Item 1. Business
General
Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company”) develops and markets video and radar processing products for use in traffic, security, police and parking applications such as intersection control, highway, bridge and tunnel traffic management, venue security, entry control and traffic data collection.
We are a leading provider of software-based products and solutions for the intelligent transportation systems (“ITS”) industry. Our family of products, which we market as Autoscope® video or video products (“AutoScope”), and RTMS® radar or radar products (“RTMS”), provides end users with the tools needed to optimize traffic flow and enhance driver safety. Our technology analyzes signals from sophisticated sensors and transmits the information to management systems and controllers or directly to users. Our computer enabled detection (“CED”) software-based products provide end users with complete solutions for the intersection and transportation markets.
Our technology is a process in which software rather than humans examines outputs from various types of sophisticated sensors to determine what is happening in a field of view. In the ITS industry, this process is a critical component of managing congestion and traffic flow. In many cities, it is not possible to build roads, bridges and highways quickly enough to accommodate the increasing congestion levels. On average, United States commuters spend 42 hours a year stuck in traffic, and congestion costs motorists $160 billion a year. We believe this growing use of vehicles will make our ITS solutions increasingly necessary to complement existing and new roadway infrastructure to manage traffic flow and optimize throughput.
We believe our solutions are technically superior to those of our competitors because they have a higher level of accuracy, limit the occurrence of false detection, are generally easier to install with lower costs of ownership, work effectively in a multitude of light and weather conditions, and provide end users the ability to manage inputs from a variety of sensors for a number of tasks. It is our view that the technical advantages of our products make our solutions well suited for use in ITS as well as adjacent security and parking markets.
We believe the strength of our distribution channels positions us to increase the penetration of our technology-driven solutions in the marketplace. We market our Autoscope video products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean through exclusive agreements with Econolite Control Products, Inc. (“Econolite”), which we believe is the leading distributor of ITS intersection control products in these markets.
We market the RTMS radar systems to a network of distributors in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. On a limited basis, we sell directly to the end user in these geographic areas. We market our Autoscope video and RTMS radar products outside of the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean through a combination of distribution and direct sales channels, including our wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United Kingdom. Our end users primarily include governmental agencies and municipalities.
On July 9, 2015, the Company entered into a share and asset sales purchase agreement (the “SAPA”) with TagMaster AB (the “Buyer”). Under the terms of the SAPA, the Company and Image Sensing Systems EMEA Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“ISS EMEA”), sold to the Buyer the entire issued share capital of Image Sensing Systems UK Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ISS EMEA, as well as certain other assets owned by the Company primarily used or primarily held for use in connection with its license plate recognition (LPR) business. The Buyer also agreed to assume on the closing date certain agreements and liabilities relating to the LPR business and the acquired assets. Additionally, the Company and the Buyer entered into a transitional services agreement.
Industry Overview
The Intelligent Transportation Systems Market. ITS encompasses a broad range of information processing and control electronics technologies that, when integrated into roadway infrastructure, help monitor and manage traffic flow, reduce congestion and enhance driver safety. The ITS market has been built around the detection of conditions that impact the proper operation of roadway infrastructure. ITS applications include a wide array of traffic management systems, such as traffic signal control, tolling and variable messaging signs. ITS technologies include video vehicle detection, inductive loop detection, sensing technologies (such as radar), floating cellular data, computational technologies and wireless communications.
In traffic management applications, vehicle detection products are used for automated vehicle detection and are a primary data source upon which ITS solutions are built. Traditionally, automated vehicle detection is performed using inductive wire loops buried in the pavement. However, in-pavement loop detectors are costly to install, difficult to maintain, expensive to repair and not capable of either wide-area vehicle detection without installations of multiple loops or recognizing license plate numbers.
Above-ground detection solutions for ITS offer several advantages to in-pavement loop detectors. Above-ground detection solutions tend to have a lower total cost of ownership than in-pavement loop detectors because above-ground solutions are non-destructive to road surfaces, do not require closing roadways to install or repair, and are capable of wide-area vehicle detection with a single device, thus enabling one input device to do the work of many in-pavement loops. Due to their location above-ground, these solutions have no exposure to the wear and tear associated with expanding and contracting pavement and generally less exposure to the vibration and compaction caused by traffic. Furthermore, in the event of malfunction or product failure, above-ground detection solutions can be serviced and repaired without shutting down the roadway. Each of these factors results in greater up-time and increased reliability of above-ground detection solutions compared to in-pavement loop detectors. These technology solutions also offer a broader set of detection capabilities and a wider field of view than in-pavement loop detectors. In addition, a single unit video- or radar-based system can detect and measure a variety of parameters, including vehicle presence, counts, speed, length, time occupancy, headway and flow rate as well as environmental factors and obstructions to the roadway. An equivalent installation using loops would require many installations per lane.
We believe our Autoscope video and RTMS radar products are competitive with and can take market share from in-pavement loop detectors. Based on our determination, the U.S. ITS above-ground detection market sales in 2014 were approximately $107 million, and the worldwide ITS above-ground detection market was approximately $215 million. We believe that we are the leader in the U.S. above-ground detection market in terms of sales volume, and we estimate that U.S. sales of in-pavement loop detectors that our Autoscope video and RTMS radar products can supplant were approximately $106 million in 2014.
We believe that several trends are driving the growth in ITS and adjacent market segments:
Proliferation of Traffic. In many countries, there has been a surge in the number of vehicles on roadways. Due to the growth of emerging economies and elevated standards of living, more people desire and are able to afford automobiles. The number of vehicles utilizing the world’s roadway infrastructure is growing at a quicker pace than new roads, bridges and highways are being constructed. The population of the United States grew by about 30%, or 75 million, from 1990 to 2014, while highway miles have increased by approximately 8% in the same period. Overall, the growth in roadway infrastructure is failing to match the surge in the number of vehicles using it. Above-ground detection based traffic management and control systems address the problem by monitoring high traffic areas and analyzing data that can be used to mitigate traffic problems.
The Demographics of Urbanization. Accelerated worldwide urbanization drives the creation and expansion of middle classes and produces heightened demand for automobiles. Currently, there are at least 400 cities in the world with over 1 million people. Because automobiles can be introduced to a metropolitan area faster than roadway infrastructure can be constructed, the result is continuously worsening traffic. Expanding the roadway infrastructure is slow and costly to implement, and often environmentally undesirable, so government agencies are increasingly turning to technology-based congestion solutions that optimize performance and throughput of existing and new roadway infrastructure. Detection is the requisite common denominator for any technology-based solution.
The Melding of Large City Service Domains. Large cities require a wide range of service domains, including traffic. These cities are increasingly turning to centralized management of these service domains, employing a command and control model that requires sharing and integrating data across service domains to operate effectively and lower total cost. For example, data collected for the traffic management service domain is relevant to all of the other service domains. This means that each sensor can supply information to multiple domain services. In turn, the sharing of detection information across service domains should increase the level of sophistication required to process and interpret that information. Additionally, above-ground detection products are more capable of performing certain complicated tasks than humans. This makes the concepts of “rich sensing” and “instrumenting the city” through above-ground detection solutions cost effective, which we believe will result in the extensive proliferation of sophisticated sensors and detection devices.
Solutions for Adjacent Markets. We believe that the adjacent markets of ITS, security/surveillance and parking management are converging, and that this convergence will accelerate as above-ground detection systems become more cost-effective now that a single sensor can be used for multiple purposes. Because the technologies involved are closely related, our sensor technology can be adapted to or is already capable of addressing these adjacent markets.
Our Competitive Strengths
We are a leading provider of software-based detection products and solutions for the ITS industry. We have the following competitive strengths that we expect will continue to enhance our leadership position:
Leading Proprietary Technologies. Over the last two decades, we have developed or acquired a proprietary portfolio of complex software algorithms and applications that we have continuously enhanced and refined. These algorithms, which include our advanced signal processing technologies, allow our video and radar products to capture and analyze objects in diverse weather and lighting conditions and to balance the accuracy of positive detection and the avoidance of false detections. Due to the strength of our proprietary technologies, we believe we command premium pricing. Above-ground detection technologies similar to ours are also difficult to develop and refine in a commercially viable manner. We therefore should be well positioned to quickly introduce next-generation products to market.
Proven Ability to Develop, Enhance and Market New Products. We are continually developing and enhancing our product offerings. Over the last two decades, we have demonstrated our ability to lead the market with new products and product enhancements. For example, the Autoscope Solo system was the first fully integrated color camera, zoom lens and machine vision processor in the above-ground detection market. Our RTMS Radar business unit was one of the first to introduce radar-based technology solutions for ITS applications, and we continue to lead the market with technology enhancements and new products, such as RTMS radar. Furthermore, our radar product, RTMS Sx-300, is an example of development driven by the voice of our customers. We have developed a high quality radar detection solution with increased reliability and longevity. We have successfully collaborated with our long-term channel partners to market these products. We believe that developing, enhancing and marketing new products with our partners can translate into strong organic revenue growth and high levels of profitability.
Leading Distribution Channel. Since 1991, we have maintained a relationship with Econolite, which has the exclusive right to manufacture, market and distribute of our Autoscope video products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. We believe that Econolite is the leading distributor of ITS control products in North America and the Caribbean. This relationship enhances our ability to commercialize and market new products and allows us to focus more resources on developing advanced signal processing software algorithms.
Broad Product Portfolio. Our product portfolio leverages our core software-based algorithms to enable end users to detect and monitor objects in a designated field of view. We believe that our family of Autoscope video and RTMS radar products allows us to offer a broad product portfolio that meets the needs of our end users. Additionally, our intention is to use our broad product portfolio to offer hybrid products that satisfy traffic requirements.
Experienced Management Team and Engineering Staff. Our management team and engineering staff are highly experienced in the ITS and software industries. Additionally, the continuity of our engineering staff should allow the uninterrupted development of new or improved products.
Our Growth Strategy
As part of our growth strategy, we seek to:
Enhance and Extend Our Technology Leadership in ITS. We believe we have established ourselves as a leading provider of technology in the ITS market segment. We believe that we continue to have an opportunity to accelerate our growth. We plan to do this by improving the accuracy and functionality of our products and opportunistically expanding our product offering into adjacent markets, as well as expanding our portfolio and channels through licensing. Having developed and introduced a hybrid product, we expect to take advantage of our technical leadership in ITS and further differentiate us from our competitors.
Expand into Adjacent Markets. Our core skill is the implementation of software-based above-ground detection products and solutions. Over the past two decades, we have been developing and refining our complex signal processing software algorithms. We should be able to effectively utilize our core software skills more broadly as markets converge. We believe that a driver of this convergence is that above-ground detection systems will become more cost-effective when a single sensor can be used for multiple purposes. As a result, our objective is to become the leading supplier of critical detection components to third party management systems, particularly those that exploit the convergence of traffic. To do this, we are integrating this concept into our long-range engineering development road-map and will evaluate the use of technology licensing and channel strategies that support this vision.
Increase the Scope of Our Distribution and Direct Sales. We have made substantial investments in product adjustments to tailor our solutions to the differing needs of our international end users and in new product acquisitions for both domestic and international markets. We have also invested in sales and marketing expansion, with a focus on our European subsidiaries. Markets in Eastern Europe, the Asia/Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and South America, which have historically lagged North America and Western Europe in their use of above-ground detection, have recently begun to increase the adoption of detection technology in their traffic systems. We intend to continue to refine our product offerings through engineering development and technology licensing to take advantage of the accelerated pace of the adoption of above-ground detection throughout the developing world.
Our Products and Solutions
Our vehicle and traffic detection products are critical components of many ITS applications. Our Autoscope video systems and RTMS radar systems convert sensory input collected by video cameras and radar units into vehicle detection and traffic data used to operate, monitor and improve the efficiency of roadway infrastructure. At the core of each product line are proprietary digital signal processing algorithms and sophisticated embedded software that analyze sensory input and deliver actionable data to integrated applications. We invested approximately $4.7 million, $4.9 million and $3.7 million on research and development in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, to develop and enhance our product technology. Our digital signal processing software algorithms represent a foundation on which support for additional sensory inputs such as acoustic, chemical, smoke, weather and vibration sensors may be added in the future. A diagram displaying our fundamental product architecture is shown below.
The Image Sensing Product Architecture
Autoscope Video. Our Autoscope video system processes video input from a traffic scene in real time and extracts the required traffic data, including vehicle presence, bicycle presence/differentiation, counts, speed, length, time occupancy (percent of time the detection zone is occupied), average headway (time interval between vehicles) and flow rate (vehicles per hour per lane). Autoscope supports a variety of standard video cameras or can be purchased with an integrated video camera. For intersections, the system communicates with the intersection signal controller, which changes the traffic lights based on the data provided. In highway applications, the system gathers vehicle count and flow rates and detects anomalous incidents, such as stopped vehicles. In any application, the data may also be transmitted to a traffic management center via the internet or other standard communication means and processed in real time to assist in traffic management and stored for later analysis for traffic planning purposes.
The Autoscope system comes in two varieties. Autoscope Encore is our integrated unit with a color zoom camera and a machine vision processing computer contained in a compact housing that is our leading offering in the North American market. Autoscope RackVision is our card only machine vision processing computer that is located in an intersection signal controller, control hub, incident management center or traffic management center that receives video from a separate camera. The RackVision and its variants are our top selling Autoscope products in international markets. Autoscope products offer digital MPEG-4 video streaming, high speed Ethernet interface, web browser maintenance and data and video over power line communications.
RTMS Radar. Our RTMS radar systems use radar to measure vehicle presence, volume, occupancy, speed and classification information for roadway monitoring applications. Data is transmitted to a central computer at a traffic management center via standard communication means, including wireless. Data can be processed in real time to assist in traffic management and stored for later analysis for traffic planning purposes.
