Business Description





We are a leading provider of manufactured vinyl coated fabrics. Our best-known
brand, Naugahyde, is the product of many improvements on a rubber-coated fabric
developed a century ago in Naugatuck, Connecticut. We design, manufacture and
market a wide selection of vinyl coated fabric products under a portfolio of
recognized brand names. We believe that our business has continued to be a
leading supplier in its marketplace because of our ability to provide
specialized materials with performance characteristics customized to the
end-user specifications, complemented by technical and customer support for the
use of our products in manufacturing.



Our vinyl coated fabric products have undergone considerable evolution and today
are distinguished by superior performance in a wide variety of applications as
alternatives to leather, cloth and other synthetic fabric coverings. Our
standard product lines consist of more than 525 SKUs with combinations of
colors, textures, patterns and other properties. Our products are differentiated
by unique protective top finishes and transfer print capabilities. Additional
process capabilities include embossing grains and patterns, and rotogravure
printing, which imparts five color character prints and non-registered prints,
lamination and panel cutting.



Our vinyl coated fabric products have various high-performance characteristics
and capabilities. They are durable, stain resistant, easily processed, more
cost-effective and better performing than traditional leather or fabric
coverings. Our products are frequently used in applications that require
rigorous performance characteristics such as automotive and non-automotive
transportation, certain indoor/outdoor furniture, commercial and hospitality
seating, health care facilities and athletic equipment. We manufacture materials
in a wide range of colors and textures. They can be hand or machine sewn,
laminated to an underlying structure, thermoformed to cover various substrates
or made into a variety of shapes for diverse end-uses. We are a long-established
supplier to the global automotive industry and manufacture products for interior
soft trim components from floor to headliner, which are produced to meet
specific component production requirements such as cut and sew, vacuum
forming/covering, compression molding, and high frequency welding. Some products
are supplied with micro perforations, which are necessary on most compression
molding processes. Materials can also be combined with polyurethane or
polypropylene foam laminated by either flame or hot melt adhesive for seating,
fascia and door applications.



Products are developed and marketed based upon the performance characteristics
required by end-users. For example, for recreational products used outdoors,
such as boats, personal watercraft, golf carts and snowmobiles, a product
designed primarily for water-based durability and weatherability is used. We
also manufacture a line of products called BeautyGard®, with water-based
topcoats that contain agents to protect against bacterial and fungal
micro-organisms and can withstand repeated cleaning, a necessity in the
restaurant and health care industries. These topcoats are environmentally
friendlier than solvent-based topcoats. The line is widely used in hospitals and
other health care facilities. Flame and smoke retardant vinyl coated fabrics are
used for a variety of commercial and institutional furniture applications,
including hospitals, restaurants and residential care centers and seats for
school buses, trains and aircraft.



We currently conduct our operations in manufacturing facilities that are located in Stoughton, Wisconsin and Earby, England.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates





The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures
in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP")
requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect our reported
amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related
disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we
evaluate our estimates and assumptions based upon historical experience and
various other factors and circumstances. We believe that our estimates and
assumptions are reasonable under the circumstances; however, actual results may
vary from these estimates and assumptions under different future circumstances.
For further discussion of our significant accounting policies, refer to Note 1 -
"Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" to the
consolidated financial statements and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies,
Judgments and Estimates" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended January 3, 2021.



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Overview:



We and our subsidiaries use a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the Sunday
nearest to December 31. The current year ending January 2, 2022 is a 52-week
year whereas the prior year ended January 3, 2021 was a 53-week year. Our U.K.
subsidiaries use the calendar year end of December 31. The activity of the U.K.
subsidiaries that occurs on the days that do not coincide with our year-end is
not material. Both the three months ended October 3, 2021 and October 4, 2020
were 13-week periods while the nine months ended October 3, 2021 was a 26-week
period and the nine months ended October 4, 2020 was a 27-week period.



Our Earby, England operation's functional currency is the British Pound Sterling
("Pound Sterling") and has sales and purchases transactions that are denominated
in currencies other than the Pound Sterling, principally the Euro. Approximately
30% of our global revenues and 33% of our global raw material purchases are
derived from these Euro transactions.



