NATURE OF OPERATIONS

9 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

NATURE OF OPERATIONS

NATURE OF OPERATIONS

Steel Connect, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries (the "Company"), operates through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, IWCO Direct Holdings, Inc. ("IWCO Direct," "IWCO" or "Direct Marketing") and ModusLink Corporation ("ModusLink" or "Supply Chain").

IWCO Direct delivers data-driven marketing solutions for its customers. Its full range of services includes strategy, creative and execution for omnichannel marketing campaigns, along with postal logistics programs for direct mail. Through its Mail-Gard® division, IWCO Direct also offers business continuity and disaster recovery services to protect against unexpected business interruptions, along with providing print and mail outsourcing services.

ModusLink is a supply chain business process management company serving clients in markets such as consumer electronics, communications, computing, medical devices, software and retail. ModusLink designs and executes elements in its clients' global supply chains to improve speed to market, product customization, flexibility, cost, quality and service. The Company also produces and licenses an entitlement management solution for activation, provisioning, entitlement subscription and data collection from physical goods (connected products) and digital products.

Historically, the Company has financed its operations and met its capital requirements primarily through funds generated from operations, the sale of its securities, borrowings from lending institutions and sale of facilities that were not fully utilized. The Company believes it has access to adequate resources to meet its needs for normal operating costs, capital expenditures, mandatory debt redemptions and working capital for its existing business for at least twelve months from the date of this filing. These resources include current cash and cash equivalents, ModusLink's credit agreement with MidCap Financial Trust ("MidCap"), IWCO's revolving credit facility with Cerberus Business Finance, LLC ("Cerberus"), and cash, if any, provided by operating activities. The Company's expectations regarding its ability to use its existing cash and available credit facilities to continue funding its operations are based on assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate, and the Company may require capital resources sooner than currently expected. While the Company believes it will be able to access this additional liquidity based on existing information, the assumptions underlying this belief may also later prove to be inaccurate.

As of April 30, 2021 and July 31, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $97.6 million and $75.9 million, respectively. As of April 30, 2021, the Company had a working capital deficit of $1.4 million, which includes accrued pricing liabilities and certain tax related liabilities which the Company believes will not require a cash outlay in the next twelve months. As of April 30, 2021, IWCO Direct had $25.0 million available borrowing capacity under its revolving facility. As of April 30, 2021, ModusLink had a readily available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility of $5.2 million. The Company believes it will generate sufficient cash to meet its debt covenants under its credit facilities to which certain of its subsidiaries are a party and that it will be able to obtain cash through its current and future credit facilities, if needed.

Impact of COVID-19

In March 2020, the World Health Organization categorized the novel Coronavirus ("COVID-19") as a pandemic. The spread of the outbreak caused significant disruptions in certain sectors of the U.S. and global economies during 2020 and 2021, and many economists expect the impact will be significant during at least the remainder of calendar 2021. The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company continues to evaluate the global risks and the slowdown in business activity related to COVID-19, including the potential impacts on its employees, customers, suppliers and financial results. The effects of COVID-19 required temporary closures of certain of ModusLink's facilities for short periods of time during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. Additionally, although IWCO operated and continues to operate as an essential business, it has reduced operating levels and labor shifts due to lower sales volume during the current and prior fiscal year. As of the filing of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, all of the Company's facilities were open and able to operate at normal capacities.

To help mitigate the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, during the prior fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Company initiated cost reduction actions, including waiver of board fees, hiring freezes, staffing and force reductions, Company-wide salary reductions, bonus payment deferrals and temporary 401(k) match suspension. The temporary waiver of board fees and Company-wide salary reduction actions taken in the prior fiscal year were fully restored prior to the beginning of the current fiscal year, and the majority of salary reductions were repaid prior to the quarter ended January 31, 2021. The Company continues to focus on cash management and liquidity, which includes reduction of discretionary spending, aggressive working capital management, strict approvals for capital expenditures and other actions. The Company will evaluate further actions if circumstances warrant.

As the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to remain fluid, it is difficult to predict the duration of the pandemic and the impact on the Company's business, operations, financial condition and cash flows. The severity of the impact on the Company's business for the remainder of calendar 2021 and beyond will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the duration and severity of the pandemic, the extent and severity of the impact on the Company's customers and suppliers, the continued disruption to demand for our businesses' products and services, and the impact of the global business and economic environment on liquidity and the availability of capital, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. The Company's future results of operations and liquidity could also be adversely impacted by delays in payments of outstanding receivables beyond normal payment terms, supply chain disruptions and uncertain demand, and the effect of any initiatives or programs that the Company may undertake to address financial and operational challenges faced by its customers. There is also no certainty that federal, state or local regulations regarding safety measures to address the spread of COVID-19 will not adversely impact the Company's operations.

Steel Holdings Expression of Interest

On November 19, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") received a preliminary, non-binding expression of interest (the "Expression of Interest") from Steel Partners Holdings L.P. ("Steel Holdings") to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock not already owned by Steel Holdings or its affiliates for a combination of cash and Steel Holdings 6% Series A Preferred Units, which would imply a value per share of common stock in the range of $0.65 to $0.72 per share. The Board has established a special committee comprised solely of independent directors (the "Acquisition Proposal Special Committee") authorized to retain independent legal and financial advisors and to review, evaluate, negotiate and approve or disapprove the Expression of Interest, and to explore alternative strategies or transactions. The Acquisition Proposal Special Committee announced on January 11, 2021 that it had retained financial advisors and legal counsel. As set forth in the Expression of Interest, the proposed transaction will be subject to the approval of the Acquisition Proposal Special Committee, as well as a non-waivable condition requiring approval of a majority of the shares outstanding of the Company not owned by Steel Holdings and its affiliates and related parties. The Board resolutions establishing the Acquisition Proposal Special Committee expressly provide that the Board will not approve the proposed transaction contemplated by the Expression of Interest or any alternative thereto without a prior favorable recommendation by the Acquisition Proposal Special Committee.

No decision has yet been made with respect to the Company's response to the Expression of Interest or any alternatives thereto. The Board has only received a proposal, which does not constitute an offer or proposal capable of acceptance and may be withdrawn at any time and in any manner. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that the transaction proposed in the Expression of Interest or any other transaction will be approved or completed. The Company is not obligated to disclose any further developments or updates on the progress of the proposed transaction until either the Company enters into a definitive agreement or the Acquisition Proposal Special Committee determines no such transaction will be approved.