ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, in evaluating our company and our common stock. If any of the risks described below actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price could be materially adversely affected.
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONAL RISKS
Our financial results are subject to fluctuations caused by many factors that could result in our failing to achieve anticipated financial results and cause a drop in our stock price.
Our quarterly and annual financial results have varied in the past and are likely to continue to vary in the future due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. In particular, the contractual terms and the number and size of orders in the capital goods industries in which we compete vary significantly over time. The timing of our sales cycle from receipt of orders to shipment of the products or provision of services can significantly impact our sales and income in any given fiscal period. These and any one or more of the factors listed below, among other things, could cause us not to achieve our revenue or profitability expectations in any given period and the resulting failure to meet such expectations could cause a drop in our stock price:
• volatility in demand for our products and services, including volatility in growth rates in the food processing industry;
• downturns in our customers’ businesses resulting from deteriorating domestic and international economies where our customers conduct substantial business;
• increases in commodity prices resulting in increased manufacturing costs, such as petroleum-based products, metals or other raw materials we use in significant quantities;
• supply chain delays and interruptions;
• effects of tight labor market on our labor costs resulting from higher labor turnover, shortage of skilled labor, and higher labor absenteeism;
• changes in pricing policies resulting from competitive pressures, including aggressive price discounting by our competitors and other market factors;
• our ability to develop and introduce on a timely basis new or enhanced versions of our products and services;
• unexpected needs for capital expenditures or other unanticipated expenses;
• changes in the mix of revenue attributable to domestic and international sales;
• changes in the mix of products and services that we sell;
• changes in foreign currency rates;
• seasonal fluctuations in buying patterns;
• future acquisitions and divestitures of technologies, products, and businesses;
• changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs; and
• cyber-attacks and other IT threats that could disable our IT infrastructure and create a meaningful inability to operate our business.
The cumulative loss of several significant contracts may negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We often enter into large, project-oriented contracts, or long-term equipment leases and service agreements. These agreements may be terminated or breached, or our customers may fail to renew these agreements. If we were to lose several significant agreements and if we were to fail to develop alternative business opportunities, then we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We may lose money or not achieve our expected profitability on fixed-price contracts.
As is customary for several of the business areas in which we operate, we may provide products and services under fixed-price contracts. Under such contracts, we are typically responsible for cost overruns. Our actual costs and any gross profit realized on these fixed-price contracts may vary from our estimates on which the pricing for such contracts was based. There are inherent risks and uncertainties in the estimation process, including those arising from unforeseen technical and logistical challenges or longer than expected lead times for sourcing raw materials and assemblies. A fixed-price contract may significantly limit or prohibit our ability to mitigate the impact of unanticipated increases in raw material prices (including the price of steel and other significant raw materials) by passing on such price increases. Depending on the volume of our work performed under fixed-price contracts at any one time and our ability to offset or pass through any cost increases under such contracts, cost overruns could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Infrastructure failures or catastrophic loss at any of our facilities, including damage or disruption to our information systems and information database, could lead to production and service curtailments or shutdowns and negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We manufacture our products at facilities in the United States, Brazil, Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. An interruption in production or service capabilities at any of our facilities as a result of equipment failure or any other reasons could result in our inability to manufacture our products. In the event of a stoppage in production at any of our facilities, even if only temporary, or if we experience delays as a result of events that are beyond our control, delivery times to our customers could be severely affected. Any significant delay in deliveries to our customers could lead to cancellations.
Our operations are also dependent on our ability to protect our facilities, computer equipment and the information stored in our databases from damage by, among other things, earthquake, fire, natural disaster, explosions, power loss, telecommunications failures, hurricane, and other catastrophic events. For instance, a part of our operations is based in an area of California that has experienced earthquakes and wildfires and other natural disasters, while another part of our operations is based in an area of Florida that has experienced hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Despite our best efforts at planning for such contingencies, catastrophic events of this nature may still result in delays in deliveries, catastrophic loss, system failures and other interruptions in our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
In addition, it is periodically necessary to replace, upgrade, or modify our internal information systems. For example, we are currently in the process of implementing common Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”), customer relationship management, and other information technology systems across the majority of our businesses. If we are unable to do this in a timely and cost-effective manner, especially in light of demands on our information technology resources, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be materially adversely impacted.
The loss of key personnel or any inability to attract and retain additional personnel could affect our ability to successfully grow our business.
Our performance is substantially dependent on the continued services and performance of our senior management and other key personnel. Our performance also depends on our ability to retain and motivate our officers and key employees. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers or other key employees for any reason could harm our business. Transitions in our senior executive management roles could adversely impact our strategic planning, specifically resulting in unexpected changes, or delays in the planning and execution of such plans and can cause a diversion of management time and attention.
Our results of operations can be adversely affected by labor shortages, turnover and labor cost increases.
We have from time-to-time experienced labor shortages and other labor-related issues. A number of factors may adversely affect the labor force available to us in one or more of our markets, including high employment levels, government unemployment subsidies, and other government regulations, which include laws and regulations related to workers’ health and safety, wage and hour practices and immigration. These factors can also impact the cost of labor. Increased turnover rates within our employee base can lead to decreased efficiency and increased costs, such as increased overtime to meet demand and increased wage rates to attract and retain employees. An overall labor shortage or lack of skilled labor, increased turnover, higher rates of absenteeism or labor inflation could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Our ability to maintain or increase our profitability is in part dependent on our ability to align our labor force with our production requirements. Whereas we seek to build in flexibility through the use of
overtime, double shifts and temporary workforce, we may fail to align our staffing with our production requirements, which would expose us to increased costs and negatively affect our profitability.
We rely on our ability to successfully grow our installed base through long-term customer relationships.
