Hawkins, Inc. was incorporated in Minnesota
in 1955 and has its principal executive offices at 3100 East Hennepin Avenue,
Minneapolis, Minnesota. As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K,
except where otherwise stated or indicated by the content, Hawkins, we, the
Company, our, or the Registrant means Hawkins, Inc. and its
predecessors.
(b) FINANCIAL
INFORMATION ABOUT INDUSTRY SEGMENTS. The Companys principal business is the
formulation, blending and distribution of bulk and specialty chemicals, which
it conducts in three principal segments: Water Treatment, Industrial and
Pharmaceutical. Financial information regarding these segments is reported in
the Companys audited financial statements. See Items 7 and 8 below.
(c) NARRATIVE
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS.
(i) PRODUCTS
AND MARKETS. The Companys business is conducted in three segments, Water
Treatment, Industrial and Pharmaceutical, which are more fully described below:
(A) WATER
TREATMENT. The Water Treatment segment specializes in providing equipment,
chemicals and solutions to problems for potable water, municipal and industrial
wastewater, industrial process water and non-residential swimming pool water.
The Water Treatment Group has warehouses in twelve cities and utilizes a
Driver/Technician/Salesperson approach in supplying products and service to
customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,
Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Kansas and Wyoming. In December 2000,
operations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area relocated to a new 59,000
square-foot facility, the Red Rock facility. The Red Rock facility, located
on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota, has improved operational
efficiencies, as the Water Treatment operations are now located at the facility
where several key products are produced and the consolidated warehouse space
has reduced the amount of time required to load trucks between deliveries.
(B) INDUSTRIAL.
The Industrial segment specializes in providing industrial chemicals and
services to the energy, electronics, chemical processing, pulp and paper,
medical device and plating industries. In addition, the Industrial segment
provides products and services to food manufacturers and processing plants. The
Industrial segment also manufactures and sells certain food grade products,
including the Cheese-Phos® liquid phosphate product and other blended products,
none of which are material to the Company. This segment conducts its business
primarily through distribution centers and terminal operations.
The Industrial segment receives, stores and
distributes various chemicals in bulk, including liquid caustic soda,
phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide and aqua ammonia; manufactures sodium
hypochlorite (bleach) and agricultural products; repackages water treatment
chemicals; and performs custom blending of certain chemicals for customers
according to customer formulas. The Industrial segment operates liquid caustic
soda barge terminals to receive shipments during the period the Mississippi
River is open to barge traffic (approximately April 1 through November 15).
During the remainder of the year, the Company relies on stockpiles, as well as
supplies shipped in by railroad tank car. Pursuant to operating agreements it
has with other chemical companies, the Company receives and stores liquid
caustic soda and other chemicals at its two terminal sites, Hawkins Terminal 1
and Terminal 2. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are located on opposite sides of the
Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota. In September 2001, a 1.5
million-gallon caustic soda storage tank was completed at the Red Rock
facility, allowing it to serve as an additional terminal for bulk chemicals.
Historically, the property on which the Red Rock facility is located has not
been subject to flooding when Terminals 1 and 2 were not usable due to high
water, and the facility was not affected by the most recent flooding in 2001.
The Industrial segment
also includes a manufacturing, blending and sales distribution center for
industrial chemicals, food grade chemicals, high-purity electronic chemicals
and laboratory chemicals and supplies. Bulk industrial chemicals are generally
repackaged and sold in smaller quantities to the Companys customers. Sales are
concentrated primarily in Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern Iowa, and North and
South Dakota. The principal
products are acids and
alkalis and industrial and food grade salts. The Industrial segment also
specializes in sales to the plating and electronic industries, relying on a
specially trained sales staff that works directly with customers on their
surface finishing needs.
(C) PHARMACEUTICAL.
The Pharmaceutical segment specializes in providing pharmaceutical chemicals to
pharmacies and small-scale pharmaceutical manufacturers. This segment conducts
the majority of its business through one warehouse located at the principal
executive site. The Pharmaceutical segments sales are primarily focused
throughout the United States.
(ii) NEW
PRODUCTS. The Company did not have any significant new products during the
fiscal year ended April 2, 2006.
(iii) RAW
MATERIALS. The Company has approximately 300 suppliers, including many of the
major chemical producers in the United States, of which approximately 20
account for a majority of the Companys purchases. The Company typically has
written distributorship agreements or supply contracts with its suppliers that
are renewed from time to time. Although there is no assurance that any contract
or understanding with any supplier will not be terminated in the foreseeable
future, most of the products purchased can be obtained from alternative sources
should existing relationships be terminated.
(iv) PATENTS,
TRADEMARKS, LICENSES, FRANCHISES, AND CONCESSIONS. There are no patents,
trademarks, licenses, franchises or concessions that are currently material to
the successful operation of the Companys business.
