CSW Industrials (CSWI) Risk Factors

Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business. The FCPA and these other laws generally prohibit us and our employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. We conduct business in a number of jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA violations, and we participate in relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject us to liability under the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted. We are also subject to other laws and regulations governing our international operations, including regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control and various non-U.S. government entities, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions on countries and persons, customs requirements, currency exchange regulations and transfer pricing regulations (collectively, "Trade Control Laws"). We have and maintain a compliance program with policies, procedures and employee training to help ensure compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and the Trade Control Laws. However, despite our compliance programs, there is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA or other legal requirements, or Trade Control Laws. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control Laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Likewise, any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA, other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control Laws by the U.S. or foreign authorities could also have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to tax laws and regulations in the United States and multiple foreign jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles or interpretations thereof, as well as changes in related interpretations and other tax guidance. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international association of 38 countries including the United States, has proposed changes to numerous long-standing tax principles. These proposals, if finalized and adopted by the associated countries, will likely increase tax uncertainty and may adversely affect our provision for income taxes. The effect of such tax law changes or regulations and interpretations,as well as any additional tax reform legislation in the U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia, Vietnam or elsewhere, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we are also subject to periodic examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. As of March 31, 2024, we had a reserve of $17.0 million relating to uncertain tax positions, and taxing authorities may disagree with the positions we have taken regarding the tax treatment or characterization of our transactions. Although we believe that our tax filing positions are appropriate, the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. If future audits find that additional taxes are due, we may be subject to incremental tax liabilities, possibly including interest and penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Hazards associated with our manufacturing processes and the related storage and transportation of raw materials, products and wastes exist in our operations and the operations of other occupants with whom we share manufacturing sites. These hazards could lead to an interruption or suspension of operations and have an adverse effect on the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility or on us as a whole. These potential risks include, but are not necessarily limited to, spills and other discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, pipeline and storage tank leaks and ruptures, explosions and fires and mechanical failure. These hazards may result in personal injury and loss of life, damage to property and contamination of the environment, which may result in a suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties, including governmental fines, expenses for remediation and claims brought by governmental entities or third parties. The loss or shutdown of operations over an extended period at any of our major operating facilities could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our property, business interruption and casualty insurance may not fully insure us against all potential hazards incidental to our business.

Materials used in our manufacturing operations are generally available on the open market from multiple sources. However, some of the raw materials we use are only available from a limited number of sources. Accordingly, any disruptions to a critical suppliers' operations or the availability of key product inputs could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Macroeconomic conditions have caused supply chains for many companies to be interrupted, slowed or temporarily rendered inoperable. In addition, supply chain shortages have negatively impacted, and could continue to negatively impact, our manufacturing costs and logistics costs and, in turn, our gross margins. We may also be required to pay higher prices for raw materials due to inflationary trends regardless of supply. In addition, inflation can also result in higher interest rates. In response to increasing inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates in March 2022, has done so multiple times since then, and has kept open the possibility of further increases. We expect inflationary pressures to impact customer behavior during calendar year 2024. With inflation, the cost of capital has increased, and the purchasing power of our and our end-users' cash resources has declined. Current or future efforts by the government to manage inflationary pressures or stimulate the economy may result in unintended economic consequences, which could have a direct and indirect adverse impact on our business and results of operations. While we believe many challenges are temporary and can be managed in the near-term, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by prolonged or increasing supply chain disruptions. Availability and cost of raw materials could be affected by a number of factors, including the cost of reliable energy; commodity prices; inflation; tariffs and duties on imported materials; foreign currency exchange rates; and phases of the general business cycle and global demand. We may be unable to pass along price increases to our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We currently have insurance policies for certain business risks, which include property damage, business interruption, operational and product liability, transit, directors' and officers' liability, cybersecurity, industrial accidents and other risks customary in the industries in which we operate. However, we may become subject to liability (including in relation to pollution, occupational illnesses, injury resulting from tampering, product contamination or degeneration or other hazards) against which we have not insured or cannot fully insure. For example, hurricanes may affect our facilities or the failure of our information systems as a result of breakdown, malicious attacks, unauthorized access, viruses or other factors could severely impair several aspects of operations, including, but not limited to, logistics, revenues, customer service and administration. In addition, in the event that a product liability or third-party liability claim is brought against us, we may be required to recall our products in certain jurisdictions if they fail to meet relevant quality or safety standards, and we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in making an insurance claim under our policies or that the claimed proceeds will be sufficient to compensate the actual damages suffered. Should we suffer a major uninsured loss, a product liability judgment against us or a product recall, future earnings could be materially adversely affected. We could be required to increase our debt or divert resources from other investments in our business to discharge product related claims. In addition, adverse publicity in relation to our products could have a significant effect on future revenues, and insurance may not continue to be available at economically acceptable premiums. As a result, our insurance coverage may not cover the full scope and extent of claims against us or losses that we incur.

