Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (CPS) FY 2022 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is intended to assist in understanding and assessing the trends and significant changes in our results of operations and financial condition. Our historical results may not indicate, and should not be relied upon as an indication of, our future performance. Our forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. See Item 1. “Business—Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of risks associated with reliance on forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause differences between actual results and those contemplated by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report.
Executive Overview
Our Business
We design, manufacture and sell sealing, fuel and brake delivery, and fluid transfer systems for use in passenger vehicles and light trucks manufactured by global OEMs. In 2022, approximately 82% of our sales consisted of original equipment sold directly to OEMs for installation on new vehicles. The remaining 18% of our sales were primarily to Tier I and Tier II suppliers and non-automotive manufacturers. Accordingly, sales of our products are directly affected by the annual vehicle production of OEMs and, in particular, the production levels of the vehicles for which we provide specific parts. Most of our products are custom designed and engineered for a specific vehicle platform. Our sales and product development personnel frequently work directly with the OEMs’ engineering departments in the design and development of our various products.
Although each OEM may emphasize different requirements as the primary criteria for judging its suppliers, we believe success as an automotive supplier generally requires outstanding performance with respect to quality, price, service, performance, design and engineering capabilities, innovation, timely delivery, financial stability and an extensive global footprint. Also, we believe our continued commitment to invest in global common processes is an important factor in servicing global customers with the same quality and consistency of product wherever we produce in the world. This is especially important when supplying products for global platforms.
In addition, to remain competitive and offset continued customer pricing pressure, we must also consistently achieve and sustain cost savings. In an ongoing effort to reduce our cost structure, we run a global continuous improvement program which includes training for our employees, as well as implementation of lean tools, structured problem solving, best business practices, standardized processes and change management. We also evaluate opportunities to consolidate facilities and to relocate certain operations to lower cost countries. We believe we will continue to be successful in our efforts to improve our design and engineering capability and manufacturing processes while achieving cost savings, including through our continuous improvement initiatives.
Our OEM sales are generally based upon purchase orders issued by the OEMs, with updated releases for volume adjustments. As such, we typically do not have a defined backlog of orders at any point in time. Once selected to supply products for a particular platform, we typically supply those products for the platform life, which is normally five to eight years, although there is no guarantee that this will occur. In addition, when we are the incumbent supplier to a given platform, we believe we have a competitive advantage in winning the redesign or replacement platform.
In 2022, approximately 57% of our sales were generated in North America. Because of our significant international operations, we are subject to the risks associated with doing business in other countries, such as currency volatility, high interest and inflation rates, and the general political and economic risk that are associated with some of these markets.
26
Recent Trends and Conditions
General Economic Conditions and Outlook
The global automotive industry is susceptible to uncertain economic conditions that could adversely impact new vehicle demand and production. Business conditions may vary significantly from period to period or region to region. In 2022, global automotive production continued to be negatively impacted by broad supply chain challenges, labor market disruptions and other lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, while supply chain disruptions show signs of slightly improving, rising interest rates, persistent inflation and continuing military actions in Eastern Europe are contributing to global economic uncertainty and are having broad negative impacts on key sectors of the global economy.
In North America, U.S. consumer confidence has been trending positively since June of 2022 but remains well below historical averages. Key drivers of the improvement in consumer sentiment are modestly lower inflation rates and continued low levels of unemployment, offset by continuing concerns over rising interest rates. Consumer spending, fueled by improving confidence and further drawdown of excess accumulated pandemic savings, and government spending related to infrastructure are expected to drive modest economic growth in the coming year. Economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are expecting the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico to grow by 1.4 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, in 2023.
In Europe, the war in Ukraine, related sanctions imposed on Russia, higher energy costs and infrastructure disruptions continue to impact the regional economy. This is translating into lower industrial output, higher inflation and lower average real household income for most Eurozone countries. While the European Central Bank has ended stimulative asset purchases and is continuing to raise policy interest rates to stem inflation, certain countries within the region continue to provide increased fiscal support at the household level to offset the impacts of higher energy costs. In this uncertain environment, economists at the IMF are currently expecting the economy in the Eurozone region to grow by approximately 0.7 percent in 2023.
In the Asia Pacific region, China has recently ended its strict zero-COVID strategy and has lifted all related restrictive policy measures previously employed to prevent spread of the disease. With mobility restored, pent up consumer demand for both goods and services is expected to boost economic activity in the first half of the 2023. At the same time, demand from external trading partners in Europe and the United States has been resilient and is likely to spur growth in exports. While considerable uncertainty remains in key economic sectors such as real estate, the nation’s leaders have pledged to provide additional monetary and fiscal support as necessary to ensure key economic targets are achieved. Economists at the IMF are expecting the Chinese economy to grow 5.2 percent in 2023.
In South America, the Brazilian economy will likely remain challenged by continued inflation and constraining interest rate policy. Following his election in October 2022, President Lula Da Silva has sought to address deep-rooted social problems and inequities with further expansive fiscal policy and social spending. The increased government spending is expected to spur inflation above 5 percent for the year and will likely force the central bank to maintain benchmark interest rates at high levels to dampen the inflationary pressure. Further, tax increases may be necessary to pay for the spending programs that already exceed strict budget levels. To the positive, the re-opening of the Chinese economy will drive incremental demand for Brazil’s agricultural exports. Economists at the IMF are now estimating the Brazilian economy will grow 1.2 percent in 2023. We remain cautious for the economic outlook in this market given the long history of political instability and economic volatility in the region.
Production Levels
Our business is directly affected by the automotive vehicle production rates in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America which have been adversely affected by a series of significant events in recent years. Beginning in the first quarter of 2020, we experienced production shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, OEM production volumes were disrupted by the global shortage of semiconductors, but have improved sequentially quarter over quarter. In 2022, disruptions stemming from the Russia-Ukraine crisis and lockdowns in key Chinese manufacturing and trading hubs such as Shenzhen and Shanghai further exacerbated supply chain disruptions and vehicle production levels. We continue to collaborate closely with our customers to minimize production inefficiencies while supporting their needs.
According to the forecasting firm S&P Global (formerly IHS Markit), global light vehicle production was approximately 82.0 million units in 2022. This reflects an increase of approximately 6.2% globally since 2021.