The average year-to-date exchange rate for the Pound Sterling to the U.S. Dollar
was approximately 8.8% higher and the average exchange rate for the Euro to the
Pound Sterling was approximately 2.4% lower in 2021 compared to 2020. These
exchange rate changes had the effect of increasing net sales by approximately
$1,841,000 for the nine months ended October 3, 2021. The overall currency
effect on our net income was a negative amount of approximately $148,000 for the
nine months ended October 3, 2021.



The current coronavirus pandemic ("COVID-19") has had an impact on markets we
serve and our operations. Since COVID-19 is a continually evolving situation, we
cannot predict the long-term impact it will have on the economy or our business.
The impact could have a material adverse effect on our financial position,
results of operations and cash flows, which may require us to obtain additional
financing. As discussed below, we continue to pursue supplementary cash flow
opportunities.



Through the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") administered by the U.S. Small
Business Administration ("SBA") under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act ("the CARES Act"), our U.S. operations received $2,000,000 ("Second
Draw PPP Loan") and $2,217,500 ("First Draw PPP Loan") in March 2021 and in
April 2020, respectively, in funds from One Community Bank. We used all proceeds
from these PPP loans for allowable expenses (as defined in the PPP loans) and
applied for forgiveness of the PPP loans in accordance with the terms of the
CARES Act. In June 2021 and August 2021, we were notified that all of our First
and Second Draw PPP Loans, respectively, were forgiven. See Note 9 to the
consolidated financial statements for further discussion.



For the U.K. operations, during the third quarter of 2021 and 2020, we recorded
reimbursed costs of approximately $49,000 and $474,000, respectively, and during
the first nine months of 2021 and 2020 we recorded reimbursed costs of
approximately $150,000 and $1,560,000, respectively, under the Coronavirus Job
Retention Scheme ("CJRS") set up by the U.K. government to help employers pay
the salaries of those employees who would otherwise have been laid off during
the coronavirus outbreak but under the CJRS were furloughed instead. The much
lower reimbursed costs for the third quarter and first nine months of 2021
reflected that employees were furloughed significantly less than in the same
periods of 2020. This program reimbursed us for up to 80% of the compensation
expense plus national insurance and certain benefits paid to the furloughed
employees, resulting in lower salary expense for us. While the employees were on
furlough, the compensation paid to them was limited to the amount reimbursed by
the CJRS. We recorded the reimbursed amounts as reductions to the associated
expenses.



Also for the U.K. operations, in June 2021 its bank lending facilities with
Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited ("Lloyds") were refinanced with PNC
Business Credit ("PNC"). PNC provided us additional availability by expanding
its borrowing base to include eligible equipment. This transaction was accounted
for as a debt extinguishment per Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 470,
"Debt", under which the existing Lloyds debt was derecognized and the new PNC
debt was recorded at fair value. A loss of £46,813 ($64,768) was recognized on
this transaction and is recorded in general and administrative expenses in the
consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended October 3, 2021.
Debt issuance costs of £247,114 ($341,895) related to this transaction were
capitalized. These capitalized costs are being amortized over 36 months. The
Company has classified these debt issuance costs within other long-term assets
in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. See Notes 8 and 9 to the
consolidated financial statements for further discussion.



Additionally for the U.K. operations, in September 2021 we received $137,815
related to the second installment of loans from the automotive lenders per the
original loan agreement. The remainder of the second installment of loans of
approximately $260,000 was received in October 2021. These amounts are due to be
repaid in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, the amounts due to be repaid
at the end of the third and fourth quarters of 2021 (each approximately
$162,500) from the first installment of loans from the automotive lenders were
deferred until the third and fourth quarters of 2022, respectively.



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Three Months Ended October 3, 2021 Compared to the Three Months Ended October 4, 2020

The following table sets forth, for the three months ended October 3, 2021 ("three months 2021") and October 4, 2020 ("three months 2020"), certain operational data including their respective percentage of net sales:





                                                             Three Months Ended
                                                                                                       %
                                     October 3, 2021           October 4, 2020         Change        Change

Net Sales                        $ 16,385,914     100.0%   $ 15,171,898     100.0%   $ 1,214,016       8.0%
Cost of Goods Sold                 14,430,915      88.1%     13,114,967      86.4%     1,315,948      10.0%
Gross Profit                        1,954,999      11.9%      2,056,931      13.6%      (101,932 )    -5.0%
Operating Expenses:
Selling                               681,397       4.2%        778,699       5.1%       (97,302 )   -12.5%