The industries in which we operate are highly competitive, and we face significant competition from both large domestic and international competitors and from smaller regional competitors. Our competitors may improve their competitive position in our served markets by successfully introducing new or substitute products, improving their manufacturing processes or expanding their capacity or manufacturing facilities. Further, some of our competitors benefit from advantageous cost positions that could make it increasingly difficult for us to compete in markets for less-differentiated applications. If we are unable to keep pace with our competitors' products and manufacturing process innovations or cost position, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

The cyclical nature of the supply and demand balance of certain end markets that we serve, including HVAC/R, general industrial, construction, energy, rail transportation and mining, poses risks to us that are beyond our control and can affect our operating results. These markets are highly competitive; are driven to a large extent by end-use markets; are affected by distributor stocking behaviors; and may experience overcapacity, all of which may affect demand for and pricing of our products and result in volatile operating results and cash flows over our business cycle. Our operations and earnings may also be significantly affected by changes in oil, gas and petrochemical prices and drilling activities, which depend on local, regional and global events or conditions that affect supply and demand for the relevant commodity. Product demand may not be sufficient to utilize current or future capacity. Excess industry capacity may continue to depress our volumes and margins on some products. Our operating results, accordingly, may be volatile as a result of excess industry capacity, as well as from rising energy and raw materials costs.

We depend on the services of domestic and international independent distributors to sell our products and, in many cases, provide service and aftermarket support to end-users of our products. Rather than serving as passive conduits for delivery of products, our distributors play a significant role in determining which of our products are available for purchase either by end-users or by contractors to service end-users. While the use of distributors expands the reach and customer base for our products, the maintenance and administration of distributor relationships is costly and time-consuming. The loss of a substantial number of our distributors for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In certain international jurisdictions, distributors are conferred certain legal rights that could limit our ability to modify or terminate distribution relationships. Many of the distributors with whom we transact business also offer competitors' products and services to our customers. An increase in the distributors' sales of our competitors' products to our customers, or a decrease in the number of our products the distributor makes available for purchase, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We believe that building and maintaining market awareness, brand recognition and goodwill is critical to our success. This will depend largely on our ability to continue to provide high-quality products, and we may not be able to do so effectively. Our efforts in developing our industrial brands may be affected by the marketing efforts of our competitors and our reliance on our independent dealers, distributors and strategic partners to promote our industrial brands effectively. If we are unable to cost-effectively maintain and increase positive awareness of our industrial brands, our businesses, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.

