References in this section to we, us, our, the Company and Xerox refer to Xerox Corporation
and its subsidiaries unless the context specifically states or implies otherwise.
The document industry is transitioning to digital systems, to color, and to an increased reliance on electronic documents. More and more, businesses are
creating and storing documents digitally and using the Internet to exchange electronic documents. We believe these trends play to the strengths of our product and service offerings and represent opportunities for future growth in the $117 billion
market we serve.
In our core markets of Production and Office, we are well-placed to grow by leading the transition to color and by
reaching new customers with our broadened offerings and expanded distribution channels. Within these markets, the fastest growing segment is color, which we estimate is a $21 billion opportunity. At the same time, we continue to compete to capture
growth opportunities within the black-and-white segment of our core markets, which we estimate is a $58 billion market.
We are expanding
our core markets with Document Management Services, which is the combination of managed services and value-added services. We have organized our Document Management Services around three offerings: 1. Xerox Office Services, where we help our
customers reduce costs and improve productivity by optimizing their global print infrastructure through analyzing the most efficient ways to create and share documents in the office; 2. Document Outsourcing and Communication Services, which focuses
on optimizing the production environment as well as operating in-house production centers; and 3. Business Process Services, where we show our customers how to use digital workflow and develop online document repositories.
Our products include high-end printing and publishing systems; digital multifunctional devices (MFDs)
which can print, copy, scan and fax; digital copiers; laser and solid ink printers; fax machines; document-management software; and supplies such as toner, paper and ink. We provide software and workflow solutions with which businesses can easily
and affordably print books, create personalized documents for their customers, and scan and route digital information. We are creating new market opportunities with digital printing as a complement to traditional offset printing, which we refer to
as the Eligible Offset market. Within the Eligible Offset market we offer leading digital technology, led by our market-making Xerox iGen3 ®
technology, which meets the increasing demand for short-run, customized and quick-turnaround offset quality printing.
Our business model is an annuity model, based on increasing equipment installations and Document Management Services in order to increase the number of
machines in the field (MIF) that will produce pages
and generate post sale and financing revenue. Seventy-two percent of our 2006 total revenue was post sale and financing revenue that includes equipment
maintenance and consumable supplies, among other elements. We sell the majority of our equipment through sales-type leases that we record as equipment sale revenue. Equipment sales represented 28% of our 2006 total revenue.
We expect this large, recurring post sale revenue stream to be approximately three times the equipment sale
revenue over the life of a lease. Thus, the number of equipment installations is a key indicator of post sale and financing revenue trends. The mix of color
pages is another significant indicator of post sale revenue trends because color pages use more consumables per page than black-and-white. In addition, market development, particularly within the Eligible Offset market, is key to increasing pages
and we have leading tools and resources to develop this large market opportunity.
Acquisitions
To further our business goals, we made two acquisitions in 2006. We completed the purchase of Amici LLC, (Amici), a provider of electronic-discovery (e-discovery) services, primarily
supporting litigation and regulatory compliance. E-discovery is the identification, filtering, production, and storage of relevant data from paper or electronic documents, such as e-mail, text files, memos, databases, presentations and spreadsheets.
Amici, now branded Xerox Litigation Services, provides comprehensive litigation discovery management services, including the conversion, hosting and production of electronic and hard copy documents. They also provide consulting and professional
services to assist attorneys in the discovery process.
We also purchased XMPie, Inc. (XMPie) to further strengthen our position in the growing market for personalized communications and cross-media marketing campaigns involving digital printing, e-mail
and customized websites. XMPie helps graphic designers, marketing companies and print providers develop creative, customized marketing programs. XMPie provides software for variable data publishing ranging from the desktop to servers, from print to
multi-channel campaigns, from personalized images to personalized booklets, and from out-of-the-box solutions to a platform for creating custom solutions that fit unique business, integration and workflow requirements.
Segment Information
Our reportable segments are Production, Office,
Developing Markets Operations (DMO), and Other. We present operating segment financial information in Note 2 Segment Reporting to the Consolidated Financial Statements, which we incorporate by reference here. We
have a very broad and diverse base of customers, both geographically and demographically,
ranging from small and medium businesses to graphic communications companies, governmental entities, educational institutions and large (Fortune 1000)
corporate accounts. None of our business segments depends upon a single customer, or a few customers, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Production
We provide high-end digital monochrome and color systems designed for customers in the graphic communications industry and for large enterprises. These
high-end devices enable digital on-demand printing, digital full-color printing, and enterprise printing. We are the only manufacturer in the market that offers a complete family of monochrome production systems from 65 to 180 pages per minute and
color production systems from 40 to 110 pages per minute (ppm). In addition, we offer a variety of
pre-press and post-press options and the industrys broadest set of workflow software.
