ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to provide a summary from the perspective of management on our consolidated operating results, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows of our Company as of and for the periods presented.
The MD&A should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included herein.
To facilitate timely reporting, the condensed consolidated financial statements include accounts of certain subsidiaries whose closing dates differ from March 31st by 31 days (or less).
References to “the Company” “we”, “us”, and “our” are intended to mean the business and operations of Miller Industries, Inc., and its consolidated subsidiaries unless the context requires otherwise.
ABOUT MILLER INDUSTRIES, INC.
Miller Industries, Inc. is The World’s Largest Manufacturer of Towing and Recovery Equipment®, with domestic manufacturing operations in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, and foreign manufacturing operations in France and the United Kingdom.
The Company develops innovative high-quality towing and recovery equipment worldwide. We design and manufacture bodies of car carriers and wreckers, which are installed on chassis manufactured by third parties, which are sold to our customers under our Century®, Vulcan®, Chevron™, Holmes®, Challenger®, Champion®, Jige™, Boniface™, Titan® and Eagle® brand names.
Our products are primarily marketed and sold through a network of distributors that serve all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and other foreign markets, and through prime contractors to governmental entities. Further, we have substantial distribution capabilities in Europe as a result of our ownership of Jige International S.A. and Boniface Engineering, Ltd. While most of our distributor agreements do not generally contain exclusivity provisions, management believes our independent distributors do not offer products of any other towing and recovery equipment manufacturer, which we believe is a testament of their loyalty to our brands.
In addition to selling our products, our independent distributors provide end-users with parts and service. We also utilize sales representatives to inform prospective end-users about our current product lines in an effort to drive sales to independent distributors. Management believes the strength of our distribution network and the breadth and quality of our product offerings are two key advantages over our competitors.
We focus on a variety of key indicators to monitor our overall operating and financial performance. These indicators include measurements of revenue, operating income, gross margin, net income, earnings per share, capital expenditures and cash flow.
Our history of innovation in the towing and recovery industry has been an important factor behind our growth over the last decade and we believe that our continued emphasis on research and development will be a key factor in our future growth. We opened a free-standing R&D facility in Chattanooga in 2019, where we pursue various innovations in our products and manufacturing processes, some of which are intended to enhance the safety of our employees and reduce our environmental impact. In addition, our recent domestic plant expansion and modernization projects have installed sophisticated robotics and implemented other advanced technologies to increase our production capacity and optimize our manufacturing processes, including investing in part re-design capabilities that allows for more flexibility in our manufacturing and sourcing. These projects were completed during the period from 2017 to 2021 at a cost of over $82.0 million. We completed phase one of the implementation of an enterprise software solution during 2021, and we continued to implement additional functionality available in the solution in 2022 and 2023. We expect this software to substantially improve our administrative efficiency and customer service levels. As we retain our focus toward modernization, we expect to continue to invest in robotics and automated material handling equipment across all of our domestic manufacturing facilities.
TRENDS AND OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING OUR BUSINESS
Continuing in 2024, our strong backlog allowed revenues to increase as parts became more available due to supply chain improvements and actions we took to diversify and increase the flexibility of our supply chain. Gross margin also steadily improved due to our pricing actions, productivity improvements and the stabilizing of raw material costs. In addition, with the acquisition of SHC, we were able to enhance the stability of our supply chain. The combination of favorable macroeconomic trends and improved productivity resulted in increased net income for the period.
Based on our strong backlog, the price increases and productivity improvements we have implemented, lessening supply chain disruptions and easing inflationary pressures, our operating results improved throughout fiscal 2023 and for the period ended March 31, 2024, and we believe we are well-positioned to continue enhancing our operating results. However, our performance will be heavily influenced by, among other things, whether supply chain constraints and inflationary pressures continue to lessen or worsen, the continuing impact of geopolitical factors, the threat of recession and general