject to Rule 10b-18 as promulgated by the
SEC.
Recent
Orders
● On
November 2, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a maximum order value of $7,500,000
for spare Light Interference Filters associated with various Night Vision Goggle systems.
The expected average annual revenue over the following five-year period is $1,000,000-$1,500,000.
The products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division of Optex Systems,
Inc.
● On
November 1, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a $3.4 million order to repair
and refurbish night vision equipment for the Government of Israel, which includes an additional
100% optional award quantity. The majority of this work will be performed in the Optex Systems,
Inc., Richardson facility.
● On
October 24, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a $720,000 order from a major
US prime contractor in support of the US Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) tank
program. The majority of this work will be performed in the Optex Systems, Inc., Richardson
facility.
● On
October 4, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a $1.75 million order as part
of its continuing support to the M1 Abrams Tank Program. The products will be manufactured
at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division of Optex Systems, Inc.
● On
September 6, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a $1.1 million order as part
of a multi-year strategic supplier agreement with a domestic commercial manufacturer of premium
optical devices. The products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division
of Optex Systems, Inc.
● On
August 30, 2022, the Company announced it has been awarded a $2.23 million order as part
of a multi-year strategic supplier agreement with a domestic commercial manufacturer of premium
optical devices. The products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division
of Optex Systems, Inc.
● On
June 29, 2022, the Company announced a $1 million laser filter unit order as part of XM157
(NGWS-FC) Scope. The products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division
of Optex Systems, Inc.
● On
April 20, 2022, the Company announced a contract for $1.1 million as part of a multi-year
strategic supplier agreement with a domestic manufacturer of premium optical devices. The
products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division of Optex Systems,
Inc.
● On March 1, 2022, the Company announced a contract for $2.1 million as part of a multi-year
strategic supplier agreement with a domestic manufacturer of premium optical devices. The
products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division of Optex Systems,
Inc.
5
Products
Our
products are installed on various types of U.S. military land vehicles, such as the Abrams, and Bradley and Stryker families of fighting
vehicles, as well as light armored and armored security vehicles. We also manufacture and deliver numerous periscope configurations,
rifle and surveillance sights and night vision optical assemblies. We deliver our products both directly to the federal government and
to prime contractors.
In
addition, the Company offers mil-spec quality High Efficiency Anti-Reflective Coatings for Infrared applications in both the military
and commercial markets. These coatings are manufactured at the Applied Optics Center (AOC) Division of the Company in Dallas, Texas.
We
deliver high volume products, under multi-year contracts, to large defense contractors and government customers. Increased emphasis in
the past several years has been on new opportunities to promote and deliver our products in foreign military sales, where U.S.-manufactured,
combat and wheeled vehicles, are supplied (and upgraded) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense. We have a reputation for
quality and credibility with our customers as a strategic supplier. We also anticipate the opportunity to integrate some of our night
vision and optical sights products into commercial applications.
Specific
product categories by product line include:
Product
Line
Product
Category
Periscopes
Laser & Non-Laser Protected
Plastic & Glass Periscopes, Electronic M17 Day/Thermal Periscopes, Vision Blocks
Sighting Systems
Back Up Sights, Digital
Day and Night Sighting Systems (DDAN), M36 Thermal Periscope, Unity Mirrors, Optical Weapon System Support and Maintenance, Commander
Weapon Station Sight (CWSS)
Howitzers
M137 Telescope, M187 Mount,
M119 Aiming Device, XM10 Aiming Circle
Other
Muzzle Reference Systems
(MRS), Binoculars, Collimators, Optical Lenses & Elements, Windows
Applied Optics Center
Laser Interference Filter,
Optical Assemblies, Laser Filter Units, Day Windows, Binoculars, Specialty Thin Film Coatings.
Contracts
Some
of our contracts may allow for government contract financing in the form of contract progress payments pursuant to Federal Acquisition
Regulation 52.232-16, “Progress Payments”. Subject to certain limitations, this clause provides for government payment of
up to 90% of incurred program costs prior to product delivery for small businesses like us. To the extent any contracts allow for progress
payments and the respective contracts would result in significant preproduction cash requirements for design, process development, tooling,
material or other resources which could exceed our current working capital or line of credit availability, we intend to utilize this
benefit to minimize any potential negative impact on working capital prior to receipt of payment for the associated contract deliveries.
Our
government contracts allow for Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.243-1 which entitles the contractor to an “equitable adjustment”
for contract or statement of work changes effecting cost or time of performance. In essence, an equitable price adjustment request is
a request for a contract price modification (generally an increase) that allows for the contractor to be “made whole” for
additional costs incurred which were necessitated by some modification of the contract effort. This modification may come from an overt
change in U.S. Government requirements or scope, or it may come from a change in the conditions surrounding the contract (e.g., differing
site conditions or late delivery of U.S. Government-furnished property) which result in statement of work additions, deletions, part
substitutions, schedule or other changes to the contract which impact the contractor’s overall cost to complete.
6
Each
contract with our customers has specific quantities of material that need to be purchased, assembled, and then shipped. Prior to bidding
for a contract, we contact potential sources of material and receive qualified quotations for each material. In some cases, the entire
volume is given to a single supplier and in other cases, the volume might be split between several suppliers. If a contract has a single
source supplier and that supplier fails to meet their obligations (e.g., quality, delivery), then we would attempt to find an acceptable
alternate supplier, and if successful, we would then renegotiate contractual deliverables (e.g., specifications, delivery or price).
