Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

Stevanato Group disclosed 63 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Stevanato Group reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution

29% Finance & Corporate

22% Tech & Innovation

22% Legal & Regulatory

13% Production

8% Macro & Political

6% Ability to Sell

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

Stevanato Group Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 18 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 18 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

4Risks added

1Risks removed

5Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

4Risks added

1Risks removed

5Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

Number of Risk Changed

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

See the risk highlights of Stevanato Group in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 63

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 18/63 (29%)Above Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights8 | 12.7%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

The price of our ordinary shares may be volatile and may fluctuate due to factors beyond our control.

The market price of our ordinary shares may fluctuate significantly due to a variety of factors, including: - operating results that vary from our financial guidance or the expectations of securities analysts and investors;- the financial performance of the major end markets that we target;- our voting control is concentrated;- the operating and securities price performance of companies that investors consider to be comparable to us;- announcements of strategic developments, acquisitions and other material events by us or our competitors;- failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;- issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;- changes in government regulations;- financing or other corporate transactions;- the loss of any of our key personnel;- sales of our shares by us, our executive officers and board members, holders of our shares or other shareholders in the future;- price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole; and - other events and factors, many of which are beyond our control. These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our ordinary shares to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ordinary shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our ordinary shares. In addition, the stock market in general, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. In the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the issuer. If any of the holders of our ordinary shares were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of our senior management would be diverted from the operation of our business. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

The dual class structure of our shares may adversely affect the value and trading market for the ordinary shares.

Our shares carry different voting rights depending on their class. Holders of ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class A shares (held solely by Stevanato Holding S.r.l. or held in treasury by the Company) are entitled to three votes per share. Under no circumstances the ordinary shares can be converted into Class A shares. We cannot predict whether our dual class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price for our ordinary shares or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers such as S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indexes. In addition, several stockholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our shares may cause stockholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary regarding our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices or any actions or publications by stockholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices could adversely affect the value and trading market for our ordinary shares.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our ordinary shares and our trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us and our business. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on us. If no or not enough securities or industry analysts commence coverage on us, the trading price for our ordinary shares would likely be negatively affected. In the event securities or industry analysts initiate coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ordinary shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our ordinary shares could decrease, which might cause the price of our ordinary shares and trading volume to decline.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4

Our voting control is concentrated.

Stevanato Holding S.r.l., our controlling shareholder and holding company of the Stevanato family, exercises a significant majority of the voting power with respect to our outstanding shares because of the multiple voting shares that it holds. Class A Shares are entitled to three votes per share, and ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share. Excluding treasury shares (which voting right is suspended), Stevanato Holding S.r.l. holds 95.20% of the voting rights of the Company. As a result, the Company qualifies as a "controlled company" pursuant to the NYSE listing rules and, therefore, Stevanato Holding S.r.l. potentially has the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election and removal of directors and any arrangement or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated control could delay, defer or prevent a change of control, arrangement or merger or sale of all or substantially all of our assets that our other shareholders may support. Conversely, this concentrated control could allow the holder of the class A multiple voting shares to consummate a transaction that our other shareholders do not support. In addition, the holder of the class A multiple voting shares may make long-term strategic investment decisions and take risks that may not be successful and/or may seriously harm our business.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5

Future sales, or the possibility of future sales, of a substantial number of our shares could adversely affect the price of our ordinary shares.

Future sales of a substantial number of our shares, or the perception that such sales will occur, could cause a decline in the market price of our ordinary shares. We have ordinary shares outstanding. The ordinary shares are freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for any of our shares that may be held or acquired by our directors, executive officers and other affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act, which are restricted securities under the Securities Act. Restricted securities may not be sold in the public market unless the sale is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration is available. In the future, we may also issue our securities if we need to raise capital in connection with a capital raise or acquisition. The amount of securities issued in connection with a capital raise or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6

The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation.

We are incorporated as a joint stock company (società per azioni) under Italian law. The rights of holders of our shares and, therefore, certain of the rights of holders of shares, are governed by Italian law, including certain provisions of the Italian Civil Code (the "Italian Civil Code") and by our articles of association. These rights differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. See "Description of Share Capital-Differences in Corporate Law" in this annual report for a description of the principal differences between the provisions of the Italian Civil Code applicable to companies that are listed on a regulated market (società che fanno ricorso al mercato del capitale di rischio) and, for example, the Delaware General Corporation Law relating to shareholders' rights and protections.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of rules under the Exchange Act, we are permitted to file less information with the SEC than domestic companies, and we are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the listing requirements of NYSE, subject to certain exceptions. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning us than there is for issuers that are not foreign private issuers.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act, including certain disclosure and procedural requirements applicable to proxy solicitations under Section 14 of the Exchange Act, our board of directors, officers and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and "short-swing" profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act but are not foreign private issuers. Foreign private issuers are also not required to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts the selective disclosure of material non-public information. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning us than there is for companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act but are not foreign private issuers, and such information may not be provided as promptly as it is provided by such companies. The NYSE corporate governance rules require listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of independent board members and independent director oversight of executive compensation, nomination of directors and corporate governance matters. As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we do, follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. As long as we rely on the foreign private issuer exemption to certain of the NYSE corporate governance standards, a majority of the directors on our board of directors are not required to be independent directors, our remuneration committee is not required to be comprised entirely of independent directors and we will not be required to have a nomination committee. Therefore, our board of directors' approach to governance may be different from that of a board of directors consisting of a majority of independent directors, and, as a result, the management oversight of our Company may be more limited than if we were subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Accordingly, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all NYSE corporate governance requirements.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional ordinary shares at prices that may not be the same as the price per share you paid. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by existing investors, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional ordinary shares in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by existing investors.

Accounting & Financial Operations5 | 7.9%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

No assurance can be given that we will continue to pay or declare dividends.

We have historically paid dividends during the last three years. However, there can be no assurance that we will pay or declare dividends in the future. The actual declaration and payment of future dividends, the amount of any such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates, if any, are subject to determination by our Board of Directors each quarter after its review of the current strategy, applicable debt covenants and financial performance and position, among other things. Our declaration and payment of future dividends is subject to risks and uncertainties, including: deterioration of our financial performance or position; inability to declare a dividend in compliance with applicable laws or debt covenants; an increase in our cash needs or decrease in available cash; and the business judgment of the board of directors that a declaration of a dividend is not in our best interest.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

The obligations associated with being a public company require significant resources and management attention.

As a public company in the United States, we incur legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur prior to listing on the NYSE. We are now subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations increases our legal and financial compliance costs, makes some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increases the demand on our systems and resources, particularly given that we no longer are an "emerging growth company." For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. The Exchange Act requires that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal controls and procedures for financial reporting. Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert management's attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. For as long as we were an "emerging growth company" under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm was not required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Now that we no longer are an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on our filer status. In addition, in connection with the implementation of the necessary procedures and practices related to internal control over financial reporting, we may identify deficiencies that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. Failure to comply with Section 404 could subject us to regulatory scrutiny and sanctions, impair our ability to raise revenue, cause investors to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and negatively affect the price of our ordinary shares.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

Our backlog might not accurately predict our future revenue, and we might not realize all or any part of the anticipated revenue reflected in our backlog.

Our backlog represents, as of a point in time, estimated future revenue for work not yet completed under (i) specific purchase orders, with regards to our Biopharmaceutical and Diagnostic Solution segment, and (ii) certain one-off agreements, with regards to our Engineering segment, where we typically recognize direct revenue over the life of the contract based on our performance of services under the contract. Contracts may be terminated or delayed by our customers or regulatory authorities for reasons beyond our control. To the extent projects are delayed, the timing of our revenue could be affected. In the event a customer terminates a contract, we are generally entitled to be paid for services rendered through the termination date and for services provided in winding down the project. However, we are generally not entitled to receive the full amount of direct revenue reflected in our backlog in the event of a contract termination. The duration of the projects in our backlog, and the related revenue recognition, generally ranges from several months to many years. For orders that are placed inside a contractual firm period, we generally have a contractual right to payment in the event of cancellation. Fluctuations in our reported backlog levels also result from the timing and order pattern of our customers who often seek to manage their level of inventory on hand. Because of customer ordering patterns, our backlog reported for certain periods may fluctuate and may not be indicative of future results. A number of factors may affect backlog and the direct revenue generated from our backlog, including: - the size, complexity and duration of projects; and - the cancellation or delay of projects. Our backlog at December 31, 2023 was approximately €944.9 million compared to €957.0 million as of December 31, 2022. Although an increase in backlog will generally result in an increase in future direct revenue to be recognized over time (depending on future contract modifications, contract cancellations and other adjustments), an increase in backlog at a particular point in time does not necessarily correspond to an increase in direct revenues during a particular period. The timing and extent to which backlog will result in direct revenue depends on many factors, including the production and timing expected by our customers, the timing of the commencement of work, the rate at which we perform services, scope changes, cancellations, delays, receipt of regulatory approvals and the nature, duration, size, complexity and phase of the project. In addition, the uncompleted portion of delayed projects remain in backlog until they are canceled or completed. As a result of these factors, our backlog is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future direct revenue and we might not realize all or any part of the direct revenue from the authorizations in backlog as of any point in time.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4

Changed

We may be required to record a charge to earnings if our goodwill and other amortizable intangible assets, property, plant and equipment or other investments become impaired.

We are required under IFRS to test goodwill for impairment at least annually and to review our goodwill, amortizable intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and other investments, including those acquired through acquisition activity, for impairment when events or changes in circumstance indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors that could lead to impairment of goodwill, amortizable intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and other investments, including those acquired through acquisitions, include significant adverse changes in the business climate and actual or projected operating results and declines in the financial condition of our business. We may be required in the future to record additional charges to earnings if our goodwill, amortizable intangible assets, property, plant and equipment or other investments become impaired. Any such charge would adversely impact our financial results.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5

Added

We are obligated to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting. Our internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our ordinary shares.

As of December 31, 2023, we are no longer an "emerging growth company." As a result, we are now required to comply with the independent auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("Section 404"), beginning with our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023. Complying with Section 404 requires a rigorous compliance program as well as adequate time and resources. The Section 404 assessment must include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Additionally, in this report we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, so we are unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. Accordingly we can lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our ordinary shares. We may not be able to complete the required remediation in a timely fashion. Moreover, we are experiencing increased costs and demands on management resulting from our large accelerated filer status. To seamlessly operate through the transition from accelerated filer and emerging growth company to large accelerated filer, we have been devoting significant time and efforts to implement and comply with the additional standards, rules and regulations that now apply to us as a large accelerated filer, diverting such time from the day-to-day conduct of our business operations. Compliance with such additional requirements also will likely increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs. These requirements include, but are not limited to: - compliance with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and - compliance with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Due to the complexity and logistical difficulty of implementing the standards, rules and regulations that apply to a large accelerated filer, there is an increased risk that we may be found to be in non-compliance with such standards, rules and regulations. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Debt & Financing3 | 4.8%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

We are exposed to credit risk on accounts receivable and certain prepayments made in the normal course of business.

Our average day sales outstanding for 2023 has been approximately 67 days, but a number of customers are pushing for longer payment terms (also offering no recourse discounting solutions). A substantial majority of our outstanding trade receivables are not covered by collateral or credit insurance. In addition, we may make advances to suppliers in the normal course of business. While we have procedures to monitor exposure to credit risk on trade receivables and other current assets, there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk and avoid losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

We are subject to restrictive covenants under certain financing agreements, which could impair our ability to run our business.

