nsys20211231

nsys20211231_10k.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

☐ Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

for the transition period from __________ to __________

NORTECH SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Commission file number 0-13257

State of Incorporation: Minnesota

IRS Employer Identification No. 41-1681094

Executive Offices: 7550 Meridian Circle N #150, Maple Grove, MN 55369

Telephone number: (952) 345-2244

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 $.01 per share

NSYS

NASDAQ Capital Market

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

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 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 (§232.405 of this chapter) 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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. ☐

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. ☒

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

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of $7.99 per share, was $9,858,892 on June 30, 2021.

Shares of common stock outstanding at March 9, 2022: 2,682,064.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for Registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 11, 2022 have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. The Proxy Statement is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) within 120 days after December 31, 2021, the end of our fiscal year.

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NORTECH SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I		PAGE

Item 1.	Business	4-7
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	8-15
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	15
Item 2.	Properties	16
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	16
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	16

PART II

Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	17
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	17
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	18-28
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	28
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	29-59
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	60
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	60
Item 9B.	Other Information	60

PART III

Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	61
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	61
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Management and Related Stockholder Matters	61-62
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	62
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	62

PART IV

Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	63-65
	Signatures	66
	Index to Exhibits	67-69

NORTECH SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2021

PART I

Item 1. Business

General

Nortech Systems, Inc., (“the Company”, “we”, “our”) organized in December 1990, is a provider of design and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical devices, electromechanical systems, assemblies and components headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. We maintain facilities and operations in Minnesota in the United States; Monterrey, Mexico; and Suzhou, China. We offer a full range of value-added engineering, technical and manufacturing services and support including project management, designing, testing, prototyping, manufacturing, supply chain management and post-market services. Our manufacturing and engineering services include complete medical devices, printed circuit board assemblies, wire and cable assemblies, and complex higher-level electromechanical assemblies. The majority of our revenue is derived from products built to the customer's design specifications.

Our breadth of manufacturing, technical expertise and experience make us attractive to our broad customer base. Our customers are original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) in the Medical, Aerospace and Defense and Industrial markets. The diversity in the markets we serve is an advantage in dealing with the effects of fluctuations from the economy and competition. In the design phase, we provide technical support, subject matter expertise in design for manufacturing and testing capabilities that allow our customer programs to get to production faster while meeting both their quality and cost requirements. Our customers rely on our experience and capabilities in manufacturing and supply chain to manage and reduce cost over the life cycle of their products. This requires a strong relationship with our customers based on a trusting partnership as we perform as an extension of their operations.

All of our facilities are certified to one or more of the industry standards, including International Standards Organization (“ISO”) 9001, ISO 13485, and Aerospace Systems (“AS”) 9100, with most having additional certifications based on the needs of the customers they serve. In addition to industry standard certifications we actively manage quality metrics throughout product life-cycle at all levels of the organization to provide real-time, pro-active support to our customers and their projects. Process validation is performed through the strict phases of installation qualification, operation qualification and performance qualification.

Business Segment

The Company operates in the Medical, Aerospace & Defense and Industrial markets with over 50% of its revenue coming from medical device and product manufacturing and related engineering services. All of our operations fall under the Contract Manufacturing segment within the Electronic Manufacturing Services (“EMS”) industry. We strategically direct production between our various manufacturing facilities based on a number of considerations to best meet our customers’ needs. We share resources for sales, marketing, engineering, supply chain, information services, human resources, payroll, and all corporate accounting functions. Our financial information is consolidated and evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in assessing performance and allocating resources.

Business Strategy

The EMS industry has evolved into a dynamic, high-tech, regulated global electronics contract services industry. We continue to expand our capabilities and footprint to better meet these changing market requirements. Along with offering technical expertise in our quality processes, engineering design applications and testing, we are also increasing our focus on supplier-managed inventory services and the cost drivers throughout the global supply chain. We continue to transform our business model from one that is less transactional and price/commodity driven to a solution based model focused on value added services. We continue to pursue strategic opportunities that may include acquisitions, mergers, and/or joint ventures with complementary companies to expand our service offering, advance our competitive edge, grow our customer base and increase revenues. Our strategic objectives and our history have been based on both organic and acquired growth.

Our quality systems and processes are based on ISO standards with all facilities certified to ISO 9001 and/or AS9100 standards. We also have ISO 13485 certification which recognizes our quality management systems applicable to contract design, manufacture and repair of assemblies for the medical industry. Our Milaca operation is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) registered facility. These certifications and registrations provide our customers assurance of our capabilities and proven processes.

We are committed to quality, cost effectiveness and responsiveness to customer requirements. To achieve these objectives we have invested in Restriction of Hazardous Substances (lead free) processing, equipment, plant capacity studies, people, enterprise resource planning systems, lean manufacturing and supply chain management techniques at our facilities. We are committed to continuous improvement and have invested in training our people to identify and act on improvement opportunities. We maintain a diversified customer base and expand into other capabilities and services when there is a fit with our core competencies and strategic vision.