27
Light vehicle production in certain regions for 2022 and 2021, as well as projections for 2023, are provided in the following table:
| (In millions of units) | 2023(1) | 2022(1) | 2021(1) | Projected % Change 2022-2023 | % Change 2021-2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 15.1 | 14.3 | 13.0 | 5.4 | % | 9.7 | % | ||||
| Europe | 16.5 | 15.7 | 15.9 | 5.3 | % | (1.3) | % | ||||
| Asia Pacific | 48.1 | 46.9 | 43.6 | 2.4 | % | 7.7 | % | ||||
| Greater China | 26.6 | 26.3 | 24.8 | 1.0 | % | 6.1 | % | ||||
| South America | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 6.0 | % | 8.5 | % |
(1) Production data based on S&P Global, January 2023.
In all regions, production volumes were impacted by the global shortage of semiconductors which began in the first quarter of 2021 and deteriorated thereafter throughout the year. Production stoppages related to semiconductor and other supply chain shortages continued into 2022, but have improved sequentially quarter over quarter. In Europe, vehicle production in 2022 was negatively impacted by additional supply chain issues related to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Industry Overview
Competition in the automotive supplier industry is intense and has increased in recent years as OEMs have demonstrated a preference for stronger relationships with fewer suppliers. Because of a growing emphasis on global vehicle platforms, automotive suppliers with a global manufacturing footprint capable of fully servicing customers around the world will typically have a competitive advantage over smaller, regional competitors. This dynamic is likely to result in further consolidation of competing suppliers within our industry over time.
OEMs have shifted some research and development, design and testing responsibility to suppliers, while at the same time shortening new product cycle times. To remain competitive, suppliers must have state-of-the-art engineering and design capabilities and must be able to continuously improve their engineering, design and manufacturing processes to effectively service the customer. Suppliers are increasingly expected to collaborate on, or assume the product design and development of, key automotive components and to provide innovative solutions to meet evolving technologies aimed at improved emissions and fuel economy.
Increased competitiveness in the industry, as well as customer focus on costs, has resulted in continued pressure on suppliers for price reductions, even in an inflationary environment, which reduces the overall profitability of the industry. Consolidations and market share shifts among vehicle manufacturers continue to put additional pressures on the supply chain. These pricing and market pressures will continue to drive our focus on reducing our overall cost structure through continuous improvement initiatives, capital redeployment, restructuring and other cost management processes. Nonetheless, we continue to negotiate with OEM customers to recover the costs associated with the significant commodity and other inflation that we have incurred during 2022 and anticipate to incur in 2023.
In addition to the above, other factors will present opportunities for automotive suppliers who are positioned for the changing environment, including autonomous and connected vehicles, evolving government regulation, and consumer preference for environmentally friendly products and technology, including hybrid and electric vehicle (“EV”) architectures.
Raw Materials
Our business is susceptible to inflationary pressures with respect to raw materials which may place operational and profitability burdens on the entire supply chain. Costs related to raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, and oil-derived commodities, continue to be volatile, which led to extended and magnified increases in these costs in 2021. Current global events continued to add further price pressure and uncertainty to raw material costs in 2022. In addition, we continue to see significant inflationary pressure on wages, energy, transportation and other general costs. As such, we will continue to work on an ongoing basis with our customers and suppliers to mitigate both inflationary pressures and our material-related cost exposures through a combination of expanded index-based agreements and other commercial enhancements.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2. “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report. Certain of our accounting policies require the application of significant judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. These policies require the most
28
difficult, subjective or complex judgments that management makes in the preparation of the financial statements and accompanying notes. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if (i) it requires us to make assumptions about matters that were uncertain at the time we were making the estimate, and (ii) changes in the estimate or different estimates that we could have selected could have had a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Such critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For these, materially different amounts could be reported under varied conditions and assumptions. While other items in our consolidated financial statements require estimation, however, in our judgment, they are not as critical as those discussed below.
Goodwill. Goodwill is tested for impairment by reporting unit as of October 1 of each year or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an impairment may exist. For our goodwill analysis, fair value is based on the cash flows projected in the reporting units’ strategic plans and long-range planning forecasts, discounted at a risk-adjusted rate of return. Our long-range planning forecasts are based on our assessment of revenue growth rates generally based on industry specific data, external vehicle build assumptions published by widely used external sources, and customer market share data based on known and targeted awards over a three-year period. The projected profit margin assumptions included in the plans are based on the current cost structure and adjustments for anticipated cost reductions or increases. If different assumptions were used in these plans, the related cash flows used in measuring fair value could be different and impairment of goodwill might be recorded. The annual goodwill impairment analysis for 2022 resulted in no impairment for the North America and Industrial Specialty Group reporting units. Additionally, a hypothetical 10 percent decrease in the fair value of these reporting units would not impact our conclusion that goodwill was not impaired. See Note 9. “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Long-Lived Assets. We monitor our long-lived assets for impairment indicators on an ongoing basis. If impairment indicators exist, we analyze the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the long-lived assets compared to the related net book values. If the net book value exceeds the undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is measured and recognized. An impairment loss is measured as the difference between the net book value and the fair value of the long-lived assets. Fair value of machinery and equipment is based upon either estimated salvage value or estimated orderly liquidation value. Fair value of leased buildings is based on a discounted cash flow approach. Fair value of owned buildings is based on a sales comparison approach or cost approach. Cash flows are estimated using internal budgets based on recent sales data, independent automotive production volume estimates and customer commitments, as well as assumptions related to discount rates. Changes in economic or operating conditions impacting these estimates and assumptions could result in the impairment of long-lived assets. In 2022, 2021 and 2020, we recorded impairment charges related to buildings and machinery and equipment in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Corporate and other segments. See Note 8. “Property, Plant and Equipment” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Income Taxes. In determining the provision for income taxes for financial statement purposes, we make estimates and judgments which affect our evaluation of the carrying value of our deferred tax assets as well as our calculation of certain tax liabilities. We evaluate the carrying value of our deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis. In completing this evaluation, we consider all available positive and negative evidence. Such evidence includes historical operating results, the existence of cumulative earnings and losses in the most recent fiscal years, taxable income in prior carryback year(s) if permitted under the tax law, expectations for future pretax operating income which considers forecasted revenue trends within the automotive industry, the time period over which our temporary differences will reverse, and the implementation of feasible and prudent tax planning strategies. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of this evidence, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods.