With our Freeflow digital workflow collection our customers can improve everything from content creation and management to production and fulfillment. Our digital technology, combined with total document solutions and
services that enable personalization and printing on demand, delivers value that improves our customers business results.
Our 2006 Production Goals
Our 2006 goals for our Production segment were to continue strengthening our leadership position in monochrome and
color and to build on the power of digital printing in the Eligible Offset market. Our New Business of Printing ® strategy complements the traditional offset market with digital printing and workflow capabilities, which include the introduction of innovative production systems and development of
applications and solutions to expand our leadership position and focus on the higher growth applications and digital color opportunities. Here are the accomplishments that enabled us to reach our 2006 goals.
Our 2006 Production Accomplishments
We continued to build on our unmatched product breadth, world class market and business development tools and integrated end-to-end applications.
Xerox iGen3 90: We expanded our offerings
within the color print on-demand market with the April launch of our iGen3 90 Digital Press, a 90 ppm full-color production system with improved productivity, image quality, personalization and running cost.
Xerox DocuColor ® 5000: In June, we launched the DocuColor 5000 Digital
Press, a 50 ppm full-color production system, which provides excellent print resolution, color reproduction, and reliability for a wide range of applications.
Xerox 4590 EPS and 4110 ® EPS: In April, we expanded our presence in light
production with the launch of our 4590 and 4110 Enterprise Printing Systems, two robust digital production monochrome systems at 90 ppm and 110 ppm, respectively.
Xerox DocuTech ® Highlight Color 180 Publishing System: In October, we
launched our DocuTech Highlight Color 180 Publishing System for print on-demand applications. This system prints both black-and-white, as well as highlight color, at the rated speed of 180 ppm.
Highlight Custom Blended Color Program: In
October, we announced additional standard colors for a total of eight. We also expanded the range of colors with Custom Colors, enabling customers to match their company logos for brand identity applications.
Applications: We continued to increase
installations of our flagship Digital Color Production Presses. In addition to the launch of the iGen3 90, in June we launched Auto Image Enhancement Software, which intelligently adjusts images to improve photo submission problems. We followed this
with an October announcement of another release that improves photo rendering, color profiling and color checking. In October, we also introduced a series of solutions that included workflow and marketing support to enable such applications as
teacher edition books, photo memory books and greeting cards. In July, we launched FreeFlow Web Services 5.0, which makes it simpler for our customers to procure, print, access or order documents. We continued to build our marketplace
leading Profit Accelerator Program, which helps customers get the most from their digital technology investments. We offer over 50 tools for graphic
communication and in-plant environments to help our customers increase and improve their digital business.
XMPie Acquisition: In November, we
acquired XMPie, a leading provider of variable information software with which users can create cross media, personalized marketing programs. With this acquisition we can provide complete, measurable solutions for multi-media marketing campaigns.
Xerox Nuvera 288 Digital Perfecting System: In October at Graph Expo, we demonstrated a tandem engine architecture Xerox Nuvera 288 Digital Perfecting System. This high-end, cut sheet printer will be the fastest on the market at 288 ppm. The quality, productivity, and ability
to run two engines in parallel, as well as run one engine while the other is idle, is the result of a unique tandem architecture developed by Xerox research and engineering. This product will be available in 2007.
Office
Our Office segment serves global, national, and
small to medium-size commercial customers as well as government, education and other public sector customers. Office systems and services, which include monochrome devices at speeds up to 90 ppm and color devices up to 50 ppm, include our family of
CopyCentre ® , WorkCentre ® and WorkCentre ® Pro digital multifunction systems; DocuColor printer/copiers; color laser, LED (light
emitting diode), solid ink and monochrome laser desktop printers; digital copiers; light-lens copiers and facsimile
products. We have transitioned to digital by joining our laser and solid ink MFDs to powerful scanning technology, which enables our customers to maximize
their document workflow. We offer a range of solutions including the Office Document Assessment, in which we analyze a business workflow and document needs, and then we identify the most efficient, productive mix of office equipment and
software for that business, helping to reduce the customers document-related costs.
Our 2006 Office Goals
Our 2006
Office goals were to drive the transition to color in the office and to build on our 2005 product launches, to extend our reach in the market and increase our capture of pages. Our objective was to complement our broadened product line with expanded
distribution capacity to increase our population of systems, building the foundation for future post sale revenue growth. Here are the accomplishments that enabled us to reach our 2006 goals.
Our 2006 Office Accomplishments
We
continued to drive color by making it more affordable, easier to use, faster and more reliable. Our color-capable laser devices provide an attractive entry point into color. Our patented solid ink technology offers unmatched ease of use, vibrant
color image quality and economic color run costs.
Phaser 7760: With the May
introduction of the Phaser 7760, we further strengthened our position in the graphics art segment. A 35 ppm color printer, the Phaser 7760, delivers the color output and media handling and finishing options required by this market segment.
