Item 1. Business
Item 1 . Business
Overview
WD-40 Company is a global marketing organization dedicated to creating positive lasting memories by developing and selling products that solve problems in workshops, factories and homes around the world. The Company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
For more than four decades, the Company sold only one product, WD-40 ® Multi-Use Product, a maintenance product which acts as a lubricant, rust preventative, penetrant and moisture displacer. Over the last two decades, the Company has evolved and expanded its product offerings through both research and development activities and through the acquisition of several brands worldwide. As a result, the Company has built a family of brands and product lines that deliver high quality performance at a good value to its end users.
The Company currently markets and sells its products in more than 176 countries and territories worldwide primarily through warehouse club stores, hardware stores, automotive parts outlets, industrial distributors and suppliers, mass retail and home center stores, value retailers, grocery stores, online retailers, farm supply, sport retailers, and independent bike dealers.
The Company’s sales come from its two product groups – maintenance products and homecare and cleaning products. Maintenance products are sold worldwide in markets throughout North, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Homecare and cleaning products are sold primarily in North America, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and Australia.
The Company’s strategic initiatives and the areas where it will continue to focus its time, talent and resources in future periods include: (i) maximizing WD-40 Multi-Use Product sales through geographic expansion, increased market penetration and the development of new and unique delivery systems; (ii) leveraging the WD-40 brand by growing the WD-40 Specialist product line; (iii) leveraging the strengths of the Company through broadened product and revenue base; (iv) attracting, developing and retaining talented people; and (v) operating with excellence.
The principal driver of the Company’s growth continues to be taking the Company’s flagship product, WD-40 Multi-Use Product, the blue and yellow can with the red top, to new users in global markets. The Company is focused on and committed to innovation and renovation of its products. The Company sees innovation and renovation as important factors to the long-term growth of its brands and product lines, and it intends to continue to work on future products, product lines, product packaging, product delivery systems and promotional innovations and renovations. The Company is also focused on expanding its current brands in existing markets with new product development. The Company’s product development teams support new product development and current product improvement for the Company’s brands. Over the years, the Company’s research and development team has made an innovation impact on most of the Company’s brands. Key innovations for the Company’s products include, but are not
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limited to, WD-40 EZ-Reach ® Flexible Straw, WD-40 Smart Straw ® , WD-40 Trigger Pro ® , WD-40 Specialist ® , WD-40 BIKE ® , 3-IN-ONE RVcare ® and 3-IN-ONE ® Professional Garage Door Lube.
The Company’s homecare and cleaning products, particularly those in the U.S., are considered harvest brands which continue to provide positive returns to the Company but are becoming a smaller part of the business as sales of the maintenance products grow with the execution of the Company’s strategic initiatives. Although the Company has evaluated strategic alternatives for certain of its homecare and cleaning products, particularly those in the U.S., it has continued to sell products within these brands but with a reduced level of marketing investment.
Products
Maintenance Products
Included in the Company’s maintenance products are both multi-purpose maintenance products and specialty maintenance products. These maintenance products are sold worldwide and they provide end users with a variety of product and delivery system options.
The Company’s signature product is the WD-40 Multi-Use Product in the blue and yellow can with the red top, which is included within the maintenance product category and it accounts for a significant majority of the Company’s sales. The Company has various products and product lines which it currently sells under the WD-40 brand and they are as follows:
WD-40 Multi-Use Product - The WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a market leader in many countries among multi-purpose maintenance products and is sold as an aerosol spray with various unique delivery systems, a non-aerosol trigger spray and in liquid-bulk form through mass retail stores, hardware stores, warehouse club stores, automotive parts outlets, online retailers and industrial distributors and suppliers. The WD-40 Multi-Use Product is sold worldwide in North, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The WD-40 Multi-Use Product has a wide variety of consumer uses in, for example, household, marine, automotive, construction, repair, sporting goods and gardening applications, in addition to numerous industrial applications.
WD-40 Specialist product line – WD-40 Specialist consists of a line of professional-grade specialty maintenance products that include penetrants, degreasers, corrosion inhibitors, greases, lubricants and rust removers that are aimed at professionals and consumer enthusiasts. The WD-40 Specialist product line is sold primarily in the U.S. and many countries in Europe, as well as parts of Canada, Latin America, Australia and Asia. Within the WD-40 Specialist product line, the Company also sells bike-specific products across all of its segments, motorbike-specific products in Europe, lawn and garden specific products in Australia, and automotive specific products in Asia.
