Flowserve (FLS) Risk Analysis

We currently have significant net deferred tax assets resulting from tax credit carryforwards, net operating losses and other deductible temporary differences that are available to reduce taxable income in future periods. Based on our assessment of our deferred tax assets, we determined, based on projected future income and certain available tax planning strategies, that approximately $264 million of our deferred tax assets will more likely than not be realized in the future, and no valuation allowance is currently required for this portion of our deferred tax assets. Should we determine in the future that these assets are not more likely than not to be realized, we will be required to record an additional valuation allowance in connection with these deferred tax assets and our operating results would be adversely affected in the period such determination is made. In addition, tax law changes could negatively impact our deferred tax assets.

A substantial portion of our operations is conducted and located outside the United States. We have manufacturing, sales or service facilities in approximately 50 countries and sell to customers in over 90 countries, in addition to the United States. Moreover, we primarily source certain of our manufacturing and engineering functions, raw materials and components from China, Eastern Europe, India and Latin America. Accordingly, our business and results of operations are subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including: - instability in a specific country's or region's political or economic conditions, particularly economic conditions in Europe and Latin America, and political conditions in the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, Latin America, the Trans-Pacific region and other emerging markets;- trade protection measures, such as the threat of imposition of tariffs, and import and export licensing and control requirements, or other trade restrictions, as well as any retaliatory actions;- political, financial market or economic instability relating to epidemics or pandemics;- uncertainties related to any geopolitical, economic and regulatory effects or changes due to recent or upcoming domestic and international elections;- the imposition of governmental economic sanctions on countries in which we do business;- potentially negative consequences from changes in tax laws or tax examinations;- difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations;- increased aging and slower collection of receivables, particularly in Latin America and other emerging markets;- difficulty of enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through some foreign legal systems;- differing and, in some cases, more stringent labor regulations;- potentially negative consequences from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;- partial or total expropriation;- differing protection of intellectual property;- inability to repatriate income or capital; and - difficulty in administering and enforcing corporate policies, which may be different than the customary business practices of local cultures. For example, political unrest or work stoppages negatively impact the demand for our products from customers in affected countries and other customers, such as U.S. oil refineries, that are affected by the resulting disruption in the supply of crude oil. Similarly, military conflicts in Russia/Ukraine, the Middle East, Asia and North Africa, as well as the current and developing geopolitical tensions between the United States and Venezuela, could soften the level of capital investment and demand for our products and services. We have experienced logistics disruptions as a result of the Israel-Hamas war that have increased expenses and delayed import of our products in the region. The conflict is ongoing and the length, impact, and outcome is highly unpredictable. If the conflict further intensifies or develops, it could have an adverse impact on our business operations in the Middle East or other affected areas. In response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, several countries, including the United States, have imposed economic sanctions and export controls on certain industry sectors and parties in Russia. As a result of this conflict, including the aforementioned sanctions and overall instability in the region, in March 2022 we permanently ceased all Company operations in Russia. See Note 1, "Significant Accounting Policies and Accounting Developments," to our consolidated financial statements included in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplemental Data" of this Annual Report for further discussion of the termination of our Russian operations. In order to manage our day-to-day operations, we must overcome cultural and language barriers and assimilate different business practices. In addition, we are required to create compensation programs, employment policies and other administrative programs that comply with laws of multiple countries. We also must communicate and monitor standards and directives across our global network. In addition, emerging markets pose other uncertainties, including challenges to our ability to protect our intellectual property, pressure on the pricing of our products and increased risk of political instability, and may prefer local suppliers because of existing relationships, local restrictions or incentives. Our failure to successfully manage our geographically diverse operations could impair our ability to react quickly to changing business and market conditions and to enforce compliance with standards and procedures. Additionally, increasing tensions between the United States and China may result in further restrictions or actions by the U.S. government with respect to doing business in China or by the Chinese government with respect to business conducted by foreign entities in China, which could impact certain of our manufacturing operations, as well as supply for our raw materials and components. Our future success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks associated with our international operations. Any of these factors could, however, materially adversely affect our international operations and, consequently, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

As a global company with a large international footprint, we are subject to increased risk of damage or disruption to us, our employees, facilities, partners, suppliers, distributors, resellers or customers due to, among other things, terrorist acts, conflicts (including as a result of geopolitical uncertainty and/or conflicts in the countries and/or regions where we operate, including the Middle East, Ukraine, the European Union and the Trans-Pacific region), severe weather conditions, the potential physical effects of climate change, and other natural or manmade disasters, including power outages, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, rising sea levels, explosions, cyber-based attacks, epidemics or pandemics, labor disputes, and acts of God wherever located around the world. The potential for future such events, the national and international responses to such events or perceived threats to national security, and other actual or potential conflicts or wars, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Hamas war, ongoing instability in Middle East, and heightened political and economic tensions involving the United States and Venezuela, have created many economic and political uncertainties. In addition, as a global company with headquarters and significant operations located in the United States, actions against or by the United States, such as the imposition of new U.S. tariffs and any retaliatory tariffs, may impact our business or employees. Changes in general economic conditions or any of the foregoing events, or our inability to accurately forecast these changes or events or mitigate the impact of these conditions on our business, could materially adversely affect us. See also the discussion below under the heading "Economic, political and other risks associated with international operations could adversely affect our business."

