Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
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Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows can be affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, any one of which could cause our actual results to vary materially from recent results or from our anticipated future results. Therefore, an investment in us involves some risks, including the risks described below. Although the risks are organized by headings, and each risk is discussed separately, many are interrelated. You should not interpret the disclosure of any risk factor to imply that the risk has not already materialized. The risks discussed below are not the only risks that we may experience. If any of the following risks occur, our business, results of operations, or financial condition could be negatively impacted.
Risks Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our business.
We have continued to closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, including how it has impacted our customers, employees, supply chain and distribution network. While our business was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we have seen recovery over the course of 2021. The scope and duration of the pandemic continue to be uncertain, and evolving factors such as the level and timing of vaccine distribution across the world and the extent of any resurgences of the virus or emergence of new variants could impact the stability of the economic recovery and growth.
The COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows in a number of ways in the future, including but not limited to:
• disruptions to our facilities, including shutdowns or slowdowns as a result of facility closures, reductions in operating hours or labor shortages;
• disruptions in our supply chain and our ability to obtain raw materials, packaging and other sourced materials due to labor shortages, governmental restrictions or the failure of our suppliers, distributors or manufacturers to meet their obligations to us;
• increases in raw material and commodity costs;
• the inability of a significant portion of our workforce, including our management team, to work as a result of illness or government restrictions; and reduced liquidity of customers, which could negatively impact the collectability of outstanding receivables and our cash flows.
The extent to which our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows may ultimately be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will depend largely on these future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. The impact of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other risks discussed below, any of which could have a material effect on us. This situation is changing rapidly and additional impacts may arise that we are not aware of currently.
Risks Relating to Economic Conditions
The businesses of many of our customers are subject to significant fluctuations as a result of the cyclical nature of their industries and their sensitivity to general economic conditions, which could adversely affect their demand for our products and reduce our sales and profitability.
A substantial number of our customers are in the semiconductor, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, consumer electronics, and telecom and data center end markets. Each of these end markets is cyclical in nature, influenced by a combination of factors which could have a negative impact on our business, including, among other things, periods of economic growth or recession, strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar, the strength of the semiconductor, automotive electronics, and oil and gas industries, the rate of construction of telecommunications infrastructure equipment, and government spending on defense.
Also, in times when growth rates in our markets are lower, or negative, there may be temporary inventory adjustments by our customers that may negatively affect our business .
Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations
Because we experience seasonal fluctuations in our sales, our quarterly results will fluctuate, and our annual performance will be affected by the fluctuations.
We expect seasonal patterns to continue, which may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate. If our revenue during any quarter were to fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, our share price could decline, perhaps significantly. Unfavorable economic conditions, lower than normal levels of demand, and other occurrences in any quarter could also harm our results of operations. For example, we have experienced customers building inventory in anticipation of increased demand, whereas in other periods, demand decreased because our customers had excess inventory.
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A portion of our revenue is derived from the sale of defense-related products through various contracts and subcontracts. These contracts may be suspended, canceled, or delayed, which could have an adverse impact on our revenues.
In 2021, 12% of our value-added sales were to customers in the aerospace and defense end market. A portion of these customers operate under contracts with the U.S. Government, which are vulnerable to termination at any time, for convenience or default. Some of the reasons for cancellation include, but are not limited to, budgetary constraints or re-appropriation of government funds, timing of contract awards, violations of legal or regulatory requirements, and changes in political agenda. If cancellations were to occur, it would result in a reduction in our revenue. Furthermore, significant reductions to defense spending could occur over the next several years due to government spending cuts, which could have a significant adverse impact on us. For example, high-margin defense application delays and/or push-outs may adversely impact our results of operations, including quarterly earnings.
The markets for our products are experiencing rapid changes in technology.
We operate in markets characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving customer specifications and industry standards. New products may quickly render an existing product obsolete and unmarketable. For example, for many years thermal and mechanical performance have been at the forefront of device packaging for wireless communications infrastructure devices. In recent years, a tremendous effort has been put into developing simpler packaging solutions comprised of copper and other similar components. Our growth and future results of operations depend in part upon our ability to enhance existing products and introduce newly developed products on a timely basis that conform to prevailing and evolving industry standards, meet or exceed technological advances in the marketplace, meet changing customer specifications, achieve market acceptance, and respond to our competitors’ products.
