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Noncontrolling Interest Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]  
Noncontrolling Interest Transactions
8. NONCONTROLLING INTEREST TRANSACTIONS
 
On March 30, 2016, the Company acquired 100% ownership of certain operating assets and cash of its consolidated Vicor Custom Power subsidiary, Converpower Corporation (“Converpower”), in which it held a 49% ownership interest. The operating assets and cash were acquired in exchange for the Company’s common shares representing that 49% interest and the aggregate dollar amount of royalty payments to be made by the Company to Converpower. The transaction was executed through a newly-formed, wholly-owned
Vicor Custom Power 
subsidiary, Granite Power Technologies, Inc. (“GPT”), the business operations of which had formerly existed as a division of the Company. The shares of Converpower common stock held by the Company were contributed to GPT prior to the transaction. At the same time that it entered into the Asset Purchase Agreement associated with this transaction, the Company and Converpower entered into a license agreement providing the Company the right to continue manufacturing certain Converpower products in exchange for payment of royalties, quarterly through June 30, 2021, equal to a percentage of the revenue generated by the manufacture and sale of these products by GPT. The estimated present value of total future royalties, included in “Contingent consideration obligations” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018, is $282,000 (initially $208,000, as of March 31, 2016). The Company increased the liability by approximately $448,000 in 2017 based on a reassessment of the total obligation through the end of license agreement. The amount was included in selling, general, and administrative expenses. GPT was merged into Vicor Development Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vicor, effective December 31, 2018, at which time the separate corporate existence of GPT ceased. The manufacture of those certain Converpower products going forward will be performed by the two remaining Vicor Custom Power subsidiaries and the payment of royalties will continue as under the license agreement.
 
On December 28, 2015, the Company acquired the noncontrolling interest holder’s 18% ownership interest in Mission Power Solutions, Inc. (“MPS”) for approximately $216,000, which equaled the noncontrolling interest holder’s share of the net equity of MPS. This transaction was achieved through a statutory merger of MPS with and into an existing Vicor Custom Power wholly-owned subsidiary, Northwest Power, Inc. (“NPI”). In addition to the payment noted above, the selling principal will be eligible to receive quarterly royalty payments through June 30, 2021 equal to a percentage of the revenue generated by the sale of certain MPS legacy products to be manufactured by NPI going forward. The estimated obligation for total future royalties, recorded as Contingent consideration obligation in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 is $126,000 (initially $144,000 as of December 31, 2015). The Company increased the liability by approximately $202,000 in 2017, based on a reassessment of the total obligation under the royalty arrangement. The amount was included in selling, general, and administrative expenses.
 
The respective
noncontrolling
interest holders of
Converpower
and MPS served as key employees of each company prior to the transactions described above.