Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
The Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors it has identified below. Any of the following risk factors could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, or results of operations. These factors are not necessarily listed in order of importance.
1) Operational Risks:
The Company’s industry is subject to intense competitive pressures.
The Company operates in markets that are highly competitive. The Company competes on the basis of price, product performance and quality, service, and / or brand name across the industries and markets it serves. Competitive pressures could affect the prices the Company is able to charge its customers or demand for its products.
The Company may not always be able to compete on price, particularly when compared to manufacturers with lower cost structures. Some of the Company’s competitors have substantially greater sales, financial and manufacturing resources and may have greater access to capital than the Company. As other companies enter its markets or develop new products, competition may further intensify. The Company’s failure to compete effectively could materially adversely affect its business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The Company engages in strategic acquisitions and may not realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions and / or may encounter difficulties in integrating these businesses.
The Company seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions. In the past, the Company has acquired a number of businesses or companies and additional product lines and assets. The Company intends to continue to expand and diversify its operations with additional future acquisitions.
An acquired business, technology, service or product could under-perform relative to the Company’s expectations and the price paid for it, or not perform in accordance with the Company’s anticipated timetable. This could cause the Company’s financial results to differ from expectations in any given fiscal period, or over the long term. The success of these transactions also depends on the Company’s ability to integrate the assets, operations, and personnel associated with these acquisitions. The Company may encounter difficulties in integrating acquisitions with the Company’s operations and may not realize the degree or timing of the benefits that are anticipated from an acquisition.
The Company may also discover liabilities or deficiencies associated with the companies or assets it acquires that were not identified in advance, which may result in significant unanticipated costs. The effectiveness of the Company’s due diligence review and its ability to evaluate the results of such due diligence are dependent upon the accuracy and completeness of statements and disclosures made or actions taken by the companies acquired or their representatives, as well as the limited amount of time in which acquisitions are executed. In addition, the Company may fail to accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including tax and accounting charges. Acquisitions may also result in recording of significant additional expenses to the results of operations and recording of substantial intangible assets on the balance sheet upon closing. Any of these factors may adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
11
Table of Contents
Disruptions in the Company’s manufacturing, supply or distribution chain could result in an adverse impact on results of operations.
The Company sources materials and sells product through various global network channels. A disruption could occur within the Company’s manufacturing, distribution or supply chain network. This could include damage or destruction due to various causes including natural disasters or political instability which would cause one or more of these network channels to become non-operational. This could adversely affect the Company’s ability to manufacture or deliver its products in a timely manner, impair its ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales or damage to its reputation. Such a disruption could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company may be unable to manufacture and deliver products in a manner that is responsive to its customers’ needs.
The end markets for the Company’s products are characterized by technological change, frequent new product introductions and enhancements, changes in customer requirements and emerging industry standards. The introduction of products embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards could render its existing products obsolete and unmarketable before it can recover any or all of its research, development, and commercialization expenses on capital investments. Furthermore, the life cycles of its products may change and are difficult to estimate.
The Company’s future success will depend upon its ability to manufacture and deliver products in a manner that is responsive to its customers’ needs. The Company will need to develop and introduce new products and product enhancements on a timely basis that keep pace with technological developments and emerging industry standards and address increasingly sophisticated requirements of its customers. The Company invests heavily in research and development without knowing if it will recover these costs. The Company’s competitors may develop products or technologies that will render its products non-competitive or obsolete. If it cannot develop and market new products or product enhancements in a timely and cost-effective manner, its business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
The Company’s business may be interrupted by labor disputes or other interruptions of supplies.
A work stoppage could occur at certain Company facilities, most likely as a result of disputes under collective bargaining agreements or in connection with negotiations of new collective bargaining agreements. In addition, the Company may experience a shortage of supplies for various reasons, such as financial distress, work stoppages, natural disasters, or production difficulties that may affect one of its suppliers. A significant work stoppage, or an interruption or shortage of supplies for any reason, if protracted, could substantially adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to attract and retain qualified personnel could affect the Company’s business results.