WorkCentre 7132: In May, we introduced the
WorkCentre 7132, an eight ppm (32 ppm black-and-white) color-capable multi-function printer.
WorkCentre 7128/7135/7145: In May, we
introduced the restriction on the use of hazardous substances (ROHS) compliant product family in Europe. Offering 28, 35 or 45 ppm, these color-capable MFDs expand our reach into a rapidly growing market segment.
WorkCentre 7655/7665: In May, we
introduced the WorkCentre 7655 and 7665 color capable MFDs, offering color pages at 40 and 50 ppm, respectively, along with superior image quality, excellent productivity, extensive media handling and professional in-line finishing capabilities.
We also extended our black-and-white MFD series, broadening our already extensive product line.
WorkCentre 4118: Introduced in June, the
4118 is designed for small workgroups and has the strongest set of features that we offer on a low-end, black-and-white desktop MFD.
WorkCentre 4150: With the introduction in
September of this 50 ppm A4 monochrome MFD, we entered a new, rapidly growing market segment, offering an economical alternative to large enterprises interested in replacing their printer fleet.
WorkCentre 4590: Introduced in January,
the 4590, which runs at 90 ppm, rounds out the high-end of our office monochrome fleet.
Extensible Interface Platform: In October,
we introduced our Extensible Interface Platform (EIP) with a configurable user interface. With EIP, customers can access document-related software applications on a Xerox MFD user interface, improving workflow and productivity.
DMO
DMO
includes the marketing, sales and servicing of Xerox products, supplies, and services in Latin America, Brazil, the Middle East, India, Eurasia and Central-Eastern Europe and Africa. In countries with developing economies, DMO manages the Xerox
business through operating companies, subsidiaries, joint ventures, product distributors, affiliates, concessionaires, value-added resellers and dealers. Our two-tiered distribution model has proven very successful in the high-growth
geographies of Russia and Central-Eastern Europe, and in 2006 we completed implementing this business model throughout the remainder of DMO. We manage our
DMO operations separately as a segment because of the political and economic volatility, and the unique nature of its markets. Our 2006 DMO goals included revenue growth, a continued focus on improving the entire cost base and providing a foundation
for profitable growth.
Other
Our Other segment primarily includes revenue
from paper sales, value-added services and wide-format systems.
We sell cut-sheet paper to our customers for use in their document
processing products. The market for cut-sheet paper is highly competitive and revenues are significantly affected by pricing. Our strategy is to charge a premium over mill wholesale prices, which is adequate to cover our costs and the value we add
as a distributor, as well as to provide unique products that enhance the New Business of Printing and color output.
An
increasingly important part of our offering is value-added services, which uses our document industry knowledge and experience. Our value-added services deliver solutions that optimize our customers document output and infrastructure costs
while streamlining, simplifying, and digitizing their document-intensive business processes. In July, we acquired Amici, officially
launching the Xerox Litigation Services line of electronic discovery (e-discovery) and records management services. E-discovery is the
identification, filtering, production and storage of relevant data from paper or electronic documents, like e-mail, text files, memos, databases, presentations and spreadsheets. Often our value-added services solutions lead to larger managed
services contracts, including our equipment, supplies, service, and labor. We report the revenue from managed services contracts in the Production, Office, or DMO segments. In 2006, the combined value-added services and managed services revenue,
including equipment, totaled $3.5 billion.
We offer document processing products and devices in our wide-format systems business designed
to reproduce large engineering and architectural drawings up to three feet by four feet in size.
Revenue
We sell most of our products and services under bundled lease arrangements, in which our customers pay a
monthly amount for the equipment, maintenance, services, supplies and financing over the course of the lease agreement. These arrangements are beneficial to our customers and us since, in addition to customers receiving a bundled offering, these
arrangements allow us to maintain the customer relationship for future sales of equipment and services.
Research and Development
Investment in R&D is critical for competitiveness in Xeroxs fast paced markets where more
than two-thirds of our equipment sales are from products launched during the past two years.
We are required, for accounting purposes, to analyze these arrangements to determine whether the equipment component meets certain accounting requirements
so that the equipment should be recorded as a sale at lease inception, that is, a sales-type lease. Under a sales-type lease we are required to allocate a portion of the monthly minimum payments attributable to the fair value of the equipment to
equipment sales. We allocate the remaining portion of the monthly minimum payments to the various remaining elements based on fair value service, maintenance, supplies and financing that we generally recognize over
the term of the lease agreement, and that we report as post sale and other revenue and finance income revenue. In those arrangements that do not qualify as sales-type leases, which have increased as a result of our
services-led strategy, we recognize the entire monthly payment over the term of the lease agreement, whether rental or operating lease, and report it in post sale and other revenue. Our accounting policies for revenue recognition for
leases and bundled arrangements are included in Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2006 Annual Report.
