Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)

Registration Statement No. 333-223160

and Registration No. 333-253476

 

Prospectus Supplement

(To Prospectus dated June 19, 2018)

 

 

IT TECH PACKAGING, INC.

 

26,666,666 Shares of Common Stock and

13,333,333 Common Warrants to Purchase 13,333,333 Shares of Common Stock
(and Shares of Common Stock Issuable Upon Exercise of the Common Warrants)

 

We are offering 26,666,666 shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and common warrants to purchase up to 13,333,333 shares of common stock and the shares of common stock that are issuable from time to time upon exercise of the common warrants, at a purchase price of $0.75 per share of common stock and accompanying 0.5 of a common warrant, pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The shares of common stock and the accompanying common warrants, can only be purchased together in this offering but will be issued separately and will be immediately separable upon issuance. Each common warrant will have an exercise price of $0.75 per share of common stock, will be exercisable upon issuance, and will expire five years from the date of issuance.

 

For a more detailed description of the shares of common stock, see the section entitled “Description of Our Securities We Are Offering” beginning on page S-28.

 

Our shares of common stock are currently traded on the NYSE American under the symbol “ITP.” On February 24, 2021, the closing sale price of our shares of common stock was $1.00 per share. There is no established public trading market for the warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the warrants will be limited. In addition, we do not intend to list the warrants on the NYSE American, any other national securities exchange or any other trading system.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase our securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement and on page 5 of the accompanying prospectus.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

    Per Share
and 0.5 of a Common Warrant
    Total  
Offering Price   $ 0.75       19,999,999.50  
Underwriting discounts and commissions (1)   $ 0.0525       1,399,999.97  
Proceeds, before expenses, to us   $ 0.6975       18,599,999.53  

 

(1) See “Underwriting” beginning on page S-30 of this prospectus supplement for additional disclosure regarding underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses.

  

We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,611,200 shares  at a purchase price of $0.74 per share and/or up to an additional 1,305,600  common warrants  at a purchase price of $ 0.01 per common warrant from us to cover over-allotments, if any. If the underwriter exercises this option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions will be $1,537,087.96, and our total proceeds, before expenses, will be $20,421,311.54.

 

The underwriter expects to deliver the securities to the investors in book-entry form through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company on or about March 1, 2021.

 

Book Running Manager

 

MAXIM GROUP LLC

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is February 24, 2021

 

 

 

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Supplement

 

  Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT S-ii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS S-iii
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY S-1
THE OFFERING S-6
RISK FACTORS S-8
USE OF PROCEEDS S-24
MARKET PRICE AND DIVIDEND POLICY S-25
CAPITALIZATION S-26
DILUTION S-27
DESCRIPTION OF OUR SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING S-28
UNDERWRITING S-30
LEGAL MATTERS S-33
EXPERTS S-33
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE S-34
DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES LAW VIOLATIONS S-34
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION S-35

 

Prospectus

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY 1
THE OFFERING 2
OUR COMPANY 3
RISK FACTORS 5
USE OF PROCEEDS 6
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES 6
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER 6
CAPITAL STOCK 7
DEBT SECURITIES 8
WARRANTS 13
SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS 16
UNITS 17
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION 18
LEGAL MATTERS 19
EXPERTS 19
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT US 20
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE 20

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with additional or different information. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents or that any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than its filing date.

 

No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside the United States to permit a public offering of the shares of common stock or possession or distribution of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus in that jurisdiction. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus applicable to that jurisdiction.

 

S-i

 

  

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

On February 22, 2018, we filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, as amended on June 11, 2018 (File No. 333-223160) utilizing a shelf registration process relating to the securities described in this prospectus supplement, which registration statement was declared effective on June 19, 2018. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell up to $30 million in the aggregate of shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, subscription rights and units, of which approximately $27.44 million remains available for sale as of the date of this prospectus supplement (excluding the shares offered hereby).

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into the prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information, some of which does not apply to this offering. You should read this entire prospectus supplement as well as the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference that are described under “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

 

If the description of the offering varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in this prospectus supplement. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date – for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus – the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. Except as specifically stated, we are not incorporating by reference any information submitted under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K into any filing under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference, or deemed to be incorporated by reference, into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein, therein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus modifies or supersedes that statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

 

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you unless you are a party to such agreement. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made or expressly referenced therein. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs unless you are a party to such agreement.

 

Unless we have indicated otherwise, or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to “ITP,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” or similar terms refer to refer to IT Tech Packaging, Inc., a Nevada corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Hebei Baoding Dongfang Paper Milling Company Limited.

 

S-ii

 

   

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements deal with our current plans, intentions, beliefs and expectations and statements of future economic performance. Statements containing terms such as “believe,” “do not believe,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate” and other phrases of similar meaning are considered to contain uncertainty and are forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time we or our representatives have made or will make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements may be included in various filings that we make with the SEC, or press releases or oral statements made by or with the approval of one of our authorized executive officers. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, those set forth under “Risk Factors” incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and those discussed in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and in our future filings made with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated herein by reference, which reflect management’s opinions only as of their respective dates. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements. You are advised, however, to consult any additional disclosures we have made or will make in our reports to the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any related issuer free writing prospectus.

 

S-iii

 

  

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

 

The following summary highlights selected information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in the securities. Before making an investment decision, you should read the entire prospectus and any supplement hereto carefully, including the risk factors section as well as the financial statements and the notes to the financial statements incorporated herein by reference.

 

Our Company

 

Overview

 

We were incorporated in the State of Nevada in 2005. We engage in the production and distribution of various categories of paper products, such as corrugating medium paper, offset printing paper, tissue paper products, and non-medical single-use face masks.

 

Our Products

 

Corrugating medium paper

 

Corrugating medium paper, or CMP, is used in the manufacturing of cardboard. Since the launch of our new Paper Machine (“PM6”) production line in December 2011, corrugating medium paper has become a major product of the Company. For the year ended December 31, 2019, corrugating medium paper comprised approximately 85.61% of our total paper production quantities and roughly 77.22% of our total revenue.  Raw materials used in the production of corrugating medium paper include recycled paper board (or Old Corrugating Cardboard or “OCC,” as it is commonly referred to in the United States) and certain supplementary agents. In January 2013, we suspended the operation of our PM1 production line for renovation, which was used at that time to produce corrugating medium paper. In May 2014, we launched the commercial production from a renovated PM1 production line. The renovated PM1 production line produces light-weight corrugating medium paper with a specification of 40 to 80 grams per square meter (“g/s/m”). PM1’s light-weight corrugating medium paper products have a wide range of commercial applications. For example, they can be used as a construction material for wall and floor insulation or to manufacture moisture-proof packaging materials for the transportation of books and magazines by the publishing industry. It can also be used as corrugating medium to make corrugating cardboard for packaging that requires light-weight boxes. The manufacturing process of light-weight corrugating medium paper is similar to that of the regular corrugating medium paper and also uses recycled paper boards as a major source of raw material. We now have two corrugating medium paper production lines, PM6 and PM1. We refer to products produced from the PM6 production line as Regular CMP and products produced from the PM1 production line as Light-Weight CMP.

 

Offset printing paper  

 

Offset printing paper is used for offset printing in the publishing industry.  Offset printing paper comprised approximately 11.68% of our total paper production quantities and approximately 17.38% of our total sales revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019.  Raw materials used in making offset printing paper include recycled white scrap paper, fluorescent whitening agent and sizing agent. We currently have two production lines, PM2 and PM3, for the production of offset printing paper.

 

Tissue paper products 

 

We began the commercial production of tissue paper products in Wei County Industry Park in June 2015. We process base tissue paper purchased from a long-term cooperative third party and produce finished tissue paper products, including toilet paper, boxed and soft-packed tissues, handkerchief tissues and paper napkins, as well as bathroom and kitchen paper towels that are marketed and sold under the Dongfang Paper brand. In December 2018 and November 2019, we completed the construction, installation and test of operation of PM8 and PM9, respectively, and commercially launched tissue paper production of PM8 and PM9 at such time. Tissue paper products comprised approximately 2.71% of our total paper production quantities and approximately 5.4% of our total sales revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

S-1

 

 

Our Customers and Market

 

We generally sell our products to companies making corrugated cardboards (in the case of our packaging products like corrugating medium paper) and to printing companies (in the case of our printing paper products). Our primary market has been the region of North China, specifically in the province of Hebei. We target corporate customers in the middle range of the marketplace, where products such as corrugating medium paper and mid-grade offset printing paper with reasonable quality and competitive pricing have potential for high volume growth.

 

Face Masks

 

On April 29, 2020, we launched a production line of non-medical single-use face masks, following the completion of raw materials preparation, trial run of the equipment and the sample products inspection. Revenue generated from selling face masks were $221,102 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and $1,066,654 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. We sold 3,576 thousand and 9,856 thousand pieces of face masks in the third quarter and in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.

   

Our Raw Materials and Principal Suppliers

 

The supplies used in our production processes are comprised mainly of recycled paper board and unprinted recycled white scrap paper, both of which are ready-to-use items and available from multiple domestic and foreign sources. We currently purchase all of our recycled paper supplies from domestic recycling stations and do not rely on imported recycled paper. We also purchase coal, natural gas and chemical agents from nearby suppliers.  Ongoing inflationary pressures and higher demand for recycled paper could lead to an increase in our costs of raw materials and production, which we may or may not be able to pass to our customers. We sign annual raw materials supplier contracts with our suppliers. Although we have contracts with our suppliers, these contracts do not lock-in the purchase price of our raw materials or provide a hedge against the fluctuation in the market price of these raw materials.

 

Competition

 

Our main competitors are: Chenming Paper Group Limited (“Chenming”), Huatai Group Limited, Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited (“ND Paper”) and Sun Paper Group Limited. A number of our competitors are public entities with larger capacity, broader customer bases and greater financial resources than those available to us. With the exceptions of Chenming and ND Paper, which may compete directly with us in the offset printing paper market and the corrugating medium paper market, respectively, in the Beijing/Tianjin/greater Hebei regions, we believe that we face only indirect competition from the aforesaid companies, either because we have a different product assortment from these companies, or because, to the extent they do offer products similar to ours, the transportation costs and storage costs make it difficult for these companies to compete effectively with us on pricing.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately 333 full time employees. These employees are organized into a labor union under the labor laws of the PRC and have collective bargain power against us. We generally maintain good relations with our employees and the labor union.

 

Recent Developments

 

Cogeneration Project

 

In November 2020, we completed inviting bids for the 75 tonne per hour biomass boiler procurement for our biomass cogeneration project. Multiple well-known enterprises in the biomass industry participated in tendering opening bids. In February 2021, we completed evaluation on the bidding proposals and announced that Tai Shan Group Co., Ltd., a top manufacturer in the biomass industry in China, has won the bid. Installation of the boilers is expected to commence in the near future. We expect to participate in the bidding process for urban central heating projects.

 

January 2021 Public Offering

 

On January 20, 2021, we sold to certain institutional investors who executed a securities purchase agreement dated as of January 14, 2021 (the “Purchase Agreement”) and to certain other investors who did not execute the Purchase Agreement but relied solely on our prospectus dated January 14, 2021 contained in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-251562), an aggregate of 26,181,818 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 (the “Common Stock”) and 26,181,818 warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase up to 26,181,818 shares of the Common Stock in a best-efforts public offering for gross proceeds of approximately $14.4 million (the “Offering”). The purchase price for each share of Common Stock and the corresponding Warrant sold in the Offering was $0.55. The Warrants are exercisable commencing on January 20, 2021 at an exercise price of $0.55 and will expire on January 20, 2026.

 

S-2

 

 

Corporate Information

 

Our principal executive offices are located at Science Park, Juli Road, Xushui District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China 072550. Our telephone number is (86) 312-869-8215. Our website is located at http://www.itpackaging.cn.

 

We are a “smaller reporting company,” as defined under SEC Regulation S-K. As such, we also are exempt from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and also are subject to less extensive disclosure requirements regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We will continue to be deemed a smaller reporting company until our public float exceeds $75 million on the last day of our second fiscal quarter in the preceding fiscal year.

  

Summary of Risk Factors

 

Investing in our securities involves significant risks and uncertainties. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment in our securities. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors.”

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

Risks and uncertainties related to our business include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by global health epidemics, including the recent COVID-19 outbreak;

 

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements, we operate our businesses through companies with which we have contractual relationships but in which we do not have controlling ownership;

 

Because we rely on the consulting services agreement with Dongfang Paper for essentially all of our revenue and cash flows, any difficulty for Dongfang Paper to pay consulting fees to Baoding Shengde under the consulting agreement may have a material adverse effect on our operations.;

 

If the PRC government determines that our agreements with these companies are not in compliance with applicable regulations, our business in the PRC could be materially adversely affected;

 

Our arrangements with Dongfang Paper and its shareholders may be subject to a transfer pricing adjustment by the PRC tax authorities which could have an adverse effect on our income and expenses;

 

The exercise of our option to purchase part or all of the equity interests in Dongfang Paper under the Call Option Agreement might be subject to approval by the PRC government. Our failure to obtain this approval may impair our ability to substantially control Dongfang Paper and could result in actions by Dongfang Paper that conflict with our interests;

 

If Dongfang Paper fails to comply with covenants in its loan agreements, its lenders may allege a breach of a covenant and seek to accelerate the loan or exercise other remedies, which could strain our cash flow and harm our business, liquidity and financial condition.