Concluding that a valuation allowance is not required is difficult when there is significant negative evidence which is objective and verifiable, such as cumulative losses in recent years. We utilize three years’ cumulative pre-tax book results adjusted for significant permanent book to tax differences as a measure of cumulative results in recent years. In certain jurisdictions, our analysis indicates that we have cumulative three-year historical losses on this basis. This is considered significant negative evidence which is difficult to overcome. However, the three-year loss position is not solely determinative, and, accordingly, management considers all other available positive and negative evidence in its analysis. In the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, we concluded that it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets may not be realized in the future. Accordingly, we continue to maintain and adjust as appropriate the valuation allowance related to those net deferred tax assets. However, since future financial results may differ from previous estimates, periodic adjustments to our valuation allowances may be necessary.
In addition, the calculation of our tax benefits and liabilities includes uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions across our global operations. We recognize tax benefits and liabilities based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due. We adjust these liabilities based on changing facts and
29
circumstances; however, due to the complexity of some of these uncertainties and the impact of any tax audits, the ultimate resolutions may be materially different from our estimated liabilities. See Note 16. “Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Pensions and Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions. Included in our results of operations are significant pension and postretirement benefit costs, which are measured using actuarial valuations. Inherent in these valuations are key assumptions, including discount rates, mortality rates, expected returns on plan assets and health care cost trend rates. These assumptions are determined as of the current year measurement date. We consider current market conditions, including changes in interest rates, in making these assumptions. Changes in pension and postretirement benefit costs may occur in the future due to changes in these assumptions. Experience gains and losses as well as the effects of changes in actuarial assumptions are recognized in other comprehensive income. Cumulative actuarial gains and losses in excess of 10% of the projected benefit obligation or the fair value of plan assets for a particular plan are amortized over the average future service period of the employees in that plan. Our net pension and postretirement benefit costs, which included non-cash net pension curtailment and settlement gains and losses of $2.7 million, were approximately $8.3 million and $0.1 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2022. Note that the curtailment charge resulted from the approved merger and termination of certain U.S. pension plans. See Note. 13 “Pension” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
To develop the discount rate for each pension plan, the expected cash flows underlying the plan’s benefit obligations were discounted using a December 31, 2022 pension index to determine a single equivalent rate. To develop our expected return on plan assets, we considered historical long-term asset return experience, the expected investment portfolio mix of plan assets and an estimate of long-term investment returns. To develop our portfolio of plan assets, we considered the duration of the plan liabilities and gave more weight to fixed-income positions than to public and private equity investments.
Weighted average assumptions used to determine pension benefit obligations as of December 31, 2022 were as follows:
| U.S. | Non-U.S. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount rate | 4.55 | % | 4.45 | % | |
| Rate of compensation increase | N/A (*) | 1.58 | % | ||
| Cash balance interest credit rate | 2.41 | % | N/A |
Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for the year ended December 31, 2022 were as follows:
| U.S. | Non-U.S. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount rate | 2.84 | % | 2.39 | % | |
| Expected return on plan assets | 3.50 | % | 2.15 | % | |
| Rate of compensation increase | N/A (*) | 2.39 | % |
*As the U.S. plans are frozen, the rate of compensation increase was not applicable.
The sensitivity of our pension cost and obligations to changes in key assumptions, holding all other assumptions constant, is as follows:
| Change in assumption | Impact on 2023 net periodic benefit cost | Impact on PBO as of December 31, 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1% increase in discount rate | +$0.5 million | -$22.7 million | |
| 1% decrease in discount rate | -$0.7 million | +$27.4 million | |
| 1% increase in expected return on plan assets | -$2.2 million | — | |
| 1% decrease in expected return on plan assets | +$2.2 million | — |
Excluding the impact of any potential settlement charges associated with the approved termination of certain U.S. pension plans, aggregate pension net periodic benefit cost is forecasted to be approximately $10.0 million in 2023.
30
Health care cost trend rates are assumed to reflect market trend, actual experience and future expectations. Health care cost trend rate assumptions used to determine the postretirement benefit obligation as of December 31, 2022 were as follows:
| U.S. | Non-U.S. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care cost trend rate | 6.17 | % | 5.00 | % | |
| Ultimate health care cost trend rate | 4.50 | % | 5.00 | % | |
| Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate | 2028 | N/A |
Aggregate other postretirement net periodic benefit cost is forecasted to be approximately $0.7 million in 2023.
The Company’s policy is to fund pension plans such that sufficient assets will be available to meet future benefit requirements and contribute amounts deductible for United States federal income tax purposes or amounts required by local statute. The Company estimates it will make funding cash contributions to its U.S. and non-U.S. pension plans of approximately $1.0 million and $4.4 million, respectively in 2023.
The Company does not prefund its postretirement benefit obligations. Rather, payments are made as costs are incurred by covered retirees. We expect net other postretirement benefit payments to be approximately $2.2 million in 2023.
Historical Periods
Refer to Part II - Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 for discussion of the Results of Operations, Segment Results of Operations, and Liquidity and Capital Resources for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, which is incorporated by reference herein.
31
Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 vs. 2021 | ||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Sales | $ | 2,525,391 | $ | 2,330,191 | $ | 195,200 | ||||||
| Cost of products sold | 2,395,600 | 2,242,963 | 152,637 | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 129,791 | 87,228 | 42,563 | |||||||||
| Selling, administration & engineering expenses | 199,455 | 227,110 | (27,655) | |||||||||
| Gain on sale of business, net | — | (696) | 696 | |||||||||
| Gain on sale of fixed assets, net | (33,391) | — | (33,391) | |||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | 6,715 | 7,347 | (632) | |||||||||
| Impairment charges | 43,710 | 25,609 | 18,101 | |||||||||
| Restructuring charges | 18,304 | 36,950 | (18,646) | |||||||||
| Operating loss | (105,002) | (209,092) | 104,090 | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net of interest income | (78,514) | (72,511) | (6,003) | |||||||||
| Equity in losses of affiliates | (8,817) | (1,728) | (7,089) | |||||||||
| Pension settlement and curtailment charges | (2,682) | (1,279) | (1,403) | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (5,485) | (4,842) | (643) | |||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (200,500) | (289,452) | 88,952 | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 17,291 | 39,392 | (22,101) | |||||||||
| Net loss | (217,791) | (328,844) | 111,053 | |||||||||
| Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | 2,407 | 6,009 | (3,602) | |||||||||
| Net loss attributable to Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. | $ | (215,384) | $ | (322,835) | $ | 107,451 |
Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021.