Marketing

We concentrate our marketing efforts in the Medical, Aerospace & Defense and Industrial markets. Our marketing strategy emphasizes our breadth, expertise and experience in each of our markets. Our expertise helps our customers save time and money and also reduces their risks. The breadth of our manufacturing, supply chain, engineering services and complete turnkey solutions assist our customers in getting their products to market quickly while managing the total cost solution. Our strength is managing low to moderate volume components and assemblies with high mix customer demand. This requires us to have close customer relationships and operational flexibility to manage the variation of product demands.

Our customer emphasis continues to be on companies that require an electronic manufacturing partner with a high degree of manufacturing and quality sophistication, including statistical process control, statistical quality control, ISO standards, Military Specifications, AS9100 and FDA facility registration. We continue efforts to penetrate our existing customer base and expand market opportunities with participation in industry forums and selected trade shows. We target customers who value proven manufacturing performance, design, project management and application engineering expertise and who value the flexibility to manage the supply chain of a high mix of products and services. We market our services through a mix of traditional marketing outreach, a specialized business development team and independent manufacturers' representatives. For more information on our marketing and service offerings see our web site at nortechsys.com. The information on our company’s website is not part of this filing.

Sources and Availability of Materials

We currently purchase the majority of our electronic components globally and directly from electronic component manufacturers and large electronic distributors. In 2021, we, like many other companies in our industries, experienced significant supply chain and shipping disruptions. We attempt to overcome these disruptions through advanced supply chain solutions we develop in partnership with our customers, a commitment to strong supplier partnerships and risk management tools.

Major Customers

Our largest customer accounted for approximately 26.9% and 23.4% of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Patents and Licenses

Our success depends on our technical expertise, trade secrets, supply chain and manufacturing skills. However, during the normal course of business we have obtained or developed proprietary product requiring licensing, patent, copyright or trademark protection.

Competition

The contract manufacturing EMS industry's competitive makeup includes small closely held contract manufacturing companies, large global full-service contract manufacturers, company-owned in-house manufacturing facilities and foreign contract manufacturers. We do not believe that the small closely held operations pose a significant competitive threat in the markets and customers we serve, as they generally do not have the complete manufacturing and engineering services or capabilities required by our target customers. We believe the larger global full service and foreign manufacturers are more focused on higher volume customer engagements and we do not see them as our primary competition. We continue to see opportunities with OEM companies that have their own in-house electronic manufacturing capabilities as they evaluate their internal costs and investments against outsourcing to contract manufacturers like us. We see trends of the low volume, high mix customer demand going to a regional supply base. This is a good fit with our operations in US, Mexico and Asia. We continue to study and investigate other regions and global alternatives to meet our competitive challenges and customer requirements.

Research and Development

We perform research and development for customers on an as requested, project and program basis for development of conceptual engineering and design activities as well as products moving into production. We spent approximately $528,000 and $0 on Company-sponsored product research and development in 2021 and 2020, respectively. We continue to explore opportunities for developing proprietary manufacturing methods or products, particularly in complex wire and cable interconnect technologies.

Environmental Law Compliance

We believe that our manufacturing facilities are currently operating in compliance with local, state, and federal environmental laws. We plan to continue acquiring environmental-oriented equipment and incurring the expenditures we deem necessary for compliance with applicable laws. Expenditures relating to compliance for operating facilities incurred in the past have not significantly affected our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.

Government Regulation

As a medical device manufacturer, we have additional compliance requirements. We are required to register with the FDA and are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA for compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (“QSR”) requirements, which require manufacturers of medical devices to adhere to certain regulations, including testing, quality control and documentation procedures. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and is rigorously monitored through periodic inspections and product field monitoring by the FDA. To support the quality requirements of our Aerospace and Defense market customers, all our US locations are International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) compliant.

Human Capital Resources

We have 782 full-time and 25 part-time/temporary employees as of December 31, 2021. Manufacturing personnel, including direct, indirect support and sales functions, comprise 763 employees, while general administrative employees total 44.

Foreign Operations and Export Sales from Our Domestic Operations

We have leased manufacturing facilities in Monterrey, Mexico and Suzhou, China. Monterrey, Mexico has approximately $454,000 and $681,000 in long-term assets, and $2,800,000 and $3,117,000 of Right of Use Assets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Suzhou, China has approximately $715,000 and $688,000 in long-term assets, and $896,000 and $307,000 of Right of Use Assets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Export sales from our domestic operations represented 3.1% and 2.8% of net sales the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Available Information

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports are available free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable, after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). These reports are available on our website at http://www.nortechsys.com and on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Information included on our website is not deemed to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In evaluating our Company, careful consideration should be given to the following risk factors, in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Each of these risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and/or financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our common stock. In addition to the following disclosures, please refer to the other information contained in this report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes.

