Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by Rule 13a-15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e). Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s SEC reports was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. As of September 30, 2020, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, management concluded that our disclosure controls were not effective as of September 30, 2020 due to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, as described below. Notwithstanding the identified material weakness described below, management does not believe that these deficiencies had an adverse effect on our reported operating results or financial condition and management has determined that the financial statements and other information included in this report and other periodic filings present fairly in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows at and for the periods presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”).
The Company's internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls, or fraud. Our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. Our management recognizes that any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain judgments and assumptions and cannot provide absolute assurance that its objectives will be met. Similarly, an evaluation of controls cannot provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. If the Company fails to maintain the adequacy of its internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or if the Company experiences difficulties in their implementation, the Company's business and financial results could be harmed, and the Company could fail to meet its financial reporting obligations.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of employees intermittently began working remotely during the second half of fiscal 2020. We monitored and assessed the changing business environment resulting from COVID-19 on our internal controls to minimize the impact on their design and operating effectiveness. Management has taken measures to ensure that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting were not materially affected during this period.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2020. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in the 2013 “Internal Control-Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management has determined that due to the material weakness described below, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of September 30, 2020. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a 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 on a timely basis.
The Company identified the following material weakness:
• Insufficient review of specific controls associated with revenue, inventory and income taxes at the Maniago location.
Remediation Plan for Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management and the Company's Board of Directors are committed to improving the Company's overall system of internal controls over financial reporting.
To address the material weakness identified in our control environment, the Company is taking the following actions to remediate the material weakness:
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• Using a risk-based approach, management will implement additional monitoring controls through increased oversight and training local management to execute additional controls in detecting material errors.
• External resources with specialized knowledge and expertise, where appropriate, will be engaged and utilized and additional review controls will be instituted to prevent and detect material errors on a timely basis.
With the oversight of senior management and the Company's Board of Directors, the Company continues to take steps and additional measures to remediate the underlying causes of the identified material weakness, including but not limited to (i) engaging subject matter experts on an as need basis to assist management in generating accurate, transparent, and timely financial information, and (ii) continue to strengthen organizational structure including holding individuals accountable for their internal control responsibilities.
Although we expect to make meaningful progress on our remediation plan during fiscal year 2021, we cannot estimate how long it will take to complete the process or the costs of actions required. There is no assurance that the aforementioned plans will be sufficient and that additional steps may not be necessary.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting and other Remediation
As of September 30, 2020, management remediated the outstanding material weaknesses as noted below:
• Key controls around segregation of duties and periodic access reviews within IT general and application controls for the Cleveland operation were not designed nor operating effectively.
Management concluded that the previously reported material weakness related to ineffective controls around segregation of duties and periodic access reviews within IT general and application controls for the Cleveland location was remediated. During fiscal 2020, management completed remediation efforts by designing controls and testing operating effectiveness and implementing detective and monitoring business process controls to further mitigate IT risks over financial reporting.
No material changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a‑15(f) and 15d‑15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the Company's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Information about the Executive Officers of the Company appears in Part I of this Report.
The Company incorporates herein by reference the information required by this Item as to the Directors, procedures for recommending Director nominees and the Audit Committee appearing under the captions “Proposal 1 - To Elect Seven (7) Directors,” and “Corporate Governance and Board of Director Matters” of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC on or about December 23, 2020.
The Directors of the Company are elected annually to serve for one-year terms or until their successors are elected and qualified.
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics within the meaning of Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Code of Ethics is applicable to, among other people, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, who is the Company’s Principal Financial Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer. The Company’s Code of Ethics is available on its website: www.sifco.com.
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Item 11. Executive Compensation
The Company incorporates herein by reference the information appearing under the captions "Executive Compensation" and "Director Compensation" of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC on or about December 23, 2020.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The following table sets forth information regarding Common Shares to be issued under the Company’s equity compensation plans as of September 30, 2020.