The process of developing new products can be technologically challenging and requires the accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. We may not be able to introduce new products successfully or do so on a timely basis. If we fail to develop new products that are appealing to our customers or fail to develop products on time and within budgeted amounts, we may lose customers or otherwise be unable to recover our research and development costs, which could adversely affect our margins and profitability.
The availability of competitive substitute materials for beryllium-containing products may reduce our customers’ demand for these products and reduce our sales.
In certain product applications, we compete with manufacturers of non-beryllium-containing products, including organic composites, metal alloys or composites, titanium, and aluminum. Our customers may choose to use substitutes for beryllium-containing products in their products for a variety of reasons, including, among other things, the lower costs of those substitutes, the health and safety concerns relating to these products (despite numerous studies affirming the safety of beryllium in these products), and the risk of litigation relating to beryllium-containing products. If our customers use substitutes for beryllium-containing materials in their products, the demand for beryllium-containing products may decrease, which could reduce our sales.
Our long and variable sales and development cycle makes it difficult for us to predict if and when a new product will be sold to customers.
Our sales and development cycle, which is the period from the generation of a sales lead or new product idea through the development of the product and the recording of sales, may typically take several years, making it very difficult to forecast sales and results of operations. Our inability to accurately predict the timing and magnitude of sales of our products, especially newly introduced products, could affect our ability to meet our customers’ product delivery requirements or cause our results of operations to suffer if we incur expenses in a particular period that do not translate into sales during that period, or at all. In addition, these failures would make it difficult to plan future capital expenditure needs and could cause us to fail to meet our cash flow requirements.
The availability and prices of some raw materials we use in our manufacturing operations fluctuate, and increases in raw material costs can adversely affect our operating results and our financial condition.
We manufacture advanced engineered materials using various precious and non-precious metals, including beryllium, tantalum, aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, silver, and tin. The availability of, and prices for, these raw materials are volatile and are influenced by worldwide economic conditions, speculative action, world supply and demand balances, inventory levels, availability of substitute metals, the U.S. dollar exchange rate, production costs of U.S. and foreign competitors, anticipated or perceived shortages, and other factors. Precious metal prices have fluctuated significantly in recent years and the inflationary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has added to the volatility. Higher prices can cause adjustments to
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our inventory carrying values, whether as a result of quantity discrepancies, normal manufacturing losses, differences in scrap rates, theft or other factors, which could have a negative impact on our profitability and cash flows. Also, the price of our products will generally increase in tandem with rising metal prices, as a result of changes in precious metal prices that are passed through to our customers, which could deter them from purchasing our products and adversely affect our net sales and operating profit.
Further, we maintain some precious metals and copper on a consigned inventory basis. The owners of the precious metals and copper charge a fee that fluctuates based on the market price of those metals and other factors. A significant increase in the market price or the consignment fee of precious metals and/or copper could increase our financing costs, which would increase our operating costs.
Utilizing precious metals in the manufacturing process creates challenges in physical inventory valuations that may impact earnings.
We manufacture precious, non-precious, and specialty metal products and also have metal cleaning operations and in-house refineries that allow for the reclaim of precious metals from internally generated or customer scrap. We refine that scrap through our internal operations and externally through outside vendors.
When taking periodic physical inventories in our refinery operations, we reconcile the actual precious metals to what was estimated prior to the physical inventory count. Those estimates are based in part on assays or samples of precious metals taken during the refining process. If those estimates are inaccurate, we may have an inventory long (more physical precious metal than what we had estimated) or short (less physical precious metal than what we had estimated). These fluctuations could have a material impact on our financial statements and may impact earnings. In the past, our gross margin has been reduced by a net quarterly physical inventory adjustment. Higher precious metal prices may magnify the value of any potential inventory long or short.
Because we maintain a significant inventory of precious metals, we may experience losses due to employee error or theft.
Because we manufacture products that contain precious metals, we maintain a significant amount of precious metals at certain of our manufacturing facilities. Accordingly, we are subject to the risk of precious metal shortages resulting from employee error or theft. In the past, we have had precious metal shortages resulting from employee error and theft, which could reoccur in the future.
While we maintain controls to prevent theft, including physical security measures, if our controls do not operate effectively or are designed ineffectively, our profitability could be adversely affected, including any charges that we might incur as a result of the shortage of our inventory and by costs associated with increased security, preventative measures, and insurance. Additionally, while we maintain insurance to cover the theft of our inventory, such coverage may not sufficiently cover any loss.