As of December 1, 2022, approximately 1% of our material requirements are single-sourced across 7 suppliers representing approximately
12% of our active supplier order values. Single-sourced component requirements span across all of our major product lines. Of these single
sourced components, we have material contracts (purchase orders) with firm pricing and delivery schedules in place with each of the suppliers
to supply the parts necessary to satisfy our current contractual needs. See “ Item 1.A. Risk Factors – Risks Relating to
Our Business – Certain of our products are dependent on specialized sources of supply potentially subject to disruption which could
have a material, adverse impact on our business ” for a description of certain supplier risks we face, which description is
incorporated herein by reference.
Approximately
78% of our contracts contain termination clauses for convenience. In the event these clauses should be invoked by our customer, future
revenues against these contracts could be affected, however these clauses allow for a full recovery of any incurred contract costs plus
a reasonable fee up through and as a result of the contract termination. We are currently unaware of any pending terminations on our
existing contracts.
In
some cases, contract awards may be issued that are subject to renegotiation at a date (up to 180 days) subsequent to the initial award
date. Generally, these subsequent negotiations have had an immaterial impact (zero to 5%) on the contract price of the affected contracts.
Currently, none of our awarded contracts are subject to renegotiation.
We
are subject to, and must comply with, various governmental regulations that impact, among other things, our revenue, operating costs,
profit margins and the internal organization and operation of our business. The material regulations affecting our U.S. government business
are summarized in the table below.
Regulation
Summary
Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR)
The principal set of rules
in the Federal Acquisition Regulation System. This system consists of sets of regulations issued by agencies of the federal government
of the United States to govern what is called the “acquisition process,” which is the process through which the government
acquires goods and services. That process consists of three phases: (1) need recognition and acquisition planning, (2) contract formation,
and (3) contract administration. This system regulates the activities of government personnel in carrying out that process. It does
not regulate the purchasing activities of private sector firms, except to the extent that those activities involve government solicitations
and contracts by reference.
International Traffic in
Arms Regulations (ITAR)
United States government
regulations that control the export and import of defense-related articles and services on the United States Munitions List. These
regulations implement the provisions of the Arms Export Control Act.
Truth in Negotiations Act
(TINA)
A public law enacted for
the purpose of providing for full and fair disclosure by contractors in the conduct of negotiations with the government. The most
significant provision included is the requirement that contractors submit certified cost and pricing data for negotiated procurements
above a defined threshold of $2 million for contracts entered into after June, 30, 2018. The law requires contractors to provide
the government with an extremely broad range of cost or pricing information relevant to the expected costs of contract performance,
and it requires contractors and subcontractors to submit cost or pricing data to the government and to certify that, to the best
of their knowledge and belief, the data are current, accurate, and complete. A contracting officer may still request cost or price
data, if necessary, without certification, to determine whether the proposed cost or price is fair and reasonable for contracts which
are below the threshold.
7
We
are responsible for full compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Upon award, the contract may identify certain regulations
that we need to meet. For example, a contract may allow progress billing pursuant to specific FAR clauses incorporated into the contract.
Other contracts may call for specific first article acceptance and testing requirements. The FAR will identify the specific regulations
that we must follow based on the type of contract awarded and contains guidelines and regulations for managing a contract after award,
including conditions under which contracts may be terminated, in whole or in part, at the government’s convenience or for default.
These regulations also subject us to financial audits and other reviews by the government of our costs, performance, accounting and general
business practices relating to our government contracts, which may result in adjustment of our contract-related costs and fees and, among
other things and impose accounting rules that define allowable and unallowable costs governing our right to reimbursement under certain
contracts.
First
Article Testing and Acceptance requirements consist of specific steps which could be comprehensive and time consuming. The dimensions
and material specifications of each piece of the assembly must be verified, and some products may have in excess of 100 assembled parts.
Once the individual piece parts are verified to be compliant to the specification, the assembly processes are documented and verified.
A sample of the production (typically three units) is verified to meet final performance specifications. Once the units meet the final
performance specification, they are then subjected to accelerated life testing, a series of tests which simulate the lifetime use of
the product in the field. This consists of exposing the units to thermal extremes, humidity, mechanical shock, vibration, and other physical
exposure tests. Once completed, the units undergo a final verification process to ensure that no damage has occurred as a result of the
testing and that they continue to meet the performance specification. All of the information and data is recorded into a final first
article inspection and test report and submitted to the customer along with the test units for final approval. First Article Acceptance
and Testing is generally required on new contracts/product awards but may also be required on existing products or contracts where there
has been a significant gap in production, or where the product has undergone significant manufacturing process, material, tooling, equipment
or product configuration changes.
We
are also subject to laws, regulations and executive orders restricting the use and dissemination of information deemed classified for
national security purposes and the exportation of certain products and technical data as covered by the International Traffic in Arms
Regulation (ITAR). In order to import or export items listed on the U.S. Munitions List, we are required to be registered with the Directorate
of Defense Trade Controls office. The registration is valid for one year, and the registration fees are established based on the number
of license applications submitted the previous year. We currently have an approved and current registration on file with the Directorate
of Defense Trade Controls office. Once the registration is approved, each import/export license must be filed separately. License approval
requires the company to provide proof of need, such as a valid contract or purchase order requirement for the specific product or technical
data requested on the license and requires a detailed listing of the items requested for export/import, the end-user, the end-user statement,
the value of the items, consignees/freight forwarders and a copy of a valid contract or purchase order from the end-user. The approval
process for the license can vary from several weeks to six months or more. The licenses we currently use are the Department of State
licenses: DSP-5 (permanent export), DSP-6 (license revisions) and DSP-73 (temporary export) and Department of Commerce: BIS-711 (export).
