Item 1. Business
Our Company
We are a leading global designer, producer and marketer of a wide range of electromechanical power transmission motion control (“PTMC”) products. Our technologies are used in various motion related applications and across a wide variety of high-volume manufacturing and non-manufacturing processes in which reliability and precision are critical to avoid costly down time and enhance the overall efficiency of operations.
We market our products under well recognized and established brands, which have been in existence for an average of over 90 years. We serve a diversified group of customers comprised of over 1,000 direct original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) including GE, Honeywell and Siemens, and also benefit from established, long-term relationships with leading industrial distributors, including Applied Industrial Technologies, Grainger, and Motion Industries. Many of our customers operate globally across a large number of industries, ranging from transportation, turf and agriculture, energy and mining to factory automation, medical and robotics. Our relationships with these customers often span multiple decades, which we believe reflects the high level of performance, quality and service we deliver, supplemented by the breadth of our offering, vast geographic footprint and our ability to rapidly develop custom solutions for complex customer requirements.
Our product lines involve a large number of unique parts, are generally delivered in small order quantities with short lead times and require varying levels of technical support and responsive customer service. Many of our OEM customers incorporate our products into their designs of their equipment, helping to generate high switching costs and foster brand preference. As a result of these characteristics, the essential nature of our products and the wear to which many are subjected, we generate a significant amount of recurring revenue with repeat customers. Our large installed base generates significant aftermarket replacement demand, which we estimate accounted for approximately 35% of revenues in 2022.
We seek to offer products and services guided by what we call the Voice of the Customer (“VOC”). We employ an integrated sales and marketing strategy that is focused on both key industries and individual product lines. We believe this dual “vertical” market and “horizontal” product-oriented approach distinguishes us in the marketplace by allowing us to quickly identify trends and customer growth opportunities and deploy resources accordingly.
We believe our geographic footprint and portfolio of strong brands provides a platform from which to extend our leading market positions. Our expansive global footprint comprised of 46 manufacturing facilities, 17 service sales/engineering centers and approximately 9,300 employees enables us to serve global customers on a local basis. In 2022, approximately 54% of our revenues were generated from customers in North America, 29% were generated in Europe and 17% in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world. The diversification of our revenues on a geographical, end-market, business mix and customer basis are outlined below for the 2022 fiscal year.
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “Altra”, “Altra Motion,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Altra Industrial Motion Corp. and its subsidiaries, except where the context otherwise requires or indicates.
Our website is www.altramotion.com. By following the link “Investor Relations” and then “Financials” and then “SEC Filings” on our website, we make available, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) as soon as reasonably practicable after such forms are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. We are not including information contained on or available through our website as a part of, or incorporating such information by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Pending Transaction
On October 26, 2022, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement”) with Regal Rexnord Corporation, a Wisconsin corporation (“Regal Rexnord”), and Aspen Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Regal Rexnord (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions described therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Regal Rexnord (the “Regal Rexnord Merger”). Under the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement, at the closing of the Regal Rexnord Merger, each issued and outstanding share of our common stock (other than (i) shares owned by the Company, any subsidiary of the Company, Regal Rexnord, Merger Sub or any other subsidiary of Regal Rexnord, (ii) shares owned by stockholders of the Company who have validly exercised their statutory rights of appraisal under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) and (iii)
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Company Restricted Shares (as defined in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement) will be converted into the right to receive $62.00 in cash, without interest and subject to any required withholding of taxes. As announced in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 18, 2023, the Regal Rexnord Merger was approved by our shareholders.
The consummation of the Regal Rexnord Merger is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in the first half of 2023 and potentially in the first quarter of 2023. If the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement is terminated under specified circumstances, we will be required to pay Regal Rexnord a termination fee of $100 million. The Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement also provides that, in connection with the termination of the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement under specified antitrust or foreign direct investment related circumstances, Regal Rexnord will be required to pay us a “reverse termination fee” of $200 million.
The Regal Rexnord Merger is described more fully below under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview” and in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 27, 2022. This description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement, which is attached as Exhibit 2.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 27, 2022 and is incorporated by reference herein.
History and Acquisitions
Formation of Altra
Although Altra was incorporated in Delaware in 2004, much of our current business has its roots with the prior acquisition by Colfax Corporation, or “Colfax”, of the MPT (mechanical power transmission) group of Zurn Technologies, Inc. in December 1996. Colfax subsequently acquired Industrial Clutch Corp. in May 1997, Nuttall Gear Corp. in July 1997 and the Boston Gear and Delroyd Worm Gear brands in August 1997 as part of Colfax’s acquisition of Imo Industries, Inc. In February 2000, Colfax acquired Warner Electric, Inc., which sold products under the Warner Electric, Formsprag Clutch, Stieber, and Wichita Clutch brands. Colfax formed Power Transmission Holding, LLC or “PTH”, in June 2004 to serve as a holding company for all of these power transmission businesses. Boston Gear was established in 1877, Warner Electric, Inc. in 1927, and Wichita Clutch in 1949.
On November 30, 2004, we acquired our original core business through the acquisition of PTH from Colfax. We refer to this transaction as the PTH Acquisition.
On October 22, 2004, The Kilian Company, or “Kilian”, a company formed at the direction of Genstar Capital, then the largest stockholder of Altra, acquired Kilian Manufacturing Corporation from Timken U.S. Corporation. At the completion of the PTH Acquisition, (i) all of the outstanding shares of Kilian capital stock were exchanged for shares of our capital stock and (ii) Kilian and its subsidiaries were transferred to our former wholly owned subsidiary Altra Power Transmission, Inc.
Selected Past Acquisitions and Transactions
On November 22, 2013, we changed our legal corporate name from Altra Holdings, Inc. to Altra Industrial Motion Corp.
On December 31, 2014, Altra Power Transmission, Inc., our former wholly owned subsidiary, was merged into Altra Industrial Motion Corp.
On October 1, 2018 (the “A&S Closing Date”), Altra and Fortive Corporation (“Fortive”) consummated the combination of Altra with four operating companies from Fortive’s Automation & Specialty platform (excluding Fortive’s Hengstler and Dynapar businesses) (the “A&S Business”). The A&S Business, consisting of four key brands, Kollmorgen, Portescap, Thomson and Jacobs Vehicle Systems, designs, manufactures, markets and sells electromechanical and electronic motion control products, including standard and custom motors, drives and controls; linear motion systems, ball screws, linear bearings, clutches/brakes, linear actuators and mechanical components; and through Jacobs Vehicle Systems, supplemental braking systems for commercial vehicles.
In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the “A&S Merger Agreement”), dated March 7, 2018, among Altra, Fortive, McHale Acquisition Corp. (“A&S Merger Sub”) and Stevens Holding Company, Inc. (“Stevens Holding”), and the Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated March 7, 2018, among Altra, Fortive and Stevens Holding (the “Distribution Agreement”), (1) Fortive transferred certain assets, liabilities and entities constituting a portion of the A&S Business to Stevens Holding, (2) Fortive distributed to its stockholders all of the issued and outstanding shares of Stevens Holding common stock held by Fortive by way of an exchange offer (the “Distribution”) and (3) A&S Merger Sub merged with and into Stevens Holding and Stevens Holding became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altra, and the issued and outstanding shares of Stevens Holding common stock converted into shares of Altra common stock (the “A&S Merger”). In addition, pursuant to the A&S Merger Agreement, prior to the effective time of the A&S Merger, Fortive transferred certain non-U.S. assets, liabilities and entities constituting the remaining portion of the A&S Business to certain subsidiaries of Altra, and the Altra subsidiaries assumed substantially all of the liabilities associated with the transferred assets (the “Direct Sales”) (all of the foregoing, collectively, the
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“Fortive Transaction”). Upon consummation of the Fortive Transaction, the shares of Stevens Holding common stock then outstanding were automatically converted into the right to receive 35.0 million shares of Altra common stock, which were issued by Altra on the Closing Date, and represented approximately 54% of the outstanding shares of Altra common stock, together with cash in lieu of fractional shares. Altra’s pre-Merger shareholders continued to hold the remaining approximately 46% of the outstanding shares of Altra common stock.
The aggregate purchase price for the A&S Business of approximately $2,855.7 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments, consisted of $1,400.0 million of cash and debt instruments transferred to Fortive and shares of Altra common stock received by Fortive shareholders valued at approximately $1,455.7 million. The value of the common stock was based on the closing stock price on the last trade date prior to the A&S Closing Date of $41.59. The Fortive Transaction was consummated on October 1, 2018 and, accordingly, the results of operations of the A&S Business are included in our operating results from October 1, 2018 onward.
In connection with the Fortive Transaction, certain additional agreements were entered into, including, among others, an Employee Matters Agreement, dated March 7, 2018, among Altra, Fortive and Stevens Holding (the “Employee Matters Agreement”), a Tax Matters Agreement (the “Tax Matters Agreement”), a Transition Services Agreement (the “Transition Services Agreement”), in each case, dated October 1, 2018, among Altra, Fortive, and Stevens Holding, and an Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreement, dated October 1, 2018, between Altra and Fortive. In addition, effective October 1, 2018, we filed a Certificate of Amendment to our Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of Altra common stock from 90.0 million shares to 120.0 million shares.
