PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before investing in our common stock you should carefully consider the following risks, together with the financial and other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of may become important factors that affect us. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial conditions and operating results may be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock may decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Summary of Risk Factors Below is a summary of the principal factors that make an investment in our common stock speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, before making an investment decision regarding our common stock. ● We are vulnerable to economic downturns in the commercial construction market, which may reduce the demand for some of our products and adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition; ● The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our business; ● Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can cause our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time; ● Our industry is highly competitive; ● We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from two customers. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results; ● Our remaining business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our cash; ● The departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business; ● Fluctuations in the price and supply of raw materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits; ● We may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog; ● We are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers; ● Deterioration in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition; ● We rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control; ● Supply chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product costs and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition; ● Our business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our business, and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems we rely on) are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time; 8 ● Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees; ● Our business operations are dependent upon our ability to engage in successful collective bargaining with our unionized workforce; ● Delaware law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable; ● The trading volume of our common stock has recently increased to a level that is significantly higher than our historical average. If the trading volume of our common stock decreases, we will not be able to ensure investors that an active market for our common stock will be sustained; ● Our stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors; ● Our risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks; ● Regulatory, environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability; ● Global, market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price; ● We face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition; ● Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline; ● We are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and resources may not be adequately prepared; ● There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected; ● Any acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operations; ● The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions; ● If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to take write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment; ● We may be unable to generate internal growth; and ● In the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted, which could affect our market price and liquidity. Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry We are vulnerable to economic downturns in the commercial construction market, which may reduce the demand for some of our products and adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition. A large portion of our business involves sales of our products in connection with commercial and industrial construction. Our sales to this sector are affected by the level of discretionary business spending. During economic downturns in this sector, the level of business discretionary spending may decrease. This decrease in spending will likely reduce the demand for some of our products and may adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition. 9 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our business. The ongoing global coronavirus pandemic could have a negative impact on our revenues and operating results. This pandemic could result in disruptions and damage to our business, caused by both the negative impact to our ability to obtain cost effective raw materials, supplies and component parts necessary to operate our business and the negative impact on our ability to operate our facility should the coronavirus spread more broadly in the regions we are located, thereby creating an increased risk of exposure to our workforce which cannot operate our facility remotely. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude that the pandemic will have on our financial condition, liquidity, and future results of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced an impact to productivity as a result of implementing social distancing guidelines and personal protective measures. Notwithstanding, the Company has been able to operate substantially at capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the daily evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global responses to contain its spread, we are not able to estimate the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, however, if the pandemic continues, it may continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. Mitigation efforts will not completely prevent our business from being adversely affected, and the longer the pandemic impacts supply and demand and the more broadly the pandemic spreads, it is more likely that the impact on our business, revenues and operating results will become increasingly negative. In addition, the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, resulting in an economic downturn that could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can cause our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time. Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control and have the potential to materially and adversely affect our results. Factors that affect our operating results include the following: ● the size, timing and terms of sales and orders, especially large customer orders; ● variations caused by customers delaying, deferring or canceling purchase orders or making smaller purchases than expected; ● the timing and volume of work under new agreements; ● the spending patterns of customers; ● customer orders received; ● a change in the mix of our products having different margins; ● a change in the mix of our customers, contracts and business; ● increases in design and manufacturing costs; ● the length of our sales cycles; ● the rates at which customers renew their contracts with us; 10 ● changes in pricing by us or our competitors, or the need to provide discounts to win business; ● a change in the demand or production of our products caused by severe weather conditions; ● our ability to control costs, including operating expenses; ● losses experienced in our operations not otherwise covered by insurance; ● the ability and willingness of customers to pay amounts owed to us; ● the timing of significant investments in the growth of our business, as the revenue and profit we hope to generate from those expenses may lag behind the timing of expenditures; ● costs related to the acquisition and integration of companies or assets; ● general economic trends, including changes in equipment spending or national or geopolitical events such as economic crises, wars or incidents of terrorism; and ● future accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting policies. Accordingly, our operating results in any particular quarter may not be indicative of the results that you can expect for any other quarter or for an entire year. Our industry is highly competitive. The electrical equipment manufacturing industry is highly competitive. Principal competitors in our markets in the T&D Solutions segment include Crown Electric Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC, Industrial Electric Machinery, LLC, and RESA Power, LLC, Powell Industries, Inc. Many of these competitors, as well as other companies in the broader electrical equipment manufacturing and service industry where we expect to compete, are significantly larger and have substantially greater resources than we do and are able to achieve greater economies of scale and lower cost structures than us and may, therefore, be able to provide their products and services to customers at lower prices than we are able to. Moreover, our competitors could develop the expertise, experience and resources to offer products that are superior in both price and quality to our products. While we seek to compete by providing more customized, highly-engineered products, there are few technical or other barriers to prevent much larger companies in our industry from putting more emphasis on this same strategy. Similarly, we cannot be certain that we will be able to market our business effectively in the face of competition or to maintain or enhance our competitive position within our industry, maintain our customer base at current levels or increase our customer base. Our inability to manage our business in light of the competitive forces we face could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from two customers. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. We depend on two customers for a large portion of our business, and any change in the level of orders from either of these customers could have a significant impact on our results of operations. CleanSpark accounted for 22% of our total sales in the year ended December 31, 2021. Additionally, approximately 19% of our sales in the year ended December 31, 2021 were made to a large international container shipping company in Hawaii. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. The majority of our sales to CleanSpark were made pursuant to the Contract Manufacturing Agreement that was entered into as part of the Merger Agreement. The Contract Manufacturing agreement expired during the third quarter of 2020. In connection with the expiry of the Contract Manufacturing Agreement, we entered into a Distribution Agreement with CleanSpark dated as of May 31, 2021, pursuant to which CleanSpark will serve as our exclusive distributor of the Products within any geographic region in which CleanSpark conducts its business. See “Item 1. Business—Customers”. Our remaining business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our cash. After the completion of the Equity Transaction during the year ended December 31, 2019, we have two business units remaining (PCEP and Titan). These two units have been unable to earn positive income and generate positive cash flow in their recent history. With $9.9 million of cash as of December 31, 2021, any such losses will negatively impact our cash balance. The departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business. We depend heavily on the continued efforts of Nathan J. Mazurek, our principal executive officer, and on other senior officers who are responsible for the day-to-day management of our operating subsidiaries. In addition, we rely on our current electrical and mechanical design engineers, many of whom are important to our operations and would be difficult to replace. We cannot be certain that any of these individuals will continue in their respective capacities for any particular period of time. The departure or loss of key personnel, or the inability to hire and retain qualified employees, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business. Fluctuations in the price and supply of raw materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits. Our raw material costs represented approximately 53% and 54% of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The principal raw materials purchased by us are copper, sensors, breakers, meters, relays, switches, fuses, protectors and circuit breakers. These raw materials and components are available from, and supplied by, numerous sources at competitive prices. Unanticipated increases in raw material prices or disruptions in supply could increase production costs and adversely affect our profitability. We cannot provide any assurances that we will not experience difficulties sourcing our raw materials in the future. 11 We may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog. We routinely have a backlog of work to be completed on contracts representing a significant portion of our annual sales. As of December 31, 2021, our order backlog was $22.8 million. Orders included in our backlog are represented by customer purchase orders and service contracts that we believe to be firm. Backlog consists of customer orders that either (1) have not yet been started or (2) are in progress and are not yet completed. In the latter case, the revenue value reported in backlog is the remaining value associated with work that has not yet been billed. From time to time, customer orders are canceled that appeared to have a high certainty of going forward at the time they were recorded as new business taken. In the event of a customer order cancellation, we may be reimbursed for certain costs but typically have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. In addition to us being unable to recover certain direct costs, canceled customer orders may also result in additional unrecoverable costs due to the resulting underutilization of our assets. We are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers. We face significant pricing pressures in all of our business segments from our larger customers. Because of their purchasing size, our larger customers can influence market participants to