 

We are dependent on certain key personnel and loss of these key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations;

 

Our certificates, permits, and licenses related to our papermaking operations are subject to governmental control and renewal and failure to obtain renewal will cause all or part of our operations to be terminated;

 

Compliance with environmental regulations is expensive, and noncompliance may result in adverse publicity and potentially significant monetary damages and fines or suspension of our business operations.

 

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and external infringements of our intellectual property rights may adversely affect our business;

 

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and prospects;

 

We may have to bear unanticipated tax liabilities which may cause serious adverse effects to our financial conditions and business operations.

 

S-3

 

 

Risks Related to Doing Business in the PRC

 

We face risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China in general, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

Changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a significant impact upon the business we may be able to conduct in the PRC and the profitability of such business;

 

The PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain. Any changes in such PRC laws and regulations may harm our business;

 

A slowdown, inflation or other adverse developments in the PRC economy may harm our customers and the demand for our services and products;

 

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment and the fluctuation of the Renminbi may harm your investment;

 

Failure to comply with PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may materially adversely affect us;

 

The PRC’s legal and judicial system may not adequately protect our business and operations and the rights of foreign investors;

 

It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China;

 

The current tensions in international trade and rising political tensions, particularly between U.S. and China, may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

 

We are also subject to risks and uncertainties related to our corporate structure, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

Our current corporate structure and business operations may be affected by the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law;

 

Any failure by our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business;

 

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our consolidated VIEs that are material to the operation of our business if the entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

 

General Risks Related to Our Common Stock and this Offering

 

In addition to the risks described above, we are subject to general risks and uncertainties related to our common stock and this offering, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

If we fail to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in a timely manner, our business could be harmed and our stock price could decline;

 

Our common stock may be affected by limited trading volume and may fluctuate significantly;

 

If we become directly subject to the scrutiny involving U.S. listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and/or defend the matter, which could harm our business operations, stock price and reputation;

 

Since our management will have broad discretion in how we use the proceeds from this offering, we may use the proceeds in ways with which you disagree;

 

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value per share of the common stock you purchase; and

 

S-4

 

 

A large number of shares issued in this offering may be sold in the market following this offering, which may depress the market price of our common stock; and

 

The price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline, which may make it difficult for investors to resell shares of our common stock at prices they find attractive.

 

A possible “short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand of our common stock that largely exceeds supply may lead to further price volatility in our common shares

 

There is no public market for the common warrants.

 

The common warrants are speculative in nature.

 

Holders of the common warrants will not have rights of holders of our common stock until such warrants are exercised.

 

Impact of COVID-19 on Our Operations and Financial Performance

 

Outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases such as COVID-19, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Substantially all of our revenues and workforce are concentrated in China. In response to the intensifying efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government took a number of actions, which included extending the Chinese New Year holiday, quarantining individuals suspected of having COVID-19, asking residents in China to stay at home and to avoid public gathering, among other things. During the early part of 2020, COVID-19 caused temporary closure of our CMP production, and as a result, our revenue of CMP decreased by 49.89 % in the first quarter of 2020. It is, however, still unclear how the pandemic will evolve going forward, and we cannot assure you whether the COVID-19 pandemic will again bring about significant negative impact on our business operations, financial condition and operating results, including but not limited to negative impact to our total revenues.

 

While we have resumed business operations, there remain significant uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and its further development as a global pandemic. Hence, the extent of the business disruption and the related impact on our financial results and outlook for 2021 cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. The extent to which the COVID-19 impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions taken globally to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. Existing insurance coverage may not provide protection for all costs that may arise from all such possible events. We are still assessing our business operations and the total impact COVID-19 may have on our results and financial condition, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally.

 

S-5

 

 

THE OFFERING

 

Issuer:   IT Tech Packaging, Inc.
     
Shares of common stock and common warrants offered by us pursuant to this prospectus supplement:   26,666,666 shares and 13,333,333 common warrants to purchase 13,333,333 shares of common stock
     
Over-allotment option   We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,611,200 shares of common stock and/or up to an additional 1,305,600 common warrants from us to cover over-allotments, if any.
     
Offering price per share and accompanying 0.5 of a common warrant:   0.75
     
Shares of common stock outstanding prior to this offering:   69,690,534 shares
     
Shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering (1):   96,357,200 shares (or 98,968,400 shares of the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full), assuming no exercise of any common warrants issued in this offering.
     
Description of common warrants   The common warrants will be exercisable beginning on the date of issuance and expire on the five-year anniversary of the date of issuance at an initial exercise price per share equal to $0.75, subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of recapitalization events, stock dividends, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we shall not effect any exercise of common warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to an exercise, the holder of common warrants (together with such holder’s affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any of such holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own a number of shares of our common stock in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the purchaser prior to the date of issuance, 9.99%) of the shares of our common stock then outstanding after giving effect to such exercise.
     
Use of proceeds:   We expect the aggregate net proceeds from the Offering will be approximately $18.4 million (or $20.3 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page S-24 of this prospectus supplement.

 

S-6

 

 

Transfer agent, registrar and warrant agent:   The transfer agent and registrar of our Common Stock and the Warrant Agent for the common warrants is Empire Stock Transfer Inc.
     
Risk factors:   Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. For a discussion of factors you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our shares of common stock, see the information contained in or incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement, on page 5 of the accompanying prospectus, and in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.
     
NYSE American Symbol:   Our common stock is traded on the NYSE American under the symbol “ITP”. We do not intend to apply to list the common warrants on the NYSE American or on any other trading market.

 

(1) The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 69,690,534 shares of common stock outstanding as of February 24, 2021, and excludes, as of such date:

 

3,520,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $0.7425 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof);and

 

12,108,918 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at an exercise price of $0.55 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof).

 

  13,333,333 shares of our common stock issuable upon the common warrants offered hereby (or 14,638,933 shares of our common stock issuable upon the common warrants if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full).

 

Except as otherwise noted, all information in this prospectus reflects and assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.

 

S-7

 

  

RISK FACTORS

 

Before you make a decision to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations and could result in a complete loss of your investment.

 

RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS

 

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by global health epidemics, including the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases such as COVID-19, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Substantially all of our revenues and workforce are concentrated in China. In response to the intensifying efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government took a number of actions, which included extending the Chinese New Year holiday, quarantining individuals suspected of having COVID-19, asking residents in China to stay at home and to avoid public gathering, among other things. During the early part of 2020, COVID-19 caused temporary closure of our CMP production, and as a result, our revenue of CMP decreased by 49.89%.in the first quarter of 2020. It is, however, still unclear how the pandemic will evolve going forward, and we cannot assure you whether the COVID-19 pandemic will again bring about significant negative impact on our business operations, financial condition and operating results, including but not limited to negative impact to our total revenues.

 

While we have resumed business operations, there remain significant uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and its further development as a global pandemic. Hence, the extent of the business disruption and the related impact on our financial results and outlook for 2021 cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. The extent to which the COVID-19 impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions taken globally to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. Existing insurance coverage may not provide protection for all costs that may arise from all such possible events. We are still assessing our business operations and the total impact COVID-19 may have on our results and financial condition, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally.

 

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements, we operate our businesses through companies with which we have contractual relationships but in which we do not have controlling ownership.

 

We do not have direct or indirect equity ownership of Dongfang Paper which operates a majority of our business. Although we have entered into contractual arrangements with Dongfang Paper and its individual owners pursuant to which we receive an economic interest in Dongfang Paper, and exert a controlling influence over Dongfang Paper, in a manner substantially similar to a controlling equity interest, these contractual arrangements are not as effective in providing control over Dongfang Paper as direct ownership. For example, Dongfang Paper may be unwilling or unable to perform their contractual obligations under our commercial agreements, including payment of consulting fees under the Exclusive Technical Service and Business Consulting Agreement as they become due. If that were to occur, we would not be able to conduct our operations in the manner currently planned. In addition, we may not succeed in enforcing our rights under the contractual arrangements insofar as our contractual rights and legal remedies under Chinese law may be inadequate. Furthermore, Dongfang Paper may seek to renew their agreements on terms that are disadvantageous to us. If we are unable to renew these agreements on favorable terms when these agreements expire, or to enter into similar agreements with other parties, we will lose control of Dongfang Paper.

  

Because we rely on the consulting services agreement with Dongfang Paper for essentially all of our revenue and cash flows, any difficulty for Dongfang Paper to pay consulting fees to Baoding Shengde under the consulting agreement may have a material adverse effect on our operations.

 

We are a holding company and currently conduct business through Dongfang Paper. As a result, we rely on payments from the consulting services agreement which forms a part of the contractual arrangements between Baoding Shengde and Dongfang Paper. Since Baoding Shengde is not a legal shareholder of Dongfang Paper under PRC statutes, the arrangement for Dongfang Paper to pay a substantial portion of its net income to Baoding Shengde may be challenged by the PRC government, which could prevent us from receiving required funds or making required payments to some of our service providers.

 

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If the PRC government determines that our agreements with these companies are not in compliance with applicable regulations, our business in the PRC could be materially adversely affected.

 

Although we believe the restructuring transaction and our current business operations are in compliance with the current laws in China, we cannot be sure that the PRC government would share the same view. If we are determined not to be in compliance, the PRC government could levy fines, revoke our business and operating licenses, require us to discontinue or restrict our operations, restrict our right to collect revenues, require us to restructure our business, corporate structure or operations, impose additional conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply, impose restrictions on our business operations or on our customers, or take other regulatory or enforcement actions against us that could be harmful to our business. As a result, our business in the PRC could be materially adversely affected.

 

The shareholders of Dongfang Paper may have potential conflicts of interests with us, which may adversely affect our business.

 

We operate most of our businesses through Dongfang Paper. Our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and 7.70% shareholder, Zhenyong Liu, owns 93.39% of the equity interest in Dongfang Paper. Conflicts of interests between his duties to us and to Dongfang Paper may arise. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, he will act in the best interests of our Company or that any conflict of interest will be resolved in our favor. These conflicts may result in management decisions that could negatively affect our operations and potentially result in the loss of opportunities.

 

Our arrangements with Dongfang Paper and its shareholders may be subject to a transfer pricing adjustment by the PRC tax authorities which could have an adverse effect on our income and expenses.

 

We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that our contracts with Dongfang Paper and its shareholders were not entered into based on arm’s length negotiations. If the PRC tax authorities determine that these contracts were not entered into on an arm’s length basis, they may adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. Such an adjustment may require that we pay additional PRC taxes plus applicable penalties and interest, if any.

 

The exercise of our option to purchase part or all of the equity interests in Dongfang Paper under the Call Option Agreement might be subject to approval by the PRC government. Our failure to obtain this approval may impair our ability to substantially control Dongfang Paper and could result in actions by Dongfang Paper that conflict with our interests.

 

Our Call Option Agreement with Dongfang Paper and its shareholders gives our Chinese subsidiary, Baoding Shengde or its designated entity or natural person, the option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Dongfang Paper. The option may not be exercised by Baoding Shengde if the exercise would violate any applicable laws and regulations in China or cause any license or permit held by, and necessary for the operation of Dongfang Paper, to be cancelled or invalidated. Under the laws of China, if a foreign entity, through a foreign investment company that it invests in, acquires a domestic related company, China’s regulations regarding mergers and acquisitions may technically apply to the transaction. If these regulations apply, an examination and approval of the transaction by China’s Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”), or its local counterparts would be required. In addition, an appraisal of the equity interest or the assets to be acquired would also be mandatory. Since the scope of business activities (making of cultural paper products) as defined in the business license of Baoding Shengde does not involve the MOFCOM approval and monitoring, we do not believe at this time that an approval or an appraisal is required for Baoding Shengde to exercise its option to acquire Dongfang Paper. In light of the different views on this issue, however, it is possible that the central MOFCOM office in Beijing will issue a standardized opinion imposing the approval and appraisal requirement. If we are not able to purchase the equity of Dongfang Paper, then we will lose a substantial portion of our ability to control Dongfang Paper and our ability to ensure that Dongfang Paper will act in our interests.

 

Our operating history may not serve as an adequate basis to judge our future prospects and results of operations.

 

Dongfang Paper commenced its current line of business operations in 1996 and received its initial Pollution Discharge Permit in September 1996, which must be renewed according to regulations for Dongfang Paper to stay in business. Although we have never had problem renewing the Pollution Discharge Permit, we cannot guarantee automatic renewal every year. In addition, Baoding Shengde commenced its current line of business operations in 2009. Therefore, our operating history may not provide a more meaningful basis on which to evaluate its business. We cannot assure you that Dongfang Paper or Baoding Shengde will not incur net losses in the future. We expect that operating expenses of Dongfang Paper and Baoding Shengde will increase as they expand. Any significant failure to realize anticipated revenue growth could result in significant operating losses. We will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by companies at a similar stage of development, including our potential failure to:

 

raise adequate capital for expansion and operations;

 

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implement our business model and strategy and adapt and modify them as needed;

 

increase awareness of our brand name, protect our reputation and develop customer loyalty;

 

manage our expanding operations and service offerings, including the integration of any future acquisitions;

 

maintain adequate control of our expenses; or

 

anticipate and adapt to changing conditions in paper markets in which we operate as well as the impact of any changes in government regulations, mergers and acquisitions involving our competitors, technological developments and other significant competitive and market dynamics.