We depend on our ability to successfully grow our installed base through long-term customer relationships. Our initial contact with customers, including the design, delivery and installation of processing equipment, systems and software at customers’ facilities, establishes the basis for future business with those customers. Once a solution is installed and operational at a customer’s facility, that customer can become a valuable source of continuing demand for our aftermarket business and additional equipment business. Continuing demand for such equipment, systems, software and services depends on our ability to successfully deliver solutions based on customers’ needs and execute the initial installation in a timely and professional manner that encourages the customer to continue transacting with us in the future. Any failure or perceived shortcoming in the quality of the equipment or installation process may materially adversely affect the potentially larger revenues facilitated by long-term customer loyalty and negatively impact our ability to grow our installed base.
This risk is more pronounced with respect to greenfield and large projects. The initial installation of a greenfield or large project is frequently a large, complex project that entails a significant investment by the customer and may in certain instances involve a long lead time between when the order is received and the equipment becomes operational. We may face design and engineering challenges due to the features of the customer’s operations or facilities or unforeseen obstacles to delivery and installation. In addition, any failure to deliver high quality products and service in line with the customer’s needs and expectations throughout the product development and installation process may impair our ability to secure revenues generated by maintenance, service (provided on an ad hoc basis or service level agreements) and aftermarket parts.
Moreover, if we fail for any reason to deliver a solution in line with the needs and expectations of our customers, our costs may rise if we are required to re-design or otherwise bear the risk of unforeseen delays or costs. If we fail to recoup such costs, our profit margins may deteriorate. In addition, if the quality of an installation is sub-par or not responsive to the customer’s needs, our reputation as a quality brand may suffer. Any of these failures could impair our ability to grow our installed base, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We earn a significant amount of aftermarket revenues. If we are unable to maintain the size and reliability of this part of our business, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
Much of our total revenues are attributable to our aftermarket business, covering service, maintenance and spare parts. Because our customers rely on high throughput requirements and deal with highly perishable goods, our ability to deliver prompt and timely service is essential to our aftermarket business. Therefore, any failure to meet quality requirements, maintain sufficient inventories of spare parts or otherwise timely meet customer demands for service, maintenance or spare parts could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, the number of specialized service or spare parts providers, with a business strategy built around servicing our equipment at a lower cost than ours, could increase. Any substantial increase in the number of competitors could erode our aftermarket business or overall market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our manufacturing, distribution and service and maintenance activities are subject to health and safety risks.
Our manufacturing, distribution, service and maintenance activities involve the use of industrial machinery to produce, assemble, maintain, and service its processing equipment and systems. Employees interacting with such machinery may be injured, or incur long-term medical costs as a result of other aspects of the work environment, which injury or costs could result in legal liability or increased personnel costs for us. Such liabilities, if severe enough, could increase our costs or tarnish our reputation, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our Russian operations have been and may continue to be affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions imposed in response, and we may in the future choose or be required to further limit or shut down those operations entirely.
We continue to conduct business in Russia through a wholly-owned subsidiary in Russia and provide services and spare parts to Russian customers under existing service level agreements and finalized outstanding Russian projects, as permitted under applicable U.S. and EU sanctions.
We may face risks associated with maintaining a subsidiary in Russia, or with any international operations in Russia or Belarus, including risks associated with our compliance with evolving international sanctions, potential reputational harm as a result of operations in Russia or Belarus, and challenges with international transfers of funds held in Russia. While we have policies and procedures in place designed to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions and trade restrictions, our employees or agents may take
actions in violation of such policies and applicable law, and we could be held ultimately responsible. If we are held responsible for a violation of U.S. or EU sanctions laws, we may be subject to various penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we may in the future choose or be required to further limit or cease operations in Russia and/or Belarus entirely, in which case we will no longer receive revenue from those operations. We could also incur expenses as a result of the process of shutting down operations in Russia.
Material weaknesses were identified in Marel’s internal control over financial reporting and we may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, which could result in material misstatements of Marel’s accounts and disclosures.
Prior to the acquisition, Marel was not subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or other U.S. federal securities laws, including the compliance obligations relating to, among other things, the maintenance of a system of internal controls as contemplated by the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We need to timely and effectively design and implement controls and procedures over Marel’s operations necessary to satisfy those requirements. We intend to take appropriate measures to design and implement internal controls at Marel aimed at successfully fulfilling these requirements on the timeline allowed by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, it is possible that we may experience delays in implementing the appropriate internal controls and procedures relating to Marel's operations, which could result in increased costs, enforcement actions, the assessment of penalties and civil suits, failure to meet reporting obligations and other material and adverse events that could have a negative effect on our operations.
As discussed in Item 9A., prior to the acquisition of Marel, its management identified two material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, which remained unremediated as of December 31, 2025. Specifically, its management identified that 1) Marel did not design and maintain effective information technology general controls for information systems that are relevant to financial reporting. Specifically, Marel did not design and maintain: (i) program change management controls to ensure that information technology program and data changes are identified, tested, authorized, and implemented appropriately; (ii) user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and to adequately restrict user and privileged access to appropriate personnel; (iii) computer operations controls to ensure that processing and transfer of data, and data backups and recovery are monitored; and (iv) program development controls to ensure that new software development is tested, authorized and implemented appropriately. These IT deficiencies did not result in a material misstatement to the financial statements, however, the deficiencies, when aggregated, could impact maintaining effective segregation of duties, as well as the effectiveness of IT-dependent controls (such as automated controls that address the risk of material misstatement to one or more assertions, along with the IT controls and underlying data that support the effectiveness of system-generated data and reports) that could result in misstatements potentially impacting all financial statement accounts and disclosures that would not be prevented or detected, and 2) Marel did not design or maintain effective controls over the recording and review of journal entries for validity, accuracy, and completeness. Specifically, certain key accounting personnel have the ability to prepare and post journal entries without an appropriately designed independent review. This material weakness did not result in a material misstatement to the financial statements; however, it could result in a potential misstatement of Marel’s accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. If we experience a delay in successfully remediating any identified control deficiencies, including current or future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected; our liquidity, access to capital markets and perceptions of our creditworthiness may be adversely affected; we could face difficulty forecasting our financial results accurately, impacting decision-making by investors and analysts; we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities laws, stock exchange listing requirements and debt instruments’ covenants regarding the timely filing of periodic reports; we may be subject to regulatory investigations and penalties; investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting; we may suffer defaults under our debt instruments; and our common stock price may decline.
