UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS INC [USAP] Filings

 

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

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FORM 10-K

 

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☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023

OR

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission File Number 001-39467

 

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UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

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Delaware	25-1724540
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
600 Mayer Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017	(412) 257-7600
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)	(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol	Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share Preferred Stock Purchase Rights	USAP	The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: [None]

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data file required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☒
Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☒
Emerging growth company	☐

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

 

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2023, based on the closing price of $14.01 per share on that date, was approximately $121,000,000. For the purposes of this disclosure only, the registrant has assumed that its directors and executive officers are the affiliates of the registrant. The registrant has made no determination that such persons are “affiliates” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

As of March 15, 2024, there were 9,189,807 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Part III of this Form 10-K incorporates by reference portions of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

 

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INDEX

PART I

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THE "SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

The statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”), including, but not limited to, the statements contained in Item 1, “Business,” and Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” along with statements contained in other reports that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), external documents and oral presentations, which are not historical facts are considered to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. These statements which may be expressed in a variety of ways, including the use of forward looking terminology such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “continue,” “estimate,” “plan,” or “anticipate,” or the negatives thereof, other variations thereon or compatible terminology, relate to, among other things, statements regarding future growth, cost savings, expanded production capacity, broader product lines, greater capacity to meet customer quality reliability, price and delivery needs, enhanced competitive posture, and the effect of new accounting pronouncements. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements, and any forward-looking statements contained in other public disclosures of the Company which refer to the cautionary factors contained in this Form 10-K, are based on assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on the considerations described below. We discuss many of these risks and uncertainties in greater detail in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this Form 10-K. These and other risks and uncertainties may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., which was incorporated in 1994, and its wholly owned subsidiaries, manufacture and market semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, tool steel and certain other premium alloyed steels. Our manufacturing process involves melting, remelting, heat treating, hot and cold rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. Our products are sold to service centers, forgers, rerollers and original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). Our customers further process our products for use in a variety of industries, including the aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, heavy equipment and general industrial markets. We also perform conversion services on materials supplied by customers.

We operate in four locations: Bridgeville and Titusville, Pennsylvania; Dunkirk, New York; and North Jackson, Ohio. Our corporate headquarters is located at our Bridgeville location. We operate these four manufacturing locations as one business segment.

We produce a wide variety of specialty steel grades using several manufacturing processes including vacuum induction melting (“VIM”), vacuum-arc remelting (“VAR”), electro-slag remelting (“ESR”) and argon oxygen decarburization (“AOD”). At our Bridgeville and North Jackson facilities, we produce specialty steel products in the form of semi-finished and finished long products (ingots, billets and bars). In addition, the Bridgeville facility produces flat rolled products (slabs and plates). Semi-finished long products are primarily used by our Dunkirk facility and certain customers to produce finished bar and rod. Finished bar products that we manufacture are primarily used by OEMs and by service center customers for distribution to a variety of end users. We also produce customized shapes primarily for OEMs that are cold rolled from purchased coiled strip, flat bar or extruded bar at our precision rolled products department, located at our Titusville facility.

We make strategic investments in our business and capabilities over time to support our growth initiatives and improve the efficiency of our operations. This includes the installation of a new vacuum arc remelt furnace and an 18-ton crucible for our vacuum induction melting operation at our North Jackson facility in 2021, and our further remelt facility expansion at the same facility completed in 2023. These investments expand our premium alloy production capacity, enhance our capabilities and reduce our costs.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The specialty steel industry is a distinct segment of the overall steel industry. Specialty steels include stainless steels, nickel alloys, tool steels, electrical steels, high-temperature alloys, magnetic alloys and electronic alloys. Specialty steels are made with a high alloy content, suitable for use in environments that demand exceptional hardness, toughness, strength and resistance to heat, corrosion or abrasion, or combinations thereof. Specialty steels generally must conform to more demanding customer specifications for consistency, straightness and surface finish than carbon steels. For each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, approximately 60-80% of our net sales were derived from stainless steel products.

We primarily manufacture our products in response to customer orders and within the following product lines:

Stainless Steel. Stainless steel, which represents the largest part of the specialty steel market, contains elements such as nickel, chromium and molybdenum that give it the unique qualities of high strength, good wear characteristics, natural attractiveness, ease of maintenance and resistance to corrosion and heat. Stainless steel is used, among other applications, in the aerospace, oil and gas, power generation and automotive industries, as well as in the manufacturing of equipment for food handling, health and medical, chemical processing and pollution control.

High-Strength Low Alloy Steel. High-strength low alloy steel is a relative term that refers to those steels that maintain alloying elements that range in versatility. The alloy elements of nickel, chromium and molybdenum in such steels typically exceeds the alloy element of carbon steels but not that of high-temperature alloy steel. High-strength low alloy steels are manufactured for use generally in the aerospace industry.

Tool Steel. Tool steels contain elements of chromium, vanadium and molybdenum to produce specific hardness characteristics that enable tool steels to form, cut, shape and shear other materials in the manufacturing process. Heating and cooling at precise rates in the heat-treating process bring out these hardness characteristics. Tool steels are utilized in the manufacturing of metals, plastics, paper and aluminum extrusions, pharmaceuticals, electronics and optics.

High-Temperature Alloy Steel. These steels are designed to meet critical requirements of heat resistance and structural integrity. They generally have very high nickel content relative to other types of specialty steels. High-temperature alloy steels are manufactured for use generally in the aerospace industry.

RAW MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

We depend on the delivery of key raw materials for our day-to-day melting operations. These key raw materials are carbon and stainless scrap metal and alloys, primarily consisting of nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and copper. Scrap metal is primarily generated by industrial sources and is purchased through several scrap brokers and processors. We also recycle scrap metal generated from our own production operations as a source of metal for our melt shops. Alloys are generally purchased from domestic agents and primarily originate in North America, Australia, South America and South Africa.

Our Bridgeville and North Jackson facilities also supply semi-finished specialty steel products as starting materials to our other operating facilities. Semi-finished specialty steel starting materials, which we cannot produce at a competitive cost, are purchased from other suppliers. We generally purchase these starting materials from steel strip coil suppliers, extruders, flat rolled producers and service centers. We believe that adequate supplies of starting material will continue to be available.