compete on price terms. Such customers also use their buying power to negotiate lower prices. If we are not able to offset pricing reductions resulting from these pressures by improved operating efficiencies and reduced expenditures, those price reductions may have an adverse impact on our financial results. Deterioration in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. A significant asset included in our working capital is accounts receivable from customers. If customers responsible for a significant amount of accounts receivable become insolvent or are otherwise unable to pay for products and services, or become unwilling or unable to make payments in a timely manner, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. A significant deterioration in the economy could have an adverse effect on these accounts receivable, which could result in longer payment cycles, increased collection costs and defaults in excess of management’s expectations. Deterioration in the credit quality of our major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. We rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control. We rely on arrangements with third-party shippers and carriers such as independent shipping companies for timely delivery of our products to our customers. As a result, we may be subject to carrier disruptions and increased costs due to factors that are beyond our control, including labor strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters and rapidly increasing fuel costs. If the services of any of these third parties become unsatisfactory, we may experience delays in meeting our customers’ product demands and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement on a timely basis or on commercially reasonable terms. Any failure to deliver products to our customers in a timely and accurate manner may damage our reputation and could cause us to lose customers. We also utilize third-party distributors to sell, install and service certain of our products. While we are selective in whom we choose to represent us, it is difficult for us to ensure that our distributors consistently act in accordance with the standards we set for them. To the extent any of our end-customers have negative experiences with any of our distributors or manufacturer’s representatives; it could reflect poorly on us and damage our reputation, thereby negatively impacting our financial results. Supply chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product costs and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Our third-party manufacturers and suppliers have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, supply chain disruption and shipping disruptions, including disruptions or delays in loading container cargo in ports of origin or off-loading cargo at ports of destination, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, congestion in port terminal facilities, labor supply and shipping container shortages, inadequate equipment and persons to load, dock and offload container vessels and for other reasons. These disruptions may impact our ability to receive materials and products from our manufacturers and suppliers, to distribute our products to our customers in a cost-effective and timely manner and to meet customer demand, all of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that further unforeseen events impacting the supply chain will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future. Additionally, the impacts that supply chain disruptions have on our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are not within our control. It is not currently possible to predict how long it will take for these supply chain disruptions to cease or ease. Prolonged supply chain disruptions that may impact us or our manufacturers and suppliers could interrupt product manufacturing, increase raw material and product lead times, increase raw material and product costs, impact our ability to meet customer demand and result in lost sales and reputational damage, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our business, and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems we rely on) are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time. We rely on information systems (“IS”) in our business to obtain, rapidly process, analyze, manage and store data to among other things: ● receive, process and ship orders on a timely basis; and ● manage the accurate billing and collections from our customers. IS risks have generally increased in recent years, and a cyberattack that bypasses our IS security systems causing an IS security breach may lead to a material disruption of our business operations and/or the loss of business information resulting in a material effect on our business. 12 In addition, we develop products and provide services to our customers that are technology-based, and a cyberattack that bypasses the IS security systems of our products or services causing a security breach and/or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products or services could also cause significant reputational harm, and actual or perceived vulnerabilities may lead to claims against us by our customers. Perceived or actual security vulnerabilities in our products or services, or the perceived or actual failure by us or our customers who use our products to comply with applicable legal requirements, may not only cause us significant reputational harm, but may also lead to claims against us by our customers and involve fines and penalties, costs for remediation, and settlement expenses. Our IS utilize certain third-party service organizations that manage a portion of our information systems, and our business may be materially affected if these third-party service organizations are subject to an IS security breach. Risks associated with these and other IS security breaches may include, among other things: ● future results could be materially affected due to theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential data or intellectual property; ● operational or business delays resulting from the disruption of information systems and subsequent clean-up and mitigation activities; ● we may incur claims, fines and penalties, and costs for remediation, or substantial defense and settlement expenses; and ● negative publicity resulting in reputation or brand damage with our customers, partners or industry peers. We have various insurance policies, covering risks in amounts that we consider adequate. There can be no assurance that the insurance coverage we maintain is sufficient or will be available in adequate amounts or at a reasonable cost. Successful claims for misappropriation or release of confidential or personal data brought against us in excess of available insurance or fines or other penalties assessed or any claim that results in significant adverse publicity against us could have a material adverse effect on our business and our reputation. Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees. Our ability to maintain our productivity and profitability will be limited by our ability to employ, train and retain skilled personnel necessary to meet our requirements. We may experience shortages of qualified personnel. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain an adequate skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently and to support our growth strategy or that our labor expenses will not increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel. Labor shortages, increased labor costs or loss of our most skilled workers could impair our ability to deliver on time to our customers (thereby creating a risk that we lose our customers to competition) and would inhibit our ability to maintain our business or grow our revenues, and may adversely impact our profitability. An overall tightening and increasingly competitive labor market, notably in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been recently observed in the U.S. A sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our employee base, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of general macroeconomic factors, could lead to increased costs, such as increased wage rates to attract and retain employees, and could negatively affect our ability to efficiently operate our manufacturing facilities and overall business. If we are unable to hire and retain employees capable of performing at a high-level, or if mitigation measures we may take to respond to a decrease in labor availability, such as overtime and third-party outsourcing, have unintended negative effects, our business could be adversely affected. An overall labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of general macroeconomic factors, could have a material adverse impact on our operations, results of operations, liquidity or cash flows. Our business operations are dependent upon our ability to engage in successful collective bargaining with our unionized workforce. If we are unable to renew our collective bargaining agreements, or if additional segments of our workforce become unionized, we may be subject to work interruptions or stoppages. Strikes or labor disputes with our employees may adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. Risks Relating to Our Organization Delaware law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable. Our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the voting powers, preferences and other rights and limitations of the preferred stock. Accordingly, we may issue shares of preferred stock with a preference over our common stock with respect to dividends or distributions on liquidation or dissolution, or that may otherwise adversely affect the voting or other rights of the holders of common stock. Issuances of preferred stock, depending upon the rights, preferences and designations of the preferred stock, may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control, even if that change of control might benefit our stockholders. In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or (iii) on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. 13 Section 203 could delay or prohibit mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price. Risks Relating to our Common Stock The trading volume of our common stock has recently increased to a level that is significantly higher than our historical average. If the trading volume of our common stock decreases, we will not be able to ensure investors that an active market for our common stock will be sustained. The trading volume of our common stock spiked significantly in Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, and our common stock has continued to trade at higher volumes than our historical average. We do not know why the trading volume of our common stock has spiked significantly; we believe, however, that the sharp spike in the trading volume of our common stock is the result of a number of factors outside our control, including recent volatility in the stock market, which continues to remain unpredictable. There has been no recent change in our financial condition or results of operations that is consistent with the increase in the trading volume of our common stock, and the recent spike in the trading volume of our common stock may not be sustained. In the event of a rapid decrease in the trading volume of our common stock, there can be no assurance that an active trading market in our common stock could be maintained, and any illiquidity resulting from such a decrease in the trading volume of our common stock may result in the market price not accurately reflecting our relative value. If our common stock were to be thinly traded, even limited trading in our common stock could lead, as it has at times in the past, to dramatic fluctuations in share price, and investors might not be able to liquidate their investment in us at all or at a price that reflects the value of the business. General Risk Factors Our stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors. The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following: ● technological innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors; ● additions or departures of key personnel, including Nathan J. Mazurek, our chairman, president and chief executive officer; ● sales of our common stock, including management shares; ● limited availability of freely-tradable “unrestricted” shares of our common stock to satisfy purchase orders and demand; ● our ability to execute our business plan; ● operating results that fall below expectations; ● loss of any strategic relationship; ● industry developments; ● economic and other external factors; ● our ability to manage the costs of maintaining adequate internal financial controls and procedures in connection with the acquisition of additional businesses; ● period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results; and ● announcements of acquisitions. In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also significantly affect the market price of our common stock. Our risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks. Although we maintain insurance policies for our business, these policies contain deductibles and limits of coverage. We estimate our liabilities for known claims and unpaid claims and expenses based on information available as well as projections for claims incurred but not reported. However, insurance liabilities are difficult to estimate due to various factors and we may be unable to effectively anticipate or measure potential risks to our company. If we suffer unexpected or uncovered losses, any of our insurance policies or programs are terminated for any reason or are not effective in mitigating our risks, we may incur losses that are not covered by our insurance policies or that exceed our accruals or that exceed our coverage limits and could adversely impact our consolidated results of operations, cash flows and financial position. 