Sales
| Year Ended December 31, | Variance Due To: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | Volume / Mix* | Foreign Exchange | Deconsolidation | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total sales | $ | 2,525,391 | $ | 2,330,191 | $ | 195,200 | $ | 322,259 | $ | (96,418) | $ | (30,641) |
* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries
32
Sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 8.4%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in sales was driven by volume and mix (higher net vehicle production volume due to the impact of lessening semiconductor supply issues in the current year, partially offset by the impact of COVID-19 related shut-downs in China and the Ukraine conflict in Europe) and net customer price adjustments including partial recovery of cost increases. This was partially offset by foreign exchange and the deconsolidation of a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region. See Note 4. “Deconsolidations and Divestitures” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Gross Profit
| Year Ended December 31, | Variance Due To: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | Volume / Mix* | Foreign Exchange | Cost (Decreases) / Increases** | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of products sold | $ | 2,395,600 | $ | 2,242,963 | $ | 152,637 | $ | 155,243 | $ | (84,437) | $ | 81,831 | |||||||||||
| Gross profit | 129,791 | 87,228 | 42,563 | 167,016 | (11,981) | (112,472) | |||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit percentage of sales | 5.1 | % | 3.7 | % |
* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries
** Net of deconsolidation
Cost of products sold is primarily comprised of material, labor, manufacturing overhead, freight, depreciation, warranty costs and other direct operating expenses. Cost of products sold for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $152.6 million, or 6.8%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Materials comprise the largest component of our cost of products sold and represented approximately 51% and 47% of total cost of products sold for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The change in the cost of products sold was impacted by higher volume and mix, commodity inflation, increased labor and overhead costs due to inconsistent volume production schedules, higher compensation related costs and higher energy and transportation costs. These costs were partially offset by foreign exchange, manufacturing efficiencies, purchasing lean savings, restructuring savings and the deconsolidation of a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region.
Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $42.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. As a percentage of sales, gross profit was 5.1% and 3.7% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The change was driven by volume and mix net of customer price reductions including partial recovery of cost increases, manufacturing efficiencies, purchasing lean savings and restructuring savings. These items were partially offset by commodity and wage inflation, higher compensation related costs and the negative impact of foreign exchange.
Selling, Administration and Engineering. Selling, administration and engineering expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $199.5 million, or 7.9% of sales, compared to $227.1 million, or 9.7% of sales, for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the non-recurrence of a prior year credit loss, salaried headcount initiative savings, customer recovery of engineering expense, and foreign exchange, partially offset by higher compensation related costs.
Gain on Sale of Business, net. The gain on sale of business of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 related to the net effect of our 2020 divestitures.
Gain on Sale of Fixed Assets, net. The gain on sale of fixed assets for the year ended December 31, 2022 was attributable to the gain on the sale-leaseback of a European facility of $33.4 million.
Amortization of Intangibles. Intangible amortization for the year ended December 31, 2022 was relatively consistent compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Impairment Charges. Non-cash asset impairment charges of $43.7 million and $25.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to property, plant and equipment impairment charges.
Restructuring. Restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $18.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Our restructuring actions include plant and other facility closures and workforce reductions and are initiated to maintain our competitive footprint or in response to changes in global and regional automotive markets. The decrease was primarily attributable to Europe due to headcount initiatives and footprint rationalization actions that were completed in 2021.
33
Interest Expense, net. Net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $6.0 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to an increase in interest rates on variable rate debt.
Pension Settlement and Curtailment Charges. Non-cash pension settlement and curtailment charges of $2.7 million and $1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to a curtailment regarding the approved termination of a U.S. pension plan and settlements related to our non-U.S. pension plans. See Note 13. “Pension” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Other Expense, net. Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $0.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to higher foreign currency losses in the year ended December 31, 2022, partially offset by benefit related income.
Income Tax Expense. Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $17.3 million on losses before taxes of $200.5 million. This compared to an income tax of $39.4 million on losses before taxes of $289.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The tax expense in 2022 and 2021 differed from the statutory rate primarily due to incremental valuation allowances recorded on tax losses generated in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, the mix of income between the U.S. and foreign sources, tax credits and incentives, and other nonrecurring discrete items.
Segment Results of Operations
Our business is organized into the following reportable segments: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. All other business activities are reported in Corporate, eliminations and other. We use Segment adjusted EBITDA as the measure of earnings to assess the performance of each segment and determine the resources to be allocated to the segments. We have defined adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring expense, and special items.
The following tables presents sales and segment adjusted EBITDA for each of the reportable segments.
Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2021
Sales
| Year Ended December 31, | Variance Due To: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | Volume / Mix* | Foreign Exchange | Deconsolidation | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales to external customers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North America | $ | 1,341,099 | $ | 1,148,257 | $ | 192,842 | $ | 195,844 | $ | (3,002) | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Europe | 503,672 | 518,245 | (14,573) | 47,557 | (62,130) | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 443,126 | 458,306 | (15,180) | 45,114 | (29,653) | (30,641) | |||||||||||||||||
| South America | 100,420 | 61,713 | 38,707 | 34,400 | 4,307 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Automotive | 2,388,317 | 2,186,521 | 201,796 | 322,915 | (90,478) | (30,641) | |||||||||||||||||
| Corporate, eliminations and other | 137,074 | 143,670 | (6,596) | (656) | (5,940) | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated | $ | 2,525,391 | $ | 2,330,191 | $ | 195,200 | $ | 322,259 | $ | (96,418) | $ | (30,641) |
* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries
•Volume and mix, net of customer price adjustments including recoveries, was driven by vehicle production volume increases due to the lessening impact of semiconductor-related supply issues.
•The impact of foreign currency exchange was primarily related to the Euro, Chinese Renminbi and Korean Won.
34
Segment adjusted EBITDA
| Year Ended December 31, | Variance Due To: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | Volume / Mix* | Foreign Exchange | Cost Decreases / (Increases)** | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Segment adjusted EBITDA | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North America | $ | 70,819 | $ | 54,616 | $ | 16,203 | $ | 77,672 | $ | (3,395) | $ | (58,074) | |||||||||||
| Europe | (37,137) | (49,599) | 12,462 | 41,972 | 1,394 | (30,904) | |||||||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 1,556 | (16,756) | 18,312 | 25,609 | (6,042) | (1,255) | |||||||||||||||||
| South America | 97 | (9,852) | 9,949 | 10,219 | 3,072 | (3,342) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Automotive | 35,335 | (21,591) | 56,926 | 155,472 | (4,971) | (93,575) | |||||||||||||||||
| Corporate, eliminations and other | 2,533 | 13,557 | (11,024) | 11,544 | 371 | (22,939) | |||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated adjusted EBITDA | $ | 37,868 | $ | (8,034) | $ | 45,902 | $ | 167,016 | $ | (4,600) | $ | (116,514) |
* Net of customer price adjustments, including recoveries
**Net of deconsolidation
•Volume and mix, net of customer price adjustments including recoveries, was driven by vehicle production volume increases due to the lessening impact of semiconductor-related supply issues.