 

If we are not successful in addressing any or all of these risks, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Dongfang Paper and Baoding Shengde’s failure to compete effectively may adversely affect our ability to generate revenue.

 

Through Dongfang Paper and Baoding Shengde, we compete in a highly developed market with companies that have significantly greater experience and history in our industry. If we do not compete effectively, we could lose market share and experience reduced selling prices, adversely affecting our financial results. Our competitors will expand in the key markets and implement new technologies making them more competitive. There is also the possibility that competitors will be able to offer additional products, services, lower prices, or other incentives that we cannot or will not offer or that will make our products less profitable. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete effectively with current or future competitors or that the competitive pressures we face will not harm our business.

 

If Dongfang Paper fails to comply with covenants in its loan agreements, its lenders may allege a breach of a covenant and seek to accelerate the loan or exercise other remedies, which could strain our cash flow and harm our business, liquidity and financial condition.

 

Dongfang Paper received loans from commercial banks to fund its operations. Typically, these loans are made pursuant to customary loan agreements which contain representations and warranties about its business, financial covenants to which Dongfang Paper must adhere and other negative covenants in respect of its operations. Under some of these agreements, Dongfang Paper may be required to obtain the consent of its lenders prior to entering into its contractual arrangement with us but Dongfang Paper did not receive such prior consent. To date, our lenders have not given us any notice of default or otherwise objected to our contractual arrangements with Dongfang Paper. If any lender raises any concern in this regard, we intend to secure a waiver from our lenders, but cannot assure you that we will successfully do so. If we cannot obtain such a wavier and Dongfang Paper’s lenders declare it to be in default under the loan agreements, they may accelerate Dongfang Paper’s indebtedness to them which would negatively affect our cash flows and business operations.

 

We may not be able to effectively control and manage our growth.

 

If our business and markets grow and develop, it will be necessary for us to finance and manage expansion in an orderly fashion. An expansion would increase demands on existing management, workforce and facilities. Failure to satisfy such increased demands could interrupt or adversely affect our operations and cause delay in production and delivery of our paper products, as well as administrative inefficiencies.

 

We, through our subsidiaries, may engage in future acquisitions that could dilute the ownership interests of our stockholders and cause us to incur debt and assume contingent liabilities.

 

We, through our subsidiaries, may review acquisition and strategic investment prospects that we believe would complement the current product offerings of Dongfang Paper, augment its market coverage or enhance its technical capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. From time to time we review investments in new businesses and we, through our subsidiaries, expect to make investments in, and to acquire, businesses, products, or technologies in the future. We expect that when we raise funds from investors for any of these purposes we will be either the issuer or the primary obligor while the proceeds will be forwarded to Dongfang Paper. In the event of any future acquisitions, we could:

 

issue equity securities which would dilute current stockholders’ percentage ownership;

 

incur substantial debt;

 

assume contingent liabilities; or

 

expend significant cash.

 

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These actions could have a material adverse effect on our operating results or the price of our common stock. Moreover, even if we do obtain benefits in the form of increased sales and earnings, there may be a lag between the time when the expenses associated with an acquisition are incurred and the time when we recognize such benefits. Acquisitions and investment activities also entail numerous risks, including:

 

difficulties in the assimilation of acquired operations, technologies and/or products;

 

unanticipated costs associated with the acquisition or investment transaction;

 

the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

 

adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers;

 

risks associated with entering markets in which Dongfang Paper has no or limited prior experience;

 

the potential loss of key employees of acquired organizations; and

 

substantial charges for the amortization of certain purchased intangible assets, deferred stock compensation or similar items.

 

We cannot ensure that we will be able to successfully integrate any businesses, products, technology, or personnel that we might acquire in the future and our failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our and/or Dongfang Paper’s business, operating results and financial condition.

 

We are responsible for the indemnification of our officers and directors.

 

Our Articles of Incorporation provides for the indemnification and/or exculpation of our directors, officers, employees, agents and other entities which deal with us to the maximum extent provided, and under the terms provided, by the laws and decisions of the courts of the state of Nevada. Although we do maintain professional error and omission insurance for the officers and directors, due to limitations of the insurance coverage these indemnification provisions could still result in substantial expenditures which we may be unable to recoup through the insurance and could adversely affect our business and financial conditions. Zhenyong Liu, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Jing Hao, our Chief Financial Officer, Dahong Zhou, our Secretary, and Marco Ku Hon Wai, Wenbing Christopher Wang, Lusha Niu, and Fuzeng Liu, our directors, are key personnel with rights to indemnification under our Articles of Incorporation.

 

We are dependent on certain key personnel and loss of these key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our success is, to a certain extent, attributable to the management, sales and marketing, and paper factory operational expertise of key personnel. Zhenyong Liu, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Jing Hao, our Chief Financial Officer, Dahong Zhou, our Secretary, and Shuting Liang, Dongfang Paper’s General Engineer, Gengqi Yang, Dongfang Paper’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Xuetao Chen, Dongfang Paper’s Vice President of Environmental Protection and Xiaodong Liu, Baoding Shengde’s General Manager, perform key functions in the operation of our business. There can be no assurance that IT Tech Packaging, Dongfang Paper or Baoding Shengde will be able to retain these officers after the term of their employment contracts expire. The loss of these officers could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We do not carry key man life insurance for any of our key personnel or personnel nor do we foresee purchasing such insurance to protect against a loss of key personnel and personnel.

 

We are dependent upon the services of Mr. Zhenyong Liu for the continued growth and operation of our Company because of his experience in the industry and his personal and business contacts in the PRC. Although Mr. Liu has entered into an employment agreement with Baoding Shengde, our wholly owned subsidiary and a PRC company, and that we have no reason to believe that Mr. Liu will discontinue his services with us or Dongfang Paper, the interruption or loss of his services would adversely affect our ability to effectively run our business and pursue our business strategy as well as our results of operations.

 

We may not be able to hire and retain qualified personnel to support our growth and if we are unable to retain or hire these personnel in the future, our ability to improve our products and implement our business objectives could be adversely affected.

 

We must attract, recruit and retain a sizeable workforce of technically competent employees. Competition for senior management and senior personnel in the PRC is intense, the pool of qualified candidates in the PRC is very limited, and we may not be able to retain the services of our senior executives or senior personnel, or attract and retain high-quality senior executives or senior personnel in the future. This failure could materially and adversely affect our future growth and financial condition.

 

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Our operating results may fluctuate as a result of factors beyond our control.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

 

the costs of paper products and development;

 

the relative speed and success with which we can obtain and maintain customers, merchants and vendors for our products;

 

capital expenditure for equipment;

 

marketing and promotional activities and other costs;

 

changes in our pricing policies, suppliers and competitors;

 

the ability of our suppliers to provide products in a timely manner to their customers;

 

changes in operating expenses;

 

increased competition in the paper markets; and

 

other general economic and seasonal factors.

 

We face risks related to product liability claims.

 

We presently do not maintain product liability insurance. We face the risk of loss because of adverse publicity associated with product liability lawsuits, whether or not such claims are valid. We may not be able to avoid such claims. Although product liability lawsuits in the PRC are rare, and we have not, to date, experienced significant failure of our products, there is no guarantee that we will not face such liability in the future. This liability could be substantial and the occurrence of such loss or liability may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

 

Our operating results also depend on the availability and pricing of energy and raw materials.

 

In addition to our dependence upon wood pulp, recycled white scrap paper and paperboard costs, our operating results depend on the availability and pricing of energy and other raw materials. An interruption in the supply of supplemental chemical agents could cause a material disruption at our mill. In addition, an interruption in the supply of natural gas could cause a material disruption at our facilities. At present, our raw materials including natural gas are purchased from a number of suppliers, of which the three largest suppliers account for over 89% of all purchases. If any of these contracts were to be terminated for any reason, or not renewed upon expiration, or if market conditions were to substantially change creating a significant increase in the price of natural gas and recycled paper, we may not be able to find alternative, comparable suppliers or suppliers capable of providing coal to us on terms or in amounts satisfactory to us.

 

We replaced all the coal boilers with natural gas boiler in September 2017, but due to the gas consumption rise significantly, the government will from time to time issue mandated restriction/suspension of natural gas supply for all natural gas consumption industries, including the paper manufacturing industry in order to secure adequate natural gas to households uses in urban and rural areas. We are subject to the risks of natural gas supply restriction and above-mentioned factors. As a result, our business, financial condition and operating results could suffer.

 

A material disruption at one of our manufacturing facilities could prevent us from meeting customer demand, reduce our sales, and/or negatively affect our net income.

 

Any of our manufacturing facilities, or any of our machines within an otherwise operational facility, could cease operations unexpectedly due to a number of events, including:

 

maintenance outages;

 

prolonged power failures;

 

an equipment failure, including any malfunction of our waste water treatment facilities;

 

disruption in the supply of raw materials, such as wood fiber, energy, or chemicals;

 

a chemical spill or release;

 

closure because of environmental-related concerns;

 

explosion of a boiler;

 

the effect of a drought or reduced rainfall on our water supply;

 

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disruptions in the transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railroad tracks, and tunnels;

 

fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, epidemic or other catastrophes;

 

terrorism or threats of terrorism;

 

labor difficulties; or

 

other operational problems.

 

If any of the abovementioned events were to occur, we may be unable to meet customer demand, which may adversely affect our sales and net income.

 

Our certificates, permits, and licenses related to our papermaking operations are subject to governmental control and renewal and failure to obtain renewal will cause all or part of our operations to be terminated.

 

In 1988, the National Environmental Protection Bureau issued Interim Measures on the Administration of Water Pollutants Discharge Permits, requiring all companies discharging pollution into the water as a direct or indirect byproduct of production to adhere to certain caps on pollution discharge. Additionally, such companies were required to obtain and annually renew a Pollution Discharge Permit in order to conduct their operations. The PRC government has the authority to shut down a company’s operations for its failure to maintain a valid permit. We renewed our Pollution Discharge Permit in June 2020. Our latest permit was effective from June 28, 2020 through June 27, 2025. Pollution discharge Permit for Hebei Tengsheng was effective from January 7, 2019 through January 6, 2022. An application to renew will be filed by us with the local environment protection agency before the expiration.

 

The failure by us to obtain any certificate, permit, and license necessary for our operations or the failure by us to obtain the renewal of any such certificate, permit or license may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation.

 

Compliance with environmental regulations is expensive, and noncompliance may result in adverse publicity and potentially significant monetary damages and fines or suspension of our business operations.

 

We are required to comply with all Chinese national and local regulations regarding the protection of the environment. Compliance with environmental regulation is expensive. The Chinese government is adopting even more stringent environmental protection and operational safety regulations and the costs of complying with these regulations are expected to increase. Although we have obtained all of the necessary approvals and permits for our production facilities currently existing, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with all applicable environmental protection and operational safety requirements, and obtain all of the required governmental approvals and permits that may be or may become applicable to us on a timely basis, or at all, or will be able to complete all our registrations and filings with the government, in time for our future projects. The relevant governmental authorities may impose on us fines for any non-compliance, set deadlines for rectification, and order us to cease construction or production if we fail to comply with their requirements.

 

If we are unable to respond to pricing pressures, our business may be harmed.

 

In order to remain competitive, from time to time we have to adjust the prices of our products to remain competitive. We may not have available sufficient financial or other resources to continue to make investments necessary to maintain our competitive position.

 

If we fail to introduce enhancements to our existing products or to develop new products, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

We believe that our future success depends in part on our ability to enhance our existing products and develop new products in order to continue to meet customer demand. Our failure to introduce new or enhanced products on a timely and cost-competitive basis, or the development of processes that make our existing products obsolete, could harm our business and results of operations.

 

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and external infringements of our intellectual property rights may adversely affect our business.

 

Our success and ability to compete depends in part on our intellectual property. We primarily rely on a combination of trademark, trade secret, and copyright laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions with our employees, contractors and others to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. However, confidentiality and license arrangements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. The steps we take to protect our intellectual property rights may be inadequate or we may be unable to secure intellectual property protection for some of our properties. Infringement of intellectual property rights continues to pose a serious risk of doing business.

 

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We may in the future file, patent applications on certain of our innovations. It is possible, however, that these innovations may not be patentable. In addition, given the cost, effort and risks associated with patent application, we may choose not to seek patent protection for some innovations. Furthermore, our patent applications may not lead to granted patents, the scope of the protection gained may be insufficient or an issued patent may be deemed invalid or unenforceable. We also cannot guarantee that any of our present or future patents or other intellectual property rights will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged, or abandoned.

 

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our competitors could use our intellectual property to market offerings similar to ours and our ability to compete effectively would be impaired. Moreover, others may independently develop technologies that are competitive to ours or infringe on our intellectual property. The enforcement of our intellectual property rights depends on our legal actions against these infringers being successful, but we cannot be sure these actions will be successful, even when our rights have been infringed. In addition, defending our intellectual property rights might entail significant expense and diversion of management resources. Any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative processes or litigations. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigations, and, even if we do prevail, we may not obtain a meaningful relief. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may be unable to prevent external parties from infringing or misappropriating our intellectual property. Any intellectual property that we own may not provide us with competitive advantages or may be successfully challenged by external parties.

 

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and prospects.

 

We cannot be certain that we do not or will not infringe patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights held by external parties. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims alleging infringement of patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights, or misappropriation of creative ideas or formats, or other infringement of proprietary, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and prospects.

