Introduction
Electro-Sensors, Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our”, the “Company” or “ESI”) is engaged in the manufacture and distribution of industrial production monitoring and process control systems.
In addition, through our subsidiary ESI Investment Company, we periodically make strategic investments in other businesses and companies, primarily when we believe that such investments will facilitate development of technology complementary to our existing products. Although we invest in other businesses and companies through our subsidiary ESI Investment Company, we do not intend to become an investment company and intend to remain primarily an operating company. Our primary investment is 343,267 shares of Rudolph Technologies, Inc which is accounted for using the available-for-sale method.
Unless indicated otherwise, the terms “Company” and “ESI” when used herein, include Electro-Sensors, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2011, ESI had two consolidated subsidiaries: ESI Investment Company and Senstar Corporation. Senstar Corporation does not have any business operations.
ESI, incorporated in Minnesota in July 1968, has executive offices located at 6111 Blue Circle Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343-9108. Our telephone number is (952) 930-0100.
Products
We manufacture and sell several different types of monitoring systems that measure actual machine production and operation rates, as well as systems that regulate the speed of related machines in production processes.
Our original products—speed monitoring systems—compare machine revolutions per minute or speed against acceptable rates as determined by the customer. The monitors generally have the same relative operating principle and use a non-contacting sensing head that translates the speed of a rotating shaft into analog readouts. The systems include a signal-generating pulser disc or wrap that attaches to a rotating shaft, the sensing device, and a control unit. The systems vary in complexity, from a simple system that detects slow-downs or stoppages, to more sophisticated systems that warn of deviations from precise tolerances and that permit various subsidiary operations to be determined through monitoring the shaft speed.
The speed monitoring systems include a line of digital products that translate sensor impulses from its production monitoring systems into digital readouts indicating production counts or rates, such as parts, gallons, or board feet. The speed monitoring systems also include alarm systems, tachometers, and other devices that translate impulses from the sensors into alarm signals, computer inputs, or digital displays that are usable by the customer.
Three production monitoring devices that do not operate by measuring shaft speeds are also in the speed monitoring systems product line. These devices are the tilt switch, vibration monitor, and slide gate position monitor. A tilt switch is designed to alert the operator when a storage bin or production system reaches a certain capacity (e.g., when grain fills a silo). A vibration monitor will alert an operator when the vibration of a machine in a production system exceeds or is below a specified level. The slide gate position monitor is used in plant operations to provide feedback of the position of a slide gate. As part of our Electro-Sentry Hazard Monitoring system, we also have temperature sensors that are used to monitor bearing temperature and belt misalignment.
We have several products used in drive control systems that regulate the speed of motors on related machines in a production sequence to ensure that the performances of various operations are coordinated. The products consist of a line of digital control products for motors that require a complete closed loop PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) control. The closed loop controllers coordinate production speed among process motors and reduce waste.
We have a sales agreement with Motrona GmbH (the West German manufacturer of control and interface devices), giving us rights to distribute in the United States the products manufactured by Motrona GmbH. These products interface with our products on various applications.
We believe that manufacturing companies can achieve significant savings in both time and materials by adding production monitoring and drive control technology to existing manufacturing processes to coordinate operation of related machines. We intend to continue to market our products to this “retro-fit” market and also to companies building new manufacturing machinery or processing systems.
In 2008, we introduced our Electro-Sentry Hazard Monitoring System, which integrates our sensors for bearing temperature, belt misalignment, and shaft speed with a programmable logic controller and touch screen interface to create a complete system for hazard monitoring. By doing this, we are enabling our customer to locate which part of the material handling system is operating incorrectly, typically in less than ten seconds. This is done by using visual diagrams on the touch screen.
We expect to continue to expend resources in new product development and the marketing of new and existing products for use in production monitoring applications. We continue to expand our line of hazard monitoring products with new system displays and sensors to meet the requirements of a wider customer base. In 2011, we introduced the Electro-Sentry 1, a complete hazard monitoring and alarm system for individual bucket elevators and conveyors.
