Commission File Number: 0-25434

Brooks Automation, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

978-262-2400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

 

 

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

None

 

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

 

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Yes  o      No  þ

 

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  þ      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes  þ      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Rule 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 the Form 10-K.   o

 

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

 

 

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

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value, held by nonaffiliates of the registrant as of March 31, 2011, was approximately $884,316,500 based on the closing price per share of $13.73 on that date on the Nasdaq Stock Market. As of March 31, 2011, 66,150,294 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding. As of November 10, 2011, 66,275,320 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01, par value, were outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement involving the election of directors, which is expected to be filed within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Report.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

share and during fiscal year 2011, semiconductor end market product revenues, excluding contract manufacturing revenues, increased by 18% from the prior year. Industrial and other adjacent market revenues increased 42% during that same period.

 

Semiconductor capital equipment

 

The global semiconductor capital equipment industry is a highly cyclical industry with a long term growth profile driven by the expanded use of semiconductor devices and the device complexity, each necessitating incremental equipment purchases. This growth is increasingly focused in Asia. The production of advanced semiconductor chips is an extremely complex and logistically challenging manufacturing activity. To create the tens of millions of microscopic transistors and connect them both horizontally and in vertical layers in order to produce a functioning integrated circuit, or IC chip, the silicon wafers must go through hundreds of process steps that require complex processing equipment, or tools, to create the integrated circuits. A large production fab may have more than 70 different types of process and metrology tools, totaling as many as 500 tools or more. Up to 40% of these tools perform processes in a vacuum, such as removing, depositing, or measuring material on wafer surfaces. Wafers can go through as many as 400 different process steps before fabrication is complete. These steps, which comprise the initial fabrication of the integrated circuit and are referred to in the industry as front-end processes, are repeated many times to create the desired pattern on the silicon wafer. As the complexity of semiconductors continues to increase, the number of process steps that occur in a vacuum environment also increases, resulting in a greater need for both automation and vacuum technology solutions due to the sensitive handling requirements and increased number of tools. The requirement for efficient, higher throughput and extremely clean manufacturing for semiconductor wafer fabs and other high performance electronic-based products has created a substantial market for substrate handling automation (moving the wafers around and between tools in a semiconductor fab), tool automation (the use of robots and modules used in conjunction with and inside process tools that move wafers from station to station), and vacuum systems technology to create and sustain the environment necessary to fabricate various products. Advanced chip processing used to form three dimensional structures of the previously patterned integrated circuit is emerging. This processing, often referred to as wafer level packaging, is typically performed at what would be considered the back-end processing of a chip. To accomplish this work, there is an extension of some front-end processes into the back-end, thereby increasing the market for automation solutions.

 

Service and spares

 

Whereas sales for production equipment are typically made to original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), the service and spares support of that equipment is more typically a relationship with the end-user manufacturer who is using that equipment in a productive capacity. While the majority of the market that we currently address with our service and spares activities is the semiconductor manufacturing market, we are actively looking to increase our service offerings in the life science market.

 

Industrial capital equipment

 

There are a variety of industrial manufacturing operations that require either a vacuum or significant cooling for effective deposition of films or coatings. The expansion of technologies such as touch screen equipment is driving greater application of these operations and the requirement for the associated vacuum and instrumentation solutions that we provide. These deposition processes are typically performed on equipment that cycle from an uncontrolled atmospheric environment for loading and unloading to a controlled vacuum environment for processing. The transition to the controlled vacuum environment requires removal of large amounts of moisture inherent from the air in a typical operation. This moisture removal is accomplished by deep cooling of coils within the vacuum chamber and the increased need for the equipment necessary to deliver refrigerant supply to those coils results in increased demand for our products.

 

Life Sciences

 

There is a broad market of devices, systems and consumables that support the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, health care research and diagnostics industries in the advanced handling, processing, storage and distribution of biological and compound samples. At the heart of these activities is sample storage. Facilities that store biological

samples are commonly called biobanks or biorepositories. Such sample storage is generally more effective in maintaining a controlled environment, tracking samples, and reliably and quickly handling samples, if the store is automated. These automated sample management systems are at the heart of the complete sample handling process. With the advent of personalized medicine linking DNA to optimal treatment regimens, the expansion of mass storage of key biological material to support rapidly expanding comparative and longitudinal studies, and the accumulation of samples taken from surgical and other procedures, we believe that the numbers of samples in storage is expanding at between 25 — 30% per annum on a global basis. We believe that this expansion, together with manual stores that become overwhelmed by the numbers of samples they accumulate, will drive a solid growth in automated sample management equipment.

 

Other adjacent markets

 

There are a variety of markets that have adopted, or are adopting, similar manufacturing methods to those utilized by the semiconductor industry. Frequently, these markets have common customers but technology applications in the end markets are still maturing. We serve a variety of these evolving markets including light emitting diode (“LED”) applications. High Brightness LED (“HBLED”) is a potential clean energy solution replacing incandescent lighting sources. We believe that the application of HBLED solutions to these general illumination applications is expected to expand as manufacturing processes for these products advance, resulting in lower costs of production and more attractive pricing for these products. Organic LED (“OLED”) solutions provide lower power consumption for high clarity video. OLED applications are gaining traction in the mobile computing and telecommunications device markets. Other evolving markets which utilize our products include microelectronic mechanical systems (“MEMS”) manufacturing and solar panel manufacturing. MEMS applications, which include accelerometers, self tuning antennae and pressure gauges, are expanding in automotive, mobile computing and telecommunications device markets. We believe that solar panel production is also expanding, and our products are used in the production of thin film solar panels which require cooling to effectuate deposition and adhesion.

 

Products

 

In the semiconductor industry, wafer handling robotics have emerged as a critical technology in determining the efficacy and productivity of the complex tools which process 300mm wafers in the world’s most advanced wafer fabs. A tool is built around a process chamber using automation technology to move wafers into and out of the chamber. Today, OEMs build their tools using a cluster architecture, whereby several process chambers are mounted to one central frame that processes wafers. We specialize in developing and building the handling system, as well as the vacuum technology used in these tools. Our products can be provided as an individual component or as a complete handling system. Automation products are provided to support both atmospheric and vacuum based processes.

 

We provide high vacuum pumps and instrumentation which are required in certain process steps to condition the processing environment and to optimize that environment by maintaining pressure consistency of the known process gas. To achieve optimal production yields, semiconductor manufacturers must ensure that each process operates at carefully controlled pressure levels. Impurities or incorrect pressure levels can lower production yields, thereby significantly increasing the cost per useable semiconductor chip produced. We provide various pressure measurement instruments that form part of this pressure control loop on production processing equipment. Some key vacuum processes include: dry etching and dry stripping, chemical vapor deposition, or CVD, physical vapor deposition, or PVD, and ion implantation.

 

In the HBLED market we have worked with leading manufacturers to develop advanced automation solutions that improve the productivity of processes that were previously manual. In other adjacent markets we either provide standard vacuum and instrumentation solutions or have adapted our automation solutions to specific payload, throughput and tool architecture requirements.

 

For the life science markets we provide automated sample management systems that store samples (e.g.: DNA, blood, drug compounds, biologics) in a controlled environment and automate the process of storing samples (typically in racks or plates) and the subsequent extractions of specifically selected samples from those racks or plates. The storage environments ensure samples are preserved within a narrow temperature band for long periods

and provide for absolute accuracy in the identification and selection of samples. We are an early pioneer in bringing to market stores that operate as low as minus 80 ^O C.

 

In providing comprehensive solutions to the life science markets we also provide systems for automated blood fractionation, sealing and de-sealing equipment for samples stored on plates and automated cappers and de-cappers for samples stored in tubes. We also provide consumables in the form of sample plates, micro-plates and tubes.

 

Segments

 

In the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2011 we realigned our management structure and its underlying financial reporting structure. As a result of this realignment, we now report financial results in four segments: Brooks Product Solutions; Brooks Life Science Systems; Brooks Global Services; and Contract Manufacturing.

 

The Brooks Product Solutions segment provides a variety of products critical to technology equipment productivity and availability. Those products include atmospheric and vacuum tool automation systems, atmospheric and vacuum robots and robotic modules and cryogenic vacuum pumping, thermal management and vacuum measurement solutions used to create, measure and control critical process vacuum applications.

 

The Brooks Life Science Systems segment provides automated sample management systems including automated sample storage, automated blood fractionation equipment, sample preparation and handling equipment, consumables, parts and support services to a wide range of life science customers including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biobanks, national laboratories, research institutes and research universities.

 

The Brooks Global Services segment provides an extensive range of support services including on and off-site repair services, on and off-site diagnostic support services, and installation services to enable our customers to maximize process tool uptime and productivity. This segment also provides end-user customers with spare part support services to maximize customer tool productivity. The segment predominantly serves semiconductor industry customers.

 

The business of the Contract Manufacturing segment which provided outsourced contract manufacturing services to semiconductor equipment manufacturers was sold in June 2011.

 

Customers

 

Within the semiconductor industry, we sell our products and services to most of the major semiconductor chip manufacturers and OEMs in the world. Our customers outside the semiconductor industry are broadly diversified. We have major customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Additionally, although much of our equipment sales ship to United States OEMs, many of those products ultimately are utilized in international markets. See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for a discussion of the risks related to foreign operations. The Brooks Global Services business provides support to leading fabs and foundries across the globe.

 

Our life sciences systems solutions are used by pharmaceutical customers (including the top twenty), national laboratories, biological drug development companies, research institutes and research hospitals. There is no continuing concentration of customers for BLSS although given the size of particular projects, an individual customer may be significant to the life science segment in a given quarter or fiscal year.

 

Relatively few customers account for a substantial portion of our revenues, with the top 10 customers accounting for approximately 55% of our business in fiscal 2011. We have two customers, Applied Materials, Inc. and Lam Research Corporation, that each accounted for more than 10% of our overall revenues for the year.

 

In our assessment of customer concentration, we primarily consider the OEM who designs the proprietary tool as our customer since they make the design-in decision rather than an intermediary contract manufacturer who is the entity to whom we invoice. For fiscal 2011, no contract manufacturer represented more than 10% of revenues. In addition, if the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment occurred on October 1, 2010, none of our contract manufacturing customers would have exceeded 10% of our fiscal year 2011 revenues.