 

We have limited insurance coverage and may incur losses resulting from product liability claims or business interruptions.

 

As the insurance industry in China is still in an early stage of development, insurance companies in China currently offer limited business insurance products. We do not have any product liability insurance or business interruption insurance. Based on the insurance products available in China, even if we decide to take out business interruption coverage, such insurance as currently available offers limited coverage compared to that offered in many other jurisdictions. Any business disruption, natural disaster, or product liability claim could result in our incurring substantial costs and diversion of resources, which would have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

RISKS RELATED TO DOING BUSINESS IN THE PRC

 

Changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a significant impact upon the business we may be able to conduct in the PRC and the profitability of such business.

 

Our business operations may be adversely affected by the current and future political environment in the PRC. The PRC has operated as a socialist state since the middle of the 20th century and is controlled by the Communist Party of China. The Chinese government exerts substantial influence and control over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities. The PRC has only permitted provincial and local economic autonomy and private economic activities since 1978. The government of the PRC has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy, including the paper industry, through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in the PRC may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, import and export tariffs, raw materials, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. Under its current leadership, the government of the PRC has been pursuing economic reform policies that encourage private economic activity and greater economic decentralization. There is no assurance, however, that the government of the PRC will continue to pursue these policies, or that it will not significantly alter these policies from time to time without notice.

 

Policies of the PRC government can have significant effects on the economic conditions of the PRC. The PRC government has confirmed that economic development will follow the model of a market economy. Under this direction, we believe that the PRC will continue to strengthen its economic and trading relationships with foreign countries and business development in the PRC will follow market forces. While we believe that this trend will continue, there can be no assurance that this will be the case.

 

A change in policies by the PRC government could adversely affect our interests by, among other factors: changes in laws, regulations or the interpretation thereof, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, imports or sources of supplies, or the expropriation or nationalization of private enterprises. Although the PRC government has been pursuing economic reform policies for more than three decades, there is no assurance that the government will continue to pursue such policies or that such policies may not be significantly altered, especially in the event of a change in leadership, social or political disruption, or other circumstances affecting the PRC’s political, economic and social life.

 

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The PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain. Any changes in such PRC laws and regulations may harm our business.

 

The PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain. The PRC’s legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes, in which system decided legal cases have little value as precedents unlike the common law system prevalent in the United States. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to the laws and regulations governing our business, the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with our affiliated Chinese entity, Dongfang Paper, and its shareholders, or the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with customers in the event of the imposition of statutory liens, death, bankruptcy and criminal proceedings. The Chinese government has been developing a comprehensive system of commercial laws, and considerable progress has been made in introducing laws and regulations dealing with economic matters such as foreign investment, corporate organization and governance, commerce, taxation and trade. However, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published cases and judicial interpretation and their lack of force as precedents, interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve significant uncertainties. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. Our major operating entity, Dongfang Paper, conducts its operations in China, and as a result, we are required to comply with PRC laws and regulations. We cannot assure you that our current ownership and operating structure would not be found in violation of any current or future PRC laws or regulations. Any of these or similar actions could significantly disrupt our business operations or restrict us from conducting a substantial portion of our business operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business. If the relevant authorities find that we are in violation of PRC laws or regulations, they would have broad discretion in dealing with such a violation, including, without limitation:

 

levying fines;

 

revoking Dongfang Paper’s business and other licenses;

 

requiring that we restructure our ownership or operations; and

 

requiring that we discontinue any portion or all of our business.

 

Among the material laws that we are subject to are the Price Law of The People’s Republic of China, Measurement Law of The People’s Republic of China, Tax Law, Environmental Protection Law, Contract Law, Patent Law, Accounting Laws and Labor Law. A slowdown, inflation or other adverse developments in the PRC economy may harm our customers and the demand for our services and products.

 

All of our operations are conducted in the PRC and all of our revenue is generated from sales in the PRC. Although the PRC economy has grown significantly in recent years, we cannot assure you that this growth will continue. In 2019, China’s Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”) growth rate was 6.1% as compared to 6.6% in 2018. A slowdown in overall economic growth, an economic downturn, a recession or other adverse economic developments in the PRC could significantly reduce the demand for our products and harm our business. Despite the slowdown of China’s GDP growth rate, sales revenue for our CMP and offset printing paper in 2019 increased by approximately 11.31% and 297.83%, respectively, as compared to 2018.

 

Additionally, while the PRC economy experienced rapid growth, such growth has been uneven among various sectors of the economy and in different geographical areas of the country. Rapid economic growth could lead to growth in the money supply and rising inflation. If prices for our products rise at a rate that is insufficient to compensate for the rise in the costs of supplies, it may harm our profitability. In order to control inflation in the past, the PRC government has imposed controls on bank credit, limits on loans for fixed assets and restrictions on state bank lending. Such an austere policy can lead to a slowing of economic growth.

 

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

 

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the PRC. We receive substantially all of our revenue in Renminbi, which is currently not a freely convertible currency. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict our ability to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends, or otherwise satisfy foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from the transaction, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate governmental authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of the PRC to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of bank loans denominated in foreign currencies.

 

The PRC government may also in the future restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay certain of our expenses as they come due.

 

S-15

 

 

The fluctuation of the Renminbi may harm your investment.

 

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in the PRC’s political and economic conditions. According to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, as of December 31, 2019, $1 is converted into 6.9762 Yuan (RMB). As we rely entirely on revenues earned in the PRC, any significant revaluation of the Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenues and financial condition. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from an offering of our securities into Renminbi for Dongfang Paper’s operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would diminish the value of the proceeds of the offering and this could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations because it would reduce the proceeds available to us for capital investment in proportion to the appreciation of the Renminbi. Thus, if we raise 1,000,000 U.S. dollars and the Renminbi appreciates against the U.S. dollar by 15%, then the proceeds will be worth only RMB5,929,770 as opposed to RMB 6,976,200 prior to the appreciation. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our common shares or for other business purposes and the U.S. dollar appreciates against the Renminbi, the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Renminbi we convert would be reduced in proportion to the amount the U.S. dollar appreciates. In addition, the depreciation of significant RMB denominated assets could result in a charge to our income statement and a reduction in the dollar value of these assets. Thus, if Dongfang Paper has RMB1,000,000 in assets and Renminbi is depreciated against the U.S. dollar by 15%, then the assets will be valued at $143,345 as opposed to $168,640 prior to the depreciation.

 

On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the Renminbi is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. This change in policy has resulted in an approximately 1.65% depreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2019. While the international reaction to the Renminbi revaluation has generally been positive, there remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt an even more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and more significant depreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar.

 

Failure to comply with PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may materially adversely affect us.

 

The PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, has promulgated regulations, including the Notice on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Residents’ Investment and Financing and Round-Trip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, effective on July 14, 2014, and its appendixes, that require PRC residents, including PRC institutions and individuals, to register with local branches of the SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in their ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for foreign exchange evasion.

 

Because of uncertainty over the interpretation of Circular 37, we cannot assure you that, if challenged by government agencies, the structure of our organization has fully complied with all applicable registrations or approvals required by Circular 37. Moreover, because of uncertainty over how Circular 37 will be interpreted and implemented, and how or whether SAFE will apply it to us, we cannot predict how it will affect our business operations or future strategies. A failure by such PRC resident beneficial holders or future PRC resident stockholders to comply with Circular 37, if SAFE requires it, could subject these PRC resident beneficial holders to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

The PRC’s legal and judicial system may not adequately protect our business and operations and the rights of foreign investors.

 

The PRC legal and judicial system may negatively impact foreign investors. In 1982, the National People’s Congress amended the Constitution of China to authorize foreign investment and guarantee the “lawful rights and interests” of foreign investors in the PRC. However, the PRC’s system of laws is not yet comprehensive. The legal and judicial systems in the PRC are still rudimentary, and enforcement of existing laws is inconsistent. Many judges in the PRC lack the depth of legal training and experience that would be expected of a judge in a more developed country. Because the PRC judiciary is relatively inexperienced in enforcing the laws that do exist, anticipation of judicial decision-making is more uncertain than would be expected in a more developed country. It may be impossible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of laws that do exist, or to obtain enforcement of the judgment of one court by a court of another jurisdiction. The PRC’s legal system is based on the civil law regime, that is, it is based on written statutes; a decision by one judge does not set a legal precedent that is required to be followed by judges in other cases. In addition, the interpretation of Chinese laws may be varied to reflect domestic political changes.

 

S-16

 

 

The trend of legislation over the last 20 years has significantly enhanced the protection of foreign investment and allowed for more control by foreign parties of their investments in Chinese enterprises. However, the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws and the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws may adversely affect foreign investors. A change in leadership, social or political disruption, or unforeseen circumstances affecting the PRC’s political, economic or social life, may affect the PRC government’s ability to continue to support and pursue these reforms. Such a shift could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

 

The practical effect of the PRC legal system on our business operations in the PRC can be viewed from two separate but intertwined considerations. First, as a matter of substantive law, the foreign invested enterprise laws provide significant protection from government interference. In addition, these laws guarantee the full enjoyment of the benefits of corporate articles and contracts to foreign invested enterprise participants. These laws, however, do impose standards concerning corporate formation and governance, which are qualitatively different from the general corporation laws of the United States. Similarly, the PRC accounting laws mandate accounting practices, which are not consistent with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. PRC’s accounting laws require that an annual “statutory audit” be performed in accordance with PRC accounting standards and that the books of account of foreign invested enterprises are maintained in accordance with Chinese accounting laws. Article 14 of the People’s Republic of China Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law requires a wholly foreign-owned enterprise to submit certain periodic fiscal reports and statements to designated financial and tax authorities, at the risk of business license revocation. While the enforcement of substantive rights may appear less clear than United States procedures, foreign invested enterprises and wholly foreign-owned enterprises are Chinese registered companies, which enjoy the same status as other Chinese registered companies in business-to-business dispute resolution. Any award rendered by an arbitration tribunal is enforceable in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1958). Therefore, as a practical matter, although no assurances can be given, the Chinese legal infrastructure, while different in operation from its United States counterpart, should not present any significant impediment to the operation of foreign invested enterprises.

 

Because our principal assets are located outside of the United States and most of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States, it may be difficult for you to effect service of legal process, enforce your rights based on U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers or to enforce U.S. court judgment against us or them in the PRC.

 

All of our directors and officers reside outside the United States. In addition, our operating company is located in the PRC and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. It may therefore be difficult for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. Federal securities laws against us in the courts of either the U.S. or the PRC and, even if civil judgments are obtained in U.S. courts, to enforce such judgments in PRC courts. Further, it is unclear if extradition treaties now in effect between the United States and the PRC would permit effective enforcement against us or our officers and directors of criminal penalties, under the U.S. Federal securities laws or otherwise.

 

It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.

 

Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigations initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

 

We may be required to broaden the coverage of the mandatory social security insurance programs under the Labor Law of the PRC.

 

The PRC Labor Law, effective January 1, 2008, requires that employers enroll in the following social security insurance programs and offer certain employer-sponsored premium benefits to eligible employees: (1) retirement endowment, (2) healthcare insurance, (3) unemployment insurance, (4) workers’ compensation insurance, and (5) pregnancy insurance. Of these insurance programs, the retirement endowment fund requires employee withholdings of 4% to 8% of the gross compensation, while the employer’s matching contribution varies from 16% to 20% of such compensation. While the Company is enrolled in the retirement endowment fund and is withholding employees’ portion and the employer’s portion of the endowment contribution, many of the Company’s employees have elected to waive their coverage under these mandatory social security insurance programs in favor of certain other low-cost, local government-sponsored social security insurance programs for residents in non-urban districts. Although we have verified with the local government agencies for the validity of the employee waivers and reasonably believe that we are not required to cover the employees who waived the benefits, the local government may change its policy and ask us to broaden our insurance coverage to those who have specifically waived their rights.

 

S-17

 

 

The current tensions in international trade and rising political tensions, particularly between U.S. and China, may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Although cross-border business may not be an area of our focus, if we plan to expand our business internationally in the future, any unfavorable government policies on international trade, such as capital controls or tariffs, may affect the demand for our products and services, impact our competitive position, or prevent us from being able to conduct business in certain countries. If any new tariffs, legislation, or regulations are implemented, or if existing trade agreements are renegotiated, such changes could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Recently, there have been heightened tensions in international economic relations, such as the one between the United States and China. The U.S. government has recently imposed, and has recently proposed to impose additional, new, or higher tariffs on certain products imported from China to penalize China for what it characterizes as unfair trade practices. China has responded by imposing, and proposing to impose additional, new, or higher tariffs on certain products imported from the United States. Following mutual retaliatory actions for months, on January 15, 2020, the United States and China entered into the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China as a phase one trade deal, effective on February 14, 2020.

 

In addition, political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, trade disputes, the COVID-19 outbreak, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the PRC central government and the executive orders issued by U.S. President Donald J. Trump in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with certain Chinese companies and their applications. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Although the direct impact of the current international trade tensions and political tensions between the United States and China, and any escalation of such tensions, on the paper making industry in China is uncertain, the negative impact on general, economic, political and social conditions may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR CORPORATE STRUCTURE

 

Our current corporate structure and business operations may be affected by the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law.