The Company also has the following additional brands which are included within its maintenance products group:
3-IN-ONE ® - The 3-IN-ONE brand consists of multi-purpose drip oil, specialty drip oils, and spray lubricant products, as well as other specialty maintenance products. The multi-purpose drip oil is a lubricant with unique spout options that allow for precise applications to small mechanisms and assemblies, tool maintenance and threads on screws and bolts. 3-IN-ONE Oil is the market share leader among drip oils for household consumers. It also has wide industrial applications in such areas as locksmithing, HVAC, marine, farming and construction. In addition to the drip oil line of products, the 3-IN-ONE brand also includes professional-grade aerosol maintenance products, such as 3-IN-ONE RVcare products, 3-IN-ONE Garage Door Lubricant and 3-IN-ONE Lock Dry Lube. The long legacy, brand awareness and high quality of the 3-IN-ONE brand and its established distribution network have enabled these products to gain international acceptance. 3-IN-ONE products are sold primarily in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Latin America, Australia and Asia.
GT85 ® - The GT85 brand is a multi-purpose bike maintenance product that consists of professional spray maintenance products and lubricants which are sold primarily in the bike market through the automotive and industrial channels in the U.K. This brand was acquired by the Company’s U.K. subsidiary in September 2014 and it has helped build upon the Company’s strategy to develop new product categories for WD-40 Specialist and WD-40 BIKE.
Homecare and Cleaning Products
The Company sells its homecare and cleaning products in certain locations worldwide and they include a portfolio of well-known brands as follows:
2000 Flushes ® - The 2000 Flushes brand is a line of long-lasting automatic toilet bowl cleaners which includes a variety of formulas. 2000 Flushes is sold primarily in the U.S. and Canada through grocery and mass retail channels as well as through online retailers.
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Spot Shot ® - The Spot Shot brand is sold as an aerosol and a liquid trigger carpet stain and odor eliminator. The brand also includes environmentally friendly products such as Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator and Spot Shot Pet Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator, which are non-toxic and biodegradable. Spot Shot products are sold primarily through grocery and mass retail channels, online retailers, warehouse club stores and hardware and home center stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Spot Shot products are sold in the U.K. under the 1001 ® brand name.
Carpet Fresh ® - The Carpet Fresh brand is a line of room and rug deodorizers sold as powder and aerosol quick-dry foam products. These products are sold primarily through grocery, mass, and value retail channels as well as through online retailers in the U.K. and Australia. Although Carpet Fresh brand products are also sold in the U.S., they are sold by a third-party under a licensing agreement with the Company. In the U.K., these products are sold under the 1001 brand name. In Australia, they are sold under the no vac ® brand name.
1001 ® - The 1001 brand includes carpet and household cleaners and rug and room deodorizers which are sold primarily through mass retail, grocery and home center stores in the U.K.
Lava®/Solvol ® - The Lava and Solvol brands consist of heavy-duty hand cleaner products which are sold in bar soap and liquid form through hardware, grocery, industrial, automotive and mass retail channels as well as through online retailers. Lava is sold primarily in the U.S., while Solvol is sold exclusively in Australia.
X-14 ® - The X-14 brand is a line of quality products designed for unique cleaning needs. X-14 is sold as a liquid mildew stain remover and as an automatic toilet bowl cleaner. X-14 is sold primarily in the U.S. through grocery and mass retail channels as well as through online retailers.
Sales and Marketing
The Company’s sales do not reflect any significant degree of seasonality. However, it is common for the Company’s sales to fluctuate from period to period or year to year due to various factors including, but not limited to, new or lost distribution, the number of product offerings carried by a customer and the level of promotional activities and programs being run at customer locations. New or lost distribution occurs when the Company gains or loses customers, when it gains or loses store count for a customer or when its products are added to new locations within a store or removed from existing locations. From time to time, as part of new product offering launches, the Company may gain access to entirely new distribution channels. The number of product offerings refers to the number of brands and/or the number of products within each of those brands that the Company’s customers offer for sale to end user customers. The level of promotional activities and programs relates to the number of events or volumes of purchases by customers in support of off-shelf or promotional display activities. Changes in any one of these three factors or a combination of them can cause the Company’s sales levels to increase or decrease from period to period. It is also common and/or possible that the Company could lose distribution or product offerings and experience a decrease in promotional activities and programs in one period and subsequently regain this business in a future period. The Company is accustomed to such fluctuations and manages this as part of its normal business activities.
