Note 4 - Management's Recovery Plans	3 Months Ended
Apr. 03, 2016
Notes to Financial Statements
Concentration Risk Disclosure [Text Block]	(4) Management’s Recovery Plans Given the Company’s loss of market share in commercial vehicle manufacturing in early 2015 due to the nonrenewal of a supply agreement with Dana Holding Corporation (“Dana”), and the recent unfavorable growth trends and softness in commercial vehicle manufacturing and the oil and gas markets served by the Company, management has developed various profit recovery and protection plans and is evaluating strategic alternatives to optimize asset values in each of the Company’s segments. Management has engaged advisors during various periods to provide recommendations for cost reductions and other actions that can be taken to improve profitability. Management prepared a revised forecast during March 2016 with plans to further reduce costs, optimize cash flow and remain in compliance with its debt covenant requirements throughout 2016. The Company completed a number of its profit recovery and protection actions during 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, including: (i) the sale of certain assets used in the Company’s manufacturing facility in Morganton, North Carolina within the Sypris Technologies segment, (ii) reductions in workforce at all locations, and (iii) other reductions in employment costs through reduced work schedules, senior management pay reductions, deferral of merit increases and certain benefit payments. The Company restructured its debt and has received the benefit of cash infusions from Gill Family Capital Management, Inc. (“GFCM’) in the form of subordinated promissory note obligations totaling $6,500,000 in principal through the first quarter of 2016. Demand in the commercial vehicle industry has softened beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015 along with other durable and non-durable goods sectors in the North America economy. Management has identified additional cost reduction actions in the Sypris Technologies segment. Reductions in selling, general and administrative expense and labor expense were implemented during the first quarter of 2016, and additional cost reductions are planned during the second and third quarters. Although the expected benefits of the cost reductions will be partially offset by the impact of minor investments and severance required to enable the cost reductions, the actions are expected to contribute to improved liquidity during 2016. Management has identified a number of new customer opportunities that are expected to provide higher gross margin opportunities, even at lower volumes. Management is implementing operational efficiencies that are expected to enable reductions in the machinery set-up time for new commercial vehicle orders which should enable the Company to quote on customer requirements that are higher margin but with somewhat shorter run lengths. These new business activities are anticipated to enable the Company to diversify its revenue sources over a larger and more profitable customer base. One of the additional actions implemented by management during the first quarter of 2016 was to consummate the sale and partial lease back of its facility located in Toluca Mexico, which generated gross proceeds of approximately $12,182,000. Of these proceeds, $6,000,000 was deposited into a cash collateral account, to be held for up to one year as additional collateral for the Term Loan (see Note 10 “Debt”). Management will continue to operate in Toluca, but given the reduction in Sypris Technologies’ revenues in 2015 and the overall downturn in the commercial vehicle markets beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015, management determined that the underutilized Toluca real estate value could be better optimized with a sale and lease back arrangement where some but not all of the facility would continue to be occupied and managed by Sypris Technologies. The oil and gas industry has experienced significant price erosion, and as a result the Company’s customers are delaying capital expenditures that support their growth and maintenance projects. The Company has identified some capacity reallocation opportunities between plants in the United States and Mexico. The Company has initiated the process of qualifying production for certain components in Mexico that are currently produced in the United States and completed the qualification for the first group of these components. The Company expects this capacity reallocation will accelerate during 2016 as the capital necessary to fund the reallocation becomes available and the qualification process for the production is complete. Sypris Electronics has continued to invest in a number of product development projects. The Company was awarded a significant engineering services contract in the defense sector in March 2016. Nevertheless, the Company has identified certain cost reduction and cash flow enhancements in the Sypris Electronics segment that are targeted to be implemented during the second and third quarters of 2016, which are not expected to adversely impact the future growth in the Sypris Electronics segment. Sypris Electronics has filed a number of patent applications for technology related to its new SiOMetrics TM hardware authentication solutions, which may enable the Company to address commercial markets for infrastructure and the Internet of Things (IoT). New commercial opportunities in automotive, industrial controls, communications, infrastructure, utilities, automation, aviation, retail, and personal communication devices could benefit from the technology that Sypris Electronics has patented or for which it has patents pending. Sypris Electronics now provides a platform of layered security protocols that will enable customers in a number of industries to tailor the security solutions to their individual requirements. Management has taken steps to diversify its product and service offerings in the Sypris Electronics segment. The Company intends to be less dependent upon the Defense markets and better positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing commercial security and encryption markets going forward. Management has identified certain cost reductions at the corporate headquarters that are expected to improve profitability and cash flow throughout 2016. Salary reductions and other SG&A cost reductions were implemented during the first quarter of 2016 that management believes will continue to benefit the Company throughout future periods. Additional cost reductions have been identified in the area of professional services, administration and lease expenses.