 

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress, China’s national legislative body (the “NPC”) approved the Foreign Investment Law, which became effective on January 1, 2020. Since it is relatively new, uncertainties exist in relation to its interpretation and its implementation rules that are yet to be issued. The Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify whether variable interest entities that are controlled through contractual arrangements would be deemed as foreign-invested enterprises if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. However, it has a catch-all provision under the definition of “foreign investment” that includes investments made by foreign investors in China through other means as provided by laws, administrative regulations or the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. There can be no assurance that our control over our consolidated VIEs through contractual arrangements will not be deemed as a foreign investment in the future.

 

The Foreign Investment Law grants national treatment to foreign-invested entities, except for those foreign-invested entities that operate in industries specified as either “restricted” or “prohibited” from foreign investment in the Special Administrative Measures for Market Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List), which was approved by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and issued by the State Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce with an effective date of July 30, 2019. The Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign-invested entities operating in “restricted” or “prohibited” industries will require market entry clearance and other approvals from relevant PRC government authorities. If our control over our consolidated VIEs through contractual arrangements are deemed as foreign investment in the future, and any business of our consolidated VIEs is considered “restricted” or “prohibited” from foreign investment under the “negative list” effective at the time, we may be deemed to be in violation of the Foreign Investment Law, the contractual arrangements that allow us to have control over our consolidated VIEs may be deemed as invalid and illegal, and we may be required to unwind such contractual arrangements and/or restructure our business operations, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business operation.

 

Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure and business operations.

 

S-18

 

 

Any failure by our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We, through our wholly foreign-owned enterprise in the PRC, have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Overview and Corporation History.” If our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC laws. For example, if the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in the consolidated VIEs to us or our designee when we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations. In addition, if there are any disputes or governmental proceedings involving any interest in such shareholders’ equity interests in our VIEs, our ability to exercise shareholders’ rights or foreclose the equity interest pledges according to the contractual arrangements may be impaired. If these disputes or proceedings were to impair our control over our VIEs, we may not be able to maintain effective control over our business operations in the PRC and thus would not be able to continue to consolidate our VIEs’ financial results, which would in turn result in a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

 

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our consolidated VIEs that are material to the operation of our business if the entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

 

Our consolidated VIEs hold substantially all of our assets. Under the contractual arrangements, our consolidated VIEs may not and their shareholders may not cause it to, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of their assets or their legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. However, in the event that the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs breach these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate our consolidated VIEs, or our consolidated VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If our consolidated VIEs undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of their assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK

 

Our officers and directors control us through their positions and stock ownership and their interests may differ from other stockholders.

 

As of February 24, 2021, there were 69,690,534 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. Mr. Zhenyong Liu, our Chief Executive Officer, beneficially owns approximately 7.70% of our common stock. As a result, he is able to influence the outcome of stockholder votes on various matters, including the election of directors and extraordinary corporate transactions including business combinations. Yet Mr. Liu’s interests may differ from those of other stockholders. Furthermore, ownership of 7.70% of our common stock by Mr. Liu reduces the public float and liquidity, and may affect the market price, of our common stock as traded on the NYSE American.

 

We may not continue to pay cash dividends and any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.

 

While we intend to retain the majority of any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business, we did declare four quarterly cash dividends in April 2012 and November 2013. Although it is likely that our Board of Directors will continue the quarterly cash dividend as a regular dividend policy in the coming years, there is no guarantee that the cash dividend will not be discontinued or reduced. Should we decide to continue the cash dividend, as a holding company, our ability to pay dividends and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiaries. In addition, our operating subsidiaries, from time to time, may be subject to restrictions on their ability to make distributions to us, including restrictions on the conversion of local currency into U.S. dollars or other hard currency and other regulatory restrictions.

 

If we fail to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in a timely manner, our business could be harmed and our stock price could decline.

 

Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require annual assessment of U.S. public companies’ internal control over financial reporting. The standards that must be met for management to assess the internal control over financial reporting as effective are complex, and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards. While we have not detected any significant deficiency or material weakness in our internal control and with respect to the assessment of the internal control for the year ended December 31, 2019, we cannot guarantee the implementation of controls and procedures in future years to be without any significant deficiency or material weakness.

 

S-19

 

 

Our common stock may be affected by limited trading volume and may fluctuate significantly.

 

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE American Although a trading market has developed for our common stock, there can be no assurance that the trading market for our common stock will be sustained. Failure to maintain a trading market for our common stock may adversely affect our shareholders’ ability to sell our common stock in short time periods, or at all. Our common stock has experienced, and may experience in the future, significant price and volume fluctuations, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Future financings may dilute stockholders or impair our financial condition.

 

In the future, we may need to raise additional funds through public or private financing, which might include the sale of equity securities. The issuance of equity securities could result in financial and voting dilution to our existing stockholders. The issuance of debt could result in effective subordination of stockholders’ interests to the debt, create the possibility of default, and limit our financial and business alternatives.

 

If we become directly subject to the scrutiny involving U.S. listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and/or defend the matter, which could harm our business operations, stock price and reputation.

 

U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies. Much of the scrutiny has centered around financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial reporting and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed China-based companies that have been the subject of such scrutiny has sharply decreased in value. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions that are conducting internal and/or external investigations into the allegations. If we become the subject of any such scrutiny, whether any allegations are true or not, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our company. Such investigations or allegations will be costly and time-consuming and distract our management from our business plan and could result in our reputation being harmed and our stock price could decline as a result of such allegations, regardless of the truthfulness of the allegations.

 

RISKS RELATED TO THIS OFFERING

  

Since our management will have broad discretion in how we use the proceeds from this offering, we may use the proceeds in ways with which you disagree.

 

We have not allocated specific amounts of the net proceeds from this offering for any specific purpose. Accordingly, our management will have significant flexibility in applying the net proceeds of this offering. You will be relying on the judgment of our management with regard to the use of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to influence how the proceeds are being used. It is possible that the net proceeds will be invested in a way that does not yield a favorable, or any, return for us. The failure of our management to use such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flow.

 

S-20

 

  

Because we are a small company, the requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.

 

As a public company with listed equity securities, we must comply with the federal securities laws, rules and regulations, including certain corporate governance provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the Dodd-Frank Act, related rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ, with which a private company is not required to comply. Complying with these laws, rules and regulations occupies a significant amount of the time of our Board of Directors and management and significantly increases our costs and expenses. Among other things, we must:

 

maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting in compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the related rules and regulations of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;

 

comply with rules and regulations promulgated by the exchange;

 

prepare and distribute periodic public reports in compliance with our obligations under the federal securities laws;

 

maintain various internal compliance and disclosures policies, such as those relating to disclosure controls and procedures and insider trading in our common stock;

 

involve and retain to a greater degree outside counsel and accountants in the above activities;

 

maintain a comprehensive internal audit function; and

 

maintain an investor relations function.

 

Future sales of our common stock, whether by us or our shareholders, could cause our stock price to decline.

 

If our existing shareholders sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline significantly. Similarly, the perception in the public market that our shareholders might sell shares of our common stock could also depress the market price of our common stock. A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities. In addition, the issuance and sale by us of additional shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of our common stock, or the perception that we will issue such securities, could reduce the trading price for our common stock as well as make future sales of equity securities by us less attractive or not feasible. The sale of shares of common stock issued upon the exercise of our outstanding options and warrants could further dilute the holdings of our then existing shareholders.

 

You will experience immediate dilution and substantial fluctuation in the net tangible book value per share of the common stock you purchase.

 

The price per share of our common stock being offered may be substantially higher or lower than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, you may be subject to substantial fluctuations in the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase in this offering. See the section entitled “Dilution” in this prospectus for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase common stock in this offering.

 

S-21

 

  

Securities analysts may not cover our common stock and this may have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock.

 

The trading market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over independent analysts (provided that we have engaged various non-independent analysts). We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by independent securities and industry analysts. If no independent securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively impacted. If we obtain independent securities or industry analyst coverage and if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our common stock, changes their opinion of our shares or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease and we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

 

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings or other equity issuances.

 

We may in the future issue additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sell shares of our common stock or other securities in any other offering or other transactions at a price per share that is equal to or greater than the price per share paid by investors in this offering. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share in this offering.

 

The price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline, which may make it difficult for investors to resell shares of our common stock at prices they find attractive. 

 

The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate widely as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside our control. In addition, the stock market is subject to fluctuations in the share prices and trading volumes that affect the market prices of the shares of many companies. These broad market fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Among the factors that could affect our stock price are: 

 

  actual or anticipated quarterly fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition, and, in particular, further deterioration of asset quality;
     
  changes in revenue or earnings estimates or publication of research reports and recommendations by financial analysts;
     
  failure to meet analysts’ revenue or earnings estimates;
     
  speculation in the press or investment community;
     
  strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;
     
  actions by institutional shareholders;
     
  fluctuations in the stock price and operating results of our competitors;
     
  general market conditions and, in particular, developments related to market conditions for the financial services industry;
     
  proposed or adopted regulatory changes or developments;
     
  anticipated or pending investigations, proceedings or litigation that involve or affect us; or
     
  domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance.

 

S-22

 

 

The stock market has experienced significant volatility recently. As a result, the market price of our common stock may be volatile. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate more than usual and cause significant price variations to occur. The trading price of the shares of our common stock and the value of our other securities will depend on many factors, which may change from time to time, including, without limitation, our financial condition, performance, creditworthiness and prospects, future sales of our equity or equity related securities, and other factors identified below in “Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

Accordingly, the shares of our common stock that an investor purchases, whether in this offering or in the secondary market, may trade at a price lower than that at which they were purchased, and, similarly, the value of our other securities may decline. Current levels of market volatility are unprecedented. The capital and credit markets have been experiencing volatility and disruption for more than a year. In some cases, the markets have produced downward pressure on stock prices and credit availability for certain issuers without regard to those issuers’ underlying financial strength.

 

A significant decline in our stock price could result in substantial losses for individual shareholders and could lead to costly and disruptive securities litigation.

 

A possible “short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand of our common stock that largely exceeds supply may lead to further price volatility in our common shares.

 

Investors may purchase our common stock to hedge existing exposure in our common stock or to speculate on the price of our common stock. Speculation on the price of our common stock may involve long and short exposures. To the extent aggregate short exposure exceeds the number of shares of our common stock available for purchase in the open market, investors with short exposure may have to pay a premium to repurchase our common stock for delivery to lenders of our common stock. Those repurchases may in turn, dramatically increase the price of our common stock until investors with short exposure are able to purchase additional common shares to cover their short position. This is often referred to as a “short squeeze.” A short squeeze could lead to volatile price movements in our common stock that are not directly correlated to the performance or prospects of our company and once investors purchase the shares of common stock necessary to cover their short position the price of our common stock may decline.

 

We have not paid and do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock. Investors in this offering may never obtain a return on their investment.

 

We have not paid dividends on our common stock inception, and do not intend to pay any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We intend to reinvest earnings, if any, in the development and expansion of our business. Accordingly, you will need to rely on sales of your shares of common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, in order to realize a return on your investment.

 

There is no public market for the common warrants.

 

There is no established public trading market for the common warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the common warrants on any national securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system, including the NYSE American. Without an active market, the liquidity of the common warrants will be limited.

The common warrants are speculative in nature.

 

The common warrants do not confer any rights of common stock ownership on its holders, such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends, but rather merely represent the right to acquire shares of common stock at a fixed price, as the case maybe. In addition, following this offering, the market value of the common warrants, if any, is uncertain and there can be no assurance that the market value of the common warrants will equal or exceed their imputed offering price. The common warrants will not be listed or quoted for trading on any market or exchange.

 

Holders of the common warrants will not have rights of holders of our common stock until such warrants are exercised.

 

Until holders of common warrants acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of the common warrants, holders of common warrants will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such securities. Upon exercise of the common warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a holder of our common stock only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise.

 

S-23

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $18.4 million (or $20.3 million if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, and assuming no exercise of the common warrants offered hereby. In the event that the common warrants offered hereby are exercised in full, the Company would receive an additional $10.0million in proceeds.

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

 

The amounts and timing of our use of proceeds will vary depending on a number of factors, including the amount of cash generated or used by our operations, and the rate of growth, if any, of our business. As a result, we will retain broad discretion in the allocation of the net proceeds of this offering. In addition, while we have not entered into any agreements, commitments or understandings relating to any significant transaction as of the date of this prospectus supplement, we may use a portion of the net proceeds to pursue acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. You will be relying on the judgment of our management with regard to the use of proceeds from this offering, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately.

  

S-24

 

  

MARKET PRICE AND DIVIDEND POLICY

 

Our shares of common stock are currently quoted on The NYSE American under the symbol “ITP”. On February 24, 2021, the last reported sales price of our Common Stock on NYSE American was $1.00.

 

Holders of Record

 

As of February 24, 2021, we had approximately 3,100 holders of record of our common stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of shareholders, this number is not indicative of the total number of shareholders represented by these shareholders of record.

 

Dividends

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain any earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial conditions and future prospects and other factors the board of directors may deem relevant.

 

Issuer Purchasers of Equity Securities.

 

None.