General and administrative          1,555,660       9.5%      1,957,486      12.9%      (401,826 )   -20.5%
Research and development              307,283       1.9%        198,182       1.3%       109,101      55.1%
Total Operating Expenses            2,544,340      15.5%      2,934,367      19.3%      (390,027 )   -13.3%
Operating Loss                       (589,341 )    -3.6%       (877,436 )    -5.8%       288,095     -32.8%
Interest expense                     (430,177 )    -2.6%       (367,454 )    -2.4%       (62,723 )    17.1%
Funding from Paycheck
Protection Program                          -       0.0%         33,824       0.2%       (33,824 )    -100%
Other (expense) income                 (7,381 )     0.0%         85,753       0.6%       (93,134 )   <-100%
Loss before Tax Benefit            (1,026,899 )    -6.3%     (1,125,313 )    -7.4%        98,414      -8.7%
Tax benefit                          (202,925 )    -1.2%       (111,318 )    -0.7%       (91,607 )    82.3%
Net Loss                             (823,974 )    -5.0%     (1,013,995 )    -6.7%       190,021     -18.7%
Extinguishment of preferred
stock dividend payable              6,158,311      37.6%              -       0.0%     6,158,311          -
Preferred stock dividend             (539,866 )    -3.3%       (808,638 )    -5.3%       268,772     -33.2%
Net Income (Loss) Allocable to
Common Shareholders              $  4,794,471      29.3%   $ (1,822,633 )   -12.0%   $ 6,617,104<-100%




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Revenue:



Total revenue for the three months 2021 increased      $1,214,016 or 8.0% to
$16,385,914 compared to $15,171,898 for the three months 2020. The increase in
revenue included a favorable currency effect of approximately $155,000. However,
sales in the third quarter of 2021 declined $1,363,321 or 7.7% compared to

the
second quarter of 2021.



For the three months 2021 compared to the three months 2020, automotive sales
declined 3.9% primarily due to a decline in sales of 14.4% (excluding the
currency adjustment) for our U.K. operations, which was partially offset by a
10.2% increase in automotive sales for our U.S. operations. Supply chain issues
experienced by the OEM's that use our automotive products lead to temporary
shutdowns of their production lines, which negatively impacted our sales,
particularly at our U.K. operations since the majority of their business is in
the automotive sector. These supply chain issues were also the primary reason
for the 14.1% decline in automotive sales when comparing the third quarter of
2021 with the second quarter of 2021.



Additionally for the three months 2021 compared to the three months 2020, sales
for the industrial sector increased 25.7% (25.3% before the currency effect)
mostly due to an increase in our U.S. operations (primarily in the contract
market) as well as in our U.K. operations. Sales for the industrial sector
increased slightly when comparing the third quarter of 2021 with the second

quarter of 2021.



Gross Profit:



Total gross profit for the three months 2021 decreased $101,932 or 5.0% to
$1,954,999 compared to $2,056,931 for the three months 2020. Impacting the
decrease was the CJRS reimbursement of $47,000and $370,000 for the three months
2021 and 2020, respectively, for salaries of furloughed employees, which reduced
manufacturing costs. Excluding the CJRS reimbursement, gross profit would have
increased $221,068. In addition, the decrease in gross profit included an
unfavorable currency effect of approximately $87,000. The gross profit
percentage was 11.9% of sales for the three months 2021 compared to 13.6% for
the three months 2020. The gross profit and percentage for the three months 2021
were negatively impacted by supply chain issues, as discussed above, as well as
higher costs of raw materials and freight. To offset raw material price
increases, we increased prices on most product categories during the first
quarter of 2021 and at the beginning and end of the third quarter of 2021 in
several of our markets. However, we have not realized the full impact of the
increases yet. Both the gross profit amount and percentage for the third quarter
of 2021 improved when compared to the second quarter of 2021 gross profit amount
and percentage of $1,821,793 and 10.3%, respectively, as lower costs more than
offset the reduction in sales.



Operating Expenses:



Selling expenses for the three months 2021 decreased $97,302 or 12.5% to
$681,397 from $778,699 for the three months 2020. Selling expenses were not
reduced for the three months 2021 but were reduced $43,000 for the three months
2020 due to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS reimbursement, selling
expenses would have decreased $140,302.The decrease in selling expenses was
partially offset by a $9,000 unfavorable currency effect. When comparing the
third quarter of 2021 with the second quarter of 2021, selling expenses
decreased $153,341 or 18.4%. The decrease from the three months 2020 was
primarily due to a decline in employment costs for the U.S. operations partially
offset by the increase in the U.K. operations (mainly due to the CJRS
reimbursement) while the decrease from the second quarter of 2021 was primarily
due to lower commissions from U.K. automotive programs.



