ADMT Adm Tronics Unlimited Inc (QB)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following information, together with other information in this annual report, before buying shares of our stock. If any of the following risks or uncertainties occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, the trading price of our stock could decline and you may lose all or a part of the money you paid to buy our stock. 

RISKS RELATING TO OUR OPERATIONS

NEW ENVIRONMENTAL OR OTHER REGULATIONS COULD INCREASE THE COMPANY'S OPERATING COSTS.

Like other manufacturers, the Company is subject to a broad range of Federal, state and local laws and requirements, including those governing discharges in the air and water, the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes, the remediation of contamination associated with the release of hazardous substances, work place safety and equal employment opportunities. We have made expenditures to comply with such laws and requirements. We believe, based on information currently available to management, that we are in compliance with applicable environmental and other legal requirements and that we will not require material capital expenditures to maintain compliance with such requirements in the foreseeable future. Governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with such laws and regulations, and violators may be subject to penalties, injunctions or both. Third parties may also have the right to enforce compliance with such laws and regulations. As ADM develops new products, those products may become subject to additional review and approval requirements governing the sale and use of its products. Although our manufacturing processes do not currently result in the generation of hazardous wastes, this may not always be the case and material costs or liabilities may be incurred by us in the future as a result of the manufacturing operations. It is also possible that other developments, such as additional or increasingly strict requirements of laws and regulations of these types, or enforcement policies there under, could significantly increase our costs of operations.

BECAUSE WE USE VARIOUS MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES IN MANUFACTURING OUR CHEMICAL PRODUCTS, OUR PRODUCTION FACILITIES ARE SUBJECT TO OPERATING HAZARDS THAT COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY AND LOSS OF LIFE, SEVERE DAMAGE TO, OR DESTRUCTION OF, PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION.

We are dependent on the continued operation of our production and distribution facility. This facility is subject to hazards associated with the manufacture, handling, storage and transportation of chemical materials and products, including natural disasters, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtime, labor difficulties, transportation interruptions, and environmental hazards, such as spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances and remediation complications. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to, or destruction of, property and equipment and environmental contamination and other environmental damage and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. In addition, due to the nature of our business operations, we could become subject to scrutiny from environmental action groups.

FAILURE TO DEVELOP NEW CHEMICAL PRODUCTS AND/OR IMPROVE OUR EXISTING PRODUCTS WILL MAKE US LESS COMPETITIVE.

Our results of operations depend, in part, on our ability to expand our product offerings. We are committed to remaining a competitive producer and believe that our portfolio of new or re-engineered products is strong. However, we may not be able to continue to develop new products, re-engineer our existing products successfully or bring them to market in a timely manner. While we believe that the products, pricing and services we offer customers are competitive, we may not be able to continue to attract and retain customers to whom we sell our products.

FAILURE TO MAKE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR PRODUCTIVITY COULD HURT OUR COMPETITIVE POSITION.

In order to obtain and maintain a competitive position, we believe that we must continue to make improvements in our productivity. When we invest in new technologies or processes, we face risks related to cost overruns and unanticipated technical difficulties. Our inability to anticipate, respond to or utilize changing technologies could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. 

CHANGES IN OUR CUSTOMERS' PRODUCTS COULD REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR OUR CHEMICAL PRODUCTS, WHICH MAY DECREASE OUR NET SALES AND OPERATING MARGINS.

Our chemical products are used for a broad range of applications by our customers. Changes, including technological changes, in our customers' products or processes may make our chemical products unnecessary, which would reduce the demand for those products. Other customers may find alternative materials or processes that no longer require our products. If the demand for our chemical products is reduced, our net sales and operating margins may be reduced as well.

WE HAVE FEW PROPRIETARY RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO OUR CHEMICAL PRODUCTS, THE LACK OF WHICH MAY MAKE IT EASIER FOR OUR COMPETITORS TO COMPETE AGAINST US.

None of our chemical products are protected by patents. We do attempt to protect the names of some of our chemical products through trademarks and some of our other limited proprietary property through trade secret, nondisclosure and confidentiality measures; however, such protections may not preclude competitors from developing similar technologies.

