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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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FORM 10-K/A
[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934 [FEE REQUIRED]
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997
OR
[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED]
Commission file number: 0-19032
ATMEL CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
California 77-0051991
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)
2325 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131
(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (408) 441-0311
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, no par value
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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 [X] NO [ ]
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405
of Regulation S-K 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. YES [X] NO [ ]
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the
registrant, based upon the closing sale price of the Common Stock on March 6,
1998 as reported on the Nasdaq National Market, was approximately
$1,140,587,000. Shares of Common Stock held by each officer and director have
been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This
determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination
for other purposes.
As of March 6, 1998, Registrant had outstanding 99,160,463 shares of Common
Stock.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The Registrant's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1997 is incorporated by reference in Parts II and IV of this Form
10-K to the extent stated herein. The Registrant's definitive Proxy Statement
for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on April 29, 1998 is
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K to the extent stated
herein.
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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
GENERAL
Atmel Corporation (Atmel or the Company) designs, develops, manufactures
and markets a broad range of high performance non-volatile memory and logic
integrated circuits using its proprietary complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) technologies. A MOS (metal-oxide silicon) structure is
created by superimposing several layers of conducting, insulating and transistor
forming materials. After a series of processing steps, a typical structure might
consist of levels called diffusion, polysilicon and metal that are separated by
insulating layers. CMOS technology provides two types of transistors, an
"n-type" transistor (nMOS) and a "p-type" transistor (pMOS). These transistors
serve as the fundamental building blocks of digital electronics. By connecting
them in various ways, integrated circuit designers can construct devices that
either perform logic operations or act as storage media (memory). CMOS offers
higher performance at a lower power and scales extremely well to small feature
size.
Atmel's strategy is to offer products that provide the enabling
technology and features that allow the Company's customers to develop and bring
to market new, high value-added systems and products. The Company's non-volatile
memory products consist primarily of erasable programmable read-only memories
(EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and
Flash memories; and its logic products consist of programmable logic devices
(EPLDs and FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and
Flash-based microcontrollers. The Company's products are differentiated by
speed, density, power usage and specialty packaging. These products are used in
a range of applications in the computing, telecommunications, industrial control
and instrumentation, consumer electronics, automotive and avionics markets.
PRODUCTS
The Company's products consist primarily of EPROMs, parallel-interface
and serial-interface EEPROMs, Flash memories, EPLDs, Flash-based
microcontrollers and ASICs. Substantially all of the Company's products are
based on its proprietary CMOS process technology. Within each product family,
the Company offers its customers products with a range of speed, density, power
usage, specialty packaging and other features.
EPROMs. The Company shipped its first EPROM in early 1986. The worldwide
EPROM market is intensely competitive and characterized by commodity pricing.
The Company's strategy is to target the high performance end of this market by
offering faster speed, higher density and lower power usage devices. The Company
currently offers EPROMs with access speeds of 150 nanoseconds to 45 nanoseconds
and densities of 256 kilobits to 8 megabits. These products are generally used
to contain the operating programs of embedded microcontroller or Digital Signal
Processing-based systems(DSP), such as hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives and
modems.
Parallel-Interface EEPROMs. The Company is the leading supplier of high
performance parallel-interface EEPROMs. The Company introduced its first
parallel-interface EEPROM product, a 64K-bit EEPROM, in February 1986. The
Company believes that its parallel-interface EEPROM products, all of which are
full featured, represent the most complete parallel-interface EEPROM product
family in the industry. The Company has maintained this leadership role through
early introduction of high speed and low power consumption CMOS devices. The
Company was the industry's first supplier of a sub-100 nanoseconds 256K
parallel-interface EEPROM and the first volume producer of a 1-megabit and
4-megabit devices. The Company is the sole-source supplier for several customers
for certain parallel-interface EEPROM devices. In the design of its product
family, the Company has emphasized device reliability, achieved partly through
the incorporation of on-chip error detection and correction features. The
Company currently offers parallel-interface EEPROMs with access speeds of 250
nanoseconds to 55 nanoseconds and densities of 16 kilobits to 4 megabits. These
products are generally used to contain frequently updated data in cellular
telephones, communications infrastructure equipment and avionics navigation
systems.
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Serial-Interface EEPROMs. Atmel used its parallel-interface EEPROM
technology leadership and 6-inch sub-micron fabrication capability by entering
the serial-interface EEPROM market in 1991. This move allowed the Company to
substantially broaden its EEPROM product offerings to include most package and
temperature configurations required by customers in certain segments of the
serial-interface EEPROM market (i.e., the 2-wire, 3-wire, 4-wire and SPI market
segments). The serial-interface EEPROM product line incorporates many of the
reliability, speed and other features of the Company's parallel-interface EEPROM
products. The Company currently offers serial-interface EEPROMs with access
speeds of 20 to 4 milliseconds and densities of 1 kilobit to 1 megabit. These
products are generally used to contain user-preference data in cellular and
cordless telephones, home appliances, automotive applications and computer
peripherals.
Flash Memories. Flash memories represent the latest technology in
non-volatile devices that can be reprogrammed in-system. Flash memories offer a
middle ground in price and features between EPROMs, which can be reprogrammed
only a few times and only if removed from a system, and relatively more
expensive parallel-interface EEPROMs, in which any individual byte of data can
be reprogrammed on the device in-system tens to hundreds of thousands of times.
The Company believes that many of its competitors in the Flash memory market
offer devices based on EPROM technology. The Company's use of EEPROM technology
as the basis for its Flash memories affords the Company's Flash memory products
a number of technical advantages that the Company believes currently are not
offered by its competitors' products. The Company's EEPROM-based Flash memories
can be written using a much lower power, use a simple self-timed write sequence
and avoid the additional system complexity and time required to reprogram Flash
memories that are designed based on EPROM technology. These features offer
system designers considerable improvements in convenience, system cost and
reliability over other Flash memories. Introduced in late 1989, Atmel's Flash
memories, based on its EEPROM technology, were the industry's first Flash
memories that could be reprogrammed using only a single 5-volt power source, a
single 3-volt power source or a single 2.7-volt power source as opposed to the
heavier, larger and more expensive 12-volt power source typically utilized by
many EPROM-based Flash memories. These lower power requirements are particularly
important in portable telecommunications and consumer electronic products and
other systems where small size and weight and longer battery life are critical
customer requirements. In early 1997, the Company expanded its Flash product
offerings by introducing a range of products based on its EPROM technology.
These new products are being introduced into the marketplace. The Company
currently offers Flash memories with densities of 256 kilobits to 8 megabits.
The flexibility and ease of use of the Company's Flash memories make
them an attractive alternative to EPROMs in systems where program information
stored in memory must be rewritten after the system leaves its manufacturing
environment. In addition, many customers use Flash memories within the system
manufacturing cycle, affording the customer in-system diagnostic and test
programming prior to reprogramming for final shipment configuration. The
reprogrammability of Flash memories also serves to support later system
upgrades, field diagnostic routines and in-system reconfiguration, as well as
capturing voice and data messages for later review.
DataFlash(TM). The DataFlash product line represents one of the newest
innovations in non-volatile memory from the Company. Arising out of a need for
memory devices that fit between the requirements of serial-interface EEPROMs and
standard Flash memories, the Company began shipping DataFlash products in April
1997 and is already establishing market leadership. DataFlash products were
designed to easily and efficiently handle large amounts of frequently changing
data, ideally addressing the needs of digital voice storage, digital image
storage, and text/data storage applications such as digital answering machines,
cellular phones, fax machines, digital cameras and computer peripherals.
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To minimize cost, DataFlash products utilize the Company's latest
EPROM-based Flash technology for the core memory array combined with the simple
SPI interface from the serial-interface EEPROMs. Other architectural features
include dual on-chip SRAM buffers and error detection logic, as well as
additional command and device status logic. Available in both 5.0-volt only and
2.7-volt only versions, the Company offers densities from 1 megabit to 8
megabits.
The Company's memory products are used to provide non-volatile program
and data storage in digital systems for a variety of applications and markets,
including computing, telecommunications, data communications, consumer
electronics, automotive, industrial/instrumentation and military/avionics.
EPLDs. Atmel shipped its first erasable programmable logic device (EPLD)
product in November 1987. Atmel has developed a line of EPLDs, ranging from 500
to 5,000 gates, that are reprogrammable and that incorporate non-volatile
elements from its CMOS EEPROM technology. These devices are often used as
prototyping and pre-production devices, and allow for later conversion to gate
array products for volume production. Atmel offers customers the ability to
migrate from EPLDs (either its own or competitors') to Atmel gate arrays with
minimal conversion effort. The Company offers CMOS EPLDs with high performance
and low power consumption. Atmel's EPLDs have device speeds as fast as 5
nanoseconds and can support high speed microprocessor-based applications.
Atmel has adopted the use of industry standard computer-aided
engineering (CAE) design tools for customer programming of its EPLDs. The
Company's EPLD product architecture facilitates support from a variety of design
tool vendors, affording the customer greater flexibility and lower cost than
competing architectures, which typically incorporate proprietary programming
requirements. The Company has cultivated close working relationships with
leading independent CAE tool vendors to supply low cost, industry-standard
design and programming equipment for the Company's customers. Currently, the
Company's EPLDs are supported with software tools from vendors including
Viewlogic, Data I/O Corporation, IS Data, Logical Devices and MINC. Atmel's EPLD
products are used in a broad range of markets and applications including
telecommunications, computers, industrial and military/avionics.
FPGAs. In March 1993, Atmel acquired the technology and certain
technical personnel of Concurrent Logic, Inc., a designer of field programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs), to expand the breadth of the Company's user-configurable
logic device product offerings. The Company believes that its FPGA designs are
well suited for data and computation intensive applications and will also afford
its customers a migration path among logic solutions as their volume and cost
requirements change. Atmel's AT6000 FPGAs were first shipped by the Company in
the first quarter of 1994 and are being used in graphics, image processing,
networking and telecommunications applications, often as a co-processor to a
digital signal processor (DSP) to speed-up certain software routines by
implementing them in hardware. In October 1997, the Company introduced the new
AT40K family of FPGAs with FreeRAM and Cache Logic. These FPGAs are the first to
offer distributed RAM without loss of logic resources as well as a
reconfigurable solution for adaptive DSP and other compute intensive
applications. The devices range in density from 2,000 to 50,000 usable gates.
ASICs. The Company manufactures and markets semicustom gate arrays and
cell-based integrated circuits (CBICs), as well as full custom
application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), to
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meet customer requirements for high performance logic devices in a broad variety
of customer-specific applications. These logic devices are designed to achieve
highly integrated solutions for particular applications by combining a variety
of logic functions on a single chip rather than using a multi-chip solution. In
mid-1990, the Company introduced its CMOS gate array product family to satisfy
high gate count and high performance requirements, primarily in computer,
avionics and military applications. The Company's gate array family consists of
devices ranging from 35,000 gates to more than 3,000,000 gates. Each of these
gate arrays utilizes logic elements from the Company's 1.0 and 0.5-micron cell
libraries and minimizes gate delays to as little as 256 picoseconds. In 1995,
through the acquisition of European Silicon Structures (now, Atmel ES2), the
Company entered the cell based intergrated circuit (CBIC) business, with a range
of products that may include standard digital and analog functions, as well as
non-volatile memory elements and large pre-designed macro functions all mixed on
a single chip. The Company's ASIC products are targeted primarily at customers
whose high-end applications require high-speed, high-density or low or
mixed-voltage devices. However, Atmel offers special versions of its devices to
serve as upgrade and consolidation paths for users of one or more of the
Company's EPLDs or competing vendors' complex PLDs or FPGAs.
To develop gate arrays and CBICs, system designers require sophisticated
development aids. These CAE tools include logic synthesizers, logic circuit
simulators, timing analysis and verification tools, test pattern generators and
testability graders, automated circuit placement and interconnection programs
and mask tooling generators. As with its EPLDs and FPGAs, the Company has chosen
to rely on industry-standard CAE design tools to provide its customers access to
reliable, state-of-the-art development tools. Currently, the Company's ASICs are
supported with software tools from vendors including Cadence Design Systems,
Viewlogic, Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, High Level Design Systems and Very Test.
The Company is working closely with certain customers to develop and
manufacture custom ASIC products for the Company to sell on a sole-source basis.
The Company also has agreements to produce custom products including
radio-frequency powered identification chips targeted at smart card devices.
Microcontrollers. Atmel offers 3 embedded microcontroller architectures
targeted at the high volume embedded controller market. The portfolio includes
the industry standard 8 bit 80C31 licenced from Intel. The 80C31 family is the
highest volume 8 bit microcontroller in the marketplace. The second is the ARM
- -Thumb 16/32 bit RISC architecture licenced from Advanced Risc Machines. The
ARM-Thumb is the defacto standard 16/32 bit embedded microcontroller with over
22 licencees supporting the architecture. The third is the AVR 8 bit RISC
microcontroller which is the highest performance machine in its class. The AVR
offers 16 bit performance at 8 bit price enabling an entirely new class of
consumer devices.