Our customers have diverse applications for our products in the grain, feed, bio-fuels, power generation, water utilities and waste water treatment, mining, chemical, and other processing areas. We are continuing to look for new industries to expand sales and may also consider acquiring compatible businesses as part of our growth strategy. Our corporate web site provides significant information and product application knowledge to existing and prospective customers and also direct knowledge to our sales partners. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference herein and is not a part of this Form 10-K.
Marketing and Distribution
We sell our products primarily through home office sales people who deal directly with customers and a number of manufacturer’s representatives and distributors located throughout the United States, Mexico, China, Canada, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Thailand, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, Great Britain, and South Africa. The sensing and control units are sold under the Electro-Sensors, Inc. brand as a range of products from simple sensors to complex motor speed controllers. These products are sold to businesses in all major standard industrial classifications, including grain, feed, biofuels, food processing, chemicals, agricultural, mining, utility, forest products, steel, tire, glass and electronics. Any business that uses machinery with a rotating shaft is a potential customer.
We advertise in national industrial periodicals that cover a wide range of industrial products and attend several local, national and international tradeshows designated for the industry throughout the year. A corporate website and other related industry websites are also used for advertising and marketing purposes.
Competition
Competition for our monitoring products arises from a broad range of industrial and commercial businesses. Design, quality and multiplicity of application, rather than price, are the focus of competition in selling these products. We face substantial competition for our production monitoring systems. Many of these competitors are well established and larger than us in terms of total sales volume. Among our larger competitors are Danaher Controls, Red Lion Controls, Control Concepts, 4B Elevator Components Ltd., Durant Corporation, and Contrex, Inc. We believe our competitive advantages include that our products are sold as ready-to-install units and that our products have a wide range of applications. Our major disadvantages include the fact that our major competitors are much larger, have a broader variety of sensing instruments, and have larger sales forces and established names.
Suppliers
We purchase parts and materials for our production monitoring systems from various manufacturers and distributors. In some instances, these materials are manufactured in accordance with proprietary designs. Multiple sources of these supplies and materials are readily available, and we are not dependent on any single source for these supplies and materials. We have not experienced any problem of short supply or delays from our suppliers.
Customers
We are not dependent upon a single or a few customers for a material (10% or more) portion of our sales.
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses
The name “Electro-Sensors” is trademark registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as Reg. No. 1,142,310. We believe our trademark has been and will continue to be useful in developing and protecting market recognition for our products.
We hold four patents relating to our production monitoring systems. Pursuant to a sales agreement with Motrona GmbH, a West-German manufacturer of control and interface devices, we hold rights to distribute in the United States the products manufactured by Motrona GmbH.
Governmental Approvals
We are not required to obtain governmental approval of our products.
Effect of Governmental Regulations
We do not believe that any existing or proposed governmental regulations will have a material effect on our business.
Research and Development
We invest in research and development programs to develop new products in related markets and to integrate state of the art technology into existing products. We incurred research and development expenses attributable to our production monitoring systems of $470,000 and $436,000 during 2011 and 2010, respectively. Our development projects are undertaken based upon the identified specific needs of our customer base.
Our future success is dependent in part upon our ability to develop new products in our varying segments. Difficulties or delays in our ability to develop, produce, test and market new products could have a material adverse effect on future sales growth.
Compliance with Environmental Laws
Compliance with federal, state and local environmental laws has only a nominal effect on current or anticipated capital expenditures and has had no material effect on earnings or on our competitive position.
Employees
As of March 22, 2012, we had 28 employees, of which 27 are full-time and one is part-time. We believe that our relations with our employees are good. None of our employees are members of unions.
Our ability to maintain a competitive position and to continue to develop and market new products depends, in part, on our ability to retain key employees and qualified personnel. If we are unable to retain and/or recruit key employees, product development, marketing and sales could be negatively impacted.
