ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The Company’s three business segments described above are all subject to a number of risk factors, the occurrence of any one or more of which could have a significant adverse impact on the business, financial condition, or results of operations of the Company as a whole.
Housewares/Small Appliance Segment :
Increases in the costs for raw materials, energy, transportation and other necessary supplies could adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations.
The Company’s suppliers purchase significant amounts of metals, plastics, and energy to manufacture the Company’s products. Also, the cost of fuel has a major impact on transportation costs as do intermodal shipping rates. Any increased costs that cannot be fully absorbed or passed along in the form of price increases to the retail customer can have a material adverse impact on the Company’s operating results.
Reliance on third-party suppliers in Asia makes this segment vulnerable to supply interruptions and foreign business risks .
The majority of the housewares/small appliance products are manufactured by a handful of third-party suppliers in Asia, primarily in the People’s Republic of China. The Company’s ability to continue to select and develop relationships with reliable vendors who provide timely deliveries of quality parts and products will impact its success in meeting customer demand. Most products are procured on a “purchase order” basis. As a result, the Company may be subject to unexpected changes in pricing or supply of products. There is no assurance that it could quickly or effectively replace any of its vendors if the need arose. Any significant failure to obtain products on a timely basis at an affordable cost or any significant delays or interruptions of supply may disrupt customer relationships and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
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International manufacturing is subject to significant risks, including, among others, labor unrest, adverse social, political and economic conditions, interruptions in international shipments, tariffs and other trade barriers, legal and regulatory constraints and fluctuations in currency exchange rates. An increase of tariffs on products imported from China would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
The Housewares/Small Appliance segment is dependent on key customers, and any significant decline in business from one or more of its key customers could adversely affect the segment’s operating results.
Although the Company has a long-established relationship with its major customers, it does not have any long-term supply agreements or guaranties of minimum purchases. As a result, the customers may fail to place anticipated orders, change planned quantities, delay purchases, or change product assortments for reasons beyond the Company’s control, which could prove detrimental to the segment’s operating results.
The sales for this segment are highly seasonal and dependent upon the United States retail markets and consumer spending.
Traditionally, this segment has recognized a substantial portion of its sales during the holiday selling season. Any downturn in the general economy, shift in consumer spending away from its housewares/small appliances, or further deterioration in the financial health of its customer base could adversely affect sales and operating results.
The Company may not be successful in developing and introducing new and improved consumer products.
The development and introduction of new housewares/small appliance products is very important to the Company’s long-term success. The ability to develop new products is affected by, among other things, whether the Company can develop and fund technological innovations and successfully anticipate consumer needs and preferences, as well as the intellectual property rights of others. The introduction of new products may require substantial expenditures for advertising and marketing to gain marketplace recognition or to license intellectual property. There is no guarantee that the Company will be aware of all relevant intellectual property in the industry and may be subject to claims of infringement, which could preclude it from producing and selling a product. Likewise, there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in developing products necessary to compete effectively in the industry or that it will be successful in advertising, marketing and selling any new products.
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Product recalls or lawsuits relating to defective products could have an adverse effect on the Company, as could the imposition of industry sustainability standards.
As distributors of consumer products in the United States, the Company is subject to the Consumer Products Safety Act, which empowers the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous. Under certain circumstances, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission could require the Company to repair, replace or refund the purchase price of one or more of its products, or the Company may voluntarily do so. Any repurchase or recall of products could be costly and damage the Company’s reputation, as well as subject it to a sizable penalty that the Commission is empowered to impose. If the Company removed products from the market, its reputation or brands could be tarnished and it might have large quantities of finished products that could not be sold.
The Company could also face exposure to product liability claims if one of its products were alleged to have caused property damage, bodily injury or other adverse effects. It is self-insured to specified levels of those claims and maintains product liability insurance for claims above the self-insured levels. The Company may not be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. In addition, product liability claims may exceed the amount of insurance coverage. Moreover, many states do not allow insurance companies to provide coverage of punitive damages, in the event such damages were imposed. Additionally, the Company does not maintain product recall insurance. As a result, product recalls or product liability could have a material effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The portable appliance and floor care companies’ industry association has a framework for a sustainability standard for the industry, but has yet to develop specific guidelines for implementation. When and if developed, the standards will do nothing for the environment, but will entail the addition of significant bureaucracy and outside certification fees. As such, compliance will be burdensome and expensive.
The housewares/small appliance industry continues to consolidate, which could ultimately impede the Company’s ability to secure product placement at key customers.
Over the past decade, the housewares/small appliance industry has undergone significant consolidation, and, as a result, the industry primarily consists of a limited number of larger companies. Larger companies do enjoy a competitive advantage in terms of the ability to offer a larger assortment of product to any one customer. As a result, the Company may find it more difficult or lose the ability to place its products with its customers.
Defense Segment:
The Company relies primarily on sales to U.S. Government entities, and the failure to procure or the loss of a significant contract or contracts could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations.
As the Company’s sales in the Defense segment are primarily to the U.S. Government and its prime contractors, it depends heavily on the contracts underlying these programs. The loss or significant reduction of a major program in which the Company participates could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations.