We have a limited number of manufacturing facilities, and damage to those facilities, or to critical pieces of equipment in these facilities, could interrupt our operations, increase our costs of doing business, and impair our ability to deliver our products on a timely basis.
Some of our facilities are interdependent. For instance, our manufacturing facility in Elmore, Ohio relies on our mining operation for its supply of beryllium hydroxide used in production of most of its beryllium-containing materials. Additionally, our Reading, Pennsylvania and Tucson, Arizona manufacturing facilities are dependent on materials produced by our Elmore, Ohio manufacturing facility, and our Wheatfield, New York manufacturing facility is dependent on our Buffalo, New York manufacturing facility. The destruction or closure of our mine, any of our manufacturing facilities, or to critical pieces of equipment within these facilities for a significant period of time as a result of harsh weather (including that caused by climate change), fire, explosion, act of war or terrorism, or other natural disaster or unexpected event may interrupt our manufacturing capabilities, increase our capital expenditures and our costs of doing business, and impair our ability to deliver our products on a timely basis. In addition, many of our manufacturing facilities depend on one source for electric power and natural gas, which could be interrupted due to equipment failures, terrorism, or another cause.
If such events occur, we may need to resort to an alternative source of manufacturing or to delay production, which could increase our costs of doing business and/or result in lost sales. Our property damage and business interruption insurance may not cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.
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A security breach of customer, employee, supplier, or Company information may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In the conduct of our business, we collect, use, transmit, store, and report data on information systems and interact with customers, vendors, and employees. Increased global information technology (IT) security threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data. We protect our sensitive information and confidential personal data, our facilities, and information technology systems, but we may be vulnerable to future security breaches. Despite our security measures, our IT systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable to customer viruses, cyber-attacks, security breaches caused by employee error or malfeasance, or other disruptions. Any such threat could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen. A security breach of our computer systems could interrupt or damage our operations or harm our reputation, resulting in a loss of sales, operating profits, and assets. The Company has taken steps to protect our computer systems however there is always a risk of undetected successful intrusions. Intrusions could pose a risk of undetected data loss or theft that could later be used to harm the Company. In addition, we could be subject to legal claims or proceedings and/or liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information and regulatory penalties if confidential information relating to customers, suppliers, employees, or other parties is misappropriated from our computer systems.
Similar security threats exist with respect to the IT systems of our lenders, suppliers, consultants, advisers, and other third parties with whom we conduct business. A security breach of those computer systems could result in the loss, theft, or disclosure of confidential information and could also interrupt or damage our operations, harm our reputation, and subject us to legal claims.
Data privacy breaches and the evolving global governmental regulation relating to data privacy could adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.
We collect, store, access and otherwise process certain confidential or sensitive data, including proprietary customer and business information, personal data or other information that is subject to privacy and security laws, regulations and customer-imposed requirements. The data privacy laws of the specific jurisdictions in which we operate may vary and potentially conflict. As such, we cannot predict the cost of compliance with future data privacy laws, regulations and standards, future interpretations of current laws, regulations and standards, or the potential effects on our business.
Government enforcement actions can be costly and interrupt the regular operation of our business, and a violation of data privacy laws or a security breach involving personal data can result in fines, reputational damage and civil lawsuits, any of which may adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.
Our defined benefit pension plans and other post-employment benefit plans are subject to financial market risks that could adversely impact our financial performance.
In 2019, the Company's Board of Directors approved changes to the U.S. defined benefit pension plan. The Company froze the pay and service amounts used to calculate the pension benefits for active participants as of January 1, 2020. The Company has defined benefit pension plans in other non-U.S. locations. Our pension expense and our required contributions to our pension plans are directly affected by the value of plan assets, the projected rate of return on plan assets, the actual rate of return on plan assets, and the actuarial assumptions we use to measure our defined benefit pension plan obligations, including the rate at which future obligations are discounted to a present value, or the discount rate. Significant changes in market interest rates and decreases in the fair value of plan assets and investment losses on plan assets would increase funding requirements and expenses and may adversely impact our results of operations.