General and administrative expenses for the three months 2021 decreased $401,826
or 20.5% to $1,555,660 from $1,957,486 for the three months 2020. General and
administrative expenses were reduced $1,000 and $15,000 for the three months
2021 and 2020, respectively, due to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS
reimbursement, general and administrative expenses would have decreased
$415,826. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was partially
offset by a $25,000 unfavorable currency effect. When comparing the third
quarter of 2021 with the second quarter of 2021, general and administrative
expenses increased $116,172 or 8.1%. The decrease from the three months 2020 was
primarily due to lower costs related to cash management consulting services
provided to us while the increase from the second quarter of 2021 was primarily
due to higher costs related to these services. The decrease from the three
months 2020 was also due to a charge relating to the legal proceeding in the
U.K. that was expensed in 2020.



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Research and development expenses for the three months 2021 increased $109,101
or 55.1% to $307,283 from $198,182 for the three months 2020. Research and
development expenses were reduced $1,000 and $46,000 for the three months 2021
and 2020, respectively, due to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS
reimbursement, research and development expenses would have increased $64,101.
The increase in research and development expenses included a $10,000 unfavorable
currency effect. The increase from the three months 2020 was primarily due to
more activity including qualifying raw material substitutions due to supply
constraints. When comparing the third quarter of 2021 with the second quarter of
2021, research and development expenses decreased $24,682 or 7.4% as qualifying
activity declined.



Operating Loss:



Operating loss for the three months 2021 was $589,341 compared to $877,436 for
the three months 2020 and $784,398 for the second quarter of 2021. The smaller
operating loss for the three months 2021 compared to the three months 2020 was
due to lower operating expenses more than offsetting the decline in gross
profit. The smaller operating loss for the three months 2021 compared to the
second quarter of 2021 was due to the combination of higher gross profit and
lower operating expenses. The operating loss percentage was -3.6% of sales for
the three months 2021 compared to -5.8% for the three months 2020 and -4.4%

for
the second quarter of 2021.



Interest Expense:



Interest expense for the three months 2021 increased $62,723 or 17.1% to
$430,177 from $367,454 for the three months 2020. The increase was primarily due
to debt issuances and capitalized debt issuance costs, the amortization of which
began in the third quarter of 2021, partially offset by debt repayments.



Funding from Paycheck Protection Program:





Funding from the PPP of $33,824 (from the First Draw PPP Loan) for the three
months 2020 were the proceeds from the PPP loans that we used during the period
for allowable expenses under the PPP. As previously discussed, all of the First
and Second Draw PPP Loans were forgiven in June 2021 and August 2021,
respectively.



Other (Expense) Income:



Other expense for the three months 2021 was $(7,381) compared to other income of
$85,753 for the three months 2020. Included in other (expense) income are the
currency gains and losses recognized on foreign currency transactions and the
change in the fair value of financial assets and liabilities that are
denominated in Euros as these currencies fluctuated during the period.



Income Taxes:



We file income tax returns in the United States as a C-Corporation, and in
several state jurisdictions and in the United Kingdom. Our U.S. operating
subsidiary, Uniroyal, is a limited liability company (LLC) for federal and state
income tax purposes and as such, its income, losses, and credits pass through to
its members. We made the acquisition of Uniroyal through UEPH, a limited
liability company, which issued preferred ownership interests to the sellers
that provide for quarterly dividends. Uniroyal's taxable income is allocated
entirely to UEPH as its sole member and since it is a pass-through entity, this
income less the dividends paid to the sellers of Uniroyal is reported on our tax
return. The taxable income applicable to the dividends for the preferred
ownership interests is reported to the sellers who report it on their respective
individual tax returns.



We do not have a history of repatriating a significant portion of our foreign
cash. However, if we decided to repatriate these foreign amounts to fund U.S.
operations, we would not be required to pay any additional U.S. tax related to
these amounts since we previously recorded a one-time transition tax on deemed
repatriation of deferred foreign income.



