SMITH A O CORP 10-Q

ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, except for the addition of the risk factor set forth below: ■ The outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine may exacerbate certain risks we face Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global response, including the imposition of sanctions by the European Union, the United States and other countries, could create or exacerbate risks facing our business. While we do not have a physical presence in Russia or Ukraine, we have evaluated our operations, vendor contracts and customer arrangements, and at present we do not expect the conflict to directly have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. However, further escalation of geopolitical tensions related to the military conflict, including increased trade barriers or restrictions on global trade, could result in, among other things, cyberattacks, supply disruptions, significant volatility in commodity prices and availability, supply of energy resources, lower consumer demand, changes to foreign exchange rates and financial and capital markets. These risks and others described more fully in our Annual Report could be exacerbated by this military conflict. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions could be significant and could potentially have substantial impact on the global economy and our business for an unknown period of time. ■ The global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, or other global public health pandemics, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected if a global public health pandemic, including the current COVID-19 pandemic, interferes with the ability of our employees, suppliers, and customers to perform our and their respective responsibilities and obligations relative to the conduct of our business and operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted economic activity and markets around the world, and it could have a material negative impact on our business and operations in numerous ways, including but not limited to those outlined below: • The risk that we, or our employees, suppliers or customers may be prevented from conducting business activities for an indefinite period of time, including shutdowns that may be requested or mandated by governmental authorities • Restrictions on shipping products from certain jurisdictions where they are produced or into certain jurisdictions where customers are located. • Inability to meet our customers’ needs and achieve cost targets due to increased logistics costs, longer shipment times, and disruptions in our manufacturing and supply arrangements caused by the loss or disruption of essential manufacturing and supply elements, such as raw materials or other finished product components, transportation, workforce or other manufacturing and distribution capability. • Failure of third parties on which we rely, including our suppliers, distributors, contractors and commercial banks, to meet their obligations to us, or significant disruptions in their ability to do so, which may be caused by their own financial or operational difficulties, workforce disruptions, or mandated shutdowns by governmental authorities, may adversely impact our operations. • Significant reductions in demand, particularly for our commercial products, or significant volatility in demand and a global economic recession that could reduce demand for our products, resulting from actions taken by governments, businesses, and/or the general public in an effort to limit exposure to and spreading of such infectious diseases, such as travel restrictions, quarantines, and business shutdowns or slowdowns. In addition, there is risk that the commercial 28 Table of Contents sector, such as the restaurant and hospitality industries in which we have customers, will experience long-term shifts in consumer behavior which could negatively impact demand or capacity and may not return to pre-pandemic levels. • Manufacturing plant inefficiencies due to safety and preventative health measures that we have implemented in our plants to prevent the spread of COVID-19. • Deterioration of worldwide capital, credit, and financial markets that could limit our ability to obtain external financing to fund our operations and capital expenditures. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic, or other outbreaks of disease or similar public health threats, materially and adversely impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition remains uncertain and will depend on future developments. Such developments may include the geographic spread and duration of the virus, periodic surges of the virus, the severity of the virus and the actions that may be taken by various governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the outbreak. In the first half of 2022, a number of municipal governments in China imposed shutdowns to prevent further spread of COVID-19. These shutdowns may continue or recur during the foreseeable future, and could have a material negative impact on our business and operations there. In addition, we cannot predict how quickly, and to what extent, normal economic and operating conditions can resume throughout the world, and the resumption of normal business operations may be delayed or constrained by lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our suppliers, third-party service providers, and/or customers.