The
aforementioned licenses are valid for 48 months from date that each license is issued. A summary of our active ITAR licenses is presented
below (updated as of November 30, 2022):
Fiscal Year
Number of
Total Contract
Value of
Active ITAR Licenses
of Expiration
Licenses
Licenses
DSP-5
Issued 2019
2023
4
20,934,845
Issued 2020
2024
3
51,365
Issued 2021
2025
3
232,630
Issued 2022
2026
4
321,722
Total DSP-5 Licenses
14
$ 21,540,562
DSP-6 (no active licenses)
N/A
—
$ —
DSP-73
Issued in 2019
2023
1
$ 4,000
Total DSP-73 Licenses
1
$ 4,000
BIS-711
Issued in 2019
2023
4
3,416
Issued in 2020
2024
5
92,554
Issued in 2021
2025
4
323,911
Issued in 2022
2026
1
9,372
Total BIS-711 Licenses
14
$ 429,253
Total All Licenses
29
$ 21,973,815
8
These
licenses are subject to termination if a licensee is found to be in violation of the Arms Export Control Act or the ITAR requirements.
If a licensee is found to be in violation, in addition to a termination of its licenses, it can be subject to fines and penalties by
the government.
Our
contracts may also be governed by the Truth in Negotiation Act (TINA) requirements where certain of our contracts or proposals exceed
the TINA threshold ($2 million for awards after June 30, 2018), and/or are deemed as sole source, or non-competitive awards, covered
under this act. For these contracts, we must provide a vast array of cost and pricing data in addition to certification that our pricing
data and disclosure materials are current, accurate and complete upon conclusion of the negotiation. Due to the additional disclosure
and certification requirements, if a post contract award audit were to uncover that the pricing data provided was in any way not current,
accurate or complete as of the certification date, we could be subjected to a defective pricing claim adjustment with accrued interest.
We have no history of defective pricing claim adjustments and have no outstanding defective pricing claims pending. Additionally, as
a result of this requirement, contract price negotiations may span from two to six months and can result in undefinitized or not to exceed
ceiling priced contracts subject to future downward negotiations and price adjustments. Currently, we do not have any undefinitized contracts
subject to further price negotiation.
Our
failure to comply with applicable regulations, rules and approvals or misconduct by any of our employees could result in the imposition
of fines and penalties, the loss of security clearances, the loss of our U.S. government contracts or our suspension or debarment from
contracting with the U.S. government generally, any of which could have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows. We are currently in compliance with all applicable regulations and do not have any pending claims
as a result of noncompliance.
9
The
terms of our material contracts as of November 30, 2022, are as follows:
Customer
Customer PO/Contract
Contract Type
Total Award Value (millions)
Remaining Value (millions)
Delivery
Period
US Prime Contractor (1)
Sighting Systems
Subcontract
PO 35515590
FFPQ
$ 3.5
$ 1.0
Oct 2017- Mar 2025
DLA Land and Maritime (2)
Periscopes
Prime
SPE7LX-18-D-0108
IDIQ
$ 1.6
$ 0.6
Feb 2020 - Apr 2023
DLA Land and Maritime (3)
Periscopes
Prime
SPE7LX-19-D-0089
IDIQ
$ 0.2
$ 0.3
Feb 2021 - Jan 2023
DLA Land and Maritime (4)
Periscopes
Prime
SPE7LX-20-D-0020
IDIQ
$ 0.8
$ 0.2
Dec 2021 - July 2023
DLA Land and Maritime (5)
Glass Periscopes
Prime/Shared
SPE7MX-20-D-0012
IDIQ
$ -
$ -
No task awards as of current date
DLA Land and Maritime (6)
Periscopes
Prime
SPE7MX-20-D-0028
IDIQ
$ -
$ -
No task awards as of current date
DLA Land and Maritime (7)
Periscopes
Prime
SPE7MX-20-D-0032
IDIQ
$ -
$ -
No task awards as of current date
U.S. Prime Contractor (8)
XM10 Aiming Circles
Subcontract
PO 63659
FFPQ
$ 2.3
$ 2.3
Pending Revision (2023-2024)
DLA Land and Maritime (9)
Prime
IDIQ
$ 2.2
$ 0.9
Sept 2021 - Jan 2023
Periscopes
SPE7LX-21-D-0057
U.S. Prime Contractor (10)
Laser Filter Units (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 631537
FFPQ
$ 8.4
$ 5.0
Aug 2021 - Mar 2024
US Prime Contractor (11)
Periscopes
Subcontract
PO 40389248,40389250
FFPQ
$ 1.7
$ 0.5
Feb 2022 - Jan 2024
Commercial Customer (12)
Optical Assemblies (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 27044
FFPQ
$ 2.1
$ 1.9
Jul 2022 - Dec 2022
Commercial Customer (13)
Optical Assemblies (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 27377
FFPQ
$ 1.1
$ 1.0
Aug 2022 - Jan 2023
US Prime Contractor (14)
Laser Filter Unit (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 52960
FFPQ
$ 1.0
$ 1.0
Nov 2022 - Dec 2023
Commercial Customer (15)
Optical Assemblies (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 28012
FFPQ
$ 2.2
$ 2.2
Apr 2023 - Dec 2023
Commercial Customer (16)
Optical Assemblies (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 28043
FFPQ
$ 1.1
$ 1.1
Jun 2023 - Dec 2023
US Prime Contractor (17)
Day Windows (AOC)
Subcontract
PO 40385578
IDIQ
$ 1.9
$ 1.9
Dec 2022 - Jul 2025
US Prime Contractor (18)
Periscopes
Subcontract
PO 319216
FFPQ
$ 0.7
$ 0.7
Jun 2023 - Aug 2024
Government of Israel MOD (19)
Refurbish Night Vision Equip
Foreign Military Sales
PO 4441236828
FFPQ
$ 3.4
$ 3.4
Pending Revision (2023-2024)
DLA Land at Aberdeen (20)
Light Interference Filters (AOC)
Prime
SPRBL1-23-D-0001
IDIQ
$ 0.1
$ 0.1
May 2023
(1)
The
original three-year contract was awarded on September 11, 2017 to provide LAV 6.0 optimized weapon system support for Optex’s
Commander Sighting System. The contract includes option years to extend the period of performance through 2035 if awarded. The current
contract option extends the in-service support through March 2025 for their existing fleet of Light Armored Vehicles.