•Foreign currency exchange was impacted by the Chinese Renminbi, Korean Won, Mexican Peso, Canadian Dollar, Euro, Polish Zloty, Czech Koruna and the Brazilian Real.
•The Cost Decreases / (Increases) category above includes:
◦Commodity cost and inflationary economics;
◦Manufacturing efficiencies and purchasing savings through lean initiatives;
◦Increased compensation-related expenses; and
◦Decreased costs related to ongoing salaried headcount initiatives and restructuring savings.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Short and Long-Term Liquidity Considerations and Risks
We intend to fund our ongoing working capital, capital expenditures, debt service and other funding requirements through a combination of cash flows from operations, cash on hand, borrowings under our senior asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL Facility”) and receivables factoring. We utilize intercompany loans and equity contributions to fund our worldwide operations. There may be country-specific regulations which may restrict or result in increased costs in the repatriation of these funds.
We continue to actively preserve cash and enhance liquidity, including decreasing our capital expenditures. We continuously monitor and forecast our liquidity situation, take the necessary actions to preserve our liquidity and evaluate other financial alternatives that may be available to us should the need arise. Our ability to fund our working capital needs, debt payments and other obligations, and to comply with the financial covenants, including borrowing base limitations, under our ABL Facility, depend on our future operating performance and cash flows and many factors outside of our control, including the costs of raw materials, the state of the overall automotive industry and financial and economic conditions, including the continued impact of COVID-19, and other factors. Based on those actions and current projections of light vehicle production and customer demand for our products, we believe that our cash flows from operations, cash on hand, borrowings under our ABL Facility and receivables factoring will enable us to meet our ongoing working capital requirements, capital expenditures debt service and other funding requirements for the foreseeable future, despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues facing the industry.
35
Cash Flows
Operating Activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $36.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to net cash used in operating activities of $115.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The change was primarily due to increased cash earnings, working capital improvements and the receipt of $54.3 million in cash payments from the United States Internal Revenue Service for tax refunds related to net operating loss carrybacks.
Investing Activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $17.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to net cash used in investing activities of $91.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The change was primarily related to proceeds of $50.0 million related to the sale-leaseback of a certain European facility which were received in the year ended December 31, 2022 along with reduced capital spending in 2022. We expect reduced capital expenditures will continue in 2023, primarily as part of initiatives to consistently lower overall capital spending. We anticipate that we will spend approximately $70 million to $80 million on capital expenditures in 2023.
Financing Activities. Net cash used in financing activities totaled $4.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The net cash flows associated with financing activities were relatively consistent in 2022 as compared to 2021.
Refinancing Transactions
On January 27, 2023 (the “Settlement Date”), the Company, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. (the “Issuer”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and certain other of the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries completed certain refinancing transactions (the “Refinancing Transactions”) consisting of: (i) the exchange (the “Exchange Offer”) of $357.4 million aggregate principal amount of the Issuer’s then existing 5.625% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Senior Notes”) (representing 89.36% of the aggregate principal amount outstanding of the 2026 Senior Notes) for $357.4 million aggregate principle amount of the Issuer’s newly issued 5.625% Cash Pay / 10.625% PIK Toggle Senior Secured Third Lien Notes due 2027 (the “Third Lien Notes”), (ii) the issuance by the Issuer (the “Concurrent Notes Offering”) of $580.0 million aggregate principal amount of 13.50% Cash Pay / PIK Toggle Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2027 (the “First Lien Notes” and, together with the Third Lien Notes, the “New Notes”) to holders of 2026 Senior Notes or their designees who participated in the Exchange Offer, including to certain backstop commitment parties who committed to purchase the First Lien Notes not otherwise subscribed for, (iii) the related consent solicitation (the “Consent Solicitation”) to remove substantially all of the covenants, certain events of default and certain other provisions contained in the 2026 Senior Notes and the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Notes and to release and discharge the guarantee of the 2026 Senior Notes by the Company, (iv) the effectiveness of the Third Amendment (as defined below) to the ABL Facility and (v) the use of proceeds from the Concurrent Notes Offering, together with cash on hand, to prepay all amounts outstanding under the Term Loan Facility (as defined below) at par, plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, to redeem the Issuer’s existing 2024 Senior Secured Notes (as defined below), including the prepayment premium and any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and to pay fees and expenses related to the Refinancing Transactions. As a result of the Refinancing Transactions, the Issuer extended the maturities of its indebtedness and reduced the amount of cash interest it is required to pay on such indebtedness for the next two years.
New Notes
On the Settlement Date, the Issuer issued $580.0 million aggregate principal amount of First Lien Notes pursuant to an indenture, dated as of the Settlement Date (the “First Lien Notes Indenture”), by and among the Issuer, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee and collateral agent (the “First Lien Collateral Agent”).
The First Lien Notes are senior secured obligations of the Issuer and are guaranteed by CS Intermediate Holdco 1 LLC (“Holdings”), each of the Issuer’s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries that guarantee certain other indebtedness, subject to certain exceptions (the “Domestic Guarantors”), and certain of the Issuer’s wholly owned subsidiaries organized in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Romania (the “Foreign Guarantors”). The First Lien Notes are guaranteed by Holdings and the Domestic Guarantors on a senior secured basis and by the Foreign Guarantors on a senior unsecured basis. The guarantees of the subsidiaries organized in France are limited guarantees.
The First Lien Notes will mature on March 31, 2027. The First Lien Notes bear interest at the rate of 13.50% per annum, payable in cash; provided, however, that for the first four interest periods after the Settlement Date, the Issuer has the option, in its sole discretion, to pay up to 4.50% of such interest on the First Lien Notes, in such amount as specified by the Issuer, by increasing the principal amount of the outstanding First Lien Notes or, in limited circumstances as described in the First Lien Notes Indenture, by issuing additional First Lien Notes. Interest on the First Lien Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on June 15, 2023.