Our served industries and key end markets are affected by changes in economic conditions outside our control, which can affect our business in many ways. Any adverse occurrence, including among others, industry slowdown, recession, public health crises, political instability, costly or constraining government policies, laws and regulations, armed hostilities (including conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine), terrorism, excessive inflation (including the current high inflationary environment), interest rates, tax rates, unemployment rates, high labor costs, labor disturbances, prolonged disruptions in one or more of our customers' production schedules, supply chain disruptions (including those caused by industry capacity constraints, labor shortages, raw material availability and transportation and logistics delays and constraints), business disruptions due to cybersecurity incidents and other economic factors have in the past and could in the future materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results and that of our customers and third-party suppliers. Additionally, adverse changes in economic conditions in the United States and worldwide may reduce the demand for some of our products, adversely impact our ability to predict and meet any future changes in the demand for our products and impair the ability of those with whom we do business to satisfy their obligations to us. Reduced demand may cause us and our competitors to compete on the basis of price, which would have a negative impact on our revenues and profitability. In turn, this could cause us to not be able to satisfy the financial and other covenants to which we are subject under our existing indebtedness. Reduced demand may also hinder our growth plans and otherwise delay or impede execution of our long-term strategic plan and capital allocation strategy. If there is deterioration in the general economy or in the industries we serve, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We have worldwide sales and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia, including Vietnam. We also use third parties to manufacture certain of our products, most of which are located in jurisdictions outside the United States, including China. Foreign sales and manufacturing are subject to a number of risks, including political and economic uncertainty, social unrest, sudden changes in laws and regulations (including those enacted in response to pandemics and those that may be related to climate change or otherwise), ability to enforce existing or future contracts, labor shortages and work stoppages, natural disasters, currency exchange rate fluctuations, transportation delays or loss or damage to products in transit, expropriation, nationalization, business disruptions due to cybersecurity incidents, compliance with foreign laws and changes in domestic and foreign governmental policies, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs and duties on exported and imported products. To the extent that we rely on independent third parties to perform sales and manufacturing functions, we do not directly control their activity, including product delivery schedules and quality assurance, which may result in product shortages or quality assurance problems that could delay shipments of products, increase manufacturing, assembly, testing or other costs, or tarnishing the value of our brand or relationships with our customers. If a third party sales representative or manufacturer experiences capacity constraints or financial difficulties, suffers damage to its facilities, experiences power outages, natural disasters, labor shortages or labor strikes, or any other disruption, we may not be able to obtain alternative resources in a timely manner or on commercially acceptable terms. Any of these factors could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

While we seek to mitigate our business risks associated with climate change, we recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted, and climate change could create physical and financial risk to our business. Physical risks from climate change could, among other things, include an increase in extreme weather events (such as floods, droughts, tornadoes or hurricanes), limitations on availability of water and reliable energy, and the health and well-being of individuals in communities where we conduct business. Such events have the potential to disrupt our business, our third-party suppliers or the businesses of our customers, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations are conducted in many countries. The results of the operations and the financial position of these subsidiaries are reported in the relevant foreign currencies and then translated into U.S. dollars at the applicable exchange rates for inclusion in our consolidated financial statements. The main currencies to which we are exposed, besides the U.S. dollar, are primarily the Australian dollar, the British pound, the Canadian dollar and the Vietnamese dong. The exchange rates between these currencies and the U.S. dollar in recent years have fluctuated significantly and may continue to do so in the future for a variety of reasons, including general economic conditions and event-driven circumstances. A depreciation of these currencies against the U.S. dollar will decrease the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts derived from these operations reported in our consolidated financial statements, and an appreciation of these currencies will result in a corresponding increase in such amounts. Because many of our raw material costs are determined with respect to the U.S. dollar rather than these currencies, depreciation of these currencies may have an adverse effect on our profit margins or our reported results of operations. Conversely, to the extent that we are required to pay for goods or services in foreign currencies, the appreciation of such currencies against the U.S. dollar will tend to negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, currency fluctuations may affect the comparability of our results of operations between financial periods. We incur currency transaction risk whenever we enter into either a purchase or sale transaction using a currency other than the local currency of the transacting entity. Given the volatility of exchange rates, there can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively manage our currency transaction risks, that our hedging activities will be effective or that any volatility in currency exchange rates will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