Sales, Marketing and Customer Support

 

We market and sell most of our semiconductor, industrial and other adjacent market products and services in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America through our direct sales organization. The sales process for our products is often multilevel, involving a team comprised of individuals from sales, marketing, engineering, operations and senior management. In many cases a customer is assigned a team that engages the customer at different levels of its organization to facilitate planning, provide product customization when required, and to ensure open communication and support. Some of our vacuum and instrumentation products and services for certain international markets are sold through local country distributors. Additionally, we serve the Japanese market for our robotics and automation products through our Yaskawa Brooks Automation (YBA) joint venture with Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan.

 

We market to most of our life sciences customers through our direct Brooks Life Science Systems sales force. In regions with emerging life science industries such as China, India and the Middle East, we leverage local distributors to assist in the sales process. The sales process for our larger sample management systems may take 6-18 months to complete and it involves a team comprised of individuals from sales, marketing, engineering and senior management.

 

Our marketing activities include participation in trade shows, delivery of seminars, participation in industry forums, distribution of sales literature, publication of press releases and articles in business and industry publications. To enhance communication and support, particularly with our international customers, we maintain sales and service centers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. These facilities, together with our headquarters, maintain local support capability and demonstration equipment for customers to evaluate. Customers are encouraged to discuss features and applications of our demonstration equipment with our engineers located at these facilities.

 

Net revenues for the years ended September 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009 based upon the source of the order by geographic area are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Competition

 

We operate in a variety of niches of varying breadth and with differing competitors and competitive dynamics. The semiconductor and adjacent market, and process equipment manufacturing industries are highly competitive and characterized by continual changes and improvements in technology. The significant portion of equipment automation is still done in-house by OEMs. Our competitors among external vacuum automation suppliers are primarily Japanese companies such as Daihen, Daikin and Rorze. Our competitors among vacuum components suppliers include Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Genesis and Telemark. We have a significant share of the market for vacuum cryogenic pumps and mixed gas cryo-chillers. Competitors in markets for our instrumentation products include MKS Instruments and Inficon. Atmospheric tool automation is typically less demanding and has a larger field of competitors. We compete directly with other equipment automation suppliers of atmospheric modules and systems such as Hirata, Kawasaki, Genmark, Rorze, Sankyo, TDK and Symphonia. Contract manufacturers such as Celestica and Flextronics are also providing assembly and manufacturing services for atmospheric systems.

 

Our Life Science Systems business competes with a number of smaller private companies in providing automated sample management systems. These competitors include Hamilton, Matrical, HighRes Biosolutions, Liconic, TTP and Tusbakimoto Chain.

 

We believe our customers will purchase our equipment automation products and vacuum subsystems as long as we continue to provide the necessary throughput, reliability, contamination control and accuracy in our products at

an acceptable price point. We believe that we have competitive offerings with respect to all of these factors; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in selling our products to OEMs who currently satisfy their automation needs in-house or from other independent suppliers, regardless of the performance or price of our products.

 

Research and Development

 

Our research and development efforts are focused on developing new products and also enhancing the functionality, degree of integration, reliability and performance of our existing products. Our engineering, marketing, operations and management personnel leverage their close collaborative relationships with many of their counterparts in customer organizations in an effort to proactively identify market demands with an ability to refocus our research and development investment to meet our customer demands. With the rapid pace of change that characterizes the markets we serve, it is essential for us to provide high-performance and reliable products in order for us to maintain our leadership position.

 

Our research and development spending for fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $39.8 million, $31.2 million and $31.6 million, respectively. We expect to increase the pace of spending for research and development in the near term to support new generations of products, most notably for automated sample management.

 

Manufacturing

 

Our manufacturing operations are used for product assembly, integration and testing. We have adopted quality assurance procedures that include standard design practices, component selection procedures, vendor control procedures and comprehensive reliability testing and analysis to ensure the performance of our products. Our major manufacturing facilities are located in Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Poway, California; Petaluma, California; Longmont, Colorado; Monterrey, Mexico; Yongin-City, South Korea and Manchester, UK. We also provide service and spare parts support to end users throughout the world. Many of our service customers are based outside of the U.S., with many in Asia. We have service and support locations close to these customers to provide rapid response to their service needs. We have service and support locations in Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Chu Bei City, Taiwan; Yongin City, South Korea; Yokohama, Japan; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Jena, Germany; Oberdiessbach, Switzerland; and, Israel.

 

We utilize a just-in-time manufacturing strategy, based on the concepts of demand flow technology, for a large portion of our manufacturing process. We believe that this strategy, coupled with the outsourcing of non-critical components such as machined parts, wire harnesses and PC boards, reduces our fixed operating costs, improves our working capital efficiency, reduces our manufacturing cycle times and improves our flexibility to rapidly adjust production capacities. While we often use single source suppliers for certain key components and common assemblies to achieve quality control and the benefits of economies of scale, we believe that these parts and materials are readily available from other supply sources. We expect to continue to broaden the sourcing of our components to low cost regions, including Asia.

 

Patents and Proprietary Rights

 

We rely on patents, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, copyrights, trademarks and licensing agreements to protect our technology. Our United States patents expire at various times through April 2030. Due to the rapid technological change that characterizes the life sciences, semiconductor, flat panel display and related process equipment industries, we believe that the improvement of existing technology, reliance upon trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how and the development of new products may be as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage. To protect trade secrets and know-how, it is our policy to require all technical and management personnel to enter into proprietary information and nondisclosure agreements. We cannot guarantee that these efforts will meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

 

We have successfully licensed our FOUP (front-opening unified pod) load port technology to significant FOUP manufacturers.

Backlog

 

Backlog for our products as of September 30, 2011, totaled $99.7 million as compared to $106.4 million at September 30, 2010. Backlog consists of purchase orders for which a customer has scheduled delivery within the next 12 months. Backlog consists of orders principally for hardware and service agreements. Orders included in the backlog may be cancelled or rescheduled by customers without significant penalty. Backlog as of any particular date should not be relied upon as indicative of our revenues for any future period. A substantial percentage of current business generates no backlog because we deliver our products and services in the same period in which the order is received.

 

Employees

 

At September 30, 2011, we had 1,433 full time employees. In addition, we utilized 217 part time employees and contractors. Approximately 46 employees in our facility in Jena, Germany are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationships with these and all employees to be good.

 

Available Information

 

We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The public may read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Also, the SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including Brooks Automation, Inc., that file electronically with the SEC. The public can obtain any documents that we file with the SEC at www.sec.gov .

 

Our internet website address is http://www.brooks.com . Through our website, we make available, free of charge, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed, or furnished to, the SEC. These SEC reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of our website. The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.

 

industry downturn. If an industry downturn continues for an extended period of time, our business could be materially harmed. Conversely, in periods of rapidly increasing demand, we could have insufficient inventory and manufacturing capacity to meet our customer needs on a timely basis, which could result in the loss of customers and various other expenses that could reduce gross margins and profitability.

 

We face competition which may lead to price pressure and otherwise adversely affect our sales.

 

We face competition throughout the world in each of our product areas. This comes from competitors as discussed in Part I, Item 1, “Business — Competition” as well as internal robotic capabilities at larger OEMs. Many of our competitors have substantial engineering, manufacturing, marketing and customer support capabilities. We expect our competitors to continue to improve the performance of their current products and to introduce new products and technologies that could adversely affect sales of our current and future products and services. New products and technologies developed by our competitors or more efficient production of their products could require us to make significant price reductions or decide not to compete for certain orders. If we fail to respond adequately to pricing pressures or fail to develop products with improved performance or developments with respect to the other factors on which we compete, we could lose customers or orders. If we are unable to compete effectively, our business and prospects could be materially harmed.

 

Risks Relating to Brooks

 

Our operating results could fluctuate significantly, which could negatively impact our business.

 

Our revenues, operating margins and other operating results could fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter depending upon a variety of factors, including:

 

 

As a result of these risks, we believe that quarter to quarter comparisons of our revenue and operating results may not be meaningful, and that these comparisons may not be an accurate indicator of our future performance.

If we do not continue to introduce new products and services that reflect advances in technology in a timely and effective manner, our products and services may become obsolete and our operating results will suffer.

 

Our success is dependent on our ability to respond to the technological change present in the markets we serve. The success of our product development and introduction depends on our ability to:

 

 

If we cannot succeed in responding in a timely manner to technological and/or market changes or if the new products that we introduce do not achieve market acceptance, it could diminish our competitive position which could materially harm our business and our prospects.

 

The global nature of our business exposes us to multiple risks.

 

For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, approximately 49% and 46%, respectively, of our revenues were derived from sales outside North America. We expect that international sales, including increased sales in Asia, will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues. We maintain a global footprint of sales, service and repair operations. As a result of our international operations, we are exposed to many risks and uncertainties, including:

 

 

Negative developments in any of these areas in one or more countries could result in a reduction in demand for our products, the cancellation or delay of orders already placed, threats to our intellectual property, difficulty in collecting receivables, and a higher cost of doing business, any of which could materially harm our business and profitability.

 

Our business could be materially harmed if we fail to adequately integrate the operations of the businesses that we have acquired or may acquire.

 

We have made in the past, and may make in the future, acquisitions or significant investments in businesses with complementary products, services and/or technologies. Our acquisitions present numerous risks, including:

 

 

 

If we acquire a new business, we may be required to expend significant funds, incur additional debt or issue additional securities, which may negatively affect our operations and be dilutive to our stockholders. In periods following an acquisition, we will be required to evaluate goodwill and acquisition-related intangible assets for impairment. When such assets are found to be impaired, they will be written down to estimated fair value, with a charge against earnings. The failure to adequately address these risks could materially harm our business and financial results.

 

Entering new markets introduces new competitors and commercial risks.

 

A key part of our growth strategy is to continue expanding into markets beyond the semiconductor manufacturing market, as evidenced by our recent acquisitions of RTS and Nexus Biosystems in the life sciences market. As part of this strategy, we expect to diversify our product sales by leveraging our core technologies, which requires investments and resources which may not be available as needed. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in leveraging our capabilities into the life sciences market or any other new markets to meet all the needs of these new customers and to compete favorably. Because a significant portion of our growth potential may be dependent on our ability to increase sales to markets beyond semiconductor manufacturing, an inability to successfully enter new markets may adversely impact future financial results.