RTMS radar is an integrated radar transmitter/receiver and special purpose computer contained in a compact, self-contained unit. The unit is typically situated on roadway poles and side-fired, making it especially well-suited for highway detection applications.
Distribution, Sales and Marketing
We market and sell our products globally. Together with our partners, we offer a combination of high-performance detection technology and experienced local support. Our end users primarily consist of federal, state, city and county departments of transportation, port, highway, tunnel and other transportation authorities, law enforcement agencies and parking facility operators. The decision-makers within these entities typically are traffic planners and engineers, who in turn often rely on consulting firms that perform planning and feasibility studies. Our products sometimes are sold directly to system integrators or other suppliers of systems and services who are operating under subcontracts in connection with major road construction contracts.
Sales of Autoscope Video in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. We have granted Econolite an exclusive right to manufacture, market and distribute the Autoscope video system in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The agreement with Econolite grants it a first refusal right that arises when we make a proposal to Econolite to extend the license to additional products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean and a first negotiation right that arises when we make a proposal to Econolite to include rights corresponding to Econolite’s rights under our current agreements in countries not in these territories. Econolite provides the marketing and technical support needed for its sales in these territories. Econolite pays us a royalty on the revenue derived from its sales of the Autoscope system. We cooperate in marketing Autoscope video products with Econolite for the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean and provide second-tier technical support. We have the right to terminate our agreements with Econolite if it does not meet minimum annual sales levels or if Econolite fails to make payments as required by the agreements. In 2008, the term of the original agreement with Econolite, as amended, was extended to 2031. The agreements can be terminated by either party upon three years’ notice.
Sales of RTMS Radar in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. We market the RTMS radar systems to a network of distributors covering countries in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. On a limited basis, we sell directly to the end user. We provide technical support to these distributors from our various North American locations.
Sales in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. We market our Autoscope video and RTMS radar product lines of products to a network of distributors covering countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia through our wholly-owned subsidiaries that have offices in Europe. On a limited basis, we sell directly to the end user. Technical support to these distributors is provided by our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Europe, with second-tier support provided by our engineering groups. From time to time, we may grant exclusive rights to Econolite for markets outside of our significant markets for certain jurisdictions or product sales based on facts and circumstances related to the opportunities.
Competition
We compete with companies that develop, manufacture and sell traffic management devices using video and radar sensing technologies as well as other above-ground detection technologies based on laser, infrared and acoustic sensors. For ITS applications, we also compete with providers of in-pavement loop detectors and estimate that more than 70% of the traffic management systems currently in use in the U.S. use in-pavement loop detectors. For competition with other above-ground detection products, we typically compete on performance and functionality, and to a lesser extent on price. When competing against providers of loop detectors, we compete principally on ease of installation and the total cost of ownership over a multi-year period, and to a lesser extent on functionality.
Among the companies that provide direct competition to Autoscope video worldwide are FLIR Systems, Inc., Signal Group Inc. (Semex), Iteris, Inc. and Citilog S.A. Among the companies that provide direct competition to RTMS radar worldwide are Wavetronix, LLC, MS Sedco Inc., Smartmicro Sensors GmbH and Xtralis, LLC. To our knowledge, Autoscope video and RTMS radar have the largest number of installations as compared to their direct competitors. In addition, there are smaller local companies providing direct competition in specific markets throughout the world. We are aware that these and other companies will continue to develop technologies for use in traffic management, security, police and parking applications. One or more of these technologies could in the future provide increased competition for our systems.
Other potential competitors of which we are aware include Siemens AG, Cognex Corp., Augusta Technologie AG, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Sumitomo Corporation and Omron Electronics LLC. These companies have machine vision or radar capabilities and have substantially more financial, technological, marketing, personnel and research and development resources than we have.
Manufacturing
Autoscope video products for sale under the Econolite license agreement are manufactured through agreements with Econolite and Wireless Technology, Inc. Econolite is responsible for setting warranty terms and must provide all service required under this warranty. In Europe and Asia, we engage contract manufacturers to manufacture the Autoscope family of products.
Until July 24, 2012, we engaged contract manufacturers to produce subassemblies for our radar products based on our designs. These subassemblies were then shipped to our facilities in Toronto, where we performed final assembly, testing and calibration and packaging of finished units for shipment. We also performed warranty and post-warranty repairs of radar units in Toronto. From July 24, 2012 until July 14, 2014, our RTMS radar products were sold by Econolite in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. RTMS products sold under the Econolite license agreement were manufactured through agreements with Econolite and Wireless Technology, Inc. During this period, Econolite was responsible for setting warranty terms and service. In conjunction with the transition of RTMS sales to Econolite, we engaged Wireless Technology, Inc. to manufacture our radar products and perform warranty and post-warranty repairs of our radar units sold outside of North America. Effective July 14, 2014, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of the RTMS radar product line in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean transitioned from Econolite to the Company. As a result, we engage Wireless Technology, Inc. to manufacture our radar products and perform warranty and post-warranty repairs for all radar units sold.
We typically provide a two to five year warranty on our products.
Most of the hardware components used to manufacture our products are standard electronics components that are available from multiple sources. Although some of the components used in our products are obtained from single-source suppliers, we believe other component vendors are available should the necessity arise. The European Parliament has enacted a directive for the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (“RoHS”). To our knowledge, our contract manufacturing and component vendors in Europe and Asia comply with the European directive on RoHS.
Intellectual Property
To protect our rights to our proprietary know-how, technology and other intellectual property, it is our policy to require all employees and consultants to sign confidentiality agreements that prohibit the disclosure of confidential information to any third parties. These agreements also require disclosure and assignment to us of any discoveries and inventions made by employees and consultants while they are devoted to our business activities. We also rely on trade secret, copyright and trademark laws to protect our intellectual property. We have also entered into exclusive and non-exclusive license and confidentiality agreements relating to our own and third-party technologies. We aggressively protect our processes, products, and strategies as proprietary trade secrets. Our efforts to protect intellectual property and avoid disputes over proprietary rights include ongoing review of third-party patents and patent applications.
Environmental Matters
We believe our operations are in compliance with all applicable environmental regulations within the jurisdictions in which we operate.
Employees
As of December 31, 2015, we had 69 employees, consisting of 60 employees in North America, eight employees in Europe and one employee in Asia. None of our employees are represented by a union.
Item 1A.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events and can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” or “anticipates” or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that might cause these differences include the factors listed below. Although we have attempted to list these factors comprehensively, we wish to caution investors that other factors may prove to be important in the future and may affect our operating results. New factors may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all of these factors, nor can we assess the effect each factor or combination of factors may have on our business.
We further caution you not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements because they reflect our views only as of the date the statements were made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
If governmental entities elect not to use our products due to budgetary constraints, project delays or other reasons, our revenue may fluctuate severely or be substantially diminished.
Our products are sold primarily to governmental entities. We expect that we will continue to rely substantially on revenue and royalties from sales of our systems to governmental entities. In addition to normal business risks, it often takes considerable time before governmental initiated projects are developed to the point at which a purchase of our systems would be made, and a purchase of our products also may be subject to a time-consuming approval process. Additionally, governmental budgets and plans may change without warning. Other risks of selling to governmental entities include dependence on appropriations and administrative allocation of funds, changes in governmental procurement legislation and regulations and other policies that may reflect political developments, significant changes in contract scheduling, competitive bidding and qualification requirements, performance bond requirements, intense competition for government business and termination of purchase decisions for the convenience of the governmental entity. Substantial delays in purchase decisions by governmental entities, or governmental budgetary constraints, could cause our revenue and income to drop substantially or to fluctuate significantly between fiscal periods.
A majority of our gross profit has been generated from sales of our Autoscope family of products, and if we do not maintain the market for these products, our business will be harmed.
Historically, a majority of our gross profit has been generated from sales of, or royalties from the sales of, Autoscope products. Gross profit from Autoscope sales accounted for approximately 78% of our gross profit in 2015, 76% in 2014 and 86% in 2013. We anticipate that gross profit from the sale of Autoscope systems will continue to account for a substantial portion of our gross profit for the foreseeable future. As such, any significant decline in sales of our Autoscope system would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If Econolite’s sales volume decreases or if it fails to pay royalties to us in a timely manner or at all, our financial results will suffer.
We have agreements with Econolite under which Econolite is the exclusive distributor of the Autoscope video system in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. From July 24, 2012 until July 14, 2014, our RTMS radar products were sold by Econolite in these geographic areas under the same arrangement. Our current agreements grant Econolite a first refusal right that arises when we make a proposal to Econolite to extend the license to additional products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. In addition, the agreements grant Econolite a first negotiation right that arises when we make a proposal to Econolite to include rights corresponding to Econolite’s rights under our current agreements in countries not in these territories. In exchange for its rights under the agreements, Econolite pays us royalties for sales of the Autoscope video system and, from July 24, 2012 until July 14, 2014, the RTMS radar products. Since 2002, a substantial portion of our revenue has consisted of royalties resulting from sales made by Econolite, including 56% in 2015, 57% in 2014 and 59% in 2013. Econolite’s account receivable represented 45% of our accounts receivable at December 31, 2015 and 59% of our accounts receivable at December 31, 2014. We expect that Econolite will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Any decrease in Econolite’s sales volume could significantly reduce our royalty revenue and adversely impact earnings. A failure by Econolite to make royalty payments to us in a timely manner or at all will harm our financial condition. In addition, we believe sales of our products are a material part of Econolite’s business, and any significant decrease in Econolite’s sales of the other products it sells could harm Econolite, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
As a result of our continuing review of our business, we may have to undertake further restructuring plans that would require additional charges, including incurring facility exit and restructuring charges.
We continue to evaluate our business, which may result in restructuring activities. We may choose to divest certain business operations based on management’s assessment of their strategic value to our business, consolidate or close certain facilities or outsource certain functions. Decisions to eliminate or limit certain business operations in the future could involve the expenditure of capital, consumption of management resources, realization of losses, transition and wind-up expenses, reduction in workforce, impairment of assets, facility consolidation and the elimination of revenues along with associated costs, any of which could cause our operating results to decline and may fail to yield the expected benefits. For more information regarding our restructuring and divestiture activities in 2015 and 2014, see the discussion in Note 2 and Note 13 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The features and functions in our products have not been as widely utilized as traditional products offered by our competitors, and the failure of our end users to accept the features and functions in our products could adversely affect our business and growth prospects.
Video and radar technologies have not been utilized in the traffic management industry as extensively as other more traditional technologies, mainly in-pavement loop detectors. Our financial success and growth prospects depend on the continued development of the market for advanced technology solutions for traffic detection and management and the acceptance of our current Autoscope video and RTMS radar and also future systems we may develop as reliable, cost-effective alternatives to traditional vehicle detection systems. We cannot assure you that we will be able to utilize our technology profitably in other products or markets. If our end users do not continue to increase their acceptance of the features and functions provided by our current systems or other systems we may develop in the future, our business and growth prospects could be adversely affected.
Our operating costs tend to be fixed, while our revenue tends to be seasonal, thereby resulting in operating results that fluctuate from quarter to quarter.
Our expense levels are based in part on our product development efforts and our expectations regarding future revenues and, in the short-term, are generally fixed. Our quarterly revenues, however, have varied significantly in the past, with our first quarter historically being the weakest due to weather conditions in parts of North America, Europe and Asia that make roadway construction more difficult. Additionally, our international revenues have a significant large project component, resulting in a varying revenue stream. We expect the seasonality of our revenue and the fixed nature of our operating costs to continue in the foreseeable future. Therefore, we may be unable to adjust our spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall. As a result, if anticipated revenues in any quarter do not occur or are delayed, our operating results for the quarter would be disproportionately affected. Operating results also may fluctuate due to factors such as the demand for our products; product life cycle; the development, introduction and acceptance of new products and product enhancements by us or our competitors; changes in the mix of distribution channels through which our products are offered; changes in the level of operating expenses; end user order deferrals in anticipation of new products; competitive conditions in the industry; and economic conditions generally. No assurance can be given that we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future.
Increased competition may make it difficult for us to acquire and retain end users. If we are unsuccessful in developing new applications and product enhancements, our products may become noncompetitive or obsolete.
Competition in ITS is continuing to grow. Some of the companies that may compete with us in the business of developing and implementing traffic control and related security systems have substantially more financial, technological, marketing, personnel and research and development resources than we have. Therefore, they may be able to respond more quickly than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or end user requirements. If we are unable to compete successfully with these companies, the market share for our products will decrease, and competitive pressures may seriously harm our business.
Additionally, the market for vehicle detection is continuously seeking more advanced technological solutions to problems. Technologies such as embedded loop detectors, pressure plates, pneumatic tubes, radars, lasers, magnetometers, acoustics and microwaves that have been used as traffic sensing devices in the past are being enhanced for use in the traffic management industry, and new technologies may be developed. We are aware of several companies that are developing traffic management devices using machine vision technology or other advanced technology. Floating vehicle and/or radio frequency identification (RFID) tagged license plate initiatives are under consideration and may be implemented. We expect to face increasingly competitive product developments, applications and enhancements. New technologies or applications in traffic control systems from other companies or the development of new and emerging technologies and applications, including vehicle-to-vehicle (VTV) communications, mobile applications, and new algorithms or sensor technologies, may provide our end users with alternatives to our products and could render our solutions noncompetitive or obsolete. If we are unable to increase the number of our applications and develop and commercialize product enhancements and applications in a timely and cost-effective manner that respond to changing technology and satisfy the needs of our end users, our business and financial results will suffer.