On December 31, 2021, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Nook Industries, LLC (“Nook” or “Nook Industries”), a leader in the U.S. engineered linear motion industry. The acquisition expands our current portfolio of linear product offerings.
On April 8, 2022, the Company completed the previously announced sale of all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the entities which collectively constitute its Jacobs Vehicle Systems (“JVS”) business segment to Cummins Inc., an Indiana corporation, for $325.0 million in cash subject to customary adjustments. The net cash consideration received was approximately $321.7 million.
Our Industry
Based on industry data provided by the Power Transmission Distributors Association in collaboration with MDM Analytics, we estimate that global industrial power transmission motion control products generated revenues of approximately $237 billion in 2022. These products are collectively used to generate, transmit, control and transform mechanical energy. Altra participates in portions of the motor, control, linear, gearing, clutch, brake, coupling, belted drive, and non-industrial bearing segments.
The global power transmission motion control industry in which we compete is highly fragmented, with over 1,000 small manufacturers and relatively few players of scale. While smaller companies tend to focus on regional niche markets with narrow product lines, larger players that generate annual revenue of over $100 million generally offer a broader range of products and provide global sales and service capabilities.
Buyers of power transmission motion control products tend to be broadly diversified and are often either OEMs, end users, or systems integrators operating across many end markets, including manufacturing, factory automation, aerospace and defense, food and beverage, metals and mining, energy, medical, robotics and other markets. These customers typically place a premium on factors such as quality and reliability, performance, pricing, distribution channel access, technology and innovation, application engineering and customer support, breadth of offering and brand name recognition. We believe the most successful industry participants are those that leverage their engineering expertise and specific industry knowledge, reputation for quality and reliability and technical support capabilities to maintain attractive margins and gain market share.
The global power transmission motion control market is driven by general macro-economic growth and secular trends such as the increasing concern for industrial safety, the continued emergence of the digitized factory and the Industrial Internet of Things, and rising demand for motion control in the medical, food and beverage, electrical, and machinery industries. The rapid pace of globalization and developments in the automation sector have also supported growth. Motion control products tend to be higher-margin than power transmission products due to a greater use of technology and leverage in end markets with more attractive secular trends.
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Our Business Strategy
Capitalize on the Altra Business System to Drive Margin Expansion and Organic Growth. The Altra Business System (“ABS”) is the framework embedded in our culture that enables us to drive sustainable competitive advantage. ABS incorporates a management philosophy with integrated practices that focus on employing best-in-class tools, knowledge and expertise to drive continuous improvement in lean manufacturing, leadership and growth objectives, further enhancing our ability to achieve our aggressive strategic objectives. We are applying ABS concepts to all areas of our business, including how we grow, how we create new products and how we develop people to ultimately drive strong results.
Collaborate with Customers to Create New Opportunities. We focus on developing new products across our business in direct response to customer requirements. Our extensive application-engineering know-how drives both new and repeat revenue opportunities, supported by a substantiated history of innovation, with over 500 patents granted and pending worldwide. We intend to continue to drive organic growth by investing in new technologies and manufacturing techniques to attain and sustain competitive leadership in the industries we serve. In addition, we also plan to expand our customer collaboration initiatives by continuing to move up the technology spectrum, providing more advanced product, software and service solutions.
Leverage Global Business Presence and Shared Services. We seek to foster the sharing of best practices throughout our organization, challenging our business leaders to work together to identify new markets, potential cross-selling opportunities and increase penetration with existing customers. By leveraging our global presence, our businesses can work together to identify cost-saving opportunities and improve our overall supply chain management. We believe that our business will benefit from our highly technical global customer service operations, cohesive marketing efforts and consolidated corporate support functions, increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Focus on Key Niche End Markets to Increase Organic Growth. We emphasize strategic marketing to focus on new growth opportunities in key end-user and OEM markets. Through a systematic process that leverages our core brands and products, we seek to identify attractive markets and product niches, collect customer and industry data, identify market drivers, tailor product and service solutions to specific customer requirements and deploy resources to gain market share and drive future revenue growth.
Attract and Retain Talented Associates. We believe that our team of talented employees, united by a common culture in pursuit of continuous improvement, provides a significant competitive advantage. We will seek to continue to attract, develop and retain world-class leaders and associates globally and to drive their engagement with our customer-centric approach.
Realize Cost Savings by Leveraging Core Competencies. We believe we can continue to improve profitability through cost control, overhead rationalization, global process optimization, expanded implementation of lean manufacturing techniques and strategic pricing initiatives. Our operating plan, executed through our manufacturing centers of excellence and supported by ABS, provides additional opportunities to consolidate purchasing processes and reduce costs by sharing best practices across geographies and business lines.
Our Strengths
Superior financial profile with high margins and strong cash flow generation. We have an attractive financial profile highlighted by our diversified revenue stream across products and end markets, high margin profile and substantial cash flow. Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 grew by approximately 2.4% from $1,899.8 million to $1,945.5 million. Included in the net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 are revenues of approximately $193.5 million related to the Jacobs Vehicle Systems business that was divested by the Company on April 8, 2022.
Our flexible cost structure and diversified end market and geographic exposure have allowed us to perform well throughout economic cycles. From 2008 through 2010, our business was able to generate higher cash flow through the strict management of working capital, enabling us to reduce our indebtedness and maintain a leverage ratio within our targeted range. Since the acquisition of the A&S Business, we have supported our plans for growth while also taking advantage of operating leverage and the benefits of our cost improvement initiatives, all of which allowed us to deliver sustainably strong cash flow. In 2022, we paid down approximately $365.0 million in debt. We have paid down approximately $830.0 million in debt since the A&S acquisition.
Scale and breadth combined with leading brands, technology and market position. We are a global player with significant scale, technological leadership and a broad product offering supported by leading brands, factors which we expect will contribute to a market share advantage over our competitors. The acquisition of the A&S Business moved our business up the power transmission, motion control and automation technology spectrum, increasing our presence in highly engineered products. These engineered products, although higher margin and exposed to high growth applications, are simultaneously complementary to our portfolio. For
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example, our engineered servo, stepper and specialty miniature motors, drives and controls, and linear automation systems capabilities will enable us to drive innovation across our offering and expand solutions for existing customers.
Broad geographic footprint and global reach. The capabilities and scale of our Company provides a broad global platform from which to drive growth. We are able to leverage our expansive global footprint comprised of 46 manufacturing facilities, 17 service sales/engineering centers and approximately 9,300 employees worldwide to serve our global customers with local resources. While we expect to build on our leading market positions and strong brands in North America, our broadened global platform also positions us to capitalize on key long-term growth opportunities in Europe and especially in emerging markets.
Diversified end-markets provide stability. With no end market comprising more than approximately 15% of our total revenue for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, our end-market exposure is diversified, which we expect will provide stability to our revenue streams and help to dampen potential volatility in any particular industry. We believe that the 2018 acquisition of the A&S Business significantly expanded our total addressable market, particularly in higher growth, higher margin end-markets like medical, advanced material handling, factory automation, food and beverages and robotics. The exposure to these attractive new end markets helps to diversify our relative potential exposure to more cyclical end markets like mining, renewable energy, and oil & gas.
Our business is also geographically diversified, with approximately 46% of revenue generated outside of North America in the year ended December 31, 2022. Finally, our products often facilitate movement which subjects them to wear and requires their periodic replacement. Our large installed base of products generates significant aftermarket replacement demand, which we estimate accounted for approximately 35% of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. Given the critical nature of many of our products and often high switching costs for our customers, we believe that this base of recurring revenue is stable.
Customer diversification with long-standing customer and distributor relationships. We have a strong, diversified customer base of over 1,000 OEMs and leading power transmission and motion control distributors which market our products via a diversified network of over 3,000 outlets globally. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, there was no meaningful customer concentration among either our OEMs or distributor customers, the largest of which accounts for less than 7% of total revenue for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Some of our largest OEM customers include Daimler AG, General Electric, John Deere, and Siemens, all of whom we have had relationships with for decades. We believe that these deep relationships exhibit our commitment to high levels of product quality and service, resulting in customer satisfaction and ultimately, retention.
Our scale, expansive product offering and end-user preference for our products make our product portfolio attractive to both large, multi-branch distributors and regional, independent distributors. We often participate in lengthy design and qualification processes with key customers for crucial components which ultimately become “spec’d-in” to our customers’ own designs. Further, many of our products involve a large number of unique parts, are delivered in small order quantities with short lead times and require varying levels of technical support, all of which help to drive high switching costs and generate significant recurring opportunities with repeat customers.
Aftermarket sales supported by large installed base. On average, our brands have been in operation for over 90 years and we believe we benefit from one of the largest installed customer bases in the industry. The moving, wearing nature of our products necessitates regular replacement and our large installed base of products generates significant aftermarket replacement demand. This has created a recurring revenue stream from a diversified group of end-user customers. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we estimate that approximately 35% of our revenues were derived from aftermarket sales.