The Company’s success in its existing and acquired businesses, depends on the Company’s ability to attract, retain, and motivate a highly-skilled and diverse management team and workforce. Failure to ensure that the Company has the depth and breadth of personnel with the necessary skill set and experience could impede its ability to deliver growth objectives and execute the Company’s strategy. Competition for qualified employees among companies that rely heavily upon engineering and technology is at times intense, and the loss of qualified employees could hinder the Company’s ability to conduct research activities successfully and develop marketable products.
The Company may not be successful protecting its intellectual property.
The Company considers its intellectual property, including patents, trade names, and trademarks, to be of significant value to its business as a whole. The Company’s products are manufactured, marketed, and sold under a portfolio of patents, trademarks, licenses, and other forms of intellectual property, some of which expire or are allowed to lapse at various dates in the future. The Company develops and acquires new intellectual property on an ongoing basis and considers all of its intellectual property to be valuable. The Company's policy is to file applications and obtain patents for the great majority of its novel and innovative new products including product modifications and improvements. Based on the broad scope of its product lines, the Company believes that the loss or expiration of any single intellectual property right would not have a material adverse effect upon its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows; however, multiple losses or expirations could have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
2) Regulatory Risks:
12
Table of Contents
Climate change, and the regulatory and legislative developments related to climate change, may have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
The potential physical impacts of climate change on our business operations are highly uncertain and differ in each geographic region where we operate. These impacts may include changes in weather patterns and increased weather intensity, water shortages, changing sea levels and changing temperatures. The impacts of climate change may materially and adversely impact the cost of production, insurance availability, and financial performance of our operations. Further, any impacts to our business and financial condition as a result of climate change are likely to occur over a sustained period of time and are therefore difficult to quantify with any degree of specificity. For example, extreme weather events may result in adverse physical effects on portions of our or others infrastructure, which could disrupt our supply chain and our customers and ultimately our business operations. In addition, disruption of transportation and distribution systems could result in reduced operational efficiency and customer service interruption. Climate-related events have the potential to disrupt our business, including the business of our suppliers and customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, and additional costs to resume operations.
Increased government or governmental bodies contemplating legislative and regulatory changes in response to the potential impact of climate change could impose significant costs on us and our suppliers and customers, including increased cost of materials and natural resources, sources and supply of energy, capital equipment, environmental monitoring and reporting, or other costs to comply with such regulations. Potential regulations or standards could mandate more restrictive manufacturing requirements, such as stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions and material used in production. Any future climate change regulations could also adversely impact our ability to compete with companies not subject to such regulations.
Changes in U.S. and other countries trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs and the resulting consequences, may have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
In the past several years, the U.S. government adopted a new approach to trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements. It also imposed tariffs on certain foreign goods and products. These measures may materially increase costs for goods imported into the U.S. This in turn could require us to materially increase prices to our customers which may reduce demand, or, if we do not or are unable to increase prices, could result in lower margins on products sold. Changes in U.S. trade policy have resulted in, and could result in more, U.S. trading partners adopting responsive trade policies making it more difficult or costly for us to export our products to those countries. Additionally, continued geo-political issues may result in customers in China seeking to source products from local suppliers, which could result in lower sales or lost customers.
The Company is exposed to political, economic, and other risks that arise from operating a multinational business.
The Company's customers, suppliers, employees and operations are located in numerous countries around the world, and contribute significantly to its revenues and earnings. Sales to customers outside the U.S. constituted approximately 69% of the Company's net sales in fiscal 2021. Many of the Company's key customers are located outside of U.S. and maintain global operations. Serving a global customer base and remaining competitive in the global marketplace requires the Company to diversify its operations outside the U.S. to capitalize on customer and market opportunities, build a global workforce and maintain a cost efficient structure. In addition, the Company sources a significant amount of raw materials, components and finished goods from third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers. The Company’s operating activities are subject to a number of risks generally associated with multi-national operations, including risks relating to the following:
• general economic conditions;
• currency fluctuations and exchange restrictions;
• import and export duties and restrictions;
• the imposition of tariffs and other import or export barriers;
• compliance with regulations governing import and export activities;
• current and changing regulatory requirements;
• political and economic instability;
• potentially adverse income tax consequences;
• transportation delays and interruptions;
• labor unrest;
• natural disasters;
• terrorist activities;
• public health concerns, including the outbreak of the coronavirus or other pandemics;
• difficulties in staffing and managing multi-national operations; and
13
Table of Contents
• limitations on the Company’s ability to enforce legal rights and remedies.
Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and capital investments.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic in 2020, and the virus continues to spread in areas where we operate and sell our products. The COVID-19 pandemic and similar situations/circumstances in the future could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and capital investments. Several public health organizations have recommended, and some local governments have implemented, certain measures to slow and limit the transmission of the virus, including travel restrictions, shelter-in-place requirements and social distancing requirements. Such preventive measures, or others we may voluntarily put in place, may have a material adverse effect on our business for an indefinite period of time, such as the potential shut down of certain locations, decreased employee availability, potential increased vulnerability to cybersecurity incidents, including breaches of information systems security due to widespread remote working arrangements, potential border closures. Our suppliers and customers, including OEMs and distribution partners, may also face similar disruptions to their operations, which could lead to a disruption in our supply chain as well as decreased demand for our products. These issues may also materially affect our future access to our sources of liquidity, particularly our cash flows from operations, financial condition, capitalization, and capital investments. These disruptions may continue to occur and may result in future impairment, restructuring and other charges. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors , including those relating to our products and services, financial performance, debt covenant compliance and debt obligations. The ultimate magnitude of COVID-19, including the extent of its impact on our financial and operational results, which could be material, will be determined by the length of time that the pandemic continues, its effect on the demand for our services, as well as the effect of governmental regulations imposed in response to the pandemic. We cannot at this time predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows.
Environmental liabilities could adversely impact the Company’s financial position.
Foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations impose various restrictions and controls on the discharge of materials, chemicals and gases used in the Company’s manufacturing processes or in its finished goods. These environmental regulations have required the Company to expend a portion of its resources and capital on relevant compliance programs. Under these laws and regulations, the Company could be held financially responsible for remedial measures if its current or former properties are contaminated or if it sends waste to a landfill or recycling facility that becomes contaminated, even if the Company did not cause the contamination. The Company may be subject to additional common law claims if it releases substances that damage or harm third parties. In addition, future changes in environmental laws or regulations may require additional investments in capital equipment or the implementation of additional compliance programs. Any failure to comply with new or existing environmental laws or regulations could subject the Company to significant liabilities and could have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
In the conduct of manufacturing operations, the Company has handled and does handle materials that are considered hazardous, toxic or volatile under federal, state, and local laws. The risk of accidental release of such materials cannot be completely eliminated. In addition, the Company operates or owns facilities located on or near real property that was formerly owned and operated by others. Certain of these properties were used in ways that involved hazardous materials. Contaminants may migrate from, within or through these properties. These releases or migrations may give rise to claims. Where third parties are responsible for contamination, the third parties may not have funds, or not make funds available when needed, to pay remediation costs imposed upon the Company under environmental laws and regulations.
The Company is responsible for the maintenance of discontinued coal mining operations in Germany. The risk of environmental remediation exists, and the Company is in the process of remediating the mines considered to be the most at risk.
3) Financial Risks:
Reorganization activities may lead to additional costs and material adverse effects.
In the past, the Company has taken actions to restructure and optimize its production and manufacturing capabilities and efficiencies through relocations, consolidations, plant closings or asset sales. In the future, the Company may take additional restructuring actions including the consolidating, closing or selling of additional facilities. These actions could result in
14
Table of Contents
impairment charges and various charges for such items as idle capacity, disposition costs and severance costs, in addition to normal or attendant risks and uncertainties. The Company may be unsuccessful in any of its current or future efforts to restructure or consolidate its business. Plans to minimize or eliminate any loss of revenues during restructuring or consolidation may not be achieved. These activities may have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s ability to manage currency or commodity price fluctuations or supply shortages is limited.