A failure to develop commercially successful products or product enhancements or to identify product extensions could materially adversely affect our financial results. If our attempts to develop or enhance products are unsuccessful, we may be unable to recover our development costs, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, our inability to enhance or develop products that can meet the evolving needs of our customers could cause our products to lag behind those of new or existing competitors, could reduce demand for our products and may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our ability to protect and preserve our trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual property and proprietary information relating to our business is an important factor to our success. However, we may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property and other proprietary information without our authorization or from independently developing intellectual property and other proprietary information that is similar to ours, particularly in those countries where the laws do not protect our proprietary rights to the same degree as in the U.S. In addition, because certain of our products are manufactured by third parties, we have necessarily shared some of our intellectual property with those third parties. There can be no guarantee that those third parties, some of whom are located in jurisdictions where intellectual property risks may be more pronounced, will comply with contractual and other legal commitments to preserve and protect our intellectual property. The use of our intellectual property and other proprietary information by others could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage we have developed, potentially causing us to lose sales or otherwise harm our business. If it becomes necessary for us to litigate to protect these rights, any proceedings could be burdensome and costly, and we may not prevail. Our intellectual property may not provide us with any competitive advantage and may be challenged by third parties. Moreover, our competitors may already hold or in the future may hold intellectual property rights in the U.S. or abroad that, if enforced or issued, could possibly prevail over our rights or otherwise limit our ability to manufacture or sell one or more of our products in the U.S. or internationally. Despite our efforts, we may be sued for infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. This litigation is costly and, even if we prevail, the costs of such litigation could adversely affect our financial condition. Adequate remedies may not be available in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. The loss of employees who have specialized knowledge and expertise could harm our competitive position and cause our revenues and operating results to decline as a result of increased competition. In addition, others may obtain knowledge of our trade secrets through independent development or other access by legal means.

In the ordinary course of our business, we store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our employees in our information technology systems, including in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this data is critical to our operations. Some of these systems are maintained or operated by third-party contractors, including cloud-based systems. Despite our efforts to secure our information systems from cyber-security attacks or breaches, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached or disrupted due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. If these technologies, systems, products or services are damaged, cease to function properly, are compromised due to employee or third-party contractor error, user error, malfeasance, system errors, or other vulnerabilities, or are subject to cybersecurity attacks, such as those involving denial of service attacks, unauthorized access, malicious software, or other intrusions, including by criminals, nation states or insiders, our business may be adversely impacted. The impacts of any such circumstances could include production downtimes, operational delays, and other impacts on our operations and ability to provide products and services to our customers; compromise of confidential, proprietary or otherwise protected information, including personal information and customer confidential data; destruction, corruption, or theft of data or intellectual property; manipulation, disruption, or improper use of these technologies, systems, products or services; financial losses from fraudulent transactions, remedial actions, loss of business or potential liability; adverse media coverage; and legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations, actions and fines; and damage to our reputation. There has been a rise in the number of cyberattacks targeting confidential business information generally and in the manufacturing industry specifically. Moreover, there has been a rise in the number of cyberattacks that depend on human error or manipulation, including phishing attacks or schemes that use social engineering to gain access to systems or perpetuate wire transfer or other frauds. These trends increase the likelihood of such events occurring as well as the costs associated with protecting against such attacks. Although such attempts have been made to attack our information technology systems, no material harm has resulted. Any such attack, breach or disruption could compromise our information technology systems and the information stored in them could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen and our business operations could be disrupted. Additionally, any significant disruption or slowdown of our systems could cause customers to cancel orders or cause standard business processes to become inefficient or ineffective, which could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information or business disruption could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and damage to our reputation, which could adversely impact our operations. The domestic and international regulatory environment related to information security, collection and privacy is increasingly rigorous and complex, with new and rapidly changing requirements applicable to our business, which often require changes to our business practices. Compliance with these new requirements, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, the California Privacy Rights Act, and other international and domestic regulations, are costly and will result in additional costs in our efforts to continue to comply.