We may not achieve our growth plans for the expansion of our business.
In addition to market penetration, our long-term success depends on our ability to expand our business through new product development, mergers and acquisitions, and/or geographic expansion.
New product development requires that we maintain our ability to improve existing products, continue to bring innovative products to market in a timely fashion, and adapt products to the needs and standards of current and potential customers. Our products and services may become less competitive or eclipsed by technologies to which we do not have access or which render our solutions obsolete.
Geographic expansion will be primarily outside of the U.S. and hence will be disproportionately subject to the risks of international operations discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Mergers and acquisitions will be accompanied by risks which may include:
·difficulties identifying suitable acquisition candidates at acceptable costs;
·unavailability of capital to conduct acquisitions;
·failure to achieve the financial and strategic goals for the acquired and combined businesses;
·difficulty assimilating the operations and personnel of the acquired businesses;
·disruption of ongoing business and distraction of management from the ongoing business;
·dilution of existing shareholders and earnings per share;
·unanticipated, undisclosed or inaccurately assessed liabilities, legal risks and costs; and
·difficulties retaining our key vendors, customers or employees or those of the acquired business.
In addition, acquisitions of businesses having a significant presence outside the U.S. will increase our exposure to the risks of international operations discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our dependence on third parties for manufacturing and marketing our products may prevent us from meeting customers’ needs in a timely manner.
We do not have, and do not intend to develop in the near future, internal capabilities to manufacture our products. We have entered into agreements with Econolite and Wireless Technology, Inc. (“WTI”) to manufacture the Autoscope system, the RTMS radar products and related products for sales in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. We work with suppliers, most of whom are overseas, to manufacture the rest of our products. We also need to comply with the European Union’s regulatory RoHS directive restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. If Econolite, WTI, or our other suppliers are unable to manufacture our products in the future, we may be unable to identify other manufacturers able to meet product and quality demands in a timely manner or at all. Our inability to find suitable manufacturers for our products could result in delays or reductions in product shipments, which in turn may harm our business reputation and results of operations. In addition, we have granted Econolite the exclusive right to market the Autoscope video system and related products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. Consequently, our revenue depends to a significant extent on Econolite’s marketing efforts. Econolite’s inability to effectively market the Autoscope video system, or the disruption or termination of that relationship, could result in reduced revenue and market share for our products.
We and our third party manufacturers obtain some of the components of our products from a single source, and an interruption in the supply of those components may prevent us from meeting customers’ needs in a timely manner and could therefore reduce our sales.
Although substantially all of the hardware components incorporated into our products are standard electronics components that are available from multiple sources, we and our third party manufacturers obtain some of the components from a single source. The loss or interruption of any of these supply sources could force us or our manufacturers to identify new suppliers, which could increase our costs, reduce our sales and profitability, or harm our customer relations by delaying product deliveries.
Regulations related to the use of conflict-free minerals may increase our costs and cause us to incur additional expenses.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains provisions to improve the transparency and accountability of the use by public companies in their products of minerals mined in certain countries and to prevent the sourcing of such “conflict” minerals. As a result, the Securities and Exchange Commission enacted annual disclosure and reporting requirements for public companies who use these minerals in their products, which apply to us. Under the final rules, we are required to conduct due diligence to determine the source of any conflict minerals used in our products. We filed our first conflict minerals report on Form SD with the Securities and Exchange Commission May 29, 2014, and we are required to file our next conflict minerals report on or before June 1, 2015. Although we expect to file the required report on a timely basis, our supply chain is broad-based and complex, and we may not be able to easily verify the origins for all minerals used in our products. To the extent that any information furnished to us by our suppliers is inaccurate or inadequate, we could face reputational and enforcement risks. In addition, the conflict mineral rules could reduce the number of suppliers who provide components and products containing conflict-free minerals and thus could disrupt our supply chain or that of our manufacturers and increase the cost of the components used in manufacturing our products and the costs of our products to us. Any increased costs and expenses could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our products are covered by our warranties and, if the cost of fulfilling these warranties exceeds our warranty allowance, it could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Unanticipated warranty and other costs for defective products could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and our reputation. We generally provide a two to five year warranty on our product sales. These warranties require us to repair or replace faulty products, among other customary warranty provisions. Although we monitor our warranty claims and provide an allowance for estimated warranty costs, unanticipated claims in excess of the allowance could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, we rely on our third party manufacturers to fulfill our warranty repair obligations to our customers. Adverse changes in these parties’ abilities to perform these repairs could cause a delay in repairs or require us to source other parties to perform the repairs and could adversely affect impact our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the need to repair or replace products with design or manufacturing defects could adversely affect our reputation.
We may face increased competition if we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and any efforts to protect our intellectual property rights may result in costly litigation.
Our success depends in large measure on the protection of our proprietary technology rights. We rely on trade secret, copyright and trademark laws, confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties, and patents, all of which offer only limited protection. We cannot assure you that the scope of these protective measures will exclude competitors or provide competitive advantages to us. We also cannot assure you that we will become aware of all instances in which others develop similar products, duplicate any of our products, or reverse engineer or misappropriate our proprietary technology. If our proprietary technology is misappropriated, our business and financial results could be adversely affected. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. In addition, we may be the subject of lawsuits by others who claim we violate their intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property litigation is very costly and could result in substantial expense and diversions of our resources, either of which could adversely affect our business and financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there may be no effective legal recourse against infringement of our intellectual property by third parties, whether due to limitations on enforcement of rights in foreign jurisdictions or as a result of other factors.
We have not applied for patent protection in all countries in which we market and sell our products. Consequently, our proprietary rights in the technology underlying our systems in countries other than the U.S. will be protected only to the extent that trade secret, copyright or other non-patent protection is available and to the extent we are able to enforce our rights. The laws of other countries in which we market our products may afford little or no effective protection of our proprietary technology, which could harm our business.
We plan to continue introducing new products and technologies and may not realize the degree or timing of benefits we initially anticipated, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We regularly invest substantial amounts in research and development efforts that pursue advancements in a range of technologies, products and services. Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of these advancements depends on a variety of factors, including meeting development, production, certification and regulatory approval schedules; the execution of internal and external performance plans; the availability of supplier-produced parts and materials; the performance of suppliers and vendors; achieving cost efficiencies; the validation of innovative technologies; and the level of end user interest in new technologies and products. These factors involve significant risks and uncertainties. We may encounter difficulties in developing and producing these new products and may not realize the degree or timing of benefits initially anticipated. In particular, we cannot predict with certainty whether, when or in what quantities our current or potential end users will have a demand for products currently in development or pending release. Moreover, as new products are announced, sales of current products may decrease as end users delay making purchases until such new products are available. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by product liability and commercial litigation.
Our products or services may be claimed to cause or contribute to personal injury or property damage to our customers’ employees or facilities. Additionally, we are, at times, involved in commercial disputes with third parties, such as customers, distributors, vendors and others. The ensuing claims may arise singularly, in groups of related claims, or in class actions involving multiple claimants. Such claims and litigation are frequently expensive and time-consuming to resolve and may result in substantial liability to us, which liability and related costs and expenses may not be recoverable through insurance or any other forms of reimbursement.
Our business could be affected by various legal and regulatory compliance risks, including those involving antitrust, environmental, anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws and regulations.
We are subject to various legal and regulatory requirements and risks in the U.S. and other countries in which we have facilities or sell our products involving compliance with antitrust, environmental, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act. Although we have internal policies and procedures with the intention of assuring compliance with these laws and regulations, our employees, contractors, agents and licensees involved in our international sales may take actions in violation of such policies. For more information, see the discussion in Note 16 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any future adverse development, ruling or settlement could result in charges that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows.
We price certain of our products at a premium compared to other technologies. As such, we may not be able to quickly respond to emerging low-cost competitors, and our inability to do so could adversely affect revenue and profitability.
We price certain of our products at a premium as compared to products using less sophisticated technologies. As the technological sophistication of our competitors and the size of the market increase, competing low-cost developers of machine vision products for traffic are likely to emerge and grow stronger. If end users prefer low-cost alternatives over our products, our revenue and profitability could be adversely affected.
Our revenue could be adversely affected by the emergence of local competitors and local biases in international markets.
Our experience indicates that local officials that purchase traffic management products in the international markets we serve favor products that are developed and manufactured locally. As local competitors to our products emerge, local biases could erode our revenue in Europe and Asia and adversely affect our sales and revenue in those markets.
Our failure to predict technological convergence could harm our business and could reduce our sales.
Within our product families, we currently utilize only certain detection technologies available in the ITS field. If we fail to predict convergence of technology preferences in the market for ITS, or fail to identify and acquire complementary businesses or products that broaden our current product offerings, we may not capture certain segments of the market, which could harm our business and reduce our sales.
We sell our products internationally and are subject to various risks relating to such international activities, which could harm our international sales and profitability.
Sales outside of the United States, including export sales from our U.S. business locations, accounted for approximately 17% of our total revenue in 2015 and 29% of our total revenue in 2014. By doing business in international markets, we are exposed to risks separate and distinct from those we face in our U.S. operations. Our international business may be adversely affected by changing political and economic conditions in foreign countries. Additionally, fluctuations in currency exchange rates could affect demand for our products or otherwise negatively affect profitability. Engaging in international business inherently involves a number of other difficulties and risks, including:
·export restrictions and controls relating to technology;
·pricing pressure that we may experience internationally;
· exposure to the risk of currency value fluctuations, where payment for products is denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars;
	
·variability in the U.S. dollar value of foreign currency-denominated assets, earnings and cash flows;
·required compliance with existing and new foreign regulatory requirements and laws;
·laws and business practices favoring local companies;
·longer payment cycles;
·difficulty of enforcing agreements, including patent and trademarks, and collecting receivables through foreign legal systems;
·disputes with parties outside of the U.S., which may be more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to resolve than disputes with parties located in the U.S.;
·political and economic instability, including volatility in the economic environment of the European Union caused by the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe;
·tax rates in certain foreign countries that exceed those in the U.S. and the imposition of withholding requirements on foreign earnings;
·higher danger of terrorist activity, war or civil unrest compared to domestic operations;
·difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations; and
·difficulties in enforcing intellectual property rights.
Our exposure to each of these risks may increase our costs, lengthen our sales cycle and require significant management attention. One or more of these factors may harm our business.
Our inability to comply with European and Asian regulatory restrictions over hazardous substances and electronic waste could restrict product sales in those markets and reduce profitability in the future.
The European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (“WEEE”) directive makes producers of electrical goods financially responsible for specified collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of past and future covered products. This directive must be enacted and implemented by individual European Union governments, and certain producers will be financially responsible under the WEEE legislation. This may impose requirements on us, which, if we are unable to meet them, could adversely affect our ability to market our products in European Union countries, and our sales revenues and profitability would suffer as a consequence. In addition, the European Parliament has enacted a directive for the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This RoHS legislation restricts the use of such substances as mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent cadmium. If we are unable to have our products manufactured in compliance with the RoHS directive, we would be unable to market our products in European Union countries, and our revenues and profitability would suffer. In addition, various Asian governments could adopt their own versions of environment-friendly electronic regulations similar to the European directives, RoHS and WEEE. This could require new and unanticipated manufacturing changes, product testing and certification requirements, thereby increasing cost, delaying sales and lowering revenue and profitability.
Our inability to manage growth effectively could seriously harm our business.
Growth and expansion of our business could significantly strain our capital resources as well as the time and abilities of our management personnel. Our ability to manage growth effectively will require continued improvement of our operational, financial and management systems and the successful training, motivation and management of our employees. If we are unable to manage growth successfully, our business and operating results will suffer.
Our business operations will be severely disrupted if we lose key personnel or if we fail to attract and retain qualified personnel.
Our technology depends upon the knowledge, experience and skills of our key management and scientific and technical personnel. Additionally, our ability to continue technological developments and to market our products, and thereby develop a competitive edge in the marketplace, depends in large part on our ability to attract and retain qualified scientific and technical personnel. Competition for qualified personnel is intense, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain the individuals we need, especially if our business expands and requires us to employ additional personnel. In addition, the loss of personnel or our failure to hire additional personnel could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and ability to expand. The loss of key personnel, or our inability to hire and retain qualified personnel, would harm our business.
We may not be successful in integrating any acquired companies into our business, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
Part of our business strategy has been to acquire or invest in companies, products or technologies that complement our current products, enhance our market coverage or technical capabilities or offer growth opportunities. For any acquisition, a significant amount of management’s time and financial resources may be required to complete the acquisition and integrate the acquired business into our existing operations. Even with this investment of management time and financial resources, an acquisition may not produce the revenue, earnings or business synergies anticipated. Acquisitions involve numerous other risks, including the assumption of unanticipated operating problems or legal liabilities; problems integrating the purchased operations, technologies or products; the diversion of management’s attention from our core businesses; restrictions on the manner in which we may use purchased companies or assets imposed by acquisition agreements; adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers; incorrect estimates made in the accounting for acquisitions and amortization of acquired intangible assets that would reduce future reported earnings (such as goodwill impairments); ensuring acquired companies’ compliance with the requirements of the U.S. federal securities laws and accounting rules; and the potential loss of customers or key employees of acquired businesses. We cannot assure you that any acquisitions, investments, strategic alliances or joint ventures will be completed or integrated in a timely manner or achieve anticipated synergies, will be structured or financed in a way that will enhance our business or creditworthiness, or will meet our strategic objectives or otherwise be successful.
We may be required to recognize impairment charges for long-lived assets.