36
The Issuer may, at its option, redeem all or part of the First Lien Notes prior to maturity at the prices set forth in the First Lien Notes Indenture. Upon the occurrence of certain events constituting a Change of Control (as defined in the First Lien Notes Indenture), the Issuer will be required to make an offer to repurchase all of the First Lien Notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the repurchase date.
The First Lien Notes Indenture contains certain customary covenants that limit the Issuer’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things, incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred stock; incur liens on assets; pay dividends or make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem, its capital stock or make other restricted payments; prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt; make certain loans and investments; enter into agreements restricting certain subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; enter into transactions with affiliates; and sell certain assets or merge or consolidate with or into other companies. These covenants are subject to a number of important limitations and exceptions. The First Lien Notes Indenture also provides for customary events of default, which, if any occur, would permit or require the principal, premium, if any, interest and any other monetary obligations on all of the then outstanding First Lien Notes to be due and payable immediately.
On the Settlement Date, the Issuer issued $357.4 million aggregate principal amount of Third Lien Notes pursuant to an indenture, dated as of the Settlement Date (the “Third Lien Notes Indenture”), by and among the Issuer, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee and collateral agent (the “Third Lien Collateral Agent”).
The Third Lien Notes are senior secured obligations of the Issuer and are guaranteed by Holdings, the Domestic Guarantors, and the Foreign Guarantors. The Third Lien Notes are guaranteed by Holdings and the Domestic Guarantors on a senior secured basis and by the Foreign Guarantors on a senior unsecured basis. The guarantees of the subsidiaries organized in France are limited guarantees.
The Third Lien Notes will mature on May 15, 2027. The Third Lien Notes bear interest at the rate of 5.625% per annum, payable in cash; provided, however, that for the first four interest periods after the Settlement Date, the Issuer has the option, in its sole discretion, to instead pay such interest at 10.625% per annum either by increasing the principal amount of the outstanding Third Lien Notes or, in limited circumstances as described the Third Lien Notes Indenture, by issuing additional Third Lien Notes. Interest on the Third Lien Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on June 15, 2023.
The Issuer may, at its option, redeem all or part of the Third Lien Notes prior to maturity at the prices set forth in the Third Lien Notes Indenture. Upon the occurrence of certain events constituting a Change of Control (as defined in the Third Lien Notes Indenture) occurs, the Issuer will be required to make an offer to repurchase all of the Third Lien Notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the repurchase date.
The Third Lien Notes Indenture contains certain customary covenants that limit the Issuer’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things, incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred stock; incur liens on assets; pay dividends or make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem, its capital stock or make other restricted payments; prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt; make certain loans and investments; enter into agreements restricting certain subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; enter into transactions with affiliates; and sell certain assets or merge or consolidate with or into other companies. These covenants are subject to a number of important limitations and exceptions. The Third Lien Notes Indenture also provides for customary events of default, which, if any occur, would permit or require the principal, premium, if any, interest and any other monetary obligations on all of the then outstanding Third Lien Notes to be due and payable immediately.
In connection with the issuance of the New Notes, the First Lien Collateral Agent, the Third Lien Collateral Agent, the collateral agent under the ABL Facility, the Issuer, Holdings and the several other parties named therein entered into the First Lien and Third Lien Intercreditor Agreement, providing for the relative priorities of their respective security interests in the assets securing the First Lien Notes, the Third Lien Notes and the ABL Facility, and certain other matters relating to the administration of security interests.
2026 Senior Notes
On November 2, 2016, the Issuer issued $400.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2026 Senior Notes. On the Settlement Date, in connection with the Refinancing Transactions, the Issuer completed the Exchange Offer and delivered $357.4 million aggregate principal amount of the exchanged 2026 Senior Notes to the trustee for cancellation. Following the completion of the Exchange Offer, $42.6 million aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Senior Notes remain outstanding.
Following receipt of the requisite consents in the Consent Solicitation, on January 20, 2023, the Issuer, the guarantors named therein and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (successor in interest to U.S. Bank National Association), as
37
trustee, entered into a supplemental indenture to the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Notes, which became effective on the Settlement Date. The supplemental indenture provides for the elimination of substantially all of the covenants, certain events of default and certain other provisions contained in the 2026 Senior Notes and the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Notes and released and discharged the guarantee of the 2026 Senior Notes by the Company.
The 2026 Senior Notes are guaranteed by each of the Issuer’s wholly-owned existing or subsequently organized U.S. subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions, to the extent such subsidiary guarantees the ABL Facility. The Issuer may, at its option, redeem all or part of the 2026 Senior Notes at various points in time prior to maturity, as described in the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Notes. The 2026 Senior Notes will mature on November 15, 2026. Interest on the 2026 Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears in cash on May 15 and November 15 of each year.
2024 Senior Secured Notes
On May 29, 2020, the Issuer issued $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 13.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “2024 Senior Secured Notes”), pursuant to an indenture, dated as of May 29, 2020, by and among the Issuer, the other guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The 2024 Senior Secured Notes would have matured on June 1, 2024. Interest on the 2024 Senior Secured Notes was payable semi-annually in arrears in cash on June 1 and December 1 of each year. Subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2022, in connection with the Refinancing Transactions, the Issuer redeemed all of the outstanding 2024 Senior Secured Notes on the Settlement Date at the redemption price of 106.500% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon.
ABL Facility
On November 2, 2016, Holdings, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. (the “U.S. Borrower”), Cooper-Standard Automotive Canada Limited (the “Canadian Borrower”), Cooper-Standard Automotive International Holdings B.V. (the “Dutch Borrower”, and, together with the U.S. Borrower and the Canadian Borrower, the “Borrowers”) and certain subsidiaries of the U.S. Borrower, entered into a third amendment and restatement of our ABL Facility. In March 2020, the Borrowers entered into Amendment No. 1 of the Third Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the “First Amendment”). As a result of the First Amendment, the ABL Facility maturity was extended to March 2025 and the aggregate revolving loan commitment was reduced to $180.0 million. In May 2020, the Borrowers entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Third Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the “Second Amendment”), which Second Amendment modified certain covenants under the ABL Facility. In December 2022, the Borrowers entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Third Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the “Third Amendment”), which became effective on the Settlement Date. The Third Amendment provides for the ABL Facility to be amended to:
•permit the U.S. Borrower to issue the New Notes in the Concurrent Notes Offering and Exchange Offer, including the granting of liens, subject to the restrictions set forth in the ABL Facility;
•provide for certain of the U.S. Borrower’s wholly-owned subsidiaries organized in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Romania and certain other jurisdictions specified from time to time to become guarantors under the ABL Facility;
•authorize the collateral agent under the ABL Facility to enter into an intercreditor agreement with the collateral trustees for the New Notes; and
•remove the Dutch Borrower as a borrower under the ABL Facility.
