PART I
Item 1 BUSINESS
General Development of Business
The company researches, designs, manufactures, and distributes interior furnishings, for use in various environments including office, healthcare, educational, and residential settings, and provides related services that support organizations and individuals all over the world. The company's products are sold primarily to or through independent contract office furniture dealers. Through research, the company seeks to define and clarify customer needs and problems existing in its markets and to design, through innovation where appropriate and feasible, products, systems, and services as solutions to such problems. Ultimately, the company seeks to enhance the performance of human habitats worldwide, making its customers' lives more productive, rewarding, delightful, and meaningful.
Herman Miller, Inc. was incorporated in Michigan in 1905. One of the company's major plants and its corporate offices are located at 855 East Main Avenue, PO Box 302, Zeeland, Michigan, 49464-0302, and its telephone number is (616) 654-3000. Unless otherwise noted or indicated by the context, the term “company” includes Herman Miller, Inc., its predecessors, and majority-owned subsidiaries. Further information relating to principles of consolidation is provided in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this report.
Financial Information about Segments
Information relating to segments is provided in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this report.
Narrative Description of Business
The company's principal business consists of the research, design, manufacture, and distribution of office furniture systems, products, and related services. Most of these systems and products are designed to be used together.
The company works for a better world around our customers by designing furnishings and related services that improve the human experience wherever people work, heal, learn and live. The company's ingenuity and design excellence creates award-winning products and services, that makes us a leader in design and development of furniture and furniture systems. This leadership is exemplified by the innovative concepts introduced by the company in its modular systems (including Action Office®, Canvas Office Landscape™, Ethospace®, Resolve®, My Studio Environments™ and Vivo Interiors®). The company also offers a broad array of seating (including Embody®, Aeron®, Mirra®, Setu®, Sayl®, Advo™, Celle®, Equa®, and Ergon® office chairs), storage (including Meridian® and Tu™ products), wooden casegoods (including Geiger® products), freestanding furniture products (including , Abak®, Intent®, Sense™ and Envelop®) and the recently introduced Thrive portfolio of ergonomic solutions. These, along with innovative business practices and a commitment to responsible leadership, has resulted in the company being recognized as the most admired company in the industry by FORTUNE.
The company's products are marketed worldwide by its own sales staff, independent dealers and retailers, its owned dealer network, and via our e-commerce website. Salespersons work with dealers, the design and architectural community, and directly with end-users. Independent dealerships concentrate on the sale of Herman Miller products and some complementary product lines of other manufacturers. It is estimated that approximately 73 percent of the company's sales in the fiscal year ended May 28, 2011, were made to or through independent dealers. The remaining sales were made directly to end-users, including federal, state, and local governments, and several major corporations, by the company's own sales staff, its owned dealer network, or independent retailers.
The company is also a recognized leader within its industry for the use, development, and integration of customer-centered technologies that enhance the reliability, speed, and efficiency of our customers' operations. This includes proprietary sales tools, interior design and product specification software; order entry and manufacturing scheduling and production systems; and direct connectivity to the company's suppliers.
The company's furniture systems, seating, freestanding furniture, storage and casegood products, and related services are used in (1) office/institution environments including offices and related conference, lobby, and lounge areas, and general public areas including transportation terminals; (2) health/science environments including hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities; (3) industrial and educational settings; and (4) residential and other environments.
Raw Materials
The company's manufacturing materials are available from a significant number of sources within the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. To date, the company has not experienced any difficulties in obtaining its raw materials. The costs of certain direct materials used in the company's manufacturing and assembly operations are sensitive to shifts in commodity market prices. In particular, the costs of steel components, plastics, and particleboard are sensitive to the market prices of commodities such as raw steel, aluminum, crude oil, lumber, and resins. Increases in the
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market prices for these commodities can have an adverse impact on the company's profitability. Further information regarding the impact of direct material costs on the company's financial results is provided in Management's Discussion and Analysis in Item 7 of this report.
Patents, Trademarks, Licenses, Etc.
The company has 160 active United States utility patents on various components used in its products and 72 active United States design patents. Many of the inventions covered by the United States patents also have been patented in a number of foreign countries. Various trademarks, including the name and stylized “Herman Miller” and the “Herman Miller Circled Symbolic M” trademark are registered in the United States and many foreign countries. The company does not believe that any material part of its business depends on the continued availability of any one or all of its patents or trademarks, or that its business would be materially adversely affected by the loss of any thereof, except for Herman Miller®, Herman Miller Circled Symbolic M®, Geiger®, Nemschoff®, Action Office®, Ethospace®, Aeron®, Mirra®, Eames®, PostureFit®, and Vivo Interiors™. It is estimated that the average remaining life of such patents and trademarks is approximately 6 years and 9 years, respectively.