Atmel makes these microcontroller architectures available to customers
in one of 3 ways. They can be purchased as standard products, as application
specific products or as a core in the ASIC library. The Company's key
differentiator is to make standard product devices available within system
programmable Flash program and EEPROM data memory with a variety of peripheral
functions like analog to digital converters. The company is targeting these
devices for use in high volume consumer electronics, computer peripheral,
telecommunications and industrial markets.
These microcontroller products are developed using the Company's cell
based design methodology. This provides the ability to quickly modify existing
devices and create application specific derivatives. For example, the AVR
product family was announced in June 1997 and today there
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are seven standard parts shipping in volume production. These devices are fully
supported with evaluation and development tools, in circuit emulators and third
party high level language compilers. The AVR has excellent market acceptance.
There are over 6000 designers who are using the Flash Microcontroller Starter
Kit and are evaluating the AVR architecture.
TECHNOLOGY
Since its formation, Atmel has focused its efforts on developing
advanced CMOS processes that can be used to manufacture reliable non-volatile
elements for memory and logic integrated circuits. The Company believes that it
is a leader in single and multiple-layer metal, non-volatile CMOS processing,
which enables it to produce its high-density, high-speed and low-power memory
and logic products.
Increasing the number of layers of a CMOS device raises a number of
technological issues. First, each additional layer requires an additional
photomask, adding complexity to the manufacturing process. Also, because
non-volatile circuit elements typically generate higher internal voltages, the
layers of isolation material are required to be thicker and more effective than
other devices. Adding more and thicker layers increases surface irregularities
in the device, further complicating the manufacturing process. These surface
irregularities can cause brittle metal layers to break, which result in device
failure. The Company believes that by virtue of its expertise in manufacturing
CMOS and non-volatile integrated circuits, it is able to produce multiple-layer
metal devices that are as fast as or faster than comparable single-layer devices
manufactured by its competitors.
The Company's current integrated circuits incorporate effective feature
sizes as small as 0.5 microns and, on its memory products, oxide tunnels within
the silicon semiconductor layers of less than 80 angstroms. To enable it to
continue to serve the high performance requirements of its customers, the
Company is developing CMOS processes which support effective feature sizes as
small as 0.35 microns.
MANUFACTURING
The Company processes wafers for its integrated circuits primarily at
its manufacturing facility located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This facility,
which consists of a Class 10 wafer fabrication line and a Class 1 wafer
fabrication line and additional buildings for engineering and test operations,
enables the Company to process in volume 6-inch wafers, with effective feature
sizes as small as 0.35 microns. A wafer fabrication line is considered a Class
10 line if the air contains no more than 10 particles of a 0.5-micron width per
cubic meter. Similarly, a wafer fabrication line is considered a Class 1 line if
the air contains no more than 1 particle of a 0.35-micron width per cubic meter.
The Company also has two semiconductor fabrication facilities located in
Rousset, France - a lower volume 6-inch plant and a newly constructed 8-inch
facility. In an effort to improve productivity and efficiency of the Company's
French manufacturing operations, the Company plans to convert the 6-inch plant
to a test facility and to concentrate its wafer manufacturing in the 8-inch
facility. This new 388,000-square-foot facility will produce 8-inch silicon
wafers using a new 0.35-micron process. Since the technology used in the 8-inch
plant is different than that used in the 6-inch plant, many fixed assets
(machinery and equipment in particular) in the 6-inch plant cannot be used in
the new 8-inch facility. As a result, the Company made a one-time charge of
$43 million, in the fourth quarter of 1997, in connection with the impairment of
these fixed assets in the 6-inch plant.
Because the Company relies on its Colorado Springs and Rousset
facilities for wafer fabrication, its business and operating results would be
adversely affected if wafer fabrication at these facilities were interrupted for
any reason, including factors beyond the Company's control. The
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Company plans to increase its wafer fabrication capacity at its existing
facilities during 1998 and also for installation of equipment at its new
facility in Rousset.
The fabrication of semiconductor products such as those sold by the
Company is highly complex and sensitive to dust and other contaminants, thus
requiring production in a highly controlled and clean environment. Minute
impurities, difficulties in the fabrication process or defects in the masks used
to print circuits on the wafers or other factors can cause a substantial
percentage of the wafers to be rejected or numerous die on each wafer to be
nonfunctional. The Company has, from time to time, experienced delays in product
shipments due to yield problems and may experience problems in achieving
acceptable yields in the manufacture of wafers, particularly in connection with
the planned expansion of its capacity. To optimize wafer yield and minimize
quality problems, the Company tests its products at various stages in the
fabrication process, performs high-temperature burn-in qualification and
continuous reliability monitoring on all products, and conducts numerous quality
control inspections throughout the entire production flow using analytical
manufacturing controls. While the Company's personnel have substantial
experience in the fabrication process, the Company may experience production
delays or difficulties in achieving or maintaining acceptable yields of
functional devices. Any such prolonged delays or difficulties would adversely
affect the Company's operating results.
Average selling prices typically decrease over the life of a product as
volumes increase and competitors enter the market. The Company relies primarily
on obtaining cost reductions in the manufacture of products, increased unit
demand to absorb fixed costs and introducing new, higher-priced products which
incorporate advanced features in order to offset such selling price declines.
However, due in part to overcapacity in the semiconductor industry in 1997,
average selling prices of commodity memory products, such as EPROM and Flash,
declined at an accelerated pace. The Company was unable to match this rapid
erosion of average selling prices with a corresponding reduction in
manufacturing cost. Manufacturing cost reductions may be achieved through using
advanced process technologies to reduce the line-widths in circuit designs which
would enable more die to be etched onto a silicon wafer, increasing unit
production volume to lower the fixed costs allocated to each die and negotiating
volume discounts on assembly and packaging costs. To the extent that such cost
reductions, increased unit demand and new product introductions do not occur in
a timely manner or prices decline more rapidly than costs, operating results
will be adversely affected. In addition, due in part to overcapacity in the
semiconductor industry, the Company's quarterly revenues and operating results
have become increasingly dependent upon orders booked and shipped within a given
quarter. To the extent this trend continues, the Company's quarterly results
will be less predictable and subject to greater variability.
In general, the raw materials and equipment used in the production of
the Company's integrated circuits are available from several suppliers and the
Company is not dependent upon any single source of supply. Although shortages
have occurred and lead times have been extended in the industry on occasion, the
Company has not experienced any material difficulties in obtaining raw materials
or equipment to date.
Federal, state and local regulations impose various environmental
controls on the discharge or disposal of toxic, volatile or otherwise hazardous
chemicals and gases used in the manufacturing process. While the Company
believes it has all environmental permits necessary to conduct its business and
that its activities conform to present environmental regulations, increasing
public attention has been focused on the environmental impact of semiconductor
operations. While the Company has not experienced any material adverse effect on
its operations from governmental regulations, there can
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be no assurance that changes in such regulations will not impose the need for
additional capital equipment or other requirements. Any failure by the Company
to control the use of, or to restrict adequately the discharge of, hazardous
substances under present or future regulations, could subject the Company to
substantial liability or could cause its manufacturing operations to be
suspended.
The Company manufactures wafers for its products in its Colorado Springs
and Rousset facilities. The wafers are then sorted and probed at the Company's
facilities. After wafer probing, the wafers are shipped to one or more of the
Company's independent assembly contractors, located in China, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, The Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand where the wafers are
separated into die, packaged and, in some cases, tested. Once packaged, most of
the integrated circuits are shipped back to Atmel's facilities, where the
Company performs final testing before shipment to its customers. The Company's
reliance on independent contractors to assemble and package its products
involves significant risks, including reduced control over quality and delivery
schedules, the potential lack of adequate capacity and discontinuance or
phase-out of such contractors' assembly processes. There can be no assurance
that such contractors will continue to assemble, package and test products for
the Company. In addition, because the Company's assembly contractors are located
in foreign countries, the Company is subject to certain risks generally
associated with contracting with foreign suppliers, including currency exchange
fluctuations, political and economic instability, trade restrictions and changes
in tariff and freight rates.
The Company offers its customers numerous packaging options for its
standard products. The Company believes that by providing multiple packaging
options, it can target its products to niche markets, which are less susceptible
to competitive pricing pressures than commodity markets.
MARKETING AND SALES
The Company markets its products worldwide to a diverse base of original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) serving primarily commercial markets. In the
United States and Canada, the Company sells its products to large OEM accounts
primarily through manufacturers' representatives and through national and
regional distributors. The Company supports this sales network from the
Company's headquarters in San Jose, California and through regional offices in
Southern California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey,
North Carolina and Texas. Sales to domestic OEMs and to domestic distributors,
as a percentage of worldwide net revenues were 26 percent and 13 percent in
1997, 25 percent and 11 percent in 1996, and 27 percent and 13 percent in 1994,
respectively.
The Company recognizes revenues on products shipped to domestic
distributors only after the product has been shipped by the distributor to its
end customer. Consistent with industry practice, the Company provides its
distributors with stock balancing and price protection rights, which permit
distributors to return slow-moving products for credit and allow price
adjustments on product inventories if the Company lowers the price of those
products. Generally, distributors may return products every six months for up to
a maximum of 5.0 percent of the net value of all products purchased by
distributors during the immediately preceding six-month period.
Sales to foreign customers are made primarily through international
distributors, who are managed from the Company's headquarters in San Jose and
from its foreign sales offices in: Kanata, Canada; Camberley, England; Glostrup,
Denmark; Frankfurt and Raubling, Germany; Espoo, Finland; Hong Kong; Paris,
France; Agrate Brianza, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Singapore;
Stockholm, Sweden and Taipei, Taiwan. Foreign product sales were approximately
61 percent, 64
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percent and 60 percent of total revenues in 1997, 1996 and 1995, respectively.
Although foreign sales are subject to certain government export restrictions, to
date the Company has not experienced any material difficulties because of these
restrictions. Atmel expects that revenues derived from international sales will
continue to represent a significant portion of net revenues. International sales
are subject to a variety of risks, including those arising from currency
fluctuations, tariffs, trade barriers, taxes and export license requirements.
Because the majority of the Company's foreign sales are denominated in United
States dollars, the Company's products may become less price competitive in
countries with currencies declining in value against the dollar. In 1997, the
business condition in Asia was severely affected by the banking and currency
issues which adversely affected the Company's operating results. The continuance
or worsening of the business and financial situations in Asia, where more than
40 percent of the Company's revenues are generated, would likely have a material
adverse effect on the Company's operating results in the future.
A significant portion of the Company's sales are made from inventory on
a current basis. Sales are made primarily pursuant to purchase orders for
current delivery, or agreements covering purchases over a period of time, which
are frequently subject to revision and cancellation without penalty. Generally,
in light of current industry practice and experience, the Company does not
believe that such agreements provide meaningful backlog figures or are
necessarily indicative of actual sales for any succeeding period.
The Company believes that its network of manufacturers' representatives
and distributors provides effective coverage of existing and potential OEM
customers while minimizing the costs associated with a large direct sales force.
The Company's agreements with its manufacturers' representatives and domestic
and international distributors are generally terminable by either party on short
notice, subject to local laws. The Company's marketing, sales and support
organization at December 31, 1997 consisted of 308 persons.
In 1997, 1996 and 1995, Motorola, Inc. accounted for 12.6 percent, 12.0
percent and 16.9 percent of the Company's net revenues, respectively.
The Company typically has agreements with its customers, including
Motorola, Inc., that allow the customers to cancel their orders on short notice
and without penalty, and therefore these agreements may not be a meaningful
indicator of future revenues.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The Company believes that significant investment in research and
development is critical to its continued success, growth and profitability, and
therefore intends to continue to devote substantial resources, including
management time, to achieve its objectives. These objectives include increasing
the performance of its existing product lines, developing new product lines
drawing on its expertise in CMOS non-volatile process and design technologies,
and developing new process and design technologies. The Company focuses its
efforts on improving the speed, density, power usage and reliability of its
existing product families. The Company continues to develop new products and
revise some of its current products with smaller effective feature sizes, the
fabrication of which will be substantially more complex than fabrication of the
Company's current products. No assurance can be given that the Company's product
and process development efforts will be successful or that its new products will
achieve market acceptance.
At December 31, 1997, approximately 216 employees were engaged in
research and development at the Company. During 1997, 1996 and 1995 the Company
spent $137.9 million, $110.2 million and $69.8 million, respectively, on
research and development. Included in the 1997 research and development expense
was the $15.0 million expense related to qualifying the newly completed 8-inch
fabrication facility in France. Research and development expenses are charged to
operations as incurred. The Company expects that these expenditures will
continue to increase in the future.