Xeroxs R&D drives
innovation and customer value by:
Creating new differentiated products and services.
Enabling cost competitiveness through disruptive products and services.
Enabling new ways to serve customers.
Creating new business opportunities to drive future growth by reaching out to new customers.
To ensure our success, we have aligned our R&D investment portfolio with our strategic planks: leading the color transition, enabling the New
Business of Printing, and enhancing customer value through services. 2006 R&D spending focused primarily on the development of high-end business applications to drive the New Business of Printing, on extending our color
capabilities, and on lower-cost platforms and customer productivity enablers that drive the digitization of the office. The Xerox iGen3, an advanced next-generation digital printing press that produces photographic-quality prints indistinguishable
from offset, and Xeroxs proprietary Solid Ink technology for the office are examples of the type of breakthrough technology we developed and that
we expect will drive future growth. We include in our R,D&E expenses our sustaining engineering expenses, which are the hardware engineering and software
development costs we incur after we launch a product.
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses
We are a technology company. With our Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) subsidiary, we were awarded
nearly 560 U.S. utility patents in 2006. We were ranked 39 th on the list of companies that were awarded the most
U.S. patents during the year and would have been ranked 36 th with the inclusion of PARC patents. With our research
partner, Fuji Xerox, we were awarded over 800 U.S. utility patents in 2006. Our patent portfolio evolves as new patents are awarded to us and as older patents expire. As of December 31, 2006, we held approximately 8,300 design and utility U.S.
patents. These patents expire at various dates up to 20 years or more from their original filing dates. While we believe that our portfolio of patents and applications has value, in general no single patent is essential to our business or any
individual segment. In addition, any of our proprietary rights could be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented or may not provide significant competitive advantages.
In the U.S., we are party to numerous patent-licensing agreements, and in a majority of them, we license or assign our patents to others, in return for revenue and/or access to their patents. Most of the patent
licenses expire concurrently with the expiration of the last patent identified in the license. In 2006, with our PARC subsidiary, we added approximately 25 agreements to our portfolio of patent licensing agreements, and either we or our PARC
subsidiary was a licensor in 22 of the agreements. We also have a number of cross-licensing agreements with companies with substantial patent portfolios, including Canon, Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett Packard and Océ. Those agreements vary in
subject matter, scope, compensation, significance and time.
In the U.S., we own approximately 560 trademarks, either registered or applied for. These trademarks have a perpetual life, subject to renewal every ten years. We vigorously enforce and protect our trademarks. We hold
a perpetual trademark license for DocuColor.
Competition
Although we encounter aggressive competition in all areas of our business, we are the leader or among
the leaders in each of our principal business segments. Our competitors range from large international companies to relatively small firms. We compete primarily on the basis of technology, performance, price, quality, reliability, brand,
distribution, and customer service and support. To remain competitive, we invest in and develop new products and services and continually improve our existing offerings. Our key competitors include Canon, Ricoh, IKON, Hewlett-Packard, and, in
certain areas of the business, Pitney Bowes, Kodak, Océ, Konica-Minolta and Lexmark. We believe that our brand recognition, reputation for document knowledge and expertise, innovative technology, breadth of product offerings, global
distribution channels, our customer relationships and large customer base are important competitive advantages. We and our competitors continue to develop and market new and innovative products at competitive prices, and, at any given time, we may
set new market standards for quality, speed and function.
Marketing and Distribution
We manage our business based on the principal business segments described above. However, we have organized the
marketing and selling of our products and solutions according to geography and channel types. We sell our products and solutions directly to customers through our worldwide sales force and through a network of independent agents, dealers,
value-added resellers and systems integrators. Increasingly, we use our direct sales force to address our customers more advanced technology, solutions and services requirements, while expanding our use of cost-effective, indirect distribution
channels, for basic product offerings.
We market our Phaser line of color and monochrome laser-class and solid ink printers through office
information technology industry resellers, who typically access our products through distributors. In 2006, we increased the product offerings available through a two-tiered distribution model in Europe and DMO. Through a multi-phased rollout, we
will continue to increase offerings through this lower-cost distribution channel for our Office portfolio.
We are increasing our use of
partners to improve our market coverage. Through alliances with Premier Partners and Fuji Ennovation, we expanded coverage to market our DocuColor series to commercial printers. Our alliance with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) is designed
to integrate EDS information technology (IT) services with our document management systems and services to provide customers with full IT infrastructure support.
In Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and parts of Asia, we distribute our products through Xerox Limited, a company established under the laws of
England, and related non-U.S. companies all of which we refer to as Xerox Limited. Xerox Limited enters into distribution agreements with unaffiliated third parties covering distribution of our products in some of the countries located in these
regions, and previously entered into agreements with unaffiliated third parties covering distribution of our products in Iran, Sudan, and Syria. Iran, Sudan, and Syria, among others, have been designated as state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S.