As of December 31, 2015, the net carrying value of long-lived assets (property and equipment, deferred tax assets and other intangible assets) totaled approximately $1.7 million. In accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, we periodically assess these assets to determine if they are impaired. Significant negative industry or economic trends, a significant and sustained decline in our stock price, disruptions to our businesses, significant unexpected or planned changes in our use of assets, divestitures and market capitalization declines may result in impairments to our goodwill and other long-lived assets. Future impairment charges could significantly affect our results of operations in the periods recognized.
Our stock is thinly traded and our stock price is volatile.
Our common stock is thinly traded, with 4,559,952 shares of our 5,028,000 outstanding shares held by non-affiliates as of February 29, 2016. Based on the trading history of our common stock and the nature of the market for publicly traded securities of companies in evolving high-tech industries, we believe there are several factors that have caused and are likely to continue to cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. The fluctuations may occur on a day-to-day basis or over a longer period of time. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our stock price include announcements of large orders obtained by us or our competitors, substantial cutbacks in government funding of highway projects or of the potential availability of alternative technologies for use in traffic control and safety, quarterly fluctuations in our financial results or the financial results of our competitors, consolidation among our competitors, fluctuations in stock market prices and volumes, and the volatility of the stock market.
Difficult and volatile conditions in the capital, credit and commodities markets and in the overall economy could continue to adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows, and we do not know if these conditions will improve in the near future.
Our financial position, results of operations and cash flows could continue to be adversely affected by difficult conditions and significant volatility in the capital, credit and commodities markets and in the overall worldwide economy. Although certain economic conditions in the United States have improved, economic growth has been slow and uneven and may not be sustained. During economic downturns, governmental entities in particular, which constitute most of our end users, reduce or delay their purchase of our products, which has had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business. Any uncertainty about the federal budget in the U.S. could have a negative effect on the U.S. and global economy. The continuing impact that these factors might have on us and our business is uncertain and cannot be estimated at this time. Current economic conditions have accentuated each of these risks and magnified their potential effect on us and our business. The difficult conditions in these markets and the overall economy affect our business in a number of ways. For example:
·Although we believe we have sufficient liquidity under our financing arrangements to run our business, under extreme market conditions, there can be no assurance that such funds would be available or sufficient, and, in such a case, we may not be able to successfully obtain additional financing on favorable terms, or at all.
·Continuing market volatility has exerted downward pressure on our stock price, which could make it more difficult or unfavorable for us to raise additional capital in the future.
·Economic conditions could result in customers in our markets continuing to experience financial difficulties, including limited liquidity and their inability to obtain financing or electing to limit spending because of the economy which may result, for example, in customers’ inability to pay us at all or on a timely basis and in declining tax revenue for our customers that are governmental entities, which in turn could result in decreased sales and earnings for us.
We do not know if market conditions or the state of the overall economy will improve in the near future, when improvement will occur or if any improvement will benefit our market segment.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws, Minnesota law and our shareholder rights plan may inhibit a takeover that shareholders consider favorable.
Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of Minnesota law may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in our control or change in our management, including transactions in which shareholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that our shareholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. These provisions:
·permit our board of directors to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with any rights, preferences and privileges as it may designate, including the right to approve an acquisition or other change in our control;
·provide that the authorized number of directors may be increased by resolution of the board of directors;
·provide that all vacancies, including newly-created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum; and
·eliminate cumulative voting rights, therefore allowing the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors to elect all of the directors standing for election, if they should so choose.
Section 302A.671 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act (“MBCA”) generally limits the voting rights of a shareholder acquiring a substantial percentage of our voting shares in an attempted takeover or otherwise becoming a substantial shareholder of our company unless holders of a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares and the disinterested shares approve full voting rights for the substantial shareholder. Section 302A.673 of the MBCA generally limits our ability to engage in any business combination with certain persons who own 10% or more of our outstanding voting stock or any of our associates or affiliates who at any time in the past four years have owned 10% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These provisions of the MBCA may have the effect of entrenching our management team and may deprive shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares to potential acquirers at a premium over prevailing prices. This potential inability to obtain a control premium could reduce the price of our common stock.
In addition, in June 2013, we adopted a shareholder rights plan and declared a dividend to our shareholders of one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of common stock. Generally, the shareholder rights plan provides that if a person or group acquires 20% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions and under certain circumstances, the rights may be exchanged by us for common stock or the holders of the rights, other than the acquiring person or group, could acquire additional shares of our capital stock at a discount of the then current market price. Such exchanges or exercise of rights could cause substantial dilution to a particular acquirer and discourage the acquirer from pursuing our company. The mere existence of a shareholder rights plan often delays or makes a merger, tender offer or other acquisition more difficult to complete.
We can issue shares of preferred stock without shareholder approval, which could adversely affect the rights of common shareholders.
Our articles of incorporation permit our board of directors to establish the rights, privileges, preferences and restrictions, including voting rights, of future series of our preferred stock and to issue such stock without approval from our shareholders. The rights of holders of our common stock may suffer as a result of the rights granted to holders of preferred stock that may be issued in the future. In addition, we could issue preferred stock to prevent a change in control of our Company, depriving common shareholders of an opportunity to sell their stock at a price in excess of the prevailing market price.
We do not intend to declare cash dividends on our stock in the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain all future earnings for the operation and expansion of our business and, therefore, do not anticipate declaring or paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our operating results, earnings, current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, financial condition, future prospects, any contractual restrictions and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Therefore, shareholders should not expect to receive dividend income from shares of our common stock.
Item 1B.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2.
Item 2. Properties
We currently lease and occupy approximately 26,775 square feet in St. Paul, Minnesota for our headquarters. In February 2014, we entered into an amendment to the lease for our headquarters which expanded the leased space from approximately 20,000 square feet to approximately 26,775 square feet, extended the term of the lease to July 2020, and gave us the right to further extend the term of the lease for one additional five year term. We also lease smaller facilities in Canada, Germany, Spain and Romania.
We believe that our current space is generally adequate to meet our current expected needs, and we do not intend to lease significantly more space in 2016.
Item 3.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We are involved in legal actions and claims relating to various matters. Although we are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these legal actions and claims, it is the opinion of management that the disposition of these matters, taken as a whole, will not have a material adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Item 4.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5.
Item 5. 	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “ISNS.” The quarterly high and low sales prices for our common stock for our last two fiscal years are set forth below.
Shareholders
As of February 29, 2016, there were 20 holders of record of our common stock. The number of holders of record is based upon the actual number of holders registered at such date and does not include holders of shares in “street names” or persons, partnerships, associates, corporations, or other entities identified in security position listings maintained by depositories.
Dividends
We have never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common stock. We currently intend to retain earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business, and, consequently, we do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Debt Covenants
Our credit agreement includes certain financial covenants, including minimum debt service ratios, minimum cash flow coverage ratios, and other financial measures. These financial covenants may restrict our ability to pay dividends and purchase outstanding shares of common stock. At December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we were in compliance with these financial covenants. Information on our debt agreements is included in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 6.
Item 6. 	Selected Financial Data
The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial data for each of the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2015. The statement of income data for the years ended and as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements. The following information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 7.
Item 7.	 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data and our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included in this discussion as a result of certain factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed in “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
General. The Company previously conducted its operations through three business segments consisting of 1) Intersection, 2) Highway, and 3) LPR. As further described in Note 2 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, on July 9, 2015, the Company completed the sale of its LPR segment. As a result, effective July 9, 2015, the LPR business qualified for discontinued operations presentation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, financial results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 have been reported on this basis. Previously reported results for comparable periods in 2014 and 2013 have also been restated to reflect this reclassification. As a result, all amounts presented in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on From 10-K reflect the financial results and financial position of the Company’s continuing intersection and highway businesses, other than consolidated amounts reflecting operating results and balances for discontinued operations.
The following discussion of year-to-year trends in financial statement results under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” aligns with the financial statement presentation described above.
We provide software based computer enabled detection (“CED”) products and solutions that use advanced signal processing software algorithms to detect and monitor objects in a designated field of view. Our technology analyzes signals from a sophisticated sensor and passes the information along to management systems, controllers or directly to users. Our core products, the Autoscope Video Vehicle Detection System and RTMS Radar Detection System, operate using our proprietary application software in conjunction with video cameras or radar and commonly available electronic components. Our systems are used by traffic managers primarily to improve the flow of vehicle traffic and to enhance safety at intersections, main thoroughfares, freeways and tunnels.
Autoscope video systems are sold to distributors and end users of traffic management products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean by Econolite Control Products, Inc. (“Econolite”), our exclusive licensee in these regions. We sell all of our systems to distributors and end users in Europe and Asia through our subsidiaries. The majority of our sales are to end users that are funded by government agencies responsible for traffic management.
RTMS Radar Business Model Change. From July 24, 2012 until July 14, 2014, our RTMS radar systems also were sold by Econolite in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean under the same arrangement as Econolite sold our Autoscope video systems. Effective July 14, 2014, the marketing, manufacturing and distribution of the RTMS radar product line in these regions transitioned from Econolite to the Company.
Trends and Challenges in Our Business
We believe the expected growth in our business can be attributed primarily to the following global trends:
·worsening traffic caused by increased numbers of vehicles in metropolitan areas without corresponding expansions of road infrastructure and the need to automate safety, security and access applications for automobiles and trucks, which has increased demand for our products;
·advances in information technology, which have made our products easier to market and implement;
·the continued funding allocations for centralized traffic management services and automated enforcement schemes, which have increased the ability of our primary end users to implement our products; and
·general increases in the cost-effectiveness of electronics, which make our products more affordable for end users.
We believe our continued growth primarily depends upon:
·continued adoption and governmental funding of intelligent transportation systems (“ITS”) and other automated applications for traffic control, safety and enforcement in developed countries;
·a propensity by traffic engineers to implement lower cost technology-based solutions rather than civil engineering solutions such as widening roadways;
·countries in the developing world adopting above-ground detection technology, such as video or radar, instead of in-pavement loop technology to manage traffic;
·the use of CED to provide solutions to surveillance and environmental issues associated with increasing automobile use in metropolitan areas; and
·our ability to develop new products, such as hybrid CED devices incorporating, for example, radar and video technologies, that provide increasingly accurate information and enhance the end users’ ability to cost-effectively manage traffic and environmental issues.
Because the majority of our end users are governmental entities, we are faced with challenges related to potential delays in purchase decisions by those entities and changes in budgetary constraints. These contingencies could result in significant fluctuations in our revenue between periods. The ongoing economic environment in Europe and the United States is further adding to the unpredictability of purchase decisions, creating more delays than usual and decreasing governmental budgets, and it is likely to continue to affect our revenue.
Key Financial Terms and Metrics 	
Revenue. We derive revenue from two sources: (1) royalties received from Econolite for sales of the Autoscope video and RTMS radar (from 2012 until July 14, 2014) systems in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean and (2) revenue received from the direct sales of our RTMS radar systems (after July 14, 2014) in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean and all of our systems in Europe and Asia. On July 14, 2014, we announced the transfer of North American marketing and manufacturing of the RTMS radar product line from Econolite to Image Sensing Systems, ending our royalty agreement for radar sales. Autoscope video royalties are calculated using a profit sharing model where the gross profits on sales of product made through Econolite are shared equally with Econolite. This royalty arrangement has the benefit of decreasing our cost of revenues and our selling, marketing and product support expenses because these costs and expenses are borne primarily by Econolite. Although this royalty model has a positive impact on our gross margin, it also negatively impacts our total revenue, which would be higher if all the sales made by Econolite were made directly by us. The royalty arrangement is exclusive under a long-term agreement.
Cost of Revenue. There is no cost of revenue related to royalties, as virtually all manufacturing, warranty and related costs are incurred by Econolite. Cost of revenue related to product sales consists primarily of the amount charged by our third party contractors to manufacture hardware platforms, which is influenced mainly by the cost of electronic components. The cost of revenue also includes logistics costs, estimated expenses for product warranties, restructuring costs and inventory reserves. The key metric that we follow is achieving certain gross margin percentages on product sales by geographic region and to a lesser extent by product line.
Operating Expenses. Our operating expenses fall into three categories: (1) selling, marketing and product support; (2) general and administrative; and (3) research and development. Selling, marketing and product support expenses consist of various costs related to sales and support of our products, including salaries, benefits and commissions paid to our personnel; commissions paid to third parties; travel, trade show and advertising costs; second-tier technical support for Econolite; and general product support, where applicable. General and administrative expenses consist of certain corporate and administrative functions that support the development and sales of our products and provide an infrastructure to support future growth. These expenses include management, supervisory and staff salaries and benefits, legal and auditing fees, travel, rent and costs associated with being a public company, such as board of director fees, listing fees and annual reporting expenses. Research and development expenses consist mainly of salaries and benefits for our engineers and third party costs for consulting and prototyping. We measure all operating expenses against our annually approved budget, which is developed with achieving a certain operating margin as a key focus. Also included in operating expenses are restructuring costs and non-cash expense for intangible asset amortization.
Non-GAAP Operating Measure. We provide certain non-GAAP financial information as supplemental information to financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States). This non-GAAP information excludes the impact of amortizing intangible assets and may exclude other non-recurring items. Management believes that this presentation facilitates the comparison of our current operating results to historical operating results. Management uses this non-GAAP information to evaluate short-term and long-term operating trends in our core operations. Non-GAAP information is not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for or an alternative to GAAP financial measures and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies.