Risks Related to our Business

A large percentage of our sales have been made to a small number of customers, and the loss of a major customer, if not replaced, would adversely affect us.

Our largest customer has accounts for 26.9% and 23.4% of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The loss of a substantial portion of net sales to our largest customers could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are dependent on suppliers for components and raw materials and may experience shortages, extended lead times, cost premiums and shipment delays that would adversely affect our customers and us.

We purchase raw materials, commodities and components for use in our production. Increased costs of these materials could have an adverse effect on our production costs if we are unable to pass along price increases or reduce the other cost of goods produced through cost improvement initiatives. Fuel and energy cost increases could also adversely affect our freight and operating costs. Due to customer specifications and requirements, we are dependent on suppliers to provide critical electronic and other components and materials for our operations that could result in shortages of some of the components needed for production. Component shortages may result in an inability to deliver products on time or at all, expedited freight, overtime premiums and increased component costs. In addition to the financial impact on operations from lost revenue and increased cost, there could potentially be harm to our customer relationships. To reduce the effects of supply chain disruption for our customers, we have increased inventory significantly, which has resulted in a reduction of cash available. If we are unable to sell such inventory or sell such inventory within a reasonable timeframe, it may adversely affect our operations and financial results.

Our customers cancel orders, change order quantity, timing and specifications that if not managed would have an adverse effect on inventory carrying costs.

We face, through the normal course of business, customer cancellations and rescheduled orders and are not always successful in recovering the costs of such cancellations or rescheduling. In addition, excess and obsolete inventory losses as a result of customer order changes, cancellations, product changes and contract termination could have an adverse effect on our operations. We estimate and reserve for any known or potential impact from these possibilities.

We depend heavily on our people and may from time to time have difficulty attracting and retaining skilled employees.

Our operations depend upon the continued contributions of our key management, marketing, technical, financial, accounting, product development engineers, sales people and operations personnel. We also believe that our continued success will depend upon our ability to attract, retain and develop highly skilled managerial and technical resources and direct labor resources within our highly competitive industries. Not being able to attract or retain these employees could have a material adverse effect on revenues and earnings.

Our engineering revenue depends on our ability to deliver quality value-added engineering services required by our customers.

The markets for our engineering services are characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving process development. The continued success of our business will depend upon our ability to hire and retain qualified engineering personnel and maintain and enhance our technological leadership. Although we believe that we currently have the ability to provide the value-added engineering services that is required by our customers, there is no certainty that we will develop the capabilities required by our customers in the future. The emergence of new technology, industry standards or customer requirements may render the engineering services we currently provide obsolete or uncompetitive. The acquisition and implementation of new engineering knowledge, technical skills and related equipment may require significant expense that could adversely affect our operating results, as could our failure to anticipate and adapt to our customers’ changing technological requirements.

We operate in highly competitive industries and we depend on continuing outsourcing by OEMs.

We compete against many companies that engineer and manufacture complex electromedical and electromechanical products medical, aerospace & defense products and industrial products. The larger global competitors have more resources and greater economies of scale and have more geographically diversified international operations. We also compete with OEM operations that are continually evaluating manufacturing products internally against the advantages of outsourcing or delaying their decision to outsource. We may also be at a competitive disadvantage with respect to price when compared to manufacturers with excess capacity, lower cost structures and availability of lower cost labor.

Competitive factors in our targeted markets are believed to be product and service pricing, quality, the ability to meet delivery schedules, customer service, value-added engineering, technology solutions, geographic location and price. We also expect that our competitors will continue to improve the performance of their current products or services, to reduce their current products or service sales prices and improve services that maybe offered. Any of these could cause a decline in sales, loss of market share, or lower profit margin.

The availability of excess manufacturing capacity of our competitors also creates competitive pressure on price and winning new business. We must continue to provide a quality product, be responsive and flexible to customers’ requirements, and deliver to customers’ expectations. Our lack of execution could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We offer a full range of value-added engineering, technical and manufacturing services and support including project management, designing, testing, prototyping, manufacturing, supply chain management and post-market services.

The manufacture and sale of products carries potential risk for product liability claims.

We represent and warrant the goods and services we deliver are free from defects in material and workmanship generally for one year. If a product liability claim results in our being liable, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial position. We have insurance coverage for products liability claims, but there can be no assurances that the amount of coverage will be adequate or that insurance proceeds will be available for a particular claim.

The Company is majority owned by one group of shareholders, and those shareholders may be able to take actions that do not reflect the will or best interests of other shareholders.

The Kunin family as a group owns a majority of our common stock. As a result, our majority shareholder group will have the ability to elect all of the members of our Board of Directors and thereby control our policies and operations, including the appointment of management, future issuances of our common stock or other securities, the payment of dividends, if any, on our common stock, the incurrence or modification of debt by us, amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and the entering into of extraordinary transactions, and their interests may not in all cases be aligned with your interests.