14 Regulatory, environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. We are subject to international, federal, provincial, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental matters, including emissions to air, discharge to waters and the generation and handling of waste. We are also subject to laws relating to occupational health and safety. The operation of manufacturing plants involves a high level of susceptibility in these areas, and there is no assurance that we will not incur material environmental or occupational health and safety liabilities in the future. Moreover, expectations of remediation expenses could be affected by, and potentially significant expenditures could be required to comply with, environmental regulations and health and safety laws that may be adopted or imposed in the future. Future remediation technology advances could adversely impact expectations of remediation expenses. We can give no assurance that any lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results. Types of potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related, labor relations, personal injury or property damage, intellectual property, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or damage to persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business. Adverse outcomes in some or all of these claims may result in significant monetary damages that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. Global, market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price. Concerns over inflation, geopolitical issues, the U.S. financial markets, capital and exchange controls, unstable global credit markets and financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to periods of significant economic instability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, diminished expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth going forward, and increased unemployment rates. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturns, volatile business environments and continued unstable or unpredictable economic and market conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate or do not improve, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, more costly, and more dilutive. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our current or future service providers, manufacturers, suppliers, our third-party payors, and other partners could be negatively affected by difficult economic times, which could adversely affect our ability to attain our operating goals on schedule and on budget or meet our business and financial objectives. In addition, we face several risks associated with international business and are subject to global events beyond our control, including war, public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics, trade disputes, economic sanctions, trade wars and their collateral impacts and other international events. Any of these changes could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations. There may be changes to our business if there is instability, disruption or destruction in a significant geographic region, regardless of cause, including war, terrorism, riot, civil insurrection or social unrest; and natural or man-made disasters, including famine, flood, fire, earthquake, storm or disease. In February 2022, armed conflict escalated between Russia and Ukraine. The sanctions announced by the U.S. and other countries, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine against Russia to date include restrictions on selling or importing goods, services or technology in or from affected regions and travel bans and asset freezes impacting connected individuals and political, military, business and financial organizations in Russia. The U.S. and other countries could impose wider sanctions and take other actions should the conflict further escalate. It is not possible to predict the broader consequences of this conflict, which could include further sanctions, embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts and adverse effects on macroeconomic conditions, currency exchange rates and financial markets, all of which could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. We face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition. Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be affected by significant litigation or claims adverse to us. Types of potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related, labor relations, personal injury or property damage, intellectual property, trade secret or unfair competition claims, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or damage to persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business. Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline. Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public market could harm the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of common stock. Our stockholders and the holders of our options and warrants may sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market. The availability of these shares of our common stock for resale in the public market has the potential to cause the supply of our common stock to exceed investor demand, thereby decreasing the price of our common stock. In addition, the fact that our stockholders, option holders and warrant holders can sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, could make it more difficult for us to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate. We are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and resources may not be adequately prepared. We are subject to reporting and other obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Section 404 requires us to conduct an annual management assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. These reporting and other obligations place significant demands on our management, administrative, operational, internal audit and accounting resources. Any failure to maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock price. In addition, our internal controls will also include those of any company or business that we may acquire in the future. Acquired companies or businesses are likely to have different standards, controls, contracts, procedures and policies, making it more difficult to implement and harmonize company-wide financial, accounting, information and other systems. As a result, our internal controls may become more complex and we may require significantly more resources to ensure they remain effective. Failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, either in our existing business or in businesses that we may acquire, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. 