 

Changes in key personnel could impair our ability to execute our business strategy.

 

The continuing service of our executive officers and essential engineering, technical and management personnel, together with our ability to attract and retain such personnel, is an important factor in our continuing ability to execute our strategy. There is substantial competition to attract such employees and the loss of any such key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. The same could be true if we were to experience a high turnover rate among engineering and technical personnel and we were unable to replace them.

 

We may be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, or demands that we license third-party technology, which could result in significant expense and prevent us from using our technology.

 

We rely upon patents, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, copyrights, trademarks and licensing agreements to protect our technology. Due to the rapid technological change that characterizes the semiconductor and flat panel display process equipment industries, we believe that the improvement of existing technology, reliance upon trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how and the development of new products may be as important as patent protection in establishing and maintaining competitive advantage. To protect trade secrets and know-how, it is our policy to require all technical and management personnel to enter into nondisclosure agreements. We cannot guarantee that these efforts will meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

 

There has been substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the semiconductor related industries. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, notified that we may be infringing

intellectual property rights possessed by third parties. We cannot guarantee that infringement claims by third parties or other claims for indemnification by customers or end users of our products resulting from infringement claims will not be asserted in the future or that such assertions, if proven to be true, will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We cannot predict the extent to which we might be required to seek licenses or alter our products so that they no longer infringe the rights of others. We also cannot guarantee that licenses will be available or the terms of any licenses we may be required to obtain will be reasonable. Similarly, changing our products or processes to avoid infringing the rights of others may be costly or impractical and could detract from the value of our products. If a judgment of infringement were obtained against us, we could be required to pay substantial damages and a court could issue an order preventing us from selling one or more of our products. Further, the cost and diversion of management attention brought about by such litigation could be substantial, even if we were to prevail. Any of these events could result in significant expense to us and may materially harm our business and our prospects.

 

Our failure to protect our intellectual property could adversely affect our future operations.

 

Our ability to compete is significantly affected by our ability to protect our intellectual property. Existing trade secret, trademark and copyright laws offer only limited protection. Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and enforce patent protection for our products both in the United States and in other countries. We own numerous U.S. and foreign patents, and we intend to file additional applications, as appropriate, for patents covering our products and technology. Our current patents will expire from time to time through April 2030 and new patents may not be issued for any pending or future patent applications, and the claims allowed under any issued patents may not be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. Any issued patents owned by or licensed to us may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, and the rights under these patents may not provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, the laws of some countries in which our products are or may be developed, manufactured or sold may not fully protect our products. We cannot guarantee that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent the misappropriation of our technology. Other companies could independently develop similar or superior technology without violating our intellectual property rights. In the future, it may be necessary to engage in litigation or like activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others, including our customers. This could require us to incur significant expenses and to divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from our business operations.

 

If our manufacturing sites were to experience a significant disruption in operations, our business could be materially harmed.

 

We have a limited number of manufacturing facilities for our products. If the operations of these facilities were disrupted as a result of a natural disaster, fire, power or other utility outage, work stoppage or other similar event, our business could be seriously harmed because we may be unable to manufacture and ship products and parts to our customers in a timely fashion.

 

Our business could be materially harmed if one or more key suppliers fail to continuously deliver key components of acceptable cost and quality.

 

We currently obtain many of our key components on an as-needed, purchase order basis from numerous suppliers. In some cases we have only a single source of supply for necessary components and materials used in the manufacturing of our products. Further, we are increasing our sourcing of products in Asia, and particularly in China, and we do not have a previous course of dealing with many of these suppliers. We do not generally have long-term supply contracts with any of these suppliers, and many of them underwent cost-containment measures in light of the last industry downturn. As the industry has recovered, these suppliers have faced challenges in delivering components on a timely basis. This volatility in demand has led some of our vendors to exit the semiconductor market, and other vendors may also decide to exit this market. Our inability to obtain components or materials in required quantities or of acceptable cost and quality and with the necessary continuity of supply could result in delays or reductions in product shipments to our customers. In addition, if a supplier or sub-supplier suffers a production stoppage or delay for any reason, including natural disasters like the ones that recently affected Japan

and Thailand, this could result in a delay or reduction in product shipments to our customers. Any of these contingencies could cause us to lose customers, result in delayed or lost revenue and otherwise materially harm our business.

 

Our stock price is volatile.

 

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated widely. From the beginning of fiscal year 2010 through the end of fiscal year 2011, our stock price fluctuated between a high of $14.59 per share and a low of $5.46 per share. Consequently, the current market price of our common stock may not be indicative of future market prices, and we may be unable to sustain or increase the value of an investment in our common stock. Factors affecting our stock price may include:

 

 

In addition, the stock market has in the past experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations have particularly affected the market prices of the securities of high technology companies like ours. These market fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Risks Relating to Our Customers

 

Because we rely on a limited number of customers for a large portion of our revenues, the loss of one or more of these customers could materially harm our business.

 

We receive a significant portion of our revenues in each fiscal period from a relatively limited number of customers, and that trend is likely to continue. Sales to our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 55%, 63% and 44% of our total revenues in the fiscal years ended September 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. While we expect this percentage to decrease due to the sale of our contract manufacturing business and our recent life sciences acquisitions, the loss of one or more of these major customers, a significant decrease in orders from one of these customers, or the inability of one or more customers to make payments to us when they are due could materially affect our revenue, business and reputation.

 

Because of the lengthy sales cycles of many of our products, we may incur significant expenses before we generate any revenues related to those products.

 

Our customers may need several months to test and evaluate our products. This increases the possibility that a customer may decide to cancel or change plans, which could reduce or eliminate our sales to that customer. The impact of this risk can be magnified during the periods in which we introduce a number of new products, as has been the case in recent years. As a result of this lengthy sales cycle, we may incur significant research and development expenses, and selling, general and administrative expenses before we generate the related revenues for these products, and we may never generate the anticipated revenues if our customer cancels or changes its plans.

 

In addition, many of our products will not be sold directly to the end-user but will be components of other products. As a result, we rely on OEMs to select our products from among alternative offerings to be incorporated into their equipment at the design stage; so-called design-ins. The OEMs’ decisions often precede the generation of volume sales, if any, by a year or more. Moreover, if we are unable to achieve these design-ins from an OEM, we

would have difficulty selling our products to that OEM because changing suppliers involves significant cost, time, effort and risk on the part of that OEM.

 

Customers generally do not make long term commitments to purchase our products and our customers may cease purchasing our products at any time.

 

Sales of our products are often made pursuant to individual purchase orders and not under long-term commitments and contracts. Our customers frequently do not provide any assurance of minimum or future sales and are not prohibited from purchasing products from our competitors at any time. Accordingly, we are exposed to competitive pricing pressures on each order. Our customers also engage in the practice of purchasing products from more than one manufacturer to avoid dependence on sole-source suppliers for certain of their needs. The existence of these practices makes it more difficult for us to increase price, gain new customers and win repeat business from existing customers.

 

 

 

“short-swing” profits earned by Mr. Therrien due to the loan and stock option exercise in November 1999, and a sale by Mr. Therrien of Brooks stock in March 2000. The complaint sought disgorgement of all profits earned by Mr. Therrien on the transactions, attorneys’ fees and other expenses. On February 20, 2007, a second Section 16(b) action, concerning the same loan and stock option exercise in November 1999 discussed above and seeking the same remedy, was filed in the United States District Court of the District of Delaware, captioned Aron Rosenberg v. Robert J. Therrien and Brooks Automation, Inc . On April 4, 2007, the court issued an order consolidating the Levy and Rosenberg actions (the “Section 16(b) Action”).

 

On February 24, 2011, the parties executed a settlement agreement which, upon court approval, would resolve the Section 16(b) Action. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Therrien sold 150,000 shares of Brooks stock, the proceeds of which form the settlement fund and totaled approximately $1.9 million. The plaintiffs agreed to seek a fee not exceeding 30 percent of this settlement fund, the remainder of which would be delivered to the Company following court approval. Notice of the proposed settlement, which described the proposed settlement in further detail, was mailed to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2011.

 

In connection with the agreement to settle the Section 16(b) Action, the Company reached an agreement with Mr. Therrien and the Company’s former Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Carriers (the “Global Settlement Agreement”) to resolve (1) Mr. Therrien’s civil litigation with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), (2) any of the Company’s advancement or indemnification obligations to Mr. Therrien in connection with that matter, and (3) the Company’s claim against these insurance carriers for reimbursement of certain defense costs which the Company paid to Mr. Therrien pursuant to his indemnification agreement with the Company. Pursuant to the Global Settlement Agreement, Mr. Therrien agreed to enter into a settlement with the SEC. If approved by the SEC and the court in that matter, in addition to delivering to the Company the net proceeds of the sale of 150,000 shares of Brooks stock in connection with the Section 16(b) matter, Mr. Therrien would pay the SEC approximately $728,000 in disgorgement and $100,000 in fines. To resolve any indemnification claim by Mr. Therrien against the Company in connection with this matter, the Company has agreed to reimburse him $500,000 towards his disgorgement payment. Finally, upon resolution of both the Section 16(b) matter and the SEC matter, the Company’s insurers have agreed to pay Brooks a net sum of approximately $3.4 million. This payment would resolve any claim the Company may have against its former insurers for certain defense costs paid to Mr. Therrien.

 

On May 17, 2011, the court in the Section 16(b) Action held a hearing to determine the fairness of the proposed settlement in that action. Following the hearing, the court approved that settlement, finding that the settlement in the Section 16(b) Action and the Global Settlement Agreement were both in the best interest of the parties and the Company’s shareholders. On June 16, 2011, the settlement of the Section 16(b) Action became final and the Company received $1.3 million in settlement proceeds of which 50% will be paid to our insurance company and the remaining 50% has been recorded as income. Mr. Therrien has agreed to and submitted a proposed settlement to the SEC for approval by the Commission, which must also be approved by the court before it becomes final. If this settlement becomes final, then the contingencies within the Global Settlement Agreement will be satisfied, which will have the effect of resolving all pending litigation related to the Company’s past stock option granting practices, and the Company would expect to record income of approximately $4 million upon final resolution, inclusive of the $0.7 million previously recognized.