The table below reconciles non-GAAP income (loss) from continuing operations, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, to comparable GAAP financial measures:
Seasonality. Our quarterly revenues and operating results have varied significantly in the past due to the seasonality of our business. Our first quarter generally is the weakest due to weather conditions that make roadway construction more difficult in parts of North America, Europe and northern Asia. We expect such seasonality to continue for the foreseeable future. Additionally, our international revenues regularly contain individually significant sales. This can result in significant variations of revenue between periods. Accordingly, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our financial results should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance. No assurance can be given that we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future.
Segments. We currently operate in two reportable segments: Intersection and Highway. Autoscope video is our machine-vision product line, and revenue consists of royalties (all of which are received from Econolite), as well as a portion of international product sales. Video products are normally sold in the Intersection segment. The RTMS radar is our radar product line, and revenue consists of sales to external customers. Radar products are normally sold in the Highway segment. As a result of business model changes and modifications in how we manage our business, we may reevaluate our segment definitions in the future.
The following tables set forth selected unaudited financial information for each of our reportable segments (in thousands):
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain consolidated statements of operations data as a percent of total revenue and gross profit on product sales and royalties as a percentage of international sales and royalties, respectively.
Year Ended December 31, 2015 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2014. Total revenue decreased to $15.2 million in 2015 from $18.1 million in 2014, a decrease of 16.1%. In the first quarter of 2015, we completed a restructuring plan to close our office in Asia. Excluding Asia revenue of $1.9 million in 2014, revenue for 2015 decreased $1.0 million, a decrease of 6.0%. Royalty income decreased to $8.5 million in 2015 from $10.2 million in 2014, a decrease of 17.2%. The decrease in royalties was the result of a decrease in Autoscope video system sales under the Econolite agreement and the transition of RTMS radar product sales from Econolite to the Company in 2014. Prior to the transfer of domestic radar sales and marketing activities from Econolite to the Company in July 2014, we received radar royalties of approximately $709,000 in 2014. Autoscope video royalties were lower in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 as a result of lower unit volume. Product sales decreased to $6.7 million in 2015 from $7.8 million in 2014, a decrease of 14.8%. The decrease in product sales was a result of the planned withdrawal from the Asia market in early 2015 and was partially offset by increases in product sales in other geographies.
Revenue for the Intersection segment decreased to $10.2 million in 2015 from $11.4 million in 2014, a decrease of 10.2%. The decrease of revenue in the Intersection segment was mainly due to lower sales volume in North America.
Revenue for the Highway segment decreased to $5.0 million in 2015 from $6.8 million in 2014, a decrease of 26%. The decrease in Highway was due to the planned withdrawal from the Asia market in early 2015.
Gross profit for product sales for 2015 was 48.3%, an increase of 6.3% from the gross margin of 42.0% in 2014. Product sales gross profit for the Intersection product lines has historically been lower than gross profit for the Highway product lines and therefore the mix of the product lines sold in any given period can result in varying gross profit. Additionally, the geographic sales mix of our product sales can influence margins, as products sold in some jurisdictions have lower margins. We anticipate that gross profit for our product sales in 2016 will be similar to 2015, while we expect royalty gross profit will be 100% in 2016.
Selling, marketing and product support expense decreased to $3.2 million or 21.1% of total revenue in 2015 from $5.1 million or 28.1% of total revenue in 2014. Our selling, marketing and product support expense decreased mainly due to certain cost reductions. We anticipate that annual selling, marketing and product support expense in 2016 will be similar to such expenses 2015.
General and administrative expense decreased slightly to $4.0 million from $4.3 million in 2014, but increased to 26.6% of total revenue in 2015, from 23.7% of total revenue in 2014. General and administrative expenses decreased in 2015 mainly as a result of a decrease in the professional fees related to the use of outside consultants which were partially offset by severance costs related to the separation from former employees and other normal operating costs. We anticipate that annual general and administrative expenses in 2016 will be similar to such expenses in 2015.
Research and development expense decreased to $3.5 million or 23.1% of total revenue in 2015, from $4.9 million or 26.8% of total revenue in 2014. The decrease is primarily related to $1.2 million of software development costs related to the development of new video detection technologies that were capitalized. In 2016, we will continue to develop our video detection technology and launch new video products. We anticipate that research and development expense will increase in dollar amount in 2016 compared to 2015.
In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company developed restructuring plans to close our offices in Asia. Because of these actions, restructuring charges of approximately $119,000 were recorded in 2015.
Amortization of intangibles decreased to $455,000 in 2015 from $488,000 in 2014 and reflects the amortization of intangible assets acquired in acquisitions. We anticipate that amortization of intangibles will decrease in 2016 compared to 2015.
Income tax expense of $18,000, or 4.5% of our pretax income, was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to income tax benefit of $154,000, or 7.0% of pretax loss, for the year ended December 31, 2014. The income tax expense in 2015 was primarily driven by income tax in European jurisdictions.
Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2013. Total revenue decreased to $18.1 million in 2014 from $19.8 million in 2013, a decrease of 8.5%. In the first quarter of 2014, we implemented restructuring plans to improve our financial performance in Europe, which included the closure of our office in Poland. Excluding Poland revenue of $2.3 million in 2013, revenue for 2014 increased $600,000, an increase of 3.4%. Royalty income decreased to $10.2 million in 2014 from $11.6 million in 2013, a decrease of 11.6%. The decrease in royalties was the result of a decrease in Autoscope video system sales under the Econolite agreement and the transition of Autoscope radar product sales from Econolite to the Company. Prior to the transfer of domestic radar sales and marketing activities from Econolite to the Company in July 2014, we received radar royalties of approximately $709,000 in 2014 compared to $1.3 million in 2013. Autoscope video royalties were lower in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 as a result of lower unit volume. Product sales decreased to $7.9 million in 2014 from $8.2 million in 2013, a decrease of 4.2%. The decrease in product sales was mainly due to lower sales volume in Europe, which was partially offset by an increase in Autoscope radar sales in North America due to the previously discussed radar transition. The decrease in European sales volume was primarily the result of the Polish office closure.
Revenue for the Intersection segment decreased to $11.4 million in 2014 from $13.4 million in 2013, a decrease of 15.4%. The decrease in the Intersection segment revenue was mainly due to lower sales volume in Europe and North America.
Revenue for the Highway segment increased to $6.8 million in 2014 from $6.4 million in 2013, an increase of 5.8%. The increase in Highway revenue was due to the transition of the North American Highway sales from Econolite to Image Sensing Systems. This transition resulted in the direct sale of products to customers instead of a royalty from Econolite beginning at the transition date of July 14, 2014.
Gross profit for product sales increased to 42.0% in 2014 from 22.1% in 2013. The increase is the result of a reduction for 2014 in warranty and inventory obsolescence charges experienced in 2013. In general, product sales gross profit for the Intersection product lines has historically been lower than gross profit for the Highway product lines and therefore the mix of the product lines sold in any given period can result in varying gross profit. Additionally, the geographic sales mix of our product sales can influence margins, as product sold in some jurisdictions have lower margins.
Selling, marketing and product support expense decreased to $5.1 million or 28.1% of total revenue in 2014 from $8.4 million or 42.2% of total revenue in 2013. Our selling, marketing and product support expense decreased mainly due to certain cost reductions, which were partially offset by nonrecurring expenses associated with transitioning the North American radar business from Econolite. Included in these charges are royalties due to Econolite for orders that were received by Econolite but fulfilled by Image Sensing Systems. These royalties to Econolite will end once all such open orders are fulfilled.
General and administrative expense decreased slightly to $4.3 million from $4.6 million in 2013, but increased to 23.7% of total revenue in 2014, from 23.0% of total revenue in 2013. General and administrative expenses decreased in 2014 mainly as a result of a decrease in the other professional fees related to the use of outside consultants which were partially offset by severance costs related to the separation from former employees and other normal operating costs. Our direct costs related to the investigation involving our subsidiary in Poland and associated remediation actions were approximately $152,000 for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to $3.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. Please see Note 16 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the investigation.
Research and development expense increased to $4.8 million or 26.8% of total revenue in 2014, from $3.7 million or 18.7% of total revenue in 2013. The increase was mainly related to the increased expenditures on new research and development projects, the acceleration of previously existing projects and other product developments.
In the first quarter of 2014, the Company implemented restructuring plans to improve our financial performance in Europe. These plans included the closure of our office in Poland. Because of these actions, restructuring charges of approximately $460,000 were recorded related primarily to the closure of facilities and employee terminations. In the fourth quarter of 2014, we developed restructuring plans to close down our offices in Asia in order to reduce our cost structure. Because of these actions, restructuring charges of approximately $310,000 were recorded related primarily to the closure of facilities and employee terminations.
Amortization of intangibles was $488,000 in both 2014 and 2013 and reflects the amortization of intangible assets acquired in acquisitions.
Income tax benefit of $154,000, or 7.0% of our pretax loss, was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to income tax expense of $3.9 million, or 53.7% of pretax loss, for the year ended December 31, 2013. The income tax expense in 2013 was primarily driven by the recognition of a valuation allowance of $6.6 million for the United States jurisdiction.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2015, we had $2.6 million in cash and cash equivalents, compared to $2.7 million in cash at December 31, 2014.
On July 9, 2015, we closed on the sale of our LPR business unit for the purchase price of $4.2 million in cash, subject to certain customary closing adjustments based on the difference between estimated net asset value and final net asset value, of which $3.8 million has been paid to the Company. The remaining $420,000 was placed in an escrow account and will be available until July 9, 2016 to satisfy any indemnification obligations the Company may have under the SAPA. The $420,000 in escrow is classified as “discontinued operations assets” on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2015. We used $1.6 million from the sale to strengthen our balance sheet and to invest in our Autoscope video detection and RTMS radar detection products and solutions. Our investment objectives are to preserve principal, maintain liquidity, and achieve the best available return consistent with our primary objectives of safety and liquidity.
Net cash used for operating activities was $3.3 million in 2015, compared to cash used of $5.7 million in 2014 and cash used of $5.8 million in 2013. The primary reason for the decrease in cash in 2014 was operating losses, the timing of the collection of outstanding receivables, as well as timing of the payment of outstanding payables, partially offset by the conversion of inventory. The primary reasons for the decrease in cash in 2013 was the investments made in the Company’s product offerings. We anticipate that average receivable collection days in 2016 will be similar to 2015 and that it will not have a material impact on our liquidity.
Net cash used for investing activities was $1.4 million in 2015, compared to cash provided by investing activities of $2.5 million in 2014 and cash provided by investing activities of $1.6 million in 2013. The investing of cash compared to the prior periods is the result of the capitalized software development costs. Our planned additions of property and equipment are discretionary, and we do not expect them to exceed historical levels in 2016.
There was no net cash provided by financing activities in 2015 or 2014, compared to cash provided of $9,000 in 2013.
In May 2014, the Company entered into a credit agreement and related documents with Alliance Bank providing for a revolving line of credit for the Company. The credit agreement and related documents with Alliance Bank (collectively, the “Alliance Credit Agreement”) provide up to a $5.0 million revolving line of credit. Amounts due under the Alliance Credit Agreement bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 3.95%. Any advances are secured by the Company’s inventories, accounts receivable, cash, marketable securities, and equipment. We are subject to certain covenants under the Alliance Credit Agreement. In March 2015, we entered into an agreement with Alliance Bank amending the Alliance Credit Agreement to extend the maturity date from May 2015 to April 1, 2016. At December 31, 2015, we had no borrowings under the Alliance Credit Agreement, and we were in compliance with all financial covenants.
Prior to May 12, 2014, we had a revolving line of credit with Associated Bank, National Association (“Associated Bank”) that was initially entered into as of May 1, 2008. We requested, and Associated Bank granted, a termination to the Credit Agreement effective on May 12, 2014 in connection with the revolving line of credit from Alliance Bank described above.
We believe that cash and cash equivalents on hand at December 31, 2015, along with the availability of funds under our revolving line of credit and cash provided by operating activities, will satisfy our projected working capital needs, investing activities, and other cash requirements for the foreseeable future.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not participate in transactions or have relationships or other arrangements with an unconsolidated entity, including special purpose and similar entities or other off-balance sheet arrangements.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which require us to make estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported. In preparing these financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts, giving due consideration to materiality. We believe that of our significant accounting policies, the following are particularly important to the portrayal of our results of operations and financial position, may require the application of a higher level of judgment by our management, and as a result, are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. For further information see Note 1 of our Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. We are required to comply with a variety of technical accounting requirements in order to achieve consistent and accurate revenue recognition. Royalty income is recognized based on sales shipped or delivered to our customers as reported to us by Econolite. Revenue is recognized when both product ownership and the risk of loss have transferred to the customer and we have no remaining obligations. Allowances for doubtful accounts are estimated by management based on an evaluation of potential losses related to customer receivable balances. We determine the allowance based on historical write-off experience in the industry, regional economic data, and an evaluation of specific customer accounts for risk of loss. We review our allowance for doubtful accounts monthly. Account balances are charged off against the allowance when we believe it is probable the receivable will not be recovered. We do not have any off-balance sheet credit exposure related to our customers. The establishment of this reserve requires the use of judgment and assumptions regarding the potential for losses on receivable balances. Although management considers these balances adequate and proper, changes in economic conditions in specific markets in which we operate could have an effect on reserve balances required.
Inventories. We maintain a material amount of inventory to support our engineering and manufacturing operations. This inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market. On a regular basis, we review our inventory and identify that which is excess, slow moving, and obsolete by considering factors such as inventory levels, expected product life, and forecasted sales demand. Any identified excess, slow moving, and obsolete inventory is written down to its market value through a charge to income from operations. It is possible that additional inventory write-down charges may be required in the future if there is a significant decline in demand for our products.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. We review the carrying value of long-lived assets or asset groups, such as property and equipment and intangibles subject to amortization, when events or changes in circumstances such as asset utilization, physical change, legal factors, or other matters indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. When this review indicates the carrying value of an asset or asset group exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset or asset group, we recognize an asset impairment charge against operations. The amount of the impairment loss recorded is the amount by which the carrying value of the impaired asset or asset group exceeds its fair value.