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COMPETITION
The semiconductor industry is intensely competitive and is characterized
by rapid technological change, rapid product obsolescence and price erosion. The
semiconductor industry has historically been characterized by wide fluctuations
in product supply and demand. From time to time, the industry has also
experienced significant downturns, often in connection with or in anticipation
of maturing product cycles and declines in general economic conditions. These
downturns, which occurred in 1997, have been characterized by diminished product
demand, production overcapacity and subsequent accelerated erosion of average
selling prices, and in some cases have lasted for more than a year. The
Company's business could be materially and adversely affected by an
industry-wide downturn.
The Company's competitors include many large domestic and foreign
companies which have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and
management resources than the Company, as well as emerging companies attempting
to sell products to specialized markets, including those addressed by the
Company. The Company believes that no single competitor offers products that
compete across the Company's entire product line.
The Company competes principally on the basis of the technical
innovation and performance of its CMOS products, including their speed, density,
power usage, reliability and specialty packaging alternatives as well as on
price and product availability. The Company believes that it competes favorably
with respect to each of these factors. While the Company's strategy is to target
niche markets, which the Company believes are typically less susceptible to
competitive pricing pressure than commodity markets, the Company experiences
significant price competition, particularly in connection with the sale of
non-volatile memory products, and may experience increased price competition in
other niche markets in the future, which would adversely affect its operating
margins.
The ability of the Company to compete successfully depends on a number
of factors, including its success in designing and manufacturing new products
that implement new technologies, the rate at which customers incorporate the
Company's products into their systems, product introductions by the Company's
competitors, the number and nature of its competitors in a given market, and
general market and economic conditions. Many of these factors are outside of the
Company's control. The Company is continually in the process of designing and
commercializing new and improved products to maintain its competitive position.
The success of new product introductions depends upon several factors, including
timely completion and introduction of new product designs, achievement of
acceptable fabrication yields and market acceptance. The development of new
products by the Company and their design-in to customers' systems can take as
long as three years, depending upon the complexity of the device and the
application. Accordingly, new product development requires a long-term forecast
of market trends and customer needs, and the successful introduction of the
Company's products may be adversely affected by competing products or
technologies serving markets addressed by the Company's products. There can be
no assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully in all areas
in the future.
PATENTS AND LICENSES
The Company currently maintains a portfolio of United States patents and
has patent applications on file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In
addition, the Company has adopted an internal patenting program and expects to
continue to file patent applications where appropriate to protect its
proprietary technologies. However, the Company believes that its continued
success depends primarily on factors such as the technological skills and
innovative abilities of its personnel
10
<PAGE> 11
rather than on its patents. In addition, no assurance can be given that patents
issued to the Company will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or
that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive advantages to the
Company.
As is typical in the semiconductor industry, the Company has from time
to time received, and may in the future receive, communications from third
parties asserting patent or other intellectual property rights covering the
Company's products or processes. In the past, the Company has been involved in
such litigation, which adversely affected its operating results. There can be no
assurance that intellectual property claims will not be made against the Company
in the future, or that the Company will not be prohibited from using the
technologies subject to such claims by third parties or be required to obtain
licenses and make related royalty payments. In addition, the necessary
management attention to and legal costs associated with technology litigation
can have a significant adverse affect on operating results.
EMPLOYEES
At December 31, 1997, the Company had 4,589 full-time equivalent
employees, including 308 in sales, marketing and customer support, 3,882 in
manufacturing, maintenance and support, 216 in research and product development
and 183 in finance and administration.
The Company's future success depends in large part on the continued
service of its key technical and management personnel and on its ability to
continue to attract and retain qualified employees, particularly those
highly-skilled design, process and test engineers involved in the manufacture of
existing products and the development of new products and processes. The
competition for such personnel is intense, and the loss of key employees, none
of whom is subject to an employment agreement for a specified term or
post-employment non-competition agreement, could have a material adverse effect
on the Company.
The Company has never had a work stoppage, no employees are represented
by a labor organization in the United States and the Company considers its
employee relations to be good.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
The executive officers of the Company, who are elected by and serve at
the discretion of the Board of Directors, and their ages are as follows:
Name Age Position
---- --- --------
George Perlegos 48 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Gust Perlegos 50 Executive Vice President, General Manager
Tsung-Ching Wu 47 Executive Vice President, Technology
Kris Chellam 47 Vice President, Finance and Administration, and
Chief Financial Officer
B. Jeffrey Katz 54 Vice President, Marketing
Mikes N. Sisois 52 Vice President, Planning and Information Systems
George Perlegos has served as the Company's President and Chief
Executive Officer and a director from its inception in 1984. George Perlegos
holds degrees in electrical engineering from San Jose State University (B.S.)
and Stanford University (M.S.).
11
<PAGE> 12
Gust Perlegos has served as Vice President, General Manager and a
director of the Company since January 1985, and as Executive Vice President
since January 1996. Gust Perlegos holds degrees in electrical engineering from
San Jose State University (B.S.), Stanford University (M.S.) and the University
of Santa Clara (Ph.D.). Gust Perlegos is a brother of George Perlegos.
Tsung-Ching Wu has served as a director of the Company since January
1985, and as Vice President, Technology since January 1986, and as Executive
Vice President since January 1996. Mr. Wu holds degrees in electrical
engineering from the National Taiwan University (B.S.), the State University of
New York at Stony Brook (M.S.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.).
B. Jeffrey Katz has served the Company as Vice President, Marketing
since November 1988. From 1987 to 1988 Mr. Katz was Vice President of Marketing
and Sales at Mosaic Systems, Inc., a multi-chip module supplier. Mr. Katz was
employed by Intel from 1977 to 1987 where he held various marketing positions,
including Director of Marketing. Mr. Katz holds a B.S. in computer engineering
from Case Western University.
Kris Chellam has served the Company as its Vice President, Finance and
Administration and Chief Financial Officer since September 1991. From 1979 until
joining the Company, Mr. Chellam held various financial management positions
with Intel Corporation in Europe and the United States. He is a member of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Mr. Chellam completed
his Cambridge Certificate of Education in Malaysia and obtained his chartered
accountancy certification in London.
Mikes N. Sisois joined the Company in February 1985 as Director of
Information Systems and has served as Vice President, Planning and Information
Systems since January 1986. Mr. Sisois holds a B.S. in engineering from San Jose
State University, and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Santa Clara.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Company's headquarters are located in San Jose, California. This
291,000-square-foot building is owned by the Company and is occupied by product
design, engineering, final product testing, research and development, sales,
marketing and administrative personnel. The Company owns a semiconductor wafer
fabrication plant and test facilities, occupying 450,000 square feet, located in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Company also has two semiconductor fabrication
facilities located in Rousset, France - an original plant and a newly
constructed facility. The Company plans to convert the original plant to a test
facility and to concentrate its wafer manufacturing in the newly constructed
facility. This new 388,000-square-foot facility will produce 8-inch silicon
wafers using a new 0.35-micron process.
Semiconductor manufacturing capacity is affected by a number of factors
including absolute level of utilization, manufacturing yields, product mix and
manufacturing efficiencies in terms of wafer through-put and productivity. For
example, a high level of utilization for a product experiencing rapid price
erosion results in under-utilization of manufacturing capacity. Based upon the
Company's rapid growth in sales from 1994-96, as well as its expectation of
continued growth in the semiconductor industry, the Company invested heavily in
new plant and equipment during 1996 and 1997 to increase manufacturing capacity.
The Company's capital expenditures in 1996 and 1997 were $511 million and $312.1
million, respectively, which resulted in significantly increased manufacturing
capacity by mid-1997. However, the expected growth did not materialize in the
second half of 1997. The Company responded to this downturn in the industry by
writing off inventory and reducing excess manufacturing capacity. As a result,
in 1997 the Company's gross margin declined significantly, decreasing to 37.2%
in 1997 from approximately 49% in 1996 and 1995. The decrease in gross margin
was primarily due to the write-down of inventories in the fourth quarter of
1997, lower product margins on many of the Company's memory products resulting
from the rapid erosion of average selling prices that were not matched with a
corresponding decrease in manufacturing cost, and manufacturing overcapacity
resulting from increases in fixed costs associated with the expansion of the
Company's wafer fabrication facilities.
The Company also leases a research and development facility in Berkeley,
California, Espoo, Finland, Columbia, Maryland, Bloomington, Minnesota,
Trondheim, Norway and sales offices in: Anaheim Hills, California; Denver,
Colorado; Hoffman Estates, Illinois; Braintree, Massachusetts; Bloomington,
Minnesota; Princeton, New Jersey; New York, New York; Raleigh, North Carolina;
Austin and Dallas, Texas, as well as in Kanata, Canada; Glostrup, Denmark;
Camberley, England; Frankfurt and Raubling, Germany; Espoo, Finland; Paris,
France; Hong Kong; Agrate Brianza, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea;
Singapore; Stockholm, Sweden and Taipei, Taiwan. The Company's 1997 aggregate
average monthly rental payments for its facilities are approximately
12
<PAGE> 13
$197,000. The Company believes that suitable additional or alternative space
will be available as needed on commercially reasonable terms to meet its current
and foreseeable requirements.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
The Company has been named as a defendant in a patent infringement suit
that was filed on January 21, 1998. The plaintiff contends that certain of the
Company's devices infringe seven patents it allegedly owns and is seeking a
judgment of infringement for each of these asserted patents and other costs. The
Company is reviewing the suit and believes that the complaints are without
merit. No assurance can be given, however, that this matter will be resolved in
the Company's favor.
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
None.
13
<PAGE> 14
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON STOCK AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER
MATTERS
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to
the sections entitled "Selected Quarterly Financial Data" and "Common Stock
Data" of the Registrant's 1997 Annual Report to Shareholders.
ITEM 6. SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to
the section entitled "Financial Highlights" of the Registrant's 1997 Annual
Report to Shareholders.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to
the section entitled "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations" of the Registrant's 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to
the section entitled "Financial Risk Management" of the Registrant's 1997
Annual Report to Shareholders.
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to
the Consolidated Financial Statements, related notes thereto and Report of
Independent Accountants and to the section entitled "Selected Quarterly
Financial Data" which appear in the Registrant's 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
Not applicable.
With the exception of the information incorporated by reference from the
1997 Annual Report to Shareholders in Parts II and IV of this Form 10-K, the
Registrant's Annual Report to Shareholders is not to be deemed filed as part of
this Report.
14
<PAGE> 15
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF REGISTRANT
Information required by this Item regarding directors and executive
officers set forth under the captions "Election of Directors" and "Compliance
with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act" in Registrant's definitive Proxy
Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on April 29, 1998
(the "1998 Proxy Statement"), is incorporated herein by reference. Information
regarding identification of Registrant's executive officers is set forth in Part
I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K under the caption "Executive Officers of the
Registrant."
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Information required by this Item regarding compensation of Registrant's
directors and executive officers set forth under the captions "Director
Compensation" and "Executive Compensation" in the 1998 Proxy Statement is
incorporated herein by reference (except to the extent allowed by Item 402
(a)(8) of Regulation S-K).
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
Information required by this Item regarding beneficial ownership of
Registrant's Common Stock by certain beneficial owners and management of
Registrant set forth under the caption "Security Ownership" in the 1998 Proxy
Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Information required by this Item regarding certain relationships and
related transactions with management set forth under the caption "Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation" in the 1998 Proxy Statement is
incorporated herein by reference.
15
<PAGE> 16
PART IV
ITEM 14. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Report on Form
10-K:
1. Financial Statements. The following Consolidated Financial
Statements of Atmel Corporation and Report of Independent Accountants are
incorporated by reference to the Registrant's 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders:
Consolidated Statements of Income for the Three Years
Ended December 31, 1997
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 1997
and 1996
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity for the
Three Years Ended December 31, 1997
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Years
Ended December 31, 1997
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Accountants
2. Financial Statement Schedules. The following financial
statement schedules of Atmel Corporation for the years ended December 31, 1997,
1996 and 1995 are filed as part of this Report on Form 10-K and should be read
in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements, and related notes
thereto, of Atmel Corporation.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Schedule Page
-------- ----
<S> <C>
Report of Independent Accountants on
Financial Statement Schedule S-1
II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts S-2
</TABLE>
Schedules not listed above have been omitted because they are not
applicable or are not required or the information required to be set forth
therein is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
3. Exhibits. The following Exhibits are filed as part of, or
incorporated by reference into, this Report on Form 10-K:
3.1(3) Articles of Incorporation of Registrant, as amended
to date.
16
<PAGE> 17
3.2(1) Bylaws of Registrant.
10.1(1)+ 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan, as amended, and
forms of stock option agreements thereunder.
10.2(1)+ 1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.
10.3(3) Credit Agreement dated April 20, 1995, between Wells
Fargo Bank and Registrant.
10.4(1) Form of Indemnification Agreement between Registrant
and its officers and directors.
10.5(2) Consulting Agreement by and between Norman Hall and
Registrant dated March 1, 1990.
10.6(4) 1996 Stock Plan, as amended and forms of agreements
thereunder.
10.7(5) Indenture, dated as of May 17, 1997, by and among
Atmel S.A., Atmel Corporation and State Street Bank
and Trust Company of California, N.A., as trustee
therunder.