Experienced management team. We are led by a senior management team with significant industry, manufacturing and acquisition integration experience which has implemented various initiatives that have contributed and will continue to contribute, to our operational and financial performance. The management team combines talent from both our Power Transmission Technologies and Automation & Specialty segments, with significant experience in power transmission, motion control and automation.
Business Segments
Our company consists of two business segments: Power Transmission Technologies (“PTT”) and Automation & Specialty (“A&S”).
•Power Transmission Technologies - PTT. This segment includes the following key product offerings:
oCouplings, Clutches & Brakes. Couplings are the interfaces which enable power to be transmitted from one shaft to another. Our various coupling products include gear couplings, high performance diaphragm and disc couplings, elastomeric couplings, miniature and precision couplings, as well as universal joints, mill spindles and shaft locking devices. These products are used in conveyor, energy, marine, medical, metals, mining, and other industrial machinery applications. Our key brands which provide couplings include Ameridrives, Bibby, Guardian, Huco, Lamiflex, Stromag and TB Wood’s. Clutches are devices which use mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or friction connections to facilitate the engagement or disengagement of at least two rotating parts. These products are used in aerospace and defense, conveyor,
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energy, mining and other industrial machinery applications. Brakes are a combination of interacting parts that work to slow or stop moving machine parts. These products are used in heavy-duty industrial, mining, metals and energy applications. Our key brands which provide clutches and brakes include Industrial Clutch, Formsprag, Stieber, Stromag, Svendborg, Twiflex and Wichita.
oElectromagnetic Clutches & Brakes. Electromagnetic clutches and brakes use electromagnetic friction connections to slow, stop, engage, or disengage equipment. These products are used in baggage handling, elevator, forklift, material handling, medical, lawn mower, mobile off-highway and other niche applications. Our key brands which provide electromagnetic clutches and brakes include Inertia Dynamics, Matrix, Stromag and Warner Electric.
oGearing. Gears reduce the output speed and increase the torque of an electric motor or engine to the level required to drive a particular piece of equipment. These products are used in various industrial, material handling, mixing, transportation, food processing and other specialty niche applications. Our key brands which provide gears include Bauer Gear Motor, Boston Gear, Delroyd, and Nuttall.
•Automation & Specialty – A&S. Our Automation & Specialty segment consists of the following key brands:
oKollmorgen: Provides rotary precision motion solutions, including servo motors, stepper motors, high performance electronic drives and motion controllers and related software, and precision linear actuators. These products are used in advanced material handling, aerospace and defense, factory automation, medical, packaging, printing, semiconductor, robotic and other applications.
oPortescap: Provides high-efficiency miniature motors and motion control products, including brush and brushless DC motors, can stack motors and disc magnet motors. These products are used in medical, industrial power tool and general industrial equipment applications.
oThomson: Provides systems that enable and support the transition of rotary motion to linear motion. Products include linear bearings, guides, glides, lead and ball screws, industrial linear actuators, resolvers and inductors. These products are used in factory automation, medical, mobile off-highway, material handling, food processing and other niche applications. Our key brands providing linear systems include Thomson and Nook.
See Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for financial information about our segments.
Research and Development and Product Engineering
We closely integrate new product development with marketing, manufacturing and product engineering in meeting the needs of our customers and addressing emerging trends. We have global product engineering teams that work to enhance our existing products and develop new product applications for our growing base of customers that require custom solutions. We believe these capabilities provide a significant competitive advantage in the development of high quality power transmission, motion control and automation products. Our product engineering teams focus on:
•developing new products;
•redesigning existing product lines to enhance functionality, effectiveness, ease of use and reliability; and
•lowering the cost of manufacturing of our existing products.
Our continued investment in new product development is intended to help drive customer growth as we address key customer needs.
Sales and Marketing
We sell our products in over 100 countries to over 1,000 direct OEM customers and over 3,000 distributor outlets. We offer our products through our direct sales force comprised of approximately 500 company-employed sales engineers as well as a relatively small number of independent sales representatives. Our worldwide sales and distribution presence enables us to provide timely and responsive technical support and service to our customers, many of which operate globally, and to capitalize on growth opportunities in both developed and emerging markets around the world.
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Our operating companies employ an integrated sales and marketing strategy concentrated on specific battlegrounds – the intersection of key industries, product lines and geographic regions where we believe we can offer differentiated solutions to our customers. We believe this focus on battlegrounds distinguishes us in the marketplace allowing us to quickly identify trends and customer growth opportunities and deploy resources accordingly. Within our battlegrounds, we market to OEMs, encouraging them to incorporate our products into their equipment designs, to distributors and to end-users, helping to foster brand preference. With this strategy, we are able to leverage our market experience, product technology and global reach to sell power transmission, motion control and automation solutions for a host of focused applications.
Distribution
Our products are either incorporated into end products sold by OEMs or sold through industrial distributors as aftermarket products to end users and smaller OEMs. We operate a geographically diversified business. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we derived approximately 54% of our net sales from customers in North America, 29% from customers in Europe and 17% from customers in Asia and the rest of the world. Our global customer base is served by an extensive global sales network comprised of our sales engineers as well as our network of over 3,000 distributor outlets.
Rather than serving as passive conduits for delivery of product, our industrial and high-tech distributors can be active participants in influencing product purchasing decisions. In addition, distributors play a critical role through stocking inventory of our products, which amplifies the accessibility of our products to aftermarket buyers. It is for this reason that distributor partner relationships are an important component of our route-to-market strategy. We enjoy strong established relationships with the leading distributors as well as a broad, diversified base of specialty and regional distributors.
Competition
While we believe that many of our businesses are leaders in many of our served markets, we operate in highly fragmented and very competitive industries within the power transmission motion control market. Some of our competitors have achieved substantially more market penetration in certain of the markets in which we operate, such as helical gear drives or standard servo motors, and some of our competitors are larger than us and have greater financial and other resources. In addition, with respect to certain of our products, we compete with divisions of our OEM customers. Competition in our business lines is based on a number of considerations including quality, reliability, performance, pricing, delivery speed, technology and innovation, design and application engineering support and brand name recognition. Our customers increasingly demand a broad product range and we must continue to develop our expertise in order to manufacture and market these products successfully. To remain competitive, regular investment in manufacturing, customer service and support, marketing, sales, research and development and intellectual property protection is required. We may have to adjust the prices of some of our products to stay competitive. In addition, some of our larger, more sophisticated customers are attempting to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase in order to increase their efficiency. There is substantial and continuing pressure on major OEMs and larger distributors to reduce costs, including the cost of products purchased from outside suppliers such as us. As a result of cost pressures from our customers, our ability to compete depends in part on our ability to generate production cost savings and, in turn, find reliable, cost-effective outside component suppliers or manufacturers for our products. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Business and Industry— We operate in the highly competitive power transmission and motion control industries and if we are not able to compete successfully our business may be significantly harmed.”
Intellectual Property
We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyright, and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as employee and third-party non-disclosure agreements, license arrangements, and domain name registrations to protect our intellectual property. We sell our products under a number of registered and unregistered trademarks, which we believe are widely recognized in the PTMC industry. Although in aggregate our intellectual property is important to our operations, we do not believe any single patent, trademark or trade name is material to our business as a whole with the exception of certain trademarks associated with our Bauer, Boston Gear, Kollmorgen, Portescap, Stromag, Svendborg, TB Wood’s, Thomson and Warner Electric brands. Any issued patents that cover our proprietary technology and any of our other intellectual property rights may not provide us with adequate protection or be commercially beneficial to us and patents applied for may not be issued. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its validity or its enforceability. Competitors may also be able to design around our patents. If we are unable to protect our patented technologies, our competitors could commercialize technologies or products which are substantially similar to ours.
With respect to proprietary know-how, we rely on trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions and on confidentiality agreements. Monitoring the unauthorized use of our technology is difficult and the steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use of our technology. The disclosure or misappropriation of our intellectual property could harm our ability to protect our rights and our competitive position.
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Some of our registered and unregistered trademarks include: Ameridrives, Bibby Transmissions, Bauer Gear Motor, Boston Gear, Delevan, Delroyd, Deltran, Formsprag, Huco Dynatork, Inertia Dynamics, Guardian Couplings, Industrial Clutch, Kilian, Kollmorgen, Marland, Matrix, Nook, Nuttall Gear, Portescap, PowerFlex, Stieber, Stromag, Svendborg Brakes, TB Wood’s, Thomson, Twiflex, Warner Electric, and Wichita Clutch. From time to time, Altra engages in litigation to protect its intellectual property rights.