Our impairment loss calculations contain uncertainties because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to identify events or changes in circumstances indicating the carrying value of assets may not be recoverable, estimate future cash flows, estimate asset fair values, and select a discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows. Expected cash flows may not be realized, which could cause long-lived assets to become impaired in future periods and could have a material adverse effect on future results of operations.
Warranty Liabilities. The estimated cost to service warranty and customer service claims is included in cost of sales. This estimate is based on historical trends of warranty claims. We regularly assess and adjust the estimate of accrued warranty claims by updating claims rates for actual trends and projected claim costs. Our warranty liability contains uncertainties because our warranty obligations cover an extended period of time. While these liability levels are based on historical warranty experience, they may not reflect the actual claims that will occur over the upcoming warranty period, and additional warranty reserves may be required. A revision of estimated claim rates or the projected cost of materials and freight associated with sending replacement parts to customers could have a material adverse effect on future results of operations.
Income Taxes. We record a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates that apply to taxable income in effect for the years in which those deferred tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is believed more likely than not to be realized. We believe it is more likely than not that forecasted income, including income that may be generated as a result of certain tax planning strategies, together with the tax effects of the deferred tax liabilities, will be sufficient to fully recover the remaining net realizable value of our deferred tax assets. If all or part of the net deferred tax assets are determined not to be realizable in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. In addition, the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on our financial condition and operating results.
New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” ASU 2016-02 provides new guidance on how an entity should account for leases and recognize associated lease assets and liabilities. This new guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition, and provides for certain practical expedients. In addition, the transition will require application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We are currently determining our implementation approach and assessing the impact of ASU 2016-02 on the consolidated financial statements.
In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes,” which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes. ASU 2015-17 requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 (and interim periods within those fiscal years), with early adoption permitted. ASU 2015-17 may be either applied prospectively to all deferred tax assets and liabilities or retrospectively to all periods presented. We have elected to early adopt ASU 2015-17 prospectively in the fourth quarter of 2015. As a result, we have presented all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015, but have not reclassified current deferred tax assets and liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014. There was no significant impact on our results of operations as a result of the adoption of ASU 2015-17.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” ASU 2014-09 provides new guidance related to how an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, ASU 2014-09 specifies new accounting for costs associated with obtaining or fulfilling contracts with customers and expands the required disclosures related to revenue and cash flows from contracts with customers.
On July 9, 2015, the FASB affirmed its proposal to defer the effective date of the ASU 2014-09 for all entities by one year. As a result, public business entities, certain not-for-profit entities, and certain employee benefit plans will apply this new revenue standard to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. All other entities will apply this new revenue standard to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Additionally, the FASB affirmed its proposal to permit all entities to apply ASU 2014-09 early, but not before the original effective date for public business entities, certain not-for-profit entities, and certain employee benefit plans (that is, annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016). Entities choosing to implement early will apply ASU 2014-09 to all interim reporting periods within the year of adoption.
The Company is currently determining its implementation approach and assessing the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the consolidated financial statements.
Item 7A.
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Approximately 25% of our revenue has historically been derived from shipments to customers outside of the United States, and a large portion of this revenue is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our international subsidiaries have functional currencies other than our U.S. dollar reporting currency and, occasionally, transact business in currencies other than their functional currencies. These non-functional currency transactions expose us to market risk on assets, liabilities and cash flows recognized on these transactions.
The strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies decreases the value of foreign currency-denominated revenue and earnings when translated into U.S. dollars. Conversely, a weakening of the U.S. dollar increases the value of foreign currency-denominated revenue and earnings. A 10% adverse change in foreign currency rates, if we have not properly hedged, could have a material effect on our results of operations or financial position.
Item 8.
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
IMAGE SENSING SYSTEMS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share data)
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
IMAGE SENSING SYSTEMS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except share data)
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
IMAGE SENSING SYSTEMS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(in thousands)
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
IMAGE SENSING SYSTEMS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW
(in thousands)
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
IMAGE SENSING SYSTEMS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands, except share data)
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
December 31, 2015
1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (referred to herein as “we,” the “Company,” “us” and “our”) develops and markets software-based computer enabled detection products for use in traffic, safety, security, police and parking applications. We sell our products primarily to distributors and also receive royalties under a license agreement with a manufacturer/distributor for certain of our products. Our products are used primarily by governmental entities.
The Company previously conducted its operations through three businesses consisting of 1) Intersection, 2) Highway, and 3) LPR. As further described in Note 2 of these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, on July 9, 2015, the Company completed the sale of its LPR segment. As a result, effective July 9, 2015, the LPR business qualified for discontinued operations presentation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, financial results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 have been reported on this basis. Previously reported results for comparable periods in 2014 and 2013 have also been restated to reflect this reclassification. As a result, all amounts presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements reflect the financial results and financial position of the Company’s continuing intersection and highway businesses, other than consolidated amounts reflecting operating results and balances for both the continuing and discontinued operations.
PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION
The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Image Sensing Systems, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: Image Sensing Systems HK Limited (ISS HK) located in Hong Kong; Image Sensing Systems (Shenzhen) Limited (ISS WOFE) located in China; Image Sensing Systems Holdings Limited (ISS Holdings), Image Sensing Systems Europe Limited (ISS Europe), Image Sensing Systems EMEA Limited (ISS UK) located in the United Kingdom; Image Sensing Systems Europe Limited SP.Z.O.O., (ISS Poland) located in Poland; Image Sensing Systems Spain SLU (ISS Spain) located in Spain; Image Sensing Systems Germany, GmbH (ISS Germany) located in Germany; and ISS Image Sensing Systems Canada Limited (ISS Canada) located in Canada. All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
REVENUE RECOGNITION
We recognize revenue on a sales arrangement when it is realized or realizable and earned, which occurs when all of the following criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery and title transfer have occurred or services have been rendered; the sales price is fixed and determinable; collectability is reasonably assured; and all significant obligations to the customer have been fulfilled.
Certain sales may contain multiple elements for revenue recognition purposes. We consider each deliverable that provides value to the customer on a standalone basis as a separable element. Separable elements in these arrangements may include the hardware, software, installation services, training and support. We initially allocate consideration to each separable element using the relative selling price method. Selling prices are determined by us based on either vendor-specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) (the actual selling prices of similar products and services sold on a standalone basis) or, in the absence of VSOE, our best estimate of the selling price. Factors considered by us in determining estimated selling prices for applicable elements generally include overall economic conditions, customer demand, costs incurred by us to provide the deliverable, as well as our historical pricing practices. Under these arrangements, revenue associated with each delivered element is recognized in an amount equal to the lesser of the consideration initially allocated to the delivered element or the amount for which payment is not deemed contingent upon future delivery of other elements in the arrangement. Under arrangements where special acceptance protocols exist, installation services and training may not be considered separable. Under those circumstances, revenue for the entire arrangement is recognized upon the completion of installation, training and the fulfillment of any other significant obligations specific to the terms of the arrangement. Arrangements that do not contain any separable elements are typically recognized when the products are shipped and title has transferred to the customer.
Revenue from arrangements for services such as maintenance, repair, consulting and technical support are recognized either as the service is performed or ratably over the defined contractual period for service maintenance contracts.
Econolite Control Products, Inc. (“Econolite”) is our licensee that sells certain of our products in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The royalty of approximately 50% of the gross profit on licensed products is recognized when the products are shipped or delivered by Econolite to its customers.
We record provisions against sales revenue for estimated returns and allowances in the period when the related revenue is recorded based on historical sales returns and changes in end user demand.
Revenue is recorded net of taxes collected from customers that are remitted to governmental authorities, with the collected taxes recorded as current liabilities until remitted to the relevant government authority.
SHIPPING AND HANDLING
Freight revenue billed to customers is reported within revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations, and expenses incurred for shipping products to customers are reported within cost of revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents, both inside and outside the United States, are invested in money market funds and bank deposits in local currency denominations. Cash located in foreign banks was $700,000 and $2.0 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. We hold our cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions and, at times, the amounts of our balances may be in excess of insurance limits.
MARKETABLE SECURITIES
We classify marketable debt securities as available-for-sale investments and these securities are stated at their estimated fair value. The value of these securities is subject to market and credit volatility during the period these investments are held.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
We grant credit to customers in the normal course of business and generally do not require collateral from domestic customers. When deemed appropriate, receivables from customers outside the United States are supported by letters of credit from financial institutions. Management performs on-going credit evaluations of customers. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on management’s assessment of the collectability of specific customer accounts and includes consideration of the credit worthiness and financial condition of those specific customers. We record an allowance to reduce receivables to the amount that is reasonably believed to be collectible and consider factors such as the financial condition of the customer and the aging of the receivables. If there is a deterioration of a customer’s financial condition, if we become aware of additional information related to the credit worthiness of a customer, or if future actual default rates on trade receivables in general differ from those currently anticipated, we may have to adjust our allowance for doubtful accounts, which would affect earnings in the period the adjustments were made.
INVENTORIES
Inventories are primarily electronic components and finished goods and are valued at the lower of cost or market determined under the first-in, first-out accounting method.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property and equipment is stated at cost. Additions, replacements, and improvements are capitalized at cost, while maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets and by accelerated methods for income tax purposes. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the contractual term of the lease, with consideration of lease renewal options if renewal appears probable. Depreciation is recorded over a three- to seven-year period for financial reporting purposes.
INCOME TAXES
We record a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates that apply to taxable income in effect for the years in which those deferred tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is believed more likely than not to be realized. We believe it is more likely than not that forecasted income, including income that may be generated as a result of certain tax planning strategies, together with the tax effects of the deferred tax liabilities, will be sufficient to fully recover the remaining net realizable value of deferred tax assets. If all or part of the net deferred tax assets are determined not to be realizable in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. In addition, the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on our financial condition and operating results. We recognize penalties and interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
INTANGIBLE ASSETS
We capitalize certain software development costs related to software to be sold, leased, or otherwise marketed. Capitalized software development costs include purchased materials and services and other costs associated with the development of new products and services. Software development costs are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established, at which time future costs incurred are capitalized until the product is available for general release to the public. Based on our product development process, technological feasibility is generally established once product and detailed program designs have been completed, uncertainties related to high-risk development issues have been resolved through coding and testing, and we have established that the necessary skills, hardware, and software technology are available for production of the product. Once a software product is available for general release to the public, capitalized development costs associated with that product will begin to be amortized to cost of sales over the product’s estimated economic life, using the greater of straight-line or a method that results in cost recognition in future periods that is consistent with the anticipated timing of product revenue recognition.
Capitalized software development costs are subject to an ongoing assessment of recoverability, which is impacted by estimates and assumptions of future revenues and expenses for these software products, as well as other factors such as changes in product technologies. Any portion of unamortized capitalized software development costs that are determined to be in excess of net realizable value have been expensed in the period in which such a determination is made. We reached technological feasibility for certain software products and, as a result, capitalized $1.2 million of software development costs during the year ended December 31, 2015.
Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected period to be benefited by future cash flows and reviewed for impairment. At both December 31, 2015 and 2014, there were no indefinite-lived intangible assets.
IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS
We review the carrying value of long-lived assets or asset groups, such as property and equipment and intangibles subject to amortization, when events or changes in circumstances such as asset utilization, physical change, legal factors, or other matters indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. When this review indicates the carrying value of an asset or asset group exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset or asset group, we recognize an asset impairment charge against operations. The amount of the impairment loss recorded is the amount by which the carrying value of the impaired asset or asset group exceeds its fair value. No such impairment losses were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 or 2013.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Research and development costs associated with new products are charged to operations in the period incurred.
WARRANTIES
We generally provide a two to five year warranty on product sales. We record estimated warranty costs at the time of sale and accrue for specific items at the time that their existence is known and the amounts are determinable. We estimate warranty costs using standard quantitative measures based on historical warranty claim experience and an evaluation of specific customer warranty issues. In addition, warranty provisions are also recognized for certain nonrecurring product claims that are individually significant.
FOREIGN CURRENCY
The financial position and results of operations of our foreign subsidiaries are measured using local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated using fiscal period-end exchange rates, and statements of operations are translated using average exchange rates applicable to each period, with the resulting translation adjustments recorded as a separate component of shareholders’ equity under “Accumulated other comprehensive loss”. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
NET INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic income (loss) per share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per share includes potentially dilutive common shares consisting of stock options, restricted stock and warrants using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, shares associated with certain stock options have been excluded from the diluted weighted average shares outstanding calculation because the exercise of those options would lead to a net reduction in common shares outstanding. As a result, stock options to acquire 282,750, 354,000 and 348,000 weighted common shares have been excluded from the diluted weighted shares outstanding calculation for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, because the exercise prices were greater than the average market price of the common shares during the period and were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share.
USE OF ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Predicting future events is inherently an imprecise activity and, as such, requires the use of judgment. Ultimate results could differ from those estimates. Changes in these estimates will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for the award of equity instruments based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant and recognize the cost over the period during which an employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award. Stock options are granted at exercise prices equal to the closing market price of our stock on the day before the date of grant.
