SEC Company Response from JOY GLOBAL INC (CIK 0000801898) — Jan 31, 2005
JOY GLOBAL INC (CIK 0000801898)
Date: Jan. 31, 2005 · CIK: 0000801898 · Accession: 0000801898-05-000017
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-09299, 333-121569
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JOY GLOBAL INC.
100 E. Wisconsin Ave.,
Suite 2780
Milwaukee, WI 53202
January 31, 2005
VIA EDGAR SUBMISSION
Securities and Exchange
Commission
Division of Corporate Finance
450 Fifth Street, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Attention:
Mary Beth Breslin
Re: Joy
Global Inc.
Form S-3 filed December 23, 2004
(SEC File No. 333-121569)
Joy Global Inc.
Form 10-K for the
year ended October 30, 2004 and related filings
(SEC File No. 001-09299)
Joy Global Inc.
Form 8-K filed
December 16, 2004
(SEC File No. 001-09299)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
On
behalf of Joy Global Inc. (the “Company”) and in response to the letter (the
“Comment Letter”) dated January 21, 2005 from the staff of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Staff”) to the Company, please find below our
responses to the Comment Letter.
The
numbered paragraphs below set forth the Staff’s comments from the Comment Letter (in
bold type), together with the Company’s responses (in ordinary type), and correspond
to the numbered paragraphs in the Comment Letter.
Form S-3
Where You Can Find More
Information — Page iii
1.
Please
update the financial statements when required by Rule 3-12 of Regulation S-X.
The
Company confirms that it will update the financial statements when required by Rule 3-12
of Regulation S-X.
Fee Table
2.
Note (4) to the fee table indicates that you are registering an indeterminate
number or amount of additional securities issuable upon conversion of,
in exchange for, or upon exercise of convertible or exchangeable
securities as may be offered pursuant to the registration statement Please note
that at the time of issuance of those additional securities, you must
specifically allocate from the remaining dollar amount of securities
that may be issued under this registration statement the maximum number or
amount of additional securities that you believe you may issue upon exercise
or conversion of the convertible or exchangeable securities, based on a
good-faith estimate. If the actual number of additional securities to be
issued turns out to be greater than that estimate, you must file another
prospectus supplement to allocate those additional securities or, if the
remaining aggregate dollar amount of securities that may be issued under
this registration statement is at that time insufficient to permit such
allocation, file a new registration statement to register the additional
securities. Please revise Note (4) to the fee table accordingly.
The
Company has revised Note (4) to the fee table of the amended Form S-3 pursuant to the
Staff’s comments. The Company will file future prospectus supplements and/or file a
new registration statement to register additional securities as appropriate at the time of
issuance.
Risk Factors — Page
1
3.
Please note that Form S-3 does not allow for incorporation by reference of
risk factors prior to effectiveness. Please include risk factors in your
document. We may have further comments.
The
Company has revised its registration statement to include risk factors as requested by the
Staff. Please see the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of the
amended S-3.
Description of Purchase
Contracts — Page 15
Description of Units
— Page 16
4.
We note that purchase contracts and/or units may be composed of third-party
debt securities. Please supplementally explain how the distribution of
those third-party debt securities will be effected in compliance with
the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
The
Company intends to distribute only third-party debt securities that are exempt from
registration under the Securities Act. The Company has revised its registration statement
to more accurately reflect this limitation. Please see page 24 of the amended S-3 under
the heading “Description of Purchase Contracts.”
5.
We note that you have registered an offering of purchase contracts and units,
the specific terms of which are intended to be described in a prospectus
supplement. Where the offered securities involve the issuance of a novel
or complex security, including, for example, any income deposit, enhanced
income, enhanced yield or similar securities, we may have comments on
the disclosure in the prospectus supplement. In addition, the issuance
of any novel or complex securities may represent a fundamental change to
the information contained in the registration statement and/or a material change
to the plan of distribution such that a post-effective amendment would
be required. If you determine to conduct an offering of any purchase
contracts and/or units, you should file a post-effective amendment or submit
supplementally the prospectus supplement in advance of the offering.
The
Company confirms that it will file a post-effective amendment or submit supplementally the
prospectus supplement in advance of an offering of any purchase contracts and/or units.
Plan of Distribution
— Page 18
6.
We note the prospectus refers to the remarketing of securities. Please note
that, depending upon the level of involvement by the issuer or its
affiliates in the remarketing, any offers or sales pursuant to the
remarketing may require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. If you
would prefer that the staff express its views on this issue at the
present time, please supplementally provide information about the
procedures that will be used and the participants in the remarketing, including
the role of the company or its affiliates, if any.
The
Company has noted the potential for registration requirements with respect to the
remarketing of securities and confirms that it is not currently asking the Staff to
express its views on this issue.
Exhibits — Page 25
7.
We note your intention to file a number of exhibits, including your legal
opinion, by amendment. Because we may have comments on these exhibits,
please file the exhibits allowing adequate time for their review prior
to effectiveness.
The
Company has filed the required exhibits, including the legal opinions, as exhibits to its
amended Form S-3. The Company hereby confirms that it will supplementally file clean
opinions, either in a post-effective amendment or in a Form 8-K, for each takedown.
8.
Please
provide an updated accountants’ consent with any amendment to the filing.
The
Company has filed an updated accountants’ consent with its amended Form S-3.
Signatures — Pages
30 — 42
9.
Please explain why the registration statement was not dated, and why it does
not appear to have been signed by the registrant or co-registrants, or
by a majority of directors of the registrant and co-registrants. Please
ensure that the next amendment is signed and that any power of attorney is
included with the amendment.