Human Capital Resources
Employee Demographics. As of December 31, 2022, we employed approximately 9,300 people on a full-time basis in 31 countries. Approximately 3,700 were employed in the United States and approximately 5,600 were employed outside of the United States. Certain demographics of our employee population are set forth by regional location, gender, and age within the following table:
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Number of Employees |
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Percentage |
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Region |
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Americas |
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4,477 |
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48.1 |
% |
Asia Pacific |
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2,022 |
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21.7 |
% |
Europe, Middle East, Africa |
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2,815 |
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30.2 |
% |
Gender |
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Female |
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3,016 |
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32.4 |
% |
Male |
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6,287 |
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67.5 |
% |
Undeclared |
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11 |
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0.1 |
% |
Age |
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<30 |
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1,532 |
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16.4 |
% |
30-50 |
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4,970 |
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53.4 |
% |
>50 |
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2,812 |
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30.2 |
% |
Within the United States, approximately 300 were hourly-rated, unionized employees. Outside the United States, we have government-mandated collective bargaining arrangements and union contracts in certain countries, particularly in Europe where certain of our employees are represented by unions and/or works councils. The Company believes that its relationship with employees is good. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — We may be subject to work stoppages at our facilities, or our customers may be subjected to work stoppages, which could seriously impact our operations and the profitability of our business.”
Diversity and Inclusion. We are committed to providing a secure workplace that develops and leverages the capabilities of our associates and encourages diversity of thought. Clear corporate policies support our endeavor to ensure a safe, harassment-free work environment led by principles of equality and fairness. To ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion is engrained within our culture, Altra maintains a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (“DE&I Committee”) which guides, recommends, and supports efforts to further diversity, equity and inclusion (“DE&I”) with the oversight of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Altra’s Board of Directors. In 2022, we continued our unconscious bias training which will extend throughout our businesses to raise awareness and reduce how bias impacts all aspects of our work. We also launched our Inclusion Rep program, to further engage our associates in our DE&I initiatives. We have incorporated diversity analytics into our talent management tools to ensure we have representation across various programs. In addition, we expanded our recruitment toolkit to help us identify, recruit, hire and retain diverse candidates. We strive to build an ever-improving organization, anchored in a dedication to creating an inclusive environment which engages our global talent to enhance operational outcomes.
Employee Engagement. We prioritize employee engagement and value employee feedback. In 2022, approximately 83% of Altra team members responded to and participated in our employee engagement survey. The survey enables us to monitor engagement and results serve as a guide to establish initiatives aimed to enhance the employee experience and analyze efficacy of those initiatives year over year. In addition to our company-wide engagement survey, our businesses also conduct localized, periodic reviews and pulse surveys to gauge employee satisfaction, obtain employee feedback of specific issues on initiatives, and identify shortfalls and opportunities for improvement.
Talent Management. Our aim is to provide an environment that stimulates and fully develops the capabilities of our employees. We recognize that the success of our employees drives effective operational process, innovation, customer satisfaction, and long-term value creation for our stakeholders. We offer competitive compensation and benefit packages that include, depending on location and eligibility, annual bonuses, retirement plans with Company contributions, stock awards, health care and other benefits, paid time off, parental and family leave, and dependent care resources among many others.
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At the core of our strategy and our human capital objectives is attracting, recruiting, and retaining, diverse and talented employees. Our talent management platform, Talent In Motion, is designed to support the business and our employees by providing robust tools and processes to enhance the employee experience. Talent In Motion focuses on the complete employee life cycle, including performance management, personally crafted professional development plans, succession planning, organizational assessment, and leadership development training. We evaluate employee performance through our performance management process where we provide opportunities for employees and managers to assess performance, deliver feedback, and craft development plans that act as roadmaps for long-term goal planning and sustained career satisfaction. Succession planning is a vital process that identifies internal talent for development to support our business and employees for future growth. We have developed a focused, collaborative program that results in employees advancing their career while staffing key roles with internal talent. Our organizational assessments examine human capital needs and the skills necessary for employees to deliver on strategic objectives and operational efficiencies. Finally, our leadership development programs cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from coaching and engaging the workforce, to diving into ABS tools. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — We depend on the services of key executives, the loss of whom could materially harm our business.” See also “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — If we lose certain of our key sales, marketing, skilled machinist or engineering personnel, our business may be adversely affected.”
Health, Safety and Pandemic Response. At Altra we recognize that safety is critical to our success. Altra maintains a comprehensive program to monitor, track, and evaluate safety across our global businesses. In 2022, we launched our Environmental Health & Safety Focus-20 initiative to zero-in on facilities requiring enhanced support and structure to deliver targeted improvements in safety performance, compliance, risk analysis and engagement. Our safety program includes but is not limited to tracking key metrics such as Total Recordable Case Rate, proactive identification of at-risk conditions and behaviors, and maintaining a comprehensive near miss program, to ensure continuous improvement of our safety performance. Our 2022 Employee Engagement Survey reflects our efforts to create a safe and comprehensive safety program, as approximately 84% of surveyed employees stated they were satisfied with Altra’s efforts to maintain a safe and secure work environment. In response to COVID-19, Altra created a Pandemic Response Team to monitor, evaluate and manage our operations and compliance with safety protocols. Throughout the pandemic, Altra has remained focused on two core priorities: 1) safeguarding the health and safety of our associates; and 2) ensuring the continuity of supply for our customers.
Suppliers and Raw Materials
We obtain raw materials, component parts and supplies from a variety of sources, generally from more than one supplier. Our suppliers and sources of raw materials are based in both the United States and other countries and we believe that our sources of raw materials are adequate for our needs for the foreseeable future. Our manufacturing operations employ a wide variety of raw materials, including aluminum, copper, electronic components, plastics, rare-earth magnets, and steel. We generally purchase our materials on the open market, where certain commodities such as steel and copper have fluctuated in price significantly in recent years. We have not historically engaged in hedging transactions for commodity suppliers.
Our ability, including manufacturing or distribution capabilities, and that of our suppliers, business partners and contract manufacturers, to make, move and sell products is critical to our success. Damage or disruption to our or their manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics, strikes, repairs or enhancements at facilities, excessive demand, raw material shortages, or other reasons, could impair our ability, and that of our suppliers, to manufacture or sell our products. Failure to take adequate steps to mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as require additional resources to restore our supply chain.
Seasonality
General economic conditions impact our business and financial results, and certain of our businesses experience seasonal and other trends related to the industries and end markets that they serve. For example, sales to OEMs are often stronger immediately preceding and following the launch of new products. In addition, we experience seasonality in our turf and garden business. As our large OEM customers prepare for the spring season, our shipments generally start increasing in December, peak in February and March, and begin to decline in April and May. This allows our customers to have inventory in place for the peak consumer purchasing periods for turf and garden products. The June-through-November period is typically the low season for us and our customers in the turf and garden market. Seasonality is also affected by weather and the level of housing starts. However, as a whole, we are not subject to material seasonality.
Regulatory Matters
We face extensive government regulation both within and outside the United States relating to the development, manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of our products. The following sections describe certain significant regulations to which our businesses are subject. There may be additional regulations that apply to our businesses.
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Environmental Laws and Regulations
Our operations and properties are subject to laws and regulations relating to environmental protection, including those governing air emissions, water discharges and waste management, and workplace health and safety. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — We are subject to environmental laws that could impose significant costs on us and the failure to comply with such laws could subject us to sanctions and material fines and expenses.”
Export/Import Compliance
We are required to comply with various U.S. export/import control and economic sanctions laws, including:
•the International Traffic in Arms Regulations administered by the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, which, among other things, impose license requirements on the export from the United States of defense articles and defense services (which are items specifically designed or adapted for a military application and/or listed on the United States Munitions List);
•the Export Administration Regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, which, among other things, impose licensing requirements on the export or reexport of certain dual-use goods, technology and software (which are items that potentially have both commercial and military applications);
•the regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, which implement economic sanctions imposed against designated countries, governments and persons based on United States foreign policy and national security considerations; and
•the import regulatory activities of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Other nations’ governments have implemented similar export and import control regulations, which may affect our operations or transactions subject to their jurisdictions. See “Risk Factors – Legal and Compliance Risks – Changes to U.S. trade policy, tariff and import/export regulations and foreign government regulations could adversely affect our business, operating results, foreign operations, sourcing and financial condition.”
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Working Capital
We maintain an adequate level of working capital to support the needs of our businesses. There are no unusual industry practices or requirements relating to working capital items. In addition, we believe our sales and payment terms are generally similar to those of our competitors.
Backlog
Our unfilled product orders were approximately $929.1 million and $820.8 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 respectively. We expect that the majority of the unfilled orders as of December 31, 2022 will have been delivered to customers within six months of such date. Given the relatively short delivery periods and rapid inventory turnover that are characteristic of most of our products and the shortening of product life cycles, we believe that backlog is indicative of short-term revenue performance, but is not necessarily a reliable indicator of medium-term or long-term revenue performance.
Government Contracts
Although the substantial majority of our revenues in 2022 were from customers other than governmental entities, we do have agreements relating to the sale of products to government entities. As a result, we are subject to various statutes and regulations that apply to companies doing business with governments and government-owned entities.
International Operations
Altra’s products are available worldwide, and our principal markets outside the United States are in Europe and Asia. We also have operations around the world, and this geographic diversity allows us to draw on the skills of a worldwide workforce, provide greater stability to our operations, drive economies of scale, provide revenue streams that may help offset economic trends that are specific to individual economies and offer an opportunity to access new markets for products. In addition, we believe that our future growth depends in part on our ability to continue developing products and sales models that successfully target high growth markets.