10
(2)
Contract
awarded September 5, 2018. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing for
the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five years.
On June 23, 2022 the customer exercised the option for the final option year 2. The ordering period for option year 2 expires on
September 10, 2023.
(3)
Contract
awarded March 4, 2019. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing for the
duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five years.
On March 2, 2022, the customer exercised the first of two option years extending the ordering period of the contract through March
3, 2023.
(4)
Contract
awarded on November 12, 2019. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing
for the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five
years for periscopes valued up to $2.3 million.
(5)
Contract
awarded on December 5, 2019. This is a shared long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed
pricing for the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years. The contract was a split
award between Optex Systems Inc. and another supplier. As of October 2, 2022, there have been no task orders released against the
base contract award.
(6)
Contract
awarded on January 24, 2020. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing
for the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five
years for periscopes valued up to $3.6 million. As of October 3, 2021, there have been no task orders released against the base contract
award.
(7)
Contract
awarded on February 12, 2020. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing
for the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five
years for periscopes valued up to $9.2 million. As of October 3, 2021, there have been no task orders released against the base contract
award.
(8)
Purchase
Order by a U.S. prime contractor in support of government contract W15QKN-16-D-0055 for Aiming Circle optical subassemblies. The
purchase order was awarded on July 30, 2020 for $2 million and amended to $2.3 million on September 14, 2020 and includes non-recurring
engineering, first article testing and production deliveries. Contract has been delayed pending receipt of customer furnished material
and is pending changes to the contract delivery schedule.
(9)
Contract
awarded on January 6, 2021. This is a long-term, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing
for the duration of a base period of three (3) years plus two (2) firm fixed priced option years for a potential total of (5) five
years for periscopes valued up to $14.4 million.
(10)
Purchase
Order awarded August 3, 2021 by a U.S. prime contractor in support of U.S. government contracts. Award includes first article inspection
in August 2021 and production deliveries commencing in September 2021 through October 2023.
(11)
Purchase
Orders awarded September 24, 2021 by a U.S. prime contractor in support of U.S. government contracts.
(12)
Purchase
Orders awarded February 28, 2022 to a commercial customer in support of optical assemblies.
(13)
Purchase
Orders awarded April 19, 2022 to a commercial customer in support of optical assemblies.
(14)
Purchase
Orders awarded June 28, 2022 from a U.S. defense contractor in support of laser filter units.
(15)
Purchase
Orders awarded August 26, 2022 from a commercial customer in support of optical assemblies.
(16)
Purchase
Orders awarded August 31, 2022 from a commercial customer in support of optical assemblies.
(17)
Purchase
Orders awarded August 29, 2021 and modified with a significant quantity increase on September 28, 2022 by a U.S. prime contractor
in support of U.S. government contracts.
(18)
Purchase
Orders awarded September 16, 2022 by a U.S. prime contractor in support of U.S. government contracts.
(19)
Purchase
Orders awarded October 27, 2022 to repair and refurbish night vision equipment for the Government of Israel which includes an option
for an additional quantity up to 100%. The Contract is pending a firm delivery schedule pending receipt of customer furnished material
and evaluation.
(20)
Contract
awarded on November 2, 2022 for spare Light Interference Filters associated with various Night Vision Goggle systems. This is a five
year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with firm fixed pricing for the duration of the contract. The award
has a maximum order value of $7,500,000 with an expected average annual revenue over the following five year period of $1,000,000-$1,500,000.
11
Market
Opportunity — U.S. Military
During
the twelve months ended October 2, 2022, approximately 70% of our business was in support of U.S. military products. The chart below
was derived from public government spending sources and depicts total U.S. military spending from 2018 through 2022 and estimated spending
through 2027. The purpose of including this chart is to provide the reader with historical trend data and projected U.S. military defense
and procurement spending over time. For fiscal year 2023, the total projected military spending is estimated at $767.6 billion, an overall
increase of 3.6% over estimated 2022 spending. The chart below also depicts increased spending through 2027 of 10.9% from the current
estimated fiscal year 2022 level, reflecting an average increase of 2.2% per year. Military procurement spending, a subset of total military
spending, depicts an overall increase of $3.6 billion, or 2.7%, in fiscal year 2023 as compared to the estimated spending in fiscal year
2022.