CUSTOMERS OUTSOURCE THE MANUFACTURING OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO US AND IF OUR OPERATIONS ARE INTERRUPTED OR IF OUR ORDERS EXCEED OUR MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES, THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER THEIR PRODUCTS TO CUSTOMERS ON TIME.

We operate a single facility and have limited capacity that may be inadequate if customers place orders for unexpectedly large quantities of products, or if our other customers place large orders of products. In addition, if our operations were halted or restricted, even temporarily, or we are unable to fulfill large orders, our customers could experience business interruption, increased costs, damage to their reputations and loss of their customers. Although customers have the right to utilize other manufacturers, such manufacturers of their products need to be licensed with the FDA, and identifying and qualifying a new manufacturer to replace us as the manufacturer of their products could take several months during which time, they would likely lose customers and our revenues could be materially delayed and/or reduced. In addition, our failure to produce such products could result in claims against us.

WE DEPEND ON A LIMITED NUMBER OF SUPPLIERS FOR THE COMPONENTS AND RAW MATERIALS USED IN OUR PRODUCTS AND THE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED FOR THIRD PARTIES, AND ANY INTERRUPTION IN THE AVAILABILITY OF THESE COMPONENTS AND RAW MATERIALS COULD REDUCE OUR REVENUE.

There has also been a shortage in certain chemical raw materials. This has resulted in delays in the ability of the Company to manufacture products and, in some cases, raw material costs have consequently increased, affecting margins. In response, we have actively sought other suppliers and alternate raw materials to reduce the impact of the shortage on our production capabilities, although in many cases these efforts have had limited results. Such shortages are continuing and there can be no assurance as to when the shortages will be resolved.

We rely on a limited number of suppliers for the components and raw materials used in the products that we manufacture for others. Although there are many suppliers for each of the component parts and raw materials, we are dependent on a single or limited number of suppliers for many of the significant components and raw materials due to our customers’ specifications. This reliance involves a number of significant risks, including:

We do not have any long-term or exclusive purchase commitments with any of our suppliers. Failure to maintain existing relationships with suppliers or to establish new relationships in the future could also negatively affect our ability to obtain components and raw materials used in these products in a timely manner. If we are unable to obtain ample supply of product from existing suppliers or alternative sources of supply, we may be unable to satisfy our customers' orders which could reduce our revenues and adversely affect our relationships with these customers.

OUR ABILITY TO EXECUTE OUR BUSINESS PLAN DEPENDS ON THE SCOPE OF OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND NOT INFRINGING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF OTHERS. THE VALIDITY, ENFORCEABILITY AND COMMERCIAL VALUE OF THESE RIGHTS ARE HIGHLY UNCERTAIN.

Our ability to compete effectively with other companies is materially dependent upon the proprietary nature of our technologies. We rely primarily on patents and trade secrets to protect our products.

Third parties may seek to challenge, invalidate, circumvent or render unenforceable any patents or proprietary rights owned by us based on, among other things:

In general, the patent position of medical device companies is highly uncertain, still evolving and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. We are at risk that:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office currently has a significant backlog of patent applications, and the approval or rejection of patents may take several years. Prior to actual issuance, the contents of United States patent applications are generally published 18 months after filing. Once issued, such a patent would constitute prior art from its filing date, which might predate the date of a patent application on which we rely. Conceivably, the issuance of such a prior art patent, or the discovery of "prior art" of which we are currently unaware, could invalidate a patent of ours or prevent commercialization of a product claimed thereby.

Although we generally conduct a cursory review of issued patents prior to engaging in research or development activities, we may be required to obtain a license from others to commercialize any of our new products under development. If patents that cover our existing or new products are issued to other companies, there can be no assurance that any necessary license could be obtained on favorable terms or at all.

There can be no assurance that we will not be required to resort to litigation to protect our patented technologies and other proprietary rights or that we will not be the subject of additional patent litigation to defend our existing and proposed products and processes against claims of patent infringement or any other intellectual property claims. Such litigation could result in substantial costs, diversion of management's attention, and diversion of our resources.