We estimate that annual revenue derived from customers outside the United States (based on geographic destination) as a percentage of total annual revenue was approximately 48% in 2022 and 51% in 2021.
The manner in which our products are sold outside the United States differs by business and by region. Most of our sales in non-U.S. markets are made by our subsidiaries located outside the United States, though we also sell directly from the United States into non-U.S. markets through various representatives and distributors and, in some cases, directly. In countries with low sales volumes, we generally sell through representatives and distributors.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following sets forth certain information with regard to our executive officers as of March 1, 2023 (ages are as of December 31, 2022):
Carl R. Christenson (age 63) has been our Chairman since April 2014, our Chief Executive Officer since January 2009, and a director since July 2007. Prior to his current position, Mr. Christenson served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from January 2005 to December 2008. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Christenson was the President of Kaydon Bearings, a manufacturer of custom-engineered bearings and a division of Kaydon Corporation. Prior to joining Kaydon, Mr. Christenson held a number of management positions at TB Wood’s Incorporated and several positions at the Torrington Company. Mr. Christenson currently serves as a director at IDEX Corporation, a NYSE listed industrial manufacturer of highly engineered products. Mr. Christenson previously served as a director at Vectra Co., f/k/a OM Group, Inc., a NYSE listed technology-driven diversified industrial company, from 2014 to 2015. Mr. Christenson holds a M.S. and B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic. In addition to more than twenty-five years of experience in manufacturing companies, Mr. Christenson brings vast knowledge of the Company’s business, structure, history and culture to the Board and the CEO position.
Todd B. Patriacca (age 53) has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since February 2022. Prior to his current position, Mr. Patriacca served as our Vice President of Finance, Corporate Controller and Treasurer since February 2010, our Vice President of Finance, Corporate Controller and Assistant Treasurer since October 2008 and previous to that, as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller since May 2007 and as Corporate Controller since May 2005. Prior to joining us, Mr. Patriacca was Corporate Finance Manager at MKS Instruments Inc. (“MKS”), a publicly held semi-conductor equipment manufacturer since March 2002. Prior to MKS, Mr. Patriacca spent over ten years at Arthur Andersen LLP in the Assurance Advisory practice. Mr. Patriacca is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.A. in History from Colby College and an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Accounting from Northeastern University.
Glenn E. Deegan (age 56) has been our Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer since May 2021. Prior to his current position, Mr. Deegan served as our Executive Vice President since December 2019, our Vice President, Legal and Human Resources, General Counsel and Secretary since June 2009 and our General Counsel and Secretary since September 2008. From March 2007 to August 2008, Mr. Deegan served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Averion International Corp., a publicly held
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global provider of clinical research services. Prior to Averion, from June 2001 to March 2007, Mr. Deegan served as Director of Legal Affairs and then as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of MacroChem Corporation, a publicly held specialty pharmaceutical company. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Deegan served as Assistant General Counsel of Summit Technology, Inc., a publicly held manufacturer of ophthalmic laser systems. Mr. Deegan previously spent over six years engaged in the private practice of law and also served as law clerk to the Honorable Francis J. Boyle in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Mr. Deegan holds a B.S. from Providence College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Craig Schuele (age 59) has been our Executive Vice President since December 2019 and our Vice President of Marketing and Business Development since May 2007 and held the same position with our predecessor since July 2004. He is responsible for global marketing as well as coordinating Altra’s merger and acquisition activity. Prior to his current position, Mr. Schuele was our Vice President of Marketing since March 2002, and previous to that he was our Director of Marketing. Mr. Schuele joined our predecessor in 1986 and holds a B.S. degree in Management from Rhode Island College.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
We operate in the highly competitive power transmission and motion control industries and if we are not able to compete successfully our business may be significantly harmed.
We operate in highly fragmented and very competitive markets in the power transmission and motion control industries. Some of our competitors have achieved substantially more market penetration in certain of the markets in which we operate, and some of our competitors are larger than us and have greater financial and other resources. With respect to certain of our products, we compete with divisions of our original equipment manufacturer customers. Competition in our business lines is based on several considerations, including quality, reliability, pricing, availability, and design and application engineering support. Our customers increasingly demand a broad product range and we must continue to develop our expertise in order to manufacture and market these products successfully. To remain competitive, regular investment in manufacturing, customer service and support, marketing, sales, research and development and intellectual property protection is required. In the future, we may not have sufficient resources to continue to make such investments and may not be able to maintain a competitive position within each of the markets we serve. We may have to adjust the prices of some of our products to stay competitive.
Additionally, some of our larger, more sophisticated customers are attempting to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase in order to increase their efficiency. If we are not selected to become one of these preferred providers, we may lose market share in some of the markets in which we compete.
There is substantial and continuing pressure on major original equipment manufacturers and larger distributors to reduce costs, including the cost of products purchased from outside suppliers. As a result of cost pressures from customers, our ability to compete depends in part on their ability to generate production cost savings and, in turn, to find reliable, cost-effective outside suppliers to source components or manufacture their products. If we are unable to generate sufficient cost savings in the future to offset price reductions, then our gross margin could be materially adversely affected.
Our growth could suffer if the markets in which we sell our products and services experience cyclicality.
Our growth will depend in part on the growth of the markets which we serve and on the U.S. and global economies in general. Some of the markets Altra serves are highly cyclical, such as metals, mining and energy markets, including oil, gas and renewable energy. In such an environment, expected cyclical activity or sales may not occur or may be delayed and may result in significant quarter-to-quarter variability in our performance. Any of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in any given period.
We must continue to invest in new technologies and manufacturing techniques; however, our ability to develop or adapt to changing technology and manufacturing techniques is uncertain and our failure to do so could place us at a competitive disadvantage.
The successful implementation of our business strategy requires us to invest continuously in new technologies and manufacturing techniques to evolve our existing products and introduce new products to meet our customers’ needs in the industries we serve and want to serve.
Our products are characterized by performance and specification requirements that mandate a high degree of manufacturing and engineering expertise. We believe that our customers rigorously evaluate their suppliers on the basis of a number of factors, including product quality and availability; price competitiveness; technical expertise and development capability; reliability and timeliness of delivery; product design capability; manufacturing expertise; and sales support and customer service.
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Our success depends on our ability to invest in new technologies and manufacturing techniques to continue to meet our customers’ changing demands with respect to the above factors. We may not be able to make required capital expenditures and, even if we do so, we may be unsuccessful in addressing technological advances or introducing new products necessary to remain competitive within our markets. Furthermore, our own technological developments may not be able to produce a sustainable competitive advantage. If we fail to invest successfully in improvements to our technology and manufacturing techniques, our business may be materially adversely affected.
Our operations are subject to international risks including global commercial activities and production facilities, many of which may be located in jurisdictions that are subject to increased risks of disrupted production that could affect our operating results.
We operate businesses with manufacturing and other facilities worldwide, many of which are located outside the United States, including in Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Slovakia, St. Kitts, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Our net sales to customers outside North America represented approximately 46% of our total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022. In addition, we sell products to domestic customers for use in their products sold overseas. We also source a significant portion of our products and materials from overseas. As a result, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, and our future results could be materially adversely affected by a variety of factors, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates; capital or currency exchange rate controls; tariffs or other trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements; potentially negative consequences from changes in tax laws; interest rates; low or negative economic growth rates; unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; changes in foreign intellectual property law; differing labor regulations; natural disaster, labor strike, military activity or war, political unrest, or terrorist activity; pandemic or other public health concerns; requirements relating to withholding taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; restrictions on our ability to own or operate subsidiaries, make investments or acquire new businesses in various jurisdictions; potential political instability and the actions of foreign governments; and restrictions on our ability to repatriate dividends from our subsidiaries.
In addition, our international operations are governed by various U.S. laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other similar laws that prohibit us and our business partners from making improper payments or offers of payment to foreign governments and their officials and political parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Any alleged or actual violations of these regulations may subject us to government scrutiny, severe criminal or civil sanctions and other liabilities.
As we continue to expand our business globally, our success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks associated with our international operations. However, any of these factors could materially adversely affect our international operations and, consequently, our operating results.
We rely on distributors and the loss of these distributors could adversely affect our business.
In addition to our direct sales force and manufacturer sales representatives, we depend on the services of distributors to sell our products and provide service and aftermarket support to our customers. We support an extensive distribution network, with over 3,000 distributor locations worldwide. During the year ended December 31, 2022, approximately 27% of our net sales from operations were generated through distributors. Almost all of the distributors with whom we transact business offer competitive products and services to our customers. In addition, the distribution agreements we have are typically non-exclusive and cancelable by the distributor after a short notice period. The loss of any major distributor or a substantial number of smaller distributors or an increase in the distributors’ sales of our competitors’ products to our customers could materially reduce our sales and profits.
We rely on estimated forecasts of our OEM customers’ needs, and inaccuracies in such forecasts could materially adversely affect our business.