We have in place a number of financing agreements which include covenants (such as negative covenants that would restrict our ability to distribute dividends and exceed certain indebtedness ratios) which may restrict our ability to operate our business. Our failure to comply with these covenants, including as a result of events beyond our control, could result in a default or event of default that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. For additional information on applicable regulations see "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects-Liquidity and Capital Resources."

Debt & Financing - Risk 3

We may need to raise additional funds to finance our future capital needs, which may dilute the value of our outstanding shares or prevent us from growing our business.

We may need to raise additional funds to finance our existing and future capital needs. If we raise additional funds through the sale of equity securities, we may issue such additional shares at a discount to the trending price of our shares, which may dilute the value of our outstanding shares. We may also decide to issue securities, including debt securities that have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our shares. Any debt financing would increase our level of indebtedness and could negatively affect our liquidity and restrict our operations. We also can provide no assurances that the funds we raise will be sufficient to finance our existing indebtedness. We may be unable to raise additional funds on terms favorable to us or at all. If financing is not available or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our future needs. This may prevent us from increasing our market share, capitalizing on new business opportunities or remaining competitive in our industry.

Corporate Activity and Growth2 | 3.2%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

Our business may suffer if we do not successfully manage our current and potential future growth.

Over the last 70 years we have consistently expanded our operations and anticipate expanding further as we pursue our long-term growth strategy. The key elements of our growth strategy include, among other things, the expansion of our global market position in drug containment solutions and drug delivery systems, accelerating penetration in life sciences systems, increasing our investments in research and development, building on our expertise in manufacturing, assembly and inspection systems for drug containers and complex, multi-component systems, leveraging our scientific and engineering capabilities, increasing our penetration in the North American and APAC regions and selectively pursuing acquisitions and technology partnerships to augment and expand our product and service portfolio. We have further expanded our manufacturing facilities in Piombino Dese (Italy) and established new plants primarily for EZ-Fill products, with strong focus on biologics and vaccines, in Fishers (Indiana, U.S.), and Latina (Italy) and evaluated strategic acquisitions to broaden our offering, our technical know-how and our international footprint. In November 2021, we entered into an investment agreement with the Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone Administration Committee. Under said investment agreement, we agreed to invest through one of our subsidiaries, in the Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone ("ZETDZ"), to be used for the manufacture of ready to use syringes and vials, bulk vials and cartridges, and for the SG Engineering business. In March 2023, we we decided to delay the timing of our investment in China in order to focus on the execution of our new manufacturing facilities in the United States and Italy. In December 2021, we entered into an Early Development Agreement ("EDA") with the City of Fishers – Indiana, Fishers Town Hall Building Corporation and City of Fishers Redevelopment Commission envisaging the acquisition of an area of approximately 35.75 acres to be used for the construction of a new plant in Indiana (U.S.). The new manufacturing plant is expected to launch commercial production in 2024. In addition, on May 27, 2022, Nuova Ompi acquired a brownfield in Latina (Italy) in proximity to other Stevanato Group facilities for a total consideration of approximately €16.0 million. The facility, after renovation, is expected to produce EZ-fill syringes and cartridges. The new manufacturing plant launched commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2023. On November 8, 2023, we acquired all of the business operations of Perugini S.r.l., an Italian company specialized in the manufacturing of consumables and mechanical components for industrial machines for a total consideration of approximately €6.4 million. The acquisition of Perugini will support the Group's efforts in the ongoing integration of critical technologies and processes into the Group's production process. Establishing new production plants for EZ-Fill products represents a priority in light of the risks associated with our Piombino Dese (Italy) manufacturing facilities currently being the only ones devoted to the production of EZ-Fill products which, in turn, exposes our business to risks of material disruption should any event affect the operation of such facilities. In general, such growth strategy and in particular the facilities expansion and the external acquisitions increase the complexity of our business and place a significant strain on our management, operations, technical systems, financial resources and internal control over financial reporting functions. Our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support and effectively manage our future operations, especially as we employ personnel and maintain manufacturing facilities and distribution networks in several geographic locations. We are also continuously expanding our product portfolio, and establishing and developing new products require significant management time and attention. If these products do not achieve the anticipated success or require greater levels of time and investment to reach the expected levels, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to appropriately integrate new products and business lines into our existing operations and systems can also affect the success of these products, and failure to adequately anticipate and plan for this integration could affect the success of these products and may also negatively impact our existing product offerings.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2

We may not successfully identify or integrate acquired businesses or assets into our operations or be able to fully recognize the anticipated benefits of businesses or assets that we acquire.

We consider acquisitions a useful instrument to complement our organic growth. We opportunistically explore acquiring other businesses and assets, and we have several acquisitions over the last few years, including: the acquisition of a 65% stake in the Danish SVM Automatik in February 2016 and of the remaining 35% in October 2021, the acquisition of the operating unit of Balda Group in March 2016, the acquisition of Medirio in May 2016 and the acquisition of the remaining 49% of our subsidiary Ompi of Japan Co. Ltd in July 2023. On November 8, 2023, we acquired all of the business operations of Perugini S.r.l., an Italian company specialized in the manufacturing of consumables and mechanical components for industrial machines for a total consideration of approximately €6.4 million. The acquisition of Perugini will support the Group's efforts in the ongoing integration of critical technologies and processes into the Group's production process. However, we may be unable to identify or complete promising acquisitions for many reasons, including any misjudgment of the key elements of an acquisition, competition among buyers, the high valuations of businesses in our industry, the need for regulatory and other approvals, lack of internal resources to successfully pursue all attractive opportunities and availability of capital. When we do identify and complete acquisitions, we may face financial, managerial and operational challenges, including diversion of management attention and resources needed for existing operations, difficulties with integrating acquired businesses, integration of different corporate cultures, increased expenses, potential dilution of our brand, assumption of unknown liabilities, potential disputes with the sellers and the need to evaluate the financial systems of and establish internal controls for acquired entities. Further, we seek out acquisitions of companies that maintain the same high quality standards that we maintain, and if we misjudge or overestimate a company's product quality standards, we may not be able to use these products or implement the strategies that were the primary reason for the acquisition, which would lead to a significant loss both financially and in time spent by our teams trying to integrate the product or implement the strategy. There can be no assurance that we will engage in any additional acquisitions or that we will be able to do so on terms that will result in any expected benefits. In addition, our ability to realize the benefits we anticipate from our acquisition activities, including any anticipated sales growth, cost synergies and other anticipated benefits, will depend in large part upon whether we are able to integrate such businesses efficiently and effectively. Integration is an ongoing process, and we may not be able to fully integrate such businesses smoothly or successfully, and the process may take longer than expected. Further, the integration of certain operations and the differences in operational culture following such activity will continue to require the dedication of significant management resources, which may distract management's attention from day-to-day business operations. There may also be unasserted claims or assessments that we failed or were unable to discover or identify in the course of performing due diligence investigations of target businesses. While we normally negotiate representation and warranties and related indemnification in relation to such acquisitions, these may not be enough to cover our exposure if a significant liability arises in connection with any acquisition agreement. We cannot assure you that these indemnification provisions will protect us fully or at all, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses into our business, we may be unable to realize the sales growth, cost synergies and other anticipated benefits of such transactions, and our business, results of operations and cash flow could be adversely affected.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 14/63 (22%)Below Sector Average

Innovation / R&D2 | 3.2%

Innovation / R&D - Risk 1

Our business may be harmed if our customers discontinue or spend less on research, development, production or other scientific endeavors.

Our customer base includes leading pharmaceutical, biologic, diagnostic and medical device companies worldwide. Many factors, including public policy spending priorities, available resources and product and economic cycles, have a significant effect on the capital spending policies of these entities. For instance, any change in the international healthcare systems, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "PPACA") in the U.S., resulting in a reduced ability of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers to receive reimbursements by government authorities, private insurers and other third-party payers for the costs of our products, could result in reduced demand for our products. More recently, the Inflation Reduction Act (the "IRA") was signed into law. Among other things, the IRA requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare (beginning in 2026) with prices that can be negotiated subject to a cap; imposed rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation (first due in 2023); and replaces the Part D coverage gap discount program with a new discounting program (beginning in 2025), all factors which could impact our business by affecting our ability to achieve value-based price, maintaining an acceptable return on our investments in R&D of our products, creating a potential financial impact to the Company to the extent our products are used in connection with drugs that are impacted by the IRA pricing provisions under the IRA and impacting our ability to research and develop new products. Fluctuations in the research and development budgets of our customers could have a significant effect on the demand for our products. Our customers determine their research and development budgets based on several factors, including the need to develop new products, continued availability of governmental funding and other incentives, competition and the general availability of resources. Any reduction in research and development budgets or a shift of any funding source currently allocated to our business sector to different areas of research, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Innovation / R&D - Risk 2

We must develop new products and enhance existing products, adapt to significant technological and innovative changes and respond to introductions of new products by competitors in order to remain competitive.

We sell our products in industries that are characterized by significant technological changes, frequent new product and technology introductions and enhancements and evolving regulatory requirements and industry standards. As a result, our customers' needs continue to evolve and our products may be superseded by new technologies (for instance, if certain drugs are no longer administered through injection) or their demand may decline. For instance, as our sales and profitability are largely dependent on the sale of products delivered by injection, if our customers reconfigure their drug product or develop new drug products requiring less frequent dosing, our sales and profitability may suffer. Likewise, if we do not appropriately innovate and invest in new products and technologies, and be open to broadening the scope of our offerings, our product offerings may become less desirable in the markets we serve, and, although changing providers is a lengthy process for our customers, they could move to new technologies offered by our competitors, especially if such competitors are able to react more directly and effectively to a customer's specific demand. Though we believe customers in our markets display a significant amount of loyalty to a particular product, we also believe that because of the initial time investment required by many of our customers to reach a purchasing decision for a new product, it may be difficult to regain a customer once that customer purchases a product from a competitor. Moreover, there is a risk that significant amounts of time and resources that we invest in research, development and identification of new products may not result in the expected positive results for our business. If we invest our resources into a new product or product enhancements that fail to meet our high-quality standards and market expectations or do not perform as intended, this could adversely affect our business. Our current customers may decide not to purchase these new products or product enhancements and / or purchase a product from a competitor or cease doing business with us altogether. It can take significant time to identify an unmet customer need and develop a product to meet that need, and to the extent we fail to obtain desired levels of market acceptance, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. Our estimates of our addressable market include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions. Industry publications, research, surveys, studies and forecasts generally state that the information they contain has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. If any of our assumptions or estimates, or these publications, research, surveys or studies prove to be inaccurate, then the actual market for our products may be smaller than we expect, and as a result, our product revenue may be limited and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Trade Secrets10 | 15.9%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

Our trade secrets may be misappropriated or disclosed, and confidentiality agreements with directors, employees and third parties may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and protect other proprietary information.