The cost of raw materials represents approximately 35%-42% of the cost of products sold in each of 2023, 2022 and 2021. Raw material costs can be impacted by significant price changes. Raw material prices vary based on numerous factors, including quality, and are subject to frequent market fluctuations. The average price of substantially all our major raw materials decreased throughout 2023 following significant increases in 2022. Future raw material prices cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. We do not maintain any fixed-price long-term agreements with any of our raw material suppliers.

We apply a raw material surcharge in our pricing to align our pricing with fluctuations in commodity costs. Most orders apply the raw material surcharge in effect at the time of shipment to align the selling price with commodity costs. Some shorter lead time orders embed the surcharge into the price at the time of order entry. Surcharges are published on our website and can fluctuate by month in line with commodity cost changes. Over time, our surcharge will effectively offset changes in raw material costs; however, during a period of rising or falling prices the timing will cause variation between reporting periods.

CUSTOMERS

Our largest customer accounted for approximately 31%, 21% and 19% of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. One additional customer accounted for approximately 14% and 18% of our sales during 2023 and 2022, respectively, and a third customer accounted for approximately 10% of our sales during 2021.

International sales approximated 5% of annual sales in 2023 and 2022 and 7% of our annual net sales in 2021.

BACKLOG

Our backlog of orders (excluding surcharges) on hand as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $318.2 million compared to approximately $287.9 million at December 31, 2022. Our backlog may not be indicative of actual sales because most surcharges are not known until the order is shipped to the customer and, therefore, are not included in the backlog amount.

COMPETITION

Competition in our markets is based upon product quality, delivery capability, customer service, customer approval and price. Maintaining high standards of product quality, while responding quickly to customer needs and keeping production costs at competitive levels, is essential to our ability to compete in these markets.

We believe that there are several companies that manufacture one or more similar specialty steel products that are significant competitors. There are a few smaller producing companies and material converters that are also considered to be competitors.

High import penetration of specialty steel products, especially stainless and tool steels, also impacts the competitive nature within the United States. Unfair pricing practices by foreign producers have resulted in high import penetration into the U.S. markets in which we participate.

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Employee Relations

We consider the maintenance of good relations with our employees to be important to the successful conduct of our business. We have profit-sharing plans for certain salaried and hourly employees and for all our employees represented by United Steelworkers (the “USW”), and have equity ownership programs for all our eligible employees in an effort to forge an alliance between our employees’ interests and those of our stockholders. At December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we had 678, 622 and 558 employees, respectively, of which 520, 475 and 421, respectively, were USW members.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

Our Bridgeville, Titusville, Dunkirk and North Jackson facilities recognize the USW as the exclusive representative for their hourly employees with respect to the terms and conditions of their employment. The following collective bargaining agreements are currently in place:

We believe a critical component of our collective bargaining agreements is the inclusion of a profit sharing plan.

Employee Benefit Plans

We maintain a 401(k) retirement plan for our hourly and salaried employees. Pursuant to the 401(k) plan, participants may elect to make pre-tax and after-tax contributions, subject to certain limitations imposed under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In addition, we make periodic contributions to the 401(k) plan for the hourly employees employed at the North Jackson, Dunkirk and Titusville facilities, based on service. In addition, we make periodic contributions for the salaried employees at all locations based upon their service and their individual contribution to the 401(k) retirement plan.

We participate in the Steelworkers Pension Trust (the “Trust”), a multi-employer defined-benefit pension plan that is open to all hourly and salaried employees associated with the Bridgeville facility. We make periodic contributions to the Trust based on hours worked at a fixed rate for each hourly employee and a fixed monthly contribution on behalf of each salaried employee.

We also provide group life and health insurance plans for our hourly and salary employees.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Under the Amended and Restated 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended (the “Plan”), the Company is authorized to issue up to 400,000 shares of common stock to its full-time employees, nearly all of whom are eligible to participate. Under the terms of the Plan, employees can choose as of January 1 and July 1 of each year to have up to 10% of their total earnings withheld to purchase up to 100 shares of our common stock each six-month period. The purchase price of the stock is 85% of the lower of its beginning-of-the-period or end-of-the-period market prices. At December 31, 2023, we have issued 341,469 shares of common stock since the Plan’s inception.

Employee Safety

The safety of our employees is a paramount concern in managing our operations. We strive to minimize workplace injuries as much as possible and to provide a safe, open and accountable work environment for our employees. We encourage employees to provide feedback, ask questions and report concerns related to ethics or safety violations. We take employee concerns seriously and evaluate appropriate actions in response.

Employee Inclusion

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants for positions with the Company receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We strive to provide an equitable and inclusive environment for all our employees. We are committed to achieving representation across all levels of our workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live and work.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

We are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), including those governing discharges of pollutants into the air and water, and the generation, handling and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous substances. We monitor our compliance with applicable Environmental Laws and, accordingly, believe that we are currently in compliance with all laws and regulations in all material respects. We are subject periodically to environmental compliance reviews by various regulatory offices. We may be liable for the remediation of contamination associated with generation, handling and disposal activities. Environmental costs could be incurred, which may be significant, related to environmental compliance, at any time or from time to time in the future. In the ordinary course of business, we are also subject to government regulations including those enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth, as of March 15, 2024, certain information with respect to the executive officers of the Company:

Christopher M. Zimmer became President & Chief Executive Officer in November 2023. Mr. Zimmer previously served as Chief Operating Officer from April 2023 to October 2023, and was responsible for manufacturing, technology, and quality organizations as well as sales, marketing and supply chain management and development, and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer from 2014 until April 2023. Mr. Zimmer was Vice President of Sales and Marketing from 2008 to 2014. Mr. Zimmer previously served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Schmoltz+Bickenbach USA from 1995 to 2008. He previously held positions of increasing responsibility including inside sales, Commercial Manager—stainless bar, General Manager—nickel alloy products, and National Sales Manager.

Graham McIntosh, Ph.D. has been Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer since 2018. Dr. McIntosh also served as the Company’s Vice President and Chief Technology Officer from 2013 until 2018. Dr. McIntosh previously served as Director of Global Technology Initiatives for Carpenter Technology Corporation where he joined in 2008. Dr. McIntosh also served as Vice President of Technology and Director of Quality for Firth Rixson Viking from 2001 to 2008, and held several management and technical positions at Wyman-Gordon Livingston from 1987 to 2001, where he began his career.