We generally sell our products pursuant to individual purchase orders instead of under long-term purchase commitments. Therefore, we rely on estimated demand forecasts, based upon input from our customers, to determine how much material to purchase and product to manufacture. Because our sales are based on purchase orders, our customers may cancel, delay or otherwise modify their purchase commitments with little or no consequence to them and with little or no notice to us. For these reasons, we generally have limited visibility regarding our customers’ actual product needs. The quantities or timing required by our customers for our products could vary significantly. Also, from time to time, our customers may experience a deterioration of their businesses and may not be able to accurately estimate demand forecast. Whether in response to changes affecting the industry or a customer’s specific business pressures, any cancellation, delay, inability to fulfill customer obligations, or other modification in our customers’ orders could significantly reduce our revenue, impact our working capital, cause our operating results to fluctuate from period to period and make it more difficult for us to predict our revenue. In the event of a cancellation or reduction of an order, we may not have enough time to reduce operating expenses to minimize the effect of the lost revenue on our business and we may purchase too much inventory and spend more capital than expected, which may materially adversely affect our business.
Disruption of our supply chain and COVID-19 related shutdowns of our suppliers’ operations and our operations could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ability, including manufacturing or distribution capabilities, and that of our suppliers, business partners and contract manufacturers, to make, move and sell products is critical to our success. Damage or disruption to our or their manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics, strikes, repairs or enhancements at our facilities, excessive demand, raw material shortages, semiconductor chip shortages, or other reasons could impair our ability, and that of our suppliers, to manufacture or sell our products. To the extent the current semiconductor chip shortage or other shortages continue, the production of our products may be impacted. If the Company or our suppliers are unable to obtain components from
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third parties in the quantities and of the quality that we require, on a timely basis and at acceptable prices, we may not be able to deliver our products on a timely or cost-effective basis to our customers. Failure to take adequate steps to mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as require additional resources to restore our supply chain.
Direct and indirect impacts from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may continue to result in disruptions to our, and our supplier’s supply chain, operations, capacity, labor availability, and labor costs. These supply chain disruptions, reduced capacity operations, and work stoppages could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
The materials used to produce our products are subject to price fluctuations and our ability to obtain those products and negotiate profitable agreements with our suppliers could increase costs of production and adversely affect our profitability.
The materials used to produce our products, especially aluminum, copper and steel, are sourced on a global or regional basis and the prices of those materials are susceptible to price fluctuations due to supply and demand trends, transportation costs, government regulations and tariffs, changes in currency exchange rates, price controls, the economic climate and other unforeseen circumstances. If we are unable to continue to pass a substantial portion of such price increases on to our customers on a timely basis, our future profitability may be materially adversely affected. In addition, passing through these costs to our customers may also limit our ability to increase our prices in the future.
Our ability to maintain and expand our business depends, in part, on our ability to continue to obtain raw materials and component parts on favorable terms from various suppliers. If we are required to purchase raw materials or component parts subject to agreements that provide less favorable terms, the costs of providing our products may increase, which could decrease our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to work stoppages at our facilities, or our customers may be subjected to work stoppages, which could seriously impact our operations and the profitability of our business.
As of December 31, 2022, we employed approximately 9,300 people on a full-time basis, of whom approximately 3,700 were employed in the United States and approximately 5,600 were employed outside of the United States. Of our United States employees, approximately 300 were hourly-rated, unionized employees. Outside the United States, we have government-mandated collective bargaining arrangements and union contracts in certain countries, particularly in Europe where certain of our employees are represented by unions and/or works councils.
The Company believes that its relationship with employees is good. However, we are party to several U.S. and international collective bargaining arrangements and union contracts, and we may be unable to renew these agreements on terms that are satisfactory to us, if at all.
If our unionized workers or those represented by a works council were to engage in a strike, work stoppage or other slowdown in the future, we could experience a significant disruption of our operations. Such disruption could interfere with our ability to deliver products on a timely basis and could have other negative effects, including decreased productivity and increased labor costs. In addition, if a greater percentage of our work force becomes unionized, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected. Moreover, many of our direct and indirect customers have unionized work forces. Strikes, work stoppages or slowdowns experienced by these customers or their suppliers could result in slowdowns or closures of assembly plants where our products are used and could cause cancellation of purchase orders with us or otherwise result in reduced revenues from these customers.
We depend on the services of key executives, the loss of whom could materially harm our business.
Our senior executives are important to our success because they are instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, maintaining and expanding relationships with distributors, identifying, recruiting and training key personnel, identifying expansion opportunities and arranging necessary financing. Losing the services of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business until a suitable replacement could be found. We believe that our senior executives could not easily be replaced with executives of equal experience and capabilities, but we cannot prevent our key executives from terminating their employment with us. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our executives.
If we lose certain of our key sales, marketing, skilled machinist, or engineering personnel, our business may be adversely affected.
Our success depends on our ability to recruit, retain and motivate highly skilled sales, marketing, skilled machinist and engineering personnel. Competition for these persons in our industry is intense and we may not be able to successfully recruit, train or retain qualified personnel in the event scarcity continues or increases. If we fail to recruit and retain the necessary personnel, our business and our ability to obtain new customers, develop new products and provide acceptable levels of customer service could suffer. If certain of these key personnel were to terminate their employment with us, we may experience difficulty replacing them, and our business could be harmed.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights, brands or technology effectively, which could allow competitors to duplicate or replicate our technology and could adversely affect our ability to compete.
We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as on license, non-disclosure, employee and consultant assignment and other agreements and domain name registrations in order to protect our proprietary technology and rights. Applications for protection of our intellectual property rights may not be allowed, and
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the rights, if granted, may not be maintained. In addition, third parties may infringe or challenge our intellectual property rights. In some cases, we rely on unpatented proprietary technology. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. Further, in the ordinary course of our operations, we pursue potential claims from time to time relating to the protection of certain products and intellectual property rights, including with respect to some of our more profitable products. Such claims could be time-consuming, expensive and divert resources. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies or proprietary protection of our brands, our ability to market or be competitive with respect to some or all of our products may be affected, which could reduce our sales and profitability. See “Business— Intellectual Property”.
Unplanned repairs or equipment outages could interrupt production and reduce income or cash flow.
Unplanned repairs or equipment outages, including those due to natural disasters, could result in the disruption of our manufacturing processes. Any interruption in our manufacturing processes would interrupt our production of products, reduce our income and cash flow and could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Our operations are highly dependent on information technology infrastructure, including Enterprise Resource Planning systems, and failures in such infrastructure and failure to comply with data privacy laws or regulations could significantly affect our business.
We depend on our information technology (“IT”) infrastructure in order to achieve our business objectives both in our everyday business operations and during our integration efforts related to acquisitions. If we experience a problem that impairs this infrastructure, such as a cyber-attack, natural disaster, act of terrorism, electrical/telecommunications outage, an intentional disruption, tampering or manipulation of our IT systems, a problem with the functioning of an important IT application, or if our third party hardware or software vendors discontinue further development, support, or maintenance of our information systems, the resulting disruptions could impede our ability to record or process orders, manufacture and ship in a timely manner, or otherwise carry on our business in the ordinary course. Any such events could cause us to lose revenue, could harm our relationships with or cause us to lose customers or suppliers, and could require us to incur significant expense to eliminate these problems and address related security concerns.
IT security threats from cyber-attacks, social engineering, and other malicious internet-based activity continue to increase generally, and perpetrators may be able to develop and deploy ransomware, malware, and phishing or baiting attempts and other malicious software programs that target our IT infrastructure and our networks, and those of our suppliers. These cyber-attacks may expose us to a variety of risks, including a risk of theft of substantial assets, including cash. In addition, a cyber-attack may cause additional costs, such as investigative and remediation costs, the costs of providing our suppliers, customers or other potentially affected parties with notice of the breach, legal fees and the costs of any additional fraud detection activities required by law, a court or a third party.
Moreover, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems are increasingly sophisticated and generally not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We cannot be certain that advances in cyber-capabilities or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology protecting our IT infrastructure and networks or our industrial machinery, software or hardware, and we can make no assurance that we will be able to detect, prevent, timely and adequately address or mitigate the negative effects of cyber-attacks or other security breaches. If such events affect our systems or products, our reputation and brand names could be materially damaged and use of our products may decrease. Additionally, a portion of our workforce is working remotely, which may increase these risks.
We are also subject to an increasing number of evolving data privacy and security laws and regulations that impose requirements on us and our technology prior to certain transfer, storage, use, processing, or disclosure of data and prior to sale or use of certain technologies. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in the imposition of fines, penalties and other costs and could disrupt our ability to sell products and solutions or use and transfer data because such activities may not be in compliance with applicable law in certain jurisdictions.
We are regularly in the process of implementing enhancements to our Enterprise Resource Planning systems and other business systems (collectively referred to as “ERP”), with the aim of enabling management to achieve better control across our business operations. If these critical enhancements are delayed, in whole or in part, our current ERP systems may not be sufficient to support our planned operations and certain ERP systems may become obsolete. There can be no assurance that the enhancements to our ERP systems will be successfully implemented and failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our operations. The occurrence of any of these events or other unanticipated problems with our ERP systems could disrupt the management of, and have a material adverse effect on, our business operations.
