Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021
We note your disclosure on page 10 stating that during 2021, backlog significantly increased due to supply chain constraints. Given the significant backlog increase, if material, please tell us and revise future filings to discuss the impact on your financial statements.Rest of the question
Your response should quantify the backlog balances for 2019 - 2021 and disclose any potential cancellations or timing delays that occurred during the periods presented.
The Company acknowledges the Staff’s comment and notes that the increase in backlog has not had a material impact on its financial statements. The only impact the increased backlog has had on the Company’s financial statements has been with respect to elevated inventory levels, which the Company expects to utilize as it delivers on customer orders and which has been disclosed in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Cash Flow Summary (page 27).Read in the reply ↗Rest of the answer
Furthermore, the increased backlog has not had a material impact on revenue recognition timing or cash flows and the Company does not believe it will have a material impact on revenue recognition timing, cash flows or other potential trends for the reasons discussed in further detail below.
Backlog reflects the undelivered portion of the Company’s order activity and totaled $437.0 million, $550.6 million and $834.6 million at December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The increase in backlog was driven by (1) supply chain constraints experienced by the Company that extended the Company’s lead times; (2) a shift in customer ordering patterns whereby customers began placing orders earlier in anticipation of extended lead times; and (3) supply chain constraints experienced by customers who requested later delivery dates from the Company (e.g., because other products customers required would be delayed, customers, in turn, requested that the Company also delay its delivery so that the products would not sit unused with the Company’s customers).
While backlog has increased and lead times have extended in the current environment, the Company believes this is temporary and does not believe these factors will adversely impact market demand for its products for the primary reasons set forth below:
•IDEX has a short cycle business and although lead times have increased, the Company does not believe the increase is material; even with the delays the Company’s products still generally ship within a matter of two to three months. Given these relatively short delivery periods, the Company does not consider backlog to be a relevant measure of long-term financial performance.
•With respect to cancellations, because the Company partners closely with customers to produce highly-specialized quality components that are often designed into customers’ end products, immediate substitution of the Company’s products is neither typically desired by customers nor feasible. As such, the Company has not historically experienced significant order cancellations. Even in the presence of elevated backlog, order cancellations remained under three percent of orders in the periods presented, and, consistent with the Company’s past performance, the Company does not expect significant order cancellations in the future.
The Company respectfully advises the Staff that it will continue to monitor backlog and its potential impact on the Company’s financial statements and, to the extent that impact becomes material, will enhance its disclosures to appropriately address such impacts.
First report after the company's reply of 2022-07-27: 10-Q filed 2022-10-26 ↗, against the 10-Q filed 2022-04-27 ↗.
Tickdelta does not hold the text of both reports, so they are not compared here.
Also in this review: closing letter, 2022-08-03