The tax benefit for the three months 2021 was $202,925 compared to $111,318 for
the three months 2020. The tax benefit for the three months 2021 was
attributable to the results of both the U.S. and U.K. operations while the tax
benefit for the three months 2020 was principally attributable to the results of
the U.K. operations.



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Preferred Stock Dividend:



Pursuant to the terms of their acquisitions, the issuance of preferred ownership
units/stock of UEP Holdings, LLC and UGEL were issued to the sellers. These
preferred units/stock (collectively "preferred shares") have carried quarterly
dividend requirements on a total value of $55,000,000 at rates ranging from 5.0%
to 8.0%. The dividend rate on the Series B UEP Holdings preferred units which
started at 5.5% increased by 0.5% on the anniversary of the issuance and is

now
at the maximum of 8.0%.



Quarterly preferred dividend payments were deferred beginning with the three
months ended December 29, 2019 through the three months ended October 3, 2021.
During the third quarter of 2021, the owners of the preferred shares ("preferred
shareholders") agreed to an amendment to the documents that govern the dividends
("amended documents") whereby the accrued dividends were forgiven. In addition,
under the amended documents the preferred shareholders are no longer entitled to
a quarterly dividend until such time as the Company declares a dividend payable.



We accounted for the dividend forgiveness as an extinguishment of debt between
related parties per ASC 470, "Debt". As a result, the total balance of accrued
dividends of approximately $6,100,000 was derecognized as of October 3, 2021.
The amendments to remove the entitlement of the quarterly dividends
("entitlement amendments") relating to the preferred shares were considered not
significant and, therefore, were considered a modification rather than an
extinguishment per ASC 470. The entitlement amendments were considered not
significant since the change in the fair values of the preferred shares after
the amendments compared to the fair values of the preferred shares immediately
before the amendments was less than 10% as we determined that the entitlement
amendments resulted in a reduction of fair value of the preferred shares. Per
ASC 718, "Compensation - Stock Compensation", the reduction of fair value of the
preferred shares in this modification had no accounting impact (i.e.,
recognition of a gain).



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Nine Months Ended October 3, 2021 Compared to the Nine Months Ended October 4, 2020





The following table sets forth, for the nine months ended October 3, 2021 ("nine
months 2021") and October 4, 2020 ("nine months 2020"), certain operational data
including their respective percentage of net sales:



                                                              Nine Months Ended
                                                                                                        %
                                     October 3, 2021           October 4, 2020          Change        Change

Net Sales                        $ 56,031,150     100.0%   $ 43,528,393     100.0%   $ 12,502,757      28.7%
Cost of Goods Sold                 49,017,021      87.5%     37,931,227      87.1%     11,085,794      29.2%
Gross Profit                        7,014,129      12.5%      5,597,166      12.9%      1,416,963      25.3%
Operating Expenses:
Selling                             2,414,847       4.3%      2,278,279       5.2%        136,568       6.0%

General and administrative          4,574,175       8.2%      4,834,011    

 11.1%       (259,836 )    -5.4%
Research and development              966,706       1.7%        704,239       1.6%        262,467      37.3%
Total Operating Expenses            7,955,728      14.2%      7,816,529      18.0%        139,199       1.8%
Operating Loss                       (941,599 )    -1.7%     (2,219,363 )    -5.1%      1,277,764     -57.6%
Interest expense                   (1,217,861 )    -2.2%     (1,215,771 )    -2.8%         (2,090 )     0.2%
Funding from Paycheck
Protection Program                  2,000,000       3.6%      2,217,500       5.1%       (217,500 )    -9.8%
Other income (expense)                157,978       0.3%       (185,417 )    -0.4%        343,395     <-100%
Loss before Tax Benefit                (1,482 )     0.0%     (1,403,051 )    -3.2%      1,401,569     -99.9%
Tax benefit                          (409,548 )    -0.7%       (404,141 )    -0.9%         (5,407 )     1.3%
Net Income (Loss)                     408,066       0.7%       (998,910 )    -2.3%      1,406,976     <-100%
Extinguishment of preferred
stock dividend payable              6,158,311      11.0%              -       0.0%      6,158,311          -
Preferred stock dividend           (2,172,253 )    -3.9%     (2,396,479 )    -5.5%        224,226      -9.4%
Net Income (Loss) Allocable to
Common Shareholders              $  4,394,124       7.8%   $ (3,395,389 )    -7.8%   $  7,789,513<-100%






Revenue:



Total revenue for the nine months 2021 increased      $12,502,757 or 28.7% to
$56,031,150 from $43,528,393 for the nine months 2020. The lower amount for the
nine months 2020 reflected the negative effect of COVID-19, which primarily
occurred during the second quarter of 2020. The increase in revenue included a
favorable currency effect of approximately $1,841,000.



