Item 1. Legal Proceedings
ITEM 1.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are involved in lawsuits, claims, and proceedings, including, but not limited to, patent and commercial matters, which arise in the ordinary course of business. There are no such matters pending that we currently believe are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our business or to our consolidated financial statements.
On September 25, 2019, in a complaint filed in the Düsseldorf, Germany, District Court, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, a subsidiary of Carl Zeiss AG (Zeiss), sued Luxendo GmbH (Luxendo), a subsidiary of Bruker Corporation, for infringement of a recently registered German utility model patent licensed to Zeiss pertaining to one specific Luxendo product category. We are vigorously defending against this claim.
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In addition, we are subject to regulation by national, state and local government agencies in the United States and other countries in which we operate. From time to time, we are the subject of governmental investigations often involving regulatory, marketing and other business practices. These governmental investigations may result in the commencement of civil and criminal proceedings, fines, penalties and administrative remedies which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or liquidity.
ITEM IA.
RISK FACTORS
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2020, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. The risks described in this report and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.
Our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal 2021 may be adversely affected by the COVID-19
pandemic.
The impact of the worldwide COVID-19
pandemic has been and will likely continue to be extensive in many geographies and aspects of society. The pandemic has resulted in and will likely continue to result in disruptions to the global economy, as well as businesses, supply chains and capital markets around the world.
Impacts to our business included temporary closures in 2020 of many of our government and university customers and our suppliers, disruptions or restrictions on our employees’ and customers’ ability to travel, and delays in product installations or shipments to and from affected countries. In an effort to halt the outbreak of COVID-19,
a number of countries, including the United States, implemented and some continue to implement significant restrictions on travel, shelter in place or stay at home orders, and business closures. While some of these restrictions are loosening in certain jurisdictions, some markets have returned to restrictions in the face of increases in new COVID-19
cases or new strains of the virus. A number of states, including California, Massachusetts and New Jersey where we have significant operations, have implemented re-opening
policies as vaccines to protect against the virus continue to be administered. However, many of our employees in these areas continue to work remotely, and many re-openings
have been delayed or pulled back as the virus continues to spread and as new strains of the virus emerge. In addition, while some parts of the world are beginning to resume pre-pandemic
business operations, certain Asia Pacific geographies where we operate are continuing to experience significant disruptions relating to COVID-19.
Much of the commercial activity in sales and marketing, and customer demonstrations and applications training, is still either being conducted remotely or postponed. Even where customers have re-opened
their sites, some still operate at productivity levels that are below pre-pandemic
levels in an effort to accommodate safety protocols and as a result of pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. Any resurgence of the virus or the emergence of new strains of the virus, particularly any new strains which are more easily transmitted or which are resistant to existing vaccines, may require us or our customers to close or partially close operations once again. These travel restrictions, business closures and operating reductions at Bruker, our customers, our distributors, and/or our suppliers have in the past adversely impacted and may continue to adversely impact our operations worldwide, including our ability to manufacture, sell or distribute our products, as well as cause temporary closures of our foreign distributors, or the facilities of suppliers or customers. Global supply chains, including for semiconductor chips, components and raw materials such as copper, have been disrupted, causing shortages, which could impact our ability to manufacture or supply our products. We could also experience increased compensation expenses associated with employee recruiting and employee retention to the extent employment opportunities continue to multiply post-pandemic, causing the search for and retention of talent to become more competitive. This disruption of our employees, distributors, suppliers and customers has historically impacted and may continue to impact our global sales and future operating results.
Further, on September 9, 2021, President Biden directed the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) requiring that all employers with at least 100 employees ensure that their employees are fully vaccinated for COVID-19
by January 4, 2022 or obtain a negative COVID-19
test at least once a week. The OSHA ETS was issued on November 4, 2021. President Biden also issued an Executive Order requiring certain COVID-19
precautions for government contractors and their subcontractors, including mandatory employee vaccination (subject to medical and religious exemptions). It is not currently possible to predict with any certainty the exact impact on us of the OSHA ETS or the requirements for government contractors and their subcontractors. Any requirement to mandate COVID-19
vaccination of our workforce or require our unvaccinated employees to be tested weekly could result in employee attrition and difficulty securing future labor needs and may have an adverse effect on future profit margins. In addition, any requirement to impose obligations on our suppliers under the Executive Order covering government contractors and their subcontractors could impact the price and continuity of supply of raw materials and our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
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We have experienced supply chain interruptions as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic. Various factors, including increased demand for certain components and production delays and other natural events and disasters, are contributing to shortages of certain components used in our products and increased difficulties in our ability to obtain a consistent supply of materials at stable pricing levels. Supply shortages and longer lead times for components used in our products, including limited source components, can result in significant additional costs and inefficiencies in manufacturing. A shortage of key components may cause a significant disruption to our production activities, which could have a substantial adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. If we are unsuccessful in resolving any such component shortages in a timely manner, we could experience a significant adverse impact on the timing of our revenue, a possible loss of revenue, or an increase in manufacturing costs, any of which would have a material adverse impact on our operating results.
We are continuing to monitor and assess the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on our commercial operations in 2021. However, we cannot at this time accurately predict what effects these conditions will ultimately have on our operations due to uncertainties relating to the severity of the disease, including the impact of any resurgence of the virus, the continued emergence of new strains of the virus, the effectiveness and availability of vaccines, the willingness of individuals to receive vaccines, (including to protect against any new strains of the virus), and the length or severity of travel restrictions, business closures, and other safety and precautionary measures imposed by the governments of impacted countries. The pandemic has also adversely affected the economies and financial markets of many countries, which has affected and likely may continue to affect demand for our products and our operating results.
There have been no other material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.