Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (HY) Risk Factors

The Company's lift truck business historically has been cyclical. Fluctuations in the rate of orders for lift trucks, attachments and fuel-cell technology reflect the capital investment decisions of the Company's customers, which depend to a certain extent on the general level of economic activity in the various industries the customers serve. During economic downturns, customers tend to delay new lift truck and parts purchases. Consequently, the Company has experienced, and in the future may continue to experience, significant fluctuations in revenues and net income. If there is a downturn in the general economy, or in the industries served by lift truck customers, the Company's revenue and profitability could decrease significantly, and the Company may not be able to sustain or grow the business.

The Company is a U.S.-based multinational corporation that has global operations. Operating globally subjects the Company to a number of operational risks relating to changes in government regulations and policies in a large number of jurisdictions around the world, including those related to tariffs and trade barriers, investments, property ownership rights, taxation, and exchange controls. Increasing emphasis and changing expectations with respect to environmental, social and governance matters may impose additional costs on the Company or expose the Company to new or additional risks. In addition, changes in the relative values of currencies occur from time to time and could affect the Company's operating results. Further, existing free trade laws and regulations provide certain beneficial duties and tariffs for qualifying imports and exports, subject to compliance with the applicable classification and other requirements. Changes in laws or policies governing the terms of international trade, and in particular increased trade restrictions, tariffs or taxes on imports from countries where the Company manufactures products could have a material adverse impact on the Company's business and financial results. Part of the strategy to expand worldwide market share is strengthening the Company's non-U.S. distribution network. A part of this strategy also includes decreasing costs by sourcing basic components in lower-cost countries. Implementation of this part of the strategy may increase the impact of the risks to global operations and there can be no assurance that such risks will not have an adverse effect on the Company's revenues, profitability or market share. Economic and political conditions in the United States and abroad may lead to significant changes in tax rules and regulations. For example, proposals to reform non-U.S. tax laws or other regulations could significantly impact how multinational corporations do business. The Company's effective income tax rate could be volatile and materially change as a result of changes in tax laws, mix of earnings and other factors. Although the Company cannot predict the final form or impact of any regulation or other proposal, if adopted at all, such regulations and proposals could, if enacted, have a material adverse impact on the Company's profitability. Furthermore, international trade may also be disrupted by geopolitical conflict and hostilities in the regions or involving the countries in which the Company operates. This could aggravate each of the foregoing risks, as well as disrupt our ability to operate in affected areas, including collecting on commercial receivables. The Company relies on the timely and free flow of goods through open and operational international shipping lanes and ports from suppliers and manufacturing locations. Disruptions of shipping lanes from labor disputes or sea piracy, or at ports, common carriers, or suppliers could create significant risks, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes, or other disruptions during periods of significant importing or manufacturing. These factors could potentially result in delayed or cancelled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages, and harm to the business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, operating globally subjects the Company to risks related to the health and welfare of its employees and the employees of suppliers, as well as the workplaces where the Company's products or critical components from suppliers are manufactured. Conditions resulting from natural disasters or global health epidemics or pandemics may prevent or delay the Company's ability to obtain critical components or manufacture and sell the Company's products. These disruptions could materially affect the Company's liquidity, operations and revenues and profitability could be significantly reduced.

The Company has two classes of common stock: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to cast one vote per share and, as of December 31, 2023, accounted for approximately 28 percent of the voting power of the Company. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to cast ten votes per share and, as of December 31, 2023, accounted for the remaining voting power of the Company. As of December 31, 2023, certain members of the Company's extended founding family held approximately 30 percent of the Company's outstanding Class A common stock and approximately 95 percent of the Company's outstanding Class B common stock. On the basis of this common stock ownership, certain members of the Company's extended founding family could have exercised 77 percent of the Company's total voting power. Although there is no voting agreement among such extended family members, in writing or otherwise, if they were to act in concert, they could control the outcome of director elections and other stockholder votes on significant corporate actions, such as certain amendments to the Company's certificate of incorporation and sale of the Company or substantially all of its assets. Because certain members of the Company's extended founding family could prevent other stockholders from exercising significant influence over significant corporate actions, the Company may be a less attractive takeover target, which could adversely affect the market price of its common stock.