We provide post-employment health benefits to eligible employees. Our retiree health expense is directly affected by the assumptions we use to measure our retiree health plan obligations, including the assumed rate at which health care costs will increase and the discount rate used to calculate future obligations. For retiree health accounting purposes, we have used a graded assumption schedule to assume the rate at which health care costs will increase. We cannot predict whether changing market or economic conditions, regulatory changes, or other factors will further increase our retiree health care expenses or obligations, diverting funds we would otherwise apply elsewhere.
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Unexpected events and natural disasters at our mine or manufacturing facilities could increase the cost of operating our business.
A portion of our production costs at our mine are fixed regardless of current operating levels. Our operating levels are subject to conditions beyond our control that may increase the cost of mining for varying lengths of time. These conditions include, among other things, weather (including severe weather caused by climate change), fire, natural disasters, pit wall failures, and ore processing changes. Our operations also involve the handling and production of potentially explosive materials. It is possible that an explosion at our mine or other manufacturing facilities could result in death or injuries to employees and others and material property damage to third parties and us. Any explosion could expose us to adverse publicity or liability for damages and materially adversely affect our operations. Any of these events could increase our cost of operations.
Risks Related to Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Matters
We conduct our sales and distribution operations on a worldwide basis and are subject to the risks associated with doing business outside the United States.
We sell to customers outside of the United States from our domestic and international operations. Revenue from international operations (principally Europe and Asia) accounted for approximately 47% in 2021, 45% in 2020, and 37% in 2019 of Net sales. We anticipate that international shipments will account for a significant portion of our sales for the foreseeable future. There are a number of risks associated with international business activities, including:
• burdens to comply with multiple and potentially conflicting foreign laws and regulations, including export requirements, tariffs and other barriers, environmental health and safety requirements, increasingly complex requirements concerning privacy and data security, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, and unexpected changes in any of these factors;
• difficulty in obtaining export licenses from the U.S. Government;
• political and economic instability and disruptions, including terrorist attacks;
• disadvantages of competing against companies from countries that are not subject to U.S. laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA);
• potentially adverse tax consequences due to overlapping or differing tax structures;
• fluctuations in currency exchange rates; and
• disruptions in our business or the businesses of our suppliers or customers due to cyber security incidents, public health concerns (including viral outbreaks, such as COVID-19) or natural disasters.
Any of these risks could have an adverse effect on our international operations by reducing the demand for our products or reducing the prices at which we can sell our products, which could result in an adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We may hedge our currency transactions to mitigate the impact of currency price volatility on our earnings; however, hedging activities may not be successful. For example, hedging activities may not cover the Company’s net euro and yen exposure, which could have an unfavorable impact on our results of operations.
In addition, we could be adversely affected by violations of the FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws. The FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure that our internal controls and procedures will always protect us from the reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA violations or other anti-bribery laws, we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
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Changes in laws or regulations or the manner of their interpretation or enforcement could adversely impact our financial performance and restrict our ability to operate our business or execute our strategies.
New laws or regulations, or changes in existing laws or regulations, or the manner of their interpretation or enforcement, could increase our cost of doing business and restrict our ability to operate our business or execute our strategies. In particular, there may be significant changes in U.S. laws and regulations and international trade agreements that could affect a wide variety of industries and businesses, including those businesses we own and operate.
We may be exposed to certain regulatory and financial risks related to climate change.
Growing concerns about climate change may result in the imposition of additional regulations or restrictions to which we may become subject. A number of governments or governmental bodies have introduced or are contemplating regulatory changes in response to climate change, including regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The outcome of new legislation or regulation in the U.S. and other jurisdictions in which we operate may result in new or additional requirements, additional charges to fund energy efficiency activities, and fees or restrictions on certain activities. Compliance with these climate change initiatives may also result in additional costs to us, including, among other things, increased production costs, additional taxes, reduced emission allowances or additional restrictions on production or operations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such limitations. Even without such regulation, increased public awareness and adverse publicity about potential impacts on climate change emanating from us or our industry could harm us. We may not be able to recover the cost of compliance with new or more stringent laws and regulations, which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
We are exposed to lawsuits in the normal course of business, which could harm our business.
During the ordinary conduct of our business, we may become involved in certain legal proceedings, including those involving product liability claims, third-party lawsuits relating to exposure to beryllium, claims against us of infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties, or other litigation matters. Due to the uncertainties of litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail in the resolution of future claims. Certain of these matters involve types of claims that, if they result in an adverse ruling to us, could give rise to substantial liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, or financial condition.