John J. Arminas has been Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Company since April 2020. Mr. Arminas also served as the Company’s Corporate Counsel from 2013 until April 2020. Prior to his tenure at the Company, Mr. Arminas served as an attorney for the Law Firm of Goldberg, Kamin & Garvin from 2004 to 2013.

Wendel L. Crosby has been Vice President of Manufacturing of the Company since April 2019. Mr. Crosby also served as General Manager for the Company’s Dunkirk and Titusville facilities from 2014 until April 2019. Prior to his tenure at the Company, Mr. Crosby served as Area Operations Manager for Precision Castparts Corp. from 2012 to 2014. Prior to that, Mr. Crosby served as the Director of Finishing for Columbus Steel Castings from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Crosby also served as Finishing Value Stream Manager from 2004 to 2011 and Program Manager from 2007 to 2010 for Columbus Steel Castings. Mr. Crosby is a former member of the United States Army and is a combat war veteran.

Steven V. DiTommaso has been Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since April 2022. Previously, Mr. DiTommaso served as Corporate Controller of the Company since 2018. Prior to his tenure at the Company, Mr. DiTommaso served as Director of Accounting at Thorley Industries, LLC from 2016 to 2018, and in roles of increasing responsibility in the audit and assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 2008 to 2016. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS

We do not consider our business to be materially dependent on patent or trademark protection, and believe we own or maintain effective licenses covering all the intellectual property used in our business. We benefit from our proprietary rights relating to designs, engineering and manufacturing processes and procedures. We seek to protect our proprietary information by use of confidentiality and non-competition agreements with certain employees.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the “USAP” ticker symbol. Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, as well as proxy and information statements that we file with the SEC, are available on our website at www.univstainless.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with the SEC. The contents of our website are not part of this Form 10-K. Copies of these documents will be available to any shareholder upon request. Requests should be directed in writing to Investor Relations at 600 Mayer Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC.

We wish to caution each reader of this Form 10-K to consider the following factors and other factors discussed herein and in other past reports, including but not limited to prior year Form 10-K and Form 10-Q reports filed with the SEC. Our business and results of operations could be materially affected by any of the following risks. The factors discussed herein are not exhaustive. Therefore, the factors contained herein should be read together with other reports that we file with the SEC from time to time, which may supplement, modify, supersede, or update the factors listed in this document.

Macroeconomic Risks

Our business and operations, and the operations of our customers and suppliers, could be adversely impacted by a global or regional health pandemic.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 was declared a "pandemic" by the World Health Organization and spread across the world, including the United States and many countries where the Company sells its products or sources raw materials. Our operations and financial performance were negatively impacted by the pandemic. While our business has recovered from COVID-19 impacts, we are continuously subject to the risks related to other pandemics. Any future pandemics or other health events could cause similar disruptions in global supply chains, volatility and disruption of financial markets, and other adverse consequences to our business and the markets in which we participate, and could cause direct negative impacts on our operations and financial position.

We are a smaller reporting company, and the reduced reporting requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies may make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Section 12 of the Exchange Act. For as long as we continue to be a smaller reporting company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to public companies that are not smaller reporting companies, such as reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our annual and periodic reports and proxy statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company as long as (i) our public float remains less than $250 million or (ii) our annual revenues are less than $100 million and we either have no public float, or our public float is less than $700 million. Public float is measured for this purpose as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and annual revenues are measured as of the most recently completed fiscal year for which audited financial statements are available. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.

We are subject to risks associated with global economic and market factors.

Our results of operations are affected directly by the level of business activity of our customers and our suppliers, which in turn is affected by global economic and market factors, including health epidemics, impacting the industries and markets that we participate in. We are susceptible to macroeconomic downturns in the United States and abroad that may affect the general economic climate, our performance and the demand of our customers. We may face significant challenges if conditions in the financial markets deteriorate. There can be no assurance that global economic and market conditions will not adversely impact our results of operations, cash flow or financial position in the future.

Existing free trade laws and regulations, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, provide certain beneficial duties and tariffs for qualifying imports and exports, subject to compliance with the applicable classification and other requirements. Changes in laws or policies governing the terms of foreign trade, and in particularly increased trade restrictions, tariffs or taxes on imports from countries where we sell products or purchase materials could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of current, proposed, or future imposed tariffs, we can provide no assurance that any strategies we implement to mitigate the impact of such tariffs on the Company will be successful.

Commercial Risks

A substantial amount of our sales is derived from a limited number of customers.

Our five largest customers in the aggregate accounted for approximately 61%, 58% and 47% of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. An adverse change in, or termination of, the relationship with one or more of our customers or market channels could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our business is very competitive, and increased competition could reduce our sales.

We compete with domestic and foreign producers of specialty steel products. In addition, many of the finished products sold by our customers are in direct competition with finished products manufactured by foreign sources, which may affect the demand for those customers’ products. Any competitive factors that adversely affect the market for finished products manufactured by us or our customers could indirectly adversely affect the demand for our semi-finished products. Additionally, our products compete with products fashioned from alternative materials such as aluminum, composites and plastics, the production of which includes domestic and foreign enterprises. Competition in our field is intense and is expected to continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Most of our business is not covered under long term supply contracts. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future.

The demand for our products may be cyclical.

Demand for our products from our customers can be cyclical in nature and sensitive to various factors, including demand, production schedules and other conditions in each of our end markets, fluctuations in inventory levels throughout the supply chain, and general macroeconomic conditions. A significant adverse change in demand for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

A substantial amount of our sales is derived from the aerospace industry.

Approximately 76% of our sales represented products sold to customers in the aerospace market in 2023. The aerospace market is historically cyclical due to both external and internal market factors. These factors include general economic conditions, supply chain fluctuations, diminished credit availability, airline profitability, demand for air travel, age of fleets, varying fuel and labor costs, price competition, new technology development and international and domestic political conditions such as military conflict and the threat of terrorism. The length and degree of cyclical fluctuation can be influenced by any one or a combination of these factors and therefore are difficult to predict with certainty. A prolonged downturn in the aerospace industry would adversely affect the demand for our products and/or the prices at which we are able to sell our products, and our results of operations, business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Our business may be harmed by failure to develop, commercialize, market and sell new applications and new products.