For the nine months 2021 compared to the nine months 2020, automotive sales for
our U.K. operations increased 23.7% (excluding the currency adjustment) and
automotive sales for our U.S. operations increased 26.5% due to the negative
effect that COVID-19 had primarily on the second quarter of 2020. However, the
year-to-date growth was negatively impacted by supply chain issues experienced
by the OEM's that use our automotive products, which lead to temporary shutdowns
of their production lines during the second and third quarters of 2021.



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Additionally, sales for the industrial sector increased 24.1% (22.8% before the
currency effect) mostly due to an increase in our U.S. operations (primarily in
the contract market) as well as in our U.K. operations. As discussed above,
COVID-19 had a negative effect on our operations primarily during the second
quarter of 2020.



Gross Profit:



Total gross profit for the nine months 2021 increased $1,416,963 or 25.3% to
$7,014,129 from $5,597,166 for the nine months 2020. The gross profit amount for
the nine months 2020 reflected the negative impact of COVID-19. Impacting the
increase was the CJRS reimbursement of $130,000 and $1,304,000 for the nine
months 2021 and 2020, respectively, for salaries of furloughed employees, which
reduced manufacturing costs. Excluding the CJRS reimbursement, gross profit
would have increased $2,590,963. In addition, the increase in gross profit was
partially offset by an unfavorable currency effect of approximately $67,000. The
gross profit percentage was 12.5% of sales for the nine months 2021 compared to
12.9% for the nine months 2020. The gross profit and percentage for the nine
months 2021 were negatively impacted by supply chain issues, as discussed above,
as well as higher costs of raw materials and freight. To offset raw material
price increases, we increased prices on most product categories during the first
quarter of 2021 and at the beginning and end of the third quarter of 2021 in
several of our markets. However, we have not realized the full impact of the
increases yet.



Operating Expenses:



Selling expenses for the nine months 2021 increased $136,568 or 6.0% to
$2,414,847 from $2,278,279 for the nine months 2020. Selling expenses were
reduced $7,000 and $99,000 for the nine months 2021 and 2020, respectively, due
to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS reimbursement, selling expenses
would have increased $44,568. The increase in selling expenses included a
$100,000 unfavorable currency effect. The higher amount for the nine months 2021
reflected increased selling-related expenses due to greater sales activity as
the negative effect of COVID-19 decreased this activity during 2020, but was
partially offset by the slowing of sales activity beginning in the second
quarter of 2021.



General and administrative expenses for the nine months 2021 decreased $259,836
or 5.4% to $4,574,175 from $4,834,011 for the nine months 2020. General and
administrative expenses were reduced $5,000and $35,000 for the nine months 2021
and 2020, respectively, due to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS
reimbursement, general and administrative expenses would have decreased
$289,836. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was partially
offset by an unfavorable currency effect of $94,000. The decrease from the nine
months 2020 was primarily due to lower costs for cash management consulting
services provided to us and a charge relating to the legal proceeding in the
U.K. that was expensed in 2020.



Research and development expenses for the nine months 2021 increased $262,467 or
37.3% to $966,706 from $704,239 for the nine months 2020. Research and
development expenses were reduced $8,000and $122,000 for the nine months 2021
and 2020, respectively, due to the CJRS reimbursement. Excluding the CJRS
reimbursement, research and development expenses would have increased $148,467.
The increase in research and development expenses included a $40,000 unfavorable
currency effect. The increase from the nine months 2020 was primarily due to
more activity including qualifying raw material substitutions due to supply

constraints.



Operating Loss:



Operating loss for the nine months 2021 was $941,599 compared to $2,219,363 for
the nine months 2020. The smaller operating loss for the nine months 2021
compared to the nine months 2020 was due to higher gross profit partially offset
by higher operating expenses. The operating loss percentage was -1.7% of sales
for the nine months 2021 compared to -5.1% for the nine months 2020.