As of December 7, 2022, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (2023 NDAA) has not yet been passed by Congress but
had cleared negotiations through the U.S. House and Senate with an expected $45 billion increase over the original funding request. The
Chart below depicts the original estimated funding levels from the U.S. Department of Defense based on the FY2023 budget request.
Source:
Government Publishing Office, U.S. Budget Historical Tables, FY 2023, Table 3.2 Outlays by function and sub function, 1962-2027.
The
table below depicts the U.S. Department of Defense budget request for fiscal year 2023 for major ground system programs. The last five
years have experienced a significant reduction in spending for U.S ground system military programs, which has a direct impact on the
Optex Systems Richardson segment revenue. The total fiscal year 2023 budget request for major ground system programs decreased by 15.4%
from the fiscal year 2022 levels and by 37.0% from the fiscal year 2019 levels. Although it is difficult to directly tie the budget request
to specific components provided by Optex Systems, we provide periscopes, collimator assemblies, vision blocks and laser interface filters
to the U.S. armed forces on almost all of the ground system platforms categorized below.
($ in Millions)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023B
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
$ 1,901.8
$ 1,716.5
$ 1,408.3
$ 1,048.5
$ 1,058.8
ARMY
Abrams Tank Modification/Upgrade
2,646.0
2,186.0
1,404.2
1,261.2
717.6
Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle
787.8
525.2
132.1
118.9
380.7
Paladin Integrated Management
561.6
744.5
681.4
838.0
629.7
Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
127.2
141.4
211.2
77.2
97.4
Family Of Heavy Tactical Vehicles
324.1
50.8
28.8
201.7
147.0
Next Generation Squad Weapon
-
86.2
125.3
176.4
287.8
Ground Mobility Vehicle
44.0
-
-
-
-
Stryker
661.5
953.2
1,186.3
1,113.8
742.4
USMC
Amphibious Combat Vehicle
230.8
349.3
478.1
594.4
531.2
Total Ground Systems Vehicles (millions)
$ 7,284.8
$ 6,753.1
$ 5,655.7
$ 5,430.1
$ 4,592.6
Source:
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, “Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System, United
States Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request”, April 2022 and “Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System,
United States Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request”, May 2021.
12
The
2023 Department of Defense Budget indicates an overall decrease in ground system vehicle program spending in the fiscal year 2022 and
the 2023 appropriation budget years. There is generally a six to eighteen-month delay between U.S. defense budget requests and program
delivery orders related to our products from government agencies and our prime defense customers. In addition, DoD budget requests are
often changed throughout the congressional NDAA Budgeting and Budget appropriations process. The DoD budget requests exclude any foreign
military sales as they are funded separately from the annual NDAA budgets. We are carefully watching the projected trends in both DoD
military spending and FMS as defense allocation priorities change, as well as challenges which are presented from the current pandemic,
global recession, and changes in political climate to ascertain any potential impact to the company’s future revenue.
The
Applied Optics Center supports numerous other military platforms outside of the ground system vehicles budget such as infantry rifle
scopes, night vision monoculars, infantry and navy binoculars, night goggles, and infrared aircraft filters. The Applied Optics Center
has seen a substantial increase in orders from new and existing customers in support of the other platforms, which we expect to offset
the impact of the ground systems reductions to their base revenue.
Market
Opportunity — Foreign Military
Our
products directly support FMS combat vehicles globally, including Canada, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, South
America, and Israel. We have increased efforts to promote our proven military products, as well as newly improved product solutions directly
to foreign military representatives and domestic defense contractors supporting the FMS initiatives.
We
were successful with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) in refurbishing a small quantity of their Night Vision Rifle Scopes. Given
this success, the IMOD subsequently awarded us a $3.4 million follow on contract to continue this activity. If we successfully execute
this contract, we would expect another contract award of similar size and duration.
We
are also exploring possibilities to adapt some of our products for commercial use in those markets that demonstrate potential for solid
revenue growth, both domestically and internationally.
Market
Opportunity — Commercial
Our
products are currently sold to military and related government markets. We believe there may be opportunities to commercialize various
products we presently manufacture to address other markets. Our initial focus will be directed in three product areas.
●
Big Eye Binoculars —
While the military application we produce is based on mature military designs, we own all castings, tooling and glass technology.
These large fixed mount binoculars could be sold to cruise ships, personal yachts and cities/municipalities. The binoculars are also
applicable to fixed, land-based outposts for private commercial security as well as border patrols and regional law enforcement.
●
Thin Film Coatings —
The acquisition of the Applied Optics Center (AOC) also creates a new sector of opportunity for commercial products for us. Globally,
commercial optical products use thin film coatings to create product differentiation. These coatings can be used for redirecting
light (mirrors), blocking light (laser protection), absorbing select light (desired wavelengths), and many other combinations. They
are used in telescopes, rifle scopes, binoculars, microscopes, range finders, protective eyewear, photography, etc. Given this broad
potential, the commercial applications are a key opportunity going forward.