If any one of these risks materializes, our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Certain of our businesses are exposed to renewable energy markets which depend significantly on the availability and size of government subsidies and economic incentives.
Certain of our businesses sell products to customers within the renewable energy market, which among other energy sources includes wind energy and solar energy. This market is inherently cyclical and can be impacted by governmental policy, the comparative cost differential between various forms of energy, and the general macroeconomic climate. Lower demand or increased pricing pressure could adversely affect our business prospects and results of operations.
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We may not be able to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin improvement and other business optimization initiatives.
We have in the past undertaken and expect to continue to undertake various restructuring activities and cost reduction initiatives in an effort to better align our organizational structure and costs with our strategy. We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve all of the cost savings that we expect to realize from current or future activities and initiatives. Furthermore, in connection with these activities, we may experience a disruption in our ability to perform functions important to our strategy. Unexpected delays, increased costs, challenges with adapting our internal control environment to a new organizational structure, inability to retain and motivate employees or other challenges arising from these initiatives could adversely affect our ability to realize the anticipated savings or other intended benefits of these activities and could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.
The ongoing military action between Russia and Ukraine could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. This conflict has led and could continue to lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage. Moreover, it has also led to the implementation of global sanctions, export control and other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such sanctions and other measures, as well as the existing and potential further responses from Russia or other countries to such sanctions, tensions and military actions, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect the operations of our subsidiary in Russia as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Financial Risks
Adverse conditions in the credit and capital markets may limit or prevent our and our customers’ and suppliers’ ability to borrow or raise capital, which could harm our operations and financial performance.
Adverse conditions in the credit and financial markets could prevent us from obtaining financing, if the need arises. Our ability to invest in our global business and refinance or repay maturing debt obligations could require access to the credit and capital markets and sufficient bank credit lines to support cash requirements. If we are unable to access the credit and capital markets on commercially reasonable terms, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.
Deterioration in financial markets and confidence in major economies could impair our ability to access credit markets and finance our operations. In addition, a tight credit market may adversely affect the ability of our customers to obtain financing for significant purchases and operations and could result in a decrease in or cancellation of orders for our products and services as well as impact the ability of our customers to make payments. Similarly, a tight credit market may adversely affect our supplier base and increase the potential for one or more of our suppliers to experience financial distress or bankruptcy. These conditions would harm our business by adversely affecting our sales, results of operations, profitability, cash flows, financial condition and long-term anticipated growth rate, which could result in potential impairment of certain long-term assets including goodwill.
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles comprise a significant portion of our total assets, and if we determine that goodwill or indefinite-lived intangibles become impaired in the future, net income in such years may be materially and adversely affected.
Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired in business combinations. Due to the acquisitions we have completed historically, goodwill comprises a significant portion of our total assets. In addition, indefinite-lived intangibles, primarily tradenames and trademarks, comprise a significant portion of our total assets. We review goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles annually for impairment, and any excess in carrying value over the estimated fair value is charged to the results of operations. Future reviews of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles could result in future reductions. Any reduction in net income resulting from the write down or impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles could adversely affect our financial results. If economic conditions deteriorate we may be required to impair goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles in future periods.
Our leverage could adversely affect our financial health and make us vulnerable to adverse economic and industry conditions.
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $655.0 million outstanding and $730.9 million available under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined herein). In addition, as of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $383.7 million outstanding under the Notes (as defined herein). Our indebtedness has important consequences; for example, it could:
•make it more challenging for us to obtain additional financing to fund our business strategy and acquisitions, debt service requirements, capital expenditures and working capital;
•increase our vulnerability to interest rate changes and general adverse economic and industry conditions;
•require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to finance acquisitions and to fund working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts and other general corporate activities;
•make it difficult for us to fulfill our obligations under our credit and other debt agreements;
•require us to dispose of significant assets in order to satisfy our debt service and other obligations if we are not able to satisfy these obligations from cash from operations or other sources;
•limit our ability to buy back our common stock or pay cash dividends;
•limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our markets; and
•place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to our competitors that have less debt.
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Substantially all of the domestic personal property of Altra and our domestic subsidiaries and certain shares of certain non-domestic subsidiaries have been pledged as collateral against any outstanding borrowings under the Altra Credit Agreement dated November 17, 2021 (as amended from time to time, the “Credit Agreement” or the "Altra Credit Agreement"), governing the Revolving Credit Facility. In addition, the Altra Credit Agreement requires us to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy certain financial condition tests, which may require that we take action to reduce our debt or to act in a manner contrary to our business objectives.
Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make scheduled payments on our debt will depend on a range of economic, competitive and business factors, many of which are outside our control. There can be no assurance that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make these payments. If we are unable to meet our expenses and debt obligations, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity, sell assets or issue additional equity. In the future, the then-current economic and credit market conditions may limit our access to additional capital, to the extent that the Altra Credit Agreement would otherwise permit additional financing, or may preclude our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness. There can be no assurance that there will not be a deterioration in the credit markets, a deterioration in the financial condition of our lenders or their ability to fund their commitments or, if necessary, that we will be able to find replacement financing, if need be, on similar or acceptable terms. An inability to access sufficient financing or capital could have an adverse impact on our operations and thus on our operating results and financial position.
The Altra Credit Agreement imposes significant operating and financial restrictions, which may prevent us from pursuing our business strategies or favorable business opportunities.
Subject to a number of important exceptions, under the Altra Credit Agreement we are subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants, such as limitations on debt and preferred stock; liens; mergers, consolidations, liquidations, dissolutions and asset sales; investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions; speculative swaps and hedging arrangements; dividends or other distributions on capital stock, redemptions and repurchases of capital stock and prepayments, redemptions and repurchases of junior lien secured and subordinated debt; transactions with affiliates; restrictions on liens and other restrictive agreements; amendments of the operative documents related to junior debt agreements and organizational documents; and changes in fiscal year.
The restrictions contained in the Altra Credit Agreement may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business and may make it difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. A breach of any of these covenants or the inability to comply with the required financial ratios could result in a default under the Altra Credit Agreement. If any such default occurs, the lenders under the Altra Credit Agreement may elect to declare all of the outstanding debt under the Altra Credit Agreement, together with accrued interest and other amounts payable thereunder, to be immediately due and payable. The lenders under the Altra Credit Agreement also have the right in those circumstances to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings. In addition, following an event of default under the Altra Credit Agreement, the lenders under the Altra Credit Agreement will have the right to proceed against the collateral that secures the debt. If the debt under the Altra Credit Agreement were to be accelerated, we may not have the ability to refinance that debt, and if we can, the terms of such refinancing may be less favorable than the current financing terms under the Altra Credit Agreement. In the event that the indebtedness is accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full all of our debt.
The Credit Agreement contains usual and customary representations and warranties, usual and customary affirmative and negative covenants and restrictions, which among other things, will require the Borrowers to provide certain financial reports to the Lenders, require the Company to maintain certain financial covenants relating to consolidated leverage and interest coverage, and limit the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness, pay dividends or make other equity distributions, purchase or redeem capital stock or debt, make certain investments, sell assets, engage in certain transactions, and effect a consolidation or merger. There can be no assurance that we will be able to remain in compliance with these covenants. If we fail to comply with either of these covenants in a future period and are not able to obtain waivers from the lenders thereunder, we would need to refinance the Revolving Credit Facility. However, there can be no assurance that such refinancing would be available on terms that would be acceptable to us or at all.
Our exposure to variable interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and swap counter party credit risk could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
We are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of business, including the impact of interest rate changes and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Some of our indebtedness bears interest at variable rates, generally linked to market benchmarks such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). Any increase in interest rates would increase our finance expenses relating to our variable rate indebtedness and increase the costs of refinancing our existing indebtedness and issuing new debt. In addition, LIBOR is expected to be phased out by the end of calendar year 2023. Any disruption in the financial markets, interest rate increases, changes that may result from the implementation of new benchmark rates that replace LIBOR could negatively impact our ability to access financial markets or increase our borrowing costs.
From time to time, we rely on interest rate swap contracts and cross-currency swap contracts and hedging arrangements to effectively manage our interest rate and currency risk. Failure to perform under derivatives contracts by one or more of our counterparties could disrupt our hedging operations, particularly if we were entitled to a termination payment under the terms of the contract that we did not receive, if we had to make a termination payment upon default of the counterparty, or if we were unable to reposition the swap with a new counterparty.
Changes in accounting standards could affect our financial results.
The Company’s accounting and financial reporting policies conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which are periodically revised and/or expanded. The application of accounting principles is also subject to varying
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interpretations over time. Accordingly, the Company is required to adopt new or revised accounting standards or comply with revised interpretations that are issued from time to time by various parties, including accounting standard setters and those who interpret the standards, such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such new financial accounting standards may change the financial accounting or reporting standards that govern the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Implementing changes required by new standards, requirements or laws require interpretation of rules and development of new accounting policies and internal controls that, if not appropriately applied, could result in financial statement errors and, deficiencies in internal control as well as significant costs to implement.