For purposes of determining the estimated fair value of stock-based payment awards, we utilize a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the input of certain assumptions requiring management judgment. Because our employee stock option awards have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the input assumptions can materially affect fair value estimates, existing models may not provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of employee stock options. Management will continue to assess the assumptions and methodologies used to calculate estimated fair value of stock-based compensation. Circumstances may change and additional data may become available over time that could result in changes to these assumptions and methodologies and thereby materially impact the fair value determination of future grants of stock-based payment awards. If factors change and we employ different assumptions in future periods, the compensation expense recorded may differ significantly from the stock-based compensation expense recorded in the current period.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” ASU 2016-02 provides new guidance on how an entity should account for leases and recognize associated lease assets and liabilities. This new guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition, and provides for certain practical expedients. In addition, the transition will require application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We are currently determining our implementation approach and assessing the impact of ASU 2016-02 on the consolidated financial statements.
In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes,” which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes. ASU 2015-17 requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 (and interim periods within those fiscal years), with early adoption permitted. ASU 2015-17 may be either applied prospectively to all deferred tax assets and liabilities or retrospectively to all periods presented. We have elected to early adopt ASU 2015-17 prospectively in the fourth quarter of 2015. As a result, we have presented all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015, but have not reclassified current deferred tax assets and liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014. There was no impact on our results of operations as a result of the adoption of ASU 2015-17.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” ASU 2014-09 provides new guidance related to how an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, ASU 2014-09 specifies new accounting for costs associated with obtaining or fulfilling contracts with customers and expands the required disclosures related to revenue and cash flows from contracts with customers.
On July 9, 2015, the FASB affirmed its proposal to defer the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for all entities by one year. As a result, public business entities, certain not-for-profit entities, and certain employee benefit plans will apply this new revenue standard to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. All other entities will apply this new revenue standard to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Additionally, the FASB affirmed its proposal to permit all entities to apply ASU 2014-09 early, but not before the original effective date for public business entities, certain not-for-profit entities, and certain employee benefit plans (that is, annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016). Entities choosing to implement early, will apply ASU 2014-09 standard to all interim reporting periods within the year of adoption.
The Company is currently determining its implementation approach and assessing the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the consolidated financial statements.
2. Divestiture of Automatic License Plate Recognition Business
On July 9, 2015, the Company entered into a share and asset sales purchase agreement (the “SAPA”) with TagMaster AB (the “Buyer”). Under the terms of the SAPA, the Company and Image Sensing Systems EMEA Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“ISS EMEA”), sold to the Buyer the entire issued share capital of Image Sensing Systems UK Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ISS EMEA, as well as certain other assets owned by the Company primarily used or primarily held for use in connection with its license plate recognition (LPR) business. The Buyer also agreed to assume on the closing date certain agreements and liabilities relating to the LPR business and the acquired assets. Additionally, the Company and the Buyer entered into a transitional services agreement.
Effective July 9, 2015, the LPR business qualified for discontinued operations presentation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 205-20, the results of the discontinued LPR business have been presented as discontinued operations. As such, financial results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 have been reported on this basis. Previously reported results for comparable periods in 2014 and 2013 have also been restated to reflect this reclassification.
The purchase price for the LPR business was $4.2 million, subject to certain customary closing adjustments based on the difference between estimated net asset value and final net asset value, of which $3.8 million has been paid to the Company. The remaining $420,000 was placed in an escrow account and will be available until July 9, 2016 to satisfy any indemnification obligations the Company may have under the SAPA. The $420,000 in escrow is classified as “discontinued operations assets” on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2015. In the third quarter of 2015, the Company recorded a loss on sale of the LPR business of $1.1 million, exclusive of the impact of transaction related expenses recorded through December 31, 2015.
The operational results of the LPR business are presented in the “Net loss from discontinued operations” line item on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Also included in this line item for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 is the loss on sale of the LPR business and non-recurring expenses incurred by the Company as a result of the sale of the LPR business, including third party transaction specific costs. These non-recurring expenses amounted to $985,000 for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015. The loss on the sale of the LPR business had no current or prior year income tax expense impact.
In accordance with ASC 205-20, no general corporate charges were allocated to the discontinued business. The assets and liabilities of the discontinued business are presented on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as assets and liabilities from discontinued operations.
Other than consolidated amounts reflecting operating results and balances for both the continuing and discontinuing operations, all remaining amounts presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements reflect the financial results and financial position of the Company’s continuing Autoscope Video and RTMS businesses.
Revenue, operating loss, loss on sale of business, and net loss from discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
The major classes of assets and liabilities from discontinued operations were as follows (in thousands):
3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS AND MARKETABLE SECURITIES
The guidance for fair value measurements establishes the authoritative definition of fair value, sets out a framework for measuring fair value and outlines the required disclosures regarding fair value measurements. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We use a three-tier fair value hierarchy based upon observable and non-observable inputs as follows:
·Level 1 - observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
·Level 2 - inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
·Level 3 - unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.
Assets and Liabilities that are Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The fair value hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. In instances in which the inputs used to measure fair value fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the fair value measurement has been determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular item to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, including the consideration of inputs specific to the asset or liability.
Investments are comprised of high-grade municipal bonds, U.S. government securities and commercial paper and are classified as Level 1 or Level 2, depending on trading frequency and volume and our ability to obtain pricing information on an ongoing basis.
As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, there were no marketable securities outstanding.
Proceeds from maturities or sales of available-for-sale securities were $2.6 million and $7.7 million during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Realized gains and losses are determined using the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses related to sales of available-for-sale investments during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were immaterial and included in other income.
Nonfinancial Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis
Our intangible assets and other long-lived assets are nonfinancial assets that were acquired either as part of a business combination, individually or with a group of other assets. These nonfinancial assets were initially, and have historically been, measured and recognized at amounts equal to the fair value determined as of the date of acquisition.
Periodically, these nonfinancial assets are tested for impairment by comparing their respective carrying values to the estimated fair value of the reporting unit or asset group in which they reside.
Financial Instruments not Measured at Fair Value
Certain of our financial instruments are not measured at fair value and are recorded at carrying amounts approximating fair value, based on their short-term nature or variable interest rate. These financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities.
4.INVENTORIES
Inventories consisted of $648,000 and $825,000 of finished goods as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
5.INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Intangible assets consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):
6.CREDIT FACILITIES
In May 2014, the Company entered into a credit agreement and related documents with Alliance Bank providing for a revolving line of credit for the Company. The credit agreement and related documents with Alliance Bank (collectively, the “Alliance Credit Agreement”) provide up to a $5.0 million revolving line of credit. Amounts due under the Alliance Credit Agreement bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 3.95%. Any advances are secured by the Company’s inventories, accounts receivable, cash, marketable securities, and equipment. We are subject to certain covenants under the Alliance Credit Agreement. In March 2015, we entered into an agreement with Alliance Bank amending the Alliance Credit Agreement to extend the maturity date from May 2015 to April 1, 2016. At December 31, 2015, we had no borrowings under the Alliance Credit Agreement, and we were in compliance with all financial covenants.
Prior to May 12, 2014, we had a revolving line of credit with Associated Bank, National Association (“Associated Bank”) that was initially entered into as of May 1, 2008. We requested, and Associated Bank granted, a termination to the Credit Agreement effective on May 12, 2014 in connection with the revolving line of credit from Alliance Bank described above.
7.WARRANTIES
Warranty liability and related activity consisted of the following (in thousands):
8.INCOME TAXES
The components of income (loss) before income taxes were as follows (in thousands):
The components of income tax expense (benefit) were as follows (in thousands):
A reconciliation from the federal statutory income tax provision to our effective tax expense (benefit) is as follows (in thousands):
A summary of the deferred tax assets and liabilities is as follows (in thousands):
As of December 31, 2015, the Company had sustained a significant loss. The net operation loss (“NOL”) carry forward in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada and China is $14.1 million, $8.8 million, $1.3 million, $70,000 and $113,000, respectively. The Company’s management believes that it is not more likely than not the net operating losses will be utilized. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2015, a full valuation allowance is provided, except Canadian NOL.
In accordance with ASC 740-30, we have not recognized a deferred tax liability for the undistributed earnings of certain of our foreign operations because those subsidiaries have invested or will invest the undistributed earnings indefinitely. It is impractical for us to determine the amount of unrecognized deferred tax liabilities on these indefinitely reinvested earnings. Deferred taxes are recorded for earnings of foreign operations when we determine that such earnings are no longer indefinitely reinvested.
We realize an income tax benefit from the exercise or early disposition of certain stock options. This benefit results in a decrease in current income taxes payable and an increase in additional paid-in capital.
The Company has recognized no material uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2015. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S federal jurisdiction, various state and foreign jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S federal or state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2011. It is difficult to predict the final timing and resolution of any particular uncertain tax position. Based on the Company’s assessment of many factors, including past experience and complex judgments about future events, the Company does not currently anticipate significant changes in its uncertain tax positions over the next 12 months.
9.LICENSING
We have licensed the exclusive right to manufacture and market the Autoscope video and RTMS radar (from July 24, 2012 to July 14, 2014) technology in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean to Econolite, and we receive royalties from Econolite on sales of systems in those territories as well as in non-exclusive territories as allowed from time to time. We may terminate our agreement with Econolite if a minimum annual sales level is not met or if Econolite fails to make royalty payments as required by the agreement. The agreement’s term runs to 2031, unless terminated by either party upon three years’ notice.
We recognized royalty income from this agreement of $8.5 million, $10.2 million and $11.6 million in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
10.SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS AND CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK
Royalty income from Econolite comprised 56%, 56% and 58% of revenue in the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Accounts receivable from Econolite were $1.4 million and $1.5 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Major disruptions in the manufacturing and distribution of our products by Econolite or the inability of Econolite to make payments on its accounts receivable with us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Econolite was the only customer that comprised more than 10% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015.
11.RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS
Substantially all of our employees in the United States are eligible to participate in a qualified defined contribution 401(k) plan. Participants may elect to have a specified portion of their salary contributed to the plan, and we may make discretionary contributions to the plan. ISS HK and ISS UK are obligated to contribute to certain employee pension plans. We made contributions totaling $84,000, $108,000 and $100,000 to the plans for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
12.SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Stock-Based Compensation
We compensate officers, directors and key employees with stock-based compensation under stock plans approved by our shareholders and administered under the supervision of our Board of Directors. Stock option awards are granted at exercise prices equal to the closing price of our stock on the day before the date of grant. Generally, options vest proportionally over periods of three to five years from the dates of the grant, beginning one year from the date of grant, and have a contractual term of nine to ten years.
Performance stock options are time based; however, the final number of awards earned and the related compensation expense is adjusted up or down to the extent the performance target is met. The actual number of shares that will ultimately vest ranges from 90% to 100% of the targeted amount if the minimum performance target is achieved. For performance stock awards granted in 2015, the performance target was operating profit. We evaluate the likelihood of meeting the performance target at each reporting period and adjust compensation expense, on a cumulative basis, based on the expected achievement of each performance target.
Compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, is recognized ratably over the vesting period. Stock-based compensation expense included in general and administrative expense for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $279,000, $271,000 and $213,000, respectively. At December 31, 2015, a total of 377,803 shares were available for grant under these plans.
The following table summarizes stock option activity for 2015, 2014 and 2013:
*Weighted Average Exercise Price
Options outstanding at December 31, 2015 had a weighted average remaining contractual term of 6.3 years and had an aggregate intrinsic value of $46,000. Options eligible for exercise at December 31, 2015 had a weighted average remaining contractual term of 4.7 years and had no aggregate intrinsic value.
There were no stock options exercised during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 was $4,000.
The fair value of stock options granted under stock-based compensation programs has been estimated as of the date of each grant using the multiple option form of the Black-Scholes valuation model, based on the grant price and assumptions regarding the expected grant life, stock price volatility, dividends, and risk-free interest rates. Each vesting period of an option award is valued separately, with this value being recognized evenly over the vesting period. The weighted average per share grant date fair value of options to purchase 50,000, 167,500 and 86,000 shares granted for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $1.53, $2.20 and $3.53, respectively. The weighted average assumptions used to determine the fair value of stock options granted during those fiscal years were as follows:
The expected life represents the period that the stock option awards are expected to be outstanding and was determined based on historical and anticipated future exercise and expiration patterns. The risk-free interest rate used is based on the yield of constant maturity U.S. Treasury bonds on the grant date with a remaining term equal to the expected life of the grant. We estimate stock price volatility based on a historical weekly price observation. The dividend yield assumption is based on the annualized current dividend divided by the share price on the grant date. We have not historically paid any cash dividends and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.
Other information pertaining to options for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 is as follows:
Stock Awards
We issue stock awards as a portion of the annual retainer for each director on a quarterly basis. The stock awards are fully vested at the time of issuance. Compensation expense related to stock awards is determined on the grant date based on the publicly quoted fair market value of our common stock and is charged to earnings on the grant date. During the quarter ended December 31, 2015, there were stock awards issued for 8,285 shares with a weighted-average grant date fair value of $3.77. For the year ended December 31, 2015, there were stock awards issued for 32,037 shares with a weighted-average grant date fair value of $3.32.
13.	 RESTRUCTURING
In the first quarter of 2014, the Company implemented restructuring plans to improve our financial performance in Europe. These plans included the closure of our office in Poland. Because of these actions, restructuring charges of approximately $460,000 were recorded related primarily to the closure of facilities and legal costs.
In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company developed restructuring plans to close our offices in Asia. Because of these actions, restructuring charges of approximately $310,000 were recorded related primarily to facilities and employee terminations. In the first quarter of 2015, we completed the restructuring plans to close our offices in Asia.