Department of State and are subject to U.S. economic sanctions. We maintain an export and sanctions compliance program and believe that we have been and are
in compliance with U.S. laws and government regulations for these countries. In addition, we had no assets, liabilities, or operations in these countries other than liabilities under the distribution agreements. After observing required prior notice
periods, Xerox Limited terminated its distribution agreements related to Sudan and Syria in August 2006 and terminated its distribution agreement related to Iran in December 2006, and now has only legacy obligations such as providing spare parts and
supplies to these third parties. In 2006, we had total revenues of $15.9 billion, of which approximately $9.6 million was attributable to Iran and less than $0.7 million in total was attributable to Sudan and Syria. As a result of the termination of
these agreements, we anticipate that our revenues attributable to these countries will decline.
In January 2006, Xerox Limited entered into
a five-year distribution agreement with an unaffiliated third party covering distribution of our products in Libya. Libya is also designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. Department of State. The decision to enter into this
distribution agreement was made in light of recent U.S. federal government actions that have lifted the countrywide embargo previously imposed on Libya. Our sales in Libya through this distribution agreement will be subject to our export and
sanctions compliance program and will be according to the U.S. laws and government regulations that relate to Libya.
Service
As of December 31, 2006, we had a worldwide service force of approximately 12,000 employees and an extensive variable contract
service force. We are expanding our use of cost-effective remote service technology for basic product offerings while utilizing our direct service force and a variable contract service force to address customers more advanced technology
requirements. The increasing use of a variable contract service force is consistent with our strategy to reduce service costs while maintaining high-quality levels of service. We believe that our service force represents a significant competitive
advantage in that the service force
is continually trained on our products and their diagnostic equipment is state-of-the-art. We offer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in major
metropolitan areas around the world, providing a consistent and superior level of service worldwide.
Manufacturing Outsourcing
We are currently in the first one-year automatic renewal period under a five year master supply agreement with Flextronics, a global
electronics manufacturing services company, to outsource portions of manufacturing for our Office segment. Our inventory purchases from Flextronics currently represent approximately 20% of our overall worldwide inventory procurement. We have agreed
to purchase from Flextronics some products and consumables within specified product families. Flextronics must acquire inventory in anticipation of meeting our forecasted requirements and must maintain sufficient manufacturing capacity to satisfy
these requirements. Under certain circumstances, we may be obligated to repurchase inventory that remains unused for more than 180 days or becomes obsolete, or on the termination of the supply agreement.
We acquire other Office products from various third parties, to increase the breadth of our product portfolio, and to meet channel requirements. We also
have arrangements with Fuji Xerox under which we purchase some products from and sell other products to Fuji Xerox. Some of these purchases and sales are the result of mutual research and development arrangements. Our remaining manufacturing
operations are primarily located in Rochester, New York and Dundalk, Ireland for our high-end production products and consumables, and in Wilsonville, Oregon for solid ink products, consumable supplies, and components for our Office segment
products.
Fuji Xerox
Fuji Xerox Co., Limited is an unconsolidated entity in which we currently own 25% and FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (FujiFilm) owns 75%. Fuji Xerox develops, manufactures and distributes document processing products in Japan,
China, Hong Kong and other areas of the Pacific Rim, Australia and New Zealand. We retain significant rights as a minority shareholder. Our technology licensing agreements with Fuji Xerox ensure that the two companies retain uninterrupted access to
each others portfolio of patents, technology and products.
International Operations
We are incorporating by reference the financial measures by geographical area for 2006, 2005 and 2004 that are included in Note
2 Segment Reporting to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2006 Annual Report.
Contract Signings
We believe that contract signings provide a meaningful measure of future business prospects for document management services. Contract
signings represent managements estimate of the total contract life value of managed services and value-added services contracts signed within the period. This estimate includes new contracts, renewals, extensions, and amendments to existing
contracts. The total contract life value is defined as the average monthly commitment minimum multiplied by the number of months in the contract, plus an estimate of any other revenue related to the contract, but not included in the minimum. If a
contract does not have a monthly commitment minimum, management develops an estimate based on historical and expected usage patterns and other relevant information. Our contracts have terms that generally range from 3 to 5 years. During 2006,
signings for document management services were up about 15% from 2005.
Backlog
We believe that backlog, or the value of unfilled orders, is not a meaningful indicator of future business prospects because of the significant
proportion of our revenue that follows equipment installation, the large volume of products we deliver from shelf inventories, and the shortening of product life cycles.
Seasonality
Our revenues are affected by such factors as the introduction of new
products, the length of the sales cycles, and the seasonality of technology purchases. As a result, our operating results are difficult to predict. These factors have historically resulted in lower revenue in the first quarter than in the
immediately preceding fourth quarter.