Further, as discussed in Item 9A., we have and may continue to discover weaknesses in Marel’s system of internal control over financial reporting that could result in a material misstatement of Marel’s accounts and disclosures. Our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.
INDUSTRY RISKS
Deterioration of economic conditions could adversely impact our business.
Our business may be adversely affected by changes in current or future national or global economic conditions, including lower growth rates or recession, high unemployment, rising interest rates, limited availability of capital, decreases in consumer spending rates, the availability and cost of energy, tightening of government monetary policies to contain inflation and the effect of government deficit reduction, sequestration, and other austerity measures impacting the markets we serve. Any such changes could adversely affect the demand for our products or the cost and availability of our required raw materials, which can have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Adverse national and global economic conditions could, among other things:
• make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain necessary financing for our operations, our investments and our acquisitions, or to refinance our debt;
• cause our lenders or other financial instrument counterparties to be unable to honor their commitments or otherwise default under our financing arrangements;
• impair the financial condition of some of our customers, thereby hindering our customers’ ability to obtain financing to purchase our products and/or increasing customer bad debts;
• cause customers to forgo or postpone new purchases in favor of repairing existing equipment and machinery, and delay or reduce preventative maintenance, thereby reducing our revenue and/or profits, including by impeding growth in aftermarket revenue opportunities in the longer term;
• negatively impact our customers’ ability to raise pricing to counteract increased fuel, labor, and other costs, making it less likely that they will expend the same capital and other resources on our equipment as they have in the past;
• impair the financial condition of some of our suppliers thereby potentially increasing both the likelihood of our having to renegotiate supply terms on terms that may not be as favorable to us and the risk of non-performance by suppliers;
• negatively impact global demand for technologically sophisticated food production equipment, which could result in a reduction of sales, operating income, and cash flows;
• negatively affect the rates of expansion, consolidation, renovation, and equipment replacement within the food processing industry, which may adversely affect the results of operations of our business; and
• impair the financial viability of our insurers.
In addition, our profitability may be adversely affected during any periods of unexpected or rapid increases in interest rates on our variable rate debt. We have taken steps to mitigate; however, a significant increase in interest rates may significantly increase our cost of borrowings and reduce the availability and increase the cost of obtaining new debt and refinancing existing indebtedness. For additional detail related to this risk, see Part II, Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.”
Variability in the length of our sales cycles makes accurate estimation of our revenue in any single period difficult and can result in significant fluctuation in quarterly operating results.
The length of our sales cycle varies depending on a number of factors over which we may have little or no control, including the size and complexity of a potential transaction, the level of competition that we encounter during our selling process, and our current and potential customers’ internal budgeting and approval processes. Many of our sales are subject to an extended sales cycle. As a result, we may expend significant effort and resources over long periods of time in an attempt to obtain an order, but ultimately not obtain the order, or obtain an order that is smaller than we anticipated. Revenue generated by any one of our customers may vary from quarter to quarter, and a customer who places a large order in one quarter may generate significantly lower revenue in subsequent quarters. Due to the length and uncertainty of our sales cycle, and the variability of orders from period to period, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our revenue and operating results may not be an accurate indicator of our future performance.
Our inability to secure raw material supply, component parts, sub-assemblies, finished good assemblies, installation labor, and/or logistics capacity in a timely and cost-effective manner from suppliers would adversely affect our ability to manufacture, install and/or distribute products to customers.
We purchase raw materials, component parts, sub-assemblies, and/or finished good assemblies for use in manufacturing, installation, service and/or distribution of our products to customers. Logistics availability and other external factors impacting our inbound and outbound transportation, raw material supply, component parts, sub-assemblies, and/or finished goods we procure could result in manufacturing, installation and/or outbound transportation delays, inefficiencies, or our inability to distribute products if we cannot timely and efficiently manufacture them. In addition, our gross margins could be adversely impacted if raw materials, component parts, sub-assemblies, finished goods, installation services and/or logistics provider’s higher costs cannot be offset with timely pricing increases to customers.
The disruptions to the global economy as a result of recent and ongoing geopolitical events continue to impede global supply chains, resulting in longer lead times and increased raw material costs. We have taken steps to minimize the impact of these increased costs by working closely with our suppliers and customers. Despite the actions we have taken to minimize the impacts of supply chain disruptions, there can be no assurances that unforeseen future events in the global supply chain and inflationary pressures will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
An increase in energy or raw material prices may reduce the profitability of our customers, which ultimately could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Energy prices are volatile globally, but are especially high in Europe, as a result of the war in the Ukraine. High energy prices have a negative trickledown effect on our customers’ business operations by reducing their profitability because of increased operating costs. Our customers require large amounts of energy to run their businesses and higher energy prices also increase food processors’ operating costs through increased energy and utility costs to run their plants, higher priced chemical and petroleum based raw materials used in food processing, and higher fuel costs to run their logistics and service fleet vehicles.
Food processors are also affected by the cost and availability of raw materials such as feed grains, livestock, produce, and dairy products. Increases in the cost and limitations in the availability of such raw materials can negatively affect the profitability of food processors’ operations.