We believe that our alloys and metallurgical manufacturing expertise provide us with a competitive advantage over other high-performance alloy producers. Our ability to maintain this competitive advantage depends on our ability to continue to offer products that have equal or better performance characteristics than competing products at competitive prices. Our future growth will depend, in part, on our ability to develop, commercialize and sell new products. If we are not successful in these efforts, or if our new products and product enhancements do not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace and achieve market acceptance, our business could be adversely affected.

Our business requires continuing efforts to obtain new customer approvals on existing products and applications, which is a stringent, difficult process subject to each customer’s varying approval methodology and preferences. If we are not successful in these efforts, our business could be adversely affected.

We believe that our international sales and purchases are associated with various risks.

We conduct business with suppliers and customers in foreign countries which exposes us to risks associated with international business activities, including effects of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from membership in the European Union (referred to as “Brexit”). We could be significantly impacted by these risks, which include the potential for volatile economic and labor conditions, political instability, collecting accounts receivable and exchange rate fluctuations (which may affect sales revenue to international customers and the margins on international sales when converted into U.S. dollars).

International sales approximated 5% of our annual sales in 2023 and 2022 and 7% of our annual net sales in 2021. An immaterial portion of the international sales are denominated in foreign currencies.

Financial Risks

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which has caused us to conclude our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023 and could, if not remediated, adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

We are required to evaluate the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting on a periodic basis and publicly disclose the results of these evaluations and related matters in accordance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have identified certain material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting as described in “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K. As a result of such material weaknesses, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023.

A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We are actively developing and implementing a remediation plan, as described in “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K, designed to address these material weaknesses, but our remediation efforts are not complete and are ongoing. Any difficulty or failure to implement or maintain required control enhancements or new controls, could result in additional material weaknesses or a future material misstatement in our consolidated financial statements. Any future misstatement could result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, reduce our ability to obtain financing or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, leading to a decline in our stock price.

Our business may be harmed if we are unable to meet our debt service requirements or the covenants in our Second Amended and Restated Revolving Credit, Term Loan and Security Agreement ("Credit Agreement”), or if interest rates increase.

We have debt upon which we are required to make scheduled interest and principal payments, and we may incur additional debt in the future. A significant portion of our debt bears interest at variable rates that may increase in the future. A significant increase in interest rates or disruption in the global financial markets may affect our ability to obtain financing or to refinance existing debt on acceptable terms, if at all, and could increase the cost of our borrowings.

Our ability to satisfy our debt obligations will depend upon our future operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions in the markets that we serve and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash to service our debt or if interest rates increase, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Our Credit Agreement, which provides for a $105.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility and a $15.0 million senior secured term loan facility, also requires us to comply with certain covenants. Failure to comply with the covenants contained in the Credit Agreement could result in a default, which, if not waived by our lenders, could substantially increase our borrowing costs and result in acceleration of our debt. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the applicable covenants in our Credit Agreement.

Changes in tax rules and regulations, or interpretations thereof, may adversely affect our effective tax rates.

We are a U.S. based company with customers and suppliers in foreign countries. We import various raw materials used in our production processes and we export goods to our foreign customers. The United States, the European Commission, countries in the European Union and other countries where we do business have implemented and may consider further changes in relevant tax, border tax, accounting and other laws, regulations and interpretations, that may unfavorably impact our effective tax rate or result in other costs to us.

Our ability to recognize tax benefits on our existing net operating loss positions may be limited.

We have meaningful net operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards and other tax attributes (collectively, the “Tax Benefits”), which potentially can be utilized in certain circumstances to reduce our future income tax obligations. As of December 31, 2023, we had estimated U.S. federal net operating losses of approximately $7.1 million, state net operating losses of approximately $10.5 million, U.S. federal tax credit carryforwards of approximately $7.3 million and state tax credit carryforwards of approximately $0.3 million. Our ability to use our Tax Benefits would be substantially limited if we were to experience an “ownership change,” as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Tax Code”). In general, a corporation would experience an ownership change if the percentage of the corporation’s stock owned by one or more “5% shareholders,” as defined under Section 382 of the Tax Code, increases by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period.

Human Capital Risks

Our business depends largely on our ability to attract and retain key personnel.

We depend on the continued service, availability and ability to attract skilled personnel, including members of our executive management team, other management positions, and metallurgists, along with maintenance and production positions at various levels. Our inability to attract and retain such people may adversely impact our ability to fill existing roles and support growth. Attraction and retention of qualified personnel remains challenging as the labor market remains tight.

Further, the loss of key personnel could adversely affect our ability to perform until suitable replacements can be found.

Our business may be harmed by strikes or work stoppages.

At December 31, 2023, we had 520 employees, out of a total of 678, who were covered under collective bargaining agreements with the USW expiring at various dates in 2024 to 2028. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in timely concluding collective bargaining agreements with the USW to succeed the agreements that expire, in which case we may experience strikes or work stoppages that may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

Costs related to our participation in a multi-employer pension plan could increase significantly.

We participate in the Trust, a multi-employer defined-benefit pension plan. We make contributions to the Trust with respect to all hourly and salaried employees associated with our Bridgeville facility. The trustees of the Trust have provided us with the latest data available for the year ended December 31, 2022. As of that date, the Trust is not fully funded. Our contribution rates could increase if the Trust is required to adopt a funding improvement plan or a rehabilitation plan as a result of funding deficiencies in excess of specified levels, which may be due to poor performance of Trust investments or other factors, or as a result of future wage and benefit agreements. In addition, if we choose to stop participating in the Trust, our contributions to the Trust decline or the Trust is terminated, we may be required to pay the Trust an amount based on the underfunded status of the Trust, referred to as a withdrawal liability. Changes to any of these factors could negatively impact our future results of operations and cash flows to a material extent.

Operational Risks

Our business is subject to stringent environmental, health and safety regulations which may result in significant liabilities and/or costs to maintain compliance.

Our operations and properties are subject to extensive and varied federal, state, local and international laws and regulations relating to public health, the environment, pollution, and occupational safety and health. We have used, and currently use and manufacture, substances that are considered hazardous or toxic under worker safety and health laws and regulations. We take measures to control or eliminate the continuing risk associated with the environmental, health and safety issues, however we could incur substantial fines and civil or criminal sanctions, cleanup costs, compliance investments and third-party property or injury claims as a result of violations, or non-compliance related to these regulations affecting our facilities and operations.