Other Information
Xerox is a New
York corporation, organized in 1906, and our principal executive offices are located at 800 Long Ridge Road, P. O. Box 1600, Stamford, Connecticut 06904-1600.
Our telephone number is (203) 968-3000.
On the Investor Information section of our Internet website, you will find our
annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports. We make these documents available as soon as we can after we have filed them with, or furnished them to, the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
Our Internet address is http://www.xerox.com.
Item 1A. Risk
Factors
We face significant competition and our failure to compete successfully could adversely affect our results of operations
and financial condition.
We operate in an environment of significant competition, driven by rapid technological advances and the
demands of customers to become more efficient. Our competitors range from large international companies to relatively small firms. Some of the large international companies have significant financial resources and compete with us globally to provide
document processing products and services in each of the markets we serve. We compete primarily on the basis of technology, performance, price, quality, reliability, brand, distribution and customer service and support. Our success in future
performance is largely dependent upon our ability to compete successfully in the markets we currently serve and to expand into additional market segments. To remain competitive, we must develop new products, services, and applications and
periodically enhance our existing offerings. If we are unable to compete successfully, we could lose market share and important customers to our competitors and that could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial
condition.
We need to develop and expand the use of color printing and copying.
Increasing the proportion of pages which are printed in color and transitioning color pages currently produced on offset devices to Xerox technology
represent key growth opportunities. A significant part of our strategy and ultimate success in this changing market is our ability to develop and market technology that produces color prints and copies quickly, easily, with high quality and at
reduced cost. Our continuing success in this strategy depends on our ability to make the investments and commit the necessary resources in this highly competitive market, as well as the pace of color adoption by our existing and prospective
customers. If we are unable to develop and market advanced and competitive color technologies or the pace of color adoption by our existing and prospective customers is less than anticipated, or the price of color pages declines at a greater rate
and faster pace than we anticipate, we may be unable to capture these opportunities and it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
If we fail to successfully develop new products and technologies, we may be unable to retain current customers and gain new customers and our revenues would be reduced.
The process of developing new high technology products and solutions is inherently complex and uncertain. It requires accurate anticipation of
customers changing needs and emerging technological trends. We must make long-term investments and commit significant resources before knowing whether these investments will eventually result in products that achieve customer acceptance and
generate the revenues required to provide desired returns. We also must ensure that all of our products comply with existing and newly enacted applicable regulatory requirements in the countries in which they are sold, particularly European Union
environmental directives. If we fail to accurately anticipate and meet our customers needs through the development of new products or if our new products are not widely accepted or if our current or future products fail to meet applicable
worldwide regulatory requirements, we could lose market share and customers to our competitors and that could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our profitability is dependent upon our ability to obtain adequate pricing for our products and to improve our cost structure.
Our success depends on our ability to obtain adequate pricing for our products and services which provides a reasonable return to our shareholders.
Depending on competitive market factors, future prices we obtain for our products and services may decline from previous levels. In addition, pricing actions to offset the effect of currency devaluations may not prove sufficient to offset further
devaluations or may not hold in the face of customer resistance and/or competition. If we are unable to obtain adequate pricing for our products and services, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Since 2000, we have engaged in a series of restructuring programs related to downsizing our employee base, exiting certain businesses,
outsourcing some internal functions and engaging in other actions designed to reduce our cost structure. If we are unable to continue to maintain our cost base at or below the current level and maintain process and systems changes resulting from the
restructuring actions, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to sustain and
improve profit margins is dependent on a number of factors, including our ability to continue to improve the cost efficiency of our operations through such programs as Lean Six Sigma, the level of pricing pressures on our products and services, the
proportion of high-end as opposed to low-end equipment sales, the trend in our post-sale revenue growth, and, our ability to successfully complete information technology initiatives. If any of these factors adversely materialize or if we are unable
to achieve productivity improvements through design efficiency, supplier and manufacturing cost improvements and information technology initiatives, our ability to offset labor cost inflation, potential materials cost increases and competitive price
pressures would be impaired, all of which could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We have
outsourced a significant portion of our overall worldwide manufacturing operations and face the risks associated with relying on third party manufacturers and external suppliers.
We have outsourced a significant portion of our overall worldwide manufacturing operations to third parties and various service providers. To the extent
that we rely on third party manufacturing relationships, we face the risk that those manufacturers may not be able to develop manufacturing methods appropriate for our products, they may not be able to quickly respond to changes in customer demand
for our products, they may not be able to obtain supplies and materials necessary for the manufacturing process, they may experience labor shortages and/or disruptions, manufacturing costs could be higher than planned and the reliability of our
products could decline. If any of these risks were to be realized, and assuming similar third-party manufacturing relationships could not be established, we could experience interruptions in supply or increases in costs that might result in our
being unable to meet customer demand for our products, damage our relationships with our customers, and reduce our market share, all of which could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be negatively impacted by economic conditions abroad, including fluctuating foreign
currencies and shifting regulatory schemes.