Interest Expense:



Interest expense for the nine months 2021 decreased $2,090 or 0.2% to $1,217,861
from $1,215,771 for the nine months 2020. The decline in interest expense for
the U.S. operations offset the increase in interest expense for the U.K.
operations, which included amortization of debt issuance costs related to the
PNC debt.


Funding from Paycheck Protection Program:


Funding from the PPP of $2,000,000 (from the Second Draw PPP Loan) for the nine
months 2021 and $2,217,500 (from the First Draw PPP Loan) for the nine months
2020, were the proceeds from the PPP loans that we used during those periods for
allowable expenses under the PPP. As previously discussed, all of the First and
Second Draw PPP Loans were forgiven in June 2021 and August 2021, respectively.



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Other Income (Expense):



Other income for the nine months 2021 was $157,978 compared to other expense of
$(185,417) for the nine months 2020. Included in other income (expense) are the
currency gains and losses recognized on foreign currency transactions and the
change in the fair value of financial assets and liabilities that are
denominated in Euros as these currencies fluctuated during the period.



Income Taxes:



We file income tax returns in the United States as a C-Corporation, and in
several state jurisdictions and in the United Kingdom. Our U.S. operating
subsidiary, Uniroyal, is a limited liability company (LLC) for federal and state
income tax purposes and as such, its income, losses, and credits pass through to
its members. We made the acquisition of Uniroyal through UEPH, a limited
liability company, which issued preferred ownership interests to the sellers
that provide for quarterly dividends. Uniroyal's taxable income is allocated
entirely to UEPH as its sole member and since it is a pass-through entity, this
income less the dividends paid to the sellers of Uniroyal is reported on our tax
return. The taxable income applicable to the dividends for the preferred
ownership interests is reported to the sellers who report it on their respective
individual tax returns.



We do not have a history of repatriating a significant portion of our foreign
cash. However, if we decided to repatriate these foreign amounts to fund U.S.
operations, we would not be required to pay any additional U.S. tax related to
these amounts since we previously recorded a one-time transition tax on deemed
repatriation of deferred foreign income.



The tax benefit for the nine months 2021 was $409,548 compared to $404,141 for
the nine months 2020. The tax benefits for the nine months 2021 and 2020 were
principally attributable to the results of the U.S. operations.



Preferred Stock Dividend:



Pursuant to the terms of their acquisitions, the issuance of preferred ownership
units/stock of UEP Holdings, LLC and UGEL were issued to the sellers. These
preferred units/stock (collectively "preferred shares") have carried quarterly
dividend requirements on a total value of $55,000,000 at rates ranging from 5.0%
to 8.0%. The dividend rate on the Series B UEP Holdings preferred units which
started at 5.5% increased by 0.5% on the anniversary of the issuance and is

now
at the maximum of 8.0%.



Quarterly preferred dividend payments were deferred beginning with the three
months ended December 29, 2019 through the three months ended October 3, 2021.
During the third quarter of 2021, the owners of the preferred shares ("preferred
shareholders") agreed to an amendment to the documents that govern the dividends
("amended documents") whereby the accrued dividends were forgiven. In addition,
under the amended documents the preferred shareholders are no longer entitled to
a quarterly dividend until such time as the Company declares a dividend payable.



We accounted for the dividend forgiveness as an extinguishment of debt between
related parties per ASC 470, "Debt". As a result, the total balance of accrued
dividends of approximately $6,100,000 was derecognized as of October 3, 2021.
The amendments to remove the entitlement of the quarterly dividends
("entitlement amendments") relating to the preferred shares were considered not
significant and, therefore, were considered a modification rather than an
extinguishment per ASC 470. The entitlement amendments were considered not
significant since the change in the fair values of the preferred shares after
the amendments compared to the fair values of the preferred shares immediately
before the amendments was less than 10% as we determined that the entitlement
amendments resulted in a reduction of fair value of the preferred shares. Per
ASC 718, "Compensation - Stock Compensation", the reduction of fair value of the
preferred shares in this modification had no accounting impact (i.e.,
recognition of a gain).