In addition to registered intellectual property rights, we rely on trade secrets and confidential know-how to protect our technology, especially because we believe that patent protection alone would not be sufficient to protect our business. However, trade secrets and confidential know-how are difficult to protect, and we have limited control over the protection of trade secrets and confidential know-how used by our licensors, collaborators and suppliers. To protect this type of information against disclosure or appropriation by competitors, our usual practice is to require our directors, employees, consultants, contractors and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with us prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. Moreover, we put in place appropriate procedures to identify confidential material and restrict access to documentation. However, current or former employees, consultants, contractors and advisers may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors, we have entered into, and may in the future enter into additional, collaborations with our competitors, and confidentiality agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known to our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Enforcing a claim that a third party obtained illegally and is using trade secrets and/or confidential know-how is expensive, time consuming and the outcome is unpredictable, and the enforceability of confidentiality agreements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Moreover, if any of our trade secrets and confidential know-how were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. In some cases, we have entered into joint development agreements with our competitors that necessitate the sharing of certain trade secrets with these competitors. Given that our competitive position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor's knowledge of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure could impair our competitive position and may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Trade Secrets - Risk 2

If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology, products and potential products, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

Our success depends in part on our ability to secure and maintain patent protection with respect to our technology, current products and potential products, and any future potential products and technology we may develop. We seek to protect our proprietary position by filing or collaborating with our licensors to file patent applications related to our proprietary technologies, products and potential products. The patent prosecution process is expensive, time consuming and complex, and we may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, defend, enforce or license all necessary or desirable patents at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner in all desirable jurisdictions. As a result, we may not be able to prevent competitors or other third parties from developing and commercializing competitive products in all such fields and jurisdictions. It is possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output or fail to take the necessary steps to seek patent protection before it is too late to obtain patent protection. We may not have the right to control the preparation, filing, and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the rights to patents licensed from third parties. Therefore, these patents and patent applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our relevant proprietary products and technology, including current products, potential products, and any future potential products we may develop, in whole or in part. Our existing patents may have been issued with claims that fail to cover our relevant proprietary products and technology, including current products, potential products and any future potential products we may develop, in whole or in part. In addition, our existing patents and any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from using our technology or from developing competing products and technologies. Patents may not be granted for a number of reasons, including known or unknown prior art, deficiencies in the patent application or the lack of novelty or the underlying invention or technology. In addition, publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in certain jurisdictions are not published until 18 months after filing or in some cases, at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to make or file the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications. Even if patents do successfully issue and even if such patents cover our current products, current potential products and any future potential products we may develop, third parties may challenge their validity, ownership, enforceability or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable or circumvented. We may become involved in proceedings challenging our owned or licensed patent rights, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or could limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology, products and potential products. Such proceedings also may result in substantial costs and require significant time from our management and employees, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not give us the right to practice the patented invention. Third parties may have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing our products, if approved, or practicing our own patented technology. Our competitors may also be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative potential products in a non-infringing manner. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Trade Secrets - Risk 3

We depend in part on proprietary technology licensed from others. If we lose our existing licenses or are unable to acquire or license additional proprietary rights from third parties, we may not be able to continue developing our potential products.

We are a party to certain license agreements for certain intellectual property and proprietary technology, and we may enter into additional agreements, including license agreements, with other parties in the future that impose certain obligations on us. If we fail to comply with our obligations to our licensors or any of our other current or future collaborators, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop, manufacture or market any product, potential product or other technology that is covered by these agreements, which could adversely affect the value of the potential product being developed under any such agreement, or we may face claims for monetary damages or other penalties under these agreements. Termination of these agreements or reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in us having to negotiate new or reinstated agreements with less favorable terms, or cause us to cease or experience significant delays in the development and commercialization of our products, potential products or technologies and, our competitors or other third parties could have the freedom to market products and technologies identical or competitive to ours. We may rely on third parties from whom we license proprietary technology to file and prosecute patent applications and maintain patents and otherwise protect the intellectual property we license from them. We may have limited control over these activities or any other intellectual property that may be related to our in-licensed intellectual property. We may have limited control over the manner in which our licensors initiate an infringement proceeding against a third-party infringer of the intellectual property rights, or defend certain of the intellectual property that may be licensed to us. The growth of our business may depend in part on our ability to acquire or in-license additional proprietary rights. We may be unable to acquire or in-license any relevant third-party intellectual property rights that we identify as necessary or important to our business operations. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all, which would harm our business. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to redesign our products, potential products or technologies or the methods for manufacturing them or to develop or license replacement technology, all of which may not be feasible on a technical or commercial basis, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Disputes may arise regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could affect what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our diligence, financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, or we may face claims for monetary damages or other penalties under these agreements. Moreover, disputes may also arise over the inventorship and ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors or licensees and us and our partners. If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed or any other dispute described above related to our license agreements prevent or impair our ability to use and enforce such intellectual property or maintain our licensing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected products, potential products or technologies. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Trade Secrets - Risk 4

Third parties may assert claims against us alleging infringement, misappropriations or other violations of their patents and proprietary rights, or we may need to become involved in lawsuits to defend or enforce our patents, either of which could result in substantial costs or loss of productivity, delay or prevent the development and commercialization of our products and potential products, or prohibit our use of proprietary technology or sale of products.

Our commercial success depends, in part, upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our products and other technologies without alleged or actual infringement, misappropriation or other violation of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. However, our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties. The various markets in which we operate can be subject to litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. For example, our third-party collaborators may not properly obtain, maintain, enforce or defend our intellectual property or proprietary rights or may use or misappropriate our proprietary information in such a way that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property rights or expose us to potential litigation. Our competitors have made substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, and may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for or obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use and sell our products. In addition, patent holding companies that focus solely on extracting royalties and settlements by enforcing patent rights may target us. We may be subject to third-party claims including patent infringement or similar adversarial proceedings or litigation in various jurisdictions. Even if we believe such claims are without merit, a court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed, and the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize the applicable product or potential product unless we obtained a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or are finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable. Third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies, products and potential products infringes upon these patents. Additionally, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that our products, potential products or technologies may infringe. If any third-party patents issued from such applications were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our products, potential products or technologies, the holders of any such patents may be able to prohibit our commercialization of the applicable product, potential product or technology until such patent expires or is finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable or unless we obtained a license. In addition, defending such claims could cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if we fail, could cause us to pay substantial damages if we are found to be infringing a third party's patent rights. Further, if a patent infringement suit is brought against us, our development, manufacturing or sales activities relating to the product, potential product or technology that is the subject of the suit may be delayed or terminated, as parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief. As a result of patent infringement claims, or in order to avoid potential infringement claims, we may choose to seek, or be required to seek, a license from the third party, which may require payment of substantial royalties or fees, or require us to grant a cross-license under our intellectual property rights. These licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. Even if a license can be obtained on reasonable terms, the rights may be nonexclusive, which would give our competitors access to the same intellectual property rights. If we are unable to enter into a license on acceptable terms, we could be prevented from commercializing one or more of our products, potential products or technologies, or forced to modify such products or potential products, or to cease some aspect of our business operations, which could harm our business significantly. We might also be forced to redesign or modify our products, potential products or technologies so that we no longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights, which may result in significant cost or delay to us, or such redesign or modification could be impossible or technically not viable. Even if we were ultimately to prevail, any of these events could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business, force us to face negative publicity, adversely impact prospective customers or prohibit us from manufacturing, importing, marketing or otherwise commercializing our products, potential products, services and technology. In addition, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors view these announcements in a negative light, the price of our ordinary shares could be adversely affected. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources, adversely affecting our ability to compete in the marketplace.

Trade Secrets - Risk 5

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful and have an adverse effect on the success of our business.

Competitors or other third parties may infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate our patents or other intellectual property. In addition, our third-party collaborators may use or misappropriate our intellectual property and proprietary information in such a way that could jeopardize our ownership and intellectual property rights. If we or one of our licensors were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our products or potential products, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in certain countries, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Third parties may initiate invalidity proceedings even in the absence of infringement proceedings. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements. Interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by us or declared by the relevant patent authority may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our patents or patent applications. The outcome of proceedings involving assertions of invalidity and unenforceability during patent litigation is unpredictable. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our products, potential products and other technology, which may allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or could require us to obtain license rights from the prevailing party in order to be able to manufacture or commercialize our products, potential products or technologies without infringing third-party patent rights. Even if a defendant does not prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, our patent claims may be construed in a manner that would limit our ability to enforce such claims against the defendant and others. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. Even if we were to successfully assert our patents or other intellectual property rights, or to settle at an early stage, such litigation could burden us with substantial unanticipated costs or a court may not award remedies that sufficiently compensate us for our losses. The impact of public announcements of the results of hearings related to such awards on our business may be uncertain. Our patents and other intellectual property rights also will not protect our technology, products and potential products if competitors design around our protected technology, products and potential products without infringing our patents or other intellectual property rights.

Trade Secrets - Risk 6

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

We rely on external law firms, their extended network of partners worldwide and their internal check procedures for patent maintenance and prosecution. In the event that we or our licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products and potential products or if we or our licensors otherwise allow our patents or patent applications to be abandoned or lapse, it could create opportunities for competitors to enter the market, which would hurt our competitive position and could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our products.

Trade Secrets - Risk 7

We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents, and we may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents covering our technology, products and potential products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and even in countries where we have sought protection for our intellectual property, such protection can be less extensive than those in Europe and the United States. Competitors may use our and our licensors' technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection or licensed patents to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we and our licensors have patent protection, but where enforcement is not as strong as that in the European Union or the United States. These products may compete with our products, and our or our licensors' patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing. Many jurisdictions have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many jurisdictions limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these jurisdictions, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patents. If we or any of our licensors are forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position may be adversely impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. The legal system in certain foreign jurisdictions, particularly those in certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection. Proceedings to enforce our patent and other intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents and other intellectual property rights at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Trade Secrets - Risk 8

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, independent contractors or collaborators have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of their former employers or other third parties, and we may be subject to claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

We do and may employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or other life sciences companies, including our licensors, competitors or potential competitors. Although we seek to protect our ownership of intellectual property rights by ensuring that our agreements with our employees, consultants, collaborators, independent contractors and other third parties with whom we do business include provisions requiring such parties to assign rights in inventions to us and to not use the know-how or confidential information of their former employer or other third parties, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants, collaborators or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed know-how or confidential information of their former employers or other third parties, or that former employers or other third parties have an ownership interest in our patents. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims, and if we fail, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable personnel or intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property, which could result in customers seeking other sources for the technology, or ceasing from doing business with us. Moreover, any such litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our reputation, our ability to form strategic alliances, engage with scientific advisors or hire employees or consultants, any of which could adversely affect our business, including in terms of substantial cost, reputational loss and/or a distraction to our management and other employees.

Trade Secrets - Risk 9

If conflicts arise between us and our collaborators or strategic partners, these parties may act in a manner adverse to us and could limit our ability to implement our strategies and protect our intellectual property rights.

If conflicts arise between our corporate or academic collaborators or strategic partners and us, the other party may act in a manner adverse to us and could limit our ability to implement our strategies and protect our intellectual property rights. Our collaborators or strategic partners may have or may, in the future, develop, either alone or with others, products in related fields that are competitive with the products we have or may develop. In addition, our collaborators or strategic partners may use our intellectual property and proprietary information in such a way that could jeopardize our ownership and intellectual property rights. Competing products, either developed by the collaborators or strategic partners or to which the collaborators or strategic partners have rights, may result in the withdrawal of partner support for our products. Our collaborators or strategic partners also could preclude us from entering into collaborations with their competitors, fail to obtain timely regulatory approvals, terminate their agreements with us prematurely, fail to devote sufficient resources to the development and commercialization of products, use our intellectual property and proprietary information in such a way that could jeopardize our ownership and intellectual property rights, or merge with or be acquired by a third party who may do any of these things. Any of the foregoing could harm our development and commercialization efforts and materially adversely affect our business.

Trade Secrets - Risk 10

If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected.

Although we currently own trademark registrations and have trademark applications pending, it may be possible that some trademarks may be the subject of a governmental or third-party objection, which could prevent the registration or maintenance of the same. We cannot assure you that any currently pending trademark applications or any trademark applications we may file in the future will be approved. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining trademark protection for our primary brands, we may be required to change our brand names; additionally, if competitors try to adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, this might impede our ability to build brand identity and possibly lead to market confusion, adversely affecting our business in the long-term. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our unregistered trademarks or trade names. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights or other intellectual property may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.