Fluctuations in Operating Results.
We have experienced fluctuations in our operating results in the past, and may experience fluctuations in the future, which may affect the market price of our Common Stock. Sales can fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Some of these factors are: product competition and acceptance, timing of customer orders, cancellation of orders, the mix of products sold, downturns in the market and economic disruptions. Because fluctuations can happen, we caution investors that results of our operations for preceding periods may not be indicative of how we will perform in the future. There can be no assurance that we will experience continued earnings growth.
Further, investments held by our subsidiary, ESI Investment Company, are subject to significant positive and negative changes in value. In particular, our significant investment in Rudolph Technologies, Inc. has experienced substantial value fluctuations, both negative and positive, which are expected to continue. Our current intention is to continue to gradually liquidate our investment securities to finance our working capital needs as required.
Expending Funds for Changes in Industry Standards, Customer Preferences or Technology.
Our business depends upon periodically introducing new and enhanced products and solutions for customer needs. The development of products requires us to commit financial resources, personnel and time, usually in advance of significant market demand for such products. In order to compete, we must anticipate both future demand and the technology available to meet that demand. There can be no assurance that our research and development efforts will lead to new products or product innovations that can be made available to or will be accepted by the market.
Cautionary Statements
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. We have made, and may continue to make, forward-looking statements with respect to our business and financial matters, including statements contained in this document, other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and reports to shareholders. Forward-looking statements generally include discussion of current expectations or forecasts of future events and can be identified by the use of terminology such as “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “could,” “will,” and similar words or expressions. Any statement that does not relate solely to historical fact should be considered forward-looking. Our forward-looking statements generally relate to our growth strategy, future financial results, product development and sales efforts. Forward-looking statements are made throughout this Annual Report, but primarily in this Item 1 and Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and include statements relating to management’s intentions that we not become an investment company, our expectations and intentions with respect to growth, statements relating to management’s beliefs with respect to our marketing and product development, our expectations and beliefs with respect to the value of our intellectual property, our beliefs with respect to our competitive position in the marketplace, our beliefs with respect to the effect of governmental regulations on our business, our beliefs with respect to our employee relations, our intention with respect to gradually liquidating our investment securities to finance working capital needs, our expectations and beliefs with respect to the future performance of our investment securities, the adequacy of our facilities, expansion of the number of our manufacturer’s representatives and exclusive distributors, our intention to develop new products, the possibility of acquiring compatible businesses as part of our growth strategy, and our expectations with respect to our cash requirements and use of cash. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed and actual results may vary materially due to the uncertainties and risks, known and unknown, associated with such statements, including our ability to successfully develop new products and manage our cash requirements. We undertake no obligations to update any forward-looking statements. We wish to caution investors that the following important factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect our actual results of operations and cause such results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements made in this document and elsewhere by us or on our behalf. It is not possible to foresee or identify all factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historical results. As such, investors should not consider any list of such factors to be an exhaustive statement of all risks, uncertainties or potentially inaccurate assumptions. These factors include:
Not applicable.
We own and occupy a 25,400 square foot facility at 6111 Blue Circle Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343-9108. All operations are conducted within this facility. The facility is in excellent condition and we continue to maintain and update the facility as necessary. The facility is anticipated to be adequate for our needs in 2012.
We are not the subject of any legal proceedings as of the date of this filing. We are not aware of any threatened litigation.
Our Common Stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the symbol “ELSE”. The following table sets forth the quarterly high and low reported last sales prices for our Common Stock for each period indicated as reported on the Nasdaq system.
Based on data provided by our transfer agent, management believes that as of March 22, 2012, the number of share owner accounts of record was approximately 101.
We paid annual cash dividends on our Common Stock of $0.16 per share in 2011 and 2010.
From time to time, we may be required to repurchase some of our equity securities as a result of obligations described in Note 9 to our 2011 consolidated financial statements. We did not repurchase any equity securities during the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.