Plan category Number of
securities to
be issued
upon
exercise of
outstanding
options, warrants and rights Weighted-
average
exercise
price of
outstanding
options, warrants and rights Number of
securities
remaining
available for
future
issuance
under equity
compensation
plans
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders:
2016 Plan (1) 371,148 N/A 588,795
(1) Under the 2016 Plan, the aggregate number of common shares that are available to be granted is 1,196,401 shares, with a further limit of no more than 50,000 shares to any one person in any twelve-month period. For additional information concerning the Company’s equity compensation plans, refer to the discussion in Note 10, Stock-Based Compensation , of the consolidated financial statements. These securities are issued upon meeting performance objectives.
The Company incorporates herein by reference the beneficial ownership information appearing under the captions "Stock Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners" and "Stock Ownership of Executive Officers, Director and Nominees" of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC on or about December 23, 2020.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The Company incorporates herein by reference the information required by this item appearing under the captions "Corporate Governance and Board of Director Matters" of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC on or about December 23, 2020.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The Company incorporates herein by reference the information required by this item appearing under the caption "Principal Accounting Fees and Services" of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC on or about December 23, 2020.
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a) (1) Financial Statements:
The following Consolidated Financial Statements; Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are included in Item 8.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019
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Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Years Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019
Consolidated Balance Sheets—September 30, 2020 and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the Years Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(a) (2) Financial Statement Schedules:
The following financial statement schedule is included in Item 8:
Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related regulations, are inapplicable, or the information has been included in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
(a) (3) Exhibits:
The following exhibits are filed with this report or are incorporated herein by reference to a prior filing in accordance with Rule 12b-32 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. (Asterisk denotes exhibits filed with this report)
Exhibit
No.
Description
2.1 Stock Purchase Agreement between Riello Investimenti Partners SGR S.p.A., Giorgio Visentini, Giorgio Frassini, Giancarlo Sclabi and Matteo Talmassons and SIFCO Italy Holdings S.R.L (a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIFCO Industries Inc.) dated March 16, 2015 filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K dated July 2, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference
2.2 Amendment to the Stock Purchase Agreement Riello Investimenti Partners SGR S.p.A., Giorgio Visentini, Giorgio Frassini, Giancarlo Sclabi and Matteo Talmassons and SIFCO Italy Holdings S.R.L (a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIFCO Industries Inc.) dated June 30, 2015 filed as Exhibit 2.2 to the Company’s Form 8-K dated July 2, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference
3.1 Third Amended Articles of Incorporation of SIFCO Industries, Inc., filed as Exhibit 3(a) of the Company’s Form 10-Q dated March 31, 2002, and incorporated herein by reference
3.2 SIFCO Industries, Inc. Amended and Restated Code of Regulations dated January 28, 2016, filed as Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Form 10-K dated September 30, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference
*4.1 Description of securities.
9.1 Voting Trust Agreement dated January 31, 2013, filed as Exhibit 9.1 to the Company’s Form 10-Q dated February 11, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference
9.2 Voting Trust Extension Agreement dated January 15, 2015, filed as Exhibit 9.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated February 3, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference
9.3 Voting Trust Agreement dated January 31, 2017, filed as Exhibit 9.3 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated December 31, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference
9.4 Voting Trust Extension Agreement dated January 18, 2019, filed as Exhibit 9.4 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated February 14, 2019, and incorporated herein by reference
10.1 SIFCO Industries, Inc. 2007 Long-Term Incentive Plan, filed as Exhibit A of the Company’s Proxy and Notice of 2008 Annual Meeting to Shareholders dated December 14, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference
10.2 Letter Agreement between the Company and Jeffrey P. Gotschall, dated August 12, 2009 filed as Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Form 8-K dated August 12, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference
10.3 Amendment No. 1 to the SIFCO Industries, Inc. 2007 Long-Term Incentive Plan, filed as Exhibit A of the Company’s Proxy and Notice of 2011 Annual Meeting to Shareholders dated December 15, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference
10.4 Change in Control Agreement and Separation Agreement between the Company and Peter W. Knapper, effective June 29, 2019, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K dated July 1, 2019, and incorporated herein by reference
10.5 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan performance share award, filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated May 16, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference
10.6 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan restricted share award, filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated May 16, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference
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10.7 Credit Agreement, dated August 8, 2018, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc. and Lender named therein and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., filed as Exhibit 10.12 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated August 9, 2018, and incorporated herein by reference
10.8 Amendment and Restatement to the SIFCO Industries, Inc. 2007 Long-Term Incentive Plan, filed as Exhibit A of the Company’s Proxy and Notice of 2017 Annual Meeting to Shareholders dated December 6, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference
10.9 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan performance share award, filed as Exhibit 10.14 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated January 31, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference
10.10 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan restricted share award, filed as Exhibit 10.15 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated January 31, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference
10.11 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan restricted share award, filed as Exhibit 10.16 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated January 31, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference
10.12 Change in Control Agreement and Separation Agreement between the Company and Thomas R. Kubera, effective June 29, 2019, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated July 1, 2019, and incorporated herein by reference
10.13 First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated November 5, 2018, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc., T & W Forge, LLC, Quality Aluminum Forge, LLC, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K dated November 8, 2018, and incorporated herein by reference
10.14 Economic Development Administration Title IX Loan Agreement, dated November 8, 2018, by and between the City of Cleveland and SIFCO Industries, Inc., filed as exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 8-K dated November 8, 2018, and incorporated herein by reference
10.15 Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated December 17, 2018, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc., T&W Forge, LLC., Quality Aluminum Forge, LLC., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, filed as exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 8-K dated December 19, 2018, and incorporated herein by reference
10.16 Export Credit Agreement, dated December 17, 2018, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc., T & W Forge, LLC, Quality Aluminum Forge, LLC, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K dated December 19, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference
10.17 Third Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated March 29, 2019, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc., Quality Aluminum Forge, LLC., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, filed as exhibit 10.19 to the Company's Form 10-Q dated May 10, 2019
10.18 Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated March 29, 2019, by and among SIFCO Industries, Inc., Quality Aluminum Forge, LLC., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, filed as exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K dated September 24, 2019
10.19 First Amendment to the SIFCO Industries, Inc. 2007 Long-term Incentive Plan (Amended and Restated as of November 16, 2016) filed as Exhibit A of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement dated December 16, 2019, and incorporated herein by reference
10.20 Promissory Note, dated April 10, 2020, by and between SIFCO Industries, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, filed as exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K dated April 13, 2020, and incorporated herein by reference
*10.21 Form of SIFCO Industries, Inc. Long-term incentive plan restricted share award, incorporated herein
14.1 Code of Ethics, filed as Exhibit 14.1 of the Company’s Form 8-K dated February 6, 2018, and incorporated herein by reference
*21.1 Subsidiaries of Company
*23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
*31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) / 15d-14(a)
*31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) / 15d-14(a)
*32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
*32.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
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*101 The following financial information from SIFCO Industries, Inc. Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2020 filed with the SEC on December 23, 2020, formatted in XBRL includes: (i) Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, (iii) Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2020 and 2019, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, (vi) Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
*104 Cover Page Interactive Data File: the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document and are contained with Exhibit 101
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.
SIFCO Industries, Inc.
By: /s/ Thomas R. Kubera
Thomas R. Kubera
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
Date: December 23, 2020
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below on December 23, 2020 by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities indicated.
/s/ Norman E. Wells, Jr. /s/ Peter W. Knapper
Norman E. Wells, Jr. Peter W. Knapper
Chairman of the Board President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Jeffrey P. Gotschall /s/ Donald C. Molten, Jr.
Jeffrey P. Gotschall Donald C. Molten, Jr.
Director Director
/s/ Alayne L. Reitman /s/ Mark J. Silk
Alayne L. Reitman Mark J. Silk
Director Director
/s/ Hudson D. Smith /s/ Thomas R. Kubera
Hudson D. Smith Thomas R. Kubera
Director Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
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