Any reduction in our customers’ profitability due to higher energy or raw material costs or otherwise may reduce their future expenditures for the food processing equipment that we provide. This reduction may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Changes in food consumption patterns, regulatory developments or economic conditions may reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Dietary trends and changes in the regulatory environment can impact the demand for food products. For example, dietary trends and regulatory developments can create demand for protein food products but negatively impact demand for high-carbohydrate foods, or create demand for easy to prepare, transportable meals but negatively impact traditional canned food products. Because different food types and food packaging can quickly go in and out of style as a function of dietary, health, convenience, or sustainability trends, food processors can be challenged in accurately forecasting their needed manufacturing capacity. Rising food and other input costs, and recessionary fears may also negatively impact our customers’ ability to forecast consumer demand for protein products or processed food products. Fluctuations in supply and demand can decrease the wholesale prices of food products, which can impact the profitability of our customers.
In addition, our customers’ operations are subject to extensive regulations, including those that relate to animal welfare, food safety, and the processing, packaging, and storage of food products. These regulations could become more restrictive, which could lead to increased costs for our customers, or could require our customers to change their processes. If we are unable to timely modify or create new products that comply with regulatory requirements at attractive prices, demand for our products could fall.
Consumer demand uncertainty, reduced customer profitability, or changes to regulatory requirements may impair our customers’ interest in or ability to invest in equipment and services, and as a result negatively impact our customer’s demand for our goods and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Freezes, hurricanes, droughts, other natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, outbreak of animal borne diseases (H5N1, BSE, or other virus strains affecting poultry or livestock), citrus tree diseases, or food borne illnesses or other food safety, or quality concerns may negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
An outbreak or pandemic stemming from H5N1 (avian flu), BSE (mad cow disease), African swine fever (pork) or any other animal related disease strains could reduce the availability of poultry or beef that is processed for restaurant, food service, wholesale or retail consumers. Any limitation on the availability of such raw materials could discourage food producers from making additional capital investments in processing equipment, aftermarket products, parts, and services that we provide. Such a decrease in demand for our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
The success of our business that serves the citrus food processing industry is directly related to the viability and health of citrus crops. The citrus industries in Florida, Brazil, and other countries are facing increased pressure on their harvest productivity and citrus bearing acreage due to citrus canker and greening diseases. These citrus tree diseases are often incurable once a tree has been infested and the end result can be the destruction of the tree. Reduced amounts of available fruit for the processed or fresh food markets could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
In the event an E. coli or other food borne illness causes a recall of meat or produce, the companies supplying fresh, further processed or packaged forms of those products could be severely adversely affected. Any negative impact on the financial viability of our fresh or processed food provider customers could adversely affect our immediate and recurring revenue base. We also face the risk of liabilities associated with product recalls to the extent that our products are determined to have caused an issue leading to a recall.
In the event a natural disaster negatively affects growers or farm production, the food processing industry may not have the fresh food raw materials necessary to meet consumer demand. Crops or entire groves or fields can be severely damaged by a drought, flood, freeze, or hurricane, wildfires or adverse weather conditions, including the effects of climate change. An extended drought or freeze or a high category hurricane could permanently damage or destroy a tree crop area. If orchards have to be replanted, trees may not produce viable product for several years. Since our recurring revenue is dependent on growers’ and farmers’ ability to provide high quality crops, poultry or livestock to certain of our customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely impacted in the event of a freeze, hurricane, drought, or other natural disaster.
Customer sourcing initiatives may adversely affect our new equipment and aftermarket businesses.
Many multi-national companies, including our customers and prospective customers, have undertaken supply chain integration initiatives to provide a sustainable competitive advantage against their competitors. Under continued price pressure from consumers, wholesalers and retailers, our manufacturer customers are focused on controlling and reducing cost, enhancing their sourcing processes, and improving their profitability.
A key value proposition of our equipment and services is low total cost of ownership. If our customers implement sourcing initiatives that focus solely on immediate cost savings and not on total cost of ownership, our new equipment and aftermarket sales could be adversely affected.
Our business could suffer in the event of a work stoppage by our unionized or non-union labor force.
Outside the United States, we enter into employment contracts and agreements in certain countries in which national employee work councils are mandatory or customary, such as in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
Any future strikes, employee slowdowns, or similar actions by one or more work councils, in connection with labor contract negotiations or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business. Alternatively, a successful campaign by our unionized workforce could result in higher personnel costs or diminished productivity in our manufacturing sites. Even an unsuccessful union campaign could divert management time and energy away from routine operational priorities. Any of these factors may adversely impact our operations, cause us to incur incremental costs and/or damage our reputation.
We may also be subject to general country strikes or work stoppages unrelated to our business or collective bargaining agreements, which could result in operational delays or other adverse impacts on production. A work stoppage or other limitations on production at our facilities for any reason could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, many of our customers and suppliers have unionized work forces. Strikes or work stoppages experienced by our customers or suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If we cannot compete effectively, our business could be adversely affected.
Across our operating segments, we operate in highly competitive markets. We compete across the primary, secondary and further food processing sectors. We compete with numerous multinational, regional and local processing equipment providers of various sizes and cost structures. The primary processing sector is relatively concentrated, and we compete with a small number of key global participants in each segment focused on serving animal protein processing. Competition within primary processing is strong, with product pricing being a key competitive factor.
The secondary and further processing sectors are highly fragmented and we face strong competition. However, only a limited number of competitors are international full-line providers across primary, secondary and further processing. There are also a number of regional and local food processing equipment suppliers, but only a limited number of competitors cover a significant part of the value chain. In addition, we compete within secondary and further processing with large-scale industry-agnostic providers of industrial equipment, some of which may have substantially greater financial and other resources than us.