We are dependent on the availability and price of raw materials and operating supplies.

We purchase carbon and stainless scrap metal and alloy additives, principally nickel, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese and copper, for our melting operation. A portion of the alloy additives is available only from foreign sources, some of which are located in countries that may be subject to unstable political and economic conditions. Those conditions, or other conditions that impact the availability of our key raw materials and operating supplies, might disrupt supplies or affect the prices of the raw materials. We maintain sales price surcharges on our products to help offset the impact of raw material price fluctuations. We do not maintain long-term fixed-price supply agreements with any of our raw material suppliers. If our supply of raw materials were interrupted, we might not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of raw materials or obtain sufficient quantities of such materials at satisfactory prices, which, in either case, could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, significant volatility in the price of our principal raw materials could adversely affect our financial results and there can be no assurance that the raw material surcharge mechanism employed by us will completely offset immediate changes in our raw material costs in a given period.

Our production processes also require consumable operating supplies. Significant volatility in the price of our consumable operating supplies could adversely affect our financial results.

Our business requires substantial amounts of energy.

The manufacturing of specialty steel is an energy-intensive process and requires the ready availability of substantial amounts of electricity and natural gas, for which we negotiate competitive supply agreements. While we believe that our energy agreements allow us to compete effectively within the specialty steel industry, the potential for increased costs exists during periods of high demand or supply disruptions. We have a sales price surcharge to help offset the cost fluctuations.

Our business may be harmed by failures on critical manufacturing equipment.

Our manufacturing processes are dependent upon certain critical pieces of specialty steel making equipment, including but not limited to our 50-ton electric-arc furnace and AOD vessel, our VIM, VAR and ESR furnaces, our radial hydraulic forge and our universal rolling mill. In the event any critical piece of equipment should become inoperative as a result of unexpected equipment failure, there can be no assurance that our operations would not be substantially curtailed, which may have a negative effect on our financial results.

Our business subjects us to risk of litigation claims, as a routine matter, and this risk increases the potential for a loss that might not be covered by insurance.

Litigation claims may relate to the conduct of our business, including claims relating to product liability, commercial disputes, employment actions, employee benefits, compliance with domestic and federal laws and personal injury. Due to the uncertainties of litigation, we might not prevail on claims made against us in the lawsuits that we currently face, and additional claims may be made against us in the future. The outcome of litigation cannot be predicted with certainty, and some of these lawsuits, claims or proceedings may be determined adversely to us. The resolution in any reporting period of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business.

If we are unable to protect our information technology infrastructure against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, our operations could be disrupted.

We rely on information technology networks and systems to manage and support a variety of business activities, including procurement and supply chain, engineering support, and manufacturing. Our information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-parties, may be susceptible to the inability to continue to receive software updates and contractual vendor support, damage, disruptions or shutdown due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, telecommunications failures, user errors or catastrophic events. In addition, security breaches could result in unauthorized disclosures of confidential information. If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our manufacturing process could be disrupted resulting in late deliveries or even no deliveries if there is a total shutdown.

None.

The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) recognizes the critical importance of maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, clients, business partners and employees. The Board is actively involved in oversight of the Company’s risk management program, and cybersecurity represents an important component of the Company’s overall approach to cyber risk management (“CRM”). The Company’s cybersecurity policies, standards, processes, and practices are fully integrated into the Company’s CRM program and are based on recognized frameworks established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other applicable industry standards. In general, the Company seeks to address cybersecurity risks through a comprehensive, cross-functional approach that is focused on preserving the confidentiality, security, and availability of the information that the Company collects and stores by identifying, preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and effectively responding to cybersecurity incidents when they occur.

Risk Management and Strategy

As one of the critical elements of the Company’s overall CRM approach, the Company’s cybersecurity program is focused on the following key areas:

Governance:  As discussed in more detail under the heading “Governance,” The Board’s oversight of cybersecurity risk management includes interaction with the Company’s Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) at least quarterly and similar interaction on this topic with other members of management.

Collaborative Approach:  The Company has implemented a comprehensive, cross-functional approach to identifying, preventing, and mitigating cybersecurity threats and incidents, while also implementing controls and procedures that provide for the prompt escalation of certain cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding the public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by management in a timely manner.

Technical Safeguards:  The Company deploys technical safeguards that are designed to protect the Company’s information systems from cybersecurity threats, including firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, anti-malware functionality and access controls, which are evaluated and improved through vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity threat intelligence.

Incident Response and Recovery Planning:  The Company has established and maintains comprehensive incident response and recovery plans that fully address the Company’s response to a cybersecurity incident, and such plans are tested and evaluated on a regular basis.

Third-Party Risk Management:  The Company maintains a comprehensive, risk-based approach to identifying and overseeing cybersecurity risks presented by third parties, including vendors, service providers and other external users of the Company’s systems, as well as the systems of third parties that could adversely impact our business in the event of a cybersecurity incident affecting those third-party systems.

Education and Awareness:  The Company provides regular, mandatory training for personnel regarding cybersecurity threats to equip the Company’s personnel with effective tools to address cybersecurity threats, and to communicate the Company’s evolving information security policies, standards, processes, and practices.

The Company engages in the periodic assessment and testing of the Company’s policies, standards, processes, and practices that are designed to address cybersecurity threats and incidents. These efforts include a wide range of activities, including audits, assessments, tabletop exercises, threat modeling, vulnerability testing and other exercises focused on evaluating the effectiveness of our cybersecurity measures and planning. The Company regularly engages third parties to perform assessments on our cybersecurity measures, including information security maturity assessments, audits and independent reviews of our information security control environment and operating effectiveness. The results of such assessments, audits and reviews are reported to the CIO and the Board, and the Company adjusts its cybersecurity policies, standards, processes, and practices as necessary based on the information provided by these assessments, audits, and reviews.

Governance

The Board, in coordination with the CIO and Company management, oversees the Company’s CRM process, including the management of risks arising from cybersecurity threats. The Board receives at least a quarterly update on cybersecurity risks, which addresses a wide range of topics including recent developments, evolving standards, vulnerability assessments, third-party and independent reviews, the threat environment, technological trends, and information security considerations arising with respect to the Company’s peers and third parties. The Board also receives prompt and timely information regarding any cybersecurity incident that meets established reporting thresholds, as well as ongoing updates regarding any such incident until it has been addressed. The Board, the CIO and other members of the Company’s management team will discuss, at least annually, the Company’s approach to cybersecurity risk management.