Cyber Security1 | 1.6%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

Cyber security risks and the failure to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our computer hardware, software and internet applications and related tools and functions, could result in damage to our reputation, data integrity and/or subject us to costs, fines or lawsuits under data privacy or other laws or contractual requirements.

The integrity and protection of the data we hold is critical to our business. The regulatory environment governing information, security and privacy laws is increasingly demanding and continues to evolve. Implementing and maintaining compliance with applicable security and privacy regulations may increase our operating costs and/or adversely impact our ability to market our products and services to customers. Although our computer and communications hardware are protected through physical and software safeguards, they are still vulnerable to fire, storm, flood, power loss, earthquakes, telecommunications failures, physical or software break-ins, software viruses and similar events. These events could lead to the unauthorized access, disclosure and use of non-public information. We could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification, system malfunction or intentional or accidental release or loss of information maintained in our information systems and networks and those of our OEM suppliers, including our cloud service providers. The techniques used by criminal elements to attack computer systems are sophisticated, change frequently and may originate from less regulated and remote areas of the world. Due to the evolving nature of cyber threat actors and the frequency and sophistication of the cyber activities they carry out, the determination of the severity and potential impact of a cyber incident may not become apparent for a substantial period of time following discovery of the incident and we may not be able to address these threats proactively or implement adequate preventative measures. For example, our business could be harmed if we are faced with or exposed to unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence in open structured systems, which can result in inadvertent disclosure of protected information. Although we take measures to protect data from unauthorized access, use or disclosure, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or viruses or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other malicious or inadvertent disruptions. If our computer systems are compromised, or if we are unable to maintain reliable information technology systems and appropriate controls with respect to global data privacy and security requirements and prevent data breaches, we could be subject to fines, damages, litigation and enforcement actions. We may also suffer business consequences such as reputational damage, or lose trade secrets, the occurrence of which could harm our business. In addition, we may also be adversely affected if our third-party vendors, customers advisors or agents are subject to a successful cyber-attack or other information security event. Any such breach. or interruption or other loss of information could compromise our networks, and the information stored there could be accessed by unauthorized parties, manipulated, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Cybersecurity insurance may not cover all losses and damages from such events and may limit the ability to maintain or obtain sufficient insurance coverage in the future.

Technology1 | 1.6%

Technology - Risk 1

Our business depends on our ability to use and access information systems, and any failure to successfully maintain these systems or implement new systems to handle our changing needs could materially harm our operations.

We depend on standardized procedures and multiple information systems for our operations, customer service and quality and safety procedures. Furthermore, we rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, store and protect electronic information, including confidential customer, supplier, employee or other business information. Through our online platform, we collect and store confidential information that website users provide to us when submitting queries or job applications. We use commercially available third-party technology solutions, software and software systems with some proprietary configurations. We also store data using third-party cloud services. Our information systems may be subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches, vandalism, catastrophic events, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, hackers and other security issues as well as human error. If our information systems are damaged, fail to work properly or otherwise become unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and we may experience a loss of critical information, customer disruption and interruptions or delays in our ability to perform essential functions and implement new and innovative services. If the cloud service providers we use were to experience unplanned downtime,delays or other issues delivering data to our information technology systems, it could adversely impact business operations. The compromising of our information systems or those with which we interact could harm our reputation and expose us to regulatory actions and claims from customers and other persons, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may not have the necessary resources to enhance existing information systems or implement new systems where necessary to handle our increasing volume and/or our changing needs, and we may experience unanticipated delays, complications and expenses in implementing and integrating our systems. Any interruptions in operations would adversely affect our ability to properly allocate resources and timely deliver our products, which could result in customer dissatisfaction. We currently rely on certain legacy systems that are no longer supported by their respective manufacturers, with only a small number of current employees able to maintain these systems. Any failure of these systems could have a business impact. The failure to successfully implement and maintain information systems could have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain new business, retain existing business and maintain or increase our sales and profit margins, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 14/63 (22%)Above Sector Average

Regulation5 | 7.9%

Regulation - Risk 1

We are required to comply with a wide variety of laws and regulations and are subject to regulation by various federal, state and foreign agencies.

In all the jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to a number of laws, regulations and practices concerning, inter alia, the health and safety of our employees, the use, manufacture and importing of chemicals and the protection of the environment and natural resources. In the event that the applicable laws and regulations were to change such that our products or our production processes were subject to greater regulatory control or restrictions, it could have a significant impact on our ability to market and sell our products and could require us to spend significant amounts to ensure and monitor compliance with such laws and regulations such that our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. For instance, both the EU and the United States are considering to further restrict in the next years the use of ethylene oxide, the main sterilizing agent used in our production processes. If the use of ethylene oxide is further restricted, or completely banned, this would require us to identify new sterilizing agents and would have a negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations. We are also subject to a variety of federal, state, local and international laws and regulations that govern, among other things, the importation and exportation of products, the handling, transportation and manufacture of substances that could be classified as hazardous, laws governing government contracts and our business practices such as anti-corruption and antitrust laws. Although we believe that we comply in all material respects with applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that a regulatory agency or tribunal would not reach a different conclusion concerning the compliance of our operations with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or renew existing permits, licenses or other regulatory approvals or obtain, without significant delay, future permits, licenses or other approvals needed for the operation of our businesses. Furthermore, loss of a permit, license or other approval in any one portion of our business may have indirect consequences in other portions of our business if regulators or customers, for example, cease doing business with such other portion due to fears that such loss is a sign of broader concerns about our ability to deliver products or services of sufficient quality. Any noncompliance by us with applicable laws and regulations or the failure to maintain, renew or obtain necessary permits and licenses could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations can lead to agency action, including warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, monetary sanctions, injunctions to halt manufacturing or distribution, restrictions on our operations, withdrawal of existing or denial of future approvals, permits or registrations, including those relating to products or facilities and civil and criminal sanctions. To the extent these agencies were to take enforcement action, such action may be made publicly available, and such publicity could harm our ability to sell these regulated products globally and may harm our reputation. In addition, such actions could limit the ability of our customers to obtain regulatory clearance or approval for their products in the United States or abroad and/or our customers may incur significant costs in obtaining or maintaining such regulatory clearances or approvals in the United States or abroad. In addition, any such failure relating to the products we provide exposes us to direct and third-party product liability claims as well as contractual claims from our customers, including claims for reimbursement for lost or damaged products, as well as potential recall liability, which could be significant. Customers may also claim loss of profits due to lost or delayed sales, although our contractual arrangements typically place limits on such claims. There can be no assurance that any such contractual limitation will be applicable or sufficient or fully enforced in any given situation.

Regulation - Risk 2

Given the relevance of our activities in the healthcare sector, investments by non-Italian entities in the Company, as well as certain asset disposals by the Company, may be subject to the prior authorization of the Italian Government (so called "golden powers").

Due to the relevance of our activities in the healthcare sector, it is not possible to exclude the recurrence of the conditions for the exercise, by the Italian Government, of the so called "golden powers", aimed at impacting the liquidity and value of the Shares. The golden power regime, set forth, among others, in (i) Law Decree no. 21 of March 15, 2012 (converted into law by Law no. 56 of May 11, 2012), as amended and supplemented ("Golden Power Decree"), and (ii) Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers no. 179 of December 18, 2020, also cover the healthcare sector. With respect to such sector, the powers set forth in the Golden Power Decree include, inter alia, the powers to: (i) veto, or impose specific conditions on, the purchase by EU companies of controlling stakes or by non-EU companies of shareholdings at least equal to 10% of voting rights or corporate capital in companies having assets and relationships in sectors which are considered strategic (the "Strategic Companies"), and (ii) veto, or impose specific conditions on, the adoption of certain corporate resolutions, acts or transactions by the same companies which may pose a threat to national security. With respect to the healthcare sector, the Golden Power Decree requires companies to notify the office of the Italian Prime Minister within 10 days of: (i) any purchase by an EU entity of a stake in a Strategic Company resulting in the buyer acquiring control of such company pursuant to article 2359 of the Italian Civil Code and of the Italian Financial Act (TUF); (ii) any purchase by a non-EU entity of either a controlling stake or a minority stake at least equal to 10% of voting rights or corporate capital in a Strategic Company; and (iii) any resolution, act or transaction adopted by a Strategic Company resulting in a transfer of ownership, control or availability of strategic assets to either an EU or a non-EU entity. The same applies to any resolution, act or transaction adopted by a Strategic Company, whose effect is to change the destination of a strategic asset, or a change in the corporate purpose of the Strategic Company. Furthermore, the regulation requires to notify the dissolution of the company or the amendment of certain provisions of their articles of association. The office of the Italian Prime Minister must exercise its power to veto the transaction or impose conditions within 45 days from the date of notice. In the interim, all rights related to the shares other than economic rights are suspended, and any decision adopted in violation of such suspension is null and void, but once the term has expired the relevant transaction can be completed. Should the office of the Italian Prime Minister veto the transaction, the buyer must sell the acquired shares or quotas within one year. The violation of the notification obligation or of the prescriptions eventually imposed by virtue of the exercise of special powers, unless the fact constitutes a criminal offense, is subject to a pecuniary administrative sanction up to double the value of the transaction and in any case not less than one percent of the cumulative turnover achieved by the companies involved in the last financial year for which the financial statements were approved. As a result, our ability to pursue commercial or industrial strategic resolutions, acts or transactions that involve the acquisition of, or the subscription for, our shares by a partner (or that imply an amendment to our shareholders' structure) may be restricted by the Italian Government's decision to exercise its special powers with respect to our business. Therefore, the application of the golden powers regime could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects. Furthermore, in the future, our shareholders' ability to enter into change of control or takeover transactions may be impacted by the exercise by the Italian Government of its special powers under the golden power regime. Our shareholders may not be able to transfer their interests or such a transfer may be subject to conditions, which diminish the value of the transaction and discourage investments. This may limit our shareholders' ability to benefit from the proceeds of certain proposed asset sales or acquisitions or business combinations, and may limit our shareholders' ability to benefit from possible premiums connected to a proposed change of control transaction, tender offer or other strategic transactions.

Regulation - Risk 3

The laws and regulations which we are subject to, such as U.S., EU and other anti-corruption laws, trade controls, economic sanctions and similar laws and regulations in the jurisdictions which we operate, are complex and the regulatory and political regimes under which we operate are volatile. Our failure to comply with the relevant laws and regulations could subject us to civil, criminal and administrative penalties and harm our reputation.

Certain of our operations are subject to U.S., EU and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA"), export controls and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC"). As a result of doing business in foreign countries and with foreign partners, we may be exposed to a heightened risk of violating anti-corruption, export control, and sanctions laws and regulations. The FCPA prohibits us from providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. It also requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect our transactions. As part of our business, we may deal with state-owned business enterprises, the employees of which are considered foreign officials for purposes of the FCPA. Other anti-corruption legislation which we may be required to adhere to, sets out wider prohibitions including against private bribery, which is also relevant to our business. Economic sanctions and export controls may restrict our ability to conduct business with or in certain jurisdictions, individuals and entities. We are not a U.S. person and are not owned or controlled by one or more U.S. persons. We have in the past engaged in dealings with parties in Cuba, Iran, and Syria, and we have or could have ongoing de minimis activities with parties in Iran and Cuba. We believe that such activities have been conducted in compliance with all applicable sanctions and export controls, and are implementing policies and procedures designed to ensure continued compliance. However, we cannot be certain that these safeguards will be fully effective in the future to ensure compliance, and the scope and reach of U.S. sanctions laws could also change over time. The military actions undertaken by Russian military forces against Ukraine in 2022 resulted in the imposition of financial and economic sanctions by the European Union, the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries and organizations against officials, individuals, regions, and industries in Russia and Belarus. Such sanctions, together with any additional measure that may be adopted in connection with this situation, may, in various ways, constrain Russia and Ukraine related transactions. Our ability to engage in activity with certain consumer and institutional businesses in Russia and Ukraine or involving certain Russian or Ukrainian businesses and customers is dependent in part upon whether such engagement is restricted under any current or expected U.S., EU, U.K. or other countries sanctions and laws. Our ability to engage may be further impaired in the event other countries were to become involved in the conflict and, as result, be subjected to sanctions or similar restrictions. Violations of anti-corruption, export control and sanctions laws and regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. There can be no assurance that all of our employees, consultants, agents or other associated persons will not take actions in violation of these laws and regulations, and that our procedures will effectively prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage or provide a defense to any alleged violation. In particular, we may be held liable for the actions that our local strategic partners take inside or outside of the United States, even though our partners may not be subject to these laws. Such a violation, even if our policies prohibit it, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.