 

The Company is subject to various legal proceedings, both asserted and unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company believes that none of these claims will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

PART II

 

Comparative Stock Performance

 

The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return (assuming reinvestment of dividends) from investing $100 on September 30, 2006, and plotted at the last trading day of each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, in each of (i) the Company’s Common Stock; (ii) the NASDAQ/AMEX/NYSE Market Index of companies; (iii) a peer group comprised of: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc., Cymer, Inc., Entegris, Inc., FEI Company, LAM Research Corporation, Mattson Technology Corporation, MKS Instruments, Inc., Novellus Systems, Inc., Phototronics, Inc., Ultra Clean Technology, Inc., Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. and Veeco Instruments, Inc. We believe this graph best represents our peer groups in the end markets that we serve. The stock price performance on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

 

Performance Graph

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Brooks Automation, Inc., The NASDAQ/AMEX/NYSE Index
and a Peer Group

 

 

 

 

 

The information included under the heading “Performance Graph” in Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or subject to Regulation 14A, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Issuance of Unregistered Common Stock

 

Not applicable.

 

Issuer’s Purchases of Equity Securities

 

As part of our equity compensation program, we offer recipients of restricted stock awards the opportunity to elect to sell their shares at the time of vesting to satisfy tax obligations in connection with such vesting. The following table provides information concerning shares of our Common Stock, $0.01 par value, purchased in connection with the forfeiture of shares to satisfy the employees’ obligations with respect to withholding taxes in connection with the vesting of certain shares of restricted stock during the three months ended September 30, 2011. Upon purchase, these shares are immediately retired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011, we added a fourth segment, Brooks Life Science Systems, which includes the operations of the businesses acquired from RTS and Nexus, which have been consolidated into one operating segment. Historic results included in this annual report have been reclassified where applicable to conform to this new operating segment structure.

 

The Brooks Product Solutions segment provides a variety of products critical to technology equipment productivity and availability. Those products include atmospheric and vacuum tool automation systems, atmospheric and vacuum robots and robotic modules and cryogenic vacuum pumping, thermal management and vacuum measurement solutions used to create, measure and control critical process vacuum applications.

 

The Brooks Global Services segment provides an extensive range of support services including on and off-site repair services, on and off-site diagnostic support services, and installation services to enable our customers to maximize process tool uptime and productivity. This segment also provides end-user customers with spare part support services to maximize customer tool productivity.

 

The Brooks Life Science Systems segment provides automated sample management systems including automated sample storage, automated blood fractionation equipment, sample preparation and handling equipment, consumables, parts and support services to wide range of life science customers including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biobanks, national laboratories, research institutes and research universities.

 

The Contract Manufacturing segment provided services to build equipment front-end modules and other subassemblies which enable our customers to effectively develop and source high quality and high reliability process tools for semiconductor and adjacent market applications. We sold this segment in the Asset Sale which closed on June 28, 2011.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to bad debts, inventories, intangible assets, goodwill, income taxes, warranty obligations, pensions and contingencies. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, including current and anticipated worldwide economic conditions both in general and specifically in relation to the semiconductor industry, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. As discussed in the year over year comparisons below, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Revenues

 

Product revenues are associated with the sale of hardware systems, components and spare parts as well as product license revenue. Service revenues are associated with service contracts, repairs, upgrades and field service. Shipping and handling fees, if any, billed to customers are recognized as revenue. The related shipping and handling costs are recognized in cost of sales.

 

Revenue from product sales that does not include significant customization is recorded upon delivery and transfer of risk of loss to the customer provided there is evidence of an arrangement, fees are fixed or determinable, collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured and, if applicable, customer acceptance criteria have been successfully demonstrated. Customer acceptance provisions include final testing and acceptance carried out prior to shipment. These pre-shipment testing and acceptance procedures ensure that the product meets the published specification requirements before the product is shipped. When significant on site customer acceptance provisions are present in the arrangement, revenue is recognized upon completion of customer acceptance testing.

 

Revenue from product sales that does include significant customization, which primarily include life science automation systems, is recorded using the percentage of completion method whereby revenue is recorded as work progresses based on a percentage that incurred costs to date bear to total estimated costs. In addition, contracts are

reviewed on a regular basis to determine whether a loss exists. A loss will be accrued in the period in which estimated contract revenue is less than the current estimate of total contract costs.

 

Revenue associated with service agreements is generally recognized ratably over the term of the contract. Revenue from repair services or upgrades of customer-owned equipment is recognized upon completion of the repair effort and upon the shipment of the repaired item back to the customer. In instances where the repair or upgrade includes installation, revenue is recognized when the installation is completed.

 

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets

 

As a result of our acquisitions, we have identified intangible assets other than goodwill and generated significant goodwill. General intangible assets other than goodwill are valued based on estimates of future cash flows and amortized over their estimated useful life. Goodwill is subject to annual impairment testing as well as testing upon the occurrence of any event that indicates a potential impairment. General intangible assets other than goodwill and other long-lived assets are subject to an impairment test if there is an indicator of impairment. We conduct our annual goodwill impairment test as of our fiscal year end, or September 30th.

 

Under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), the testing of goodwill for impairment is to be performed at a level referred to as a reporting unit. A reporting unit is either the “operating segment level” or one level below, which is referred to as a “component”. The level at which the impairment test is performed requires an assessment as to whether the operations below the operating segment constitute a self-sustaining business, testing is generally required to be performed at this level. We currently have three reporting units that have goodwill, including two reporting units that are part of our Brooks Product Solutions operating segment and the sole reporting unit included in our Brooks Life Science Systems operating segment.

 

We determine the fair value of our reporting units using the Income Approach, specifically the Discounted Cash Flow Method (“DCF Method”). The DCF Method includes five year future cash flow projections, which are discounted to present value, and an estimate of terminal values, which are also discounted to present value. Terminal values represent the present value an investor would pay today for the rights to the cash flows of the business for the years subsequent to the discrete cash flow projection period. We consider the DCF Method to be the most appropriate valuation indicator as the DCF analyses are based on management’s long-term financial projections.

 

Goodwill impairment testing is a two-step process. The first step of the goodwill impairment test, used to identify potential impairment, compares the fair value of each reporting unit to its respective carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered impaired. If the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds the fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test must be completed to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. The second step compares the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying value of goodwill. The implied fair value is determined by allocating the fair value of the reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit, the excess of the fair value over amounts assigned to its assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill determined in this step is compared to the carrying value of goodwill. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying value of goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference.

 

We recorded goodwill impairment charges of $71.8 million in the three month period ended March 31, 2009. The details of this goodwill impairment charge are discussed further under the Impairment Charges caption in our comparison of fiscal year 2010 and 2009 results. Our tests of goodwill as of September 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011 indicated that we did not have any further impairment to goodwill.

 

Under GAAP, we are required to test long-lived assets, which exclude goodwill and intangible assets that are not amortized, when indicators of impairment are present. For purposes of this test, long-lived assets are grouped with other assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. When we determine that indicators of potential impairment exist, the next step of the impairment test requires that the potentially impaired long-lived asset group is tested for recoverability. The test for recoverability compares the undiscounted future cash flows of the long-lived asset group to its carrying value. If the carrying values of the long-lived asset group exceed the future cash flows, the assets are considered to be potentially impaired. The next step in the impairment process is to determine the fair value of the individual net

assets within the long-lived asset group. If the aggregate fair values of the individual net assets of the group are less than the carrying values, an impairment charge is recorded equal to the excess of the aggregate carrying value of the group over the aggregate fair value. The loss is allocated to each asset within the group based on their relative carrying values, with no asset reduced below its fair value. We recorded impairment charges of $35.5 million related to certain long-lived assets in the year ended September 30, 2009, which we discuss in further detail under the Impairment Charges caption. We have not tested long-lived assets other than goodwill since 2009, since no events have occurred that would require an impairment assessment.

 

Accounts Receivable

 

We record trade accounts receivable at the invoiced amount. Trade accounts receivables do not bear interest. The allowance for doubtful accounts is our best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in our existing accounts receivable. We determine the allowance based on historical write-off experience. We review our allowance for doubtful accounts quarterly. Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectibility. Account balances are charged off against the allowance when we feel it is probable the receivable will not be recovered. We do not have any off-balance-sheet credit exposure related to our customers.

 

Warranty

 

We provide for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized. While we engage in extensive product quality programs and processes, including actively monitoring and evaluating the quality of our component suppliers, our warranty obligation is estimated by assessing product failure rates, material usage and service delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Should actual product failure rates, material usage or service delivery costs differ from our estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required and may result in additional benefits or charges to operations.

 

Inventory

 

We provide reserves for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. We fully reserve for inventories and noncancelable purchase orders for inventory deemed obsolete. We perform periodic reviews of all inventory items to identify excess inventories on hand by comparing on-hand balances to anticipated usage using recent historical activity as well as anticipated or forecasted demand, based upon sales and marketing inputs through our planning systems. If estimates of demand diminish further or actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.

 

Deferred Taxes

 

We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. We have considered future taxable income and ongoing tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance. In the event we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in excess of their net recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would increase income in the period such determination was made. Likewise, should we subsequently determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of our net deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax assets would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

 

Management has considered the weight of all available evidence in determining whether a valuation allowance continues to be required against its deferred tax assets. We continued to provide a full valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets at September 30, 2011, as we believe it is more likely than not that the future tax benefits from accumulated net operating losses and other temporary differences will not be realized. We will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance in future periods. If we continue to generate profits in most of our jurisdictions, it is reasonably possible that there will be a significant reduction in the valuation allowance in the next twelve months. Reduction of the valuation allowance, in whole or in part, would result in a non-cash income tax benefit during the period of reduction.