(v) SEASONAL
ASPECTS. The Water Treatment segment has historically experienced higher sales
during the April to September timeframe, which is due primarily to an
increase in chemicals used by municipal water treatment facilities.
(vi) WORKING
CAPITAL ITEMS. As a bulk distributor of chemicals, the Company is required to
carry significant amounts of inventory to meet rapid delivery requirements of
customers. Working capital requirements vary on a seasonal basis as a result of
the seasonality of the water treatment business.
(vii) DEPENDENCE
ON LIMITED NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS. No single customer represents more than
approximately 5% of the Companys sales, but the loss of our five largest
customers could have a material adverse effect on the Companys results of
operations. Aggregate sales to the Companys five largest customers were $16.9
million and $13.2 million for the fiscal years ended April 2, 2006 and April 3,
2005, respectively. Additionally, no single customer represents 10% or more of
the Water Treatment, Industrial or Pharmaceutical segment sales.
(viii) BACKLOG.
Backlog is not material to an understanding of the Companys business.
(ix) GOVERNMENT
CONTRACTS. No material portion of the Companys business is subject to
renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of any
state or federal governmental subdivision or agency.
(x) COMPETITIVE
CONDITIONS. The Company operates in a competitive industry and competes with
producers, distributors and sales agents offering chemicals equivalent to
substantially all of the products handled by the Company. Many such producers
and distributors are substantially larger than the Company. No one competitor,
however, is dominant in the Companys market.
(xi) RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT. The Company devotes resources to research and development on a
project basis as the need arises. During the fiscal year ended April 2,
2006, expenditures for research and development were not material to the
Companys business.
(xii) ENVIRONMENTAL
MATTERS. The Company is primarily a compounder and distributor, rather than a
manufacturer, of chemical products. As such, compliance with current federal,
state and local provisions regarding discharge of materials into the
environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, is not
anticipated to have any material effects upon the capital expenditures,
earnings or competitive position of the Company. The Company does not currently
anticipate making any material capital expenditures for environmental control
facilities during fiscal 2007.
(xiii) EMPLOYEES.
The Company had 235 employees as of April 2, 2006.
(d) FINANCIAL
INFORMATION ABOUT FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC OPERATIONS AND EXPORT SALES. Because the
Company deals primarily in one geographic area of the United States, a
breakdown of sales, profitability or assets attributable to different
geographic areas is not meaningful to an understanding of the Companys
business.
(e) AVAILABLE
INFORMATION. We have made available, free of charge, through our Internet
website (http:// www.hawkinsinc.com) our Annual Reports on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K,
and if applicable, amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably
practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish them
to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Reports of beneficial ownership
filed by our directors and executive officers pursuant to Section 16(a) of
the 1934 Act are also available on our website. We are not including the
information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by
reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 1A. RISK
FACTORS
You should consider carefully the
following risks when reading the information, including the financial
information, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our
inability to pass through increases in costs and expenses for raw materials and
energy, on a timely basis or at all, could have a material adverse effect on
the margins of our products.
We are
experiencing significant increases in the cost of raw materials. We generally
attempt to pass changes in the prices of raw materials and energy to our
customers, but we may be unable to or be delayed in doing so. Our inability to
pass through price increases or any limitation or delay in our passing through
price increases could adversely affect our profit margins. In addition to
raising prices, raw material suppliers may extend lead times or limit supplies.
Constraints on the supply or delivery of critical raw materials could disrupt
our operations and adversely affect the performance of our business.
Additionally, our
profit margins may be reduced due to the cyclical nature of commodity chemical
prices. The cyclicality of commodity chemical markets, such as caustic soda,
primarily results from changes in the balance between supply and demand and the
level of general economic activity. The Company cannot predict with any
certainty whether the markets for its commodity chemicals will favorably impact
the Companys operations or whether the Company will experience losses due to
excess production resulting in oversupply and lower prices.
We
face competition from other chemical companies, which places downward pressure
on the prices and margins of our products.
We operate in a
highly competitive marketplace, competing primarily against a number of
chemical companies. Competition is based on several key criteria, including
product performance and quality, product price, product availability and
security of supply, responsiveness of product development in cooperation with
customers and customer service. Some of our competitors are larger than we are
and may have greater financial resources. These competitors may also be able to
maintain significantly greater operating and financial flexibility than we do.
As a result, these competitors may be better able to withstand changes in
conditions within our industry, changes in the prices of raw materials and
energy, and changes in general economic conditions. Additionally, competitors
pricing decisions could compel us to decrease our prices, which could adversely
affect our margins and profitability. Our ability to maintain or increase our
profitability is, and will continue to be, dependent upon our ability to offset
decreases in the prices and margins of our products by improving production
efficiency and volume, shifting to higher margin chemical products and improving
existing products through innovation and research and development. If we are
unable to do so or to otherwise maintain our competitive position, we could
lose market share to our competitors.