10.8(5) Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 15,
1997, by and amoung Atmel Corporation and Deutsche
Morgan Grenfell Inc., Alex. Brown & Sons,
Incorporated, BNP plc, Credit Lyonnais Securities,
Smith Barney Inc. and Societe Generale Securities
Corp.
13.1 Registrant's Annual Report to Shareholders for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 (except for the
portions of the 1997 Annual Report to the
Shareholders expressly incorporated by reference in
the Report on Form 10-K, the 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders is furnished for the information of the
Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be
deemed "filed").
21.1 Subsidiaries of Registrant.
23.1 Consent of Independent Accountants
24.1 Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages
hereof)
27.1 Financial Data Schedule
(1) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-38882) declared effective on
March 19, 1991.
(2) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1992.
(3) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1995.
(4) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Registration
Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15823) filed on November 8,
1996.
(5) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's
Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-19032) filed on June 4, 1997.
+ The item listed is a compensatory plan.
(b) Reports on Form 8-K. No reports on Form 8-K were filed by the Company
during the quarter ended December 31, 1997.
17
<PAGE> 18
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report on Form 10-K to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
ATMEL CORPORATION
November 9, 1998 By: /s/ George Perlegos
--------------------------------------
George Perlegos
President and Chief Executive Officer
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature
appears below constitutes and appoints George Perlegos and Kris Chellam, and
each of them, jointly and severally, his attorneys-in-fact, each with the power
of substitution, for him in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with exhibits
thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said
attorneys-in-fact, or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done
by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
this Report on 10-K has been signed by the following persons in the capacities
and on the dates indicated:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Signature Title Date
--------- ----- ----
<S> <C> <C>
/s/ George Perlegos President, Chief Executive November 9, 1998
- -------------------------- Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
(George Perlegos) and Director
/s/ Kris Chellam Vice President, Finance and November 9, 1998
- -------------------------- Administration and Chief Financial
(Kris Chellam) Officer (Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer)
/s/ Norm Hall Director November 9, 1998
- --------------------------
(Norm Hall)
/s/ Gust Perlegos Director November 9, 1998
- --------------------------
(Gust Perlegos)
/s/ T. Peter Thomas Director November 9, 1998
- --------------------------
(T. Peter Thomas)
/s/ Tsung-Ching Wu Director November 9, 1998
- --------------------------
(Tsung-Ching Wu)
</TABLE>
18
<PAGE> 19
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
ON FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE
Our report on the consolidated financial statements of Atmel Corporation and
subsidiaries has been incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K from page 19
of the 1997 Annual Report to Shareholders of Atmel Corporation. In connection
with our audit of such financial statements, we have also audited the related
financial statement schedule listed in the index on page 16 of this Form 10-K.
In our opinion, the financial statement schedule referred to above, when
considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole,
presents fairly the information required to be included therein.
/s/ Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
San Jose, California
January 15, 1998
S-1
<PAGE> 20
SCHEDULE II
ATMEL CORPORATION
VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997, 1996, AND 1995
(IN THOUSANDS)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
BALANCE AT BALANCE
BEGINNING CHARGED CREDITED AT END OF
DESCRIPTION OF PERIOD TO EXPENSES TO EXPENSES DEDUCTIONS PERIOD
- ----------- --------- ----------- ----------- ---------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:
Fiscal year ended 1995 $ 5,613 $ 8,267 $ (1,180) $ -- $ 12,700
Fiscal year ended 1996 12,700 19,425 (1,211) (2,641)(1) 28,273
Fiscal year ended 1997 $ 28,273 $ 52,387 $ -- $(56,037)(1) $ 24,623
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
BALANCE AT BALANCE
BEGINNING CHARGED CREDITED AT END OF
DESCRIPTION OF PERIOD TO REVENUES TO REVENUES DEDUCTIONS PERIOD
- ----------- --------- ----------- ----------- ---------- ---------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
SALES RETURN AND
ALLOWANCES:
Fiscal year ended 1995 $ 13,305 $ 2,314 $ (1,784) $ -- $ 13,835
Fiscal year ended 1996 13,835 9,190 (12,423) (51)(1) 10,551
Fiscal year ended 1997 $ 10,551 $ 8,509 $(14,541) $ (95)(1) $ 4,424
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
BALANCE AT BALANCE
BEGINNING CHARGED CREDITED AT END OF
DESCRIPTION OF PERIOD TO EXPENSES TO EXPENSES DEDUCTIONS PERIOD
- ----------- --------- ----------- ----------- ---------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
ALLOWANCE FOR INVENTORY
OBSOLESCENCE:
Fiscal year ended 1995 $ 3,338 $ 908 $-- $ -- $ 4,246
Fiscal year ended 1996 4,246 1,177 -- -- 5,423
Fiscal year ended 1997 $ 5,423 $ 54,552 $-- $(54,490) $ 5,485
</TABLE>
(1) Represents write-off of specific accounts receivable balances.
S-2
<PAGE> 21
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number Description
------ -----------
3.2(1) Bylaws of Registrant.
10.1(1)+ 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan, as amended, and
forms of stock option agreements thereunder.
10.2(1)+ 1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.
10.3(3) Credit Agreement dated April 20, 1995, between Wells
Fargo Bank and Registrant.
10.4(1) Form of Indemnification Agreement between Registrant
and its officers and directors.
10.5(2) Consulting Agreement by and between Norman Hall and
Registrant dated March 1, 1990.
10.6(4) 1996 Stock Plan, as amended and forms of agreements
thereunder.
10.7(5) Indenture, dated as of May 17, 1997, by and among
Atmel S.A., Atmel Corporation and State Street Bank
and Trust Company of California, N.A., as trustee
therunder.
10.8(5) Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 15,
1997, by and amoung Atmel Corporation and Deutsche
Morgan Grenfell Inc., Alex. Brown & Sons,
Incorporated, BNP plc, Credit Lyonnais Securities,
Smith Barney Inc. and Societe Generale Securities
Corp.
13.1 Registrant's Annual Report to Shareholders for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 (except for the
portions of the 1997 Annual Report to the
Shareholders expressly incorporated by reference in
the Report on Form 10-K, the 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders is furnished for the information of the
Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be
deemed "filed").
21.1 Subsidiaries of Registrant.
23.1 Consent of Independent Accountants
24.1 Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages
hereof)
27.1 Financial Data Schedule
(1) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-38882) declared effective on
March 19, 1991.
(2) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1992.
(3) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1995.
(4) Incorporated by reference to exhibits to the Company's Registration
Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15823) filed on November 8,
1996.
(5) Incorporated by reference by exhibits to the Company's
Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-19032) filed on June 4, 1997.
+ The item listed is a compensatory plan.
(b) Reports on Form 8-K. No reports on Form 8-K were filed by the Company
during the quarter ended December 31, 1997.
<PAGE> 1
EXHIBIT 13.1
Atmel Corporation
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except per-share data) 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
NET REVENUES $ 958,282 $1,070,288 $ 634,241 $ 375,093 $ 221,724
INCOME
Before taxes 6,001 309,153 172,262 90,076 44,789
Net 1,801 201,722 113,693 59,450 30,017
Basic net income per share 0.02 2.06 1.20 0.69 0.39
Diluted net income per share 0.02 2.00 1.16 0.66 0.37
RETURN ON REVENUES
Before taxes 0.6% 28.9% 27.2% 24.0% 20.2%
Net 0.2% 18.8% 17.9% 15.8% 13.5%
RETURN ON AVERAGE SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 0.2% 29.3% 24.0% 20.6% 17.1%
REVENUES PER EMPLOYEE 228 298 260 235 195
FIXED ASSETS, NET 985,949 867,423 472,285 264,800 90,207
TOTAL ASSETS 1,822,040 1,455,914 919,621 540,946 300,882
LONG-TERM DEBT, NET OF CURRENT PORTION 571,389 278,576 88,455 46,514 23,957
LONG-TERM DEBT AS A PERCENTAGE OF
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 72.7% 35.3% 15.0% 13.0% 11.0%
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 786,434 789,751 588,768 358,088 218,202
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 2
Atmel Corporation
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except per-share data) 1997 1996 1995
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
NET REVENUES $ 958,282 $ 1,070,288 $ 634,241
EXPENSES
Cost of sales 602,239 539,215 323,530
Research and development 137,896 110,239 69,795
Selling, general and administrative 150,098 115,362 73,474
Non-recurring charge 43,000 -- --
---------------------------------------------
TOTAL EXPENSES 933,233 764,816 466,799
---------------------------------------------
OPERATING INCOME 25,049 305,472 167,442
Interest and other income 12,107 16,532 13,100
Interest expense (31,155) (12,851) (8,280)
---------------------------------------------
Income before taxes 6,001 309,153 172,262
Taxes on income 4,200 107,431 58,569
---------------------------------------------
NET INCOME $ 1,801 $ 201,722 $ 113,693
=============================================
BASIC NET INCOME PER SHARE $ 0.02 $ 2.06 $ 1.20
---------------------------------------------
DILUTED NET INCOME PER SHARE $ 0.02 $ 2.00 $ 1.16
---------------------------------------------
SHARES USED IN BASIC NET INCOME PER-SHARE CALCULATIONS 99,438 98,070 94,819
---------------------------------------------
SHARES USED IN DILUTED NET INCOME PER-SHARE CALCULATIONS 101,601 100,680 97,854
---------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
<PAGE> 3
Atmel Corporation
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31,
(In thousands) 1997 1996
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASSETS
<S> <C> <C>
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $ 174,310 $ 104,113
Short-term investments 63,222 53,165
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of
$24,623 in 1997 and $28,273 in 1996 216,991 174,515
Inventories 124,336 70,320
Other current assets 119,358 57,910
-------------------------------
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 698,217 460,023
Fixed assets, net 985,949 867,423
Long-term investments 95,536 104,619
Other assets 42,338 23,849
-------------------------------
TOTAL ASSETS $ 1,822,040 $ 1,455,914
===============================
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Current portion of long-term debt $ 67,522 $ 71,615
Trade accounts payable 197,070 137,535
Accrued liabilities and other 93,820 99,317
Deferred income on shipments to distributors 25,256 27,935
-------------------------------
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 383,668 336,402
Long-term debt 571,389 278,576
Deferred income taxes 34,499 22,935
-------------------------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES 989,556 637,913
-------------------------------
Put warrants 46,050 28,250
-------------------------------
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Shareholders' equity
Preferred stock; Authorized: 5,000 shares;
None issued and outstanding -- --
Common stock, no par value; Authorized: 240,000 shares;
Shares issued: 99,723 at December 31, 1997, and
98,752 at December 31, 1996 351,584 346,756
Unrealized loss on investments (1,003) (2,866)
Cumulative translation adjustment (16,278) (4,469)
Retained earnings 452,131 450,330
-------------------------------
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 786,434 789,751
-------------------------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 1,822,040 $ 1,455,914
===============================
</TABLE>
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
<PAGE> 4
Atmel Corporation
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31,
(In thousands) 1997 1996 1995
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
CASH FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income $ 1,801 $ 201,722 $ 113,693
Items not requiring the use of cash
Depreciation and amortization 158,382 110,988 58,918
Other 16,439 (1,600) (15,441)
Non-recurring charge 43,000 -- --
Account receivable write-off 41,300 -- --
Inventories write-down 53,100 -- --
Provision for doubtful accounts receivable 11,105 19,425 8,267
Provision for excess and obsolete inventory 1,452 1,117 908
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Accounts receivable (92,862) (93,787) (34,722)
Inventories (108,631) (22,896) (10,681)
Other assets (61,448) (7,935) (4,064)
Trade accounts payable and other accrued liabilities 17,915 94,545 33,420
Income taxes payable -- (9,766) 9,406
Deferred income on shipments to distributors (2,679) 5,987 9,633
---------------------------------------------
NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES 78,874 297,800 169,337
---------------------------------------------
CASH FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Acquisition of fixed assets (312,066) (511,019) (229,097)
Acquisition of other assets (25,483) (9,756) (9,446)
Purchase of investments (129,642) (101,417) (77,674)
Sale or maturity of investments 128,668 89,678 59,406
---------------------------------------------
NET CASH USED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES (338,523) (532,514) (256,811)
---------------------------------------------
CASH FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of notes payable 56,815 39,241 16,198
Principal payments on notes (10,853) (2,152) (1,580)
Proceeds from capital leases 190,705 234,239 69,843
Principal payments on capital leases (78,528) (54,784) (40,439)
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes 150,000 -- --
Tax benefit from exercise of options 5,033 2,535 3,025
Proceeds from settlement of warrants 4,425 8,133 --
Issuance of common stock 13,170 10,079 110,876
---------------------------------------------
NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES 330,767 237,291 157,923
---------------------------------------------
EFFECT OF FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENT (921) (3,998) (471)
---------------------------------------------
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH 70,197 (1,421) 69,978
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD 104,113 105,534 35,556
---------------------------------------------
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 174,310 $ 104,113 $ 105,534
=============================================
INTEREST PAID $ 29,039 $ 12,015 $ 8,009
INCOME TAXES PAID $ 42,507 $ 103,912 $ 32,265
ISSUANCE OF STOCK FOR TECHNOLOGY AND ASSET ACQUISITIONS $ -- $ 12,625 $ 3,083
OTHER NON-CASH ACQUISITIONS $ -- $ 2,320 $ --
FIXED ASSET PURCHASES IN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE $ 54,326 $ 5,706 $ 15,413
PURCHASE OF CALL WARRANTS FROM PROCEEDS OF PUT WARRANTS $ 5,238 $ 9,233 $ --
</TABLE>
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
<PAGE> 5
Atmel Corporation
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Unrealized Cumulative
Common Stock Retained Gain (loss) on Translation
(In thousands) Shares Amount Earnings Investments Adjustments Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1994 90,762 $ 224,650 $ 134,915 $ (1,477) $ 0 $ 358,088
Sales of stock
Secondary public offering 4,600 104,278 -- -- -- 104,278
Exercise of options 1,394 2,729 -- -- -- 2,729
Employee stock purchase plan 314 3,869 -- -- -- 3,869
Issuance for asset acquisition 137 3,083 -- -- -- 3,083
Unrealized gain on investments and
other assets -- -- -- 474 -- 474
Foreign currency translation adjustment -- -- -- -- (471) (471)
Tax benefit from exercise of options -- 3,025 -- -- -- 3,025
Net income -- -- 113,693 -- -- 113,693
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1995 97,207 341,634 248,608 (1,003) (471) 588,768
Sales of stock
Exercise of options 874 4,606 -- -- -- 4,606
Employee stock purchase plan 236 5,473 -- -- -- 5,473
Issuance for asset acquisition 435 12,625 -- -- -- 12,625
Unrealized loss on investments and
other assets -- -- -- (1,863) -- (1,863)
Foreign currency translation adjustment -- -- -- -- (3,998) (3,998)
Tax benefit from exercise of options -- 2,535 -- -- -- 2,535
Proceeds from settlement of warrants -- 8,133 -- -- -- 8,133
Put warrants reclassification -- (28,250) -- -- -- (28,250)
Net income -- -- 201,722 -- -- 201,722
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1996 98,752 346,756 450,330 (2,866) (4,469) 789,751
Sales of stock
Exercise of options 733 6,522 -- -- -- 6,522
Employee stock purchase plan 238 6,648 -- -- -- 6,648
Unrealized gain on investments and
other assets -- -- -- 1,863 -- 1,863
Foreign currency translation adjustment -- -- -- -- (11,809) (11,809)
Tax benefit from exercise of options -- 5,033 -- -- -- 5,033
Proceeds from settlement of warrants -- 4,425 -- -- -- 4,425
Put warrants reclassification, net -- (17,800) -- -- -- (17,800)
Net income -- -- 1,801 -- -- 1,801
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1997 99,723 $ 351,584 $ 452,131 $ (1,003) $ (16,278) $ 786,434
=================================================================================
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 6
Atmel Corporation
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In thousands, except per-share data)
Note 1
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
NATURE OF OPERATIONS
Atmel Corporation (the Company) designs, develops, manufactures and markets a
broad range of high-performance non-volatile memory and logic integrated
circuits using its proprietary complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
technologies. The Company's products are used in a range of applications in the
telecommunications, computing, networking, consumer and automotive electronics
and other markets. The Company's customers comprise a diverse group of domestic
and foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors.
PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and
its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and
transactions have been eliminated. For purposes of presentation, the Company has
indicated that its year ends on December 31, although the Company operates on a
52-week or 53-week year ending on the Monday closest to December 31. Fiscal
1997, 1996 and 1995 were 52-week years.
USE OF ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
Allowance for doubtful accounts is calculated based on the aging of the
Company's accounts receivable, historical experience, current and future
short-term business conditions and management judgment. The Company writes off a
receivable against the allowance when the Company determines it is
uncollectible and no longer actively pursues collection of the receivable.
CASH AND INVESTMENTS
Investments with an original or remaining maturity of 90 days or less, as of the
date of purchase, are considered cash equivalents, which consist of highly
liquid money market instruments. The carrying amount of these instruments
approximates fair value.
INVENTORIES
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out for materials
and purchased parts and average cost for work in progress) or market and
comprise the following:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- -------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Materials and purchased parts $ 10,527 $11,123
Work in progress 113,809 59,197
-----------------
TOTAL $124,336 $70,320
=================
</TABLE>
FIXED ASSETS
Fixed assets are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the
straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
- --------------------------------------------------
Buildings and improvements 10 to 20 years
Machinery and equipment 2 to 5 years
Furniture and fixtures 5 years
DEFERRED INCOME ON SHIPMENTS TO DISTRIBUTORS
Sales to distributors are subject to price protection and right of return.
Generally, distributors may return products every six months for up to a maximum
of 5.0 percent of the net value of all products purchased by distributors during
the immediately preceding six-month period. Accordingly, recognition of such
sales is deferred until shipments are made by the distributors to their
customers. Other sales, principally to OEMs, are recorded at the time products
are shipped, net of allowances for estimated returns.
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION
The functional currency of foreign subsidiaries is considered to be the United
States dollar, except for Atmel ES2 whose functional currency is the French
franc. Foreign translation gains and losses from remeasurement are included in
the consolidated statements of income. The effect of the translation of the
accounts of Atmel ES2 has been included in the shareholders' equity as a
cumulative foreign currency translation adjustment. Foreign exchange gain (loss)
included in interest and other income for the years ended December 31, 1997,
1996 and 1995 was $(2,438), $(2,444) and $3,642, respectively.
DERIVATIVES
The Company conducts business on a global basis in several major international
currencies. As such, it is exposed to adverse movements in foreign currency
exchange rates. The Company enters into forward foreign exchange contracts to
hedge certain of its foreign currency exposures. These financial
<PAGE> 7
instruments are designed to minimize exposure and reduce risk from foreign
currency exchange rate fluctuations in the regular course of business. The
Company does not enter into forward exchange contracts for trading purposes.
Realized gains and losses on the contracts are included in other income and
offset foreign exchange gains and losses from the revaluation of intercompany
balances or other current assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other
than the functional currency of the reporting entity. The foreign exchange
contracts generally have maturities that do not exceed three months. Foreign
exchange contracts outstanding, all of which were in Japanese currency, amounted
to $9,478 and $5,407 at December 31, 1997, and 1996, respectively. At December
31, 1997, net unrealized gain from these contracts was $136.
The Company's forward exchange contracts contain credit risk in that its
counterparties may be unable to meet the terms of the agreements. The Company
minimizes such risk by limiting its counterparties to a limited number of major
financial institutions. In addition, the potential risk of loss with any one
party resulting from this type of credit risk is monitored. The Company does not
expect any material losses as a result of default by the other parties.
CERTAIN RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS
The Company sells its products primarily to OEMs and distributors in North
America, Europe and Asia, generally without requiring any collateral. The
Company maintains adequate allowances for potential credit losses and performs
ongoing credit evaluations.
The Company's products are concentrated in the semiconductor industry, which
is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Significant technological changes in
the industry could affect operating results adversely. The Company's inventories
include high-technology parts and components that may be specialized in nature
or subject to rapid technological obsolescence. While the Company has programs
to minimize the required inventories on hand and considers technological
obsolescence in estimating required allowances to reduce recorded amounts to
market values, such estimates could change in the future.
NET INCOME PER SHARE
The Company has adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 128, Earnings Per Share (SFAS 128), effective with the year ended
December 31, 1997. SFAS 128 requires the presentation of basic and diluted net
income per share. Basic net income per share is computed by dividing income
available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding for that period. Diluted net income per share is computed giving
effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the
period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares
issuable upon exercise of stock options, warrants and convertible securities for
all periods. All prior period net income per-share amounts have been restated to
comply with SFAS 128 as well as the two-for-one stock splits paid on April 11,
1994, and August 8, 1995.
In accordance with the disclosure requirements of SFAS 128, a reconciliation
of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share is
provided as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31, 1997 1996 1995
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Basic and diluted net income
(numerator) $ 1,801 $201,722 $113,693
--------------------------------
Shares used in basic net income
per-share calculations
(denominator)
Weighted average shares of
common stock outstanding 99,438 98,070 94,819
--------------------------------
Shares used in diluted net income
per-share calculations
(denominator)
Weighted average shares of
common stock outstanding 99,438 98,070 94,819
Dilutive effect of stock options 2,163 2,610 3,035
--------------------------------
101,601 100,680 97,854
--------------------------------
Basic net income per share $ 0.02 $ 2.06 $ 1.20
--------------------------------
Diluted net income per share $ 0.02 $ 2.00 $ 1.16
--------------------------------
</TABLE>
PUT WARRANTS
In January 1996, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a stock
repurchase program that allows the Company to repurchase up to 5,000 shares of
its common stock. The Board of Directors approved the repurchase of an
additional 5,000 shares in January 1998. The primary purpose of this stock
repurchase program is to increase shareholder value. In connection with this
program, the Company has entered into certain cash-less warrant transactions
which provide the Company with the flexibility to implement its repurchase plan,
under which the Company could repurchase its stock when favorable market
conditions existed and without immediately impacting the Company's cash
resources. In connection with the Company's stock repurchase program, put
warrants were sold to an independent third party during fiscal years 1997 and
1996. The put warrants entitle the holder to sell shares of the Company's common
stock to the Company at specified prices. The outstanding warrants expire on May
1 and October 26, 1998, are exercisable at
<PAGE> 8
any time before maturity and may be settled in cash, at the Company's option.
The maximum potential repurchase obligations of $46,050 and $28,250 have been
reclassified from shareholders' equity to put warrants as of December 31, 1997,
and 1996, respectively. There was no impact on basic and diluted net income per
share in 1997 and 1996.
Additionally, during the same period the Company used the proceeds from the
sale of the put warrants to purchase call warrants. These warrants entitle the
Company to buy from the same independent third party shares of the Company's
common stock. The call warrants have similar expiry dates as the put warrants,
are exercisable at any time before maturity and may be settled in cash, at the
Company's option. During the years ended December 31, 1997, and 1996, the
Company received $4,425 and $8,133, respectively, from settlement of warrants.
There was no impact on basic and diluted net income per share in 1997 and 1996.
At December 31, 1997, the Company had 2,000 shares of put warrants
outstanding at the weighted average price of $23.03 per share and 1,000 shares
of call warrants outstanding at the weighted average price of $26.07 per share.
At December 31, 1996, the Company had 1,000 shares of put warrants outstanding
at $28.25 per share and 500 shares of call warrants outstanding at $32.31 per
share.
LONG-LIVED ASSETS
The Company periodically evaluates the recoverability of a long-lived asset
based upon the estimated cash flows from the related asset.
ACCOUNTING FOR START-UP COSTS
Expenditures directly related to and incurred during the start-up phase of the
Company's new manufacturing facilities are deferred and amortized over future
periods. Upon conclusion of the start-up period, these costs are amortized on a
straight-line basis over periods of no more than five years. Recoverability of
these costs is assessed on an ongoing basis and write-downs to net realizable
values are recorded as necessary. At December 31, 1997, and 1996, $18,473 and
$4,630 were reported as other assets.
RECENT PRONOUNCEMENTS
In June 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement
No. 130 (SFAS 130), Reporting Comprehensive Income, which establishes standards
for reporting and display of comprehensive income and its components (net
revenues, expenses, gains and losses) in a full set of general-purpose financial
statements. The Company will adopt SFAS 130 in its fiscal year 1998.
In June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS No. 131, Disclosures About Segments of an
Enterprise and Related Information, which changes the way public companies
report information about operating segments. SFAS No. 131, which is based on the
management approach to segment reporting, establishes requirements to report
elected segment information quarterly and to report entity-wide disclosures
about products and services, major customers and the material countries in which
the entity holds assets and reports revenues. The Company has not yet evaluated
the effects of this change on its reporting of segment information. The Company
will adopt SFAS No. 131 in its fiscal year 1998.
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has proposed a
Statement of Position (SOP), Reporting on the Costs of Start-Up Activities. This
proposed SOP provides guidance on the financial reporting of start-up costs and
requires costs of start-up activities to be expensed as incurred and any
start-up costs capitalized prior to the effective date of the SOP to be reported
in the income statement as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting
principle. If this SOP is adopted as an accounting standard, it is expected that
it will become effective with the Company's fiscal year 1999.
RECLASSIFICATIONS
Certain reclassifications have been made to the 1995 and 1996 amounts to conform
to the 1997 presentation. These reclassifications did not change the previously
reported net income nor the total assets of the Company.