The CIO, in coordination with our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and General Counsel (“GC”), works collaboratively across the Company to implement a program designed to protect the Company’s information systems from cybersecurity threats and to promptly respond to any cybersecurity incidents in accordance with the Company’s incident response and recovery plans. To facilitate the success of the Company’s cybersecurity risk management program, members of the CIO’s team are deployed to address cybersecurity threats and to respond to cybersecurity incidents. The Company’s management team, through ongoing communications with CIO’s team, monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents in real time, and report such threats and incidents to the Board when appropriate.

The CIO holds a B.S.B.A. degree in Management Information Systems and has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 25 years, including serving as the Chief Information Officer for the Company. The Company’s CEO, CFO and GC each hold undergraduate degrees in their respective fields, and collectively have over 50 years of experience managing risks at the Company and at similar companies.

Cybersecurity threats, including all previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected, or currently are believed by the Company to not materially affect the Company, including its business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.  While these risks have yet to materially affect the Company, the Company cannot guarantee that its ongoing and robust approach towards cybersecurity will be able to prevent all cybersecurity incidents that could have a material effect on the Company.  For more information about cybersecurity risks that the Company faces, see “If we are unable to protect our information technology infrastructure against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, our operations could be disrupted” in Item 1A, Risk Factors.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

We own our Bridgeville, Pennsylvania facility, which consists of approximately 800,000 square feet of floor space and our executive offices on approximately 77 acres. The Bridgeville facility contains melting, remelting, conditioning, rolling, annealing, testing and various other processing equipment. Substantially all products shipped from the Bridgeville facility are processed through its melt shop and universal rolling mill operations.

We own our North Jackson, Ohio facility, which consists of approximately 257,000 square feet of floor space on approximately 110 acres. The North Jackson facility contains melting, remelting, forging, annealing and various other processing operations. Our obligations under our Credit Agreement, which is more fully described under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources,” are collateralized by a first lien on our real property in North Jackson, Ohio.

We own our Dunkirk, New York facility, which consists of approximately 680,000 square feet of floor space on approximately 81 acres. The Dunkirk facility processes semi-finished billet and bar stock through one or more of its five rolling mills, a high temperature annealing facility and/or its round and shape bar finishing and testing equipment.

We own our Titusville, Pennsylvania facility, which consists of seven buildings on approximately 10 acres, including two principal buildings of approximately 265,000 square feet in total area. The Titusville facility contains five VAR furnaces and various rolling and finishing equipment.

Specialty steel production is a capital-intensive industry. We believe that our facilities and equipment are suitable for our present manufacturing needs. We believe, however, that we will continue to require capital from time to time to add new equipment and to repair or replace our existing equipment to remain competitive and to enable us to manufacture quality products and provide delivery and other support service assurances to our customers.

Information regarding the Company’s legal proceedings and other commitments and contingencies is set forth in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 14, which is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.

Not applicable.

PART II

At December 31, 2023, a total of 9,185,307 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were issued and held by 87 holders of record. There were no shares of the issued common stock held in treasury at December 31, 2023. Our common stock trades under the symbol “USAP” on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

DIVIDENDS

We have never paid a cash dividend on our common stock. Our Credit Agreement does not permit the payment of cash dividends on our common stock. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay a cash dividend on our common stock in the near future.

Not applicable

The following Management Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand the consolidated results of operations and financial condition of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”). This MD&A should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in this Form 10-K. When reviewing the discussion, you should keep in mind the substantial risks and uncertainties that characterize our business. In particular, we encourage you to review the risk and uncertainties described under Item 1A “Risk Factors,” of this Form 10-K. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those forecasted in forward-looking statements or implied by past results and trends. Forward-looking statements are statements that attempt to project or anticipate future developments in our business; we encourage you to review the discussion of forward-looking statements under “Cautionary Statement for Purposes of the “Safe Harbor” Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,” at the beginning of this report. These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of the date of this report (unless another date is indicated), and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements in light of future developments. Unless otherwise specified, any reference to a “year” is to the year ended December 31.

Overview

We manufacture and market semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, tool steel and certain other alloyed steels. Our manufacturing process involves melting, remelting, heat treating, hot and cold rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. Our products are sold to service centers, forgers, rerollers and original equipment manufacturers. Our customers further process our products for use in a variety of industries, including the aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, heavy equipment and general industrial markets. We also perform conversion services on materials supplied by customers.

Our aerospace end market accounted for approximately 76% of our total net sales in 2023 and is expected to continue as a major driver of our future results. Sales to our aerospace end market increased 57% compared to 2022 after increasing 50% in 2022 compared to 2021. Sales to our heavy equipment and general industrial end markets also increased compared to 2022, while sales to our power generation and oil & gas end markets decreased as we focused more of our shipment capacity on serving the aerospace end market. In total our sales increased more than 41% compared to the prior year due to increases shipment volume and base selling prices and a higher mix of premium products and finished bar products, despite a decrease in raw material surcharges.

Sales of our premium products increased by 74% in 2023 as well, totaling a record $68.1 million versus $39.2 million last year. Total Company backlog at the end of 2023 was $318.2 million and premium products represented 36% of the backlog at the end of the year. Our premium products have a higher selling price and higher margins than our other products and are a key component of our growth strategy.

Our 2023 gross margin was 14.5% of net sales, improved from 7.0% in 2022, reflecting more shipments, higher production, higher selling prices, and cost improvements. Additionally, the liquid metal spill that occurred in our Bridgeville, PA melt shop in April 2022 was a significant headwind to our results in the second quarter 2022 and throughout the second half of 2022. The spill caused seven weeks of down time at the melt shop, which is the primary melt operation in our product process, and disrupted production throughput for the remainder of the year.

During 2023, we completed our strategic capital investment in North Jackson, OH to expand our remelt facility used for production of premium products, and grew our working capital modestly despite the significant increase in sales, as we reduced our inventory. Our inventory level and order backlog as we enter 2024 position us well to take advantage of strong specialty metals demand in our largest end markets.