In addition, the majority shareholder group may have an interest in pursuing transactions that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment, even though such transactions might be inconsistent with your investment objectives.

As a majority owned or controlled company, NASDAQ does not require the Company to comply with certain corporate governance rules including that we are not required to have a majority of independent directors on the board, an independent compensation committee, or an independent nominating and corporate governance committee. The Company is required to have an audit committee comprised of independent directors. Having fewer independent directors or fewer independent members of the Compensation and Talent Committee or the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may result in increased influence of the majority ownership group over business operations.

Operating in foreign countries exposes our operations to risks that could adversely affect our operating results.

We operate manufacturing facilities in Mexico and China. Our operations in those countries are subject to risks that could adversely impact our financial results, such as economic or political volatility, foreign legal and regulatory requirements, international trade factors (export controls, trade sanctions, duties, tariff barriers and other restrictions), protection of our and our customers’ intellectual property and proprietary technology in certain countries, potentially burdensome taxes, crime, employee turnover, staffing, managing personnel in diverse culture, labor instability, transportation delays, and foreign currency fluctuations.

Environmental laws could also become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violation. We operate in environmentally sensitive locations and are subject to potentially conflicting and changing regulatory agendas of political, business, and environmental groups. Changes or restrictions on discharge limits; emissions levels; or material storage, handling, or disposal might require a high level of unplanned capital investment or relocation. It is possible that environmental compliance costs and penalties from new or existing regulations may harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to our Assets

We are dependent on our information technology systems for order, inventory and production management, financial reporting, communications and other functions. If our information systems fail or experience major interruptions due to physical damage or loss of power on our business and our financial results could be adversely affected.

We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage our operational and financial functions. Our computer systems, web sites, telecommunications, and data networks are vulnerable to damage or interruption from power loss, natural disasters and other sources of physical damage or disruption to the equipment which maintains, stores and hosts our information technology systems. We have taken steps to protect and create redundancies for the equipment that facilitates the use of our management information systems, but these steps may not be adequate to ensure that our operations are not disrupted by events within and outside of our control.

If our information technology systems fail or experience major interruptions, or the information technology systems of third parties that we rely upon fail or experience major interruptions, due to cyber-attacks or other activities designed to disrupt global information systems, our business and our financial results could be adversely affected.

We rely on information technology systems to effectively manage our operational and financial functions and our day-to-day functions. We increasingly rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information. In addition, a significant portion of internal communications, as well as communication with customers and suppliers, depends on information technology. We are exposed to the risk of cyber incidents in the normal course of business. Cyber incidents may be deliberate attacks for the theft of intellectual property, other sensitive information or cash or may be the result of unintentional events. Like most companies, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to interruption due to a variety of events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers, foreign governments, and other security issues. We have technology security initiatives and data recovery plans in place to mitigate our risk to these vulnerabilities, but these measures may not be adequate, or implemented properly, or executed timely to ensure that our operations are not disrupted. Potential consequences of a material cyber incident include damage to our reputation, litigation, and increased cyber security protection and remediation costs. Such consequences could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. We have insurance coverage for cyber liability, but there can be no assurances that the amount of coverage will be adequate or that insurance proceeds will be available for a particular claim.

Financial Risks

If we fail to comply with the covenants contained in our credit agreement, we may be unable to secure additional financing and repayment obligations on our outstanding indebtedness may be accelerated.

Our credit agreement contains financial and operating covenants with which we must comply. As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with these covenants. However, our continued compliance with these covenants is dependent on our financial results, which are subject to fluctuation as described elsewhere in these risk factors. If we fail to comply with the covenants in the future or if our lender does not agree to waive any future non-compliance, we may be unable to borrow funds and any outstanding indebtedness could become immediately due and payable, which could materially harm our business.

Our exposure to financially troubled customers, start-up businesses or suppliers may adversely affect our financial results.

We provide manufacturing services to companies and industries that have in the past, and may in the future, experience financial difficulty. Also, we provide services and products to new and high growth companies. If our customers experience financial difficulty or lack of funding for operations, we could have difficulty recovering amounts owed to us from these customers, or demand for our services or products from these customers could decline. Additionally, if our suppliers experience financial difficulty, we could have difficulty sourcing supply necessary to fulfill production requirements and meet scheduled shipments. If one or more of our customers were to become insolvent or otherwise were unable to pay for the services provided by us on a timely basis, or at all, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. Such adverse effects could include one or more of the following: an increase in our provision for doubtful accounts, a charge for inventory write-offs, a reduction in revenue, and an increase in our working capital requirements due to higher inventory levels and increases in days our accounts receivables are outstanding.

Changes in currency translation rates could adversely impact our revenue and earnings.

Changes in exchange rates will impact our reported sales and earnings. A majority of our manufacturing and cost structure is based in the United States. In addition, decreased value of local currency may adversely affect demand for our products and may adversely affect the profitability of our products in U.S. dollars in foreign markets where payments are made in the local currency.