Through arrangements with WF and others, dealers and other customers are provided financing for new lift trucks in the United States and in major countries of the world outside of the United States. Through these arrangements, the Company's dealers and certain customers are extended credit for the purchase of lift trucks to be placed in the dealer's floor plan inventory or the financing of lift trucks that are sold or leased to customers. For some of these arrangements, the Company provides recourse or repurchase obligations such that it would become obligated in the event of default by the dealer or customer. Total amounts subject to these types of obligations were $162.4 million and $133.2 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Generally, the Company maintains a perfected security interest in the related assets financed such that, in the event the Company becomes obligated under the terms of the recourse or repurchase obligations, it may take title to the assets financed. The Company cannot be certain, however, that the security interest will equal or exceed the amount of the recourse or repurchase obligations. In addition, the Company cannot be certain that losses under the terms of the recourse or repurchase obligations will not exceed the reserves that have been set aside in the consolidated financial statements. The Company could incur a charge to earnings if reserves prove to be inadequate, which could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and liquidity for the period in which the charge is taken.

Changes in the timing of implementation of the Company's current strategic initiatives may result in a delay in the expected recognition of future costs and realization of future benefits. In addition, if future industry demand levels are lower than expected or customers' demands change, the Company may not be successful in implementing its strategic initiatives. If the Company is unable to successfully implement these strategic initiatives, revenues, profitability, growth prospects and market share could be significantly reduced.

The Company may not be able to commercialize Nuvera's fuel-cell technologies on economically efficient terms. Unforeseen difficulties, such as delays in development due to design defects or changes in specifications and insufficient research and development resources or cost overruns, may hinder the Company's ability to incorporate Nuvera's technologies into its product lines on an economically favorable basis or at all. Furthermore, Nuvera's commercial success will depend largely on the Company's ability to maintain patent and other intellectual property protection covering certain of Nuvera's technologies. Nuvera's fuel-cell technology may not be economically viable if the Company is unable to prevent others from infringing or successfully challenging the validity of certain patents and other intellectual property rights attributable to Nuvera.

The Company is highly dependent on the skills, experience and services of key personnel, and the loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results and financial condition. Competition for, and availability of skilled personnel is challenging in the markets in which the Company competes, and employment and retention of qualified and skilled front-line personnel is important to the successful conduct of the Company's business. The Company's success depends upon its ability to recruit, hire, train and retain additional skilled and experienced management personnel. The Company's inability to hire and retain personnel with the requisite skills could impair its ability to manage and operate its business effectively and could significantly reduce profitability.

The Company depends on a limited number of suppliers for some of its critical components, including diesel, gasoline and fuel cell engines and cast-iron counterweights used to counterbalance some lift trucks. Some of these critical components are imported and subject to regulation, primarily with respect to customary inspection of such products by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Although most components are available from numerous sources or in quantities sufficient to meet requirements, the Company has experienced significant shortages of key components for certain products which has negatively affected and may in the future negatively affect production levels. The results of operations and liquidity position have been and could be adversely affected if the Company is unable to obtain these critical components, or if the costs of these critical components were to continue to increase, due to inflation, regulatory compliance or otherwise, and the Company is unable to pass the cost increases on to its customers. Furthermore, disruptions associated with suppliers have impacted and may continue to impact the Company's liquidity position. If the normalization of supply chains and inflationary pressures is longer than anticipated, the Company may not be able to generate sufficient cash from operations which, among other things, could negatively impact the Company's debt levels and ability to access its credit facilities, or require the Company to seek additional financing sources, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all. If the Company suffers a liquidity shortage, the Company may be forced to reduce production levels, reduce planned capital investments, reduce workforce, decrease or suspend planned dividends, or adopt other measures.

The Company has experienced and may continue to experience significant increases in materials costs, primarily as a result of inflationary pressures and global increases in the costs of industrial metals, including steel, lead and copper and other commodities, such as rubber, as a result of increased demand and limited supply. The Company manufactures products that include raw materials that consist of steel, rubber, copper, lead, castings and counterweights. The Company also purchases parts provided by suppliers that are manufactured from castings and steel or contain lead. The cost of these parts is affected by the same economic conditions that impact the cost of the parts the Company manufactures. The cost to manufacture lift trucks and related service parts has been and may continue to be affected by fluctuations in prices for these raw materials. If costs of these raw materials increase, the Company's profitability could be materially reduced.

The Company relies primarily on independent dealers for sales of lift trucks and aftermarket parts. Sales of the Company's products are therefore subject to the quality and effectiveness of the dealers, who are not subject to the Company's direct control. As a result, ineffective or poorly performing dealers could result in a significant decrease in revenues and profitability and the Company may not be able to sustain or grow its business.