Although we have insurance which may be applicable in certain circumstances, some jurisdictions preclude insurance coverage for punitive damage awards. Accordingly, our profitability could be adversely affected if any current or future claimants obtain judgments for any uninsured compensatory or punitive damages. Further, an unfavorable outcome or settlement of a pending beryllium case or adverse media coverage could encourage the commencement of additional similar litigation.
Health issues, litigation, and government regulations relating to our beryllium operations could significantly reduce demand for our products, limit our ability to operate, and adversely affect our profitability.
If exposed to respirable beryllium fumes, dusts, or powder, some individuals may demonstrate an allergic reaction and may later develop a chronic lung disease known as chronic beryllium disease (CBD). Some people who are diagnosed with CBD do not develop clinical symptoms at all. In others, the disease can lead to scarring and damage of lung tissue, causing clinical symptoms that include shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Severe cases of CBD can cause disability or death.
Further, some scientists claim there is evidence of an association between beryllium exposure and lung cancer, and certain standard-setting organizations have classified beryllium and beryllium compounds as human carcinogens.
The health risks relating to exposure to beryllium have been, and will continue to be, a significant issue confronting the beryllium-containing products industry. The health risks associated with beryllium have resulted in product liability claims, employee, and third-party lawsuits. As of December 31, 2021, we had two CBD cases outstanding.
The increased levels of scrutiny by federal, state, foreign, and international regulatory authorities could lead to regulatory decisions relating to the approval or prohibition of the use of beryllium-containing materials for various uses. Concerns over CBD and other potential adverse health effects relating to beryllium, as well as concerns regarding potential liability from the use of beryllium, may discourage our customers’ use of our beryllium-containing products and significantly reduce demand for our products. In addition, adverse media coverage relating to our beryllium-containing products could damage our reputation or cause a decrease in demand for beryllium-containing products, which could adversely affect our profitability.
Our bertrandite ore mining and beryllium-related manufacturing operations and some of our customers’ businesses are subject to extensive health and safety regulations that impose, and will continue to impose, significant costs and liabilities,
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and future regulation could increase those costs and liabilities, or effectively prohibit production or use of beryllium-containing products.
We, as well as our customers, are subject to laws regulating worker exposure to beryllium. OSHA has published a new standard for workplace exposure to beryllium that, among other things, lowered the permissible exposure by a factor of ten and established new requirements for respiratory protection, personal protective clothing and equipment, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping. Materion was a participant in the development of the new standards, which fundamentally represent our current health and safety operating practices. Other government and standard-setting organizations are also reviewing beryllium-related worker safety rules and standards, and will likely make them more stringent. The development, proposal, or adoption of more stringent standards may affect buying decisions by the users of beryllium-containing products. If the standards are made more stringent and/or our customers or other downstream users decide to reduce their use of beryllium-containing products, our results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. The impact of this potential adverse effect would depend on the nature and extent of the changes to the standards, the cost and ability to meet the new standards, the extent of any reduction in customer use, and other factors. The magnitude of this potential adverse effect cannot be estimated.
Our bertrandite ore mining and manufacturing operations are subject to extensive environmental regulations that impose, and will continue to impose, significant costs and liabilities on us, and future regulation could increase these costs and liabilities or prevent production of beryllium-containing products.
We are subject to a variety of governmental regulations relating to the environment, including those relating to our handling of hazardous materials and air and wastewater emissions. Some environmental laws impose substantial penalties for non-compliance. Others, such as the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, impose strict, retroactive, and joint and several liability upon entities responsible for releases of hazardous substances. Bertrandite ore mining is also subject to extensive governmental regulation on matters such as permitting and licensing requirements, plant and wildlife protection, reclamation and restoration of mining properties, the discharge of materials into the environment, and the effects that mining has on groundwater quality and availability. Future requirements could impose on us significant additional costs or obligations with respect to our extraction, milling, and processing of ore. If we fail to comply with present and future environmental laws and regulations, we could be subject to liabilities or our operations could be interrupted. In addition, future environmental laws and regulations could restrict our ability to expand our facilities or extract our bertrandite ore deposits. These environmental laws and regulations could also require us to acquire costly equipment, obtain additional financial assurance, or incur other significant expenses in connection with our business, which would increase our costs of production.
Risks Related to Our Debt
A major portion of our bank debt consists of variable-rate obligations, which subjects us to interest rate fluctuations.