We do not expect to pay dividends for the foreseeable future, and we may never pay dividends; investors must rely on stock appreciation for any return on investment in our common stock.

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to support the development and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Our payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors after taking into account various factors, including but not limited to, our financial condition, operating results, cash needs, growth plans, and the terms of any credit agreements that we may be a party to at the time. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock may be limited by state law. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize certain returns on their investment. As a result, investors must rely on stock appreciation and a liquid trading market for any return on investment in our common stock.

We expect volatility in the price of our common stock, which may subject us to securities litigation.

The market for our common stock may be characterized by significant price volatility when compared to other issuers, and we expect that our share price will be more volatile than other issuers for the indefinite future. In the past, plaintiffs have often initiated securities class action litigation against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. We may in the future be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert management’s attention and resources.

Market Risks

Pandemics or disease outbreaks such as the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19 virus) pandemic have affected and is expected to continue to adversely affect our operations, supply chains, financial condition and results of operations.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting, and is expected to continue to affect, our operations, supply chains, financial condition and results of operations. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has experienced reduced sales, supply chain disruption, product shipping disruptions, reduced customer demand and reduced availability of workforce.

Outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases, such as, historically, the Ebola virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or the H1N1 virus, could cause a disruption to our business. Business disruptions could include temporary closures of our facilities or the facilities of our suppliers, reduced demand from customers, unavailability or restricted availability of our material portions of our workforce, raw materials or components necessary to manufacture our products, or disruptions or restrictions on our ability to travel or to distribute our products. Any disruption of our operations, our suppliers or our customers would likely impact our sales and operating results. In addition, a significant outbreak of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products and services. Any of these events could negatively impact our sales and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. The impact of COVID-19 did result in a triggering event for goodwill and long-lived assets in 2020. See Note 4, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, for a discussion related to a full impairment of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2020. We concluded no impairment of long-lived assets as of December 31, 2021 or 2020.

The economic conditions around the world could adversely affect demand for our products and services and the financial health of our customers.

Demand for our products and services depends upon worldwide economic conditions, including but not limited to overall economic growth rates, construction, consumer spending, financing availability, employment rates, interest rates, inflation, consumer confidence, defense spending levels, and the profits, capital spending, and liquidity of industrial companies.

An economic downturn or financial market turmoil may depress demand for our products and/or services in all major geographies and markets. If customers are unable to purchase our products or services because of unavailable credit or unfavorable credit terms, depressed end-user demand, or are simply unwilling to purchase our products or services, our net sales and earnings will be adversely affected. Also, we are subject to the risk that our customers will have financial difficulties, which could harm their ability to satisfy their obligation to pay accounts receivable. Further, an economic downturn may affect our ability to satisfy the financial covenants in the terms of our financing arrangements.

Our business may be impacted by natural disasters or future climate change.

Natural disasters, such as tornadoes and earthquakes, and possible future changes in climate could negatively impact our business and supply chain. Our properties may be exposed to rare catastrophic weather events, such as severe storms and/or floods. If the frequency of extreme weather events increases due to climate change, our exposure to these events could increase. In countries that we rely on for operations and materials, such as Mexico and China, potential natural disasters or future climate changes could disrupt our manufacturing operations, reduce demand for our customers’ products and increase supply chain costs.

Legal and Regulatory Risks

We may not meet regulatory quality standards applicable to our manufacturing and quality processes which could have an adverse effect on our business.

We are registered with the FDA and are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA for compliance with its Quality System Regulation/Medical Device Good Manufacturing Practices requirements, which require manufacturers of medical devices to adhere to certain regulations, including testing, quality control and documentation procedures. Also, our US facilities are ITAR compliant which is required for our manufacturing of defense related products. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and is rigorously monitored through periodic inspections and product field monitoring. If any inspection reveals noncompliance with these regulations, it could adversely affect our operations.

Complying with securities laws, tax laws, accounting policies and regulations, and subsequent changes, may be costly for us and adversely affect our financial statements.

New or changing laws, regulations, policy and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including SEC and Nasdaq regulations, domestic or international tax legislation and the implementation of significant changes in the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), present challenges due to complexities, assumptions and judgements required to implement. We apply judgments based on our understanding, interpretation and analysis of the relevant facts, circumstances, historical experience and valuations, as appropriate. As a result, actual amounts could differ from those estimated at the time the financial statements are issued. In addition, implementation may change the financial accounting or reporting standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements or authoritative entities could reverse their previous interpretations or positions on how various financial accounting or reporting standards should be applied. These changes may be difficult to predict and implement and could materially or otherwise impact how we prepare and report our estimates, uncertainties, financial statements, operating results and financial condition. Our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations, accounting policies and standards have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities and may have an adverse effect on our financial statements, including cash flows.

Anti-Corruption and Trade Laws - We may incur costs and suffer damages if our employees, agents, or suppliers violate anti-bribery, anti-corruption or trade laws and regulations.