Approximately half of our revenue is generated from operations outside the United States.
In addition, we manufacture or acquire many of our products and/or their components from, and maintain significant operations, outside the United States. Our future revenues, costs and results of operations could be significantly affected by changes
in foreign currency exchange rates, as well as by a number of other factors, including changes in economic conditions from country to country, changes in a countrys political conditions, trade protection measures, licensing requirements local
tax issues, capitalization and other related legal matters. We generally hedge foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and anticipated transactions primarily through the use of currency derivative contracts. The use of derivative contracts
is intended to mitigate or reduce transactional level volatility in the results of foreign operations, but does not completely eliminate volatility. We do not hedge the translation effect of international revenues and expenses, which are denominated
in currencies other than our U.S. parent functional currency, within our consolidated financial statements.
Our operating results may
be negatively impacted by lower equipment placements and revenue trends.
Our ability to return to and maintain a consistent trend of
revenue growth over the intermediate to longer term is largely dependent upon expansion of our worldwide equipment placements, as well as sales of services and supplies occurring after the initial equipment placement (post sale revenue) in the key
growth markets of digital printing, color and multifunction systems. We expect that revenue growth can be further enhanced through our document management and consulting services in the areas of personalized and product life cycle communications,
office and production services and document content and imaging. The ability to achieve growth in our equipment placements is subject to the successful implementation of our initiatives to provide advanced systems, industry-oriented global solutions
and services for major customers, improve direct sales productivity and expand our indirect distribution channels in our developing markets operations and other geographic areas in the face of global competition and pricing pressures. Our ability to
increase post sale revenue is largely dependent on our ability to increase the volume of pages printed, the mix of color pages, equipment utilization and color adoption. Equipment placements typically occur through leases with original terms of
three to five years. There will be a lag between the increase in equipment placement and an increase in post sale revenues. The ability to grow our customers usage of our products may continue to be adversely impacted by the movement toward
distributed printing and electronic substitutes and the impact of lower equipment placements in prior periods. If we are unable to maintain a consistent trend of revenue growth, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and
financial condition.
Our ability to fund our
customer financing activities at economically competitive levels depends on our ability to borrow and the cost of borrowing in the credit market.
The long-term viability and profitability of our customer financing activities is dependent, in part, on our ability to borrow and the cost of borrowing in the credit markets. This ability and cost, in turn, is
dependent on our credit ratings. We are currently funding our customer financing activity through a combination of capital market offerings, cash generated from operations, cash on hand, other secured and unsecured borrowings and, to a lesser
degree, third-party funding arrangements. Our ability to continue to offer customer financing and be successful in the placement of equipment with customers is largely dependent on our ability to obtain funding at a reasonable cost. If we are unable
to continue to offer customer financing, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our
significant debt could adversely affect our financial health and pose challenges for conducting our business.
We have and will continue
to have a significant amount of debt and other obligations, primarily to support our customer financing activities. As of December 31, 2006, we had $7.1 billion of total debt ($2.1 billion of which is secured by finance receivables) and $624
million of liabilities to trusts issuing preferred securities. The total value of financing activities, shown on the balance sheet as Finance Receivables and On-Lease equipment, was $8.3 billion at December 31, 2006. The total cash, cash
equivalents and short-term investments balance was $1.5 billion at December 31, 2006. Our substantial debt and other obligations could have important consequences. For example, it could (i) increase our vulnerability to general adverse
economic and industry conditions; (ii) limit our ability to obtain additional financing for future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate requirements; (iii) increase our vulnerability to interest
rate fluctuations because a portion of our debt has variable interest rates; (iv) require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to service debt and other obligations thereby reducing the availability of our cash
flows from operations for other purposes; (v) limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; (vi) place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that
have less debt; and (vii) become due and payable upon a change in control. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, these related risks could increase.
We need to maintain adequate liquidity in order to have sufficient cash to meet operating cash flow requirements and to repay maturing debt and other obligations. If we fail to comply with the
covenants contained in our various borrowing agreements, it may adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.
Our liquidity is a function of our ability to successfully generate cash flows from a combination of efficient operations and improvement therein, access to capital markets, securitizations, funding from third parties and borrowings secured
by our finance receivables portfolios. As of December 31, 2006, total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments was $1.5 billion, and our borrowing capacity under our 2006 Credit Facility was $1.235 billion, reflecting no
outstanding borrowings and $15 million of letters of credit that have been utilized. We also have funding available through various secured borrowing arrangements. We believe our liquidity (including operating and other cash flows that we expect to
generate) will be sufficient to meet operating requirements as they occur; however, our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity going forward depends on our ability to generate cash from operations and access to the capital markets, secured
borrowings, securitizations and funding from third parties, all of which are subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other market factors that are beyond our control.