Working Capital Practices
Information concerning the company's inventory levels relative to its sales volume can be found under the Executive Overview section in Item 7 of this report. Beyond this discussion, the company does not believe that it or the industry in general, has any special practices or special conditions affecting working capital items that are significant for understanding the company's business.
Customer Base
It is estimated that no single dealer accounted for more than 4 percent of the company's net sales in the fiscal year ended May 28, 2011. It is also estimated that the largest single end-user customer, the U.S. federal government, accounted for $226.2 million or approximately 14 percent of the company's fiscal 2011 net sales. The 10 largest customers accounted for approximately 28 percent of net sales.
Backlog of Unfilled Orders
As of May 28, 2011, the company's backlog of unfilled orders was $275.8 million. At May 29, 2010, the company's backlog totaled $243.6 million. It is expected that substantially all the orders forming the backlog at May 28, 2011, will be filled during the next fiscal year. Many orders received by the company are reflected in the backlog for only a short period while other orders specify delayed shipments and are carried in the backlog for up to one year. Accordingly, the amount of the backlog at any particular time does not necessarily indicate the level of net sales for a particular succeeding period.
Government Contracts
Other than standard provisions contained in contracts with the United States Government, the company does not believe that any significant portion of its business is subject to material renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts or subcontracts at the election of various government entities. The company sells to the U.S. Government both through a GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract and through competitive bids. The GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract pricing is principally based upon the company's commercial price list in effect when the contract is initiated, rather than being determined on a cost-plus-basis. The company is required to receive GSA approval to increase its list prices during the term of the Multiple Award Schedule Contract period.
Competition
All aspects of the company's business are highly competitive. The company competes largely on design, product and service quality, speed of delivery, and product pricing. Although the company is one of the largest office furniture manufacturers in the world, it competes with manufacturers that have significant resources and sales as well as many smaller companies. In the United States, the company's most significant competitors are Haworth, HNI Corporation, Kimball International, Knoll, and Steelcase.
Research, Design and Development
The company draws great competitive strength from its research, design and development programs. Accordingly, the company believes that its research and design activities are of significant importance. Through research, the company seeks to define and clarify customers and the problems which they are trying to solve. The company designs innovative products and services that address customer needs and solves their problems. The company uses both internal and independent research and design resources. Exclusive of royalty payments, the company spent approximately $35.4 million, $33.2 million, and $36.2 million, on research and development activities in fiscal 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively. Generally, royalties are paid to designers of the company's products as the products are sold and are not included in research and development costs since they are variable based on product sales.
Environmental Matters
Living with integrity and respecting the environment stands as one of the company's core values. This is based in part, on the belief that environmental sustainability and commercial success are not exclusive ends, but instead exist side by side in a mutually beneficial relationship. The company continues to rigorously reduce, recycle, and reuse solid waste generated by its manufacturing processes and the company's efforts and accomplishments have been widely recognized. Herman Miller continues to power 100% of our global electrical energy demand using green energy. We continue to explore and make progress in achieving our goal of zero impact on the environment by the year 2020. Based on current facts known to management, the company does not believe that existing environmental laws and regulations have had or will
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have any material effect upon the capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position of the company. However, there can be no assurance new environmental legislation and technology in this area will not result in or require material capital expenditures or additional costs to our manufacturing process.
Human Resources
The company considers its employees to be another of its major competitive strengths. The company stresses individual employee participation and incentives, believing that this emphasis has helped attract and retain a competent and motivated workforce. The company's human resources group provides employee recruitment, education and development, and compensation planning and counseling. There have been no work stoppages or labor disputes in the company's history, and its relations with its employees are considered good. Approximately 5 percent of the company's employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements, most of whom are employees of its Nemschoff and Herman Miller Limited (U.K.) subsidiaries.
As of May 28, 2011, the company employed 5,616 full-time and 189 part-time employees, representing a 2.9 percent increase and a 8.0 percent increase, respectively, compared with May 29, 2010. In addition to its employee work force, the company uses temporary purchased labor to meet uneven demand in its manufacturing operations.