Pension Plans

 

We sponsor a defined benefit pension plan in the U.S. and two non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans. The cost and obligations of these arrangements are calculated using many assumptions to estimate the benefits that the employee earns while working, the amount of which cannot be completely determined until the benefit payments cease. Major assumptions used in the accounting for these employee benefit plans include the discount rate, expected return on plan assets and rate of increase in employee compensation levels. Assumptions are determined based on company data and appropriate market indicators in consultation with third-party actuaries, and are evaluated each year as of the plans’ measurement date. Net periodic pension costs for our pension plans totaled $0.7 million for fiscal year 2011. Our unfunded benefit obligation totaled $7.9 million at September 30, 2011, as compared to $5.9 million at September 30, 2010.  Should any of our assumptions change, they would have an effect on net periodic pension costs and the unfunded benefit obligation. We expect to contribute approximately $0.7 million to our defined benefit pension plans during fiscal year 2012.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We measure compensation cost for all employee stock awards at fair value on date of grant and recognize compensation expense over the service period for awards expected to vest. The fair value of restricted stock is determined based on the number of shares granted and the excess of the quoted price of our common stock over the exercise price of the restricted stock on the date of grant, if any, and the fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. Such value is recognized as expense over the service period, net of estimated forfeitures. The estimation of stock awards that will ultimately vest requires significant judgment. We consider many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including types of awards, employee class, and historical experience. In addition, for stock-based awards where vesting is dependent upon achieving certain operating performance goals, we estimate the likelihood of achieving the performance goals. Actual results, and future changes in estimates, may differ from our current estimates. Restricted stock with market-based vesting criteria is valued using a lattice model.

 

Year Ended September 30, 2011, Compared to Year Ended September 30, 2010

 

Revenues

 

We reported revenues of $688.1 million for fiscal year 2011, compared to $593.0 million in the previous year, a 16% increase. The total increase in revenues of $95.1 million is the result of increased demand for our products and services which resulted in $88.8 million of increased revenues from our Brooks Product Solutions segment and $13.9 million of higher revenues from our Brooks Global Services segment. In addition, the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus provided $10.6 million of increased revenues from our Brooks Life Science Systems segment. These increases were partially offset by an $18.2 million decrease in Contract Manufacturing revenues, due to the sale of that segment at the end of our third fiscal quarter. Recent order rates from semiconductor companies have moderated and we anticipate that revenues for our first quarter of fiscal year 2012 will be 7% to 12% lower than those achieved for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011.

 

Our Brooks Product Solutions segment reported revenues of $451.3 million for fiscal year 2011, an increase of 24% from $362.5 million in the prior year. These increases are primarily attributable to higher volumes of shipments to semiconductor capital equipment customers, which increased $46.8 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year, and an increase of $42.0 million from non-semiconductor customers for fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year.

 

Our Brooks Global Services segment reported revenues of $88.8 million for fiscal year 2011, a 19% increase from $74.9 million in the prior year. The increase includes a $1.0 million increase in product revenues, which are comprised mostly of spare part sales to end users, and a $12.9 million increase in revenues from services. These increases are primarily attributable to increased demand from our semiconductor customers.

 

Our Brooks Life Science Systems segment reported revenues of $10.6 million for fiscal year 2011. This segment includes revenues for RTS, which was acquired on April 1, 2011 and for Nexus, which was acquired on July 25, 2011. Revenues from these newly acquired entities are included in our operating results from their

respective acquisition dates through the end of our fiscal year. Revenue from this segment includes $7.7 million for the sale of product, including automation systems and consumables, and includes $2.9 million of service revenue for the support of deployed automation systems.

 

Our Contract Manufacturing segment reported revenues of $137.3 million for fiscal year 2011, a 12% decrease from $155.5 million in the prior year. This decrease is due to the sale of this segment at the end of our third fiscal quarter. Through the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, Contract Manufacturing revenues increased 28% as compared to the same prior year period.

 

Revenues from the Brooks Product Solutions segment for the fiscal years 2011 and 2010 include intercompany sales of $49.2 million and $62.9 million, respectively, from this segment to the Contract Manufacturing segment. These intercompany revenues have been eliminated from the revenues of Contract Manufacturing.

 

Revenues for the Contract Manufacturing segment for the fiscal years 2011 and 2010 exclude intercompany sales of $10.7 million and $12.5 million, respectively, from this segment to the Brooks Product Solutions segment.

 

Revenues outside the United States were $339.9 million, or 49% of total revenues, and $271.5 million, or 46% of total revenues, for fiscal years 2011 and 2010, respectively. We expect that foreign revenues will continue to account for a significant portion of total revenues.

 

Gross Margin

 

Gross margin dollars increased to $223.0 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $166.3 million in the prior year. This increase was attributable to higher revenues of $95.1 million and the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus which increased gross margin by $2.3 million. These increases were partially offset by reduced benefits from the sale of previously reserved excess and obsolete inventory. The net benefit in the prior period exceeded the net charge in the current period by $4.1 million. Gross margin was reduced by $2.2 million of amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets, as compared to $1.9 million in the prior year period. This increase in amortization expense is primarily due to the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus.

 

Gross margin percentage increased to 32.4% for fiscal year 2011, compared to 28.0% for the prior year. This increase is primarily attributable to higher absorption of indirect factory overhead on higher revenues. Further, the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment, which earned lower gross margins than our other operating segments, favorably impacted our gross margin percentage in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011. We estimate that the impact of the sale of Contract Manufacturing will increase our annual gross margin percentage by approximately 6% as compared to historical levels that included the operations of the business. These increases in gross margin percentage were partially offset by reduced benefits from the sale of previously reserved excess and obsolete inventory. The increase in the net charge for excess and obsolete inventory in fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year decreased gross margin percentage by 0.6%.

 

Gross margin of our Brooks Product Solutions segment increased to $171.8 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $128.5 million for the prior year. This increase was attributable to higher revenues of $88.8 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year. This increase was offset by reduced benefits from the sale of previously reserved excess and obsolete inventory. The net benefit in the prior period exceeded the net charge in the current period by $3.8 million. Gross margin for this segment was reduced by amortization of completed technology intangible assets of $1.5 million for both fiscal year 2011 and 2010. Gross margin percentage for this segment was 38.1% for fiscal year 2011 as compared to 35.4% in the prior year. This increase is primarily the result of higher absorption of indirect factory overhead on higher revenues. This increase was partially offset by increased net charges for excess and obsolete inventory which reduced gross margin percentage by 1.0% as compared to the prior year.

 

Gross margin of our Brooks Global Services segment increased to $31.8 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $20.4 million in the prior year. The increase was attributable to higher revenues of $13.9 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year and $0.7 million of reduced charges for excess and obsolete inventory as compared to the prior year. Gross margin was reduced by $0.4 million for amortization of completed technology intangible assets for fiscal years 2011 and 2010. Gross margin percentage was 35.7% for fiscal year 2011 as compared to 27.2% in the prior year. The increase in gross margin percentage was attributable to higher absorption

of indirect service overhead on higher revenues. In addition, decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory led to an increase in gross margin percentage of 0.9% for fiscal year 2011 as compared to the prior year.

 

Gross margin for our Brooks Life Science Systems segment was $2.3 million for fiscal year 2011, and includes only those amounts earned since the acquisition date of RTS and Nexus. Gross margin has been reduced by $1.3 million for the impact of the valuation of inventory and deferred revenue obligations as of the purchase date for both RTS and Nexus. Gross margin has also been reduced by $0.6 million for charges for excess and obsolete inventory related to Nexus, based on a review of inventories performed by us after the acquisition date. Gross margin was reduced by $0.3 million for amortization of completed technology intangible assets. Gross margin percentage was 21.2% for fiscal year 2011, and has been reduced 7.3% for the impact of the valuation of deferred revenue obligations and the step-up in value of acquired inventory. Gross margin percentage was also decreased by 6.0% for charges for excess and obsolete inventories. Gross margin was further reduced by 2.8% for amortization of completed technology intangible assets.

 

Gross margin of our Contract Manufacturing segment decreased slightly to $17.2 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $17.5 million for the prior year. This decrease is due to an $18.2 million decrease in revenues, caused by the sale of this segment at the end of our third quarter. For the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, revenues for Contract Manufacturing had increased 28% over the same prior year period. This increase in revenues led to higher absorption of indirect factory overhead and resulted in a higher gross margin percentage. Gross margin percentage was 12.5% for fiscal year 2011 as compared to 11.2% in the prior year.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development, or R&D, expenses for fiscal year 2011 were $39.8 million, an increase of $8.6 million, compared to $31.2 million in the previous year. This increase includes $1.8 million of R&D costs incurred by RTS and Nexus since their respective acquisition dates. The balance of the increase is the result of our increased pace of spending for R&D throughout fiscal year 2011 as we support enhancements to our current product offerings and our strategy to grow longer-term revenues outside of the semiconductor market. We expect the rate of growth in R&D spending to moderate in the near term from the levels incurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011.

 

Selling, General and Administrative

 

Selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses were $102.5 million for fiscal year 2011, an increase of $16.9 million compared to $85.6 million in the prior year. The increase is partly attributable to higher labor-related costs of $8.9 million as a result of increased accruals for incentive based compensation due to our improved financial performance, combined with a 3% increase in SG&A headcount. We have included the results of RTS and Nexus in our results since their respective acquisition dates, which increased our SG&A costs by $4.0 million, which includes a $0.4 million increase in amortization of intangible assets. Other increases in SG&A costs include outside strategic consulting costs of $1.7 million, professional fees associated with the acquisition of Nexus of $0.7 million, higher commissions to independent sales representatives of $0.8 million due to higher revenues and $0.7 million of increased legal fees associated with our intellectual property portfolio as we increase our investments in R&D.

 

Restructuring Charges

 

We recorded a restructuring charge of $1.0 million for fiscal year 2011. These charges include severance related costs of $0.7 million, which are comprised of $0.3 million of severance for the elimination of 19 employees, including 13 employees in the Brooks Life Science Systems segment resulting from the consolidation of certain functions as the operations of RTS and Nexus are combined into one operating segment, and $0.4 million of adjustments for contingent severance arrangements for corporate management positions eliminated in prior periods. We also incurred $0.3 million of facility-related costs for facilities exited in previous years. We have reached the end

of the lease period for all of our exited leased facilities as of September 30, 2011, and do not expect further restructuring costs related to these facilities.