Regulation - Risk 4

If we fail to comply with requirements relating to being a public company in the United States when obligated to do so, our business could be harmed and our ordinary shares price could decline.

We are a joint stock company with limited accounting personnel and other relevant resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. Our registered public accounting firm previously had not performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting during any period in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and it is possible that, had our registered public accounting firm performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, significant deficiencies and/or material weaknesses would have been identified. The continued presence of material weaknesses and/or significant deficiencies in any future financial reporting periods could result in financial statement errors that, in turn, could lead to errors in our financial reports, delays in our financial reporting, and that could require us to restate our operating results, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our ordinary shares could be materially and adversely affected. We might also not identify one or more material weaknesses and/or significant deficiencies in our internal controls in connection with evaluating our compliance with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Furthermore, Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act ("Section 404(b)") requires our independent registered public accounting firm to issue an annual report that addresses the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. When we still had our emerging growth company status, we had opted to rely on the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act, and consequently were not required to comply with SEC rules that implement Section 404(b). Now that we are no longer an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In order to achieve and maintain compliance with the requirements of Section 404(a), we need to expend significant resources and provide significant management oversight. Implementing any appropriate changes to our internal controls may require specific compliance training of our directors and employees, entail substantial costs in order to modify our existing accounting systems, take a significant period of time to complete and divert management's attention from other business concerns. These changes may not, however, be effective in maintaining the adequacy of our internal controls. As disclosed in more detail under Item 15A, "Controls and Procedures" below, we have identified material weaknesses as of December 31, 2023 in our internal control over financial reporting. Our management has taken action to begin remediating the material weaknesses; however, certain remedial actions have only recently been undertaken, and while we expect to continue to implement our remediation plans throughout the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, we cannot be certain as to when remediation will be fully completed. There can be no assurance that such remediation efforts will be successful, that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective as a result of these efforts or that any such future deficiencies identified may not be material weaknesses that would be required to be reported in future periods. In addition, we cannot assure you that our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to attest that such internal controls are effective. If either we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or, at the appropriate time, our independent registered public accounting firm issue an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404(b), investors may lose confidence in our operating results, the price of our ordinary shares could decline, and we may be subject to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. In addition, if we are unable to meet the requirements of Section 404, we may not be able to remain listed on the NYSE.

Regulation - Risk 5

Added

Uncertainties with respect to the People's Republic of China legal system, including uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and sudden and unexpected changes in laws and regulations, could adversely affect us.

Our operations in China are governed by Chinese laws and regulations. The Chinese legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may be in violation of some of these policies and rules, without being aware of such violation. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations in China. Furthermore, if China adopts more stringent standards with respect to environmental protection or corporate social responsibilities, we may incur increased compliance costs or become subject to additional restrictions in our operations. Intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may also not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. The Chinese government continues to exercise significant oversight and control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. The ability of our Chinese subsidiaries to operate may be impaired by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, land use rights, foreign investment limitations, and other matters.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities3 | 4.8%

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1

Claims of U.S. civil liabilities may not be enforceable against us.

We are incorporated under Italian law. Most of our assets are located outside the United States. The majority of our management and board of directors reside outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon such persons or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against them or us, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2

We are subject to product liability and other claims in the ordinary course of business.

Our business involves risk of product liability claims related to providing incorrect product information at the time of purchase, claims for defective containment solutions which may impair drug efficacy and other claims in the ordinary course of business. Furthermore, there may be product liability risks that are unknown or which become known in the future. We may also face claims raised by our present employees for injury deriving from the lifting and handling of loads and the use of heavy machinery, as well as claims raised by our present and past employees for injury and illness from hazardous substances used or present at certain of our facilities. Substantial, complex or extended litigation on any claim could cause us to incur significant costs and distract our management. For example, lawsuits by governmental authorities, employees, shareholders, suppliers, collaborators, distributors, customers,competitors or others could be very costly and substantially disrupt our business. Our exposure to such claims may increase as we seek to increase the geographic scope of our sourcing and sales activities and to the extent that we expand our manufacturing operations. We maintain insurance policies but we cannot assure you that our insurance coverage will be available in all pending or any future cases brought against us. Furthermore, our ability to recover under any insurance is subject to the terms and conditions of such insurance, as well as the financial viability of our and such third parties' insurers, as well as legal enforcement under the local laws governing these arrangements. Insurance coverage in general or coverage for certain types of liabilities, such as product liability in developing markets, may not be readily available for purchase or cost-effective for us to purchase. Furthermore, many of our insurance policies are subject to deductibles and retentions. Accordingly, we could be subject to uninsured and unindemnified future liabilities requiring us to provide additional reserves to address such liabilities. An unfavorable result in a case for which adequate insurance or indemnification is not available could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Occasionally, we are also involved in disputes, litigation and regulatory matters incidental to and in the ordinary course of our business, including employment matters, commercial disputes, government compliance matters, environmental matters, and other matters arising out of the normal conduct of our business. Where merited, we will vigorously defend ourselves in such matters. There can be no assurance that the impact of any pending or future claims will not be material to our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 3

The indemnification provisions of acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies or businesses may not fully protect us, and we may face unexpected liabilities.

Certain of the acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies or businesses require the former owners to indemnify us against certain liabilities related to the operation of the company or business before we acquired it. In most of these agreements, however, the liability of the former owners is limited, and certain former owners may be unable to meet their indemnification responsibilities. While we are protected by representation and warranties and related indemnification in relation to such acquisitions, these may not be enough to cover our exposure if a significant liability arose in connection with any acquisition agreement. We cannot assure you that these indemnification provisions will protect us fully or at all, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Taxation & Government Incentives4 | 6.3%

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1

We are subject to tax laws, tariffs and potential tax audits in multiple jurisdictions that could affect our financial results.

We are subject to tax laws, tariffs and potential tax audits in multiple jurisdictions. The application and interpretation of these laws in different jurisdictions affect our international operations in complex ways and are subject to change, and some changes may be retroactively applied. Our tax liabilities in the different countries where we operate depend, in part, on transfer pricing and administrative charges among us and our subsidiaries. These arrangements require us to make judgments with which tax authorities may disagree, potentially resulting in the assessment of material additional taxes, penalties, interest or other charges to resolve these issues. Transactions that we have structured in light of current tax rules could have material and adverse consequences for us if tax rules change. Tax audits, changes in tax laws, their application and interpretation or imposition of any new or increased tariffs, duties and taxes could increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our sales, profits and financial condition and could have an adverse effect on our business, net assets, or results of operations. Such factors could also cause us to expend significant time and resources and/or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2

We are exposed to Italian tax risks related to our multinational operations.

We operate in many different jurisdictions throughout the world, through our group companies. Over recent years, tax laws and practice applicable in various countries have become increasingly complex and sophisticated, particularly with respect to cross-border transactions. Italy has historically implemented a number of domestic provisions - including those implementing EU anti-abuse Directives and OECD principles - aimed at facing tax basis erosion schemes and allocation of income between associated enterprises adopted by multinational groups. Italian Tax authorities are increasingly scrutinizing multinational groups based on these provisions by also enforcing exchange of information instruments in force with foreign tax authorities. The combination of the above factors may lead to an increased likelihood of tax audits with respect, among other things, to: (i) tax residence, (ii) permanent establishment, (iii) transfer pricing, (iv) Controlled Foreign Company legislation, (v) taxation of dividends and capital gains derived upon interests held in companies located in low-tax Jurisdictions, (vi) withholding tax application on cross-border payments, and (vii) anti-hybrid mismatches. In any such case, depending on the specific circumstances, tax audits and/or tax litigations with the Italian tax authorities could result in tax liabilities and fines and penalties of significant amounts, which could be in excess of the amounts. We provide for in our financial statements for tax liabilities.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3

The application of indirect taxes could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The application of indirect taxes, such as sales and use tax, value-added tax, provincial taxes, goods and services tax, business tax and gross receipt tax, to our business is a complex and evolving issue. Significant judgment is required to evaluate applicable tax obligations. As a result, amounts recorded may be subject to adjustments by the relevant tax authorities. In many cases, the ultimate tax determination is uncertain because it is not clear how new and existing statutes might apply to our business. A number of jurisdictions globally have introduced (or are looking to introduce) additional value added tax (or similar tax) calculation requirements as well as additional reporting, record-keeping, collection and remittance obligations on businesses like ours.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4

Changed

There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, U.S. Holders holding our shares may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

A non-U.S. corporation such as the Company will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either: (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of "passive income" or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. Whether we are treated as a PFIC is a factual determination that is made on an annual basis after the close of each taxable year. This determination will depend on, among other things, the composition of our income and assets, as well as the value of our assets (which generally will be determined by reference to the public price of our shares, which may fluctuate significantly), from time to time. Based on the current and anticipated composition of our income, assets and operations and the price of our shares, we do not believe we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our most recent taxable year and do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or in foreseeable future years. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for any taxable year. If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined below) holds our shares, such U.S. Holder could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. See "Income Tax Considerations-U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations – Passive Foreign Investment Company."

Environmental / Social2 | 3.2%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

The uncertain effects of climate change and potential climate change legislation could lead to business interruption, significantly increased costs and/or other adverse consequences to our business.

Climate change and potential climate change legislation may present risks to our operations, including business interruption, significantly increased costs and/or other adverse consequences to our business. Some of the potential impacts of climate change to our business include physical risks to our facilities, water and energy supply limitations or interruptions, disruptions to our supply chain and impairment of other resources. In addition, if legislation or regulations are enacted or promulgated in the U.S., Europe or Asia or any other jurisdictions in which we do business that limit or reduce allowable greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions, such restrictions could have a significant effect on our operating and financial decisions, including those involving capital expenditures to reduce emissions, and our results of operations. Our manufacturing operations may not be able to operate as planned if we are not able to comply with new legal and regulatory legislation around climate change, or it may become too costly to operate in a profitable manner. Additionally, suppliers' added expenses could be passed on to us in the form of higher prices and we may not be able to pass on such expenses to our customers through price increases.

Environmental / Social - Risk 2

Added

We collect, process, store, use and share data, some of which contains personal data, which subjects us to complex and evolving governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to data privacy, data protection, information security and other matters, which are subject to change and uncertain interpretation.