(4) Management’s Recovery Plans

Given the Company’s loss of market share in commercial vehicle manufacturing in early 2015 due to the nonrenewal of a supply agreement with Dana Holding Corporation (“Dana”), and the recent unfavorable growth trends and softness in commercial vehicle manufacturing and the oil and gas markets served by the Company, management has developed various profit recovery and protection plans and is evaluating strategic alternatives to optimize asset values in each of the Company’s segments. Management has engaged advisors during various periods to provide recommendations for cost reductions and other actions that can be taken to improve profitability. Management prepared a revised forecast during March 2016 with plans to further reduce costs, optimize cash flow and remain in compliance with its debt covenant requirements throughout 2016. The Company completed a number of its profit recovery and protection actions during 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, including: (i) the sale of certain assets used in the Company’s manufacturing facility in Morganton, North Carolina within the Sypris Technologies segment, (ii) reductions in workforce at all locations, and (iii) other reductions in employment costs through reduced work schedules, senior management pay reductions, deferral of merit increases and certain benefit payments. The Company restructured its debt and has received the benefit of cash infusions from Gill Family Capital Management, Inc. (“GFCM’) in the form of subordinated promissory note obligations totaling $6,500,000 in principal through the first quarter of 2016.

Demand in the commercial vehicle industry has softened beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015 along with other durable and non-durable goods sectors in the North America economy. Management has identified additional cost reduction actions in the Sypris Technologies segment. Reductions in selling, general and administrative expense and labor expense were implemented during the first quarter of 2016, and additional cost reductions are planned during the second and third quarters. Although the expected benefits of the cost reductions will be partially offset by the impact of minor investments and severance required to enable the cost reductions, the actions are expected to contribute to improved liquidity during 2016.

Management has identified a number of new customer opportunities that are expected to provide higher gross margin opportunities, even at lower volumes. Management is implementing operational efficiencies that are expected to enable reductions in the machinery set-up time for new commercial vehicle orders which should enable the Company to quote on customer requirements that are higher margin but with somewhat shorter run lengths. These new business activities are anticipated to enable the Company to diversify its revenue sources over a larger and more profitable customer base.

One of the additional actions implemented by management during the first quarter of 2016 was to consummate the sale and partial lease back of its facility located in Toluca Mexico, which generated gross proceeds of approximately $12,182,000. Of these proceeds, $6,000,000 was deposited into a cash collateral account, to be held for up to one year as additional collateral for the Term Loan (see Note 10 “Debt”). Management will continue to operate in Toluca, but given the reduction in Sypris Technologies’ revenues in 2015 and the overall downturn in the commercial vehicle markets beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015, management determined that the underutilized Toluca real estate value could be better optimized with a sale and lease back arrangement where some but not all of the facility would continue to be occupied and managed by Sypris Technologies.

The oil and gas industry has experienced significant price erosion, and as a result the Company’s customers are delaying capital expenditures that support their growth and maintenance projects. The Company has identified some capacity reallocation opportunities between plants in the United States and Mexico. The Company has initiated the process of qualifying production for certain components in Mexico that are currently produced in the United States and completed the qualification for the first group of these components. The Company expects this capacity reallocation will accelerate during 2016 as the capital necessary to fund the reallocation becomes available and the qualification process for the production is complete.

Sypris Electronics has continued to invest in a number of product development projects. The Company was awarded a significant engineering services contract in the defense sector in March 2016. Nevertheless, the Company has identified certain cost reduction and cash flow enhancements in the Sypris Electronics segment that are targeted to be implemented during the second and third quarters of 2016, which are not expected to adversely impact the future growth in the Sypris Electronics segment.

Sypris Electronics has filed a number of patent applications for technology related to its new SiOMetrics

hardware authentication solutions, which may enable the Company to address commercial markets for infrastructure and the Internet of Things (IoT). New commercial opportunities in automotive, industrial controls, communications, infrastructure, utilities, automation, aviation, retail, and personal communication devices could benefit from the technology that Sypris Electronics has patented or for which it has patents pending. Sypris Electronics now provides a platform of layered security protocols that will enable customers in a number of industries to tailor the security solutions to their individual requirements. Management has taken steps to diversify its product and service offerings in the Sypris Electronics segment. The Company intends to be less dependent upon the Defense markets and better positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing commercial security and encryption markets going forward.

Management has identified certain cost reductions at the corporate headquarters that are expected to improve profitability and cash flow throughout 2016. Salary reductions and other SG&A cost reductions were implemented during the first quarter of 2016 that management believes will continue to benefit the Company throughout future periods. Additional cost reductions have been identified in the area of professional services, administration and lease expenses.