●
Optical
Assemblies – Through the Applied Optics Center, we are utilizing our experience in military sighting systems to pursue commercial
opportunities associated with products that incorporate multi-lens optical cell assemblies, bonded optical elements and mechanical
assemblies. There are a wide variety of products in the medical, machine vision, automotive and outdoor recreation fields that can
benefit from our capabilities. Support to domestic customers for these type products has driven significant increases in Applied
Optics Segment sales during the last five years.
13
Customer
Base
We
serve customers in four primary categories: as prime defense contractor (Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime, DLA Warren,
DLA Aviation, U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps), as defense subcontractor (General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Elbit Systems, BAE,
Sig Sauer, and ADS Inc.), as a military supplier to foreign governments (Israel, Australia, South America and Canada) and also as a commercial
optical assembly supplier (Nightforce Optics, Cabela’s, Amazon). During the twelve months ended October 2, 2022, we derived approximately
80% of our gross business revenue from five major customers: U.S. government agencies (14%), three major defense contractors (22%, 15%,
and 7%), and one commercial customer (22%). We have approximately 111 discrete contracts for items that are utilized in vehicles, optical
product lines and as spare parts. Due to the high percentage of prime and subcontracted U.S. defense revenues, large customer size and
the fact that there are multiple contracts with each entity, which are not interdependent, we are of the opinion that this provides us
with a fairly well diversified revenue pool.
Marketing
Plan
We
believe we are well positioned to service both U.S. and foreign military needs by our focus on delivering products that satisfy the following
factors important to the U.S. military :
●
Product reliability —
failure can cost lives
●
Speed to delivery and adherence
to delivery schedule
●
System life cycle extension
●
Low cost/best value
●
Visual aids for successful
execution of mission objectives
●
Mission critical products
specifically related to soldier safety.
Potential
Entrants — Low Risk to us. In order to enter this market, potential competitors must overcome several barriers to entry. The first
hurdle is that an entrant would need to prove to the government agency in question the existence of a government approved accounting
system for larger contracts. Second, the entrant would need to develop the processes required to produce the product. Third, the entrant
would then need to produce the product and submit successful test requirements (many of which require lengthy government consultation
for completion). Finally, in many cases, the customer has an immediate need and therefore cannot wait for this qualification cycle and
therefore must issue the contracts to existing suppliers. Given the expense of development and qualification testing, the barrier to
entry is high for new competitors.
Buyers
— Medium Risk to us. In most cases the buyers (usually government agencies or defense contractors) have two fairly strong suppliers.
It is in their best interest to keep at least two, and therefore, in some cases, the contracts are split between suppliers. In the case
of larger contracts, the customer can request an open book policy on costs and expects a reasonable margin to have been applied.
Substitutes
— Low Risk to us. We have both new vehicle contracts and replacement part contracts for the same product. Three combat vehicles
have a long history of service in the U.S. Army. The first M-1 Abrams Tank entered service with the Army in 1980; the M-2/M-3 Bradley
Fighting Vehicle in 1981; and the Stryker Combat Vehicle in 2001. Under current Army modernization plans, the Army envisions all three
vehicles in service with Active and National Guard forces beyond FY2028. Optex Systems provides periscopes and optical sighting systems
in support of all three vehicle platforms. Since it was first fielded in 1980, the Abrams tank has undergone near-continuous upgrades
and improvements; however, as illustrated above, spending on modifications and upgrades of the Abrams tank by the U.S. military has significantly
decreased in the past five years and we expect this trend to continue. The Abrams is the principal battle tank of the United States Army
and Marine Corps, and the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and since 2007, Australia. On average, there has been a new improvement
package every seven years. The Army is currently upgrading the Abrams with a System Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEPv3), with additional
upgrades in development. Additionally, the US Army has announced contracts to produce 742 Stryker DVH vehicles, redesigned (dual v-hulled
vehicles) to be more resistant to land mines, as retrofits and as new production vehicles. The Abrams, Bradley and Striker vehicles are
the only production tanks currently in production by the government. We believe that this, in conjunction with the 30-year life span,
supports our expectation that they will continue to be used through 2040.
14
Suppliers
— Low to Medium Risk to Optex Systems Holdings. The suppliers of standard processes (e.g., casting, machining and plating) need
to be very competitive to gain and/or maintain contracts. Those suppliers of products that use top secret clearance processes have a
slight advantage; however, there continues to be multiple avenues of supply and therefore only moderate power.
Consistent
with our marketing plan and business model, the AOC acquisition strengthened our overall position by decreasing the bargaining power
of their suppliers through the backwards integration of a key supplier and created additional barriers of entry for potential competitors.
The
following matrix reflects the current focus of our four basic approaches for sales and development:
1)
Sell existing products
to existing customers.
2)
Sell existing products
to new customers.
3)
Develop new products to
meet the needs of our existing customers.
4)
Develop new products to
meet the needs of new customers.
Existing
Customers
New
Customers
New Products
Chile M17 Day/Thermal
USACC Binoculars
Brazil M17 Day/Thermal
GDLS DDAN, OWSS
Israel
M17 Day/Thermal, OWSS
U.S.