The 2006 Credit Facility contains affirmative and negative covenants including limitations on: (i) liens of Xerox and certain of our subsidiaries
securing debt, (ii) certain fundamental changes to corporate structure, (iii) changes in nature of business and (iv) limitations on debt incurred by certain subsidiaries. The 2006 Credit Facility contains financial maintenance
covenants, including maximum leverage (debt for borrowed money divided by consolidated EBITDA, as defined) and a minimum interest coverage ratio (consolidated EBITDA divided by consolidated interest expense, as defined). The indentures governing our
outstanding senior notes contain affirmative and negative covenants including limitations on: issuance of secured debt and preferred stock; investments and acquisitions; mergers; certain transactions with affiliates; creation of liens; asset
transfers; hedging transactions; payment of dividends and certain other payments. They do not, however, contain any financial maintenance covenants, except the fixed charge coverage ratio applicable to certain types of payments. Our U.S. Loan
Agreement with General Electric Capital Corporation (GECC) (effective through 2010) relating to our customer financing program (the Loan
Agreement) provides for loans secured by eligible finance receivables up to $5 billion outstanding at any one time. As of December 31, 2006, $1.5
billion was outstanding under the Loan Agreement, including similar loan agreements with GE in the U.K. and Canada. These agreements incorporate the financial maintenance covenants contained in the 2006 Credit Facility and contains other affirmative
and negative covenants.
At December 31, 2006, we were in full compliance with the covenants and other provisions of the 2006 Credit
Facility, the senior notes and the Loan Agreement. Any failure to be in compliance with any material provision or covenant of the 2006 Credit Facility or the senior notes could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations
and financial condition. Failure to be in compliance with the covenants in the Loan Agreement, including the financial maintenance covenants incorporated from the 2006 Credit Facility, would result in an event of termination under the Loan Agreement
and in such case GECC would not be required to make further loans to us. If GECC were to make no further loans to us, and assuming a similar facility was not established and that we were unable to obtain replacement financing in the public debt
markets, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund our customers purchases of our equipment and this could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be negatively impacted by legal and regulatory matters.
We have various contingent liabilities that are not reflected on our balance sheet, including those arising as a result of being involved in a variety of
claims, lawsuits, investigations and proceedings concerning securities law, intellectual property law, environmental law, employment law and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), as discussed in the
Contingencies note to the Consolidated Financial Statements. We determine whether an estimated loss from a contingency should be accrued by assessing whether a loss is deemed probable and can be reasonably estimated. We assess potential
liability by analyzing our litigation and regulatory matters using available information. We develop our views on estimated losses in consultation with legal counsel handling our defense in these matters, which involves an analysis of potential
results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. Should developments in any of our legal matters cause a change in our determination as to an unfavorable outcome and result in the need to recognize a material accrual, or
should any of these matters result in a final adverse judgment or be settled for significant amounts, they could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial position in the period or periods in which such
change in determination, judgment or settlement occurs.
Our operations are subject to environmental regulations in each of the
jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. Some of our manufacturing operations use, and some of our products contain, substances that are regulated in various jurisdictions. For example, the European Union Directive known as the
Restriction on the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), effective in July 2006, requires the removal of lead, cadmium and certain other substances from product designs put on the market in the European Union beginning in July
2006. We continue RoHS compliance activities with respect to our products. The RoHS directive does not have a material impact on our product lines. In addition, various other countries and jurisdictions have proposed and/or are expected to
adopt restrictions similar to RoHS. If we do not comply with applicable rules and regulations in connection with the use of such substances and the sale of products containing such substances, then we could be subject to liability and could be
prevented from selling our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Further, we could also face substantial costs and liabilities in connection with product take-back
legislation. Beginning in 2005, we became subject to the European Union Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) as enacted by individual European Union countries (WEEE Legislation), which makes
producers of electrical goods, including computers and printers, responsible for collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of recovered products. We continue to conduct WEEE compliance activities and continue to evaluate the impact of
specific registration and compliance activities required by WEEE Legislation. Other jurisdictions throughout the United States and the world have also proposed, or may adopt, product take-back regulations. If we are unable to collect, recycle,
treat and dispose of our products in a cost-effective manner and in accordance with applicable requirements, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Other potentially relevant initiatives throughout
the world include proposals for more extensive chemical registration requirements, various efforts to limit energy use in products, and other environmentally related product programs. As these initiatives and programs become regulatory requirements
and/or are adopted as public or private procurement requirements, we must comply or potentially face market access limitations that could have a material adverse affect on our operations and financial condition.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None
Xerox Corporation (XRX) - Description of business
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Level 2 quotes
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Key executives
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