 

We recorded a restructuring charge of $2.5 million for fiscal year 2010. These charges include severance related costs of $0.9 million, and facility related costs of $1.6 million. The severance costs primarily include adjustments for contingent severance arrangements for corporate management positions eliminated in prior periods. The facility costs include $0.4 million to amortize the deferred discount on multi-year facility restructuring liabilities. In addition, we revised the present value discounting of multi-year facility related restructuring liabilities during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 when certain accounting errors were identified in our prior period financial statements that, individually and in aggregate, are not material to our financial statements taken as a whole for any related prior periods, and recorded a charge of $1.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income was $1.2 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $1.1 million for the prior year. The increase is primarily related to higher balances available for investing.

 

Sale of Intellectual Property Rights

 

During fiscal year 2010, we sold certain patents and patents pending related to a legacy product line and recorded a gain of $7.8 million. The terms of the sale permit us to continue to use these patents to support our ongoing service and spare parts business included within our Brooks Global Services segment.

 

Sale of Contract Manufacturing Business

 

We closed the sale of our extended factory contract manufacturing business on June 28, 2011 with affiliates of Celestica Inc. (the “Buyers”). The gross proceeds on this transaction were $81.8 million, of which $79.3 million was received on the closing. The balance of $2.5 million represents a working capital normalizing adjustment, and was received during our fourth quarter of 2011. The gross proceeds include the reimbursement of $1.3 million of cash on hand at the closing offset by $2.3 million of transaction expenses. The pre-tax gain on the sale was $45.0 million. Our income tax provision includes $2.4 million of incremental taxes on this gain.

 

We also entered into certain commercial supply and license agreements with the Buyers which will govern the ongoing relationship between the Buyers and us. Pursuant to those agreements we will supply the Buyers with certain products and have licensed to the Buyers certain intellectual property needed to run the business and the Buyers will supply certain products to us. Due to the significance of these ongoing commercial arrangements, the sale did not qualify for discontinued operations treatment. Therefore, historical financial results of the divested business will not be segregated within our consolidated financial statements for the historical periods in which this business was part of us.

 

Loss on Investment

 

During fiscal year 2010, we recorded a charge of $0.2 million for the sale of our minority equity investment in a closely-held Swiss public company. We no longer have an equity investment in this entity.

 

Other Income

 

Other income, net of $1.9 million for fiscal year 2011 consists primarily of joint venture management fee income of $1.1 million and $0.7 million from a litigation settlement. Other income, net of $0.4 million for fiscal year 2010 consists of joint venture management fee income of $0.7 million which has been partially offset by foreign exchange losses of $0.3 million.

 

Income Tax Provision

 

We recorded an income tax provision of $2.0 million for fiscal year 2011, which includes $2.5 million of foreign and U.S. state income taxes, and an additional $2.4 million of income taxes relating to the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment. These provisions have been reduced by net favorable adjustments of $3.9 million

to our liability for unrecognized tax benefits, primarily due to the expiration of certain statutes and a favorable audit outcome. We recorded an income tax benefit of $2.7 million for fiscal year 2010. This benefit includes a $3.9 million refund from the carryback of alternative minimum tax losses as a result of the Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 which provides for 100% (previously 90%) of certain net operating loss carrybacks against alternative minimum taxable income. The tax benefit for fiscal year 2010 was partially offset by U.S. state income taxes and foreign taxes. We continued to provide a full valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets at September 30, 2011, as we believe it is more likely than not that the future tax benefits from accumulated net operating losses and other temporary differences will not be realized. We will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance in future periods. If we continue to generate profits in most of our jurisdictions, it is reasonably possible that there will be a significant reduction in the valuation allowance in the next twelve months. Reduction of the valuation allowance, in whole or in part, would result in a non-cash income tax benefit during the period of reduction.

 

Of the unrecognized tax benefits of $11.0 million at September 30, 2011, we currently anticipate that the statute of limitations is expected to lapse on various uncertain tax positions in the next twelve months and accordingly it is reasonably possible that this will result in a potential decrease of $3.6 million to our unrecognized tax benefits all of which will impact net income.

 

Equity in Earnings of Joint Ventures

 

Income associated with our 50% interest in ULVAC Cryogenics, Inc., a joint venture with ULVAC Corporation of Japan, was $2.3 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $0.1 million for fiscal year 2010. Income associated with our 50% interest in Yaskawa Brooks Automation, Inc., a joint venture with Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan was $0.5 million for fiscal year 2011 as compared to $0.1 million for fiscal year 2010.

 

Year Ended September 30, 2010, Compared to Year Ended September 30, 2009

 

Revenues

 

We reported revenues of $593.0 million for fiscal year 2010, compared to $218.7 million in the previous year, a 171% increase. The total increase in revenues of $374.3 million arose in all of our operating segments. Our Brooks Product Solutions segment revenues increased by $230.2 million, our Brooks Global Services segment revenues increased by $15.9 million and our Contract Manufacturing segment revenues increased by $128.2 million. These increases were primarily the result of increased volume of shipments in response to increasing demand for semiconductor capital equipment.

 

Our Brooks Product Solutions segment reported revenues of $362.5 million for fiscal year 2010, an increase of 174% from $132.3 million in the prior year. These increases are primarily attributable to higher volumes of shipments to semiconductor capital equipment customers, which increased $187.1 for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year, and an increase of $43.1 million from non-semiconductor customers for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year.

 

Our Brooks Global Services segment reported revenues of $74.9 million for fiscal year 2010, a 27% increase from $59.0 million in the prior year. The increase includes a $6.2 million increase in product revenues, which are comprised mostly of spare part sales to end users, and a $9.7 million increase in revenues from services. These increases are primarily attributable to increased demand from our semiconductor customers. All service revenues included in our consolidated statements of operations, which include service contract and repair services, are related to our Brooks Global Services segment.

 

Our Contract Manufacturing segment reported revenues of $155.5 million for fiscal year 2010, a 468% increase from $27.4 million in the prior year. This increase is related to increased volume of shipments in response to increased demand for semiconductor capital equipment.

 

Revenues from the Brooks Product Solutions segment for the fiscal years 2010 and 2009 include intercompany sales of $62.9 million and $11.2 million, respectively, from this segment to the Contract Manufacturing segment. These intercompany revenues have been eliminated from the revenues of Contract Manufacturing.

Revenues for the Contract Manufacturing segment for the fiscal years 2010 and 2009 exclude intercompany sales of $12.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively, from this segment to the Brooks Product Solutions segment.

 

Revenues outside the United States were $271.5 million, or 46% of total revenues, and $103.0 million, or 47% of total revenues, for fiscal years 2010 and 2009, respectively.

 

Gross Margin

 

Gross margin dollars increased to $166.3 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to a loss of $6.0 million in the prior year. This increase was attributable to higher revenues of $374.3 million, an asset impairment charge primarily related to intangible assets of $20.9 million which reduced the prior year gross profit, a $14.2 million reduction in charges for excess and obsolete inventory and $3.7 million of reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets. The decrease in amortization expense is primarily the result of the impairment of these assets recorded in the second quarter of fiscal year 2009.

 

Gross margin percentage increased to 28.0% for fiscal year 2010, compared to (2.7)% for the prior year. This increase is primarily attributable to higher absorption of indirect factory overhead on higher revenues. Other factors that increased gross margin percentage include decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory which increased gross margin percentage by 6.0% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets which increased gross margin percentage by 0.6% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year. Further, the prior year gross margin percentage was adversely impacted by asset impairment charges which reduced gross margin percentage by 9.6% in fiscal year 2009. The increases in the current year gross margin percentage were partially offset by a less favorable product mix from the growth of our Contract Manufacturing segment, which earns margins that are below those earned by our other operating segments.

 

Gross margin of our Brooks Product Solutions segment increased to $128.5 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to $15.1 million for the prior year. This increase was attributable to higher revenues of $230.2 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year, reduced charges for excess and obsolete inventory of $10.0 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets of $1.2 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year. Gross margin percentage for this segment was 35.4% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to 11.4% in the prior year. This increase is primarily the result of higher absorption of indirect factory overhead on higher revenues. Other factors increasing gross margin percentage include decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory which increased gross margin percentage by 6.6% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets which increased gross margin percentage by 0.3% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year.

 

Gross margin of our Brooks Global Services segment increased to $20.4 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to $6.5 million in the prior year. The increase was attributable to higher revenues of $15.9 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year, $2.2 million of reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory of $1.7 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year. Gross margin percentage was 27.2% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to 11.0% in the prior year. The increase in gross margin percentage was attributable to higher absorption of indirect service overhead on higher revenues. In addition, decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory led to an increase in gross margin percentage of 3.1% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and decreased amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets led to an increase in gross margin percentage of 2.9% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year.

 

Gross margin of our Contract Manufacturing segment increased to $17.5 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to a loss of $6.7 million for the prior year. This increase was attributable to higher revenues of $128.2 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year, decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory of $2.5 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and $0.3 million of reduced amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year. Gross margin percentage for this segment increased to 11.2% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to (24.4)% in the prior year. This increase was primarily attributable to higher absorption of indirect factory overhead on higher revenues. In addition,

decreased charges for excess and obsolete inventory led to an increase in gross margin percentage of 8.8% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year and decreased amortization expense for completed technology intangible assets led to an increase in gross margin of 0.2% for fiscal year 2010 as compared to the prior year.

 

Gross margin for fiscal year 2009 was reduced by $20.9 million for the impairment of certain long-lived assets, including a $19.6 million charge for completed technology intangible assets and $1.3 million charge for property and equipment. We did not incur any impairment charges for long-lived assets in fiscal year 2010. The details of our impairment charges are discussed in greater detail under the Impairment Charges caption.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development, or R&D, expenses for fiscal year 2010 were $31.2 million, a decrease of $0.4 million, compared to $31.6 million in the previous year. This decrease is primarily related to lower labor related costs associated with headcount reductions initiated in fiscal years 2009 and 2008. Our R&D investments increased for each fiscal quarter throughout fiscal year 2010, including $8.0 million of R&D expenses for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, as we increased our investments in certain new product programs.

