PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS OF CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
In 1996, RYMAC Mortgage Investment Corporation (“RYMAC”) incorporated Core Molding Technologies, Inc. (“Core Molding Technologies” or the “Company”), formerly known as Core Materials Corporation before changing its name on August 28, 2002, for the purpose of acquiring the Columbus Plastics unit of Navistar, Inc. (“Navistar”), formerly known as International Truck & Engine Corporation. On December 31, 1996, RYMAC merged with and into the Company, with the Company as the surviving entity. Immediately after the merger, the Company acquired substantially all the assets and liabilities of the Columbus Plastics unit from Navistar in return for a secured note, which has been repaid, and 4,264,000 shares of newly issued common stock of the Company. On July 18, 2007, the Company entered into a stock repurchase agreement with Navistar, pursuant to which the Company repurchased 3,600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, from Navistar. Navistar currently owns 664,000 shares (9.2%) of the outstanding stock of the Company.
In the first quarter of 1998, the Company opened a second compression molding plant located in Gaffney, South Carolina as part of the Company’s growth strategy to expand its customer base. This facility provided the Company with additional capacity and a strategic location to serve both current and prospective customers.
In October 2001, the Company incorporated Core Composites Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary under the laws of the State of Delaware. This entity was established for the purpose of holding and establishing operations for Airshield Corporation’s assets, which the Company acquired on October 16, 2001 (the “Airshield Asset Acquisition”) as part of the Company’s diversified growth strategy. Airshield Corporation was a privately held manufacturer and marketer of fiberglass reinforced plastic parts primarily for the truck and automotive aftermarket industries. The Company purchased substantially all of the assets of Airshield Corporation through the United States Bankruptcy Court as Airshield Corporation had been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since March 2001.
In conjunction with establishment of operations for the assets acquired in the Airshield Asset Acquisition, the Company established a Mexican subsidiary and leased a production facility in Mexico. In October 2001, the Company (5% owner) and Core Composites Corporation (95% owner) incorporated Corecomposites de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“Corecomposites”) in Matamoros, Mexico. Corecomposites was organized to operate under a maquiladora program whereby substantially all products produced are exported back to Core Composites Corporation which sells such product to United States based external customers. In June of 2009, the Company completed construction and took occupancy of a new production facility in Matamoros, Mexico that replaced its leased facility.
In September 2004, the Company formed Core Automotive Technologies, LLC (“Core Automotive”), a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. This entity was formed for the purpose of establishing operations and holding assets acquired from Keystone Restyling, Inc., which the Company acquired as part of its diversified growth strategy in September, 2004. Keystone Restyling, Inc. was a privately held manufacturer and marketer of fiberglass reinforced plastic parts primarily for the automotive and light truck aftermarket industries. The Company’s facility in Matamoros, Mexico provides manufacturing services for Core Automotive Technologies.
In August 2005, the Company formed Core Composites Cincinnati, LLC (“Core Composites Cincinnati”), a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. This entity was formed for the purpose of establishing operations and holding assets acquired from the Cincinnati Fiberglass Division of Diversified Glass Inc., which the Company acquired in August, 2005. The Cincinnati Fiberglass Division of Diversified Glass, Inc. was a privately held manufacturer and distributor of fiberglass reinforced plastic components supplied primarily to the heavy-duty truck market. As a result of this acquisition, the Company leases a manufacturing facility in Batavia, Ohio.
In July 2011, the Company formed Core Specialty Composites, LLC ("Core Specialty Composites"), a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. This entity was formed for the purpose of adding additional manufacturing capabilities to manufacture fiberglass reinforced plastic parts for customers outside of the Company's traditional heavy truck customer base. This entity leases a manufacturing facility in Warsaw, Kentucky, from which Core Specialty Composites conducts operations.