Laws and regulations related to bribery, corruption and trade, and enforcement thereof, are increasing in frequency, complexity and severity on a global basis. The continued geographic expansion of our business into China and Mexico increases our exposure to, and cost of complying with, these laws and regulations. If our internal controls and compliance program do not adequately prevent or deter our employees, agents, suppliers and other third parties with whom we do business from violating anti-corruption laws, we may incur defense costs, fines, penalties, reputational damage and business disruptions.

Non-compliance with environmental laws may result in restrictions and could adversely affect operations.

Our operations are regulated under a number of federal, state, and foreign environmental and safety laws and regulations that govern the discharge of hazardous materials into the air and water, as well as the handling, storage, and disposal of such materials. These laws and regulations include the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; as well as similar federal, state and foreign laws. Compliance with these environmental laws is a major consideration for us due to our manufacturing processes and materials. It is possible we may be subject to potential financial liability for costs associated with the investigation and remediation at our sites; this may have an adverse effect on operations. We have not incurred significant costs related to compliance with environmental laws and regulations and we believe that our operations comply with all applicable environmental laws.

If we use hazardous materials in a manner that causes contamination or injury, we could be liable for resulting damages.

We are subject to Federal, State, and local laws, rules and regulations governing the use, discharge, storage, handling, and disposal of biological material, chemicals, and waste. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to employees or third parties from the use, storage, handling, or disposal of these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, remediation costs, and any related penalties or fines. This liability could exceed our resources or any applicable insurance coverage we may have. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations may become significant, and our failure to comply may result in substantial fines or other consequences, and either could have a significant impact on our operating results.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

Item 2. Properties

Administration

Our corporate headquarters consists of an approximately 19,000 square feet building located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, a northwestern suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its lease expires January 2025.

Manufacturing Facilities

Our manufacturing facilities are in good operating condition and we believe our overall production capacity is sufficient to handle our foreseeable manufacturing needs and customer requirements. The following are our manufacturing facilities as of December 31, 2021:

			Manufacturing
			Space		Office Space		Total
Location	Own/Lease	Lease End Date	Square Feet		Square Feet		Square Feet
Bemidji, MN	Lease	August 31, 2035		56,000		13,000		69,000
Blue Earth, MN	Own			92,000		48,000		140,000
Milaca, MN	Lease	June 30, 2025		15,000		5,000		20,000
Mankato, MN	Lease	August 31, 2035		43,000		15,000		58,000
Monterrey, Mexico	Lease	January 24, 2029		76,000		1,000		77,000
Suzhou, China	Lease	February 28, 2024		27,000		3,000		30,000
Suzhou, China	Lease	December 31, 2023		15,000		-		15,000
Suzhou, China	Lease	October 17, 2023		15,000		-		15,000

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are involved in ordinary, routine or regulatory legal proceedings incidental to the business. When a loss is deemed probable and reasonably estimable an amount is recorded in our consolidated financial statements.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

As of March 9, 2022, there were 628 shareholders of record. Our stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “NSYS”. We intend to invest our profits into the growth of our operations and, therefore, do not plan to pay out dividends to shareholders in the foreseeable future. We did not declare or pay a cash dividend in 2021 or 2020. Future dividend policy and payments, if any, will depend upon earnings and our financial condition, our need for funds, limitations on payments of dividends present in our current or future debt agreements, and other factors.

Stock price comparisons (NASDAQ):

During the Three Months Ended	Low		High

March 31, 2021	$	6.00	$	9.00
June 30, 2021	$	5.45	$	10.67
September 30, 2021	$	7.38	$	14.20
December 31, 2021	$	9.02	$	12.59

March 31, 2020	$	2.52	$	5.60
June 30, 2020	$	2.91	$	5.06
September 30, 2020	$	3.85	$	6.50
December 31, 2020	$	4.22	$	10.14

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Certain information with respect to our equity compensation plans are contained in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data [Reserved]

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

We are a Minnesota, United States based full-service global EMS contract manufacturer in the Medical, Aerospace & Defense and Industrial markets offering a full range of value-added engineering, technical and manufacturing services and support including project management, design, testing, prototyping, manufacturing, supply chain management and post-market services. Our products are complex electromedical and electromechanical products including medical devices, wire and cable assemblies, printed circuit board assemblies, higher-level assemblies, and other box builds for a wide range of industries. We serve three major markets within the EMS industry: Aerospace and Defense, Medical, and the Industrial market which includes industrial capital equipment, transportation, vision, agriculture, oil and gas. As of December 31, 2020, we have facilities in Minnesota: Bemidji, Blue Earth, Mankato, Milaca and Maple Grove. We also have facilities in Monterrey, Mexico and Suzhou, China.