Our
business, and in particular our water treatment segment, is subject to
seasonality and weather conditions, which could adversely affect our results of
operations.
The Water
Treatment segment of our business is seasonal, as higher sales are incurred
from April through September due to increased water usage. Demand is affected
by weather conditions as either higher or lower than normal precipitation may
affect usage. We cannot assure you that seasonality or weather conditions will
not have a material adverse affect on our results of operations and financial
condition.
Costs
and difficulties in connection with our new enterprise resource planning system
could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are in the
process of implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
throughout our company and have experienced some delays, extra costs and
inefficiency. Because ERP systems are highly complex, implementation and the
transition to the new system has been costly and may initially result in
additional unexpected cost or difficulties, including failure or inefficient
operation of the new system. A failure in the new system could impair our
ability to access certain business and financial information. In addition, we
may experience difficulties in the transition to our new ERP system that could
affect our internal control systems, processes and procedures. Should we
experience such difficulties as a result of our new ERP system, our business,
financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected.
Our
business is subject to hazards common to chemical businesses, any of which
could interrupt our production and adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business is
subject to hazards common to chemical manufacturing, storage, handling and transportation,
including explosions, fires, inclement weather, natural disasters, mechanical
failure, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, remediation,
chemical spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or
gases and other risks. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of
life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment, and environmental
contamination. In addition, the occurrence of material operating problems at
our facilities due to any of these hazards may diminish our ability to meet our
output goals. Accordingly, these hazards and their consequences could have a
material adverse effect on our operations as a whole, including our results of
operations and cash flows, both during and after the period of operational difficulties.
Our
business is subject to risks stemming from natural disasters, which could
interrupt our production and adversely affect our results of operations.
Natural disasters have
the potential of interrupting our operations and damaging our properties, which
could adversely affect our business. Since 1963, flooding of the Mississippi
River has required the Companys terminal operations to be temporarily shifted
out of its buildings four times, the most recent being in the spring of 2001. This
had a negative impact on earnings in the third quarter of fiscal 2001 of
approximately $200,000. No assurance can be given that flooding will not recur
or that there will not be material damage or interruption to the Companys
operations in the future from flooding. In September 2001, a 1.5 million-gallon
caustic soda storage tank was completed at the Red Rock facility, allowing it
to serve as an additional terminal for bulk chemicals. Historically, the property
on which the Red Rock facility is located has not been subject to flooding when
Terminals 1 and 2, located on opposite sides of the Mississippi River in St.
Paul, Minnesota, were not usable due to high water, and the facility was not
affected by the most recent flooding in 2001. The Company believes the impact
of future flooding, if any, will be reduced as the Red Rock Facility is
expected to allow the Company to continue normal shipping to customers during
periods of high water levels.
Downturns
in our customers cyclical industries could adversely affect our sales and
profitability.
Downturns in the
businesses that use our chemicals will adversely affect our sales. Many of our customers
are in industries that are cyclical in nature and sensitive to changes in
general economic conditions. Historically, downturns in general economic
conditions have resulted in diminished product demand and lower average selling
prices, and we may experience similar problems in the future. A decline in economic
conditions in our customers cyclical industries may have a material adverse effect
on our sales and profitability.
Changes
in our customers products can reduce the demand for our chemicals.
Our chemicals are
used for a broad range of applications by customers. Changes in our customers
products or processes may enable our customers or reduce the consumption of the
chemicals that we provide or make our chemicals unnecessary. Customers may also
find alternative materials or processes that no longer require our products.
Consequently, it is important that we develop new products to replace the sales
of products that mature and decline in use.
We
incur substantial costs in order to comply with the extensive environmental,
health and safety laws and regulations.
In the
jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to numerous federal, state
and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including
those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the
management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Ongoing compliance
with such laws and regulations is an important consideration for us and we
incur substantial capital and operating costs in our compliance efforts.
Governmental laws have become increasingly strict in recent years. We expect
this trend to continue and anticipate that compliance will continue to require
increased capital expenditures and operating costs.
Violations
of environmental, health and safety laws and regulations may subject us to
fines, penalties and other liabilities and may require us to change certain business
practices.