 

S-25

 

  

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2020:

 

  on an actual basis;
     
  on a pro forma basis to give effect to the issuance and sale of 26,181,818 shares of Common Stock and Warrants to purchase 26,181,818 shares of Common Stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $14,400,000 (before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions) in a best efforts offering on January 20, 2021 (the “January 2021 Offering”): and

 

  on a pro forma as adjusted basis to give effect to the issuance and sale of 26,666,666 shares of common stock and accompanying 13,333,333 common warrants at the offering price of $0.75 per share and accompanying 0.5 of a common warrant, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

The information in this table should be read in conjunction with and is qualified by reference to the financial statements and notes thereto and other financial information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

          As of September 30, 2020  
    Actual     Pro Forma     Pro Forma, As adjusted  
    (Unaudited)  
Cash and bank balances   $ 8,209,905       21,486,905       39,924,904  
                         
Total Liabilities   $ 24,241,104       24,241,104       24,241,104  
Shareholders’ equity:                        
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized, 28,514,816 shares issued and outstanding, actual, 54,696,634 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma, and 81,363,300 shares outstanding, pro forma as adjusted, respectively   $ 28,515       54,697       81,364  
Additional Paid in Capital*   $ 53,974,869       67,225,687       85,637,020  
Statutory earnings reserve   $ 6,080,574       6,080,574       6,080,574  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss   $ (1,852,602 )     (1,852,602 )     (1,852,602 )
Retained earnings   $ 110,857,504       110,857,504       110,857,504  
Total shareholders’ equity   $ 169,088,860       182,365,860       200,803,859  
Total capitalization   $ 169,088,860       182,365,860       200,803,859  

 

The number of issued and outstanding shares as of September 30, 2020 in the table above excludes, as of such date:

 

3,520,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $0.7425 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof); and

 

12,108,918 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at ab exercise price of $0.55 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof.

 

  13,333,333 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the common warrants offered hereby.

 

S-26

 

  

DILUTION

 

If you invest in our common stock and common warrants in this offering, your interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the offering price per share of common stock you will pay in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after giving effect to this offering. Our historical net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 was $169,088,860, or $5.93 per share of common stock. Historical net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding on September 30, 2020.

 

Our pro-forma net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 was approximately $182,365,860 million, or $3.33 per share of our common stock, after giving effect to the January 2021 Offering.

 

After giving effect to the issuance and sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $20,000,000 in this offering at an offering price of $0.75 per share, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020 would have been approximately $200,803,859, or $2.47 per share. This represents an immediate increase in as adjusted net tangible book value per share of $0.86 to existing stockholders and immediate increase (anti-dilution) of $1.72 per share in as adjusted net tangible book value per share to new investors participating in this offering. The following table illustrates this per share dilution to investors participating in this offering:

 

Offering price per share           $ 0.75  
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2020   $ 5.93          
Pro Forma net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2020     3.33          
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering   $ (0.86 )        
Pro Forma, as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering           $ 2.47  
Anti-dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering           $ 1.72  

 

The above discussion and table are based on 69,690,534 shares of our common stock outstanding as of February 24, 2021 and excludes as of that date:

 

3,520,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $0.7425 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof); and

 

12,108,918 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at an exercise price of $0.55 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof.

 

  13,333,333 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of common warrants offered hereby.

 

S-27

 

  

DESCRIPTION OF OUR SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING

 

We are offering 26,666,666 shares of our common stock and 13,333,333 common warrants pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The material terms and provisions of our common stock are described below and under the caption “Descriptions of the Securities We May Offer” beginning on page 6 of the accompanying prospectus

 

General

 

As of February 24, 2021, our authorized capital stock consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of which 69,690,534 shares are issued and outstanding.

 

The authorized and unissued shares of our common stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of NYSE American, or any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed at such time. Unless approval of our stockholders is so required, our board of directors will not seek stockholder approval for the issuance and sale of our common stock.

 

Common Stock

 

Each outstanding share of our common stock is entitled to one vote, either in person or by proxy, on all matters that may be voted upon by their holders at meetings of the stockholders.

 

Holders of our common stock:

 

(i) have equal ratable rights to dividends from funds legally available therefore, if declared by the Board of Directors;

 

(ii) are entitled to share ratably in all our assets available for distribution to holders of common stock upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up;

 

(iii) do not have preemptive, subscription or conversion rights; and

 

(iv) are entitled to one non-cumulative vote per share on all matters on which stockholders may vote at all meetings of our stockholders.

 

The holders of shares of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights, which means that the holder or holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of outstanding shares voting for the election of directors can elect all of our directors if they so choose and, in such event, the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any of the our directors.

 

Our common stock is listed on The NYSE American under the symbol “ITP.”

 

Common Warrants

 

The common warrants to be issued as a part of this offering will be separately transferable following their issuance and through their expiration five years from the date of issuance. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share from the date of issuance through its expiration.

 

Each common warrant will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and Empire Stock Transfer, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the common warrants and will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants.

 

There is no public trading market for the common warrants and we do not intend that they will be listed for trading on the NYSE American or any other securities exchange or market. The common stock underlying the common warrants, upon issuance, will also be traded on the NYSE American under the symbol “ITP.”

 

S-28

 

 

Exercisability

 

Each common warrant will be exercisable at any time and will expire five years from the date of issuance. The common warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice and payment in full for the number of shares of our common stock purchased upon such exercise, except in the case of a cashless exercise as discussed below. The number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the common warrants is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, including a stock split of, stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or recapitalization of the common stock. If we effect a merger, consolidation, sale of substantially all of our assets, or other similar transaction, then, upon any subsequent exercise of a common warrant, the warrant holder will have the right to receive any shares of the acquiring corporation or other consideration it would have been entitled to receive if it had been a holder of the number of shares of common stock then issuable upon exercise in full of the common warrant.

 

Cashless Exercise

 

If at any time there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for issuance of, the shares issuable upon exercise of the common warrants, the holder may exercise the common warrants on a cashless basis. When exercised on a cashless basis, a portion of the common warrant is cancelled in payment of the purchase price payable in respect of the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon such exercise.

 

Exercise Price

 

Each common warrant represents the right to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share. In addition, the exercise price per share is subject to adjustment for stock dividends, distributions, subdivisions, combinations, or reclassifications, and for certain dilutive issuances. Subject to limited exceptions, a holder of common warrants will not have the right to exercise any portion of the common warrant to the extent that, after giving effect to the exercise, the holder, together with its affiliates, and any other person acting as a group together with the holder or any of its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to its exercise. The holder, upon notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the beneficial ownership limitation provisions of the common warrant, provided that in no event shall the limitation exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise of the warrant.

 

Transferability

 

Subject to applicable laws and restrictions, a holder may transfer a common warrant upon surrender of the common warrant to us with a completed and signed assignment in the form attached to the common warrant. The transferring holder will be responsible for any tax that liability that may arise as a result of the transfer.

 

No Market

 

There is no public trading market for the common warrants and we do not intend that they will be listed for trading on the NYSE American or any other securities exchange or market.

 

Rights as Stockholder

 

Except as set forth in the common warrant, the holder of a common warrant, solely in such holder’s capacity as a holder of a common warrant, will not be entitled to vote, to receive dividends, or to any of the other rights of our stockholders.

 

Amendments and Waivers

 

The provisions of each warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions thereof waived with the written consent of us and the holder.

 

Warrant Agent

 

The common warrants will be issued pursuant to a warrant agency agreement by and between us and Empire Stock Transfer, Inc., the warrant agent.

 

S-29

 

 

UNDERWRITING

 

We have entered into an underwriting agreement, dated February 24, 2021, with Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”), who we refer to as the underwriter, with respect to the shares and warrants to be offered. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to the underwriter, and the underwriter has agreed, to purchase, at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, the following number of shares and common warrants:

 

Underwriter   Number of Shares     Number of Common Warrants  
Maxim Group LLC     26,666,666       13,333,333  
Total     26,666,666       13,333,333  

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect thereof.

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligation of the underwriter to pay for and accept delivery of the shares of common stock and common warrants to purchase common stock offered by this prospectus are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by its counsel and other conditions. The underwriter is obligated to take and pay for all of the shares and common warrants offered by this prospectus supplement if any such shares and common warrants are taken, other than those shares and/or common warrants covered by the over-allotment option described below. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

 

Over-Allotment Option

 

We have granted the underwriter an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an additional of 2,611,200 shares of our common stock and/or up to 1,305,600 additional common warrants to purchase up to1,305,600 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriter may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering of the shares of our common stock and common warrants offered by this prospectus supplement. If the underwriter exercises its option, the underwriter will be obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase the number of additional shares of our common stock and/or additional common warrants to purchase shares of common stock for which the option has been exercised.

 

Discounts and Commissions

 

The underwriter proposes to offer the shares and common warrants offered by us to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement. In addition, the underwriter may offer some of the shares and common warrants to other securities dealers at such price less a concession not to exceed $0.6975 per share and accompanying 0.5 of a common warrant. After the offering to the public, the public offering price and concession to dealers may be changed.

 

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount and proceeds, before expenses, to us, without exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and with exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.

 

    Per Share and 0.5 of a Common Warrant     Total Without Exercise of Over-allotment Option     Total With Full Exercise of Over-allotment Option  
Public offering price   $ 0.75     $ 19,999,999.50     $ 21,958,399.50  
Underwriting discounts and commissions   $ 0.0525     $ 1,399,999.97     $ 1,537,087.96  
Proceeds, before expenses, to us   $ 0.6975     $ 18,599,999.53     $ 20,421,311.54  

 

S-30

 

 

We have agreed to reimburse the underwriter its actual, out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of the underwriter’s counsel related to the offering, up to an aggregate maximum amount of $65,000.

 

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering including all expenses to be reimbursed to the underwriter excluding the underwriter’s discount, will be approximately $1.6 million.

 

We have agreed to certain restrictions on the ability to sell additional shares of our common stock for a period ending 60 days after the date that the offering is completed. Subject to certain exceptions, we have agreed not to directly or indirectly offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise issue or dispose of, any of our securities without the underwriter’s prior written consent.

 

Lock-Up Agreements

 

We and each of our executive officers and directors have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to offer, issue, sell contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of or otherwise dispose of any shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock for a period of sixty (60) days after the date of this prospectus supplement without the prior written consent of Maxim Group LLC.

 

Right of First Refusal

 

Until March 1, 2022 (the “Right of First Refusal Period”), Maxim has a right of first refusal to act as lead managing underwriter and lead left book runner or minimally as a co-lead manager and co-lead left book runner and/or co-lead left placement agent with at least 50.0% of the economics for any and all future equity, equity-linked or debt (excluding commercial bank debt) offerings (each, a “Subsequent Offering”) undertaken during the Right of First Refusal Period by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company.

 

The Company shall provide Maxim with written notice of its election to engage in a Subsequent Offering, which notice shall describe the proposed terms and conditions of such Subsequent Offering. Maxim shall notify the Company within three (3) days of its receipt of the written offer contemplated above as to whether or not it agrees to accept such retention. If Maxim should decline such retention, the Company shall have no further obligation to Maxim with respect to such other Subsequent Offering, except as otherwise provided for herein. Maxim acknowledges that if the Company issues convertible notes to Company management without the use of an agent or underwriter, such transaction shall not be deemed a Subsequent Offering.

 

Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

 

The underwriter may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions, and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the common stock, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act:

 

Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriter of securities in excess of the number of securities the underwriter are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of securities over-allotted by the underwriter is not greater than the number of securities that they may purchase in the over-allotment option, if any. In a naked short position, the number of securities involved is greater than the number of securities in the over-allotment option, if any. In the absence of an over-allotment option, the underwriter may close out any short position only by purchasing securities in the open market.

 

Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

 

Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of securities to close out the short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of securities available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase securities through the over-allotment option. If the underwriter sells more securities than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the securities in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

S-31

 

 

Penalty bids permit the underwriter to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

 

These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our securities, or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of those securities. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

Neither we nor the underwriter makes any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the securities. In addition, neither we nor the underwriter makes any representation that the underwriter will engage in these stabilizing transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

 

In connection with this offering, the underwriter may also engage in passive market making transactions in our securities. Passive market making consists of displaying bids on a national securities exchange limited by the prices of independent market makers and effecting purchases limited by those prices in response to order flow. Rule 103 of Regulation M promulgated by the SEC limits the amount of net purchases that each passive market maker may make and the displayed size of each bid. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of our securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Securities

 

The underwriter may facilitate the marketing of this offering online directly or through one of the underwriter’s affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms and a prospectus online and place orders online or through their financial advisors. Such websites and the information contained on such websites, or connected to such sites, are not incorporated into and are not a part of this prospectus. In connection with this offering, the underwriter may distribute prospectuses electronically.

 

Other Relationships

 

The underwriter and its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter may in the future, engage in investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. The underwriter may in the future, receive customary fees and commissions for these transactions.

 

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of the issuer. The underwriter and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

Offer Restrictions Outside the United States

 

Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriter that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

 

S-32

 

  

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Certain legal matters governed by the laws of the State of Nevada with respect to the validity of the offered securities will be passed upon for us by Loeb & Loeb LLP, New York, New York. Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, New York, New York, is counsel to the underwriter in connection with this offering.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of our Company appearing in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 have been audited by WWC, P.C., independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in the reports thereon included therein and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

S-33

 

  

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information we incorporate by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede some of this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including filings made after the date of the initial registration statement, until we sell all of the shares covered by this prospectus supplement or the sale of shares by us pursuant to this prospectus supplement is terminated. In no event, however, will any of the information that we furnish to, pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K (including exhibits related thereto) or other applicable SEC rules, rather than file with, the SEC be incorporated by reference or otherwise be included herein, unless such information is expressly incorporated herein by a reference in such furnished Current Report on Form 8-K or other furnished document. The documents we incorporate by reference are:

 

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 23, 2020;
   
Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 14, 2020, August 11, 2020, and November 12, 2020;
   
Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 1, 2020, May 4, 2021, July 27, 2020, and January 20, 2021;
   
Our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on June 10, 2020;
   
Our preliminary proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on May 29, 2020; and
   
  The description of our common stock set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on December 11, 2009 (File No. 001-34577), including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes the statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

 

You may obtain a copy of these filings, without charge, by writing or calling us at:

 

IT Tech Packaging, Inc.