We also have applied for patent protection in several foreign countries. Because of the differences in patent laws and laws concerning proprietary rights between the United States and foreign countries, the extent of protection provided by patents and proprietary rights granted to us by the United States may differ from the protection provided by patents and proprietary rights granted to us by foreign countries.

We attempt to protect our trade secrets, including the processes, concepts, ideas and documentation associated with our technologies, through the use of confidentiality agreements and non-competition agreements with our current employees, and with other parties to whom we have divulged such trade secrets. If our employees or other parties breach our confidentiality agreements and non-competition agreements or if these agreements are not sufficient to protect our technology or are found to be unenforceable, our competitors could acquire and use information that we consider to be our trade secrets and we may not be able to compete effectively. Most of our competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, technical and manufacturing resources than we have and we may not be profitable if our competitors are also able to take advantage of our trade secrets. 

We may decide for business reasons to retain certain knowledge that we consider proprietary as confidential and elect to protect such information as a trade secret, as business confidential information or as know-how. In that event, we must rely upon trade secrets, know-how, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and continuing technological innovation to maintain our competitive position. There can be no assurance that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or otherwise gain access to or disclose such information. 

IF THE FDA OR OTHER STATE OR FOREIGN AGENCIES IMPOSE REGULATIONS THAT AFFECT OUR MEDICAL DEVICE PRODUCTS, OUR DEVELOPMENT, MANUFACTURING AND MARKETING COSTS WILL BE INCREASED.

The testing and production of medical devices are subject to regulation by the FDA as devices under the 1976 Medical Device Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. In the United States, medical devices must be:

As a result, we, as the manufacturer of other parties' devices, are required to comply with QSR requirements and if we fail to comply with these requirements, these other third parties will need to find another company to manufacture its devices. In addition, the Company's manufacturing facility:

The FDA can impose civil and criminal enforcement actions and other penalties on us if we fail to comply with stringent FDA regulations.

Medical device manufacturing facilities must maintain records, which are available for FDA inspectors documenting that the appropriate manufacturing procedures were followed. The FDA has authority to conduct inspections of our facility. Labeling and promotional activities are also subject to scrutiny by the FDA and, in certain instances, by the Federal Trade Commission. Any failure by us to take satisfactory corrective action in response to an adverse inspection or to comply with applicable FDA regulations could result in enforcement action against us, including a public warning letter, a shutdown of manufacturing operations, a recall of our products, civil or criminal penalties or other sanctions. From time to time, the FDA may modify such requirements, imposing additional or different requirements which may require us to alter our business methods which could result in increased expenses.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMPANY

At March 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $31 million. We may incur additional operating losses, as well as negative cash flows from operations, in the future.

We are highly dependent upon certain customers to generate our revenues. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, two customers accounted for 51% of our net revenue. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, one customer accounted for 48% of our net revenue. All customer purchases are made through purchase orders and we do not have any long-term contracts with customers. The complete loss of, or significant reduction in business from, or a material adverse change in the financial condition of, any of such customers will cause a material and adverse change in our revenues and operating results.

WE MAY BE EXPOSED TO POTENTIAL RISKS RELATING TO OUR INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING AND OUR ABILITY TO HAVE THE OPERATING EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR INTERNAL CONTROLS ATTESTED TO BY OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.

As directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Section 404”) the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the company’s internal control over financial reporting in their annual reports on Form 10-K. A report of our management is included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to comply with all of the requirements imposed thereby. In the event we identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that we cannot remediate in a timely manner, investors and others may lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

WE MAY BE EXPOSED TO PRODUCT LIABILITY CLAIMS FOR WHICH OUR INSURANCE MAY BE INADEQUATE.

Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks, which are inherent in the testing, manufacturing and marketing of chemical products and electronic devices. Although we maintain a general liability insurance policy, which includes aggregate product liability coverage of $3,000,000 for certain of our products, there can be no assurance, that such insurance will be sufficient to cover potential claims or that the present level of coverage will be available in the future at a reasonable cost.