A decline in or a redirection of the U.S. defense budget could result in a material decrease in the Defense segment sales and earnings.
Government contracts are primarily dependent upon the U.S. defense budget. During recent years, the Company’s sales were augmented by increased defense spending, including supplemental appropriations for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, areas from which the U.S. has withdrawn. More recently, they have been augmented by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Future defense budgets could be negatively affected by several factors, including U.S. Government budget deficits, administration priorities, U.S. national security strategies, a change in spending priorities, and reduction of military operations around the world. Any significant decline or redirection of U.S. military expenditures could result in a material decrease to the Company’s sales and earnings.
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U.S. Government contracts are also dependent on the continuing availability of Congressional appropriations. Congress usually appropriates funds for a given program on a fiscal year basis even though contract performance may take more than one year. As a result, at the outset of a major program, the contract is usually incrementally funded, and additional monies are normally committed to the contract by the procuring agency only as Congress makes appropriations for future fiscal years. In addition, most U.S. Government contracts are subject to modification if funding is changed. Any failure by Congress to appropriate additional funds to any program in which the Company participates, or any contract modification as a result of funding changes, could materially delay or terminate the program. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations.
The Company may not be able to react to increases in its costs due to the nature of its U.S. Government contracts.
Substantially all of the Company’s U.S. Government contracts are fixed-price. Under fixed-price contracts, the Company agrees to perform the work for a fixed price, subject to limited escalation provisions on specified raw materials. Thus it bears the risk that any increases or unexpected costs may reduce profits or potentially cause losses on the contract, which could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and financial condition. That risk is potentially compounded by the political actions under consideration by federal and state governments, including climate change and labor regulations, which could have an impact if enacted or promulgated on the availability of affordable labor, energy and ultimately, materials, as the effects of the legislation/regulation ripple throughout the economy. In addition, products are accepted by test firing samples from a production lot. Lots typically constitute a sizable amount of product. Should a sample not fire as required by the specifications, the cost to rework or scrap the entire lot could be substantial.
The Company’s U.S. Government contracts are subject to termination.
All of the Company’s U.S. Government contracts can be terminated by the U.S. Government either for its convenience or if the Company defaults by failing to perform under the contract. Performance failure can occur from a myriad of factors, which include late shipments due to the inability to secure requisite raw materials or components or strikes or other labor unrest, equipment failures or quality issues, which result in products that do not meet specifications, etc. Termination for convenience provisions provide only for recovery of costs incurred and profit on the work completed prior to termination. Termination for default provisions provide for the contractor to be liable for excess costs incurred by the U.S. Government in procuring undelivered items from another source. If a provision is exercised, it could have a material effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
Failure of the Company’s subcontractors to perform their contractual obligations could materially and adversely impact contract performance.
Key components and services are provided by third party subcontractors, several of which the segment is required to work with by government edict. Under the contract, the segment is responsible for the performance of those subcontractors, many of which it does not control. There is a risk that the Company may have disputes with its subcontractors, including disputes regarding the quality and timeliness of work performed by subcontractors. A failure by one or more of the Company’s subcontractors to satisfactorily provide on a timely basis the agreed-upon supplies or perform the agreed-upon services may materially and adversely impact the Company’s ability to perform its obligations as the prime contractor.
U.S. Government contractors are subject to extensive laws and regulations applicable to the defense industry and the Company could be adversely affected by changes in and compliance with such laws and regulations, or any negative findings by the U.S. government regarding the Company ’ s compliance with them.
U.S. government contractors must comply with numerous significant procurement regulations and specific legal requirements, including a vast array of federal, state, and local laws, regulations, contract terms and requirements related to the defense industry and the Company’s products and businesses. These laws and regulations include, but are not limited to, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Department of Defense FAR Supplement, Truthful Cost or Pricing Data Act, International Traffic in Arms Regulations/Arms Export Control Act, DOD 4145.26-M, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives orders, rules and regulations. Although customary in government contracting, these regulations and legal requirements increase the Company’s performance and compliance costs and risks. New laws, regulations or procurement requirements or changes to current ones (for example, regulations related to cybersecurity and related certification requirements, specialty metals, and conflict minerals) can significantly increase the Company’s costs and risks and reduce profitability. Non-compliance with the laws, regulations, contract terms and processes to which the Company is subject could affect its ability to compete and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
Safety Segment:
The Safety segment is comprised of businesses that are startup in nature.
The operations that comprise the Safety segment are startup in nature, and like most startups may not ultimately have the potential to be successful.
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Increases in the costs for raw materials, energy, transportation and other necessary supplies could adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations.
The Company’s suppliers purchase metals, plastics, chemicals, and energy to manufacture the Company’s products. Also, the cost of fuel has a major impact on transportation costs, as do intermodal shipping rates. Any increased costs that cannot be fully absorbed or passed along in the form of price increases to the customer can have a material adverse impact on the Company’s operating results.
Reliance on third-party suppliers in Asia and Mexico makes this segment vulnerable to supply interruptions and foreign business risks .