If we violate
environmental, health and safety laws or regulations, in addition to being
required to correct such violations, we can be held liable in administrative, civil
or criminal proceedings for substantial fines and other sanctions could be
imposed that could disrupt or limit our operations. Liabilities associated with
the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances, as well as personal
injury, property damages or natural resource damages arising out of such
hazardous substances, may be imposed in many situations without regard to violations
of laws or regulations or other fault, and may also be imposed jointly and
severally (so that a responsible party may be held liable for more than its share
of the losses involved, or even the entire loss). Such liabilities may also be
imposed on many different entities with a relationship to the hazardous
substances at issue, including, for example, entities that formerly owned or
operated the property affected and entities that arranged for the disposal of
hazardous substances at the affected property, as well as entities that
currently own
or operate such property.
Such liabilities can be difficult to identify and the extent of any such
liabilities can be difficult to predict. We use, and in the past have used,
hazardous substances at many of our facilities, and we have in the past, and
may in the future, be subject to claims relating to exposure to hazardous
materials and the associated liabilities may be material. We also have
generated, and continue to generate, hazardous wastes at a number of our
facilities. The nature of our business exposes us to risks of liability under
these laws and regulations due to the production, storage, use, transportation
and sale of materials that can cause contamination or personal injury if
released into the environment.
We
could be subject to damages based on claims brought against us by our customers
or lose customers as a result of the failure of our products to meet certain
quality specifications.
Our products
provide important performance attributes to our customers products. If a
product fails to perform in a manner consistent with quality specifications or
has a shorter useful life than guaranteed, a customer could seek replacement of
the product or damages for costs incurred as a result of the product failing to
perform as expected. A successful claim or series of claims against us could
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations could result in a loss of one or more customers.
The
insurance that we maintain may not fully cover all potential exposures.
We maintain
property, business interruption and casualty insurance but such insurance may
not cover all risks associated with the hazards of our business and is subject
to limitations, including deductibles and maximum liabilities covered. We may
incur losses beyond the limits, or outside coverage, of our insurance policies,
including liabilities for environmental remediation. In addition, from time to
time, various types of insurance for companies in the specialty chemical
industry have not been available on commercially acceptable terms or, in some
cases, have not been available at all. In the future, we may not be able to
obtain coverage at current levels, and our premiums may increase significantly
on coverage that we maintain.
If we
are unable to retain key personnel or attract new skilled personnel, it could
have an adverse effect on our business.
The unanticipated
departure of any key member of our management team could have an adverse effect
on our business. In addition, because of the specialized and technical nature
of our business, our future performance is dependent on the continued service
of, and on our ability to attract and retain, qualified management, scientific,
technical, marketing and support personnel.
We
may not be able to consummate future acquisitions or integrate future
acquisitions into our business, which could result in unanticipated expenses
and losses.
As part of our
business growth strategy, we have acquired businesses in the past and may
pursue acquisitions in the future. Our ability to pursue this strategy will be
limited by our ability to identify appropriate acquisition candidates and our
financial resources, including available cash and borrowing capacity. The
expense incurred in consummating acquisitions, the time it takes to integrate
an acquisition or our failure to integrate businesses successfully, could
result in unanticipated expenses and losses. Furthermore, we may not be able to
realize any of the anticipated benefits from acquisitions.
To the extent this
strategy is pursued, the process of integrating acquired operations into our
existing operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may
require significant financial resources that would otherwise be available for
the ongoing development or expansion of existing operations. Some of the risks
associated with the integration of acquisitions include, among many others,
potential disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management; unforeseen
claims and liabilities; unforeseen adjustments; charges and write-offs; difficulty
in conforming the acquired business standards, processes, procedures and
controls with our operations; challenges arising from the increased scope,
geographic diversity and complexity of our operations.
The occurrence
or threat of extraordinary events, including domestic and international
terrorist attacks, may disrupt our operations and decrease demand for our
products.
Chemical-related
assets may be at greater risk of future terrorist attacks than other possible targets
in the United States. Federal legislation is under consideration that could
impose new site security requirements, specifically on chemical facilities,
which may increase our overhead expenses.
New federal
regulations have already been adopted to increase the security of the
transportation of hazardous chemicals in the United States. We believe we have
met these requirements but additional federal and local regulations that limit
the distribution of hazardous materials are being considered. We ship and receive
materials that are classified as hazardous. Bans on movement of hazardous
materials through certain cities could affect the efficiency of our logistical
operations. Broader restrictions on hazardous material movements could lead to
additional investment to produce hazardous raw materials and change where and
what products we provide.
The occurrence of
extraordinary events, including future terrorist attacks and the outbreak of
escalation of hostilities, cannot be predicted, and their occurrence can be
expected to continue to affect negatively the economy in general, and
specifically the markets for our products. The resulting damage from a direct
attack on our assets, or assets used by us, could include loss of life and
property damage. In addition, available insurance coverage may not be
sufficient to cover all of the damage incurred or, if available, may be
prohibitively expensive.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS
None.
Hawkins, Inc (HWKN) - Description of business
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