While we are not aware of side-effects resulting from the use of any of our products, there may be unknown long-term effects of their use that may result in product liability claims in the future. Further, we cannot provide any assurance that:

The obligation to pay any product liability claim in excess of whatever insurance we are able to obtain would increase our expenses and could greatly reduce our assets. See "Item 1. Business - Insurance."

THE LOSS OF ANY OF OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICER OR KEY PERSONNEL MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR OPERATIONS AND OUR ABILITY TO EXECUTE OUR GROWTH STRATEGY.

Our ability to execute our business plan depends upon the continued services of Andre' DiMino, our President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as our key technology, marketing, and support personnel. In January 2013, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. DiMino containing non-compete, confidentiality and other provisions for the benefit of the Company. However, such agreement has provisions for early termination by the Company and/or Mr. DiMino. We do not have employment or consulting agreements containing non-compete agreements with certain of our key personnel, and we may not be able to retain these individuals. If we lost the services of Mr. DiMino or our key personnel, our business may be adversely affected and our stock price may decline. In addition, our ability to execute our business plan is dependent on our ability to attract and retain additional highly skilled personnel.

OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND ENTITIES AFFILIATED WITH HIM HAVE SUBSTANTIAL CONTROL OVER US, WHICH COULD DELAY OR PREVENT A CHANGE IN OUR CORPORATE CONTROL FAVORED BY OUR OTHER SHAREHOLDERS.

Our executive officer and director, Mr. DiMino, together with members of the DiMino family, and entities affiliated with them may be deemed to beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 38% of our outstanding common stock. The interests of our current officer and director shareholder may differ from the interests of our other shareholders. As a result, the current officer and director would have the ability to exercise substantial control over all corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, irrespective of how our other shareholders may vote, including the following actions:

PENNY STOCK REGULATIONS MAY IMPOSE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON MARKETABILITY OF OUR SECURITIES.

As of March 31, 2021, our common stock was exempt from the definition of a Penny Stock under SEC under Rule 240.3a51-1 because it meets one of the following tests: 1) A price of over $5 per share, 2) the issuer has Average Revenue of at least $6 million for the last 3 years, or 3) the issuer has Net Tangible Assets in excess of $2 million if the issuer has been in continuous operations for at least 3 years or $5 million if less than 3 years. Should we not meet one of the aforementioned requirements in the future, our common stock would be subject to penny stock rules. Penny stock rules, may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stock or affect their ability to sell our securities. As a result, purchasers and current holders of our securities could find it more difficult to sell their securities. Our stock is traded on the OTC Marketplace Venture Market referred to as the OTCQB. Trading volume of OTCQB stocks have been historically lower and more volatile then stocks traded on an exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market. In addition, we may be subject to rules of the SEC that impose additional requirements on broker-dealers when selling penny stocks to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. In general, an accredited investor is a person with assets in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 individually, or $300,000 together with his or her spouse. The relevant SEC regulations generally define penny stocks to include any equity security not traded on an exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market with a market price (as defined in the regulations) of less than $5 per share. Under the penny stock regulations, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination as to the purchaser and must have the purchaser's prior written consent to the transaction. Prior to any transaction in a penny stock covered by these rules, a broker-dealer must deliver a disclosure schedule about the penny stock market prepared by the SEC. Broker-dealers must also make disclosure concerning commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and any registered representative and provide current quotations for the securities. Finally, broker-dealers are required to send monthly statements disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in an account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.

OUR STOCK PRICE, LIKE THAT OF MANY SMALL COMPANIES, HAS BEEN AND MAY CONTINUE TO BE VOLATILE.

We expect that the market price of our common stock will fluctuate as a result of variations in our quarterly operating results and other factors beyond our control. These fluctuations may be exaggerated if the trading volume of our common stock is low.

WE HAVE NOT PAID DIVIDENDS IN THE PAST AND DO NOT EXPECT TO PAY DIVIDENDS IN THE FUTURE, AND ANY RETURN ON INVESTMENT MAY BE LIMITED TO THE VALUE OF YOUR STOCK.

We have never paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future and any return on investment may be limited to the value of your stock. We plan to retain any future earnings to finance growth.