A major portion of the safety products are manufactured by a handful of third-party suppliers, some of which are in Asia, primarily in the People’s Republic of China, and some in Mexico. The Company’s ability to continue to select and develop relationships with reliable vendors who provide timely deliveries of quality parts and products will impact its success in meeting customer demand. Most products are procured on a “purchase order” basis. As a result, the Company may be subject to unexpected changes in pricing or supply of products. There is no assurance that it could quickly or effectively replace any of its vendors if the need arose. Any significant failure to obtain products on a timely basis at an affordable cost or any significant delays or interruptions of supply may disrupt customer relationships and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
In addition, international manufacturing is subject to significant risks, including, among others, labor unrest, adverse social, political and economic conditions, interruptions in international shipments, tariffs and other trade barriers, legal and regulatory constraints and fluctuations in currency exchange rates. An increase of tariffs on products imported from China would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
Regulatory constraints and authorities having jurisdiction has impeded and may continue to impede sales of certain of the segment’s products.
The commercial sales of certain of the Safety segment’s products are dependent on the approval of officials that oversee fire safety at state and local levels for use of the products in areas under their jurisdiction. The inability to obtain the approval of these officials has had and may continue to have an adverse impact on the segment’s operating results.
Various products in the Safety segment are reliant upon up-to-date software, hardware, and the wireless communications infrastructure.
The effective operation of various products in the Safety segment depend on software that utilizes data obtained wirelessly via telecommunication network infrastructure. The inability of the Company to maintain software and hardware that can connect to the wireless infrastructure, failure of the wireless infrastructure, or the unavailability of cloud based data storage, could have a material adverse effect on the efficacy of the segment’s products and in turn on its operating results.
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The segment may not be successful in developing and introducing new and improved products.
The development and introduction of new products is very important to the Company’s long-term success. The ability to develop new products is affected by, among other things, whether the Company can develop and fund technological innovations and successfully anticipate customer needs and preferences, meet Underwriters Laboratories or ETL requirements and avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. The introduction of new products may require substantial expenditures for advertising and marketing to gain marketplace recognition or to license intellectual property. There is no guarantee that the Company will be aware of all relevant intellectual property in the industry and may be subject to claims of infringement, which could preclude it from producing and selling a product. Likewise, there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in developing products necessary to compete effectively in the industry or that it will be successful in advertising, marketing and selling any new products.
Acquisition Risks:
The Company may pursue acquisitions of new product lines or businesses. It may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or, if suitable candidates are identified, it may not be able to complete the acquisition on commercially acceptable terms. Even if the Company is able to consummate an acquisition, the transaction would present many risks, including, among others: failing to achieve anticipated benefits or cost savings; difficulty incorporating and integrating the acquired technologies, services or products; coordinating, establishing or expanding sales, distribution and marketing functions, as necessary; diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; being exposed to unanticipated or contingent liabilities or incurring the impairment of goodwill; the loss of key employees, customers, or distribution partners; and difficulties implementing and maintaining sufficient controls, policies and procedures over the systems, products and processes of the acquired company. If the Company does not the anticipated benefits of its acquisitions as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by management, there could be a material, effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
Information Technology System Failure or Security Breach Risks:
The Company relies on its information technology systems to effectively manage its business data, communications, supply chain, logistics, accounting, and other business processes. While the Company endeavors to build and sustain an appropriate technology environment, information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond the Company’s control, including systems failures, viruses, security breaches or cyber incidents such as intentional cyber-attacks aimed at theft of sensitive data, or inadvertent cyber-security compromises. The Company is also subject to increasing government, customer, and other cyber and security requirements, including disclosure obligations. A security breach of such systems could result in interruptions of the Company’s operations, negatively impact relations with customers or employees, and expose the Company to fines and , liability and , any one of which could have a impact on the Company’s business, results of operations or financial condition. The Company’s insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all the costs related to cyber security attacks or .
On March 1, 2025, the Company experienced a system outage caused by a cybersecurity incident, which is described in Item 1C CYBERSECURITY.
There can be no assurance the Company will not experience material effects from security breaches in the future. As cyber threats develop and grow, the Company may need to make significant further investments to protect data and its infrastructure, including the implementation of new computer systems or upgrades to existing systems, deployment of additional personnel and protection-related technologies, engagement of third-party consultants, and training employees. See Item 1C CYBERSECURITY for a further discussion.
Health Epidemics, Pandemics, or Similar Public Health Crises Risks:
The Company faces a wide variety of risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks, especially of infectious diseases. A global health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to business slowdowns or shutdowns, labor shortages, supply chain challenges, changes in government spending and requirements, regulatory challenges, reductions in demand for products and services, inflationary pressures and market volatility. If a health epidemic, pandemic or similar outbreak were to occur or worsen, the Company will likely experience broad and varied impacts, including potentially to its workforce and supply chain, inflationary pressures and increased costs (which may or may not be fully recoverable or insured), contracting, production and/or distribution delays, market volatility and other financial impacts. If any or all of these items were to occur, the Company could experience material adverse impacts on its business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows.