15 There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected. The ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require us to identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, which is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our internal controls and disclosure controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, in our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may be inadequate because of changes in conditions, such as growth of the company or increased transaction volume, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected. In addition, discovery and disclosure of a material weakness, by definition, could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Such an occurrence could discourage certain customers or suppliers from doing business with us and adversely affect how our stock trades. This could in turn negatively affect our ability to access equity markets for capital. Any acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operations. In an effort to effectively compete in the specialty electrical equipment manufacturing and service businesses, where increasing competition and industry consolidation prevail, we have sought to acquire complementary businesses in the past and will continue to do so in the future. In the event of any future acquisitions, we could: ● issue additional securities that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership or provide the purchasers of the additional securities with certain preferences over those of common stockholders, such as dividend or liquidation preferences; ● incur debt and assume liabilities; and ● incur large and immediate write-offs of intangible assets, accounts receivable or other assets. These events could result in significant expenses and decreased revenue, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, integrating acquired businesses and completing any future acquisitions involve numerous operational and financial risks. These risks include difficulty in assimilating acquired operations, diversion of management’s attention, and the potential loss of key employees or customers of acquired operations. Furthermore, companies acquired by us may not generate financial results consistent with our management’s plans at the time of acquisition. The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions. We continue to evaluate the potential disposition of assets and businesses that may no longer help us meet our objectives. When we decide to sell assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty in finding buyers or executing alternative exit strategies on acceptable terms in a timely manner, which could delay the accomplishment of our strategic objectives. Alternatively, we may dispose of a business at a price or on terms that are less than we had anticipated, or with the exclusion of assets that must be divested separately. After reaching an agreement with a buyer for the disposition of a business, the transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of pre-closing conditions, which may prevent us from completing the transaction. Dispositions may also involve continued financial involvement in the divested business, such as through continuing equity ownership, transition service agreements, guarantees, indemnities or other current or contingent financial obligations. Under these arrangements, performance by the divested businesses or other conditions outside our control could affect our future financial results. If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to take write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment. As part of our acquisition strategy, we will need to conduct a due diligence investigation of one or more target businesses. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. We may have limited time to conduct such due diligence. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business that we acquire, we cannot assure you that this diligence will uncover all material issues relating to a particular target business, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in us reporting losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants that we may be subject to as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. 16 We may be unable to generate internal growth. Our ability to generate internal growth will be affected by, among other factors, our ability to attract new customers, increases or decreases in the number or size of orders received from existing customers, hiring and retaining skilled employees and increasing volume utilizing our existing facilities. Many of the factors affecting our ability to generate internal growth may be beyond our control, and we cannot be certain that our strategies will be implemented with positive results or that we will be able to generate cash flow sufficient to fund our operations and to support internal growth. If we do not achieve internal growth, our results of operations will suffer and we will likely not be able to expand our operations or grow our business. In the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted, which could affect our market price and liquidity. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In order to maintain the listing of Pioneer Power’s common stock on NASDAQ, Pioneer Power’s common stock must comply with certain continued listing requirements, including having: ● at least two registered and active market makers, one of which may be a market maker entering a stabilizing bid; ● a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 per share; ● at least 300 total holders (including both beneficial holders and holders of record, but excluding any holder who is directly or indirectly an executive officer, director or the beneficial holder of more than 10% of the total shares outstanding); and ● at least 500,000 publicly held shares with a market value of at least $1.0 million (excluding any shares held directly or indirectly by officers, directors or any person who is the beneficial owner of more than 10% of the total shares outstanding). ● Pioneer Power must also meet at least one of the following continued listing standards: ● stockholders’ equity of at least $2.5 million; ● market value of Pioneer Power’s common stock of at least $35 million; or ● net income from continuing operations of $500,000 in the most recently completed fiscal year or in two of the three most recently completed fiscal years. No assurances can be given that Pioneer Power will continue to satisfy these requirements as some of these requirements are outside of Pioneer Power’s direct control, such as the bid price of its common stock, the number of holders of its common stock and the value of its publicly held shares. If Pioneer Power is unable to meet these requirements, NASDAQ may take action to delist Pioneer Power’s common stock. In such a case, Pioneer Power may appeal NASDAQ’s determination to delist its common stock, but such appeal may not be successful. If Pioneer Power’s common stock is delisted from NASDAQ, Pioneer Power expects that its common stock would begin trading on the over-the-counter markets. The delisting of Pioneer Power’s common stock could result in a reduction in its trading price and would substantially limit the liquidity of Pioneer Power’s common stock. In addition, delisting could materially adversely impact Pioneer Power’s ability to raise capital or pursue strategic restructuring, refinancing or other transactions. Delisting from NASDAQ could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of confidence by institutional investors. ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS. Not applicable.