Prime Contractor - XM10 Aiming Circle
Commercial Optical
Lens
Commercial: Optical Lens, Spotting Scopes, Monocular
Lens
Existing Products
USACC Periscopes, Back Up Sights,
Marines Sighting Systems
Binoculars, Vision Blocks,
Laser Filter Units
Commercial: Optical Lens, Spotting
GDLS Periscopes, Collimators
Scopes, Monocular Lens
BAE Periscopes
L3 - Laser Interface Filters
U.S. Prime Contractor – Laser Filter Units
DLA Optical Elements
Operations
Plan
Our
operations plan can be broken down into three distinct areas: material management, manufacturing space planning and efficiencies associated
with economies of scale.
Materials
Management
The
largest portion of our costs is materials. We have completed the following activities in order to demonstrate continuous improvement:
-
Successful completion of
annual surveillance audit for ISO 9001:2008 certificate, with no major nonconformance issues
-
Weekly cycle counts on
inventory items
-
Weekly material review
board meeting on non-moving piece parts
-
Kanban kitting on products
with consistent ship weekly ship quantities
-
Daily cross functional
floor meetings focused on delivery, yields and labor savings
-
Redesigned floor layout
using tenant improvement funds
-
Daily review of yields
and product velocity
-
Bill of material reviews
prior to work order release
15
Future
continuous improvement opportunities include installation and training of shop floor control module within the ERP system and organizational
efficiencies of common procurement techniques among buyers.
Manufacturing
Space Planning
We
currently lease 93,967 square feet of manufacturing space (see “Properties”). Our current facilities are sufficient to meet
our immediate production needs without excess capacity. As our processes are primarily labor driven, we are able to easily adapt to changes
in customer demand by adjusting headcounts, overtime schedules and shifts in line with production needs. In the event additional floor
space is required to accommodate new contracts, Optex has the option to lease adjacent floor space at the current negotiated lease cost
per square foot. Consistent with the space planning, we will drive economies of scale to reduce support costs on a percentage of sales
basis. These cost reductions can then be either passed through directly to the bottom line or used for business investment.
Our
manufacturing process is driven by the use of six sigma techniques and process standardization. Initial activities in this area have
been the successful six sigma projects in several production areas which have led to improved output and customer approval on the aesthetics
of the work environment. In addition, we use many tools including 5S programs, six sigma processes, and define, measure, analyze, improve,
control (DMAIC) problem solving techniques to identify bottlenecks within the process flow, reduce cost and improve product yields. Successful
results can then be replicated across the production floor and drive operational improvements.
Economies
of Scale
Plant
efficiencies fluctuate as a function of program longevity, complexity and overall production volume. Our internal processes are primarily
direct labor intensive and can be more easily adapted to meet fluctuations in customer demand; however, our material purchases, subcontracted
operations and manufacturing support costs are extremely sensitive to changes in volume. As our volume increases, our support labor,
material and scrap costs decline as a percentage of revenue as we are able to obtain better material pricing, and scrap, start up and
support labor (fixed) costs and they are spread across a higher volume base. On the contrary, as production volumes decline, our labor
and material costs per unit of production generally increase. Additional factors that contribute to economies of scale relate to the
longevity of the program. Long running, less complex programs (e.g., periscopes) do not experience as significant of an impact on labor
costs as production volumes change, as the associated workforce is generally less skilled and can be ramped quickly as headcounts shift.
Our more complex thin laser filter coatings, Howitzer and thermal day/night programs are more significantly impacted by volume changes
as they require a more highly-skilled workforce and ramp time is longer as the training is more complex. We continually monitor customer
demand over a rolling twelve-month window and in order to anticipate any changes in necessary manpower and material which allows us to
capitalize on any benefits associated with increased volume and minimize any negative impact associated with potential declines in product
quantities.
Sources
and Availability of Raw Materials
Disclosure
responsive to this item is incorporated herein by reference to “ Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business – Certain
of our products are dependent on specialized sources of supply potentially subject to disruption which could have a material, adverse
impact on our business.”
Intellectual
Property
We
utilize several highly specialized and unique processes in the manufacture of our products. While we believe that these trade secrets
have value, it is probable that our future success will depend primarily on the innovation, technical expertise, manufacturing and marketing
abilities of our personnel. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets or that our
non-disclosure agreements will provide meaningful protection of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event
of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or other disclosure. The confidentiality agreements that are designed to protect our trade
secrets could be breached, and we might not have adequate remedies for the breach. Additionally, our trade secrets and proprietary know-how
might otherwise become known or be independently discovered by others. We possess three utility patents and two design patents.
16
Our
competitors, many of which have substantially greater resources, may have applied for or obtained, or may in the future apply for and
obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make and sell some of our products. Although we believe that
our products do not infringe on the patents or other proprietary rights of third parties, we cannot assure you that third parties will
not assert infringement claims against us or that such claims will not be successful.
The
following patents generally expire 20 years after issuance.
On
October 17, 2022, we filed for a new design patent, currently under review with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for an
“Interchangeable Offset Image Prism” which provides a method for adapting a quick release prism with offset image.
On
November 4, 2021 we were issued U.S. Patent No. 2021/0341746A1 titled “Selectable Offset Image Wedge” which is a mechanical
wedge used to offset the image anywhere in the selectable range of circular travel within the defined offset field of view. This application
is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 10,324,298 and claims priority to U.S. Patent No. 10,324,298, issued on June 18, 2019.
On
June 18, 2019 we were issued U.S. Patent No. 10,324,298 titled “Offset Image Wedge with Dual Capability and Alignment Technique”.
The invention relates to an offset image wedge for use on a bore-sighted rifle mounted directly onto the scope via a clamp mounting device.