Our operating facilities are integrated, and therefore our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) views the Company as one business unit. Our CODM sets performance goals, assesses performance and makes decisions about resource allocations on a consolidated basis. As a result of these factors, as well as the nature of the financial information available which is reviewed by our CODM, we maintain one reportable segment.

Results of Operations

A comparison of 2023 results to 2022 is included below. For a comparison of 2022 results to 2021, refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

2023 Results Compared to 2022  

Market Channel Information:

Melt Type Information:

The majority of our products are sold to service centers rather than the ultimate end market customers. The end market information in this Annual Report is our estimate based upon our knowledge of our customers and the grade of material sold to them, which they will in-turn sell to the ultimate end market customer.

End Market Information:

Net sales:

Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased $83.8 million, or 41.5%, compared to 2022. The increase in our sales is due to an increase in volume shipped and our average selling prices. Our average selling prices increased due to our base price increases and higher mix of premium products and finished bar products in the current year, despite a decrease in raw material surcharges.

Gross margin:

Our 2023 gross margin was 14.5% of net sales, improved from 7.0% in 2022, reflecting more shipments, higher production, higher selling prices, and cost improvements. Additionally, the liquid metal spill that occurred in our Bridgeville, PA melt shop in April 2022 was a significant headwind to our results in the second quarter 2022 and throughout the second half of 2022. The spill caused seven weeks of down time at the melt shop, which is the primary melt operation in our product process, and disrupted production throughput for the remainder of the year.

Selling, general and administrative expenses:

Our selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses consist primarily of employee costs including salaries, incentive compensation, payroll taxes and benefit related costs, legal and accounting services, share compensation and insurance costs. Our SG&A expenses increased by $6.6 million in 2023 due primarily to increases in incentive compensation and the cost of business insurance.

Interest expense and deferred financing amortization:

Our interest expense, including amortization of deferred financing costs, was $8.4 million in 2023 compared to $4.4 million in 2022 due to higher interest rates, as most of our debt is variable and fluctuates with market rates.

Other expense (income):

Other expense was insignificant in 2023 compared to $0.7 million of other income in 2022. The prior year included a gain on insurance recoveries related to the liquid metal spill that occurred in our Bridgeville, PA melt shop in April 2022.

Expense (benefit) from income taxes:

Our 2023 income tax expense is $0.4 million compared to a benefit of $2.6 million in 2022 as we were in an income position in 2023 compared to a loss position in 2022.

Net income (loss):

We earned net income of $4.9 million in 2023 compared to a net loss of $8.1 million in 2022. Our profitability improved in 2023 along with higher production, cost improvements, and rising demand for our products driving more shipments and higher selling prices. Additionally, the liquid metal spill that occurred in our Bridgeville, PA melt shop in April 2022 was a significant headwind to our results in 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Historically, we have financed our operations through cash provided by operating activities and borrowings on our credit facilities. At December 31, 2023, we maintained approximately $36 million of remaining availability under our revolving credit facility. We believe that our cash flows from continuing operations, as well as available borrowings under our credit facility, are adequate to satisfy our working capital, capital expenditure requirements, and other contractual obligations for the foreseeable future, including at least the next 12 months.

Net cash provided by operating activities

During 2023, we generated $25.2 million of cash from our operating activities. Net income adjusted for non-cash expenses generated $25.8 million. We used $3.5 million in our managed working capital, primarily driven by an $8.1 million increase in accounts receivable from higher sales, partly offset by cash generated from reducing inventory. We define managed working capital as net accounts receivable plus net inventory, minus accounts payable, minus other current liabilities. We generated $2.8 million from all other assets and liabilities.

During 2022, we used $8.9 million of cash in our operating activities. Net loss adjusted for non-cash expenses generated $9.9 million. We used $14.2 million in growth of our managed working capital, primarily driven by $15.1 million used to grow our inventory in support of our record backlog. The inventory growth was a result of an increase in value, due to the rising price of raw materials and other production costs, and due to a higher mix of premium product inventory at December 31, 2022. The increase in value is consistent with our increase in average selling price and higher premium product mix in our order backlog. Total volume of inventory on hand decreased at December 31, 2022 compared with the prior year. We define managed working capital as net accounts receivable plus net inventory, minus accounts payable and other current liabilities.

Net cash used in investing activity

Our capital spending was $13.0 million in 2023 compared to $12.1 million in 2022. The increase of $0.9 million in the current year was driven by completion of our strategic project to expand our premium product remelt capability and capacity.

Net cash provided by financing activities

During 2023, we used $13.8 million of cash in our financing activities, primarily making net payments on our revolving credit facility, term loan and finance leases. During 2022, our financing activities provided $22.9 million of cash, primarily through net borrowings on our revolving credit facility. We also executed a financing lease transaction in the fourth quarter to help fund our strategic capital expenditures which included a $1.8 million sales and leaseback component, accounted for as a loan, and made payments on existing financing leases and on our term loan within our Credit Agreement.

We maintain sales price surcharge to mitigate the risk of substantial raw material cost fluctuations. The market values for these raw materials and others continue to fluctuate based on supply and demand, market disruptions and other factors. Over time, our surcharge will effectively offset changes in raw material costs; however, during a period of rising or falling prices the timing will cause variation between reporting periods.

Credit Facility

On March 17, 2021, we entered into the Second Amended and Restated Revolving Credit, Term Loan and Security Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), with PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC Bank”), as administrative agent and co-collateral agent, Bank of America, N.A., as co-collateral agent, the Lenders (as defined in the Credit Agreement) party thereto from time to time and PNC Capital Markets LLC, as sole lead arranger and sole bookrunner. The Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $105.0 million (“Revolving Credit Facility”) and a senior secured term loan facility (“Term Loan”) in the amount of $15.0 million (together with the Revolving Credit Facility, the “Facilities”).

The Company maintained compliance with all applicable covenants at December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The Facilities, which expire on March 17, 2026 (the “Expiration Date”), are collateralized by a first lien on substantially all the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, except that no real property is collateral under the Facilities other than Company’s real property in North Jackson, Ohio.

Availability under the Credit Agreement is based on eligible accounts receivable and inventory. The Company must maintain undrawn availability under the Credit Agreement of at least $11.0 million. That requirement can be overcome if the Company maintains a fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.10 to 1.0 measured on a rolling two-quarter basis and calculated in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement.

The Company is required to pay a commitment fee of 0.25% based on the daily unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility.