As a resource-intensive manufacturing operation, the Company is exposed to a variety of market and asset risks, including the effects of changes in commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates. The Company has multiple sources of supply for the majority of its commodity requirements. However, significant shortages that disrupt the supply of raw materials or result in price increases could affect prices the Company charges its customers, its product costs, and the competitive position of its products and services. The Company monitors and manages these exposures as an integral part of its overall risk management program, which recognizes the unpredictability of markets and seeks to reduce the potentially adverse effects on its results. Nevertheless, changes in currency exchange rates, commodity prices and interest rates cannot always be predicted. In addition, because of intense price competition and the Company’s high level of fixed costs, it may not be able to address such changes even if they are foreseeable. Substantial changes in these rates and prices could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition. In addition, significant portions of its revenues and earnings are exposed to changes in foreign currency rates. As it operates in multiple foreign currencies, changes in those currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will impact its revenues and expenses. The impact of possible currency devaluation in countries experiencing high inflation rates or significant exchange fluctuations can impact the Company’s results and financial guidance. For additional discussion of interest rate, currency or commodity price risk, see Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk .
The Company’s effective tax rate could materially increase as a consequence of various factors, including U.S. and/or international tax legislation, mix of the Company’s earnings by jurisdiction, and U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictional tax audits.
The Company is subject to taxes in the U.S. and numerous non-U.S. jurisdictions. Therefore, it is subject to changes in tax laws in each of these jurisdictions, including changes discussed in the paragraphs below. The outcome of these and other legislative developments, including changes to interpretations of recently enacted legislation, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future effective tax rate and cash flows.
U.S. tax legislative proposals currently being considered in a bill referred to as “Build Back Better” could, among other things, increase the Company’s U.S. taxes on non-U.S. earnings, effective in 2023. In addition, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) is working with a group of more than 100 countries to significantly change the tax treatment of multinational businesses, subjecting them to tax in additional jurisdictions, modifying the methods by which they allocate profits among jurisdictions, and subjecting them to a minimum level of tax. As part of this effort, during 2021, the OECD reached a near-unanimous agreement among the working group jurisdictions to apply a minimum income tax rate of 15%, on a country-by-country basis. In December of 2021, the OECD published model rules to assist with implementation of the minimum tax regime, proposed to be effective in 2023, and the European Union published a directive that would incorporate the OECD-led minimum tax proposals into European Union law. The Company’s income tax rate in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions is lower than 15%. Enactment of these minimum tax proposals, and the other proposals discussed above, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future effective tax rate and cash flows.
Certain European jurisdictions, including Germany and the Netherlands, have enacted or will enact tax legislation based upon directives from the European Union. Such legislation could potentially deny tax deductions for certain expenses and/or subject to tax the income earned in certain low tax jurisdictions.
The Company has two subsidiaries in China which benefit from lower income tax rates due to “tax holidays” which apply for three-year periods. The tax holiday for one of the subsidiaries expires at the end of 2022, and for the other subsidiary the tax holiday will expire at the end of 2023. Future year tax benefits will depend upon the Company’s ability to obtain extensions, after the three-year periods expire. There can be no assurance that future extensions will be granted.
The tax rates applicable in the jurisdictions within which the Company operates vary widely. Therefore, the Company’s effective tax rate may be adversely affected by changes in the mix of its earnings by jurisdiction.
The Company’s tax returns are subject to examination by various U.S. and non-U.S. tax authorities, including the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The Company regularly assesses the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of its provision for income taxes. However, there can be no assurance as to the outcome of these examinations.
15
Table of Contents
A decline in expected profitability of the Company or individual reporting units of the Company could result in the impairment of assets, including goodwill and other long-lived assets.
The Company continues to hold material amounts of goodwill and other long-lived assets on its balance sheet. A decline in expected profitability, particularly if there is a decline in the global economy, could call into question the recoverability of the Company’s related goodwill and other long-lived tangible and intangible assets and require the write-down or write-off of these assets. Such an occurrence could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
A significant fluctuation between the U.S. dollar and other currencies could adversely impact the Company's revenue and earnings.
Although the Company's financial results are reported in U.S. dollars, the majority of the Company’s operations consist of manufacturing and sales activities in foreign countries. The Company’s most significant net long exposure is to the euro. The Company’s most significant net short exposures are to the Chinese renminbi, Mexican peso, and Philippine peso. Changes in foreign exchange rates could have an adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The Company’s revenues may vary significantly from period to period.