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OF CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Certain statements under this caption of this Annual Report on Form 10-K constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. As a general matter, forward-looking statements are those focused upon future plans, objectives or performance as opposed to historical items and include statements of anticipated events or trends and expectations and beliefs relating to matters not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to Core Molding Technologies' operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Core Molding Technologies' control. These uncertainties and factors could cause Core Molding Technologies' actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Core Molding Technologies believes that the following factors, among others, could affect its future performance and cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made in this report: business conditions in the plastics, transportation, marine and commercial product industries; federal and state regulations (including engine emission regulations); general economic, social and political environments in the countries in which Core Molding Technologies operates; safety and security conditions in Mexico; dependence upon two major customers as the primary source of Core Molding Technologies' sales revenues; recent efforts of Core Molding Technologies to expand its customer base; the actions of competitors, customers, and suppliers; failure of Core Molding Technologies' suppliers to perform their obligations; the availability of raw materials; inflationary pressures; new technologies; regulatory matters; labor relations; the loss or inability of Core Molding Technologies to attract and retain key personnel; federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations; the availability of capital; the ability of Core Molding Technologies to provide on-time delivery to customers, which may require additional shipping expenses to ensure on-time delivery or otherwise result in late fees; risk of cancellation or rescheduling of orders; risks related to the transfer of production from Core Molding Technologies' Columbus facility to its Matamoros facility; management's decision to pursue new products or businesses which involve additional costs, risks or capital expenditures; and other risks identified from time-to-time in Core Molding Technologies' other public documents on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Core Molding Technologies and its subsidiaries operate in the plastics market in a family of products known as “reinforced plastics.” Reinforced plastics are combinations of resins and reinforcing fibers (typically glass or carbon) that are molded to shape. Core Molding Technologies is a manufacturer of sheet molding compound ("SMC") and molder of fiberglass reinforced plastics. The Company specializes in large-format moldings and offers a wide range of fiberglass processes, including compression molding of SMC, glass mat thermoplastics ("GMT") and bulk molding compounds ("BMC"); spray-up, hand-lay-up, and resin transfer molding ("RTM"). Additionally, the Company offers reaction injection molding ("RIM"), utilizing dicyclopentadiene technology. Core Molding Technologies operates five production facilities in Columbus, Ohio; Batavia, Ohio; Gaffney, South Carolina; Warsaw, Kentucky; and Matamoros, Mexico.
Reinforced plastics compete largely against metals and have the strength to function well during prolonged use. Management believes that reinforced plastic components offer many advantages over metals, including:
•heat resistance;
•corrosion resistance;
•lighter weight;
•lower cost;
•greater flexibility in product design;
•part consolidation for multiple piece assemblies;
•lower initial tooling costs for lower volume applications;
•high strength‑to‑weight ratio; and
•dent‑resistance in comparison to steel or aluminum.
The largest markets for reinforced plastics are transportation (automotive and truck), construction, marine, and industrial applications. The Company currently has five manufacturing facilities producing reinforced plastic products. Our manufacturing facilities utilize various production processes; however, end products are similar and are not unique to a facility or customer base. Operating decision makers (officers of the Company) are headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and oversee all manufacturing operations for all products as well as oversee customer relationships with all customers. The Company's two major customers are Navistar and PACCAR, Inc. (“PACCAR”), which are supplied reinforced plastic products for medium and heavy-duty trucks. The Company also supplies reinforced plastic products to other truck manufacturers, to automotive suppliers, and manufacturers of marine and other commercial products. In general, product growth and diversification are achieved in several different ways: (1) resourcing of existing reinforced plastic product from another supplier by an original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”); (2)
obtaining new reinforced plastic products through a selection process in which an OEM solicits bids; (3) successful marketing of reinforced plastic products for previously non-reinforced plastic applications; (4) successful marketing of reinforced plastic products to OEMs outside of our traditional markets; and (5) acquiring an existing business. The Company's efforts continue to be directed towards all five areas.
MAJOR COMPETITORS
The Company believes that it is one of the four largest compounders and molders of reinforced plastics using the SMC, spray-up, hand-lay-up, RTM, and MIT molding processes in the United States. The Company faces competition from a number of other molders including, most significantly, Decoma Composites (an operating unit of Magna International), Molded Fiber Glass Companies, Continental Structural Plastics, Sigma Industries and Premix. The Company believes that it is well positioned to compete based primarily on manufacturing capability and location, product quality, engineering capability, cost, and delivery. However, the industry remains highly competitive and some of the Company's competitors have greater financial resources, research and development facilities, design engineering, manufacturing, and marketing capabilities.