Science Park, Juli Road

Xushui District, Baoding City

Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China
Attn: Investor Relations

 

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of those documents.

 

DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON
INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES LAW VIOLATIONS

 

The following is a summary of the relevant provisions in our articles of incorporation, bylaws and Nevada law with regard to limitation of liability and indemnification of our officers, directors and employees. The full provisions are contained in the Nevada Revised Statutes and such documents.

 

Indemnification. Our directors and officers are indemnified as provided by our articles of incorporation, our bylaws and the Nevada Revised Statutes. Our bylaws and articles of incorporation provide that we will indemnify our directors, officers, employees, and agents, to the fullest extent to the extent required by the Nevada Revised Statutes and shall indemnify such individuals to the extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes. We may purchase and maintain liability insurance, or make other arrangements for such obligations or otherwise, to the extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes. Our bylaws and Nevada laws permit us to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, except an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if he has exercised his powers in good faith and with a view to the interests of the corporation; or acted in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

 

S-34

 

  

We will indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation. Indemnification may not be made for any claim, issue or matter as to which such person has been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction, after exhaustion of all appeals therefrom, to be liable to the corporation or for amount paid in settlement to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought or other court of competent jurisdiction determines upon application that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court deems proper.

 

Limitation of Liability. Our articles of incorporation limit the liability of our directors and officers under certain circumstances. Our articles of incorporation provide that the liability of directors or officers for monetary damages are eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by Nevada law.

 

In the event that a claim for indemnification against these types of liabilities, other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding, is asserted by a director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will (unless in the opinion of our counsel, the matter has been settled by controlling precedent) submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, the question whether indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. The legal process relating to this matter if it were to occur is likely to be very costly and may result in us receiving negative publicity, both of which are likely to materially reduce the market and price for our shares.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We have filed a registration statement with the SEC under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement is part of that registration statement and does not contain all the information included in the registration statement.

 

For further information with respect to our shares of common stock and us, you should refer to the registration statement, its exhibits and the material incorporated by reference therein. Portions of the exhibits have been omitted as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. Statements made in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus as to the contents of any contract, agreement or other document referred to are not necessarily complete. In each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contracts or other documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, and these statements are hereby qualified in their entirety by reference to the contract or document.

 

The registration statement may be obtained from the web site that the Securities and Exchange Commission maintains at http://www.sec.gov. We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. You may read any reports, statements or other information on file at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.

 

S-35

 

  

Prospectus

 

ORIENT PAPER, INC.

 

$30,000,000
Common Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants

Subscription Rights
Units

 

We may offer and sell, from time to time in one or more offerings, any combination of common stock, debt securities, warrants, subscription rights or units having a maximum aggregate offering price of $30,000,000. When we decide to sell a particular class or series of securities, we will provide specific terms of the offered securities in a prospectus supplement.

 

The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement shall offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus, carefully before you invest. This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell our securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement relating to the offered securities.

 

Our common stock is traded on The NYSE MKT under the symbol “ONP.” Each prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to our listing on The NYSE MKT or any other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement.

 

These securities may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters or through a combination of these methods. See “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of our securities in a prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.

 

The aggregate market value of our outstanding voting and nonvoting common equity is approximately $18.73 million. We have not offered any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12 month calendar period that ends on, and includes, the date of this prospectus.

 

Investing in our securities involves various risks. See “Risk Factors” on page S-8 for more information on these risks. Additional risks, if any, will be described in the prospectus supplement related to a potential offering under the heading “Risk Factors”. You should review that section of the related prospectus supplement for a discussion of matters that investors in such securities should consider.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The date of this Prospectus is June 11, 2018

  

 

 

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page No.
   
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY 1
The Offering 2
Our Company 3
RISK FACTORS 5
USE OF PROCEEDS 6
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES 6
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER 6
Capital Stock 7
Debt Securities 8
Warrants 13
SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS 16
Units 17
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION 18
LEGAL MATTERS 19
EXPERTS 19
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT US 20
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE 20

 

i

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer from time to time securities having a maximum aggregate offering price of $30,000,000. Each time we offer securities, we will prepare and file with the SEC a prospectus supplement that describes the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities we offer. The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or the documents incorporated herein by reference. You should read carefully both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

This prospectus does not contain all the information provided in the registration statement we filed with the SEC. For further information about us or our securities offered hereby, you should refer to that registration statement, which you can obtain from the SEC as described below under “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as information we have previously filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference, is accurate as of the date of those documents only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

We may sell securities through underwriters or dealers, through agents, directly to purchasers or through any combination of these methods. We and our agents reserve the sole right to accept or reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. The prospectus supplement, which we will prepare and file with the SEC each time we offer securities, will set forth the names of any underwriters, agents or others involved in the sale of securities, and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them. See “Plan of Distribution.”

 

Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, when used in this prospectus, the terms “Orient Paper”, “Company”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Orient Paper, Inc., its subsidiaries and variable interest entities.

 

ii

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

The following summary, because it is a summary, may not contain all the information that may be important to you. This prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about the Company that is not included in, or delivered with, this prospectus. Before making an investment, you should read the entire prospectus and any amendment carefully. You should also carefully read the risks of investing discussed under “Risk Factors” and the financial statements included in our other filings with the SEC, including in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter and three months ended March 31, 2018, which we filed with the SEC on May 14, 2018 and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, which we filed with the SEC on April 17, 2018. This information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you can obtain it from the SEC as described below under the headings “Where You Can Find Additional Information About Us” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”

 

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, excluding the exhibits to such filings which we have not specifically incorporated by reference in such filings, at no cost, by writing us at the following address: Science Park, Juli Road, Xushui District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China, Attn: Secretary of the Company.

 

1

 

 

The Offering

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of:

 

common stock;

 

debt securities, in one or more series;

 

warrants to purchase any of the securities listed above;

 

subscription rights; and/or

 

units consisting of one or more of the foregoing.

 

in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $30,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that specific offering and include a discussion of any risk factors or other special considerations that apply to those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information About Us.”

 

2

 

 

Our Company

 

General

 

We were incorporated in the State of Nevada in 2005. We engage in production and distribution of various categories of paper products: corrugating medium paper, offset printing paper and tissue paper products. Our principal executive offices are located at Science Park, Juli Road, Xushui District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number is (86) 312-869-8215. Our website is located at http://www.orientpaperinc.com.

 

Products

 

Corrugating medium paper

 

Corrugating medium paper, or CMP is used in the manufacturing of cardboard. Since the launch of our new Paper Machine (“PM”) 6 production line in December 2011, corrugating medium paper has become our major product. For the year ended December 31, 2017, corrugating medium paper comprised approximately 87.9% of our total paper production quantities and roughly 82.02% of our total revenue. Raw materials used in the production of corrugating medium paper include recycled paper board (or Old Corrugating Cardboard or “OCC,” as it is commonly referred to in the United States) and certain supplementary agents. In January 2013, we suspended the operation of our PM1 production line for renovation, which was then used to produce corrugating medium paper. In May 2014, we launched the commercial production of the newly renovated PM1 production line. The new PM1 production line produces light-weight corrugating medium paper with a specification of 40 to 80 grams per square meter (“g/s/m”). PM1’s light-weight corrugating medium paper products have a wide range of commercial applications. For example, such products can be used as a construction material for wall and floor insulation or to manufacture moisture-proof packaging materials for the transportation of books and magazines by the publishing industry. It can also be used as corrugating medium to make corrugating cardboard for packaging that requires light-weight boxes. The manufacturing process of light-weight corrugating medium paper is similar to that of the regular corrugating medium paper and also uses recycled paper board as a major source of raw material. We now have two corrugating medium paper production lines, PM6 and PM1. We refer to products produced from the PM6 production line as Regular CMP and products produced from the PM1 production line as Light-Weight CMP.

 

Offset printing paper

 

Offset printing paper is used for offset printing in the publishing industry. Offset printing paper comprised approximately 11.3% of our total paper production quantities and approximately 15.97% of our total sales revenue for the year ended December 31, 2017. Raw materials used in making offset printing paper include recycled white scrap paper, fluorescent whitening agent and sizing agent. We currently have two production lines, PM2 and PM3, for the production of offset printing paper.

 

Tissue paper products 

 

We began the commercial production of tissue paper products in Wei District Industry Park in June 2015. We process base tissue paper purchased from long-term cooperative third party and produce finished tissue paper products, including toilet paper, boxed and soft-packed tissues, handkerchief tissues and paper napkins, as well as bathroom and kitchen paper towels that are marketed and sold under the Orient Paper brand. We sold 1,804 tonnes of tissue paper products for $2,356,856 in 2017.

 

3

 

 

Customers and Market

 

We generally sell our products to companies making corrugated cardboards (in the case of our packaging products like corrugating medium paper) and to printing companies (in the case of our printing paper products). Our primary market has been the region of North China, especially in the province of Hebei. We target corporate customers in the middle range of the marketplace, where products such as corrugating medium paper and mid-grade offset printing paper with reasonable quality and competitive pricing have potential for high volume growth.

 

Raw Materials and Principal Suppliers

 

The supplies used in our production processes are comprised mainly of recycled paper board and unprinted recycled white scrap paper, both of which are ready-to-use items and available from multiple domestic and foreign sources. We currently purchase all of our recycled paper supplies from some domestic recycling stations and do not rely on imported recycled paper. We also purchase coal, natural gas and chemical agents from nearby suppliers. Ongoing inflationary pressures and higher demand for recycled paper could lead to an increase in our costs of raw materials and production, which we may or may not be able to pass to our customers. We sign annual raw materials supplier contracts with our suppliers. Although we have contracts with our suppliers, these contracts do not lock-in the purchase price of our raw materials or provide hedge against the fluctuation in the market price of these raw materials.

 

Competition

 

Our main competitors are: Chenming Paper Group Limited (“Chenming”), Huatai Group Limited, Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited (“ND Paper”) and Sun Paper Group Limited. A number of our competitors are public entities with larger capacities, broader customer bases and greater financial resources than those available to us. With the exceptions of Chenming and ND Paper, which may compete directly with us in the offset printing paper market and the corrugating medium paper market, respectively, in the Beijing/Tianjin/greater Hebei regions, we believe that we face only indirect competition from the aforesaid companies, either because we have a different product assortment from these companies, or because, to the extent they do offer products similar to ours, the transportation costs and storage costs make it difficult for these companies to compete effectively with us on pricing.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2017, we have approximately 527 full time employees. The Company provides private insurance coverage for any workplace accident or injury for all the operators of paper milling machinery in the workshops. These employees are organized into a labor union under the labor laws of the PRC and have collective bargain power against us. We generally maintain good relations with our employees and the labor union.

 

4

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Investing in our securities involves risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to a particular offering of securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in Orient Paper and to the particular types of securities that we are offering under that prospectus supplement. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement and the risks described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, or any updates in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, together with all of the other information appearing in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

5

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Except as otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities covered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include, but is not limited to, working capital, capital expenditures, research and development expenditures and acquisitions of new businesses. The precise amount, use and timing of the application of such proceeds will depend upon our funding requirements and the availability and cost of other capital. Additional information on the use of net proceeds from an offering of securities covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the specific offering.

 

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

 

Not applicable to smaller reporting companies.

 

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

 

The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement, summarize all the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular offering the specific terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. We will indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement if the terms of the securities differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities.

 

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings:

 

shares of our common stock;

 

debt securities, in one or more series;

 

warrants to purchase any of the securities listed above;

 

Subscription rights; and/or

 

units consisting of one or more of the foregoing.

 

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

6

 

 

Capital Stock

 

General

 

The following description of common stock, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the common stock that we may offer under this prospectus, but it is not complete. For the complete terms of our common stock, please refer to our amended and restated articles of incorporation, as may be amended from time to time, and our bylaws, as amended from time to time. The Nevada Revised Statutes may also affect the terms of these securities. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future common stock that we may offer, we will describe the specific terms of any series of these securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in a prospectus supplement, the terms of any common stock we offer under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below.

 

As of June 11, 2018, our authorized capital stock consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of which 21,450,316 shares are issued and outstanding.

 

The authorized and unissued shares of our common stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of The NYSE MKT, or any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed at such time. Unless approval of our stockholders is so required, our board of directors will not seek stockholder approval for the issuance and sale of our common stock.

 

Common Stock

 

Each outstanding share of common stock is entitled to one vote, either in person or by proxy, on all matters that may be voted upon by their holders at meetings of the stockholders.

 

Holders of our common stock:

 

  (i) have equal ratable rights to dividends from funds legally available therefore, if declared by the Board of Directors;

 

  (ii) are entitled to share ratably in all our assets available for distribution to holders of common stock upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up;

 

  (iii) do not have preemptive, subscription or conversion rights; and

 

  (iv) are entitled to one non-cumulative vote per share on all matters on which stockholders may vote at all meetings of our stockholders.