The
Company’s original registration statement on Form S-3 was dated and signed, and
conformed signatures should have been included in the document as Edgarized and filed. The
Company is supplementally providing to the Staff the original signature pages to its Form
S-3, which include powers of attorney.
Form 10-K for fiscal
year ended October 30, 2004
10.
We note you have incorporated by reference the information required in Part
III of the Form 10-K to your definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A.
Please note that you must file the proxy statement containing that Part
III information (or file an amendment to your Form 10-K to include that
information) prior to acceleration of the effective date of the Form S-3.
The
Company filed its proxy statement containing the required Part III information on January
26, 2005.
Business
11.
In future filings, please revise to indicate the percentage of your revenue
derived from any product, class of product, or service(s) provided that
materially contributed to your business over the last three years. See
Item 101(c)(1)(i) of Regulation S-K. In this regard, we note your November 3,
2004 presentation at the Goldman Sachs Global Capital Goods Conference
which indicates that continuous miners, longwall shearers, and electric
shovels are “significant product lines.” Furthermore, we note
from the presentation that aftermarket services constituted at least 70% of
your total revenues since fiscal 2001.
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
12.
In future filings, please provide a more complete description of the
development of your business during the year. For example, did you
introduce, enhance or discontinue products? Did you acquire or sell any
product lines? Why? In what other ways did your business change materially
during the year?
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
13.
Where you discuss the cyclicality of your business, particularly where
cyclicality is driven by commodity prices, please expand future filings
to indicate the portion of your business derived from sales to specific
mining industries (such as coal mining, copper mining, etc.).
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
14.
We note your disclosure in your management’s discussion and analysis
section regarding “Alliance Partners” and your attribution of
a portion of your increase in sales of new surface mining equipment in
fiscal 2004 to sales of equipment manufactured by your partners.
Supplementally, with a view toward disclosure, identify the partners
with whom you have “Alliance Partner” relationships. Supplementally
and in future filings, describe the nature of the partnerships and the
material terms of your arrangements with these partners.
The
Company has Alliance Partner relationships with the following companies:
o AmeriCable Incorporated
o Berkley Forge and Tool Inc.
o Carbone of America
o Cubex
o Ford Steel Company
o General Electric Industrial Systems
o Hensley Industries Inc.
o Hitachi Mining Division
o Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd.
o LeTourneau Inc.
o Lincoln Industrial
o MacLeans Engineering
o MacWhyte
o Phillippi-Hagenbach Inc.
o Prodinsa Wire Rope
o Petro-Canada
o Reedrill
o Rimex Supply Ltd
o Terex Materials Processing &Mining
o Wire Rope Industries Ltd.
For
each Alliance Partner, the Company has entered into an agreement or arrangement that
provides it with the right to distribute certain of the Alliance Partner’s products
within specified geographic territories. Specific sales of new equipment are typically
based on a “buy and resell” arrangement or are direct sales from the Alliance
Partner to the ultimate customer with a commission paid to the Company. The type of sales
arrangement is typically agreed at the time of the customer’s commitment to purchase.
The Company’s aftermarket sales of parts produced by its Alliance Partners are
generally made under a “buy and resell” arrangement. In addition, the Company
will typically hold in inventory some of its Alliance Partner’s parts.
Surface Mining Equipment
15.
We note your references to “life cycle management” contracts and
programs. Supplementally and in future filings, please explain the term
“life cycle management,” describe the programs you offer, and describe
the material terms of life cycle contracts. Also explain how life cycle
contracts “reduce customer operating risk and guarantee
productivity levels.”
The
term “life cycle management” refers to the Company’s strategy to maximize
the productivity of its equipment over the equipment’s entire operating life cycle
through the optimization of the equipment, its operating and maintenance procedures and
its upgrade and refurbishment. Each life cycle management program offered by the Company
is specifically designed for a particular customer and that customer’s application of
the Company’s equipment. Under each life cycle management program, the Company
provides the customer with specific aftermarket products and services to support the
equipment during its operating life cycle. In return, the customer pays the Company an
amount based upon hours of operation or units of production achieved by the equipment. The
amount to be paid per unit is determined by the economic model developed by the Company on
a case-by-case basis, and is set at a rate designed to include both the estimated costs to
be incurred by the Company and the Company’s anticipated profit.
The
Company’s life cycle management contracts reduce customer risk by converting part of
the customer’s operating expenses to a relatively fixed cost per unit of production.
The Company is able to manage this risk because of its experience with the equipment and
because its life cycle management contracts generally permit the Company to revise the
terms of such contracts where appropriate due to a change in circumstances. Many of the
Company’s life cycle management contracts guarantee productivity levels in the sense
that they contain one or more productivity level standards to be met by the Company’s
equipment, together with situation-specific financial terms that incentivize the Company
to ensure that such standards are met.
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
Raw Materials
16.
We note your reliance on single source suppliers for “certain components
and raw material.” Please revise future filings to discuss your
ability to replace these suppliers. Also revise to include an estimate
of the portion of your business dependent on the components and material that
you purchase from a single source.
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
Patents and Licenses
17.
In future filings, please indicate the duration of patents held. Also, please
expand your discussion of the importance of patents and licenses to your
business by quantifying the portion of your business that depends on the
“significant” patents and licenses in “certain product
areas.”
As
requested by the Staff’s comment, the Company will make the requested revision in
future filings.
Research and Development
18.
We note your disclosure of your research and development costs did not
include “application engineering.” Supplementally clarify this
term and explain why these costs were excluded from the disclosed
figures.
The
term “application engineering” refers to design work performed by the
Company’s engineers for the purposes of customizing the Company’s equipment for
a parti