Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market Risk
• Foreign Currency Risk
Our financial results are affected by changes in foreign exchange rates and economic conditions in foreign countries in which we operate. Our primary overseas markets are in Europe and Asia, thus exposing us to exchange rate risk from fluctuations in the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Korean won and certain other currencies. We seek to mitigate exposure to variability in currency exchange rates, when possible, through the use of natural hedges, whereby purchases and sales in the same foreign currency and with similar maturity dates offset one another. We further seek to mitigate this exposure through hedging activities by entering into foreign exchange forward contracts with third parties when the use of natural hedges is not possible or desirable. We currently do not use derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. We monitor foreign exchange risks and at times manage such risks on specific transactions. Our risk management process primarily uses analytical techniques and sensitivity analysis. In 2023, a 10% strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies would have resulted in a decrease to net sales of approximately $41 million, while a 10% weakening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies would have resulted in an increase to net sales of approximately $51 million. The impacts to net income in either scenario would have been less than $1 million. These impacts are not reflective of the effects of our foreign currency forward contracts.
• Interest Rate Risk
As of December 31, 2023, we had $30.0 million in borrowings outstanding under our revolving credit facility. The interest charged on these borrowings fluctuates with movements in the benchmark SOFR. As of December 31, 2023, the interest rate on our revolving credit facility was 7.10%, and a 100 basis point increase in SOFR would have increased the amount of interest expense by approximately $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.
• Commodity Risk
We are subject to fluctuations in the cost of raw materials used to manufacture our materials and products. In particular, we are exposed to market fluctuations in commodity pricing as we utilize certain materials, such as copper and ceramic, which are key materials in certain of our products. In order to minimize the risk of market driven price changes in these commodities, we utilize hedging strategies to insulate us against price fluctuations of copper, the most frequently used commodity in our manufacturing processes. We currently do not use hedging strategies to minimize the risk of price fluctuations on other commodity-based raw materials; however, we regularly review such strategies to hedge market risk on an ongoing basis.
For additional discussion, refer to “Note 3 – Derivatives and Hedging” to “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”
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