The success of new and improved products and services depends on their initial and continued acceptance by our customers. Our businesses are affected by varying degrees of technological change and corresponding shifts in customer demand, which result in unpredictable product transitions, shortened life cycles and increased importance of being first to market with new products and services. Difficulties or delays in the research, development, production and/or marketing of new products and services or adoption of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to continue to bring these products and services to market. In addition, the continued creation, development and advancement of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, data analytics, 3-D printing, robotics, sensor technology, data storage, neural networks, and augmented reality, amongst others, as well as other technologies in the future that are not foreseen today, continue to transform the Company's processes, products, and services. In order to remain competitive, the Company will need to stay abreast of such technologies, require its employees to continue to learn and adapt to new technologies and be able to integrate them into its current and future business models, products, services and processes and also guard against disruptions to its business by existing and new competitors using such technologies. The Company's strategy, operating model and new product innovation pipeline all have important technological elements and many of the Company's products and services are based on technological advances. In addition, the Company will need to compete for talent that is familiar with such technologies, including upskilling its workforce. There can be no assurance that the Company will continue to compete effectively with its industry peers as new technology evolves, which could result in a material adverse effect on the Company's business and results of operations.

We cannot guarantee that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent infringement of our rights or misappropriation of our technology. For example, effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection are unavailable or limited in some of the foreign countries in which we operate. In addition, confidentiality agreements which we enter into with employees and third parties could be breached or otherwise may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and know-how related to the design, manufacture or operation of our products. Resorting to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights is burdensome and costly, and we may not always prevail. Further, adequate remedies are not always available in the event of an unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. Failure to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our information technology networks and related systems and devices and those technology systems under control of third parties with whom we do business are critical to the operation of our business and essential to our ability to successfully perform day-to-day operations. These information technology networks and related systems and devices and those under control of third parties are susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to programming errors, defects or other vulnerabilities, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, malware attacks, ransomware attacks, theft, misconduct by employees or other insiders, misuse, human errors or other cybersecurity incidents. If any of the aforementioned cybersecurity incidents or disruptions occur and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. In addition, any of the aforementioned cybersecurity incidents or disruptions could expose us to a risk of loss, disclosure, misuse, corruption, or interruption of sensitive and critical data, information and functions, including our proprietary and confidential information and information related to our customers, suppliers and employees. It is also possible a cybersecurity incident could result in theft of material trade secrets or other material intellectual property. While we devote substantial resources to maintaining adequate levels of cybersecurity, there can be no assurance that we will be able to prevent all of the rapidly evolving forms of increasingly sophisticated and frequent cyberattacks, or avoid or limit a material adverse impact on our systems after such incidents or attacks occur. The rapid evolution and increased availability of artificial intelligence technologies, including generative artificial intelligence models, may intensify cybersecurity risks by making targeted attacks more sophisticated and cybersecurity incidents more difficult to detect, contain, and mitigate, which may inhibit our ability to provide prompt, full, and reliable information about such incidents to our customers, regulators, and the public. Furthermore, businesses which we have acquired, or may in the future acquire, may have cybersecurity weaknesses which could subject us to increased risks of cybersecurity incidents. The potential consequences of a material cybersecurity incident include reputational damage, loss of customers, litigation with third parties, regulatory actions and fines, theft of intellectual property, systems disruption, disruption of manufacturing plant operations and increased cybersecurity protection and remediation costs. Any of the foregoing can be exacerbated by a delay or failure to detect a cybersecurity incident or the full extent of such incident. In addition, our liability insurance, which includes cyber insurance, might not be sufficient in type or amount to cover us against claims related to cybersecurity incidents, attacks and other related incidents. If we are unable to prevent, anticipate, detect or adequately respond to cybersecurity incidents, our operations could be disrupted and our business could be materially and adversely affected. Developments in the applicable legal standards for the handling of personal data from time to time require changes to our business practices, penalties, increased cost of operations, or otherwise harm our business. To conduct our operations, we regularly move data across national borders and must comply with increasingly complex and rigorous regulatory standards enacted to protect business and personal data in the United States and elsewhere. For example, the European Union has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR"). The GDPR imposes additional obligations on companies regarding the handling of personal data and provides certain individual privacy rights to persons whose data is stored. Compliance with GDPR, new state laws, and other current and future applicable U.S. and international privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and other data-related laws can be costly and time-consuming; any failure to comply with these regulatory standards could subject us to legal and reputational risks, including proceedings against the Company by governmental entities or others, fines and penalties, damage to our reputation and credibility and could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

The markets for our products and services are geographically diverse and highly competitive. We compete against large and well-established national and global companies, as well as regional and local companies, low-cost replicators of spare parts and in-house maintenance departments of our end-user customers. We compete based on price, technical expertise, delivery timeliness, contractual terms, project management, proximity to service centers, previous installation history and reputation for quality and reliability. Competitive environments in slow-growth industries and for original equipment orders have been inherently more influenced by pricing and domestic and global economic conditions and current economic forecasts suggest that the competitive influence of pricing has broadened. Additionally, some of our customers have been attempting to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase in order to reduce the size and diversity of their supply chain. To remain competitive, we must invest in manufacturing, technology, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, marketing, customer service and support and our distribution networks. No assurances can be made that we will have sufficient resources to continue to make the investment required to maintain or increase our market share or that our investments will be successful. A relatively strong U.S. dollar in recent years has made and can continue to make our products more expensive overseas, which can make our ability to meet our international customers' pricing expectations particularly challenging and may result in erosion of product margin and market share. In addition, negative publicity or other organized campaigns critical of us, through social media or otherwise, could negatively affect our reputation and competitive position. If we do not compete successfully, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.