EU Member States, the United Kingdom and many other non-US jurisdictions have adopted statutes and/or regulations concerning privacy and data protection and requiring notification of personal data security breaches if certain thresholds are met. For example, the EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), which became effective in 2018, and the UK transposed the GDPR into national law ("UK GDPR") following the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, which became effective in 2021 (collectively, Applicable Data Protection Laws). The Applicable Data Protection Laws impose strict requirements on controllers and processors of personal data in the European Economic Area, or EEA and the United Kingdom, including, for example, higher standards for obtaining consent from individuals to process their personal data, more robust disclosures to individuals and a strengthened individual data rights regime and shortened timelines for data breach notifications. Failure to comply with the GDPR or UK GDPR may result in monetary penalties of up to €20.0 million or 4% of an undertaking's total worldwide annual turnover of the previous financial year, whichever is higher. Given the EU GDPR and UK GDPR are separate regimes, fines could arise under each in respect of a single incident, to the extent it affects EEA and UK personal data. In addition to fines, a breach of the GDPR or UK GDPR may result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease/change our data processing activities, enforcement notices, assessment notices (for a compulsory audit) or civil claims (including class actions). The UK GDPR is in a currently substantially unvaried form from the GDPR, however, it is likely to be subject to divergence from the GDPR over time as demonstrated by the Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill which is under the United Kingdom Parliament's consideration and expected to come into force in 2024. We may therefore be subject in the future to separate and additional data protection obligations to those that we are already subject to. This may result in additional costs and may necessitate changes to our business practices, which in turn may compromise our growth strategy and otherwise adversely affect our business, reputation, legal exposures, financial condition and results of operations. In recent years, the United States and European lawmakers and regulators have expressed concern over electronic marketing and the use of third-party cookies, web beacons and similar technology for online behavioral advertising. In the European Union, marketing is defined broadly to include any promotional material and the rules specifically on e-marketing are currently set out in the ePrivacy Directive which will be replaced by a new ePrivacy Regulation. In the EEA and in the UK under national laws derived from the e-Privacy Directive, informed consent is required for the placement of a cookie or similar technologies on a user's device and for e-marketing. The GDPR and UK GDPR also impose conditions on obtaining valid consent for cookies, such as a prohibition on pre-checked consents and a requirement to ensure separate consents are sought for each type of cookie or similar technology. Recent European court decisions and regulators' recent guidance are driving increased attention to cookies and tracking technologies and the online behavioral advertising ecosystem. This could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. In addition, regulation of cookies and similar technologies, and any decline of cookies or similar online tracking technologies as a means to identify and potentially target users, may lead to broader restrictions and impairments on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand users. Finally, the current national laws that implement the e-Privacy Directive are highly likely to be replaced across the EU (but not the UK) with a EU regulation known as the e-Privacy Regulation which, though still in development, will if adopted, impose new obligations on the use of personal data in the context of electronic communications, particularly in relation to online tracking technologies, and significantly increase regulators' ability to impose fines for non-compliance. This again introduces the possibility we will be subject to, and required to comply with, a separate and additional legal regime with respect to data privacy, which may result in additional costs and may necessitate changes to our business practices, which in turn may compromise our growth strategy and otherwise adversely affect our business, reputation, legal exposures, financial condition and results of operations. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China promulgated the so-called Personal Information Protection Law (the "PIPL"), which entered into force on November 1, 2021. The PIPL, regarded as China's version of the GDPR, aims at protecting the personal information rights and interests ensuring the orderly and free flow of personal information in accordance with the law, and promotes the reasonable use of personal information. The PIPL regulates how business operators may collect, use, process, share,and transfer personal information in China and supplements the existing data protection regime previously established by the Cybersecurity Law ("CSL") and other fragmented national guidelines. Under the PIPL, personal information handlers must adopt necessary measures to safeguard the security of personal information. The PIPL further mandates that, in case of violations, the business operators can receive orders of rectification, suspension, termination of provision of services, or confiscation of illegal income. There are also numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations related to the privacy and security of personal information. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which came into effect in 2020, requires disclosures of our privacy practices to California consumers and affords such consumers certain rights, such as the right to opt out of the sale of their personal data. The California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 amended the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 which came into effect on January 1, 2023, imposes additional data protection obligations on companies doing business in California and grants California consumers additional rights, potentially resulting in further complexity for our compliance efforts. Additionally, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (along with its implementing regulations) (the "GLBA") restricts certain collection, processing, storage, use and disclosure by covered companies of certain personal information, requires notice to individuals of privacy practices and provides individuals with certain rights to prevent the use and disclosure of certain non-public or otherwise legally protected information. The GLBA also imposes requirements regarding the safeguarding and proper destruction of personal information through the issuance of data security standards or guidelines. State laws are changing rapidly (with at least ten such states (in addition to California) enacting comprehensive privacy laws scheduled to take effect starting in 2023, and privacy bills proposed in a number of other states in varying stages of the legislative process), and there is discussion in Congress of a new comprehensive federal data protection law to which we would become subject if it were enacted, which may lead to additional complexity for our compliance efforts and new restrictions regarding how we use data, and which may expose us to potential legal risks. The evolving regulatory landscape may require additional investment of resources in our compliance programs, impact our strategies and the availability of information useful for our business, and could otherwise result in increased compliance costs or changes in our business practices and policies. The cross-border data transfer landscape globally (including in the EEA, United Kingdom and United States) is continually evolving, and other countries outside of Europe have enacted or are considering enacting cross-border data transfer restrictions and laws requiring data localization, which may affect our ability to process or transfer personal data from Europe or elsewhere. The EU's adequacy decision with respect to the UK, which allows the continued flow of personal data from the EU to the UK following Brexit, will be regularly reviewed and may be revoked if the UK diverges from its current adequate data protection laws. The UK has developed its own international data transfer agreement, which was implemented in March 2022. GDPR and UK GDPR, as well as other statutes and/or regulations concerning privacy and data protection, increase compliance obligations, affect collection, processing, retention and transfer of personal data and the reporting of personal data security breaches, and provide for increased penalties for non-compliance. On July 11, 2023, the European Commission entered into force its adequacy decision for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (a new framework for transferring personal information from the EEA to the United States), having determined that such framework ensures that the protection of personal information transferred from the EEA to the US will be comparable to the protection offered in the EU. The UK has also approved a UK extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which were laid before Parliament in September 2023 and come into force on October 12, 2023. However, this decision will likely face legal challenges and ultimately may be invalidated by the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU"). We are also reliant on certain manual processes for collecting and processing data, and any failures in these processes or failure to handle the data collected in accordance with relevant regulations could lead to enforcement actions. Complying with all applicable laws, regulations, standards and obligations relating to data privacy, security and transfers may cause us to incur substantial operational costs or require us to modify our data processing practices and processes. Government enforcement actions can be costly and interrupt the regular operation of our business, and data breaches or violations of data privacy laws can result in significant fines, reputational damage and civil lawsuits, any of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may not be able to respond quickly or effectively to regulatory, legislative and other developments, and these changes may in turn impair our ability to commercialize our products or increase our cost of doing business. In addition, if our practices are not consistent or viewed as not consistent with legal and regulatory requirements, including changes in laws, regulations and standards or new interpretations or applications of existing laws, regulations and standards, we may become subject to audits, inquiries, whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, severe criminal or civil sanctions or reputational damage. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Production

Total Risks: 8/63 (13%)Above Sector Average

Manufacturing3 | 4.8%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

Our manufacturing facilities are subject to operating hazards which may lead to production curtailments or shutdowns and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Certain of our manufacturing processes involve heating glass to extremely high temperatures, forming plastic and operating heavy machinery and equipment, which entail a number of risks and hazards, including industrial accidents, leaks and ruptures, explosions, fires, mechanical failures and environmental hazards, such as spills, storage tank leaks, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances and gases, including into the environment. Any of these events, which are generally more likely to occur as our machines approach time for refurbishment, could lead to requirements for environmental remediation and civil, criminal and administrative sanctions and liabilities. These hazards may cause unplanned business interruptions (also as a consequence of remediation actions), unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or the destruction of property and equipment, environmental contamination and other environmental damage, civil, criminal and administrative sanctions and liabilities and third-party claims, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, under applicable local laws, including Italian law, our directors and officers may be subject to criminal liability, in connection with injuries occurred to our employees, as a result of workplace health and safety violations by reason of their position as employers (posizione di garanzia). Convictions of our directors and officers could negatively impact our reputation. Moreover, due to the long industrial history of our manufacturing facilities and the subsequent lack of detailed information regarding historical waste and chemical storage and disposal, the risk of soil, water or groundwater contamination and related civil, administrative and criminal liabilities cannot be eliminated.

Manufacturing - Risk 2

Significant interruptions in our operations could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Manufacturing, distribution, service and logistics problems can and do arise, particularly in light of geopolitical conflicts, and any such problems could have a significant impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Accordingly, any significant disruptions to the operations of our manufacturing or distribution centers or logistics providers for any reason, including labor relations issues, power interruptions, severe weather, fire or other circumstances beyond our control could cause our cost of sales and operating expenses to increase without coverage or compensation or seriously harm our ability to fulfill our customers' orders or deliver products on a timely basis, or both. Likewise, our ability to meet our customers' needs and expectations may be frustrated by delays, issues or interruptions in ramping up new production lines or plants. We must also maintain sufficient production capacity in order to meet anticipated customer demand, which carries fixed costs that we may not be able to offset if orders slow, which would adversely affect our operating margins. If we are unable to manufacture our products consistently, in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis, our revenue, gross margins and our other operating results will be materially and adversely affected. Prompt shipment of our products is also very important to our business. If we experience significant delays in our manufacturing, shipping or logistics processes, this could cause disruption to our customers and damage our current and future customer relationships and may adversely affect our business. Such delays may also adversely impact our new product development. For example, if we were to lose one of our sites where new product development is undertaken, we may not be able to transfer or replicate that product development at another site, with the result of lost time and financial costs of developing the new product. We may also use high-risk chemicals in the manufacture of certain of our products, which are subject to handling risks, and any disruption in our ability to source or appropriately store these chemicals could adversely affect our manufacturing operations.

Manufacturing - Risk 3

Our product offerings are highly complex, and, if our products do not satisfy applicable quality criteria, specifications and performance standards, we could experience lost sales, delayed or reduced market acceptance of our products, increased costs and damage to our reputation.

Most of our products are highly exacting and complex due to their use for containment and injection of biologic drugs and vaccines. Providing high-quality products that deliver specificity, sensitivity and consistency, together with extensive product validation data is a fundamental driver of customer loyalty and our reputation with life sciences researchers. Our operating results depend on our ability to execute and, when necessary, improve our global quality control systems, including our ability to effectively train and maintain our employees with respect to quality control. A failure of our global quality control systems could result in problems with facility operations or preparation or provision of defective or non-compliant products which could ultimately cause harm to the final user. In each case, such problems could arise for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with critical materials and components, failure by one or more of our suppliers to meet our quality requirements, or environmental factors and damage to, or loss of, manufacturing operations. Such problems could affect production of a particular batch or series of batches of products, requiring the destruction of such products or a halt of facility production altogether. Although we currently hold an insurance policy that covers liabilities for defective products and product recalls in amounts we believe to be adequate for our business, our coverage may not be adequate to insure against all product liability claims that may arise which may be particularly high in case failure of our products to meet the appropriate quality standards which may cause product recalls or damages to our customers or ultimate users. As a result of this, product defect claims or product recalls may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our success depends on our customers' confidence that we can provide reliable, consistently high-quality products, which also requires us to provide validated data to support our customers' use of our products. We believe that customers are likely to be sensitive to our products failing to meet the specifications shown on our data sheets. Our reputation and the public perception of our products and technologies may be impaired if our products fail to perform as expected or fail to meet applicable quality criteria, specifications or performance standards. If our products experience, or are perceived to experience, a material defect or error, this could result in loss or delay of sales, damaged reputation, diversion of development resources and increased insurance or warranty costs, any of which could harm our business. These risks may be amplified by our new product lines as we implement appropriate quality control criteria. We are reliant, to an extent, on customer feedback on the quality of our products, and it may take additional time for new products to meet the desired quality standards. Any defects or errors could also result in our inability to timely deliver products to our customers, which could cause disruptions to our customers' ability to obtain results, narrowing the scope of the use of our products and ultimately hindering our or their success in relevant markets. Even after any underlying concerns or problems are resolved, any lingering concerns regarding our technology, product defects or performance standards could continue to result in lost sales, delayed market acceptance and damaged reputation, among other things. If problems in preparation or manufacture of a product, failure to meet required quality standards for that product or other product defects are not discovered before such product is released to our customers, we may be subject to adverse legal or regulatory actions, including halting of manufacturing and distribution, restrictions on our operations, civil sanctions (including monetary sanctions), and criminal actions. In addition, such problems or failures subject us to other litigation claims, including claims from our customers for reimbursement of the cost of lost or damaged materials. Our customers also require specific information regarding our products and their uses, and any inaccuracies in this information could lead to products being sold for the wrong uses and may result in our having to refund or replace the products in question. Any of the above problems may adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Employment / Personnel3 | 4.8%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

We are highly dependent on our management and employees. Competition for our employees is intense, and we may not be able to attract and retain the highly skilled employees that we need to support our business and our intended future growth.