Existing or new competitors may develop their current products and technologies further or create alternative ones that are more attractively priced, offer higher quality or are more appealing for other reasons than our products. If new or better developed products can be offered at more attractive prices, or if such products are more attractive than our products for other reasons (such as a higher degree of functionality or improved ability to avoid production stoppages and downtime or a higher degree of quality control and value chain integration), demand for our products could fall or we may be required to lower our prices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS
Disruptions in the political, regulatory, economic and social conditions of the countries in which we conduct business could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We operate manufacturing facilities in many countries other than the United States, the largest of which are located in Brazil, Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. International sales accounted for 62% of our 2025 revenue. Multiple factors relating to our international operations and to those particular countries in which we operate or seek to expand our operations could have an adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. These factors include, among others:
• economic downturns, inflationary and recessionary markets, including in capital and equity markets;
• civil unrest, political instability, terrorist attacks, and wars;
• nationalization, expropriation, or seizure of assets;
• potentially unfavorable tax law changes;
• inability to repatriate income or capital;
• foreign ownership restrictions;
• export regulations that could erode profit margins or restrict exports, including import or export licensing regulations;
• trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs or other trade restrictions, and other trade protection measures, or price controls;
• restrictions on operations, trade practices, trade partners, and investment decisions resulting from domestic and foreign laws and regulations;
• compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other similar laws;
• burden and cost of complying with different national and local laws, treaties, and technical standards and changes in those regulations;
• transportation delays and interruptions; and
• reductions in the availability of qualified personnel.
Our business has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by tariffs, trade sanctions or similar government actions, as well as overall uncertainty surrounding international trade relations.
Our operations in various countries and jurisdictions subject us to the legal, political, regulatory, and social requirements and economic conditions in these jurisdictions. The imposition by the United States of tariffs, sanctions or other restrictions on goods exported from the United States or imported into the United States, and countermeasures imposed in response to such actions, have introduced uncertainty in the market and increased the cost of goods for our products and could reduce our ability to sell our products globally, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. The materials subject to these tariffs or proposed tariffs have impacted the cost and availability of raw materials used by our suppliers or in our customers’ products. We may not be able to fully mitigate the impact of these increased costs or pass price increases on to our customers. The situation around tariffs is
fluid and we cannot predict further developments, and any existing or future tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
Additionally, the imposition of further tariffs by the United States on a broader range of imports, or further retaliatory trade measures taken by other countries’ governments in response to additional tariffs imposed by the United States, could increase costs in our supply chain, which may cause us to increase prices in certain markets in order to mitigate the impact of these trade-related increases on our costs of products sold, and reduce demand for our and/or our customers’ products, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations. Any increase in trade-related costs associated with such measures may impair the profitability of our international production, may strain our suppliers’ ability to reliably provide inputs necessary to produce our products, and may otherwise affect our ability to provide our products at previously contracted prices. We may, over the longer term, make changes in our supply chain and our global manufacturing strategy to mitigate the negative impacts of changing U.S. and foreign trade policies, which may not be successful. Tariffs may also indirectly impair our business by causing a negative effect on global economic conditions and financial markets. The ultimate impact of these trade measures on our business operations and financial results is uncertain and may be affected by various factors, including whether and when such trade measures are implemented, the timing when such measures may become effective, and the amount, scope, or nature of such trade measures, and our ability to execute strategies to mitigate the negative impacts. Our inability to effectively manage the negative impacts of changing U.S. and foreign trade policies could materially adversely impact our results of operations, financial conditions and cash flows.
From time to time we may be a party to litigation and investigations, which may require significant management time and attention and result in significant legal expenses.
We are and may in the future be subject to a variety of claims, litigation, investigations, proceedings, and other matters, as well as tax and other legal compliance risks. These claims may relate to the environment, health and safety, employee benefits, import and export compliance, intellectual property, product liability, tax matters, securities regulation, regulatory compliance, our operations, contractual matters and other disputes. We may also file lawsuits and take other legal actions to protect our intellectual property and/or any unlawful practices. In addition, our operations and industries are subject to a variety of U.S. and international laws, which can change. We therefore face uncertainties with regard to lawsuits, regulations, and other related matters. From time to time, investigations into aspects of our business may include inquiries, subpoenas, and other types of information demands from government and regulatory authorities.Further, we may be exposed to litigation from stockholders, customers, partners, suppliers, contractors and other third parties. Such litigation or an adverse judgment resulting in monetary damages may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Even if such lawsuits are without merit, defending against these claims can result in substantial costs and affect our results of operations, divert management time and attention, negatively impact our reputation or require us to recognize substantial charges to resolve.
The industries in which we operate expose us to potential liabilities arising out of the installation or use of our systems that could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Our equipment, systems and services create potential exposure for us for personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, commercial claims, product recalls, business interruption, production loss, property damage, pollution, and other environmental damages. In the event that a customer who purchases our equipment becomes subject to claims relating to food borne illnesses or other food safety or quality issues relating to food processed through the use of our equipment, we could be exposed to significant claims from our customers. Although we have obtained business and related risk insurance, we cannot assure you that our insurance will be adequate to cover all potential liabilities. Further, we cannot assure you that insurance will generally be available in the future or, if available, that premiums to obtain such insurance will be commercially reasonable. If we incur substantial liability and damages arising from such liability are not covered by insurance or are in excess of policy limits, or if we were to incur liability at a time when we are not able to obtain liability insurance, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Climate change and climate change legislation or regulations may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Continued attention to climate change, including societal, consumer and investor expectations on companies to address climate change and changes in consumer preferences may result in increased costs, reduced demand for our products and the products of our customers, reduced profits, risks associated with new legislative or regulatory requirements, risks to our reputation and the potential for increased litigation and governmental investigations. Foreign, federal, state and local regulatory and legislative bodies have proposed and some are implementing various legislative and regulatory measures relating to increased transparency and standardization of reporting related to factors that may be contributing to climate change, regulating GHG emissions, and energy policies. The enactment of such legislation or regulations could increase energy, environmental, compliance and other costs and we may need to make capital expenditures to comply with these legislative and regulatory requirements. Failure to comply with these
regulations could result in monetary penalties and could adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Investor and public perception related to our sustainability performance as well as current and future sustainability reporting requirements may affect our business and our operating results.
Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from a variety of stakeholders, including customers, investors, lenders and employees, relating to their environmental, social and governance and sustainability practices. Stakeholder focus on sustainability issues related to our industry requires continuous monitoring of various and evolving standards and expectations and any associated reporting requirements. If we fail to adequately meet or adapt to stakeholder expectations as they continue to evolve, or if we are perceived to have not responded appropriately or quickly enough to growing concern for sustainability issues, regardless of whether there is a regulatory or legal requirement to do so, we may face increased litigation risk, reputational damage, loss of business, diluted market valuation, and an inability to attract and retain customers and employees.
From time to time, in alignment with our sustainability strategy, we may establish and publicly announce climate-related goals. If we fail or are perceived to fail to achieve or improperly report on our progress toward achieving our sustainability goals and commitments, the resulting negative publicity could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and our access to capital. In addition, our continuing efforts to research, establish, accomplish and accurately report on the implementation of our sustainability strategy may also create additional operational risks and expenses and expose us to reputational, legal and other risks. While we create and publish voluntary disclosures regarding sustainability matters from time to time, some of the statements in those voluntary disclosures may be based on hypothetical expectations and assumptions that may or may not be representative of current or actual risks or events or forecasts of expected risks or events, including the costs associated therewith. Such expectations and assumptions are necessarily uncertain and may be prone to error or subject to misinterpretation given the long timelines involved and the lack of an established single approach to identifying, measuring and reporting on many sustainability matters.
Our voluntary disclosures of sustainability data are evaluated and rated by various organizations that assess corporate sustainability performance. These organizations provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters and have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to sustainability matters. Unfavorable sustainability ratings, or our inability to meet the sustainability standards set by specific investors, may lead to negative investor sentiment and reputational damage, which could have an adverse impact, among other things, on our stock price and cost of capital.
Further, our business and growth opportunities require us to have strong relationships with various key stakeholders, including our investors, employees, suppliers, customers and others. We may face pressures from stakeholders, many of whom are increasingly focused on climate change, to prioritize sustainable energy practices and carbon reduction initiatives in addition to our business objectives. At the same time, stakeholders and regulators have increasingly expressed or pursued divergent and evolving views, legislation and investment expectations with respect to sustainability, including the enactment or proposal of “anti-ESG” legislation or policies. We may also face negative impacts from consumers who do not support climate-related initiatives or concerns. If we do not successfully manage expectations across these varied stakeholder interests, it could erode our stakeholder trust and thereby affect our brand and reputation. Such erosion of confidence could negatively impact our business through decreased demand and growth opportunities, adverse publicity, difficulty hiring and retaining top talent, difficulty obtaining necessary approvals and permits from governments and regulatory agencies and difficulty securing investors and access to debt or capital.
We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 (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. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, there is no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA, U.K. Bribery Act or other similar violations (either due to our own acts, or due to the acts of others), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions as well as reputational damage, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Unfavorable tax law changes and tax authority rulings may adversely affect results.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and various other foreign jurisdictions. Domestic and international tax liabilities are subject to the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by changes in the geographic mix of earnings. In addition, taxing authorities may enact significant changes to the taxation of business entities
including, among others, an increase in the corporate income tax rate, elimination of certain exemptions, and the imposition of minimum taxes or surtaxes on certain types of income. The likelihood of these changes or any other changes in tax law being enacted or implemented is unclear. Any such changes in tax laws where we have significant operations could materially affect our effective tax rate and our deferred tax assets and liabilities.
Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, we are subject to audit by tax authorities and the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical tax provisions and accruals.
BUSINESS STRATEGY RISKS
We face risks associated with acquisitions.
To achieve our strategic objectives, we have pursued and expect to continue to pursue expansion opportunities such as acquiring other businesses or assets. Expanding through acquisitions involves risks such as:
• the incurrence of additional debt to finance the acquisition or expansion;
• additional liabilities (whether known or unknown), including, among others, product, environmental or pension liabilities of the acquired business or assets;
• our inability to perform comprehensive due diligence as a result of market factors related to the nature of an acquisition transaction, such as limitations that exist in public-company acquisitions or in competitive scenarios where time to perform due diligence is limited, and our consequent inability to identify information that may impact the valuation of an acquired business;
• risks and costs associated with integrating the acquired business or new operating facility into our operations;
• a failure to retain and assimilate key employees of the acquired business or assets;
• unanticipated demands on our management, operational resources and financial and internal control systems;
• unanticipated regulatory risks;
• the risk of being denied the necessary licenses, permits and approvals from state, local and foreign governments, and the costs and time associated with obtaining such licenses, permits and approvals;
• risks that we do not achieve anticipated operating efficiencies, synergies and economies of scale;
• risks in retaining the existing customers and contracts of the acquired business or assets; and.
• risk that unforeseen issues with an acquisition may adversely affect the anticipated results of the business or value of the intangible assets and trigger an evaluation of the recoverability of the recorded goodwill and intangible assets for such business.
If we are unable to effectively integrate acquired businesses or newly formed operations, or if such acquired businesses underperform relative to our expectations, this may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, and results of operations.
We may not realize some or all of the expected benefits and synergies from the Marel Transaction or do so within the intended timeframe and the integration costs may exceed estimates.
On January 2, 2025, we closed the voluntary takeover offer for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Marel. The success of the Marel Transaction will depend, in part, on our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from combining JBT and Marel’s businesses. We have and continue to devote substantial management attention and resources to the integration of the combined company’s business practices and operations so that we can fully realize the anticipated benefits of the Marel Transaction, including cost and revenue synergies. Nonetheless, difficulties may arise during the integration process that could result in the failure to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. For example, we may use more cash or other financial resources on integration and implementation activities than anticipated, and unanticipated increases in expenses unrelated to the Marel Transaction may offset the expected cost savings and other synergies from the Marel Transaction.
We have invested substantial resources in certain markets and strategic initiatives where we expect growth, and our business may suffer if we are unable to achieve the growth we expect.