The wedge allows for a dual image which can be aligned in the field and provides the user with a choice of either a bore-sighted image
or an offset image without removing the wedge.
On
July 11, 2017, we were issued U.S. Patent No. D791,852 S, for our Red Tail Digital Spotting Scope. We have a retail sales relationship
with Cabela’s Inc. and Amazon, to distribute these scopes. They are currently the only digital spotting scope offered by Cabela’s.
Our Red Tail Digital Spotting Scopes also received a favorable review from Trigger Magazine in 2017.
In
May 2015, we announced the issuance to us of U.S. Patent No. 13,792,297 titled “ICWS Periscope”. This invention improves
previously accepted levels of periscope performance that, in turn, improve soldier’s safety.
In
December 2013, Optex Systems, Inc. was issued U.S. Patent No. 23,357,802 titled “Multiple Spectral Single Image Sighting System
Using Single Objective Lens Set.” The technology platform, designed for our DDAN program, is applicable to all ground combat vehicles
used by the US and foreign militaries. This invention presents a single image to both day and night sensors using precision optics, which
in turn allows the user to individually observe day, night, or day and night simultaneously. In addition, it has proven to be especially
useful in light transition points experienced at dusk and dawn. We are in production and currently delivering sighting systems with this
advanced technology, a significant upgrade in the goal of supporting our customers as they modernize the worldwide inventory of aging
armored vehicles. This technology is applicable to many sighting systems, and it has already been designed for implementation on the
Light Armored Vehicles, the Armored Security Vehicle, the Amphibious Assault Vehicle, and the M60 Main Battle Tank. Digital Day and Night
technology has advanced the capabilities of these installed weapon systems and is the first in a series of patents we have applied for
to protect our Intellectual Property portfolio in support of the warfighters who use these systems.
In
May 2012, we purchased a perpetual, non-exclusive license, with a single up-front license fee of $200,000 to use Patent 7,880,792 “Optical
and Infrared Periscope with Display Monitor” (issued in 2011 and owned by Synergy International Optronics, LLC). We believe the
purchase of the license agreement may allow us to extend and expand our market potential for the M113APC vehicle type which has the highest
number of commonly used armored vehicles in the world. The current estimated active M113 APC worldwide inventory is over 80,000 units.
This licensing of this patent allows us to develop additional products for this vehicle type, including the M17 Day/Thermal and M17 Day/Night
periscopes. We are actively marketing the new periscopes internationally and completed our first international shipment utilizing this
technology in March 2014. We continue to prototype these products and demonstrate them to potential customers.
17
Competition
The
markets for our products are competitive. We compete primarily on the basis of our ability to design and engineer products to meet performance
specifications set by our customers. Our customers include military and government end users as well as prime contractors that purchase
component parts or subassemblies, which they incorporate into their end products. Product pricing, quality, customer support, experience,
reputation and financial stability are also important competitive factors.
There
are a limited number of competitors in each of the markets for the various types of products that we design, manufacture and sell. At
this time, we consider our primary competitors for the Optex, Richardson site to be Kent Periscopes and Synergy International Optronics,
LLC. The Applied Optics Center thin film and laser coatings products compete primarily with Materion-Barr, Artemis and Alluxa.
Our
competitors are often well entrenched, particularly in the defense markets. While we believe that the quality of our technologies and
product offerings provides us with a competitive advantage over certain manufacturers, some of our competitors have substantially greater
financial and other resources than we do to spend on the research and development of their technologies and for funding the construction
and operation of commercial scale plants.
We
expect our competitors to continue to improve the design and performance of their products. We cannot assure investors that our competitors
will not develop enhancements to, or future generations of, competitive products that will offer superior price or performance features,
or that new technology or processes will not emerge that render our products less competitive or obsolete. Increased competitive pressure
could lead to lower prices for our products, thereby adversely affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Also, competitive pressures may force us to implement new technologies at a substantial cost, and we may not be able to successfully
develop or expend the financial resources necessary to acquire new technology. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully
in the future.
Employees
and Human Capital
We
had 84 full time equivalent employees as of October 2, 2022 and 88 employees as of December 1, 2022, which include a small temporary
work force to handle peak loads as needed. We are in compliance with local prevailing wage, contractor licensing and insurance regulations,
and have good relations with our employees, who are not currently unionized. We use outside consultants for various services. We have
not experienced any work stoppages and are not a party to a collective bargaining agreement. Management considers labor relations to
be good.
We
are dedicated to preserving operational excellence and remaining an employer of choice. We provide and maintain a work environment that
is designed to attract, develop and retain top talent through offering our employees an engaging work experience that contributes to
their career development. We recognize that our success is based on the collective talents and dedication of those we employ, and we
are highly invested in their success. We value our employees and believe that employee loyalty and enthusiasm are key elements of our
operating performance.
Corporate
History
Optex
Systems Holdings, Inc. is a Delaware corporation originally organized in Delaware as Sustut Exploration, Inc. in April 2006. Optex Systems,
Inc. is a Delaware corporation organized in September 2008. In March 2009, Optex Systems, Inc. engaged in a reverse merger with Sustut
Exploration, Inc., in connection with which the latter was renamed Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. and the former became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Optex Systems Holdings, Inc.
Internet
Address
The
Company maintains an internet website at the following address: www.optexsys.com . The information on the Company’s website
is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
18
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.