In addition, the ABL Facility provides for an uncommitted $100.0 million incremental loan facility, for a potential total ABL Facility of $280.0 million.
The ABL Facility includes affirmative and negative covenants that impose substantial restrictions on our financial and business operations. The ABL Facility also contains various events of default that are customary for comparable facilities.
Loan and letter of credit availability under the agreement is subject to a borrowing base, which at any time is limited to the lesser of: (A) the maximum facility amount (subject to certain adjustments) and (B) (i) up to 85% of eligible accounts receivable; plus (ii) the lesser of 70% of eligible inventory or 85% of the appraised net orderly liquidation value of eligible inventory; plus (iii) up to the lesser of $30.0 million and 85% of eligible tooling accounts receivable; minus reserves established by the agent. The obligations under the ABL Facility and the related guarantees are secured by various assets, as detailed in Note 10. “Debt” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report.
Borrowings under the ABL Facility bear interest at a rate equal to, at the Borrowers’ option:
•in the case of borrowings by U.S. Borrower, the forward-looking secured overnight funding rate for the applicable interest period (“Term SOFR”) (including a credit spread adjustment of 0.11448% or 0.26161%, depending on the applicable interest period) or the base rate plus, in each case, an applicable margin; or
38
•in the case of borrowings by the Canadian Borrower, bankers’ acceptance (“BA”) rate, Canadian prime rate or Canadian base rate plus, in each case, an applicable margin.
The applicable margin may vary between 2.00% and 2.50% with respect to the Term SOFR or Canadian BA rate-based borrowings and between 1.00% and 1.50% with respect to U.S. base rate, Canadian prime rate and Canadian base rate borrowings. The applicable margin is subject, in each case, to quarterly pricing adjustments (based on average facility availability).
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $155.2 million in availability under the ABL Facility. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $0.5 million and $0.8 million, respectively, in unamortized debt issuance costs related to the ABL Facility.
Term Loan Facility
On November 2, 2016, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc., as borrower, entered into the first amendment to its senior term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”). The Term Loan Facility provided for loans in an aggregate principal amount of $340.0 million. Subject to certain conditions, the Term Loan Facility, without the consent of the then existing lenders (but subject to the receipt of commitments), could have been expanded (or a new term loan or revolving facility added) by an amount that would not cause the consolidated secured net debt ratio to exceed 2.25 to 1.00, plus $400.0 million, plus any voluntary prepayments (including revolving facility and ABL Facility to the extent commitments are reduced) not funded from proceeds of long-term indebtedness.
On May 2, 2017, CSA U.S. entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Term Loan Facility to modify the interest rate. Subsequently, on March 6, 2018, the Company entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Term Loan Facility to further modify the interest rate. In accordance with this amendment, borrowings under the Term Loan Facility bore interest, at the Company’s option, at either (1) with respect to Eurodollar rate loans, the greater of the applicable Eurodollar rate and 0.75% plus 2.0% per annum, or (2) with respect to base rate loans, the base rate, (which is the highest of the then current federal funds rate plus 0.5%, the prime rate most recently announced by the administrative agent under the term loan, and the one-month Eurodollar rate plus 1.0%) plus 1.0% per annum. The Term Loan Facility would have matured on November 2, 2023.
Subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2022, in connection with the Refinancing Transactions, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. repaid the Term Loan Facility in full on the Settlement Date and the term Loan Facility was terminated.
For additional information regarding our debt, see Note 10. “Debt” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As a part of our working capital management, we sell accounts receivable from certain European customers through a third-party financial institution in off-balance sheet arrangements. The amount sold varies each month based on the amount of underlying receivables and cash flow needs. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had $52.5 million and $52.7 million, respectively, of receivables outstanding under receivable transfer agreements entered into by various locations. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, total accounts receivable factored were $355.3 million and $366.9 million, respectively. Costs incurred on the sale of receivables were $0.7 million, $0.5 million and $0.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These amounts are recorded in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations. These are permitted transactions under the credit agreements governing the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the New Notes, the 2026 Senior Notes and the 2024 Senior Secured Notes.
Other Capital Transactions Impacting Liquidity
Share Repurchase Program
In June 2018, our Board of Directors approved a common stock repurchase program (the “2018 Program”) authorizing us to repurchase, in the aggregate, up to $150.0 million of our outstanding common stock. Under the 2018 Program, repurchases may be made on the open market, through private transactions, accelerated share repurchases, round lot or block transactions on the New York Stock Exchange or otherwise, as determined by management and in accordance with prevailing market conditions and federal securities laws and regulations. We expect to fund any future repurchases from cash on hand and future cash flows from operations. We are not obligated to acquire a particular amount of securities, and the 2018 Program may be discontinued at any time at our discretion. The 2018 Program was effective beginning November 2018. As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $98.7 million of repurchase authorization under the 2018 Program.
We did not make any repurchases under the 2018 Program during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 or 2020.
39
Contractual Obligations
Our contractual obligations consist of legal commitments requiring us to make fixed or determinable cash payments, regardless of the contractual requirements of the vendor to provide future goods or services. Except as otherwise disclosed, this table does not include information on our recurring purchase of materials for use in production because our raw materials purchase contracts typically do not require fixed or minimum quantities.
The following table summarizes the total amounts due in future periods under all debt agreements at nominal value, undiscounted finance lease commitments and other contractual obligations, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the Refinancing Transactions, which were completed on January 27, 2023:
| Payment due by period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less than 1 year | 1-3 years | 3-5 years | More than 5 years | ||||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Estimated debt obligations (a) | $ | 1,162.1 | $ | 51.9 | $ | — | $ | 1,110.2 | $ | — | ||||||||
| Estimated interest on debt obligations (b) | 369.9 | 51.6 | 170.0 | 148.3 | — | |||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 122.7 | 25.8 | 35.6 | 20.3 | 41.0 | |||||||||||||
| Finance lease obligations | 30.9 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 14.0 | |||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1,685.6 | $ | 132.6 | $ | 212.7 | $ | 1,285.3 | $ | 55.0 |
(a) Debt obligations include (i) $580.0 million aggregate principal amount of First Lien Notes issued on the Settlement Date, (ii) $357.4 million aggregate principal amount of Third Lien Notes, (iii) $42.6 million aggregate principal amount of 2026 Senior Notes, which remain outstanding following the completion of the Refinancing Transactions and (iv) assumptions around interest paid in payment-in-kind as further described below. The above table gives effect to the full repayment of the Term Loan Facility and the full redemption of the 2024 Senior Secured Notes, each of which occurred on the Settlement Date.