Note 2
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Other current assets consist of the following:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- --------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Income tax receivable $ 48,000 $ --
Deferred income taxes 53,051 38,859
Other 18,307 19,051
------------------
$119,358 $57,910
==================
</TABLE>
Note 3
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIXED ASSETS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- ------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Land $ 14,591 $ 14,591
Buildings and improvements 372,976 180,680
Machinery and equipment 918,315 806,187
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 9
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C>
Furniture and fixtures 9,991 7,467
Construction in progress 24,688 72,103
---------------------------
1,340,561 1,081,028
Less accumulated depreciation
and amortization (354,612) (213,605)
---------------------------
TOTAL $ 985,949 $ 867,423
===========================
</TABLE>
Fixed assets include machinery and equipment acquired under capital leases
of $444,747 and $334,613 at December 31, 1997, and 1996; related accumulated
amortization amounted to $160,732 and $81,684, respectively.
Depreciation expense was $153,873, $102,752 and $56,417, in 1997, 1996 and
1995, respectively. At December 31, 1997, the Company provided a reserve of
$43,000 relating to the impairment of machinery and equipment from its old
manufacturing facility (Fab 6) located in Rousset, France. The impairment
reserve was necessary due to the inability of this old fabrication plant to
produce product at costs acceptable in today's market and the need to
consolidate manufacturing in one location in France to take advantage of new
technologies in its new manufacturing facility (Fab 7). The Company recognized
the impairment charge when the future undiscounted cash flows of each asset were
estimated to be insufficient to recover its related carrying value. As such
time, the carrying values of these assets were written down to the Company's
estimates of fair value. Fair value was based on sales of similar assets or
other estimates of fair value, such as estimated future cash flows. The Company
does not anticipate significant proceeds from disposal. None of the assets
affected by this action are currently held for sale. The expense was reported as
a non-recurring charge in the income statement.
Note 4
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS
All marketable securities are deemed by management to be available for sale and
are reported at fair value with net unrealized gains or losses reported within
shareholders' equity. Realized gains and losses are recorded based on the
specific identification method. For fiscal years 1997, 1996 and 1995, gross
realized gains and losses were immaterial. The carrying amount of the Company's
investments is shown in the table below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1997 1996
Market Market
December 31, Cost Value Cost Value
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Investments
U.S. Government obligations $ 123,516 $ 122,741 $ 99,378 $ 98,750
State and municipal securities 30,962 30,768 55,669 55,317
Other 5,283 5,249 5,603 3,717
--------------------------- ---------------------------
159,761 158,758 160,650 157,784
Allowance for unrealized losses (1,003) -- (2,866) --
--------------------------- ---------------------------
$ 158,758 $ 158,758 $ 157,784 $ 157,784
=========================== ===========================
</TABLE>
At December 31, 1997, scheduled maturities of investments within one year
were $63,222 and for one year to three years were $95,536. At December 31, 1996,
scheduled maturities of investments within one year were $53,165 and for one
year to five years were $104,619.
Note 5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS
Information with respect to the Company's debt obligations is shown below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Various non-interest-bearing notes $ 6,078 $ 9,464
Various interest-bearing notes 89,398 46,703
Convertible notes 150,000 --
Capital lease obligations 393,435 294,024
-==========================
638,911 350,191
Less amount due within one year (67,522) (71,615)
---------------------------
Long-term debt due after one year $ 571,389 $ 278,576
===========================
</TABLE>
The non-interest-bearing notes are due in varying amounts through the year
2015 and have been discounted between 7.0 percent and 8.0 percent. The
interest-bearing notes bear interest at rates between 2.6 percent and 6.4
percent and include loans where interest rates are based on the London
Inter-Bank Official Rate and the short-term French PIBOR. A loan, which is
payable in Japanese currency, has been recorded net of foreign currency
translation adjustment of $4,349 and $2,009 at December 31, 1997 and 1996,
respectively. Another loan, which is payable in French currency, has been
recorded net of foreign currency translation adjustment of $2,117 at December
31, 1997.
The $150,000 convertible notes bear interest at the rate of 3.25 percent per
annum to June 1, 2000, and thereafter, at the rate of 8.25 percent per annum.
Interest on the notes is payable on June 1 and December 1 of each year,
commencing December 1, 1997. The notes will mature on June 1, 2002.
<PAGE> 10
The notes are convertible into common stock of the Company at the conversion
price of $35.50 per share. The Company accrues interest based on the effective
rate of 5.75 percent.
The Company leases certain manufacturing equipment under capital leases with
an average annual interest rate of 6.0 percent and 6.7 percent for 1997 and
1996, respectively. The obligations are recorded net of $107,120, which
represents future interest at December 31, 1997.
Payments required for long-term debt and capital leases are as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Thereafter
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Notes payable
and con-
vertible notes $ 17,387 $ 38,910 $ 28,966 $ 11,915 $156,432 $ 8,466
Capital leases 71,024 61,852 55,971 46,727 43,492 114,369
</TABLE>
The carrying amount of the Company's long-term debt instruments (excluding
capital leases) approximates the fair value of such instruments based upon
management's best estimate of interest rates that would be available to the
Company for similar debt obligations at December 31, 1997.
Note 6
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCRUED LIABILITIES AND OTHER
Accrued liabilities and other comprise the following:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Accrued returns, royalties and licenses$ 35,707 $ 49,170
Accrued salaries, benefits and other 21,549 23,499
Federal, state, local and foreign taxes 36,564 26,648
------------------------
TOTAL $93,820 $ 99,317
========================
</TABLE>
The Company has entered into a number of technology license agreements with
unrelated third parties. Generally, the agreements require a one-time or annual
license fee. In addition, the Company may be required to pay a royalty on sales
of certain products that are derived under these licensing arrangements. The
royalty expense is accrued in the same period in which the revenues
incorporating the technology are recognized.
Note 7
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
The Company leases its domestic and foreign sales offices under non-cancelable
operating leases. These leases contain various expiration dates and renewal
options of two to four years. The Company also leases certain manufacturing
equipment under operating leases expiring at various dates through 2002. Rental
expense for 1997, 1996 and 1995 was $7,586, $7,402 and $2,896, respectively.
Rental payments over the term of these leases are as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
- -------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
$6,728 $6,697 $10,632 $1,433 $510
</TABLE>
The Company is involved in certain patent related legal matters, in the ordinary
course of business. No provision for any liability that may result upon the
resolution of these matters has been made in the accompanying financial
statements nor is the amount or range of possible loss, if any, reasonably
estimable.
Note 8
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAXES ON INCOME
The provision (benefit) for income taxes consists of the following:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31, 1997 1996 1995
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Federal Current $ 2,196 $ 92,632 $ 45,886
Deferred 6,900 (6,618) 2,529
State Current 628 10,458 7,619
Deferred (7,524) (161) 417
Foreign Current 2,000 2,209 883
Deferred -- 8,911 1,235
---------------------------------------------
TOTAL INCOME TAXES $ 4,200 $ 107,431 $ 58,569
=============================================
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 11
The components of the net deferred income tax assets are set forth below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
December 31, 1997 1996
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
DEFERRED INCOME TAX ASSETS
Allowance for doubtful accounts $ 6,633 $ 10,048
Allowance for sales returns 1,490 3,917
Capital loss carryforward 1,733 --
Deferred income on shipments to distributors 5,474 6,717
Inventory valuation 2,999 1,273
Net operating losses 15,410 --
Research and development and other tax credits 4,237 --
Reserve for employee benefits 1,517 1,354
Reserve for non-recurring charges 18,877 --
Reserve for recurring charges 3,831 3,811
Reserve for royalty 6,240 8,164
State income tax -- 3,450
Other 150 125
----------------------
Total deferred income tax assets 68,591 38,859
Less valuation allowance (15,540) --
----------------------
Net deferred income tax assets 53,051 38,859
----------------------
DEFERRED INCOME TAX LIABILITIES
Depreciation (31,065) (22,935)
State income tax (1,819) --
Deferred income (1,615) --
----------------------
Total deferred income tax liabilities (34,499) (22,935)
----------------------
TOTAL NET DEFERRED INCOME TAX ASSETS $ 18,552 $ 15,924
======================
</TABLE>
For the year ended December 31, 1997, the Company provided a valuation
allowance of $15,540 on its deferred income tax assets. The valuation allowance
was provided for deferred income tax assets from the French operations, the
realization of which is uncertain.
The Company's effective tax rate differs from the United States federal
statutory income tax rate as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31, 1997 1996 1995
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
U.S. federal statutory
income tax rate 35.0% 35.0% 35.0%
Foreign operations (85.1) 0.2 0.1
State taxes, net of federal
income tax benefit (35.2) 2.2 2.8
Research and development
tax credits (61.8) (0.5) (0.3)
Benefit of foreign sales
corporation -- (2.9) (2.2)
Change in valuation allowance 240.0 -- --
Tax exempt income (24.5) (0.7) (1.2)
Other, net 1.6 1.5 (0.2)
---------------------------
70.0% 34.8% 34.0%
===========================
</TABLE>
At December 31, 1997, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for
federal and state tax purposes of approximately $28,000 and $15,000,
respectively. The federal net operating loss expires in year 2012 and the state
net operating losses expire in different years between years 2002 and 2012.
Income before income taxes included income (loss) from foreign subsidiaries
of $(13,899), $22,724 and $12,465 in 1997, 1996 and 1995, respectively.
<PAGE> 12
The Company's U.S. income tax returns for the years 1993 through 1995 are
presently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service. Final proposed
adjustments have not yet been received for these years. The Company believes
that adequate amounts of tax and related interest and penalties, if any, have
been provided for any adjustments that may result for the years under
examination.
Note 9
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYEE OPTION AND STOCK PURCHASE PLANS
The Company has two stock option plans--the 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan
(1986 Plan) and the 1996 Stock Plan (1996 Plan). The 1986 Plan expired in April
1996. The 1996 Plan, which has reserved 4,000 shares of Common Stock for
issuance thereunder, was approved by the shareholders on April 26, 1996. Under
the Company's 1996 Plan, the Company may issue common stock directly or grant
options to purchase common stock to employees, consultants and directors of the
Company. Options, which generally vest over four years, are granted at fair
market value on the date of the grant and generally expire ten years from that
date.
Under the 1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, qualified employees are
entitled to purchase shares of the Company's common stock at 85.0 percent of the
fair market value at certain specified dates. Of the 3,000 shares authorized to
be issued under this plan, 699 shares were available for issuance at December
31, 1997.
Activity under the Company's 1986 Plan and 1996 Plan is set forth below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Outstanding Options
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted
Average
Aggregate Exercise
Available Number Exercise Price Exercise Price
For Grant of Options Per Share Price Per Share
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1994 1,994 4,711 0.75 - 17.31 $ 22,055 $ 4.68
Options granted (1,896) 1,896 15.41 - 33.63 37,474 19.76
Options canceled 101 (101) 1.75 - 33.31 (1,075) 10.64
Options exercised -- (1,394) 0.75 - 21.38 (2,729) 1.95
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1995 199 5,112 0.75 - 33.63 55,725 10.90
Options authorized 4,000 -- -- -- --
Options granted (576) 576 20.15 - 36.88 14,555 25.27
Options canceled 122 (122) 2.16 - 36.88 (2,134) 17.49
Options expired (142) -- -- -- --
Options exercised -- (874) 0.75 - 33.63 (4,606) 5.27
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1996 3,603 4,692 0.75 - 36.88 63,540 13.54
Options granted (1,385) 1,385 20.19 - 42.75 36,204 26.14
Options canceled 184 (184) 0.75 - 33.63 (4,790) 26.03
Options exercised -- (733) 4.25 - 42.75 (6,522) 8.90
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BALANCES, DECEMBER 31, 1997 2,402 5,160 $ 0.75 - 42.75 $ 88,432 $ 17.14
=======================================================================
</TABLE>
The weighted average fair value of options granted during 1997, 1996 and
1995 was $26.14, $25.27 and $19.76 per share, respectively. The number of shares
exercisable under the Company's stock option plans at December 31, 1997, 1996
and 1995 were 2,734, 2,463 and 2,045, respectively.
The Company's Board of Directors approved an option repricing program
effective January 14, 1998. Under the repricing program, current employees
(other than officers and other designated members of senior management) holding
outstanding options with exercise prices above $17.00 per share could elect to
amend such options to change the exercise price to $17.00 per share, the fair
market value on the effective date. Accordingly, outstanding options held by
employees electing to participate in the program were amended to change the
exercise price to $17.00 per share. All other terms of such options remained
unchanged, except that the repriced options are not exercisable for a period of
one year after the effective date of the repricing. If an employee voluntarily
terminates his or her employment prior to the end of the one-year non-exercise
period, the amended options will be forfeited and the unexercised shares
returned to the 1996 Plan.