The following table shows the restructuring activity for 2014 and 2015 (in thousands):
14.	 SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and management regularly review financial information for the Company’s operating segments. The Company previously conducted its operations through three businesses consisting of 1) Intersection, 2) Highway, and 3) LPR. As further described in Note 2 of these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, on July 9, 2015, the Company completed the sale of its LPR segment. As a result, effective July 9, 2015, the LPR business qualified for discontinued operations presentation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, financial results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 have been reported on this basis. Previously reported results for comparable periods in 2014 and 2013 have also been restated to reflect this reclassification.
Accordingly, effective July 9, 2015, the Company has two reportable segments, Intersection and Highway. Autoscope video is our machine-vision product line, and revenue consists of royalties (all of which are received from Econolite), as well as a portion of international product sales. Video products are normally sold in the Intersection segment. The RTMS is our radar product line, and revenue consists of international and North American product sales as well as a portion of royalties for the periods from July 24, 2012 to July 14, 2014 (all of which are received from Econolite). Radar products are normally sold in the Highway segment.
Operating expenses and total assets are not allocated to the segments for internal reporting purposes. Due to the changes in how we manage our business, we may reevaluate our segment definitions in the future.
The following tables set forth selected unaudited financial information for each of our reportable segments (in thousands):
We derived the following percentages of our net revenues from the following geographic regions:
No countries other than the United States had revenue in excess of 10% of our total revenue during any periods presented. The aggregate net book value of long-lived assets held outside of the United States, not including intangible assets, was $101,000 and $121,000 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
15.	 OTHER ASSETS
In January 2013, we acquired a minority interest in the shares of common stock of Municipal Parking Services, Inc. (MPS) for an aggregate purchase price of $300,000. The investment was accounted for under the cost method and was included in Other Assets on our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2013. In October 2014, our minority interest in MPS was purchased by MPS for $150,000. We recorded an impairment charge of $150,000 in operating expenses in the third quarter of 2014. During the period from April 2013 until March 2 2016, the Chief Executive Officer of MPS served on our Board of Directors.
16.	 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Operating Leases
We rent office space and equipment under operating lease agreements expiring at various dates through January 2016. Rent expense for office facilities was $480,000 in 2015, $581,000 in 2014 and $616,000 in 2013. Minimum annual rental commitments under noncancelable operating leases are as follows (in thousands):
Litigation
We are involved from time to time in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including primarily commercial, product liability, employment and intellectual property claims. In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, we record a liability in our Consolidated Financial Statements with respect to any of these matters when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. With respect to currently pending legal proceedings, we have not established an estimated range of reasonably possible additional losses either because we believe that we have valid defenses to claims asserted against us or the proceeding has not advanced to a stage of discovery that would enable us to establish an estimate. We currently do not expect the outcome of these matters to have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Litigation, however, is inherently unpredictable, and it is possible that the ultimate outcome of one or more claims asserted against us could adversely impact our results of operations, financial position or cash flows. We expense legal costs as incurred.
Investigation Matter
As previously disclosed, Polish authorities conducted an investigation into violations of Polish law related to tenders in the City of Łodź, Poland. A Special Subcommittee of our Audit Committee comprised solely of independent directors retained independent counsel and accounting advisors who conducted an investigation focusing on possible violations of Company policy, internal controls, and laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act and Polish law. We voluntarily disclosed this matter to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”).
During the third quarter of 2014, we received a letter from the DOJ informing us that their inquiry into this matter had been closed, citing the Company’s voluntary disclosure, thorough investigation, cooperation and voluntary enhancements to its compliance program. Additionally, the SEC previously notified the Company that it had closed its investigation without recommending enforcement action.
Neither the Company nor any of our subsidiaries was charged with any offense, and there were no fines levied at the close of the investigation by the DOJ or SEC.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors
Image Sensing Systems, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (a Minnesota corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. We were not engaged to perform an audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Image Sensing Systems, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Minneapolis, Minnesota
March 10, 2016
Item 9.
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A.
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act)), that are designed to reasonably ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and is subject to lapses in judgment or breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting also can be circumvented by collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, although not eliminate, these risks.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Further, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in “Internal Control-Integrated Framework”. Based on this assessment, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015.
Changes in internal control over financial reporting
During the most recent fiscal quarter covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B.
Item 9B.Other Information
None.
PART III
Item 10.
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
We have adopted a Code of Ethics which applies to our principal executive, accounting and financial officers. The Code of Ethics is published on our website at www.imagesensing.com. Any amendments to the Code of Ethics and waivers of the Code of Ethics for our principal executive, accounting and financial officers will be published on our website.
The sections entitled “Proposal I - Election of Directors,” “Audit Committee” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our definitive proxy statement for our 2016 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.
Item 11.
Item 11.Executive Compensation
The sections entitled “Executive Compensation” and “Compensation of Directors” in our definitive proxy statement for the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.
Item 12.
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides information as of December 31, 2015 about our shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards or available for future awards under our equity compensation plans and arrangements.
Plan Category Number of securities to
be issued upon exercise
of outstanding options,
warrants and rights Weighted-average exercise
price of outstanding
options, warrants and
rights Number of securities remaining
available for future issuance
under equity compensation plans
(excluding securities reflected in
the first column)(1)
Equity compensation plans approved by shareholders 307,750 $5.96 377,803
(1) The 377,803 shares available for grant under the 2014 Stock Option and Incentive Plan may become the subject of future awards in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, performance awards or other stock-based awards.
The section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in our definitive proxy statement for the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders is incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.
Item 13.
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in our definitive proxy statement for the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders is incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.
Item 14.
Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The sections entitled “Audit Fees,” “Audit-Related Fees,” “Tax Fees,” “All Other Fees” and “Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services Provided by Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in our definitive proxy statement for our 2016 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.
PART IV
Item 15.
Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) Documents filed as part of this report:
1.Financial statements
The following Consolidated Financial Statements are included in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”:
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
2.Financial Statement Schedules:
All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not required.
3.The following documents are filed as exhibits to this report:
10.4 Modification to Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated September 1, 2000 by and between ISS and Econolite Control Products, Inc. (Econolite), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to ISS’ 2007 Form 10-K.
10.5* Image Sensing Systems, Inc. 2005 Stock Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Appendix A to ISS’ proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 19, 2005 (File No. 0-26056).
10.6 Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated June 11, 1991 by and between ISS and Econolite Control Products, Inc. (Econolite), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registration Statement.
10.7 Extension and Second Modification to License Agreement dated July 13, 2001 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2001 (File No. 0-26056) (2001 Form 10-KSB).
10.8 Office Lease Agreement dated November 24, 1998 by and between ISS and Spruce Tree Centre L.L.P., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 1998 (File No. 0-26056).
10.9 Production Agreement dated February 14, 2002 by and among ISS, Wireless Technology, Inc. and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to ISS’ 2001 Form 10-KSB.
10.10 Extension and Third Modification to Manufacturing Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated July 3, 2008 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated July 3, 2008 (File No. 0-26056).
10.11 Fourth Modification to Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated as of December 15, 2011 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 15, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
10.12 Loan Agreement dated May 1, 2008 (2008 Loan Agreement) by and between ISS and Associated Bank, National Association (Associated Bank), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to ISS’ Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on May 12, 2008 (Registration No. 333-150852) (Form S-1).
10.13 Security Agreement dated May 1, 2008 by and between ISS and Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.14 Promissory Note (Line of Credit) dated May 1, 2008 in the original principal amount of $5,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.15 Promissory Note (Loan) dated May 1, 2008 in the original principal amount of $3,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.16 Modification Agreement dated December 28, 2009 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 (File No. 0-26056) (2009 Form 10-K).
10.17 Promissory Note (Loan) dated December 28, 2009 in the original principal amount of $4,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the 2009 Form 10-K.
10.18 Lease dated February 1, 2010 between Image Sensing Systems UK Limited and Nortrust Nominees Limited, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 (File No. 0-26056).
10.19 Third Modification Agreement dated December 28, 2010 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 (File No. 0-26056).
10.20 Fourth Modification Agreement dated December 22, 2011 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 22, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
10.21 Fifth Modification Agreement dated December 24, 2012 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 24, 2012 (File No. 0-26056).
10.22** Amendment XIII to Office Lease Agreement by and between Spruce Tree Centre L. L. P. and Image Sensing Systems dated as of February 18, 2014, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (File No. 0-26056).
10.23 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as of April 23, 2014 by and between ISS and Kris B. Tufto, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 (File No. 0-26956) (March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q).
10.24 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as of April 22, 2014 by and between ISS and Dale E. Parker, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.25 Commitment Letter effective as of May 12, 2014 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.26 Security Agreement dated as of May 12, 2014 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.27 Promissory Note dated as of May 12, 2014 in the original principal amount of $5,000,000 issued by ISS to Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.28 Amendment to Commitment Letter dated as of March 16, 2015 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 (File No. 0-26056).
10.29 Amendment to Promissory Note effective as of March 16, 2015 issued by ISS to Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 (File No. 0-26056).
List of Subsidiaries of ISS (filed herewith).
23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (filed herewith).
Power of Attorney (included on signature page).
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
99.1 Extension of Modification to Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated May 31, 2002 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to ISS’ 2007 Form 10-K.
99.2 Letter agreement dated June 19, 1997 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to ISS’ 2007 Form 10-K.
99.3 License and Distribution Agreement dated January 2, 2011 by and among ISS, Econolite and Econolite Canada Inc., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
*Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
**Portions of this exhibit are treated as confidential pursuant to a request for confidential treatment filed by ISS with the SEC.
Copies of all exhibits not attached will be furnished without charge upon written request to the Company at the address set forth on the inside back cover page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Image Sensing Systems, Inc.	
/s/ Dale E. Parker
Date: March 10, 2016
Dale E. Parker
Interim President, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
(Interim Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer
and Principal Accounting Officer)
Each person whose signature to this Annual Report on Form 10-K appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Dale E. Parker as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, to sign on his or her behalf individually and in the capacity stated below and to perform any acts necessary to be done in order to file all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any amendments hereto, and each of the undersigned does hereby ratify and confirm all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
/s/ Dale E. Parker
Date: March 10, 2016
Dale E. Parker
Interim President, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
(Interim Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer
and Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ James W. Bracke
Date: March 10, 2016
James W. Bracke
Chairman of the Board of Directors
/s/ Melissa B. Fisher
Date: March 10, 2016
Melissa B. Fisher
Director
/s/ Andrew T. Berger
Date: March 10, 2016
Andrew T. Berger
Director
/s/ Paul F. Lidsky
Date: March 10, 2016
Paul F. Lidsky
Director
Exhibit Index
10.10 Extension and Third Modification to Manufacturing Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated July 3, 2008 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated July 3, 2008 (File No. 0-26056).
10.11 Fourth Modification to Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated as of December 15, 2011 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 15, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
10.12 Loan Agreement dated May 1, 2008 (2008 Loan Agreement) by and between ISS and Associated Bank, National Association (Associated Bank), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to ISS’ Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on May 12, 2008 (Registration No. 333-150852) (Form S-1).
10.13 Security Agreement dated May 1, 2008 by and between ISS and Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.14 Promissory Note (Line of Credit) dated May 1, 2008 in the original principal amount of $5,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.15 Promissory Note (Loan) dated May 1, 2008 in the original principal amount of $3,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to ISS’ Form S-1.
10.16 Modification Agreement dated December 28, 2009 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 (File No. 0-26056) (2009 Form 10-K).
10.17 Promissory Note (Loan) dated December 28, 2009 in the original principal amount of $4,000,000 issued by ISS to Associated Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the 2009 Form 10-K.
10.18 Lease dated February 1, 2010 between Image Sensing Systems UK Limited and Nortrust Nominees Limited, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 (File No. 0-26056).
10.19 Third Modification Agreement dated December 28, 2010 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 (File No. 0-26056).
10.20 Fourth Modification Agreement dated December 22, 2011 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 22, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
10.21 Fifth Modification Agreement dated December 24, 2012 by and between ISS and Associated Bank under which ISS and Associated Bank amended the 2008 Loan Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 24, 2012 (File No. 0-26056).
10.22** Amendment XIII to Office Lease Agreement by and between Spruce Tree Centre L. L. P. and Image Sensing Systems dated as of February 18, 2014, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (File No. 0-26056).
10.23 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as of April 23, 2014 by and between ISS and Kris B. Tufto, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to ISS’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 (File No. 0-26956) (March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q).
10.24 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as of April 22, 2014 by and between ISS and Dale E. Parker, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.25 Commitment Letter effective as of May 12, 2014 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.26 Security Agreement dated as of May 12, 2014 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.27 Promissory Note dated as of May 12, 2014 in the original principal amount of $5,000,000 issued by ISS to Alliance Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to ISS’ March 31, 2014 Form 10-Q.
10.28 Amendment to Commitment Letter dated as of March 16, 2015 by and between ISS and Alliance Bank (filed herewith).
10.29 Amendment to Promissory Note effective as of March 16, 2015 issued by ISS to Alliance Bank (filed herewith).
List of Subsidiaries of ISS (filed herewith).
23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (filed herewith).
Power of Attorney (included on signature page).
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).
99.1 Extension of Modification to Manufacturing, Distributing and Technology License Agreement dated May 31, 2002 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to ISS’ 2007 Form 10-K.
99.2 Letter agreement dated June 19, 1997 by and between ISS and Econolite, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to ISS’ 2007 Form 10-K.
99.3 License and Distribution Agreement dated January 2, 2011 by and among ISS, Econolite and Econolite Canada Inc., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to ISS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 (File No. 0-26056).
*Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
**Portions of this exhibit are treated as confidential pursuant to a request for confidential treatment filed by ISS with the SEC.
Copies of all exhibits not attached will be furnished without charge upon written request to the Company at the address set forth on the inside back cover page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.