The Company’s revenues may vary significantly from one period to another due to a variety of factors including:
• changes in customers’ buying decisions;
• changes in demand for its products;
• changes in its distributor inventory stocking;
• the Company’s product mix;
• the Company’s effectiveness in managing manufacturing processes;
• costs and timing of its component purchases;
• the effectiveness of its inventory control;
• the degree to which it is able to utilize its available manufacturing capacity;
• the Company’s ability to meet delivery schedules;
• general economic and industry conditions;
• local conditions and events that may affect its production volumes, such as labor conditions and political instability; and
• seasonality of certain product lines.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer could adversely affect the Company.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer could result in lower sales revenue and cause a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In addition, the bankruptcy or insolvency of a major auto manufacturer or significant supplier likely could lead to substantial disruptions in the automotive supply base, resulting in lower demand for the Company’s products, which would likely cause a decrease in sales revenue and have a substantial adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The inability to maintain access to capital markets may adversely affect the Company’s business and financial results.
The Company’s ability to invest in its businesses, make strategic acquisitions, and refinance maturing debt obligations may require access to the capital markets and sufficient bank credit lines to support short-term borrowings. If the Company is unable to access the capital markets or bank credit facilities, it could experience a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
Fixed costs may reduce operating results if sales fall below expectations.
The Company’s expense levels are based, in part, on its expectations for future sales. Many of the Company’s expenses, particularly those relating to capital equipment and manufacturing overhead, are relatively fixed. The Company might not be able to reduce spending quickly enough to compensate for reductions in sales. Accordingly, shortfalls in sales could materially and adversely affect the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The volatility of the Company’s stock price could affect the value of an investment in the Company’s stock and future financial position.
16
Table of Contents
The market price of the Company’s stock can fluctuate widely. Between December 26, 2020 and January 1, 2022, the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock ranged between a low of $234.59 and a high of $334.84. The volatility of the stock price may be related to any number of factors, such as volatility in the financial markets, general macroeconomic conditions, industry conditions, market expectations concerning the Company’s results of operations, or the volatility of its revenues as discussed above under “The Company’s Revenues May Vary Significantly from Period to Period.” The historic market price of the Company’s common stock may not be indicative of future market prices. The Company may not be able to sustain or increase the value of its common stock. Declines in the market price of the Company’s stock could adversely affect the Company’s ability to retain personnel with stock incentives, to acquire businesses or assets in exchange for stock and/or to conduct future financing activities with or involving the Company’s common stock.
The Company is exposed to, and may be adversely affected by, potential security breaches or other disruptions to its information technology systems and data security.
The Company relies on its information technology systems and networks in connection with many of its business activities. Some of these networks and systems are managed directly by the Company, while others are managed by third-party service providers and are not under the Company’s direct control. The Company’s operations routinely involve receiving, storing, processing and transmitting sensitive information pertaining to its business, customers, dealers, suppliers, employees, and other sensitive matters. As with most companies, the Company has experienced cyber-attacks, attempts to breach its systems, and other similar incidents, none of which have been material. Any future cyber incidents could, however, materially disrupt operational systems; result in loss of trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise personally identifiable information regarding employees or customers or other third parties; and jeopardize the security of the Company’s facilities. A cyber incident could be caused by malicious outsiders using sophisticated methods to circumvent firewalls, encryption, and other security defenses. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, the Company may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Information technology security threats, including security breaches, computer malware, and other cyber-attacks are increasing in both frequency and sophistication and could create financial liability, subject the Company to legal or regulatory sanctions or damage the Company’s reputation with customers, dealers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. The Company continuously seeks to maintain a robust program of information security and controls, but the impact of a material information technology event could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s competitive position, reputation, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
Customer demands and regulations related to conflict-free minerals may force the Company to incur additional expenses.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires disclosure of use of “conflict” minerals mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries and efforts to prevent the use of such minerals. In the semiconductor industry, these minerals are most commonly found in metals. As there may be only a limited number of suppliers offering “conflict free” metals, the Company cannot be certain that it will be able to obtain necessary metals in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. Also, the Company may face challenges with its customers and suppliers if it is unable to sufficiently verify that the metals used in its products are “conflict free.”
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
None.