Liquidity and Sources of Capital





Cash, as it is needed, is provided by using our lines of credit. These lines
provide for a total borrowing commitment of approximately $30,000,000 subject to
the underlying borrowing base specified in the agreements. Of the total
outstanding borrowings of $17,807,174 at October 3, 2021, for the U.S.
operations, $6.0 million of the lines bears interest at the Eurodollar rate plus
2.25% and $4.9 million bears interest at the Wells Fargo Capital Finance, LLC's
prime rate (3.25% at October 3, 2021) and, for the U.K. operations, $6.9 million
bears interest at the Bank of England Base Rate plus 2.25%-3.00%. The lines
provided additional availability of approximately $764,000 and, combined with
UEP's and UGL's total cash balances, liquidity was approximately $1.4 million at
October 3, 2021. We plan to use this availability and cash provided by operating
activities to finance our cash needs for the remaining months of fiscal 2021 and
future periods. The balances due under the lines of credit are recorded as
current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.



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The ratio of current assets to current liabilities, including the amount due
under our lines of credit, was 0.99 at October 3, 2021 and 0.89 at January

3,
2021.



Cash balances decreased $1,040,515 before the effects of currency translation of
$17,466 to $633,833 at October 3, 2021 from $1,656,882 at January 3, 2021. Of
the above noted amounts, $216,524 and $1,621,692 were held outside the U.S. by
our foreign subsidiaries as of October 3, 2021 and January 3, 2021,
respectively.



Cash used in operations was $1,823,827 for the nine months 2021 compared to cash
provided by operations of $966,649 for the nine months 2020. For the nine months
2021, cash used in operations was primarily due to changes in working capital of
$(1,892,152), adjustments for non-cash items of $(312,209) and changes in other
assets and liabilities of $(27,532) offset by net income of $408,066. For the
nine months 2020, cash provided by operations was primarily due to changes in
working capital of $2,772,839 offset by the net loss of $998,910, adjustments
for non-cash items of $(784,889) and changes in other assets and liabilities of
$(22,391).



Cash used in investing activities was $743,725 for the nine months 2021 compared
to $1,171,258 for the nine months 2020. During 2021 and 2020, cash used in
investing activities was principally for purchases of machinery and equipment at
our manufacturing locations and payments made for company-owned key man life
insurance premiums. For the nine months 2020, the payments made for the life
insurance premiums were offset by proceeds from policy loans of $130,000.



For the nine months 2021, cash provided by financing activities was $1,527,037
compared to cash provided by financing activities of $464,890 for the nine
months 2020. Impacting cash flows from financing activities for the nine months
2021 and 2020 were proceeds from issuance of long-term debt of $2,000,000 and
$2,217,500, respectively, through the Paycheck Protection Program. Also
impacting cash flows from financing activities for the nine months 2021 and 2020
were net advances on lines of credit of $892,278 and net payments of $1,913,809,
respectively. The changes in the lines of credit reflect the funding of working
capital. Payments of $917,536 and $1,189,638 were also made during the nine
months 2021 and 2020, respectively, on long-term debt (excluding debt
extinguishment) and finance lease liabilities. For the nine months 2021,
payments were $1,486,504 and proceeds were $2,328,520 relating to the
extinguishment of existing long-term debt and recognition of new long-term debt,
respectively, while payments were $7,379,356 and proceeds were $6,565,288
relating to the extinguishment of an existing line of credit and recognition of
a new line of credit, respectively. Also included for the nine months 2021 were
payments for capitalized debt issuance costs of $341,895. For the nine months
2021 and 2020, proceeds from issuance of long-term debt from automotive lenders
were $137,815 and $1,545,538 (net of translation adjustment of $(25,677)). Also
for the nine months 2020, proceeds of $783,958 were received from and payments
of $675,000 were made on subordinated secured promissory notes to our majority
shareholder. Proceeds of $200,000 were received from a short-term advance from
our majority shareholder during the first nine months of 2020 which was repaid
in the same period.



Our credit agreements contain customary affirmative and negative covenants. We
were in compliance with our debt covenants as of October 3, 2021 and through the
date of filing of this report.



We currently have several on-going capital projects that are important to our
long-term strategic goals. Machinery and equipment will also be added as needed
to increase capacity or enhance operating efficiencies in our manufacturing
plants. We will use a combination of financing arrangements to provide the
necessary capital. We believe that our existing resources, including cash on
hand and our credit facilities, together with cash generated from operations and
additional bank borrowings, will be sufficient to fund our cash flow
requirements through at least the next twelve months. However, there can be no
assurance that additional financing will be available on favorable terms, if at
all.


We have no off balance sheet arrangements.





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