Our revenue is derived from complex designed products built to the customers’ specifications. The products we manufacture are engineered and designed products that require sophisticated manufacturing support. Quality, on time delivery, and reliability are of upmost importance. Our goal is to expand and diversify our customer base by focusing on sales and marketing efforts that fit our value-added service, early engagement design, and development strategy. We continue to focus on lean manufacturing initiatives, quality and on-time delivery improvements to increase asset utilization, reduce lead times and provide competitive pricing.

Our strategic investments have positioned us to capitalize on growth opportunities in the medical markets and improve our competitiveness by expanding our global footprint. Our industrial and defense markets are focused on improving our asset utilization and profitability while transforming to a value added, solution-sell business model that supports early engagement, design for manufacturability and rapid prototyping.

Recent Developments

Global Pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization recognized the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) as a pandemic. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on our operations, we have been able to continue to operate our manufacturing facilities and provide essential services to our customers. Additionally, in an effort to protect the health and safety of our employees and in compliance with state regulations, we have instituted a work-from-home policy for employees who can perform their job functions offsite, implemented social distancing requirements and other measures to allow manufacturing and other personnel essential to production to continue work within our manufacturing facilities, and suspended all non-essential employee travel.

The full extent to which COVID-19 will directly or indirectly impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, the actions taken to contain it or treat its impact and the economic impact on local, regional, national and international markets. The ultimate impact of COVID-19 depends on factors beyond our knowledge or control, including the duration and severity of the outbreak, as well as third-party actions taken to contain its spread and mitigate its public health effects. As a result, we are unable to estimate the extent to which COVID-19 will negatively impact our financial results or liquidity.

We will continue to assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We actively manage our cash and working capital to preserve adequate liquidity and ensure that our business can continue to operate during these uncertain times.

Facility Consolidation

To further improve operational efficiencies and lower overhead costs, the Company approved on August 7, 2020, the closure of our Merrifield, Minnesota, production facility, shifting wire and cable assembly, system-level assembly and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing to Nortech’s other Minnesota locations. The Merrifield production facility consolidation was completed in the first quarter of 2021, and impacted approximately 60 employees, who were offered positions at other Nortech facilities in Minnesota. This closure did not qualify for held for sale nor discontinued operations accounting.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our audited consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of our consolidated financial statements, the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods presented, as well as our disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including, but not limited to, long-lived assets impairment, allowance for doubtful accounts and inventory reserves.

We base our estimates and assumptions on our historical experience and on various other information available to us at the time that these estimates and assumptions are made. We believe that these estimates and assumptions are reasonable under the circumstances and form the basis for our making judgments about the carrying values of our assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results and outcomes could differ from our estimates primarily due to incorrect sales forecasting. We utilize a pipeline generated by our sales team and speak directly with all departments regarding estimates and assumptions. If, for any reason, those estimates, and assumptions vary substantially it would also impact our financial results.

Our significant accounting policies are described in “Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We believe that the following discussion addresses our critical accounting policies and reflects those areas that require more significant judgments and use of estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

Our revenue is comprised of product, engineering services and repair services. All revenue is recognized when the Company satisfies its performance obligation(s) under the contract by transferring the promised product or service to our customer either when (or as) our customer obtains control of the product or service, with the majority of our revenue being recognized over time including goods produced under contract manufacturing agreements and services revenue. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or service to a customer. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation. The majority of our contracts have a single performance obligation. Revenue is recorded net of returns, allowances and customer discounts. Our net sales for services were less than 10% of our total sales for all periods presented, and accordingly, are included in net sales in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. Sales, value add, and other taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are accounted for on a net (excluded from revenues) basis. Shipping and handling costs charged to our customers are included in net sales, while the corresponding shipping expenses are included in cost of goods sold.

Long-Lived Assets Impairment

We evaluate long-lived assets, primarily property and equipment, whenever current events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability for assets to be held and used is based on our projection of the undiscounted future operating cash flows of the underlying assets. To the extent such projections indicate that future undiscounted cash flows are not sufficient to recover the carrying amounts of related assets, a charge might be required to reduce the carrying amount to equal estimated fair value. In 2020, we did evaluate that there was a triggering event, largely driven by the impacts of COVID-19, that indicated that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be recoverable. We performed the recoverability test and determined there was no impairment at December 31, 2020. In 2021, we evaluated that we did not have a triggering event occur. See Note 4, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

When evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts, we analyze accounts receivable, historical write-offs of bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment terms. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts at an amount estimated to be sufficient to provide adequate protection against losses resulting from collecting less than full payment on outstanding accounts receivable. An amount of judgment is required when assessing the ability to realize accounts receivable, including assessing the probability of collection and the current credit-worthiness of each customer. If the financial condition of our customers was to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, an additional provision for uncollectible accounts may be required. We believe the reserve is adequate for any exposure to loss in the December 31, 2021 accounts receivable. At December 31, 2021, our allowance for doubtful accounts was $0.3 million.