The Company has adopted the disclosure-only provisions of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (SFAS 123), Accounting for Stock Based
Compensation. Accordingly, no compensation cost has been recognized for the 1986
Plan and 1996 Plan. Had compensation cost for the 1986 Plan and 1996 Plan been
determined based on the fair value at the grant date for options granted in
1997, 1996 and 1995 consistent with the provisions of SFAS 123, the Company's
net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share for 1997, 1996 and 1995 would
have been reduced to the pro forma amounts indicated below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1997 1996 1995
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net income--as reported $ 1,801 $ 201,722 $ 113,693
------------------------------------------
Net income (loss)--pro forma $ (1,197) $ 196,641 $ 110,058
------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 13
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Basic net income per share--
as reported $ 0.02 $ 2.06 $ 1.20
------------------------------------------
Basic net income (loss) per share--
pro forma $ (0.01) $ 2.01 $ 1.16
------------------------------------------
Diluted net income per share--
as reported $ 0.02 $ 2.00 $ 1.16
------------------------------------------
Diluted net income (loss) per share--
pro forma $ (0.01) $ 1.95 $ 1.12
------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
The fair value of each option grant for both 1986 Plan and 1996 Plan is
estimated on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model
with the following weighted average assumptions:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1997 1996 1995
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Risk-free interest 5.7%-6.9% 5.1%-6.8% 5.5%-7.6%
Expected life (years) 0.38-1.12 0.95-1.56 0.95-1.56
Expected volatility 51.0%-55.0% 38.0%-40.0% 38.0%-40.0%
Expected dividend $0 $0 $0
</TABLE>
The weighted average expected life was calculated based on the period from
the vesting date to the exercise date and the exercise behavior of the
employees.
The following table summarizes the stock options outstanding at December 31,
1997:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Options Outstanding Options Exercisable
--------------------------------------------- -------------------------
Weighted Average Weighted Weighted
Range of Number Remaining Average Number Average
Exercise Prices Outstanding Contractual Life Exercise Price Exercisable Exercise Price
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
$ 0.75- 9.16 1,480 5.2 years $ 4.81 1,433 $ 4.67
9.22-20.19 1,337 7.3 15.81 684 15.21
20.34-25.25 1,392 8.4 23.18 411 21.98
25.75-37.81 951 9.0 29.35 206 30.25
----- ----
0.75-37.81 5,160 7.3 17.14 2,734 11.83
===== =====
</TABLE>
Note 10
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RETIREMENT PLAN
The Company has a 401(k) Tax Deferred Savings Plan (Plan) for the benefit of
qualified employees. In fiscal year 1996, the Company began matching each
eligible employee's contribution with up to a maximum of five hundred dollars.
The matching contribution made by the Company was $713 and $581 for 1997 and
1996, respectively. The Company did not make any contribution to the Plan in
1995.
Note 11
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION,
EXPORT SALES AND MAJOR CUSTOMERS
The Company's foreign operations include both manufacturing and sales. The
manufacturing subsidiary is located in France and the sales subsidiaries are
located in Europe and Asia. All of their sales are made to unaffiliated
customers. The following is a summary of operations by entities within
geographic areas:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Years Ended December 31, 1997 1996 1995
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
NET REVENUES
North America $ 876,610 $ 979,809 $ 580,758
Europe 166,555 171,829 116,949
Asia 53,847 3,506 0
Eliminations (138,730) (84,856) (63,466)
---------------------------------------------
$ 958,282 $ 1,070,288 $ 634,241
=============================================
OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
North America $ 27,606 $ 285,070 $ 154,381
Europe (10,263) 19,481 12,849
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 14
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Asia 7,706 921 212
---------------------------------------------
$ 25,049 $ 305,472 $ 167,442
=============================================
Years Ended December 31, 1997 1996 1995
TOTAL ASSETS
North America $ 1,418,284 $ 1,228,560 $ 850,804
Europe 413,092 237,306 74,624
Asia 9,706 2,227 1,064
Eliminations (19,042) (12,179) (6,871)
---------------------------------------------
$ 1,822,040 $ 1,455,914 $ 919,621
=============================================
EXPORT REVENUES
Europe $ 140,959 $ 175,582 $ 120,565
Asia 364,407 419,848 207,795
---------------------------------------------
$ 505,366 $ 595,430 $ 328,360
=============================================
</TABLE>
One customer accounted for 12.6 percent, 12.0 percent and 16.9 percent of
net revenues in 1997, 1996 and 1995, respectively.
Note 12
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS (UNAUDITED)
In January 1998, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a stock
repurchase program that allows the Company to purchase up to 5,000 shares of its
common stock. In connection with this program, the Company purchased 1,000
shares of its common stock in January 1998. The average purchase price of the
shares repurchased was $16.62 per share.
The Company was named as a defendant in a patent infringement suit that was
filed on January 21, 1998. The plaintiff contended that certain of the Company's
devices infringe seven patents it allegedly owns and was seeking a judgment of
infringement for each of these asserted patents and other costs. The amount of
judgment sought by the plaintiff was not specified in the lawsuit. The Company
settled the patent disputes and entered into a cross-license agreement with the
plaintiff in August 1998.
On March 2, 1998, the Company acquired from Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. the
integrated circuit (IC) business of Temic Telefunken Microelectronic GmbH
(Temic), a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz A. G. Temic's IC business had
revenues of approximately $260,000 in 1997 from sales of application- specific
integrated circuits for the automotive, communications and consumer industries.
The purchase price for the IC business was approximately $99,250.
<PAGE> 15
Atmel Corporation
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS
ATMEL CORPORATION
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Atmel
Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the related
consolidated statements of income, cash flows and shareholders' equity for each
of the three years in the period ended December 31, 1997. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on
our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Atmel
Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the
consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the
three years in the period ended December 31, 1997, in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles.
/s/ Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
San Jose, California
January 15, 1998
SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Unaudited, in thousands,
except per-share data) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997
Net revenues $ 252,946 $ 224,936 $ 240,050 $ 240,350
Gross margin 116,569 99,036 104,478 35,960
Net income (loss) 38,738 27,408 30,349 (94,694)
Basic net income (loss) per share 0.39 0.28 0.30 (0.95)
Diluted net income (loss) per share 0.38 0.27 0.29 (0.95)
Price range of common stock per share
High 46.88 29.63 39.06 37.50
Low 23.75 22.50 26.50 18.06
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996
Net revenues $ 240,096 $ 268,748 $ 280,332 $ 281,112
Gross margin 119,453 133,789 138,821 139,010
Net income 44,909 50,291 52,878 53,644
Basic net income per share 0.46 0.51 0.54 0.54
Diluted net income per share 0.45 0.50 0.53 0.53
Price range of common stock per share
High 33.50 42.38 33.75 38.00
Low 18.13 23.88 21.88 25.13
</TABLE>
COMMON STOCK DATA
As of December 31, 1997, there were approximately 1,950 record holders
of the Company's common stock. The last reported sales price on that date was
$18.56.
<PAGE> 16
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company's
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere herein.
OVERVIEW
The Company's operating results in 1997 declined significantly compared to 1996.
The decrease was primarily due to a $112.0 million decrease in net revenues and
pre-tax charges in the fourth quarter of approximately $160.0 million relating
to write-downs of accounts receivable and inventories of approximately $90.0
million, and $58.0 million in connection with consolidation of the Company's
manufacturing operations in France.
The Company incurred a pre-tax charge of $41.3 million relating to the
write-down of accounts receivable during the fourth quarter of 1997. The
pre-tax charge was established in response to the rapid down-turn of the
semiconductor industry and the difficult collection environment due to the
financial turmoil in Asia where more than 40.0 percent of the Company's
revenues are generated. Although the Company's accounts receivable balance
began to increase during 1997, the Company anticipated that such balances would
decrease as the Company's business improved. However, late in the fourth
quarter of 1997, it became apparent that the expected growth would not
materialize. Customers increasingly began to return products and became more
aggressive on payment terms. Revenues and margins began to reflect this much
tougher business environment. The Company responded to this tougher business
environment by writing off its accounts receivable. Four customers accounted
for approximately 63 percent of the $41.3 million write-down.
The Company incurred a pre-tax charge of $53.1 million relating to the
write-down of inventory during the fourth quarter of 1997. During the first half
of 1997, demand for the Company's products was increasing, as demonstrated by
encouraging new orders and business opportunities, particularly in the emerging
Asian markets, being received by the Company's sales force. Based on these early
indications, the Company was anticipating substantial revenue and margin
improvements for the fourth quarter of 1997 and was building its parts inventory
in mid-1997 in anticipation of demand for, and expected industry shortage of,
semiconductor products in the fourth quarter of 1997. However, late in the
fourth quarter of 1997, it became apparent that the expected growth would not
materialize. Revenues and margins began to reflect this much more difficult
business environment. The Company responded to this more difficult business
environment and rapid down-turn of the semiconductor industry by writing off its
inventory. The inventory write-off consisted of $42.5 million of slow-moving
inventory and $10.6 million of inventory that was marked to the lower market
value.
NET REVENUES
The Company's net revenues by geographic destinations for the three years ended
December 31, 1997, 1996 and 1995 are summarized as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
1997 1996 1995
---- ---- ----
<S> <C> <C> <C>
North America $ 371,244 $ 384,379 $252,397
Europe 307,514 347,411 237,514
Asia 418,254 423,354 207,795
Eliminations (138,730) (84,856) (63,465)
--------- ---------- ---------
$ 958,282 $1,070,288 $634,241
========= ========== =========
</TABLE>
The decreases in 1997 revenues in all regions compared to 1996 were primarily
due to abnormal price erosion in the Company's memory businesses. In addition,
the weaker business conditions in Europe and Japan in 1997 also contributed to
the revenue decline for Europe and Asia regions in 1997. The Company's
application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) and logic businesses
represented approximately 45 percent of its 1997 net revenues and 1997 net
revenues for these two groups increased approximately 75 percent compared to
1996. The Company's memory business represented approximately 55 percent of its
1997 net revenues. Although the Company shipped more units in 1997 than 1996,
the net revenues for memory products decreased approximately 29 percent
compared to 1996. As noted above, the decline was primarily due to abnormal
price erosion in the memory product markets.
The increases in sales in all regions in 1996 compared to 1995 were primarily
due to increased unit shipments sold to the telecommunications, computer and
consumer markets. The increase of approximately $57 million in European sales
in 1996 was attributable to sales from the Company's subsidiary, Atmel ES2
B.V., which was acquired in April 1995. During 1996, the ASIC and logic
businesses represented 26 percent of the Company's net revenues and increased
approximately 43 percent compared to 1995. The increase in ASIC and logic net
revenues was a result of increased sales of the Company's microcontrollers (114
percent), EPLD (29 percent) and ASIC (68 percent) products. The Company's
memory business represented 74 percent of its 1996 net revenues and increased
approximately 48 percent compared to 1995. The increase in sales of the
Company's Flash (76 percent) and EPROM (60 percent) products were the primary
contributors to the Company's memory revenue increase in 1996.
Net revenues decreased 10.5 percent to $958.3 million in 1997 from $1,070.3
million in 1996. The decrease was primarily due to abnormal price erosion in the
Company's non-volatile memory businesses, weaker business conditions in Europe
and Japan and the strengthening of the United States dollar. Foreign sales
accounted for 61.3 percent of revenues in 1997 compared to 64.1 percent in 1996
and 60.2 percent in 1995. A portion of the Company's revenues in Japan and
Europe were generated in local currency. Since the Company also has European
assets and operations in local currency, no hedging program exists for the
European sales. However, for Japanese sales, the Company used forward contracts
to hedge its currency risk relating to accounts receivable that are denominated
in Japanese yen. The Company experienced a 69.0 percent growth in net revenues
from $634.2 million in 1995 to $1,070.3 million in 1996 due to increases in unit
shipments of products sold to the telecommunications, computer peripheral and
consumer markets, and also the revenue contribution from its subsidiary, Atmel
ES2 B.V., a Netherlands holding company with its principal operations and assets
in Rousset, France. Net revenues also increased as a result of sales of several
new logic products, such as Flash microcontrollers, Flash PLDs, integrated
analog devices and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
The Company believes future sales growth will depend substantially on the
success of new products. New products are generally incorporated into customers'
products or systems at the design stage. However, design wins may precede volume
sales by a year or more. No assurance can be given that any design win will
result in future revenues, which depend in large part on the success of the
customer's end product or system. The Company expects the average selling price
of each product to decline as individual products mature, typically within two
years, and competitors enter the market. To offset average selling price
decreases, typically experienced over the life of any particular product, the
Company relies primarily on attaining cost reductions in the manufacturing of
those products and on introducing new, higher priced products, which incorporate
advanced features or integrated technologies to address new or emerging markets.
Manufacturing cost reductions may be achieved through using advanced process
technologies to reduce the line widths in circuit designs which would enable
more dice to be etched onto a silicon wafer, increasing unit production volume
to lower the fixed costs allocated to each die and negotiating volume discounts
on assembly and packaging costs. To the extent that such cost reductions and new
product introductions do not occur in a timely manner, the Company's operating
results could be adversely affected. In addition, due in part to overcapacity in
the semiconductor industry, the Company's quarterly revenues and operating
results have become increasingly dependent upon orders booked and shipped within
a given quarter. To the extent this trend continues, the Company's quarterly
results will be less predictable and subject to greater variability.
The semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical, characterized by
wide fluctuations in product supply and demand. From time to time, the industry
has also experienced significant downturns, characterized by diminished product
demand, production overcapacity and subsequent accelerated erosion of average
selling prices. The commodity memory portion of the semiconductor industry, from
which the Company derives more than half of its revenues, continued to suffer
from excess capacity during 1997, which led to abnormal price erosion during the
year. If these conditions extend through 1998, the Company's growth and results
of operations would be adversely affected.
The Company's continued success will depend in large part on the continued
growth of various electronics industries that use semiconductors, including
manufacturers of computers, telecommunications equipment, automotive
electronics, industrial controls, consumer electronics equipment, military
equipment and a better supply and demand balance within the industry. While the
Company experienced rapid revenues and net income growth from 1994 through 1996,
there can be no assurance this growth will resume in the future periods, as was
evidenced in 1997.
COST OF SALES AND GROSS MARGIN
The Company's cost of sales represents the costs of its wafer fabrication,
assembly and test operations. Cost of sales as a percentage of net revenues
fluctuates, depending on product mix, manufacturing yields and the level of
utilization of manufacturing capacity. Cost of sales as a percentage of net
revenues in 1997 was 62.8 percent, compared with 50.4 percent in 1996 and 51.0
percent in 1995. The increase in cost of sales as a percentage of net revenues
was primarily due to the write-down of inventories in the fourth quarter,
manufacturing overcapacity resulting from increases in fixed costs associated
with the expansion of wafer fabrication facilities and lower product margins in
many of the Company's memory products. The lower product margins were
attributable to the rapid erosion of average selling prices that were not
matched with a corresponding decrease in manufacturing cost.
The Company incurred a pre-tax charge of $53.1 million relating to the
write-down of inventory during the fourth quarter of 1997. During the first half
of 1997, demand for the Company's products was increasing, as demonstrated by
encouraging new orders and business opportunities, particularly in the emerging
Asian markets, being received by the Company's sales force. Based on these early
indications, the Company was anticipating substantial revenue and margin
improvements for the fourth quarter of 1997 and was building its parts inventory
in mid-1997 in anticipation of demand for, and expected industry shortage of,
semiconductor products in the fourth quarter of 1997. However, late in the
fourth quarter of 1997, it became apparent that the expected growth would not
materialize. Revenues and margins began to reflect this much tougher business
environment. The Company responded to this tougher business environment and
rapid down-turn of the semiconductor industry by writing off its inventory. The
inventory write-off consisted of $42.5 million of slow-moving inventory and
$10.6 million of inventory that was marked to the lower market value.
The Company has lowered its capital expenditure plan to $200 million in 1998
and will focus on implementing chemical, mechanical planarization (CMP),
0.35-micron and 0.25-micron technologies in its wafer manufacturing facilities.
Implementation of these technologies will enable the Company to achieve cost
reductions through die shrinks. However, production delays, difficulties in
achieving acceptable yield at its Colorado Springs or its Rousset
<PAGE> 17
facility or overcapacity could materially and adversely affect the Company's
gross margin and future operating results.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Research and development expenses increased to $137.9 million in 1997 from
$110.2 million in 1996 and $69.8 million in 1995. The increase in 1997 was
primarily due to the one-time charge of $15.0 million to research and
development expense in connection with the qualification of the Company's new
manufacturing facility in France, the Company's continued investment in the
shrinking of the die size from 0.65-micron to 0.5-micron line widths,
development of 0.35-micron process technology, enhancement of mature products,
development of new products, advanced CMOS process technology, manufacturing
improvements and costs associated with increasing production capacity in
Colorado Springs and Rousset. The increase in 1996 was primarily due to the
Company's continued investment in the shrinking of the die size from 0.65-micron
to 0.5-micron line widths, enhancement of mature products, development of new
products, advanced CMOS and BiCMOS process technology, manufacturing
improvements and costs associated with expanding its fabrication facility in
Rousset, France during 1996. The Company believes that continued investment in
process technology and product development are essential to remain competitive
in the markets it serves and is committed to high levels of expenditures for
research and development.
SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE
Selling, general and administrative expense increased 30.1 percent to $150.1
million in 1997 from $115.4 million in 1996. The majority of the increase in
1997 was attributable to the $43.1 million write-down of accounts receivable.
This increase in 1996 expense was due to the addition of sales and
administrative personnel and other expenses associated with the Company's higher
sales volume. In 1995, the Company spent $73.5 million or 11.6 percent of net
revenues.
NON-RECURRING CHARGE
In an effort to improve the productivity and efficiency of the Company's French
manufacturing operations, the Company provided a reserve of $43.0 million
reflecting the impairment of machinery and equipment as a result of its decision
to consolidate its two manufacturing facilities (Fab 6 and Fab 7) located in
Rousset. The Company plans to concentrate its wafer manufacturing in Fab 7, an
eight-inch, 0.35-micron facility and to convert Fab 6 to a test facility.
INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME AND INTEREST EXPENSE
Interest and other income decreased to $12.1 million in 1997 from $16.5 million
in 1996 and $13.1 million in 1995. Other income consists of investment gains and
losses and realized and unrealized foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
The decline was primarily due to the combination of the losses sustained on sale
of stock investments in 1997 and the gains realized from sale of stock
investments and a parcel of land in 1996.
Interest expense, which includes the interest on capital lease financing,
increased to $31.2 million in 1997 from $12.9 million in 1996 and $8.3 million
in 1995. The increase in both years was primarily due to the increase in
borrowings used to finance the expansion and construction of the Company's
manufacturing facilities located in Colorado Springs and Rousset, respectively.
TAXES ON INCOME
The Company's effective tax rate was 70.0 percent in 1997, 34.8 percent in 1996
and 34.0 percent in 1995. The increase was primarily due to the valuation
allowance provided for the net operating loss incurred by Atmel ES2, our French
subsidiary and the loss of foreign sales corporation benefit. The effect was
magnified by the lower level of income before taxes from the United States
jurisdiction.
YEAR 2000 RISKS
Many currently installed computer systems and software products are coded to
accept only two-digit entries in the date code field. These date code fields
will need to accept four digit entries to distinguish 21st century dates from
20th century dates. As a result, in less than two years computer systems and/or
software used by the Company will need to be upgraded to comply with such Year
2000 requirements. The Company has initiated a program to review its computer
hardware and software systems to determine the impact of and to provide
solutions for Year 2000 requirements. However, it is unable, at this time, to
determine the financial impact of this program. If the Company were unable to
successfully upgrade its computer information systems to be Year 2000 compliant,
it could materially and adversely affect its wafer production system and
business and financial information systems, which in turn could result in a
material adverse effect on the Company's business, operating results and
financial condition.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The Company has financed its operations and capital requirements through cash
flow from operations, equipment lease financing arrangements and other borrowing
arrangements.
During 1997, the Company generated net cash flow from operations of $78.9
million. Accounts receivable increased by $92.9 million due to the Company
extending longer payment terms to its customers and a more difficult collection
environment because of the financial turmoil in Asia where more than 40.0
percent of the Company's revenues are generated. The weakened market conditions
and business competition required the Company to extend its payment terms to its
customers. The accounts receivable increased 71.8 percent to $174.5 million from
$101.6 million in 1995. The increase was due primarily to a 68.8 percent
increase in 1996 revenues ($1,070 million) compared to 1995 ($634 million). The
average days of accounts receivable outstanding were 47.1 and 44.1 days for 1996
and 1995, respectively. Inventory balances increased by approximately $108.6
million from 1996 to 1997, reflecting the increased manufacturing output and
inventory reduction programs by our OEM customers. During periods of excess
manufacturing capacity in the industry and rapidly eroding prices, OEM customers
reduce inventory levels and rely on manufacturers to carry more inventory to
meet just-in-time deliveries. Inventories increased 44.9 percent to $70.3
million in 1996 from $48.5 million in 1995. The increase was due to an increase
in manufacturing capacity to meet the growth of the Company's sales during 1996.
The inventory turnover for 1996 was 9.1 times compared to 7.8 times in 1995. The
increase in inventory turnover in 1996 was due primarily to higher demand for
the Company's products as compared to 1995. Trade accounts payable and other
accrued liabilities increased by approximately $17.9 million from 1996 to 1997.
This increase primarily reflects the acquisition of capital equipment,
construction costs and the timing of payment of certain other trade payables.
The Company made substantial capital investments in 1997 totaling $312.1 million
to increase manufacturing capacity at all its fabrication plants and to complete
construction of its 8-inch plant in Rousset. To finance this expansion, the
Company incurred a number of debt obligations totaling $397.5 million. At
December 31, 1997, the Company had $237.5 million in cash and short-term
investments, an increase of $80.3 million from December 31, 1996, and $314.5
million in working capital, an increase of $190.9 million from December 31,
1996. At December 31, 1997, the Company also had long-
<PAGE> 18
term investments of $95.5 million, a decrease of $9.1 million from December 31,
1996. These investments consisted primarily of state and municipal securities
and United States government obligations.
The Company believes that its existing sources of liquidity, together with
cash flows from operations, lease financing on equipment and other short- or
medium-term bank borrowing, will be sufficient to meet the Company's liquidity
and capital requirements through 1998. The Company may, however, seek additional
equity or debt financing to fund further expansion of its wafer fabrication
capacity, or to fund other projects or acquisitions. The timing and amount of
such capital requirements cannot be precisely determined at this time and will
depend on a number of factors, including demand for the Company's products,
product mix changes, semiconductor industry conditions and competitive factors.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company faces exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange
rates. These exposures change over time and could have a material adverse impact
on the Company's financial results. Historically, the Company's primary
exposures related to nondollar denominated sales in Japan and Europe. At the
present time, the Company hedges only currency exposures associated with Japan.
The hedging activity undertaken by the Company is intended to offset the impact
of currency fluctuations on accounts receivable that are denominated in Japanese
yen. To the extent that these forecasts are overstated or understated during
periods of currency volatility, the Company could experience unanticipated
currency gains and losses.
The Company's foreign exchange contracts generally have maturities that do
not exceed three months. Foreign exchange contracts outstanding, all of which
were in Japanese currency, amounted to $9.5 million and $5.4 million at December
31, 1997, and 1996, respectively.
The Company maintains investment portfolio holding of various issuers, types
and maturities whose value is dependent upon short-term interest rates. These
securities are generally classified as available for sales, and consequently are
recorded on the balance sheet at fair value with unrealized gains and losses
being recorded as a separate part of stockholders' equity. The Company does not
currently hedge these interest rate exposures.
Given the Company's current profile of interest rate exposures and the
maturities of its investment holdings, the Company believes that a change in
interest rates would not have a material adverse impact on the Company's
investment portfolio or statement of operations through December 31, 1998.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this Annual Report are
forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as
"expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates,"
and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify
such forward looking statements. These statements are based on current
expectations and projections about the semiconductor industry and assumptions
made by the management and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore,
actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or
forecasted in the forward looking statements due to factors such as the effect
of changing economic conditions, material changes in currency exchange rates,
conditions in the overall semiconductor market (including the historic
cyclicality of the industry), continued financial turmoil in the Asian markets,
risks associated with product demand and market acceptance risks, the impact of
competitive products and pricing, delays in new product development, fab
capactity utilization, product mix and technological risks and other risk
factors identified in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the Company's Form 10-K Report. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update any forward looking statements in this Annual Report.
<PAGE> 1
EXHIBIT 21.1
ATMEL CORPORATION
SUBSIDIARIES OF REGISTRANT
The following are the subsidiaries of the Registrant:
Atmel Asia Limited, a Hong Kong corporation
Atmel ES2, B.V., a Netherlands corporation
Atmel ES2, S.A., a French corporation
Atmel Finance Inc., a United States corporation
Atmel (OY) Finland, a Finnish corporation
Atmel Finland Development Center (OY), a Finnish corporation
Atmel FSC, Inc. a Barbadian corporation
Atmel GmbH, a German corporation
Atmel Japan K.K., a Japanese corporation
Atmel Korea Limited, a Korean corporation
Atmel Research, a Cayman Islands corporation
Atmel SARL, a French corporation
Atmel Semiconductor Corporation, a United States corporation
Atmel Singapore Pte. Limited, a Singaporean corporation
Atmel Taiwan Limited, a Taiwanese corporation
Atmel U.K. Limited, a United Kingdom corporation
<PAGE> 1
EXHIBIT 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements of
Atmel Corporation on Form S-8 (File Nos. 33-39925, 33-93662 and 333-15823) of
our report dated January 15, 1998 on our audit of the consolidated financial
statements of Atmel Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and
1996, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 1997,
which report has been incorporated by reference from the 1997 Annual Report to
Shareholders of Atmel Corporation and our report dated January 15, 1998, on our
audit of the consolidated financial statement schedule which report is included
in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
San Jose, California
November 6, 1998
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