 

The holders of shares of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights, which means that the holder or holders of more than fifty percent (50%) of outstanding shares voting for the election of directors can elect all of our directors if they so choose and, in such event, the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any of the our directors.

 

Our common stock is listed on The NYSE MKT under the symbol “ITP.” The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Empire Stock Transfer Inc., 859 Whitney Mesa Dr., Henderson, NV 89014.

 

7

 

 

Debt Securities

 

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will generally apply to any future debt securities we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no outstanding registered debt securities.

 

We will issue senior notes under a senior indenture, which we will enter into with the trustee to be named in the senior indenture. We will issue subordinated notes under a subordinated indenture, which we will enter into with the trustee to be named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We use the term “indentures” to refer to both the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture.

 

The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. References to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 include all amendments thereto. We use the term “debenture trustee” to refer to either the senior trustee or the subordinated trustee, as applicable.

 

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior notes, the subordinated notes and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities, and all supplements thereto. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the debt securities that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior and the subordinated indentures are identical.

 

General

 

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in an officers’ certificate or by a supplemental indenture. Debt securities may be issued in separate series without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the debt securities of any series. In addition, the particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series, including any pricing supplement. The prospectus supplement will set forth, among other things:

 

the title;

 

the principal amount being offered, and, if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

 

any limit on the amount that may be issued;

 

whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form and, if so, the terms and who the depositary will be;

 

the maturity date;

 

whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a U.S. person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;

 

the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate, the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

 

the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt, if applicable;

 

the place where payments will be payable;

 

restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

 

our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

 

the date, if any, after which, the conditions upon which, and the price at which we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions, and any other applicable terms of those redemption provisions;

 

8

 

 

the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

 

whether the indenture will restrict our ability and/or the ability of our subsidiaries to, among other things:

 

incur additional indebtedness;

 

issue additional securities;

 

create liens;

 

pay dividends and make distributions in respect of our capital stock and the capital stock of our subsidiaries;

 

redeem capital stock;

 

place restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;

 

make investments or other restricted payments;

 

sell or otherwise dispose of assets;

 

enter into sale-leaseback transactions;

 

engage in transactions with stockholders and affiliates;

 

issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or

 

effect a consolidation or merger;

 

whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;

 

information describing any book-entry features;

 

provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any;

 

whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code;

 

the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;

 

the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

if other than dollars, the currency in which the series of debt securities will be denominated; and

 

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any events of default that are in addition to those described in this prospectus or any covenants provided with respect to the debt securities that are in addition to those described above, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.

 

Conversion or Exchange Rights

 

We will set forth in the prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for common stock or other securities of ours or a third party, including the conversion or exchange rate, as applicable, or how it will be calculated, and the applicable conversion or exchange period. We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of our securities or the securities of a third party that the holders of the series of debt securities receive upon conversion or exchange would, under the circumstances described in those provisions, be subject to adjustment, or pursuant to which those holders would, under those circumstances, receive other property upon conversion or exchange, for example in the event of our merger or consolidation with another entity.

 

9

 

 

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

 

The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part do not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor of ours or the acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures and the debt securities.

 

If the debt securities are convertible for our other securities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

 

Events of Default Under the Indenture

 

The following are events of default under the indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 

if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended or deferred;

 

if we fail to pay the principal, sinking fund payment or premium, if any, when due and payable and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;

 

if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the debenture trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

 

if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

 

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the debenture trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the debenture trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the principal amount of and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the debenture trustee or any holder.

 

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

 

Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the debenture trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the debenture trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the debenture trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the debenture trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

 

subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the debenture trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

 

10

 

 

 

A holder of the debt securities of any series will only have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:

 

the holder has given written notice to the debenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

 

the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity, to the debenture trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee; and

 

the debenture trustee does not institute the proceeding and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

 

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.

 

We will periodically file statements with the debenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

 

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

 

We and the debenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters, including:

 

to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;

 

to comply with the provisions described above under “Consolidation, Merger or Sale”;

 

to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;

 

to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee;

 

to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;

 

to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issuance, authorization and delivery of debt securities or any series, as set forth in the indenture;

 

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “General” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

 

to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default, or to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture; or

 

to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

 

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the debenture trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, we and the debenture trustee may only make the following changes with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

 

extending the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities;

 

reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any debt securities; or

 

reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

 

11

 

 

Discharge

 

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except that the following obligations, among others survive until the maturity date or the redemption date:

 

register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

 

replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

 

maintain paying agencies;

 

hold monies for payment in trust; and

 

appoint any successor trustee;

 

and the following obligations survive the maturity date or the redemption date:

 

recover excess money held by the debenture trustee; and

 

compensate and indemnify the debenture trustee.

 

As more fully set forth in the indentures, in order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must either deliver for cancellation all securities of a series to the debenture trustee or must deposit with the debenture trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

 

Form, Exchange and Transfer

 

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See “Legal Ownership of Securities” for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.

 

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

 

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

 

We will name in a board resolution the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

 

12

 

 

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of any series being redeemed in part during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

 

Information Concerning the Debenture Trustee

 

The debenture trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the debenture trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the debenture trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

 

Payment and Paying Agents

 

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

 

We will name in the applicable board resolution any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

 

All money we pay to a paying agent or the debenture trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

 

Governing Law

 

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is applicable.

 

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

 

The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part do not limit the amount of indebtedness that we may incur, including senior indebtedness or subordinated indebtedness, and do not limit us from issuing any other debt, including secured debt or unsecured debt.

 

Warrants

 

As of June 11, 2018, we have issued and outstanding warrants to purchase up to 820,312 shares of our common stock, in the aggregate.

 

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and any related warrant agreement and warrant certificate. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the specific terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement which includes this prospectus.

 

13

 

 

General

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.

 

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we may issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into a warrant agreement with a warrant agent. Each warrant agent may be a bank that we select which has its principal office in the United States. We may also choose to act as our own warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of any such warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

 

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:

 

the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

 

if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

 

in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

in the case of warrants to purchase common stock, the number or amount of shares of common stock, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which and currency in which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

the manner of exercise of the warrants, including any cashless exercise rights;

 

the warrant agreement under which the warrants will be issued;

 

the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;

 

anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

 

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire or, if the warrants are not continuously exercisable during that period, the specific date or dates on which the warrants will be exercisable;

 

the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;

 

the identities of the warrant agent and any calculation or other agent for the warrants;

 

federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

 

the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

any securities exchange or quotation system on which the warrants or any securities deliverable upon exercise of the warrants may be listed or quoted; and

 

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

 

14

 

 

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:

 

in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture; or

 

in the case of warrants to purchase common stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

 

Exercise of Warrants

 

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to 5:00 P.M. eastern time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

 

Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required exercise price by the methods provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate, and in the applicable prospectus supplement, the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent.

 

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants.

 

Enforceability of Rights By Holders of Warrants

 

Any warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action the holder’s right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants in accordance with their terms.

 

Warrant Agreement Will Not Be Qualified Under Trust Indenture Act

 

No warrant agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no warrant agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of warrants issued under a warrant agreement will not have the protection of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their warrants.

 

Governing Law

 

Each warrant agreement and any warrants issued under the warrant agreements will be governed by New York law.

 

Calculation Agent

 

Any calculations relating to warrants may be made by a calculation agent, an institution that we appoint as our agent for this purpose. The prospectus supplement for a particular warrant will name the institution that we have appointed to act as the calculation agent for that warrant as of the original issue date for that warrant, if any. We may appoint a different institution to serve as calculation agent from time to time after the original issue date without the consent or notification of the holders. The calculation agent’s determination of any amount of money payable or securities deliverable with respect to a warrant will be final and binding in the absence of manifest error.

 

15

 

 

SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

 

General

 

We may issue subscription rights to purchase Common Stock. Subscription rights may be issued independently or together with any other offered security and may or may not be transferable by the person purchasing or receiving the subscription rights. In connection with any subscription rights offering to our shareholders, we may enter into a standby underwriting arrangement with one or more underwriters pursuant to which such underwriters will purchase any offered securities remaining unsubscribed for after such subscription rights offering. In connection with a subscription rights offering to our shareholders, we will distribute certificates evidencing the subscription rights and a prospectus supplement to our shareholders on the record date that we set for receiving subscription rights in such subscription rights offering.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms of subscription rights in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:

 

the title of such subscription rights;

 

the securities for which such subscription rights are exercisable;

 

the exercise price for such subscription rights;

 

the number of such subscription rights issued to each shareholder;

 

the extent to which such subscription rights are transferable;

 

if applicable, a discussion of the material Israeli and United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the issuance or exercise of such subscription rights;

 

the date on which the right to exercise such subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which such rights shall expire (subject to any extension);

 

the extent to which such subscription rights include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities;

 

if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or other purchase arrangement that we may enter into in connection with the subscription rights offering; and

 

any other terms of such subscription rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of such subscription rights.

 

Exercise of Subscription Rights

 

Each subscription right will entitle the holder of the subscription right to purchase for cash such amount of Common Stock at such exercise price as shall be set forth in, or be determinable as set forth in, the prospectus supplement relating to the subscription rights offered thereby. Subscription rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for such subscription rights set forth in the prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all unexercised subscription rights will become void.

 

Subscription rights may be exercised as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the subscription rights offered thereby. Upon receipt of payment and the subscription rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the subscription rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will forward, as soon as practicable, the Common Stock purchasable upon such exercise. We may determine to offer any unsubscribed offered securities directly to persons other than shareholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

16

 

 

Units

 

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder, with the rights and obligations of a holder, of each security included in the unit. The unit certificate may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date or upon the occurrence of a specified event or occurrence.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe:

 

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

 

whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.

 

17

 

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus to or through underwriters, through dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers or through a combination of these methods. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including:

 

the name or names of any underwriters, if, and if required, any dealers or agents;

 

the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

 

any underwriting discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation;

 

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

 

any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed or traded.

 

We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:

 

a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

negotiated prices.

 

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

 

If underwriters are used in an offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with such underwriters and will specify the name of each underwriter and the terms of the transaction (including any underwriting discounts and other terms constituting compensation of the underwriters and any dealers) in a prospectus supplement. The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by one or more investment banking firms or others, as designated. If an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter(s) will be specified on the cover of the prospectus supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own accounts and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to conditions precedent, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities, if any are purchased.

 

We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting commissions or discounts, as may be set forth in a related prospectus supplement. The terms of any over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for those securities.

 

If we use a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, we will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be specified in a prospectus supplement.

 

We may sell the securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement.

 

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

 

18

 

 

In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the securities for whom they act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities, and any institutional investors or others that purchase securities directly for the purpose of resale or distribution, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the common stock by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.

 

We may provide agents, underwriters and other purchasers with indemnification against particular civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents, underwriters or other purchasers may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

 

To facilitate the public offering of a series of securities, persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than have been sold to them by us. In exercising the over-allotment option granted to those persons. In addition, those persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to underwriters or dealers participating in any such offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. We make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above, if implemented, may have on the price of our securities.

 

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be eligible for listing on The NYSE MKT, subject to official notice of issuance. Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice.

 

In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus will be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Certain legal matters with respect to the validity of the offered securities will be passed upon for us by Loeb & Loeb LLP, New York, New York.

 

EXPERTS

 

The audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2017 incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K have been audited by WWC, P.C. Certified Accountants and BDO China Shu Lun Pan Certified Public Accountants LLP, respectively, each an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its respective report, which is incorporated by reference and has been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of each such firm given upon its authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

19

 

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT US

 

We have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC for the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not include all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits for additional information. We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. We will provide this information upon oral or written request, free of charge. Any requests for this information should be made by calling or sending a letter to the Secretary of the Company, c/o Orient Paper, Inc., at the Company’s office located at Science Park, Juli Road, Xushui District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China 072550. The Company’s telephone number is 011- (86) 312-8698215.

 

We are required to file annual and quarterly reports, current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. We make these documents publicly available, free of charge, on our website at www.bioaobo.com as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such documents with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You also may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at:

 

Public Reference Room
100 F Street N.E.
Washington, DC 20549.

 

Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

The following documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference in this prospectus:

 

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter and three months ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 14, 2017;

 

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, filed on April 17, 2018; and

 

The description of our Common Stock set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on May 10, 2007 (File No. 000-52639), including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

We also incorporate by reference all documents we file (other than documents or portions of documents deemed to be furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act) under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (a) after the initial filing date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and before the effectiveness of the registration statement, and (b) after the effectiveness of the registration statement and before the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that the securities offered by this prospectus have been sold or that deregisters the securities covered by this prospectus then remaining unsold. Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes hereof or of the related prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

20

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

$30,000,000

 

ORIENT PAPER, INC.

 

Common Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants

Subscription Rights
Units

 

PROSPECTUS

 

June 11, 2018

 

We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or represent anything not contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus does not offer to sell any shares in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful. Neither the delivery of this prospectus, nor any sale made hereunder, shall create any implication that the information in this prospectus is correct after the date hereof.

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26,666,666 Shares of Common Stock and
13,333,333 Common Warrants to Purchase 13,333,333 Shares of Common Stock
(and Shares of Common Stock Issuable Upon Exercise of the Common Warrants)

 

IT TECH PACKAGING, INC.

 

Prospectus Supplement

 

Maxim Group LLC

 

February 24, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

       

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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