 

Selling, General and Administrative

 

Selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses were $85.6 million for fiscal year 2010, a decrease of $5.6 million compared to $91.2 million in the prior year. The decrease is primarily attributable to lower litigation costs of $6.2 million. We settled our litigation matters with the SEC during fiscal 2008; however, we continued to incur substantial litigation costs, net of insurance reimbursements, throughout fiscal year 2009 as we indemnified costs incurred by a former executive. We did not incur substantial litigation costs in fiscal year 2010. Other cost decreases in SG&A include $2.7 million of reduced amortization of intangible assets primarily due to the impairment of those assets recorded in the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. These costs decreases were partially offset by $1.5 million of increased depreciation expense for the implementation of the Oracle ERP system during the latter half of fiscal year 2009, with the balance related primarily to higher labor costs. During fiscal year 2009, we capitalized approximately $1.5 million of internal labor costs in connection with the Oracle ERP system implementation. After the implementation was complete, the labor costs for the employees previously assigned to the Oracle implementation was expensed as incurred. This decrease in capitalized labor is the primary cause of the increased labor costs in fiscal year 2010 as compared to fiscal year 2009.

 

Impairment Charges

 

We are required to test our goodwill for impairment at least annually. We conduct this test as of September 30th of each fiscal year. Our test of goodwill at September 30, 2010 and 2009 indicated that goodwill was not impaired. We have not tested other intangible assets since the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2009, since no events have occurred that would require an impairment assessment.

 

We experienced a weakness in demand for our products from the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. In response to this downturn, we restructured our business, which resulted in a change to our reporting units and operating segments. We reallocated goodwill to each of our newly formed reporting units as of March 31, 2009, based on such factors as the relative fair values of each reporting unit. We reallocated goodwill to five of our seven reporting units as of March 31, 2009. This reallocation, in conjunction with the continued downturn in the semiconductor markets indicated that a potential impairment may exist. As such, we tested our goodwill and other long-lived assets for impairment at March 31, 2009.

 

We determined the fair value of each reporting unit as of March 31, 2009 using the Income Approach, specifically the DCF Method. The material assumptions used in the DCF Method include: discount rates and revenue forecasts. Discount rates are based on a weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”), which represents the average rate a business must pay its providers of debt and equity capital. The WACC used to test goodwill is derived from a group of comparable companies. The average WACC used in the March 31, 2009 reallocation of goodwill was 16.2%. Management determines revenue forecasts based on its best estimate of near term revenue expectations which are corroborated by communications with customers, and longer-term projection trends, which are validated by published independent industry analyst reports. Revenue forecasts materially impact the amount of cash flow

generated during the five year discrete cash flow period, and also impact the terminal value as that value is derived from projected revenue. The revenue forecasts used in the reallocation and assessment of goodwill as of March 31, 2009 were decreased from previously forecasted levels due to further market deterioration.

 

For three of the five reporting units containing goodwill at March 31, 2009, we determined that the carrying amount of their net assets exceeded their respective fair values, indicating that a potential impairment existed for each of those three reporting units. After completing the required steps of the goodwill impairment test, we recorded a goodwill impairment of $71.8 million as of March 31, 2009.

 

Under GAAP, we are required to test certain long-lived assets when indicators of impairment are present. We determined that impairment indicators were present for certain of our long-lived assets as of March 31, 2009. We tested the long-lived assets in question for recoverability by comparing the sum of the undiscounted cash flows attributable to each respective asset group to their carrying amounts, and determined that the carrying amounts were not recoverable. We then evaluated the fair values of each long-lived asset of the potentially impaired long-lived asset group to determine the amount of the impairment, if any. The fair value of each intangible asset was based primarily on an income approach, which is a present value technique used to measure the fair value of future cash flows produced by the asset. We estimated future cash flows over the remaining useful life of each intangible asset, which ranged from approximately 3 to 8 years, and used a discount rate of approximately 16%. As a result of this analysis, we determined that we had incurred an impairment loss of $35.1 million as of March 31, 2009, and we allocated that loss among the long-lived assets of the impaired asset group based on the carrying value of each asset, with no asset reduced below its respective fair value. The impairment charge was allocated as follows: $19.6 million related to completed technology intangible assets; $1.2 million to trade name intangible assets; $13.4 million to customer relationship intangible assets and $0.9 million to property, plant and equipment. Further, during the three months ended June 30, 2009 we recorded an additional impairment charge of $0.4 million for property, plant and equipment related to the closure and outsourcing of a small manufacturing operation located in the United States. The total impairment charges related to long-lived assets for fiscal 2009 are summarized as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Restructuring Charges

 

We recorded a restructuring charge of $2.5 million for fiscal year 2010. These charges include severance related costs of $0.9 million, and facility related costs of $1.6 million. The severance costs primarily include adjustments for contingent severance arrangements for corporate management positions eliminated in prior periods. The facility costs include $0.4 million to amortize the deferred discount on multi-year facility restructuring liabilities. In addition, we revised the present value discounting of multi-year facility related restructuring liabilities during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 when certain accounting errors were identified in our prior period financial statements that, individually and in aggregate, are not material to our financial statements taken as a whole for any related prior periods, and recorded a charge of $1.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010.

 

We recorded charges of $12.8 million for fiscal year 2009 in connection with our fiscal year 2009 restructuring plan. These charges consisted of $11.1 million of severance costs associated with workforce reductions of approximately 450 employees in operations, service and administrative functions across all the main geographies

in which we operate, facility closure costs of $0.6 million related primarily to the closure of one manufacturing operation located in the United States, and other restructuring costs of $1.1 million. The restructuring charges by segment for fiscal 2009 were: Brooks Product Solutions — $5.6 million, Brooks Global Services — $3.3 million and Contract Manufacturing — $1.4 million. In addition, we incurred $2.5 million of restructuring charges for fiscal 2009 that were related to general corporate functions that support all of our segments.

 

Interest Income and Expense

 

Interest income was $1.1 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to $2.7 million for the prior year. The decrease is mostly due to lower interest rates on our investments. Interest expense decreased to $0.1 million for fiscal year 2010 from $0.5 million for fiscal year 2009.

 

Gain on sale of Intellectual Property Rights

 

During fiscal year 2010, we sold certain patents and patents pending related to a legacy product line. We recorded a gain of $7.8 million for this sale during the second quarter of 2010. The terms of the sale permit us to continue to use these patents to support our ongoing service and spare parts business included within our Brooks Global Services segment.

 

Loss on Investment

 

During fiscal year 2010, we recorded a charge of $0.2 million for the sale of our minority equity investment in a closely-held Swiss public company. During fiscal year 2009, we recorded a charge of $1.2 million to write down this investment to its market value. As of September 30, 2010, we no longer have an equity investment in this entity.

 

Other Income

 

Other income, net of $0.4 million for fiscal year 2010 consists of joint venture management fee income of $0.7 million which has been partially offset by foreign exchange losses of $0.3 million. Other income, net of $0.0 million for fiscal year 2009 consists of management fee income of $0.6 million which has been fully offset by foreign exchange losses.

 

Income Tax Provision

 

We recorded an income tax benefit of $2.7 million for fiscal year 2010. This benefit includes a $3.9 million refund from the carryback of alternative minimum tax losses as a result of the Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 which provides for 100% (previously 90%) of certain net operating loss carrybacks against alternative minimum taxable income. In addition, we can carryforward our remaining fiscal year 2009 alternative minimum tax net operating loss to future years to offset 100% (previously 90%) of alternative minimum taxes. The tax benefit for fiscal year 2010 was partially offset by U.S. state income taxes and foreign taxes. We recorded a tax provision of $0.6 million for fiscal year 2009 which was principally attributable to foreign income and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits. We continued to provide a full valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets at September 30, 2010 and 2009, as we believe it is more likely than not that the future tax benefits from accumulated net operating losses and deferred taxes will not be realized.

 

Equity in Earnings of Joint Ventures

 

Income associated with our 50% interest in ULVAC Cryogenics, Inc., a joint venture with ULVAC Corporation of Japan, was $0.1 million for fiscal year 2010 and 2009. The income (loss) associated with our 50% interest in Yaskawa Brooks Automation, Inc., a joint venture with Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan was $0.1 million for fiscal year 2010 as compared to $(0.3) million in the prior year.

 

semiconductors is cyclical and has historically experienced periodic downturns. This cyclicality makes estimates of future revenues, results of operations and net cash flows inherently uncertain.

 

At September 30, 2011, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities aggregating $205.8 million. This amount was comprised of $58.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, $65.7 million of investments in short-term marketable securities and $81.3 million of investments in long-term marketable securities. Our marketable securities are generally readily convertible to cash without an adverse impact.

 

Cash and cash equivalents were $58.8 million at September 30, 2011, a decrease of $1.0 million from September 30, 2010. The significant uses of cash during fiscal year 2011 included the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus, which cost $88.3 million, net of cash acquired, net investments in marketable securities of $66.6 million, capital expenditures of $6.5 million and the payment of $5.2 million in dividends. The significant sources of cash include $87.7 million of cash provided by operations and $78.2 million of cash generated from the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment.

 

Cash provided by operating activities was $87.7 million for fiscal year 2011, and was comprised of net income of $128.4 million, which includes $26.3 million of non-cash related charges such as $17.2 million of depreciation and amortization and $6.8 million of stock-based compensation. Cash provided by operations was partially offset by $21.7 million of increases in working capital. Increases in inventory levels were the primary contributor to increased working capital. Increases in inventory were driven by reductions in demand from our semiconductor equipment customers during our fourth quarter, along with $5.0 million of increased service inventories to improve delivery and service responsiveness. In addition, the gain of $45.0 million from the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment, which is included in our net income, has been removed from cash provided by operating activities since the cash flow from this transaction is considered to be an investing activity.

 

Cash used in investing activities was $84.3 million for fiscal year 2011 and was attributable to the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus, which cost $88.3 million, net investments in marketable securities of $66.6 million, capital expenditures of $6.5 million and a $1.3 million increase in restricted cash to support certain international letters of credit. These uses of cash were partially offset by $78.2 million of net proceeds from the sale of our Contract Manufacturing segment and $0.2 million from the sale of other assets.

 

Cash used in financing activities was $3.8 million for fiscal year 2011 and includes $5.2 million for our first quarterly cash dividend paid during the fourth quarter, which was partially offset by $1.4 million of cash generated from our employee stock purchase plans. We intend to pay quarterly cash dividends in the future; however, the amount and timing of these dividends may be impacted by the cyclical nature of the semiconductor capital equipment market. We may reduce, delay or cancel a quarterly cash dividend based on the severity of a cyclical downturn.