Our success largely depends on the skills, experience and continued efforts of our management, including our Executive Chairman, our Chief Executive Officer and our senior leadership, as well as of our research and development and highly skilled employees. The replacement of certain members of our global leadership team would likely involve the expenditure of significant time and financial resources, and the loss of any such individual may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives. Likewise, the members of our research and development team and our highly skilled employees, whom our customers and competitors often seek to engage, may be difficult to replace in light of their sophisticated skills and experience and a shortage of such employees could disrupt our operations. As we continue to grow, our success also depends on our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified individuals who will also fit within our culture. Competition for senior management and other personnel in our industry is intense, and the pool of suitable candidates is limited. If qualified personnel become scarce or difficult to attract or retain in our industry for compensation-related or other reasons, we could experience higher labor, recruiting or training costs. Further, new hires may require significant training and time before they achieve full productivity and may not become as productive as we expect. The failure to attract, retain and properly motivate members of our senior management team and other employees, to find suitable replacements for them in the event of death, illness or their desire to pursue other professional opportunities, or to maintain our corporate culture as we continue to grow, could have a negative effect on our operating results.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 2

If our employees were to engage in a strike or other work stoppage, our business, operating results and financial position could be materially adversely affected.

We employ approximately 5,635 employees, as at December 31, 2023, in multiple jurisdictions (approximately 56% based in Italy, 9% based in Germany, 8% based in Mexico, 6% in each of Slovakia, the U.S. and Denmark, 5% based in Brazil and 4% based in China). A significant portion of our employees in Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Mexico, Denmark and China are covered by collective bargaining arrangements made either at the local or national level in their respective countries. Although we believe that our relations with our employees are satisfactory, no assurance can be given that this will continue. If disputes with our unions arise, or if our workers engage in a strike or other work stoppage, we could incur higher labor costs or experience a significant disruption of operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial position.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 3

Our reputation, ability to do business and results of operations may be impaired by improper conduct by any of our employees, agents or business partners.

We cannot provide assurance that our internal controls and compliance systems will always protect us from acts committed by employees, agents or business partners of ours (including third-party suppliers, distributors or of businesses we acquire or partner with) that would violate U.S. and/or other national laws, including the laws governing payments to government officials, bribery, fraud, kickbacks and false claims, pricing, sales and marketing practices, conflicts of interest, competition, export and import compliance, money laundering and data privacy. In particular, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Any improper actions by our employees, suppliers and distributors or allegations of such acts could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations in Italy, under Italian Legislative Decree No. 231 of June 8, 2001 (the "Decree 231") pursuant to which a legal entity can be held liable to pay fines in connection with certain criminal offenses committed, inter alia, by its directors, officers or employees, the United States and in other jurisdictions, and any related shareholder lawsuits could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and nonmonetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant legal and investigatory fees. In particular, pursuant to Decree 231, a defense can be established by an entity involved in a Decree 231 investigation, if such entity can prove, among others, that it adopted and properly implemented an organization, management and control model aimed at effectively preventing the commission of the criminal acts involved prior to such unlawful conduct having taken place. We approved and adopted the current (fourth) version of our organization, management and control model provided by Decree 231 ("Model 231") by means of a resolution of the board of directors dated November 4, 2022, and appointed the current supervisory body (the "Supervisory Body") that supervises the functioning of and compliance with Model 231, and monitors and assesses the implementation status of preventive measures, with regular yearly reports to the board of directors. The adoption of organization and management models does not by itself exclude applicability of the penalties provided by Decree 231. In fact, upon commission of an offense resulting in administrative liability of the Company pursuant to Decree 231, the court will evaluate the models and their actual implementation. Failure to comply with Decree 231 could result in the imposition of administrative sanctions such as monetary sanctions and other types of sanctions, if applicable (e.g., interdictory sanctions, including prohibitions such as participation in public tenders or the termination of a public contract already awarded, confiscation of the price or profits deriving from the crime and publication of the judgment) and loss of confidence of our customer base, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects of the Group. In addition, a government may seek to hold us liable as a successor for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. We also rely on our suppliers to adhere to our supplier standards of conduct, and material violations of such standards of conduct could occur that could have a material effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

Supply Chain1 | 1.6%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

Our business, financial condition and results of operations depend upon maintaining our relationships with suppliers and service providers.

Our results of operations have been, and will continue to be, dependent in part on our ability to obtain favorable terms from our suppliers and services providers, including logistics service providers. These terms may change from time to time, and such changes could adversely affect our gross margins over time. In addition, our cash flows could be adversely impacted by the acceleration of payment terms to our suppliers and/or the imposition of more restrictive credit terms and other contractual requirements. Further, if for any reason we enter into a contract with a supplier on unfavorable terms, it may harm our ability to negotiate our future contracts with that supplier or with other suppliers. The loss of one or more of our large suppliers including as a result of consolidation, a material reduction in their supply of products or provision of services to us, extended disruptions or interruptions in their operations or material changes in the terms we obtain from them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Costs1 | 1.6%

Costs - Risk 1

Changed

Our business, financial condition and results of operations depend upon the availability and price of high-quality materials and energy supplies and our ability to contain production costs.

Our operations depend upon our ability to obtain high-quality materials and energy supplies at reasonable prices, therefore maintaining low production costs. Our ability to maintain an adequate supply of such materials and energy could be impacted by the availability and price of those materials and energy, the failure to maintain relationships with suppliers and any of such materials being proven to be toxic or otherwise inadequate to be used for the intended purpose. While we may seek to minimize the impact of price increases and potential shortages by, among other things, entering into long-term supply agreements, maintaining commercial relationships with multiple suppliers when possible, increasing our own prices and implementing cost-saving measures, our result of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected in the event these measures are insufficient to cover our costs. With respect to energy supplies, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the financial and economic sanctions imposed by the European Union, the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries and organizations against officials, individuals, regions, and industries in Russia and Belarus have caused significant fluctuations in gas and energy prices, and may further negatively impact our ability to source gas at commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Moreover, while we aim to maintain a large network of product suppliers, we are unable to predict any interruption or disruption in service from our key suppliers. In particular, for some of the materials we use in our production cycles we have a limited number of (or a single-source) suppliers worldwide, and selecting new suppliers would be a lengthy and time consuming process. Any interruption or disruption in service from particular suppliers of materials could lead to interruptions or stoppages in such deliveries which could, in turn, adversely affect our operations until arrangements with alternative suppliers are put into place. If this occurs, we could expend substantial resources and time in re-establishing relationships with third-party suppliers that meet the appropriate quality, cost and regulatory requirements needed for commercially viable manufacturing of our products. If we are unable to obtain the materials we need at reasonable prices or at all, we may not be able to produce certain of our products at a marketable price or at all. If our supply of materials and components is adversely affected, including as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East, we could damage our relationship with current and prospective customers and our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. Moreover, we are dependent upon the ability of our suppliers to provide materials that meet our quality standards, as well as delivery schedules. Our suppliers' failure to provide expected materials that meet such criteria could adversely affect production schedules and contract profitability. The continued supply of high-quality third-party materials and energy from our suppliers is subject to a number of risks, including: - the destruction of or damage to our suppliers' facilities or their distribution infrastructure;- work stoppages or strikes by our suppliers' employees;- the failure of our suppliers to provide materials of the requisite quality or in compliance with strict specifications;- the failure of essential equipment at our suppliers' plants;- the failure of our suppliers to satisfy import and export control laws for goods that we purchase from them;- the failure of our suppliers to meet regulatory standards where applicable;- the failure, shortage or delay in the delivery of materials to or from our suppliers;- contractual amendments and disputes with our suppliers; and - inability of our suppliers to perform as a result of the weakened global economy, terrorism, war and other armed hostilities (such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and financial and economic sanctions imposed in response thereto, and logistical challenges resulting from the conflicts in the Middle East), or otherwise. Moreover, global cost inflation trends have had an effect on and could continue to unfavorably impact pricing from our suppliers, which in turn could impact our gross margins to the extent we are unable to pass along price differences to our customers. If we experience problems with suppliers, we may not be able to find acceptable alternatives, and any such alternatives could result in increased costs for us and possible forward losses on certain contracts. Even if acceptable alternatives are found, the process of locating and securing such alternatives might be disruptive to our business, might lead to termination of our supply agreements with our customers and might disrupt the operations of our customers leading to potential claims, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 5/63 (8%)Above Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment2 | 3.2%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

If relations between China and the United States deteriorate, our business in the United States and China could be materially and adversely affected.

The relationship between China and the United States is subject to periodic tension. Changes in political conditions in the United States and China and changes in the state of China-U.S. relations are difficult to predict and could adversely affect our business. For instance, the U.S. administration has called for substantial changes to trade agreements and imposed significant increases on tariffs on goods imported into the United States, particularly from China. Other countries have responded similarly, with tariffs on goods entering their countries. We currently have facilities and sell products in China and have invested, and expect to continue investing, in the country, and if the Chinese government makes any changes to its laws or policy concerning foreign ownership of companies or assets located within China, or imposes any significant increases on tariffs on goods imported into or out of China, it could have a significant impact on our business and financial results.

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2

Added

If the military conflict in Israel and Gaza continues, our business could be materially and adversely affected.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants infiltrated Israel's southern border from the Gaza Strip and conducted a series of attacks. As a result of such attacks, Israel's security cabinet declared war against Hamas, and Israel launched an aerial bombardment to the Gaza Strip and then also began ground operations in the Gaza Strip, which remain ongoing. It is possible that other regional organizations will join the hostilities as well, resulting in a widening of the conflict, which could negatively impact the global economy. Furthermore, following Hamas' attack on Israel and Israel's security cabinet declaration of war against Hamas, the Houthi movement, which controls parts of Yemen, launched a number of attacks on marine vessels traversing the Red Sea. The Red Sea is a vital maritime route for international trade. These disruptions may impact our ability to receive materials and products from suppliers, to distribute our products 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 disruption could increase raw material and product costs, impact our ability to meet customer demand and result in lost sales, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are monitoring the developing military conflict in Israel and Gaza, but cannot predict whether this situation, which is unfolding in real-time, may escalate and result in material implications for our business. None of our operations are located in Israel or Gaza and currently we do not have any significant customers or suppliers in the region.

International Operations1 | 1.6%

International Operations - Risk 1

Our global operations are subject to international market risks that may have a material effect on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We operate manufacturing facilities in Italy, Slovakia, Denmark, Germany, United States, Mexico, China and Brazil, and sell and distribute our products in more than 70 countries. As part of our business strategy, we will continue to seek to expand our sales and market share in various international markets in which we currently operate and evaluate expansion opportunities into additional international markets. The economies of some of these markets differ from the economies of our core markets factors in Europe and in some cases present new and greater risks. Our financial results and operations are substantially dependent upon macro-economic and political conditions, particularly in Italy, Slovakia, Denmark, Germany, United States, Mexico, China and Brazil, where we operate manufacturing facilities. High levels of sovereign debt in certain countries (including Italy), combined with increasing inflation, weak growth, political instability and high unemployment rates, could lead to additional fiscal reforms (including austerity measures), sovereign debt restructurings, currency instability, increased counterparty credit risk, high levels of volatility and, potentially, disruptions in the credit and equity markets, as well as other outcomes, each of which, alone or combined with other factors, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, access to credit and capital markets and, therefore, our ability to implement our growth strategy. Global conflicts, including the recent developments in the Middle East and the ongoing military actions undertaken by Russian military forces against Ukraine have created and are likely to continue creating substantial disruptions. In particular, military actions against Ukraine, as well as the measures adopted, or that may be adopted, by other countries in response to these events, including new and stricter sanctions by the European Union, the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries and organizations against officials, individuals, regions, and industries in Russia and Belarus (or other countries that were to become involved), have unfavorably affected our operations primarily due to fluctuations in gas and electricity prices, and could have a material adverse effect on our operations going forward. We are monitoring the conflict and continue to attempt to mitigate the effects of such conflict on our operations to the extent possible, but do not and cannot know if this situation may result in additional broader economic and security conditions or in material implications for our business. Currently, the Group's operations in Italy have the highest gas consumption across its European operations. In 2022 and continuing in 2023 the Italian government has taken steps to shore up its natural gas supplies and lower its dependence on Russian supplies. Italy has signed agreements with several other countries to diversify the country's natural gas sources, and Algeria is now the largest supplier of natural gas to Italy. In addition, the Group believes it may be eligible for priority status since its business operations are devoted to the delivery of mission-critical pharmaceutical products. Macro-economic difficulties and political instability remain particularly evident in Italy. The Italian economy, along with certain other European economies, has from time to time experienced significant financial market volatility and economic adversity due to concerns about economic downturn, political instability and rising government debt levels. Interest rates on Italy's sovereign debt may rise to levels that may make it difficult for it to service high debt levels without significant financial help from the EU and could potentially lead to default. These events have in the past adversely impacted the Italian economy, causing credit agencies to lower Italy's sovereign debt rating, and could decrease outside investment in Italian companies. Any further downgrade of the Italian sovereign debt rating could create additional economic uncertainty and negatively impact Italy's growth, which could in turn affect consumer confidence, discretionary spending and, consequently, demand for our products. Furthermore, policies, measures, controls or other actions implemented by the governments of emerging markets or countries which we target for increased sales may restrict our business operations or harm our financial results. As a result, our revenue is exposed to risks inherent to the country where we operate or intend to operate including risks related to differing political, legal, regulatory and economic conditions and regulations.

Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.6%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

Changed

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of syringes and vials to and for vaccination programs had globally increased resulting in a revenue growth acceleration. The demand for such products related to COVID-19 may continue to shrink, if the need for COVID-19 related solutions continues to decline.

During COVID-19, we increased production capacity to support our customers' efforts in rapidly responding to COVID-19. In this context we have provided: (i) glass vials and syringes to approximately 90% of marketed vaccine programs, according to our estimates based on public information (WHO, EMA, FDA); and (ii) plastic diagnostic consumables for the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19. COVID-19 generated increased demand for our products and services. We expect demand for COVID-19 related products to continue to reduce as a result of the transition from pandemic to endemic status. There remains some uncertainty around the magnitude of the long-term impact of COVID-19 on demand for our products, but we anticipate that COVID-19 contributions will continue to decrease and potentially transition into a part of our traditional vaccination business. A lower rate of increase or a decline in sales of syringes and vials to and for vaccination programs, plastic diagnostic consumables for COVID-19 testing, and related products and services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Capital Markets1 | 1.6%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

As a multinational corporation, we are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and interest rates, which could adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations.

International markets contribute a substantial portion of our revenue, and we intend to continue expanding our presence globally. The exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates takes on different forms. Revenue and costs are subject to the risk that fluctuations in exchange rates could adversely affect our reported revenue and profitability when translated into Euro for financial reporting purposes. These fluctuations could also adversely affect the demand for products and services provided by us. As a multinational corporation, our businesses often invoice third-party customers in currencies other than the one in which they primarily do business (the "functional currency"), especially U.S. Dollars and the Mexican Pesos. Movements in the invoiced currency relative to the functional currency could adversely impact our cash flows and our results of operations. As our international sales grow, exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates could have a larger effect on our financial results. Similarly, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine has created extreme volatility in the capital markets and is expected to have further global economic consequences. The deterioration of the sovereign debt of several countries, together with the risk of contagion to other, more stable, countries, has exacerbated the global economic crisis. In particular, a deterioration in general economic conditions caused by instability in the Eurozone could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 4/63 (6%)Below Sector Average

Competition1 | 1.6%

Competition - Risk 1

We may face significant competition in implementing our strategies for revenue growth in light of actions taken by our competitors.

In each business segment in which we operate, we face significant competition, with many competitors focusing on specific regions, customers and/or specific product segments. Competitors range from smaller, specialized companies, which may be able to more quickly respond to customers' specific needs, to large multinational companies who provide a full suite of products, which may have greater financial, marketing, operational and research and development resources than we do. Such greater resources may allow our competitors to respond more effectively with new, alternative or emerging technologies. Failure to anticipate and respond to our competitors' actions may impact our future sales and earnings, in particular failure to react to competitors strengthening their brand, marketing or customer experience may negatively impact our ability to attract and retain customers. We are pursuing a number of strategies to maintain and improve our revenue growth, including: - expand our global market position in primary drug containment systems;- expand our global manufacturing capacity for high value solutions to meet customer demand primarily in North America, and Europe;- grow our mix of high-performance, ready-to-use primary drug containment (high value solutions);- leverage leadership in primary drug containment to build market position in drug delivery systems;- accelerate market penetration in life sciences systems;- increase our investments in R&D to address unmet market needs;- build on our expertise in manufacturing, assembly and inspection systems for primary drug containers and complex, multi-component drug systems;- leverage our scientific and engineering capabilities across the drug development lifecycle;- leverage our global geographical presence as a platform to increase our penetration in the North American and APAC regions; and - selectively pursue acquisitions and technology collaborations to augment and expand our product and service portfolio. We may not be able to successfully implement these strategies, and these strategies may not result in the desired growth of our business. Failure to anticipate and respond to our competitors' actions may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Demand1 | 1.6%

Demand - Risk 1

Changed

The loss of a significant number of customers or a reduction in orders from a significant number of customers could reduce our sales and harm our financial performance.

Our operating results could be negatively affected by the loss of revenue from a significant number of our customers. Our revenue is fairly well distributed, with 45.5% of our revenues deriving from our top ten customers and one individual customer representing 11.4% of revenues in 2023. However, consolidation within our customer base,including, in particular, among pharmaceutical companies, may give larger customers greater bargaining and buying power and operational sophistication, which can enable them to operate with reduced inventories. In addition, consolidation among our customers may lead them to rely on a reduced number of suppliers, with no assurance that they will continue using our products. We maintain close business relationships with certain customers, working closely to build the specific custom tools they need, which will then become part of our product portfolio. Our operating results could be adversely affected by the loss of a significant number of these customers, particularly during the product development phase. Our customer contracts generally do not contain minimum purchase requirements, and a significant portion of our sales are on a purchase order basis. Therefore, our customers are generally not obligated to purchase any fixed quantities of products, and they may stop placing orders with us at any time. If a significant number of customers purchase fewer of our products, defer orders or fail to place additional orders with us for any reason, our sales could decline, and our operating results may not meet our expectations. In addition, if those customers order our products, but fail to pay on time or at all, our liquidity and operating results could be adversely affected. The level and timing of orders placed by our customers vary for different reasons, including individual customer strategies, the introduction of new technologies, the desire of our customers to reduce their exposure to any single supplier and general economic conditions. If for example customers vary or decrease the level of inventories they are holding of our products at their sites by engaging in de-stocking or new ordering patterns, or if we otherwise have decreased visibility of our products held by or on behalf of our customers, our business could be adversely affected. If we are unable to anticipate and respond to the demands of our customers, if we have an inadequate supply of products, insufficient capacity in our sites or if we experience any disruptions to our supply chain or distribution network, we may lose customers. Alternatively, we may have excess inventory or excess capacity, and either of these factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Sales & Marketing1 | 1.6%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

As discussed above, we are a foreign private issuer and, therefore, we are not required to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. The determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on June 30, 2024. We would lose our foreign private issuer status if, for example, more than 50% of our shares were held by U.S. residents, and more than 50% of our total assets are located in the United States as of December 31, 2023. If we lose our foreign private issuer status on this date, we will be required to file with the SEC periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms beginning on January 1, 2025, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We will also have to mandatorily comply with U.S. federal proxy requirements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will become subject to the short-swing profit disclosure and recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements under the listing rules of the NYSE. As a U.S. listed public company that is not a foreign private issuer, we will incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we will not incur as a foreign private issuer, and accounting, reporting and other expenses in order to maintain a listing on a U.S. securities exchange. These expenses will relate to, among other things, the obligation to present our financial information in accordance with U.S. GAAP in the future.

Brand / Reputation1 | 1.6%

Brand / Reputation - Risk 1

If we fail to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation are of significant importance to the success of our business. We work to set a very high standard for the quality of our products and our ethical business practices, and we believe that this has been crucial to our success. We have employed and will continue to employ different types of consumer experience and interaction engagements designed to gauge consumer satisfaction with our products, and we also engage in rigorous product validation in order to continue to improve our product quality. We cannot assure you, however, that these activities will be successful or that we will be able to continue to maintain our brand and reputation as we expect. If our brand strength deteriorates, or if our brand is no longer associated with high-quality products, it could lead to fewer publication citations for our products, which could in turn further weaken our brand recognition and reputation. In addition, our competitors may increase the intensity of their consumer interactions or customer feedback processes, which may force us to increase our advertising spend to engage with our customer base and maintain brand and reputational awareness. In addition, any negative publicity relating to our products or services, regardless of its veracity, could harm our brand and the perception of our brand in the market. With an increasing global focus on ethical business practices and good corporate behavior, and with such issues directly influencing consumer behavior, any failure to achieve or maintain the levels of corporate governance, social and environmental impact and corporate behaviors expected of us, including demonstrating dedication to the benefits of diversity, could negatively impact our brand and reputation. If our brand is harmed, we may not be able to gain new customers or continue to maintain positive relationships with our customers, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Part of our growth strategy is to increase direct customer interactions in multiple countries. Failure to anticipate and react to particular geographic requirements and sensitivities may have a negative impact on our brand and reputation, which may result in a decrease in sales or sales growth in such countries, which may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?

Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.

They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.

It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.

How do companies disclose their risk factors?

Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.

Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.

Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.

According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.

How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?

Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.

You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.

Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.

A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.

What are all the risk factor categories?

TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.

1. Financial & Corporate

Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.

2. Legal & Regulatory

Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.

3. Production

Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.

5. Ability to Sell

Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.

6. Macro & Political

Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.

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