As part of our strategy to grow, we are expanding our operations in certain emerging or developing markets, and accordingly have made and expect to continue to make investments to support anticipated growth in those regions. We may fail to realize expected rates of return on our existing investments or incur losses on such investments, and we may be unable to redeploy capital to take advantage of other markets, business lines or other potential areas of growth. Our results will also suffer if these developing markets, business lines or capabilities do not grow as quickly as we anticipate.
TECHNOLOGY RISKS
To remain competitive, we need to rapidly and successfully develop and introduce complex new solutions in a global, competitive, demanding, and changing environment.
The industries in which we participate are constantly undergoing development and change, and it is likely that new products, equipment, and service methods will be introduced in the future. If we lose our significant technology advantage in our products and services, our market share and growth could be materially adversely affected. In addition, if we are unable to deliver products, features, and functionality as projected, we may be unable to meet our commitments to customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business. We may need to make significant expenditures to purchase new equipment, develop digital solutions, and to train our employees to keep pace with any new technological developments and market. These expenditures could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, significant investments in research and development efforts that do not lead to successful products, features, and functionality, could also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our product offerings include a subscription-based digital solutions. There is some uncertainty in the pace and depth of market acceptance of digital solutions in this industry. Our efforts in development and deployment of our software solutions, may also divert resources and management attention from other areas of our business. We expect to continue making significant investments to support these efforts, and our ability to support these efforts is dependent on generating sufficient profits from other areas of our business. Any failure to continue to further develop and update our software solutions, including with respect to the user experience and system installations and upgrades, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any malfunctioning, cybersecurity breach or other failure of our embedded software solutions could result in customers attempting to hold us liable for losses, or increased costs or other penalties that they may incur in the event of a software malfunction or breach. Such claims could harm our customer relations and tarnish our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected by competing technology. Some of our competitors are large multinational companies that may have greater financial resources than us, and they may be able to devote greater resources to research and development of new systems, services, and technologies than we are able to do. Moreover, some of our competitors operate in narrow business areas, allowing them to concentrate their research and development efforts more directly on products and services for those areas than we may be able to.
Our future growth is dependent on our ability to keep pace with the adoption of generative artificial intelligence and other machine learning technologies to remain competitive.
Our industry is marked by rapid technological developments and innovations, such as the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, to conform to evolving industry standards. We may be required to make significant investments in artificial intelligence to maintain our competitive position in the market. If we are unable to provide enhancements and new features and integrations for our existing product portfolio, develop new products that achieve market acceptance, or innovate quickly enough to keep pace with these rapid technological developments, our business could be harmed. In addition, our customers could use artificial intelligence to develop digital tools that compete with our software solutions and adversely impact our business. Furthermore, the technical challenges associated with developing this technology may be significant, leading to risk of equipment failures, customer disruptions, or vulnerabilities that could compromise the integrity, security, or privacy of certain customer information. These failures could result in reputational damage, legal liabilities, or loss in customer confidence.
High-capacity products or products with new technology may be more likely to experience reliability, quality, or operability problems.
Even with rigorous testing prior to release and investment in product quality processes, problems may be found in newly developed or enhanced products after such products are launched and shipped to customers. Resolution of such issues may cause project delays, additional development costs, and deferred or lost revenue.
New products and enhancements of our existing products may also reduce demand for our existing products or could delay purchases by customers who instead decide to wait for our new or enhanced products. Difficulties that arise in our managing the transition from our older products to our new or enhanced products could result in additional costs and deferred or lost revenue.
If we are unable to develop, preserve, and protect our intellectual property assets, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be negatively affected.
We strive to protect and enhance our proprietary intellectual property rights through patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws, as well as through technological safeguards and operating policies and procedures. It may be costly and time consuming to protect our intellectual property, and the steps we have taken to do so in the U.S. and foreign countries may not be adequate. To the extent we are not successful, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely impacted. We may be unable to prevent third parties from using our technology without our authorization, or from independently developing technology that is similar to ours, particularly in those countries where the laws do not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in others. With respect to our pending patent applications, we may not be successful in securing patents for these claims, and our competitors may already have applied for patents that, once issued, will prevail over our patent rights or otherwise limit our ability to sell our products.
Claims by others that we infringe their intellectual property rights could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We have seen a trend towards aggressive enforcement of intellectual property rights as product functionality in our industry increasingly overlaps and the number of issued patents continues to grow. As a result, there is a risk that we could be subject to infringement claims which, regardless of their validity, could:
• be expensive, time consuming, and divert management attention away from normal business operations;
• require us to pay monetary damages or enter into non-standard royalty and licensing agreements;
• require us to modify our product sales and development plans; or
• require us to satisfy indemnification obligations to our customers.
These claims can be burdensome and costly to defend or settle and can harm our business and reputation.
We are subject to cybersecurity risks arising out of breaches of security relating to sensitive company, customer, and employee information and to the technology that manages our operations and other business processes.
Our business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data capture, processing, storage, and reporting. Our information technology systems, and those of our third-party providers, could become subject to cyber-attacks. Network, system, application, and data breaches could result in operational disruptions or information misappropriation, including, but not limited to, inability to utilize our systems, and denial of access to and misuse of applications required by our clients to conduct business with us. Phishing and other forms of electronic fraud may also subject us to risks associated with improper access to financial assets, customer information and diversion of payments. Theft of intellectual property or trade secrets and inappropriate disclosure of confidential information could stem from such incidents. Any such operational disruption and/or misappropriation of information could result in lost sales, negative publicity or business delays and could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, requirements under the privacy laws of the jurisdictions in which we operate, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and California Consumer Privacy Act, impose significant costs that are likely to increase over time.
RISKS RELATED TO OWNERSHIP OF OUR SECURITIES
The convertible note hedge and warrant transactions may negatively affect the value of our common stock.