 

At September 30, 2010, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities aggregating $142.4 million. This amount was comprised of $59.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, $49.0 million of investments in short-term marketable securities and $33.6 million of investments in long-term marketable securities.

 

Cash and cash equivalents were $59.8 million at September 30, 2010, a decrease of $0.2 million from September 30, 2009. This decrease was primarily due to $32.9 million of net purchases of marketable securities, capital expenditures of $3.5 million and purchases of intangible assets of $0.9 million. These decreases were partially offset by $27.9 million of cash provided by operating activities, proceeds from the sale of intellectual property of $7.8 million, proceeds from the sale of common stock through our employee stock purchase plan of $1.2 million and other cash items of $0.2 million.

 

Cash provided by operating activities was $27.9 million for fiscal year 2010, and was comprised of net income of $59.0 million, which includes $18.1 million of net non-cash related charges such as $18.4 million of depreciation and amortization, $6.6 million of stock-based compensation and $0.9 million of amortization of premiums paid on marketable security purchases which were partially offset by $7.8 million from our gain on sale of intellectual property rights. Further, cash provided by operations was reduced by net increases in working capital of $49.2 million, consisting primarily of $53.2 million of increases in accounts receivable, $31.3 million of increases in inventory and $4.1 million of payments related to our restructuring programs implemented in prior years. The increases in accounts receivable and inventory were caused by a 171% increase in revenues for fiscal year 2010 as

compared to the prior year. These increases in working capital were partially offset by $39.4 million of increases in accounts payable, $2.5 million of increases in accrued warranty and retrofit costs and $1.5 million of higher deferred revenues. The increases in these liabilities are the result of increased business activities.

 

Cash used in investing activities was $29.2 million for fiscal year 2010 and was attributable to net purchases of marketable securities of $32.9 million, capital expenditures of $3.5 million and intangible assets of $0.9 million. These uses of cash were partially offset by $7.8 million of proceeds from the sale of intellectual property rights and $0.2 million of proceeds from the sale of a minority interest in a closely-held Swiss public company.

 

Cash provided by financing activities for fiscal year 2010 was $1.2 million, and is comprised entirely of proceeds from the sale of common stock to employees through our employee stock purchase plan.

 

At September 30, 2011, we had approximately $1.8 million of letters of credit outstanding.

 

Our contractual obligations consist of the following at September 30, 2011 (in thousands):

 

 

As of September 30, 2011, the total amount of net unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions and the accrual for the related interest was $11.0 million, of which $9.8 million represents a potential future cash outlay. We are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of the cash settlement for this liability since the timing of future tax examinations by various tax jurisdictions and the related resolution is uncertain.

 

In connection with our acquisition of Helix Technology Corporation in October 2005, we assumed the responsibility for the Helix Employees’ Pension Plan (the “Helix Plan”). We froze the benefit accruals and future participation in the Helix Plan as of October 31, 2006. We currently have a liability of $6.3 million recorded on our consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2011 related to the Helix Plan. The timing of payments we make for the Helix Plan is impacted by a number of estimates including earnings on plan assets and the timing of future distributions. Actual results may differ from these estimates, which may materially impact the timing of future payments. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, we made a voluntary contribution of $3.6 million to this plan, which was in addition to the $0.6 million of required minimum contributions made throughout fiscal year 2010. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, we made a voluntary contribution of $0.2 million to this plan, which was in addition to the $0.5 million of required minimum contributions made throughout fiscal year 2011.

 

In connection with our acquisition of Nexus, we assumed responsibility for the Nexus Biosystems AG Pension Plan (the “Nexus Plan”). The timing of payments we make for the Nexus Plan is impacted by a number of estimates including earnings on plan assets and the timing of future distributions. Actual results may differ from these estimates, which may materially impact the timing of future payments. Nexus prepaid contributions to the investment manager of this plan prior to the closing of the acquisition. The investment manager draws on these prepaid contributions to fund contributions to the plan, as required. As of September 30, 2011, we had $0.8 million on deposit for this plan which is expected to cover contribution requirements in the near term.

 

In addition, we are a guarantor on a lease in Mexico that expires in January 2013. The remaining payments under this lease at September 30, 2011 are approximately $0.5 million.

 

On June 21, 2010, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC to sell up to $200 million of securities, before any fees or expenses of the offering. Securities that may be sold include common stock, preferred stock, warrants or debt securities. Any such offering, if it does occur, may happen in one or more transactions. Specific terms of any securities to be sold will be described in supplemental filings with the SEC.

On August 3, 2011, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.08 per share of the Company’s common stock. The total dividend of approximately $5.2 million was paid on September 30, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 9, 2011. On November 8, 2011, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.08 per share of the Company’s common stock. The total dividend of approximately $5.3 million will be paid on December 30, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 9, 2011.

 

Dividends are declared at the discretion of our Board of Directors and depend on actual cash from operations, our financial condition and capital requirements and any other factors our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Future dividend declarations, as well as the record and payment dates for such dividends, will be determined by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis.

 

We believe that we have adequate resources to fund our currently planned working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months. The cyclical nature of our served markets and uncertainty with the current global economic environment makes it difficult for us to predict longer-term liquidity requirements with certainty. We may be unable to obtain any required additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop or enhance products, respond to competitive pressure or take advantage of acquisition opportunities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Other Key Indicators of Financial Condition and Operating Performance

 

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA presented below are supplemental measures of our performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measurements of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP.

 

EBITDA represents net income (loss) before interest income, income tax provision (benefit), depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA further adjusted to give effect to certain non-recurring and/or non-cash items and other adjustments. We believe that the inclusion of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in this Form 10-K is appropriate because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our performance and believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties. We use Adjusted EBITDA internally as a critical measurement of operating effectiveness. We believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA facilitates operating performance comparison from period to period and company to company by backing out potential differences caused by variations in capital structures, tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates or net operating losses) and the age and book depreciation of facilities and equipment (affecting relative depreciation expense).

 

In determining Adjusted EBITDA, we eliminate the impact of a number of items. For the reasons indicated herein, you are encouraged to evaluate each adjustment and whether you consider it appropriate. In addition, in evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

 

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

 

 

Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as measures of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. For these purposes, we rely on our GAAP results. For more information, see our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss) to EBITDA for the years indicated (in thousands):

 

 

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA for the years indicated (in thousands):

 

 

The increase in EBITDA from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2011 is primarily related to increased profits on $95.1 million of higher revenues, and the $45.0 million gain on the sale of our contract manufacturing business. The increase in EBITDA from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 is primarily related to $374.3 million increase in revenues, combined with reduced levels of operating expenses as a result of restructuring actions taken during fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

 

Based on a review of Nexus inventory values performed shortly after the closing of the acquisition, we recorded a charge of $0.6 million for excess and obsolete inventories. In connection with our restructuring programs implemented in fiscal 2009, we took a $3.6 million charge for excess and obsolete inventories.

 

In connection with the acquisitions of RTS and Nexus, we allocated the purchase price to the net assets acquired based on the fair value of each asset and liability. As part of this allocation, we valued certain inventory and deferred revenue balances above and below their pre-acquisition carrying values, respectively. These adjustments will reduce the profit we will record in connection with these transactions. Post acquisition, these adjustments will reduce our net income by $1.9 million. For fiscal year 2011, we reduced our net income by $1.3 million.

 

We received $1.3 million of proceeds from the sale of our stock by a former executive, and will remit half of these proceeds to our insurance providers. We recorded $0.7 million of income from this settlement. For further details on this litigation matter, see Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings.

 

For a discussion of our restructuring charges, the sale of intellectual property rights, the sale of the contract manufacturing business and the loss on investment, see the discussion of our results of operations above.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an amendment to the accounting and disclosure requirements for the consolidation of variable interest entities (“VIEs”), which requires a qualitative approach to identifying a controlling financial interest in a VIE, and requires ongoing assessment of whether an entity is a VIE and whether an interest in a VIE makes the holder the primary beneficiary of the VIE. On October 1, 2010 we adopted this standard, which had no impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In December 2010, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting requirements of goodwill, which requires a qualitative approach to considering impairment for a reporting unit with zero or negative carrying value. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. We do not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In December 2010, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting requirements of business combinations, which establishes accounting and reporting standards for pro forma revenue and earnings of the combined entity for the current and comparable reporting periods. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. We do not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In May 2011, the FASB issued updated accounting guidance related to fair value measurements and disclosures that result in common fair value measurements and disclosures between GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. This guidance includes amendments that clarify the intent about the application of existing fair value measurements and disclosures, and change a principle or requirement for fair value measurements or disclosures. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. We do not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In June 2011, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance for presentation of comprehensive income. Under the amended guidance, a company may present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. This authoritative guidance eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholder’s equity. The amendment is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Other than a change in presentation, we do not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In September 2011, the FASB issued new guidance intended to simplify goodwill impairment testing. Entities will be allowed to perform a qualitative assessment on goodwill impairment to determine whether a quantitative assessment is necessary. This new guidance is effective for goodwill impairment tests performed in interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. We do not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

Currency Rate Exposure

 

We have transactions and balances denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Most of these transactions or balances are denominated in Euros, sterling and a variety of Asian currencies. Sales in currencies other than the U.S. dollar were 17% of our total sales for the year ended September 30, 2011. These foreign sales were made primarily by our foreign subsidiaries, which have cost structures that substantially align with the currency of sale.

 

In the normal course of our business, we have short-term advances between our legal entities that are subject to foreign currency exposure. These short-term advances were approximately $16.6 million at September 30, 2011, and relate to the Euro and a variety of Asian currencies. A majority of our foreign currency loss of $0.1 million for fiscal year 2011 relates to the currency fluctuation on these advances between the time the transaction occurs and the ultimate settlement of the transaction. A hypothetical 10% change in foreign exchange rates at September 30, 2011 would result in a $1.7 million change in our net income (loss). We mitigate the impact of potential currency translation losses on these short-term inter company advances by the timely settlement of each transaction, generally within 30 days.

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

of Brooks Automation, Inc.:

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Brooks Automation, Inc. and its subsidiaries at September 30, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2011 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2011, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

Boston, Massachusetts

November 28, 2011

BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

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

 

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

 

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