Manufacturing
The Company outsources directly or through its marketing distributors the manufacturing of its finished products to various third-party contract manufacturers. The Company or its marketing distributors use contract manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, the U.K., Italy, Australia, China, South Korea and India. Although the Company has definitive minimum purchase obligations included in the contract terms with certain of its contract manufacturers, when such obligations have been included, they have either been immaterial or the minimum amounts have been such that they are well below the volume of goods that the Company has historically purchased. Supply needs are communicated by the Company to its contract manufacturers, and the Company is committed to purchase the products manufactured based on orders and short-term projections, ranging from two to five months, provided to the contract manufacturers. The Company also formulates and manufactures concentrate used in its WD-40 products at its own facilities and at third-party contract manufacturers.
In addition to the commitments to purchase products from contract manufacturers described above, the Company may also enter into commitments with other manufacturers from time to time to purchase finished goods and components to support innovation and renovation initiatives and/or supply chain initiatives.
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Sources and Availability of Components and Raw Materials
The Company and its third-party contract manufacturers rely on a limited number of suppliers, including single or sole suppliers, for certain of its raw materials, packaging, product components and other necessary supplies. The primary components and raw materials for the Company’s products include petroleum-based specialty chemicals and aerosol cans, which are manufactured from commodities that are subject to volatile price changes. The availability of these components and raw materials is affected by a variety of supply and demand factors, including global market trends, plant capacity decisions and natural disasters. The Company expects these components and raw materials to continue to be readily available in the future, although the Company will continue to be exposed to volatile price changes.
Research and Development
The Company recognizes the importance of innovation and renovation to its long-term success and is focused on and committed to research and new product development activities, primarily in its maintenance product group. The Company’s product development team engages in consumer research, product development, current product improvement and testing activities. The product development team also leverages its development capabilities by partnering with a network of outside resources including the Company’s current and prospective outsource suppliers. In addition, the research and development team engages in activities and product development efforts which are necessary to ensure that the Company meets all regulatory requirements for the formulation of its products.
Order Backlog
Order backlog is not a significant factor in the Company’s business.
Competition
The markets for the Company’s products, particularly those related to its homecare and cleaning products, are highly competitive. The Company’s products compete both within their own product classes as well as within product distribution channels, competing with many other products for store placement and shelf space. Competition in international markets varies by country. The Company is aware of many competing products, some of which sell for lower prices or are produced and marketed by companies with greater financial resources than those of the Company. The Company relies on the awareness of its brands among consumers, the value offered by those brands as perceived by consumers, product innovation and renovation and its multiple channel distributions as its primary strategies. New products typically encounter intense competition, which may require advertising and promotional support and activities. When or if a new product achieves consumer acceptance, ongoing advertising and promotional support may be required in order to maintain its relative market position.
Trademarks and Patents
The Company owns a number of patents, but relies primarily upon its established trademarks, brand names and marketing efforts, including advertising and sales promotions, to compete effectively. The WD-40 brand, 3-IN-ONE, Lava, Solvol, X-14, 2000 Flushes, Carpet Fresh and no vac, Spot Shot, GT85, and 1001 trademarks are registered or have pending registrations in various countries throughout the world.
Employees
At August 31, 2020, the Company employed 522 people worldwide: 198 by the U.S. parent corporation; 224 by the U.K. subsidiary; 58 by the China subsidiary; 20 by the Australia subsidiary; 15 by the Canada subsidiary; and 7 by the Malaysia subsidiary.
Financial Information about Foreign and Domestic Operations
For detailed information about the Company’s foreign and domestic operations, including net sales by reportable segment and long-lived assets by geography, refer to Note 17 - Business Segments and Foreign Operations of the consolidated financial statements, included in Item 15 of this report.
Access to SEC Filings
The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available through the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.wd40company.com. These reports can be accessed free of charge from the Company’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files
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such materials with, or furnishes them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Information contained on the Company’s website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this report. The SEC also maintains an internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains the Company’s reports.