Our credit facilities are secured by substantially all of our assets (other than non-mining real property and certain other assets). Our working capital line of credit includes variable-rate obligations, which expose us to interest rate risks. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on our variable-rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, resulting in a decrease in our net income. Additional information regarding our market risks is contained in Item 7A "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk."
Our failure to comply with the covenants contained in the terms of our indebtedness could result in an event of default, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results and our financial condition.
The terms of our credit facilities require us to comply with various covenants, including financial covenants. A global economic downturn could have a material adverse impact on our earnings and cash flow, which could adversely affect our ability to comply with our financial covenants and could limit our borrowing capacity. Our ability to comply with these covenants depends, in part, on factors over which we may have no control. A breach of any of these covenants could result in an event of default under one or more of the agreements governing our indebtedness which, if not cured or waived, could give the holders of the defaulted indebtedness the right to terminate commitments to lend and cause all amounts outstanding with respect to the indebtedness to be due and payable immediately. Acceleration of any of our indebtedness could result in cross-defaults under our other debt instruments. Our assets and cash flow may be insufficient to fully repay borrowings under all of our outstanding debt instruments if some or all of these instruments are accelerated upon an event of default, in which case we may be required to seek legal protection from our creditors.
The terms of our indebtedness may restrict our operations, including our ability to pursue our growth and acquisition strategies.
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The terms of our credit facilities contain a number of restrictive covenants, including restrictions in our ability to, among other things, borrow and make investments, acquire other businesses, and consign additional precious metals. These covenants could adversely affect our business by limiting our ability to plan for or react to market conditions or to meet our capital needs, as well as adversely affect our ability to pursue our growth and acquisition strategies, and other strategic initiatives.
Risks Related to the Execution of Our Strategy
We may not be able to complete our acquisition strategy or successfully integrate acquired businesses.
We are active in pursuing acquisitions. We intend to continue to consider further growth opportunities through the acquisition of assets or companies and routinely review acquisition opportunities. We cannot predict whether we will be successful in pursuing any acquisition opportunities or whether we will be able to achieve the strategic and other objectives related to any acquisitions, including our recent acquisition of HCS-Electronic Materials, including the achievement of any expected synergies. Future acquisitions may involve the expenditure of significant funds and management time. Depending upon the nature, size, and timing of future acquisitions, we may be required to raise additional financing, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Further, we may not be able to successfully integrate any acquired business with our existing businesses or recognize any expected advantages from any completed acquisition.
In addition, there may be liabilities that we fail, or are unable, to discover in the course of performing due diligence investigations on the assets or companies we have already acquired or may acquire in the future. We cannot assure that rights to indemnification by the sellers of these assets or companies to us, even if obtained, or applicable representation and warranty insurance, will be enforceable, collectible, or sufficient in amount, scope, or duration to fully offset the possible liabilities associated with the business or property acquired. Any such liabilities, individually or in the aggregate, could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our products are deployed in complex applications and may have errors or defects that we find only after deployment.
Our products are highly complex, designed to be deployed in complicated applications, and may contain undetected defects, errors, or failures. Although our products are generally tested during manufacturing, prior to deployment, they can only be fully tested when deployed in specific applications. For example, we sell beryllium-copper alloy strip products in a coil form to some customers, who then stamp the alloy for its specific purpose. On occasion, it is not until such customer stamps the alloy that a defect in the alloy is detected. Consequently, our customers may discover errors after the products have been deployed. The occurrence of any defects, errors, or failures could result in installation delays, product returns, termination of contracts with our customers, diversion of our resources, increased service and warranty costs, and other losses to our customers, end users, or to us. Any of these occurrences could also result in the loss of, or delay in, market acceptance of our products, and could damage our reputation, which could reduce our sales.
In addition to the risk of unanticipated warranty or recall expenses, our customer contracts may contain provisions that could cause us to incur penalties, be liable for damages, including liquidated damages, or incur other expenses, if we experience difficulties with respect to the functionality, deployment, operation, and availability of our products and services. In the event of late deliveries, late or improper installations or operations, failure to meet product or performance specifications or other product defects, or interruptions or delays in our managed service offerings, our customer contracts may expose us to penalties, liquidated damages, and other liabilities. In the event we were to incur contractual penalties, such as liquidated damages or other related costs that exceed our expectations, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
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