With respect to the Term Loan, the Company must pay quarterly installments of the principal of approximately $0.5 million, plus accrued and unpaid interest, on the first day of each fiscal quarter beginning on June 30, 2021. To the extent not previously paid, the Term Loan will become due and payable in full on the Expiration Date.

Amounts outstanding under the Facilities, at the Company’s option, will bear interest at either a base rate or a SOFR based rate, in either case calculated in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement. Interest under the Credit Agreement is payable monthly. We elected to use the SOFR based rate for most of the debt outstanding under the Facilities during 2023. At December 31, 2023, the SOFR based rate was approximately 8.0% on our Revolving Credit Facility and 8.5% for the Term Loan.

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had net deferred financing costs related to the Credit Agreement of approximately $0.5 million and $0.7 million recorded to the consolidated balance sheet, respectively. We amortized $0.2 million of those costs during each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Leases

The Company periodically enters into leases in its normal course of business. Operating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets are recorded to the consolidated balance sheet at the present value of minimum lease payments. The assets are included in Other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets and are amortized over the respective terms, which are five years or less. The long-term component of the lease liability is recorded in Other long-term liabilities, net and the current component is included in Other current liabilities.

The right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for finance leases are recorded at the present value of minimum lease payments. The assets are included in Property, plant and equipment, net on the consolidated balance sheets and are depreciated over the respective lease terms. The long-term component of the lease liability is included in Long-term debt and the current component is included in Current portion of long-term debt.

The Company entered into four new finance lease agreements during 2023. Refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for further information.

Share-Based Activity

We granted stock options or restricted stock units, and issued shares of our common stock to officers, employees, and non-employee directors during 2023, 2022 and 2021 through our incentive compensation plans. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information.

Contingent Items

Product Claims. We are subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the normal course of conducting business. There were no material product claims outstanding at December 31, 2023.

Environmental Matters. We, as well as other specialty metal manufacturers, are subject to demanding environmental standards imposed by federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. We are not aware of any environmental condition that currently exists at any of our facilities that are probable or reasonably possible of having a material impact on our results of operations or liquidity. We are aware of energy usage concerns relating to climate change; however, we are not aware of any pending regulations that are expected to have a material impact on our results of operations or liquidity.

Legal Matters. From time to time, various lawsuits and claims have been or may be asserted against us relating to the conduct of our business, including routine litigation relating to commercial and employment matters. The ultimate cost and outcome of any litigation or claim cannot be predicted with certainty. Management believes, based on information presently available, that the likelihood that the ultimate outcome of any such pending matter will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, or liquidity or a material impact to its results of operations is remote, although the resolution of one or more of these matters may have a material adverse effect on its results of operations for the period in which the resolution occurs.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The Company’s revenues are primarily composed of sales of products. Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when the Company satisfies its performance obligation under a contract by transferring control of the promised product to its customer, which in most cases coincides with shipment of the related product. Certain sales qualify for over-time revenue recognition. Sales of certain specified product grades and shapes, and sales from conversion services, are recognized over-time. The Company’s identification of and accounting for these sales is discussed further in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Management regularly monitors the ability to collect its unpaid sales invoices. The allowance for doubtful accounts includes specific reserves for the value of outstanding invoices issued to customers that are deemed potentially not collectible.

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost of inventory is principally determined by the weighted average cost method for material and operation costs. An inventory reserve is provided for material on hand for which management believes cost exceeds net realizable value. We reserve for slow-moving inventory and inventory that is being evaluated under our quality control process. The reserves are based upon management’s expected method of disposition.

Property, Plant and Equipment (“PP&E”) is stated at historical cost or fair value at acquisition less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed by the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets for book purposes. Depreciation for income tax purposes is computed using accelerated methods. Upon disposal, assets and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the financial statements and differences between the net book value and proceeds from disposal are generally included in cost of goods sold in the consolidated statement of operations. PP&E is evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable in relation to the operating performance and future undiscounted cash flows of the underlying assets. Adjustments are made if the sum of expected future cash flows is less than book value. No impairment was recorded as of December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021.

Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences between amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the basis of such assets and liabilities as measured by tax laws and regulations. Our deferred tax assets include net operating loss carry forwards that can be used to offset taxable income in future periods and reduce income taxes payable in those future periods. These deferred tax assets will expire, if unused, at various times beginning in 2027. Deferred tax liabilities primarily relate to book / tax depreciation differences. Management assesses the need to record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized.

The calculation for our share-based compensation expense involves several assumptions. Management believes each assumption used in the valuation is reasonable because it considers the experience of the plan and reasonable expectations. Management estimates volatility based on historical data, future expectations and the expected term of the share-based compensation awards. The assumptions, however, involve inherent uncertainties. As a result, if other assumptions had been used, share-based compensation expense could have varied.

Prices for our raw materials and natural gas requirements are subject to frequent market fluctuations, and profit margins may decline in the event market prices increase. Selling price increases and surcharges are utilized to offset raw material, electricity and natural gas market price increases.

Raw material prices vary based on numerous factors, including quality, and are subject to frequent market fluctuations. Future raw material prices cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. We do not maintain any fixed-price long-term agreements with any of our raw material suppliers.

We maintain a sales price surcharge on certain of our products to help offset the impact of raw material price fluctuations. For certain products, the surcharge is calculated at the time of order entry, based on current raw material prices or prices at the time of shipment. For certain finished products, the surcharge is calculated based on the monthly average raw material prices two months prior to the promised ship date. While the material surcharge is designed to offset modest fluctuations in raw material prices, it cannot immediately absorb significant spikes in raw material prices. A material change in raw material prices within a short period of time could have a material effect on our financial results and there can be no assurance that the raw material surcharge will completely offset immediate changes in our raw material costs.

At December 31, 2023, we had $78.6 million of floating rate debt outstanding with interest rates between 8.0% and 10.0%. Since the interest rate on floating rate debt changes with the short-term market rate of interest, we are exposed to the risk that these interest rates may increase, raising our interest expense. Exclusive of any interest rate hedges, a hypothetical 1.0% increase or decrease in our floating rate debt interest rates would unfavorably or favorably impact our annual pre-tax results by approximately $0.9 million.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

UNIVERSAL STAINLESS & ALLOY PRODUCTS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS