ALNT Allient Inc - 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In the ordinary course of our business, we face various strategic, operating, compliance and financial risks. These risks could have a material impact on our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations. Our most significant risks are set forth below and elsewhere in this Report. These risk factors should be considered in addition to our cautionary comments concerning forward-looking statements in this Report, including statements related to markets for our products and trends in our business that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

OPERATIONAL RISKS

Our global sales and operations are subject to a variety of economic, market and financial risks and costs that could affect our profitability and operating results.

We do business around the world and are continuing our strategy of enhancing our global optimization. Our international sales are primarily to customers in Europe, Canada and Asia-Pacific. In addition, our manufacturing operations, suppliers and employees are located in many places around the world. The future success of our business includes growth in our sales in non-U.S. markets. Our global operations are subject to numerous financial, legal and operating risks, such as political and economic instability; imposition of trade or foreign exchange restrictions, including in the U.S.; trade protection measures such as the imposition of or increase in tariffs and other trade barriers, including in the U.S.; unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, including in the U.S., prevalence of corruption in certain countries; enforcement of contract and intellectual property rights and compliance with existing and future laws, regulations and policies, including those related to tariffs, investments, taxation, trade controls, product content and performance, employment and repatriation of earnings. In addition, we are affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, inflation rates and interest rates.

Our growth could suffer if the markets into which we sell our products and solutions decline.

Our growth depends in part on the growth of the markets which we serve. Any decline or lower than expected growth in our served markets could diminish demand for our products and solutions, which would adversely affect our financial results. We operate in industries that may experience periodic, cyclical downturns. Demand for our products and solutions is also sensitive to changes in customer order patterns, which may be affected by announced price changes, changes in incentive programs, new product introductions and customer inventory levels. Any of these factors could adversely affect our growth and results of operations in any given period.

Table of Contents

We could experience a failure of a key information technology system, process or site or a breach of information security, including a cybersecurity breach or failure of one or more key information technology systems, networks, processes, associated sites or service providers .

We rely extensively on information technology (“IT”) systems for the storage, processing, and transmission of our electronic, business-related information assets used in or necessary to conduct business. We leverage our internal information technology infrastructures, and those of our business partners, to enable, sustain, and support our global business activities. In addition, we rely on networks and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing facilities and tools and other hardware, software and technical applications and platforms, some of which are managed, hosted, provided and/or used by third-parties or their vendors, to assist in conducting our business. All third parties contracted by the Company have been vetted and have significant reputations in the industry. As such, controls from the third party vendors have been deemed to be adequate prior to any goods or services having been provided. The data we store and process may include customer payment information, personal information concerning our employees, confidential financial information, and other types of sensitive business-related information. Numerous and evolving cybersecurity threats pose potential risks to the security of our IT systems, networks and services, as well as the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our technology systems and data. In addition, the laws and regulations governing security of data on IT systems are evolving and adding another layer of complexity in the form of new requirements. In the past, we have had cybersecurity incidents and we have made and continue to make investments, seeking to address these threats, including monitoring of networks and systems, hiring of experts to evaluate and test our systems, employee training and security policies for employees and third-party providers.

The frequency and the techniques used in these attacks have increased significantly and may be difficult to detect for periods of time and we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures. While the breaches of our IT systems to date have not been material to our business or results of operations, the costs of attempting to protect our IT systems and data will increase, and there can be no assurance that these added security efforts will prevent all breaches of our IT systems or thefts of our data. If our IT systems are damaged or cease to function properly, the networks or service providers we rely upon fail to function properly, or we or one of our third-party providers suffer a loss or disclosure of our business or stakeholder information due to any number of causes ranging from catastrophic events or power outages to improper data handling or security breaches (including ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, a malicious website, the use of social engineering and other means to affect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our technology systems and data) and our business continuity plans do not effectively address these failures on a timely basis, we may be exposed to potential disruption in operations, loss of customers, reputational, competitive and business harm as well as significant costs from remediation, ransom payments, litigation and regulatory actions.

We are also subject to an increasing number of evolving data privacy and security laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in the imposition of fines, penalties and other costs. The European Union (“EU”) and United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulations and the EU’s pending ePrivacy Regulation could disrupt our ability to sell products and solutions or use and transfer data because such activities may not be in compliance with applicable laws. Additionally, cybersecurity incidents related to export control technology information of our Aerospace & Defense customers could subject us to additional reporting requirements, could disrupt our ability to sell products to those customers and could subject us to additional costs, penalties, and fines all of which may be material to our operating results.

We rely on suppliers to provide equipment, components and services, which creates certain risks and uncertainties that may adversely affect our business.

Our business requires that we buy equipment, components and services from third parties. Our reliance on suppliers involves certain risks, including poor quality or an insecure supply chain, which could adversely affect the reliability and reputation of our products and solutions; changes in the cost of these purchases due to inflation, exchange rates, tariffs, or other factors; shortages of components, commodities or other materials, which could adversely affect our manufacturing efficiencies and ability to make timely delivery.

Table of Contents

Any of these uncertainties could adversely affect our profitability and ability to compete. The effect of unavailability or delivery delays would be more severe if associated with our higher volume and more profitable products and solutions. Even where substitute sources of supply are available, qualifying the alternate suppliers and establishing reliable supplies could cost more or could result in delays and a loss of sales.

Certain materials and components used in our products and solutions are required and qualified to be sourced from a single or a limited number of suppliers. As such, some materials and components could become in short supply resulting in limited availability and/or increased costs. Additionally, we may elect to develop relationships with a single or limited number of suppliers for materials and components that are otherwise generally available, because some customers require extensive certification of suppliers which is a considerable and time consuming undertaking. Although we believe that alternative suppliers are available to supply materials and components to replace those currently used, doing so may require redesign work and would require having those new sources qualified by our customers prior to making use of those new alternatives. Any interruption in the supply from any supplier that serves as a sole source could delay product shipments and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our profits may decline if the price of raw materials increase and we cannot recover the increases from our customers.

We use various raw materials, such as copper, steel, zinc and rare earth magnets, in our manufacturing operations. The prices of these raw materials have been subject to volatility. As a result of price increases, we have generally implemented price surcharges to our customers; however, we may be unable to collect surcharges without suffering reductions in unit volume, revenue and operating income. There can be no assurance that we will be able to fully recover the price increases through surcharges in a timely manner. We are also subject to risks associated with U.S. and foreign legislation and regulations relating to imports, including quotas, duties, tariffs or taxes, and other charges or restrictions on imports, which could adversely affect our operations and our ability to import products at current or increased levels. We cannot predict whether additional U.S. and foreign customs quotas, duties, tariffs, taxes or other charges or restrictions, requirements as to where raw materials must be purchased, or other restrictions on our imports will be imposed upon the importation of our products and solutions in the future or adversely modified, or what effect such actions would have on our costs of operations.

We face competition that could harm our business and we may be unable to compete successfully against new entrants and established companies with greater resources.

Competition in connection with the manufacturing of our products and solutions may intensify in the future. The market for our technologies is competitive and subject to rapid technological change. We compete globally on the basis of product performance, customer service, availability, reliability, productivity and price. Our competitors may be larger and may have greater financial, operational, economies of scale, personnel, sales, technical and marketing resources than us. Certain of our competitors also may pursue aggressive pricing or product strategies that may cause us to reduce the prices we charge for our original equipment and aftermarket products and services or lose sales. These actions may lead to reduced revenues, lower margins and/or a decline in market share, any of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Quality problems with our products and solutions could harm our reputation, erode our competitive advantage and could result in warranty claims and additional costs.

Quality is important to us and our customers, and our products and solutions are held to high quality and performance standards. In the event our products and solutions fail to meet these standards, our reputation could be harmed, which could damage our competitive advantage, causing us to lose customers and resulting in lower revenues. We generally allow customers to return defective or damaged products for credit, replacement, repair or exchange. We generally warrant that our products and solutions will meet customer specifications and will be free from defects in materials and workmanship. We reserve for our exposure to warranty claims based upon recent historical experience and other specific information as it becomes available. However, these reserves may not be adequate to cover future warranty claims and additional warranty costs or inventory write-offs may be incurred which could harm our operating results.

Table of Contents

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our ability to operate and grow our company will be in jeopardy.

We are required to hire and retain skilled employees at all levels of our operations in a market where such qualified employees are in high demand and are subject to receiving competing offers. We believe that there is, and will continue to be, competition for qualified personnel in our industry, and there is no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain the personnel necessary for the management and development of our business. The inability to attract or retain employees currently or in the future may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our future success depends in part on the continued service of our engineering and technical personnel and our ability to identify, hire and retain personnel.

Our success will depend in large part upon our ability to attract, train, retain and motivate highly skilled engineering and technical employees. There is currently aggressive competition for employees who have experience in technology and engineering. We may not be able to continue to attract and retain engineers or other qualified technical personnel necessary for the development and growth of our business or to replace personnel who may leave our employment in the future. The failure to retain and recruit key engineering and technical personnel could cause additional expense, potentially reduce the efficiency of our operations and could harm our business.

We depend heavily upon a limited number of customers, and if we lose any of them or they reduce their business with us, we would lose a substantial portion of our revenues.

A significant portion of our revenues and trade receivables are concentrated with a small group of customers. These customers have a variety of suppliers to choose from and therefore can make substantial demands on us, including demands on product pricing and contractual terms, which can shift the allocation of risk to us as the supplier. Our ability to maintain strong relationships with our principal customers is essential to our future performance. If we lose a key customer, if any of our key customers reduce their orders of our products and solutions or require us to reduce our prices before we are able to reduce costs, if a customer is acquired by one of our competitors or if a key customer suffers financial hardship, our operating results would likely be harmed as well as the collectability of accounts receivable.

If we do not respond to changes in technology, our products and solutions may become obsolete and we may experience a loss of customers and lower revenues.

We sell our products and solutions to customers in several industries that experience rapid technological changes, new product introductions and evolving industry standards. Without the timely introduction of new products and solutions, our offerings will likely become technologically obsolete over time, and we may lose a significant number of our customers. Our product and solutions development efforts may be affected by several factors, including our ability to anticipate customer needs, allocate and process our research and development funding, innovate and develop new products, differentiate our offerings and commercialize new technologies, secure intellectual property protection for our products and manufacture products in a cost-effective manner. We would be harmed if we did not meet customer requirements and expectations. Our inability, for technological or other reasons, to successfully develop and introduce new and innovative products and solutions could result in a loss of customers and lower revenues.

We face the challenge of accurately aligning our capacity with our demand.

We have experienced capacity constraints and longer lead times for certain products and solutions in times of growing demand and have also experienced idle capacity as economies slow or demand for certain products decline. Accurately forecasting our expected volumes and appropriately adjusting our capacity have been, and will continue to be, important factors in determining our results of operations. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to increase manufacturing capacity, and with the support of sufficiently skilled and cost-effective labor, to a level that meets demand for our products and solutions, which could prevent us from meeting increased customer demand and could harm our business. However, if we overestimate our demand and overbuild our capacity, we may have significantly underutilized assets and we may experience reduced margins. If we do not accurately align our manufacturing capabilities with demand it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Table of Contents

The manufacture of many of our products and solutions is a highly exacting and complex process, and if we directly or indirectly encounter problems manufacturing products, our reputation, business and financial results could suffer.

The manufacture of many of our products and solutions is an exacting and complex process. Problems may arise during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with raw materials, natural disasters and environmental factors, and if not discovered before the product is released to market could result in recalls and product liability exposure. Because of the time required to develop and maintain manufacturing facilities, an alternative manufacturer may not be available on a timely basis to replace such production capacity. We have also undertaken certain manufacturing footprint rationalization activities, which may include new challenges related to management and monitoring of the manufacturing of our products and solutions. Any of these manufacturing problems could result in significant costs and liability, as well as negative publicity and damage to our reputation that could reduce demand for our products.

We face the potential harm of natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war, terrorism, international conflicts or other disruptions to our operations.

Natural disasters, pandemics, acts or threats of war or terrorism, international conflicts, political instability, and the actions taken by governments could cause damage to or disrupt our business operations, our suppliers or our customers, and could create economic instability. Although it is not possible to predict such events or their consequences, these events could decrease demand for our products or make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver products.

We face potential operational impacts associated with volatility in energy markets.

Volatility in the supply and cost for energy exists in the locations where we operate, particularly Europe and China. As Europe continues to face impacts from the conflicts in the middle east and in Ukraine and sanctions between the European Union and Russia, there are concerns about the availability and costs related to providing resources to meet the energy needs of Europe. Should these energy needs not be met, there are risks that the European operations of the Company may experience uncertainties related to the availability and cost of such resources. At times, China has experienced energy shortages, and has, in the past, resorted to rolling blackouts. Although these blackouts have not materially impacted on our operations, it remains a risk we may face in the future.

STRATEGIC RISKS

Our organic growth has been and will continue to be enhanced by strategic acquisitions that complement, enhance or expand our business. We may not be able to find or complete these transactions, and, if completed, we may experience operational and financial risks in connection with our acquisitions that prevent us from realizing the anticipated benefits and may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Acquisitions are part of our strategic growth plans. We may have difficulty finding these opportunities, or if we do identify these opportunities, we may not be able to complete the transactions for various reasons including the inability to secure financing.

As we complete acquisitions, we face the operational and financial risks commonly encountered with an acquisition strategy. These risks include the challenge of integrating acquired businesses while managing the ongoing operations of each business, the challenge of combining the business cultures of each company, and the need to retain key personnel of our existing business and the acquired business. The process of integrating operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of the acquired business and our existing business. Members of our senior management may be required to devote considerable amounts of time to the integration process, which will decrease the time they will have to manage our businesses, service existing customers, attract new customers and develop new products. If our senior management is not able to effectively manage the integration process, or if any significant business activities are interrupted because of the integration process, our business could be adversely affected.

Table of Contents

The indemnification provisions of acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies may not fully protect us and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities.

Certain of the acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies require the former owners to indemnify us against certain liabilities related to the operation of the company before we acquire 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. We cannot assure that these indemnification provisions will protect us fully or at all, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our financial results.

We intend to develop new products and solutions and expand into new markets, which may not be successful and could harm our operating results.

We intend to selectively expand into new markets and develop new and modified products and solutions based on our existing technologies and engineering capabilities, including the continued expansion of our controlled motion systems and integrated electronics. These efforts have required and will continue to require us to make substantial investments, including significant research, development and engineering expenditures and capital expenditures for new, expanded or improved manufacturing facilities. Specific risks in connection with expanding into new products, solutions, and markets include longer product development cycles, the inability to transfer our quality standards and technology into new products, and the failure of our customers to accept the new or modified products and solutions.

We may experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the successful development of new products or product enhancements under new and existing contracts, and new products and solutions or product enhancements may not be accepted by our customers. In addition, the development expenses we incur may exceed our cost estimates, and new products we develop may not generate sales sufficient to offset our costs. If any of these events occur, our sales and profits could be adversely affected.

Our competitiveness depends on successfully executing our growth initiatives and our global optimization strategies.

We continue to invest in initiatives to support future growth, such as the creation of a more effective corporate structure, implementation of our enterprise resource planning system, launch of a new integrated website, implementation of a structured approach to identify target markets, and the expansion of our AST (continuous improvement initiatives in quality, delivery, and cost). The failure to achieve our objectives on these initiatives could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Our global optimization strategy includes localization of our products, solutions, and services to be closer to our customers and identified growth opportunities. Localization of our products and services includes expanding our capabilities, including supply chain and sourcing activities, product design, manufacturing, engineering, marketing and sales and support. These activities expose us to risks, including those related to political and economic uncertainties, transportation delays, labor market disruptions and challenges to protect our intellectual property.

FINANCIAL RISKS

Foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial results.

Sales and purchases in currencies other than the U.S. dollar expose us to fluctuations in foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar and may adversely affect our financial results. Increased strength of the U.S. dollar increases the effective price of our products sold in U.S. dollars into other countries, which may require us to lower our prices or adversely affect sales to the extent we do not increase local currency prices. Decreased strength of the U.S. dollar could adversely affect the cost of materials, products and services we purchase from non-U.S. denominated locations. Sales and expenses of our non-U.S. businesses are also translated into U.S. dollars for reporting purposes and the strengthening or weakening of the U.S. dollar could result in unfavorable translation effects. The Company also faces exchange rate risk from its investments in subsidiaries owned and operated in foreign countries.

Table of Contents

Economic and credit market uncertainty could interrupt our access to capital markets, borrowings, or financial transactions to hedge certain risks, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

To date, we have been able to access debt and equity financing that has allowed us to make investments in growth opportunities and fund working capital requirements. In addition, we enter into financial transactions to hedge certain risks, including foreign exchange and interest rate risk. Our continued access to capital markets, the stability of our lenders and their willingness to support our needs, and the stability of the parties to our financial transactions that hedge risks are essential for us to meet our current and long-term obligations, fund operations, and fund our strategic initiatives. An interruption in our access to external financing or financial transactions to hedge risk could affect our business prospects and financial condition.

Our indebtedness may limit our operations and our use of our cash flow, and any failure to comply with the covenants that apply to our indebtedness could adversely affect our liquidity and financial results.

Our ability to service our indebtedness depends on our financial performance, which is affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors. Some of these factors are beyond our control. Our debt level and related debt service obligations can have negative consequences, including requiring us to dedicate significant cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our debt, which reduces the funds we have available for other purposes such as acquisitions and capital investment; reducing our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business and market conditions; and exposing us to interest rate risk since a portion of our debt obligations are at variable rates. In addition, certain of our indebtedness will have significant outstanding principal balances on their maturity dates, commonly known as balloon payments. Therefore, we will likely need to refinance at least a portion of our outstanding debt as it matures. We may incur more debt in the future, particularly to finance acquisitions, and there can be no assurance that our cost of funding will not substantially increase.

Our existing credit agreements contain, and any future debt agreements we may enter into may contain, certain financial tests and other covenants that limit our ability to incur indebtedness, pay dividends, acquire other businesses and impose various other restrictions. If we breach any of the covenants and do not obtain a waiver from the lenders, the outstanding indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable. If we are unable to obtain sufficient capital in the future, we may have to curtail our capital expenditures and other expenses. Any such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Unforeseen exposure to additional income tax liabilities may negatively affect our operating results.

Our distribution of taxable income is subject to domestic tax and, as a result of our significant manufacturing and sales presence in foreign countries, foreign tax. Our effective tax rate may be affected by shifts in our mix of earnings in countries with varying statutory tax rates, changes in reinvested foreign earnings, alterations to tax rates, regulations or interpretations and outcomes of any audits performed on previous tax returns.

Our operating results could fluctuate significantly.

Our quarterly and annual operating results are affected by a wide variety of factors that could materially adversely affect revenues and profitability, including:  the timing of customer orders and the deferral or cancellation of orders previously received, the level of orders received which can be shipped in a quarter, fulfilling backlog on a timely basis, competitive pressures on selling prices, changes in the mix of products sold, the unavailability or delays in the receipt of critical inventories, the timing of investments in engineering and development, development of and response to new technologies, and delays in new product qualifications.

As a result of the foregoing and other factors, we may experience material fluctuations in future operating results on a quarterly or annual basis which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and stock price.

Table of Contents

We may never realize the full value of our substantial intangible assets.

These intangible assets consist primarily of goodwill, customer lists, trade names and technology arising from our acquisitions. Goodwill is not amortized; it is tested at least annually or upon the occurrence of certain events which indicate that the assets may be impaired. Definite lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are tested for impairment upon the occurrence of certain events which indicate that the assets may be impaired. We may not receive the recorded value for our intangible assets if we sell or liquidate our business or assets. In addition, intangible assets with definite lives will continue to be amortized. Amortization expenses relating to these intangible assets will continue to reduce our future earnings.

Increased healthcare, pension and other costs under the Company’s benefit plans could adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

We provide health benefits to many of our employees and the costs of providing such benefits continue to increase annually. The amount of any increase or decrease in the cost of Company-sponsored health plans will depend on a number of different factors including new governmental regulations mandating types of coverage and reporting and other requirements.

We also sponsor defined benefit pension, defined contribution pension, and other postretirement benefit plans. Our costs to provide such benefits generally continue to increase annually. We use actuarial valuations to determine the Company’s benefit obligations for certain benefit plans, which require the use of significant estimates, including the discount rate, expected long-term rate of return on plan assets, mortality rates and the rates of increase in compensation and health care costs. Changes to these significant estimates could increase the cost of these plans, which could also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Failure of our internal controls over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely or prevent fraud.

We believe that effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. If we are unable to detect or correct any issues in the design or operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting or fail to prevent fraud, current and potential customers and shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which could harm our business and the trading price of our stock.

Our operating results depend in part on our ability to contain or reduce costs. There is substantial price competition in our industry and upward pressure on material and labor costs. Our success and profitability will depend on our ability to maintain a competitive cost and price structure.

Our efforts to maintain and improve profitability depend in part on our ability to maintain or reduce the costs of materials, components, supplies and labor, including establishing production capabilities at our low cost regional subcontractors. While the failure of any single cost containment effort by itself would most likely not significantly impact our results, we cannot give any assurances that we will be successful in controlling material and labor costs to maintain a competitive cost structure.

There is substantial price competition in our industry, and our success and profitability will depend on our ability to maintain a competitive cost and price structure. We may have to reduce prices in the future to remain competitive. Also, our future profitability will depend in part upon our ability to continue to improve our manufacturing efficiencies and maintain a cost structure that will enable us to offer competitive prices in the face of upward pressure on material and labor costs. Our inability to maintain a competitive cost structure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Table of Contents

LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS

Our international operations expose us to legal and regulatory risks, which could have a material effect on our business.

Our profitability and international operations are, and will continue to be, subject to risks relating to changes in foreign legal and regulatory requirements. In addition, our international operations are governed by various U.S. laws and regulations, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the U.K. Bribery Act and other foreign anti-bribery laws. The FCPA generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Other countries in which we operate also have anti-bribery laws, some of which prohibit improper payments to government and non-government persons and entities. Any alleged or actual violations of these regulations may subject us to government scrutiny, severe criminal or civil sanctions and other liabilities and could negatively affect our business, reputation, operating results and financial condition.

We are required to comply with various import laws and export control and economic sanctions laws, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners and other persons and dealings between our employees and subsidiaries. In certain circumstances, export control and economic sanctions regulations or embargos may prohibit the export of certain products, services and technologies. In other circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting the controlled item. Compliance with the various import laws that apply to our businesses can restrict our access to, and increase the cost of obtaining, certain products and at times can interrupt our supply of imported inventory. In addition to government regulations regarding sale and export, we are subject to other regulations regarding our products. For example, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted disclosure rules for companies that use conflict minerals in their products, with substantial supply chain verification requirements in the event that the materials come from, or could have come from, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. These rules and verification requirements impose additional costs on us and on our suppliers, and may limit the sources or increase the cost of materials used in our products. Further, if we are unable to certify that our products are conflict free, we may face challenges with our customers that could place us at a competitive disadvantage, and our reputation may be harmed.

Our inability to adequately enforce and protect our intellectual property or defend against assertions of infringement could prevent or restrict our ability to compete.

We rely on patents, trademarks and proprietary knowledge and technology, both internally developed and acquired, in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Our inability to defend against the unauthorized use of these rights and assets could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Litigation may be necessary to protect our intellectual property rights or defend against claims of infringement. This litigation could result in significant costs and divert our management’s focus away from operations.

We are subject to a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the normal course of our business that could adversely affect our financial results.

We are subject to a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings incidental to our business, including claims for damages arising out of the use of products or services and claims relating to intellectual property, employment, tax, commercial disputes, competition, sales and trading practices, environmental, personal injury, insurance coverage, acquisition, as well as regulatory investigations or enforcement. We may also become subject to lawsuits as a result of past or future acquisitions including liabilities retained from, or representations, warranties or indemnities provided in connection with these acquisitions. These lawsuits may include claims for compensatory damages, punitive and consequential damages and/or injunctive relief. The defense of these lawsuits may divert our management’s attention, we may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits and we may be required to pay damage awards or settlements or become subject to equitable remedies that could adversely affect our operations and financial results. Moreover, any insurance or indemnification rights that we may have may be insufficient or unavailable to protect us against such losses. We estimate loss contingencies and establish reserves based on our assessment where liability is deemed probable and reasonably estimable given the facts and circumstances known to us at a particular point

Table of Contents

in time. Subsequent developments may affect our assessment and estimates of the loss contingencies recorded as liabilities. We cannot guarantee that our liabilities in connection with litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings will not exceed our estimates or adversely affect our financial results and reputation.

Our business is subject to environmental regulations that could negatively affect our operating results.

Our worldwide operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations that impose various environmental controls on the manufacturing, transportation, storage, use and disposal of hazardous chemicals and other materials used in, and hazardous waste produced by the manufacturing of our products. Conditions relating to our historical operations may require expenditures for clean-up in the future and changes in environmental laws and regulations may impose costly compliance requirements on us or otherwise subject us to future liabilities. Additional or modified regulations relating to the manufacture, transportation, storage, use and disposal of materials used to manufacture our products or restricting disposal or transportation of our products may be imposed that may result in higher costs or lower operating results. In addition, we cannot predict the affect that additional or modified environmental regulations may have on us or our customers.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Amounts presented in Item 7 are in thousands, except per share data.

Overview

We are a global company that designs, manufactures, and sells precision and specialty-controlled motion products and solutions used in a broad range of industries. Our target markets include Industrial, Vehicle, Medical, and Aerospace & Defense (A&D). We are headquartered in Amherst, NY, and have operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. We are known worldwide for our expertise in electro-magnetic, mechanical, and electronic motion technology. We sell component and integrated controlled motion solutions to end customers and OEMs through our own direct sales force and authorized manufacturers’ representatives and distributors. Our products include nano precision positioning systems, servo control systems, motion controllers, digital servo amplifiers and drives, brushless servo, torque, and coreless motors, brush motors, integrated motor-drives, gear motors, gearing, incremental and absolute optical encoders, active (electronic) and passive (magnetic) filters for power quality and harmonic issues, Industrial safety rated input/output Modules, Universal Industrial Communications Gateways, light-weighting technologies, and other controlled motion-related products.

Financial Overview

Highlights for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, include:

Revenue was $554,478 for 2025 compared with $529,968 in 2024. Strong results in the Industrial market was driven by increased demand in power quality solutions supporting data center infrastructure. This is partially offset by decreases in Vehicle due to reduced demand in power sports and truck applications. Sales to U.S. customers were 55% of total sales for each of 2025 and 2024, with the balance of sales to customers primarily in Europe, Canada and Asia-Pacific.

Gross profit was $181,709 for 2025, a 10% increase from $165,691 in 2024. As a percentage of revenue, gross margin increased 150 basis points to 32.8% in 2025 from 31.3% in 2024. G ross profit and gross margin percentage were impacted favorably by higher sales volume, improved product mix, and operational improvements driven by our Simplify to Accelerate NOW strategy.

Operating income was $43,985 for 2025 compared with $30,038 for 2024, or 7.9% and 5.7% of revenue in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Net income was $22,034 for 2025, or $1.32 per diluted share, compared with $13,166, or $0.79 per diluted share, for 2024. Net income was 70% higher in 2025 compared to 2024, and earnings per diluted share increased by 70% as compared to 2024.

Bookings were $550,864 for 2025 compared with $480,031 for 2024, an increase of 15%. Increases in bookings are primarily due to increasing demand at certain customers, primarily power quality solutions supporting data center infrastructure throughout 2025. Backlog as of December 31, 2025 was $232,925, an increase of 1% from $230,788 at year end 2024.

Debt of $180,389, net of cash of $40,705, decreased by $48,391 to $139,684 at December 31, 2025 from debt of $224,177, net of cash of $36,102 of $188,075 at December 31, 2024, primarily as a result of payments made on debt from cash flows generated by operations.

We declared and paid a dividend of $0.03 in each quarter of 2025 and 2024, pursuant to our quarterly dividend program. Dividends to shareholders for 2025 and 2024 were each $0.12 per share. The dividend payout ratio was 9% and 15% for 2025 and 2024, respectively when compared with the diluted earnings per share of $1.32 and $0.79, respectively.

Table of Contents

We remain focused on executing our strategy for growth while streamlining the organization and emphasizing continuous improvement in quality, delivery, cost and innovation as we drive the One Allient approach and expand our value proposition for our customers. Solid strides continue to be made with our multi-product, fully integrated solutions that are leading to increased business. Also, we continue to build a pipeline of exciting market-based application opportunities. Sales cycles are long and the time from being selected for the solution development to full rate production can be longer, yet we believe we continue to build a scalable foundation which can deliver strong returns on those investments.

Our Strategy

Our growth strategy is focused on becoming a leading global controlled motion solution provider in our selected target markets by further developing our products and services platform to utilize multiple Allient technologies which create increased value solutions for our customers. Our strategy further defines Allient as being a “technology/know-how” driven company and to be successful, we continue to invest in our areas of excellence.

We have set growth targets for our Company and we will focus and align our resources to meet those targets. First and foremost, we invest in our people as we believe that attracting and retaining the right people is the most important element in our strategy. We will continue to invest significantly in applied and design engineering resources.

Our strategic focus is addressing the critical issues that we believe are necessary to meet the stated long-term goals and objectives of the Company. The majority of the critical issues are focused on growth and profitability initiatives for the Company.

One of these initiatives includes product line platform development and rationalization to meet the emerging needs of our target markets. Our platform development emphasizes a combination of our technologies to create increased value solutions for our customers while seeking operating efficiencies. The emphasis on new opportunities has evolved from being an individual component provider to becoming a solutions provider whereby the new opportunities utilize   multiple Allient technologies in a system solution approach. We believe this approach will allow us to provide increased value to our customers and improved margins for our Company and are demonstrated in our acquisitions completed in previous years. Our strong financial condition, along with AST continuous improvement initiatives in quality, delivery, and cost allow us to have a positive outlook for the continued long-term growth of our Company.

Outlook for 2026

In 2025, we successfully executed on our strategic initiatives, delivering improved margins, stronger cash flow, and enhanced balance sheet flexibility. Strength in industrial automation and power quality solutions supporting data center infrastructure, combined with the disciplined execution of structural cost and margin improvements from our Simplify to Accelerate NOW program, have yielded durable margin expansion.

Allient is an applied technology/know-how company, and to grow, we will continue to invest in the technical resources to ensure we can execute on our mantra to “ create game changing solutions that adds tangible value for our customers ”.

As we look into 2026, while we remain mindful of macroeconomics variability in certain end markets, our diversified portfolio, improved cost structure and enhanced financial flexibility support disciplined growth and long-term value creation.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). We make estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates and judgments upon historical experience and other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Changes in estimates or assumptions could result in a material adjustment to the consolidated financial statements.

Table of Contents

We have identified several critical accounting estimates. An accounting estimate is considered critical if both: (a) the nature of the estimates or assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment involved, and (b) the impact of changes in the estimates and assumptions would have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements. This listing is not a comprehensive list of all of our accounting policies. For further information regarding the application of these and other accounting policies, See Note 1, Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the notes to consolidated financial statements contained in Item 8 of this report for additional information.

The Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates include:

Revenue Recognition

The Company considers control of most products to transfer at a single point in time when control is transferred to the customer, generally when the products are shipped in accordance with an agreement and/or purchase order. Control is defined as the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the remaining benefits of the product. The Company satisfies its performance obligations under a contract with a customer by transferring goods and services generally in exchange for monetary consideration from the customer. The Company considers the customer’s purchase order, and the Company’s corresponding sales order acknowledgment as the contract with the customer. In the normal course of business, the Company does not accept product returns unless the item is defective as manufactured. The Company establishes provisions for estimated returns and warranties. All contracts include a standard warranty clause to guarantee that the product complies with agreed specifications.

Inventories

Inventories are measured on a first-in, first-out basis at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Inventory costing requires complex calculations that include assumptions for overhead absorption, scrap, sample calculations, manufacturing yield estimates, costs to sell, and the determination of which costs may be capitalized. The Company’s estimate of the appropriate amount of obsolete or excess inventory, as well as inventory that is not of saleable quality, uses certain inputs and involves judgment. Such inputs include data associated with historic trends, the demand forecast for inventory on-hand which includes customer orders, and item specific estimates about the timing or level of demand for a specific part.

Historically, our inventory adjustment has been adequate to cover our losses. However, variations in methods or assumptions could have a material impact on our results. If our demand forecast for specific products is greater than actual demand and we fail to reduce manufacturing output accordingly, we could be required to record additional inventory write-downs or expense a greater amount of overhead costs, which would negatively impact our net income. As of December 31, 2025, we have $109,198 of inventory recorded on our consolidated balance sheet, representing approximately 19% of total assets. A 1% write-down of our inventory would decrease our 2025 net income by approximately $850, or $0.05 per diluted share.

Evaluation of Goodwill for impairment

We test the reporting unit’s goodwill for impairment as of October 31st of each fiscal year and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that may indicate that the fair value of the reporting unit is below its carrying value. In conducting this annual impairment test, we may first perform a qualitative assessment of whether it is more-likely-than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying value. If we determine that it is not more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, no further goodwill impairment testing is required. If it is more-likely-than-not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying value, or if we elect not to perform a qualitative assessment of a reporting unit, a quantitative analysis is performed, in which the fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the excess, limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

We performed a qualitative assessment of our single reporting unit as of October 31, 2025. As part of this analysis, we evaluated factors including, but not limited to, our market capitalization and stock price performance, macro-economic conditions, market and industry conditions, cost factors, the competitive environment, and the operational stability and

Table of Contents

overall financial performance of our reporting unit. The assessment indicated that it was more-likely-than-not that the fair value of our reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount, and as such, a quantitative assessment was not performed.

We do not believe that our reporting unit is at risk for impairment. However, changes to the factors considered above could affect the estimated fair value of our reporting unit and could result in a goodwill impairment charge in a future period. As of December 31, 2025, we have $134,332 of goodwill recorded on our consolidated balance sheet, representing approximately 23% of total assets. A 1% write-down of our goodwill would decrease our 2025 net income by approximately $1,000, or $0.06 per diluted share.

Business Combinations

The Company allocates the purchase price of an acquired company, including when applicable, the acquisition date fair value of contingent consideration between tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed from the acquired business based on their estimated fair values, with the residual of the purchase price recorded as goodwill. Third party appraisal firms and other consultants are engaged to assist management in determining the fair values of certain assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Estimating fair values requires significant judgments, estimates and assumptions, including but not limited to: discount rates, future cash flows and the economic lives of trade names, technology, customer relationships, and property, plant and equipment. These estimates are based on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain.

Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In the normal course of business, we evaluate all new accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) or other authoritative accounting bodies to determine the potential impact they may have on our consolidated financial statements. See Note 1, Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the notes to consolidated financial statements contained in Item 8 of this report for additional information about these recently issued accounting standards and their potential impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Table of Contents

Operating Results

The following discussion is a comparison between fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2024 results. For a discussion of our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, please refer to Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on March 5, 2025.

Year 2025 compared to 2024

For the year ended

December 31,

Variance

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Revenues

Cost of goods sold

Gross profit

Gross margin percentage

Operating costs and expenses:

Selling

General and administrative

Engineering and development

Acquisition and integration-related costs

Restructuring and business realignment costs

Amortization of intangible assets

Total operating costs and expenses

Operating income

Interest expense

Other expense (income), net

Total other expense, net

Income before income taxes

Income tax provision

Net income

Effective tax rate

Diluted earnings per share

Bookings

Backlog

REVENUES: The increase in revenues for 2025 reflects increases within certain target markets, most significantly in Industrial and Aerospace and Defense. Increases in revenues compared to the prior year period are largely impacted by increased demand in power quality solutions supporting data center infrastructure . Our sales for 2025 were comprised of 55% to U.S. customers and 45% to customers primarily in Europe, Canada and Asia-Pacific. The overall increase in revenue was primarily due to a 3.5% volume increase and a favorable 1.2% foreign currency impact. See information included in “Non – GAAP Measures” below for a discussion of the non-GAAP measure and reconciliation of revenue to revenue excluding foreign currency impacts.

ORDER BOOKINGS AND BACKLOG: The 15% increase in orders in 2025 compared to 2024 is due to an 13.4% increase in volume and a favorable 1.3% foreign currency impact. Increases in bookings are primarily due to increasing demand at certain customers, primarily power quality solutions supporting data center infrastructure throughout 2025.

GROSS PROFIT AND GROSS MARGIN: Gross margins increased to 32.8% for 2025, compared to 31.3% for 2024. Gross profit and gross margin percentage were impacted favorably by higher sales volume, improved product mix, and operational improvements driven by our Simplify to Accelerate NOW strategy.

Table of Contents

SELLING EXPENSES: Selling expenses decreased 3% during 2025 compared to 2024 primarily due to the mix of sales with commissions. Selling expenses as a percentage of revenues were 4% and 5% during 2025 and 2024, respectively.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES: General and administrative expenses increased by 4% during 2025 compared to 2024 due to high er incentive compensation, offset partially by cost reduction actions taken reflecting our Simplify to Accelerate NOW strategy . As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses were 10% and 11% in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES: Engineering and development expenses decreased by 2% in 2025 compared to 2024. The decrease reflects the cost reduction actions taken as part of our Simplify to Accelerate NOW strategy . As a percentage of revenues, engineering and development expenses were 7% and 8% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

ACQUISITION AND INTEGRATION-RELATED COSTS: Acquisition and integration-related costs were not significant in the current and prior year period.

RESTRUCTURING AND BUSINESS REALIGNMENT COSTS: Restructuring and business realignment costs increased in the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to 2024 reflecting costs primarily associated with the transfer of assembly operations from our Dothan, Alabama facility in 2025 and timing of other Simplify to Accelerate NOW actions as compared with the prior year.

AMORTIZATION OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS: Amortization of intangible assets remained flat in 2025 compared to 2024.

INTEREST EXPENSE: Interest expense decreased by 1% in 2025 compared to 2024 primarily due to lower average debt balances, offset partially by higher interest rates, which are mitigated in part by the impact of interest rate swaps.

INCOME TAXES: For 2025 and 2024, the effective income tax rate was 23.3% and 21.9%, respectively. The effective rate differs from the statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes, the impact of foreign tax provisions in the U.S., foreign tax rate differences, section 162(m) compensation limits, the benefit of Research and Development tax credits and incentives and withholding taxes on foreign distributions. The effective tax rate for 2025 was higher than the effective tax rate for 2024 primarily due to increases due to impacts of section 162(m) compensation limits, withholding taxes on foreign distributions, and the impact of the mix of foreign and domestic income, partially offset by increases in certain credits and incentives and the realization of certain deferred income tax assets that had been reserved in prior years.

NET INCOME AND ADJUSTED NET INCOME: Net income increased during 2025 compared to 2024, primarily due to operating income increases, reflecting increased revenues and higher gross margin, offset partially by increases in operating expenses.

Adjusted net income for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 was $36,274 and $24,679, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share for 2025 and 2024 were $2.17 and $1.49, respectively. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share are non-GAAP measures. See information included in “Non–GAAP Measures” below for a discussion of the non-GAAP measure and reconciliation of net income to Adjusted net income and diluted earnings per share to Adjusted diluted earnings per share.

EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA: EBITDA was $67,316 for 2025 compared to $56,045 for 2024. Adjusted EBITDA was $76,865 and $62,525 for 2025 and 2024, respectively. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. EBITDA consists of income before interest expense, provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes stock-based compensation expense, foreign currency gain/loss and certain other items. Refer to information included in “Non-GAAP Measures” below for a discussion of the non-GAAP measure and a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA.

Table of Contents

Non-GAAP Measures

Organic growth, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share are provided for information purposes only and are not measures of financial performance under GAAP.

Management believes the presentation of these financial measures reflecting non-GAAP adjustments provides important supplemental information to investors and other users of our financial statements in evaluating the operating results of the Company as distinct from results that include items that are not indicative of ongoing operating results. In particular, those charges and credits that are not directly related to operating unit performance, and that are not a helpful measure of the performance of our underlying business particularly in light of their unpredictable nature. These non-GAAP disclosures have limitations as analytical tools, should not be viewed as a substitute for revenue and net income determined in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company’s results as reported under GAAP, nor is it necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. In addition, the supplemental presentation should not be construed as an inference that the Company’s future results will be unaffected by similar adjustments to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. Organic revenue is reported revenues adjusted for the impact of foreign currency and the revenue contribution from acquisitions.

The Company believes that revenue excluding foreign currency exchange impacts is a useful measure in analyzing sales results. The Company excludes the effect of currency translation from revenue for this measure because currency translation is not under management’s control, is subject to volatility and can obscure underlying business trends. The portion of revenue attributable to currency translation is calculated as the difference between the current period revenue and the current period revenue after applying foreign exchange rates from the prior period.

The Company believes EBITDA is often a useful measure of a Company’s operating performance and is a significant basis used by the Company’s management to measure the operating performance of the Company’s business because EBITDA excludes charges for depreciation, amortization and interest expense that have resulted from our debt financings, acquisitions, as well as our provision for income tax expense. EBITDA is frequently used as one of the bases for comparing businesses in the Company’s industry.

The Company also believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides helpful information about the operating performance of its business. Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock-based compensation expense, as well as acquisition and integration-related costs, restructuring and business realignment costs, foreign currency gains/losses on short-term assets and liabilities, and other items that are not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income, net cash provided by operating activities or any other measure for determining operating performance or liquidity that is calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Management uses Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share to assess the Company’s consolidated financial and operating performance. Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share are provided for informational purposes only and are not a measure of financial performance under GAAP. These measures help management make decisions that are expected to facilitate meeting current financial goals as well as achieving optimal financial performance. Adjusted net income provides management with a measure of financial performance of the Company based on operational factors as it removes the impact of certain non-routine items from the Company’s operating results. Adjusted diluted earnings per share provides management with an indication of how Adjusted net income would be reflected on a per share basis for comparison to the GAAP diluted earnings per share measure. Adjusted net income is a key metric used by senior management and the Company’s Board of Directors to review the consolidated financial performance of the business. This measure adjusts net income determined in accordance with GAAP to reflect changes in financial results associated with the highlighted expense and income items. Organic growth is reported revenues adjusted for the impact of foreign currency and the revenue contribution from acquisitions.

Table of Contents

The Company’s calculation of revenue excluding foreign currency exchange impacts for the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows:

Year ended

December 31, 2025

Revenue as reported

Foreign currency impact - (favorable) / unfavorable

Revenue excluding foreign currency exchange impacts

The Company’s calculation of organic growth for 2025 is as follows:

Year ended

December 31, 2025

Revenue change over prior year

Less: Impact of acquisitions and foreign currency

Organic growth

The Company’s calculation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2025 and 2024 is as follows (in thousands):

Year ended

December 31,

Net income as reported

Interest expense

Provision for income tax

Depreciation and amortization

EBITDA

Stock-based compensation expense

Acquisition and integration-related costs

Restructuring and business realignment costs

Foreign currency loss (gain)

Adjusted EBITDA

The Company’s calculation of Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share for years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 is as follows (in thousands, except per share data):

For the year ended

December 31,

Per diluted

Per diluted

share

share

Net income as reported

Non-GAAP adjustments, net of tax (1)

Amortization of intangible assets – net

Foreign currency loss (gain) – net

Acquisition and integration-related costs – net

Restructuring and business realignment costs – net

Non-GAAP adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share

Applies a blended federal, state, and foreign tax rate of approximately 23% in 2025 and 2024 applicable to the non-GAAP adjustments.

Table of Contents

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company’s liquidity position as measured by cash and cash equivalents increased by $4,603 to a balance of $40,705 at December 31, 2025 from 2024.

Year Ended December 31,

(in thousands):

Net cash provided by operating activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Net cash used in financing activities

Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Of the $40,705 cash and cash equivalents on hand at December 31, 2025, $36,662 was located at our foreign subsidiaries and may be subject to withholding tax if repatriated to the U.S.

During 2025, the cash provided by operating activities increased from 2024 primarily due to increases in cash due to an increase in net income, as well as changes in accounts payable, and accrued liabilities, offset partially by decreases in cash due to changes in accounts receivable and inventory.

The cash used in investing activities in 2025 decreased as compared with 2024 due to $20,000 in cash paid for the acquisition of SNC in 2024, as well as a decrease in capital expenditures of $2,496. The Company expects 2026 capital expenditures to be approximately $10,000 to $12,000.

Cash used in financing activities in 2025 as compared to cash used in financing activities in 2024 reflects the borrowings of $20,000 from the Amended Revolving Facility to fund the SNC acquisition and the $50,000 of fixed-rate Notes issued in March 2024 that were used to pay down the Revolving Facility. Debt repayments, excluding the pay down on the Revolving Facility of $50,000 from the Notes issuance, of $44,448 and $18,433 were made during 2025 and 2024, respectively. At December 31, 2025, the Company had $124,962 of obligations under the Amended Revolving Facility, excluding deferred financing costs and $50,000 for the Notes issued in March 2024 .