Inventory Reserves

Inventory reserves are maintained for the estimated value of the inventory that may have a lower value than stated or quantities in excess of future production needs. We have an evaluation process to assess the value of the inventory that is slow moving, excess or obsolete on a quarterly basis. We evaluate our inventory based on current usage and the latest forecasts of product demand and production requirements from our customers. We believe the total reserve at December 31, 2021 of $1.3 million is adequate.

Operating Results

The following table presents our statements of operations data as percentages of total net sales for the years indicated:

	2021			2020
Net Sales		100.0	%		100.0	%
Cost of Goods Sold		86.2			90.7
Gross Profit		13.8			9.3

Selling Expenses		2.0			2.4
General and Administrative Expenses		8.7			8.9
Restructuring Expenses		0.3			0.0
R&D Expenses		0.4			0.0
Impairment of Goodwill		0.0			2.3
Loss on Abandonment of Intangible Asset		0.5			0.0
Gain on Sale of Property and Equipment		(0.1	)		(3.7	)
(Income) Loss from Operations		2.0			(0.6	)

Interest Expense		(0.4	)		(0.6	)
PPP Loan Forgiveness		5.4			0.0
Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes		7.0			(1.2	)

Income Tax Expense		0.8			0.3
Net Income (Loss)		6.2	%		(1.5	)%

Net Sales

Our net sales in 2021 were $115.2 million, compared to $104.1 million in 2020, an increase of $11.1 million or 10.7% that was driven by increases in our industrial and medical markets. The industrial market increased by $7.1 million or 25.0% in 2021 as compared to 2020. The medical market increased by $8.0 million or 14.5% with medical devices accounting for 22% of the increase and medical component products 78% of the increase. Net sales from the aerospace and defense markets decreased by $4.0 million or 19.4% in 2021 as compared to 2020. The overall revenue improvement was primarily due to higher production volume resulting from actions to scale the direct labor workforce and strengthen the supply chain for parts.

Net sales by our major EMS industry markets for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows:

					%
(in millions)	2021		2020		Change
Medical	$	63.1	$	55.1		14.5
Aerospace and Defense		16.6		20.6		(19.4	)
Industrial		35.5		28.4		25.0
Total Net Sales	$	115.2	$	104.1		10.7

Net sales by timing of transfer of goods and services for years ended December 31, 2021 and 2010 are as follows (in millions):

Year Ended December 31, 2021

	Product/ Service Transferred Over Time		Product Transferred at Point in Time		Noncash Consideration		Total Net Sales by Market
Medical	$	47.3	$	13.3	$	2.5	$	63.1
Aerospace and Defense		14.8		0.9		0.9		16.6
Industrial		27.2		6.9		1.4		35.5
Total net sales	$	89.3	$	21.1	$	4.8	$	115.2

Year Ended December 31, 2020

	Product/ Service Transferred Over Time		Product Transferred at Point in Time		Noncash Consideration		Total Net Sales by Market
Medical	$	45.7	$	6.4	$	3.0	$	55.1
Aerospace and Defense		18.9		0.5		1.2		20.6
Industrial		22.5		4.4		1.5		28.4
Total net sales	$	87.1	$	11.3	$	5.7	$	104.1

Backlog

Our 90-day backlog at December 31, 2021 increased to $36.9 million as compared to $24.3 million at the end of 2020. The 90-day backlog by our major EMS industry markets are as follows:

	Backlog as of the Year Ended
	December 31,				%
(in millions)	2021		2020		Change
Medical	$	20.4	$	12.5		63.2
Aerospace and Defense		7.6		5.5		38.2
Industrial		8.9		6.3		41.3
Total Backlog	$	36.9	$	24.3		51.9

Our 90-day backlog varies due to order size, manufacturing delays, inventory programs, contract terms and conditions and changes in timing of customer delivery schedules and releases. These variables cause inconsistencies in comparing the backlog from one period to the next. Our total shipment backlog was $95.0 million at December 31, 2021 compared to $48.7 million at the end of December 31, 2020.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 13.8% and 9.3% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The gross profit improvement relates primarily to the $4.7 million reduction in payroll and medical expenses related to the ERC and from an increase in utilization as a result of the sales increase.

Selling

Selling expenses were $2.4 million, or 2.0% of net sales, for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $2.5 million, or 2.4% of net sales, for the year ended December 31, 2020.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses were $10.0 million, or 8.7% of net sales, for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $9.3 million, or 8.9% of net sales, for the year ended 2020. The increase in general and administrative expenses compared to the prior year relates to an increase in professional service fees.

Restructuring Charges

Restructuring charges related to the closure of the Merrifield facility were $0.3 million or 0.3% of net sales for year ended December 31, 2021. There were no restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Research and Development Expense

Research and development expenses were $0.5 million or 0.4% of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021. There were minimal to no research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Impairment of Goodwill

The loss on impairment of goodwill was $0 and $2.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. In our impairment tes

SEC Form 10-K filed by Nortech Systems Incorporated