In connection with the pricings of our Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 and our Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 (collectively, the “Notes”), we entered into convertible note hedge transactions (the “Hedge Transactions”) with the option counterparties. We also entered into warrant transactions with the option counterparties in each offering of the Notes. The Hedge Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to our common stock upon any conversion of Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, as the case may be. However, the warrant transactions could separately have a dilutive effect on our common stock to the extent that the market price per share of our common stock exceeds the strike price of the warrants.
The option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Notes (and are likely to do in connection with any conversion of the Notes or redemption or repurchase of the Notes). This activity could cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our common stock.
We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the convertible note hedge transactions.
The option counterparties are financial institutions, and we are subject to the risk that any or all of them might default under the Hedge Transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties is not secured by any collateral.
If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the Hedge Transactions with such option counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price and in the volatility of our common stock. In addition, upon a default by an option counterparty, we may suffer adverse tax consequences and more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the option counterparties.
Conversion of the Notes or exercise of the warrants evidenced by the warrant transactions may dilute the ownership interest of existing stockholders.
At our election, we may settle the Notes tendered for conversion entirely or partly in shares of our common stock. Furthermore, the warrants evidenced by the warrant transactions are expected to be settled on a net-share basis. As a result, the conversion of some or all of the Notes or the exercise of some or all of such warrants may dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders. Any sales in the public market of the common stock issuable upon such conversion of the Notes or such exercise of the warrants could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock and, in turn, the price of the Notes. In addition, the existence of the Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Notes could depress the price of our common stock.
Our maintenance of two stock exchange listings may adversely affect liquidity in the market for our common stock and could result in pricing differentials of our common stock between the two stock exchanges.
The dual listing of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Iceland hf. (“Nasdaq Iceland”) may split trading between the two markets and adversely affect the liquidity of our common stock in one or both markets and the development of an active trading market for our common stock on Nasdaq Iceland. In addition, such dual listing may result in price differentials between the stock exchanges. Differences in the trading schedules, trading volume and investor bases, as well as volatility in the exchange rate between USD and ISK, the two trading currencies, among other factors, may result in different trading prices for our common stock on the two stock exchanges or otherwise adversely affect liquidity and trading prices of our common stock. It is possible that our stock price might be more volatile than it would be if it were listed on a single stock exchange.
GENERAL RISKS
Fluctuations in currency exchange rates could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
A significant portion of our revenue and expenses are realized in foreign currencies. As a result, changes in exchange rates will result in increases or decreases in our costs and earnings and may adversely affect our Consolidated Financial Statements, which are stated in U.S. dollars. We have entered into hedging transactions to hedge against adverse effects of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on net investments in our Euro functional entities. We also utilize hedging transactions to minimize our exposure to exchange rate volatility on foreign currency sales and purchases made in the normal course of business. Although we have any may continue to seek to minimize our exposure currency exchange risk by engaging in hedging transactions where we deem appropriate, we cannot be assured that our efforts will be successful. Currency fluctuations may also result in our systems and services becoming more expensive and less competitive than those of other suppliers in the foreign countries in which we sell our systems and services.
Our indebtedness increased substantially following the consummation of the Marel Transaction. This increased level of indebtedness could adversely impact our operational flexibility, increase borrowing costs and limit the cash flow available for our operations and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness. We may be forced to take certain actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness or we may experience a financial failure.
We currently have and may continue to have a significant amount of indebtedness. Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations will depend on our financial and operating performance. If our cash flows and capital resources are
insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets or operations, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to take any of these actions, these actions may not be successful and permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations and these actions may not be permitted under the terms of our future debt agreements. In the absence of sufficient operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or obtain sufficient proceeds from those dispositions to meet our debt service and other obligations then due. Our current and future indebtedness could have negative consequences for our business, results of operations and financial condition by, among other things:
• increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions;
• limiting our ability to obtain additional financing;
• requiring the dedication of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, which will reduce the amount of cash available for other purposes;
• limiting our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our business;
• diluting the interests of our existing stockholders as a result of issuing shares of our common stock upon conversion of the Notes; and
• placing us at a possible competitive disadvantage with competitors that are less leveraged than us or have better access to capital.
Certain of our loan agreements require us to comply with various restrictive covenants and some contain financial covenants that require us to comply with specified financial ratios and tests. Our failure to meet these covenants could result in default under these loan agreements and would result in a cross-default under other loan agreements. In the event of a default and our inability to obtain a waiver of the default, all amounts outstanding under loan agreements could be declared immediately due and payable. Our failure to comply with these covenants could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
As a result of our acquisition activity, our goodwill and intangible assets have increased significantly in recent years, and we may in the future incur impairments to goodwill or intangible assets.
When we acquire a business, a substantial portion of the purchase price of the acquisition is allocated to goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets. The amount of the purchase price which is allocated to goodwill is determined by the excess of the purchase price over the net identifiable assets acquired. Our balance sheet includes a significant amount of goodwill and other intangible assets, which represents approximately 68% of our total assets as of December 31, 2025. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 350 Intangibles-Goodwill and Other, our goodwill and other intangibles are reviewed for impairment annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and to rely heavily on projections of future operating performance. Because we operate in highly competitive environments, projections of our future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from our actual results. If our estimates or the underlying assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges. Any such charge could have a material adverse effect on our reported net income.
Our corporate governance documents and Delaware law may delay or discourage takeovers and business combinations that our stockholders might consider in their best interests.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may make it difficult and expensive for a third-party to pursue a tender offer, change-in-control, or takeover attempt that is opposed by our management and Board of Directors. These provisions include, among others:
• limitations on the right of stockholders to remove directors;
• the right of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;
• the inability of our stockholders to act by written consent; and
• rules and procedures regarding how stockholders may present proposals or nominate directors at stockholders’ meetings.
Public stockholders who might desire to participate in this type of transaction may not have an opportunity to do so. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change-in-control or a change in our management or Board of Directors and, as a result, may adversely affect the marketability and market price of our common stock.