(b) Assumes (i) interest on the Third Lien Notes is fully paid in payment-in-kind for the first four interest payments and (ii) 4.50% of the interest on the First Lien Notes is fully paid in payment-in-kind for the first four interest payments. Payment of interest on the Third Lien Notes and the First Lien Notes in payment-in-kind is at the Company’s discretion.
In addition to our contractual obligations and commitments set forth in the table above, we have employment arrangements with certain key executives that provide for continuity of management. These arrangements include payments of multiples of annual salary, certain incentives and continuation of benefits upon the occurrence of specified events in a manner believed to be consistent with comparable companies. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had additional operating leases, primarily for real estate, that have not yet commenced with undiscounted lease payments of approximately $6.5 million.
We also have funding requirements with respect to our pension obligations. We expect to make cash contributions to our U.S. and foreign pension plans of approximately $1.0 million and $4.4 million, respectively, in 2023. Our minimum funding requirements after 2023 will depend on several factors, including the investment performance of our retirement plans and prevailing interest rates. Our funding obligations may also be affected by changes in applicable legal requirements. We also have payments due with respect to our postretirement benefit obligations. We do not prefund our postretirement benefit obligations. Rather, payments are made as costs are incurred by covered retirees. We expect net other postretirement benefit payments to be approximately $2.2 million in 2023.
We may be required to make significant cash outlays due to our unrecognized tax benefits. However, due to the uncertainty of the timing of future cash flows associated with our unrecognized tax benefits, we are unable to make reasonably reliable estimates of the period of cash settlement, if any, with the respective taxing authorities. Accordingly, unrecognized tax benefits of $5.9 million as of December 31, 2022 have been excluded from the contractual obligations table above. See Note 16. “Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.
Excluded from the contractual obligations table above are open purchase orders as of December 31, 2022 for raw materials, supplies and capital expenditures in the normal course of business, supply contracts with customers, distribution agreements, joint venture agreements and other contracts without express funding requirements.
40
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In evaluating our business, management considers EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to be key indicators of our operating performance. Our management also uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:
•because similar measures are utilized in the calculation of the financial covenants and ratios contained in our financing arrangements;
•in developing our internal budgets and forecasts;
•as a significant factor in evaluating our management for compensation purposes;
•in evaluating potential acquisitions;
•in comparing our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with the operational performance of other companies in our industry; and
•in presentations to the members of our board of directors to enable our board of directors to have the same measurement basis of operating performance as is used by management in their assessments of performance and in forecasting and budgeting for our company.
In addition, we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating our performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus income tax expense (benefit), interest expense, net of interest income, depreciation and amortization (or “EBITDA”), as adjusted for items that management does not consider to be reflective of our core operating performance. These adjustments include, but are not limited to, restructuring costs, impairment charges, non-cash fair value adjustments and acquisition-related costs.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not financial measurements recognized under U.S. GAAP, and when analyzing our operating performance, investors should use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a supplement to, and not as alternatives for, net income (loss), operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP, nor as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and they should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results of operations as reported under U.S. GAAP. These limitations include the following:
•they do not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditure or contractual commitments;
•they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
•they do not reflect interest expense or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments under our ABL Facility, Term Loan Facility, 2026 Senior Notes, and 2024 Senior Secured Notes;
•they do not reflect certain tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
•although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated or amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect cash requirements for such replacements; and
•other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently and, as the number of differences in the way companies calculate these measures increases, the degree of their usefulness as a comparative measure correspondingly decreases.
In addition, in evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, it should be noted that in the future, we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in the below presentation. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by special items.
41
The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA from net loss, which is the most comparable financial measure in accordance with U.S. GAAP:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | ||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. | $ | (215,384) | $ | (322,835) | $ | (267,605) | ||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 17,291 | 39,392 | (60,847) | |||||||
| Interest expense, net of interest income | 78,514 | 72,511 | 59,167 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 122,476 | 139,008 | 154,229 | |||||||
| EBITDA | $ | 2,897 | $ | (71,924) | $ | (115,056) | ||||
| Restructuring charges | 18,304 | 36,950 | 39,482 | |||||||
| Deconsolidation of joint venture (1) | 2,257 | — | — | |||||||
| Impairment charges (2) | 43,710 | 25,609 | 103,887 | |||||||
| Gain on sale of business, net (3) | — | (696) | (2,834) | |||||||
| Gain on sale of fixed assets, net (4) | (33,391) | — | — | |||||||
| Lease termination costs (5) | — | 748 | 771 | |||||||
| Indirect tax and customs adjustments (6) | 1,409 | — | — | |||||||
| Pension settlement and curtailment charges (7) | 2,682 | 1,279 | 184 | |||||||
| Project costs (8) | — | — | 5,648 | |||||||
| Divested noncontrolling interest debt extinguishment | — | — | 3,595 | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 37,868 | $ | (8,034) | $ | 35,677 |
1.Loss attributable to deconsolidation of a joint venture in the Asia Pacific region, which required adjustment to fair value.
2.Non-cash impairment charges in 2022 related to recent operating performance and idle assets in certain locations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Impairment charges in 2021 related to fixed assets and goodwill. Impairment charges in 2020 included impairment of assets held for sale and other impairment charges related to fixed assets and right-of-use operating lease assets, net of portion attributable to our noncontrolling interests.
3.During 2021, the Company recorded subsequent adjustments to the net gain on sale of business, which related to the 2020 divestiture of our European rubber fluid transfer and specialty sealing businesses, as well as its Indian operations. In 2020, the gain on sale of business primarily related to divestitures.
4.In 2022, the Company recognized a gain on a sale-leaseback agreement on one of its European facilities.
5.Lease termination costs no longer recorded as restructuring charges in accordance with ASC 842, Leases.
6.Impact of prior period indirect tax and customs adjustments.
7.Non-cash net pension settlement and curtailment charges and administrative fees incurred related to certain of our U.S. and non-U.S. pension plans.
8.Project costs recorded in selling, administration and engineering expense related to acquisitions and divestitures.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3. “New Accounting Pronouncements” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report for additional information.