The Amended Credit Agreement includes covenants and restrictions that limit the Company’s ability to incur additional indebtedness, make certain investments, create, incur or assume certain liens, merge, consolidate or sell all or substantially all of its assets and enter into transactions with an affiliate of the Company on other than an arms’ length transaction. These covenants, which are described more fully in the Amended Credit Agreement, to which reference is made for a complete statement of the covenants, are subject to certain exceptions.   Financial covenants under the 2024 Credit and Note Payable Agreements require the Company to maintain a minimum interest coverage ratio of at least 3.0:1.0 at the end of each fiscal quarter. In addition, the Company’s Leverage Ratio at the end of any fiscal quarter shall not be greater than 4.25:1.0 through December 31, 2024 or greater than 3.75 to 1.0 as of the end of any fiscal quarter thereafter; provided that the Company may elect to temporarily increase the Leverage Ratio by 0.5:1.0 following a material acquisition under the 2024 Credit and Note Payable Agreements. The 2024 Credit and Note Payable Agreements also include covenants and restrictions that limit the Company’s ability to incur additional indebtedness, merge, consolidate or sell all or substantially all of its assets and enter into transactions with an affiliate of the Company on other than an arms’ length transaction. These covenants, which are described more fully in the 2024 Credit and Note Payable Agreements, to which reference is made for a complete statement of the covenants, are subject to certain exceptions.   The Company was in compliance with all covenants at December 31, 2025 as well as at each quarter end during 2025.

As of December 31, 2025, the unused Amended Revolving Facility was $155,038. Additionally, the Company has a $150,000 fixed-rate private shelf facility, under which $50,000 of borrowings are outstanding at December 31, 2025. The amount available to borrow may be lower and may vary from period to period based upon our debt and EBITDA levels, which impacts our covenant calculations. The Amended Credit Agreement matures in March 2029.

Table of Contents

On October 22, 2024, the Company entered into a Second Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and a Second Amendment to the Note Purchase and Private Shelf Agreement (collectively, the “October 2024 Credit and Note Payable Amendments”). These amendments include provisions to increase the maximum Leverage Ratio to 4.5:1.0 for the quarters ending March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2025, 4.0:1.0 for the quarter ending September 30, 2025, and returning to 3.75:1.0 for the quarter ending December 31, 2025 and thereafter. From January 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025, borrowings under the Revolving Facility bore interest at Term SOFR plus a margin of 2.50% and a commitment fee of 0.325% on the unused portion of the Revolving Facility. Also, from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, the Series A Notes bore interest at 6.46%.

The Company declared dividends, in total, of $0.12 per share during 2025 and 2024. The Company’s working capital, capital expenditure and dividend requirements are expected to be funded from cash provided by operations and amounts available under the Amended Credit Agreement (refer to Note 7, Debt Obligations , of the notes to consolidated financial statements for definition and terms).

We believe our diverse markets, our strong market position in many of our businesses, and the steps we have taken to strengthen our balance sheet, such as retaining cash to support shorter term needs and amending our revolving credit facility leaves us well-positioned to manage our business. We continually assess our liquidity and cash positions taking geopolitical and other uncertainties into consideration. Based on our analysis, we believe our existing balances of cash, our currently anticipated operating cash flows, and our available financing under agreements in place will be more than sufficient to meet our cash needs arising in the ordinary course of business for the next twelve months.

Item 7A. Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Foreign Currency

We have international operations in The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, China, Portugal, Canada, Czech Republic, Mexico, the United Kingdom and New Zealand which expose us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations due to transactions denominated in Euros, Swedish Krona, Chinese Renminbi, Canadian dollar, Czech Krona, Mexican pesos, British Pound Sterling, and New Zealand dollar, respectively. We continuously evaluate our foreign currency risk and we take action from time to time in order to best mitigate these risks. A hypothetical 10% change in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to our most significant foreign currency exposures would have had an impact of approximately $24,126 on our 2025 sales. This amount is not indicative of the hypothetical net earnings impact due to partially offsetting impacts on cost of sales and operating expenses in those currencies. We estimate that foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations increased sales in 2025 compared to 2024 by approximately $6,481.

We translate all assets and liabilities of our foreign operations, where the U.S. dollar is not the functional currency, at the period-end exchange rate and translate sales and expenses at the average exchange rates in effect during the period. The net effect of these translation adjustments is recorded in the consolidated financial statements as comprehensive income (loss). The translation adjustment was a gain of $14,759 and a loss of $12,033 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Translation adjustments are not adjusted for income taxes as they relate to permanent investments in our foreign subsidiaries. A hypothetical 10% change in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to our most significant foreign currency net assets would have had an impact of approximately $16,373 on our foreign net assets as of December 31, 2025.

We have contracts to hedge our short-term balance sheet exposure, primarily intercompany, that are denominated in currencies (Euro, Mexican Peso, Canadian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar, Chinese Renminbi, Swedish Krona) other than the subsidiary’s functional currency and are adjusted to current values using period-end exchange rates. The resulting gains or losses are recorded in other expense (income), net in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. To minimize foreign currency exposure, the Company had foreign currency contracts with notional amounts of $26,033 and $30,945 at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The foreign currency contracts are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets at fair value and resulting gains or losses are recorded in other expense (income), net in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we recorded a gain of $481 and a loss of $1,749, respectively, which is included in other expense (income), net and generally offset the gains or losses from the foreign currency adjustments on the intercompany balances that are also

Table of Contents

included in other expense (income), net. Net foreign currency transaction gains and losses included in total other expense (income), net amounted to a loss of $2,078 and a gain of $85 in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Interest Rates

The Series A Notes under our 2024 Note Payable Agreement will bear interest at a fixed rate 5.96% and will mature on March 21, 2031. Interest on the Notes will be payable quarterly on the 21st day of March, June, September and December in each year, commencing on June 21, 2024. As amended on October 22, 2024, the Series A Notes bore interest at 6.46% from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.

Interest rates on our Credit Facility are based on Term SOFR plus a margin of 1.25% to 2.50% (1.75% at December 31, 2025), depending on the Company’s ratio of total funded indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA. As amended on October 22, 2024, borrowings under the Credit Facility bore interest at Term SOFR plus a margin of 2.50% from January 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025. We use interest rate derivatives to add stability to interest expense and to manage our exposure to interest rate movements. We primarily use interest rate swaps as part of our interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges involve the receipt of variable amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount. In March 2020, the Company entered into two interest rate swaps with a combined notional amount of $20,000 that increased to $60,000 in March 2022 and matured in December 2024. In March 2022 the Company entered into an additional interest rate swap with a notional amount of $40,000 that matures in December 2026.  In September 2024, the Company entered into an additional interest rate swap with a notional amount of $50,000 that matures in September 2027.

As of December 31, 2025, we had $124,962 outstanding under the Amended Revolving Facility (excluding deferred financing fees), of which $90,000 is currently being hedged. Refer to Note 7, Debt Obligations , of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information about our outstanding debt. A hypothetical one percentage point (100 basis points) change in the Base Rate on the $34,962 of unhedged floating rate debt outstanding at December 31, 2025 would have an impact of approximately $350 on our interest expense for 2025.

Table of Contents