Legal and Compliance Risks
Changes to U.S. trade policy, tariff and import/export regulations and foreign government regulations could adversely affect our business, operating results, foreign operations, sourcing and financial condition.
Changes in U.S. or international social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in the territories or countries where we currently sell our products or conduct our business, as well as any negative sentiment toward the U.S. as a result of such changes, could adversely affect our business. Changes to tariffs and other changes in U.S. trade policy have the potential to adversely impact the U.S. economy or certain sectors thereof, our industry and the global demand for our products, and as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, we cannot predict what changes to trade policy will be made in the future, including whether existing trade policies will be maintained or modified or whether the entry into new bilateral or multilateral trade agreements will occur, nor can we predict the effects that any conceivable changes would have on our business. Future quotas, duties, tariffs, and trade agreements may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and could also provide our competitors with an advantage over us or increase our costs.
Our businesses are subject to risks generally associated with doing business abroad, including foreign governmental regulation in the countries in which several of our manufacturing sources and facilities are located, such as Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Slovakia, St. Kitts, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”). We believe that the issue of foreign governmental regulations that would impact our arrangements with our foreign manufacturing sources is of particular concern with regard to countries such as China due to the less mature nature of the Chinese market economy and the historical involvement of the Chinese government in industry. If regulations were to render the conduct of business in a particular country undesirable or impracticable, if our current foreign manufacturing sources were for any other reason to cease doing business with us, or if we were in a position where we needed to relocate our manufacturing facilities due to regulations or other similar circumstances, such a development could have a material adverse effect on our product sales and on our supply, manufacturing, and distribution channels.
Our business is also subject to risks associated with U.S. and foreign legislation and regulations relating to imports, including quotas, duties, tariffs or taxes, and other charges or restrictions on imports, which could adversely affect our operations and our ability to import products at current or increased levels, and substantially all of our import operations are subject to customs duties on imported products imposed by the governments where our production facilities are located, including raw materials. We cannot predict whether additional U.S. and foreign customs quotas, duties (including antidumping or countervailing duties), tariffs, taxes or other charges or restrictions, requirements as to where raw materials must be purchased, reporting obligations pertaining to “conflict minerals” mined from certain countries, additional workplace regulations, or other restrictions on our imports will be imposed upon the importation of our products in the future or adversely modified, or what effect such actions would have on our costs of operations. Future quotas, duties, or tariffs may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Future trade agreements could also provide our competitors with an advantage over us, or increase our costs, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Product defects, quality issues, inadequate disclosures, misuse and potential product liability claims in relation to the products we manufacture or distribute could result in reputational harm and our having to expend significant time and expense to defend these claims and to pay material damages or settlement amounts.
Defects in, quality issues with respect to, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to our products or the misuse of our products could lead to lost profits and other economic damage, property damage, personal injury or other liability resulting in third-party claims, criminal liability, significant costs, damage to our reputation and loss of business. Any of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face a business risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that the use of our products is alleged to have resulted in injury or other adverse effects. We currently have several product liability claims against us with respect to our products. We may not be able to obtain product liability insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, or obtain insurance that will provide adequate coverage against potential claims. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for long periods of time, regardless of the ultimate outcome. An unsuccessful product liability defense could exceed any insurance that we maintain and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or our ability to make payments under our debt obligations when due. In addition, we believe our business depends on the strong brand reputation we have developed. In the event that our reputation is damaged, we may face difficulty in maintaining our pricing positions with respect to some of our products, which would reduce our sales and profitability.
We also risk exposure to product liability claims in connection with products sold by businesses that we acquire. We cannot assure you that third parties that have retained responsibility for product liabilities relating to products manufactured or sold prior to our acquisition of the relevant business, or persons from whom we have acquired a business that are required to indemnify us for certain product liability claims subject to certain caps or limitations on indemnification, will in fact satisfy their obligations to us with respect to liabilities retained by them or their indemnification obligations. If those third parties become unable to or otherwise do not
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comply with their respective obligations including indemnity obligations, or if certain product liability claims for which we are obligated were not retained by third parties or are not subject to these indemnities, we could become subject to significant liabilities or other adverse consequences. Moreover, even in cases where third parties retain responsibility for product liabilities or are required to indemnify us, significant claims arising from products that we have acquired could have a material adverse effect on our ability to realize the benefits from an acquisition, could result in our reducing the value of goodwill that we have recorded in connection with an acquisition, or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We may be subject to litigation for a variety of claims, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In addition to product liability claims and securities class action litigation, which has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities, we and our directors and officers may be subject to claims arising from our normal business activities. These may include claims, suits, and proceedings involving stockholder and fiduciary matters, intellectual property, labor and employment, wage and hour, commercial and other matters. The outcome of any litigation, regardless of its merits, is inherently uncertain. Any claims and lawsuits, and the disposition of such claims and lawsuits, could be time-consuming and expensive to resolve, divert management attention and resources, and lead to attempts on the part of other parties to pursue similar claims. Any adverse determination related to litigation or settlement or other resolution of a legal matter could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, harm our reputation or otherwise negatively impact our business.
Changes in labor or employment laws could increase our costs and may adversely affect our business.
Various federal, state and international labor and employment laws govern our relationship with employees and affect operating costs. These laws include minimum wage requirements, overtime, unemployment tax rates, workers’ compensation rates paid, leaves of absence, mandated health and other benefits, and citizenship requirements. Significant additional government-imposed increases or new requirements in these areas could materially affect our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flow.
In the event our employee-related costs rise significantly, we may have to curtail the number of our employees or shut down certain manufacturing facilities. Any such actions would not only be costly but could also materially adversely affect our business.
We are subject to environmental laws that could impose significant costs on us and the failure to comply with such laws could subject us to sanctions and material fines and expenses.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, foreign and provincial environmental laws and regulations, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air or water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the responsibility to investigate and clean up contaminated sites that are or were owned, leased, operated or used by us or our predecessors. Some of these laws and regulations require us to obtain permits, which contain terms and conditions that impose limitations on our ability to emit and discharge hazardous materials into the environment and periodically may be subject to modification, renewal and revocation by issuing authorities. Fines and penalties may be imposed for non-compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations and the failure to have or to comply with the terms and conditions of required permits. From time to time, our operations may not be in full compliance with the terms and conditions of our permits. The operation of manufacturing plants entails risks related to compliance with environmental laws, requirements and permits, and a failure by us to comply with applicable environmental laws, regulations, or permits could result in civil or criminal fines, penalties, enforcement actions, third-party claims for property damage and personal injury, requirements to clean up property or to pay for the costs of cleanup, or regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing operations or requiring corrective measures, including the installation of pollution control equipment or remedial actions. Moreover, if applicable environmental laws and regulations, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, become more stringent in the future, we could incur capital or operating costs beyond those currently anticipated.
Certain environmental laws in the United States, such as the federal Superfund law and similar state laws, impose liability for the cost of investigation or remediation of contaminated sites upon the current or, in some cases, the former site owners or operators and upon parties who arranged for the disposal of wastes or transported or sent those wastes to an off-site facility for treatment or disposal, regardless of when the release of hazardous substances occurred or the lawfulness of the activities giving rise to the release. Such liability can be imposed without regard to fault and, under certain circumstances, can be joint and several, resulting in one party being held responsible for the entire obligation. As a practical matter, however, the costs of investigation and remediation generally are allocated among the viable responsible parties on some form of equitable basis. Liability also may include damages to natural resources. In addition, from time to time, we are notified that we are a potentially responsible party and may have liability in connection with off-site disposal facilities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to resolve pending and future matters relating to off-site disposal facilities at all or for nominal sums.
There is contamination at some of our current facilities, primarily related to historical operations at those sites, for which we could be liable for the investigation and remediation under certain environmental laws. The potential for contamination also exists at other of our current or former sites, based on historical uses of those sites. Our costs or liability in connection with potential contamination conditions at our facilities cannot be predicted at this time because the potential existence of contamination has not been investigated or not enough is known about the environmental conditions or likely remedial requirements. Currently, with respect to certain of our facilities, other parties with contractual liability are addressing or have plans or obligations to address those contamination conditions that may pose a material risk to human health, safety or the environment. In addition, there may be environmental conditions currently unknown to us relating to our prior, existing or future sites or operations or those of predecessor companies whose liabilities we may have assumed or acquired which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are being indemnified, or expect to be indemnified by third parties, subject to certain caps or limitations on the indemnification, for certain environmental costs and liabilities associated with certain owned or operated sites. We cannot assure you
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that third parties who indemnify or who are expected to indemnify us for certain environmental costs and liabilities associated with certain owned or operated sites will in fact satisfy their indemnification obligations. If those third parties become unable to, or otherwise do not, comply with their respective indemnity obligations, or if certain contamination or other liability for which we are obligated is not subject to these indemnities, we could become subject to significant liabilities.
We or our products could infringe on the intellectual property of others, which may cause us to engage in costly litigation and, if we are not successful, could cause us to pay substantial damages and prohibit us from selling our products.
Third parties may assert infringement or other intellectual property claims against us based on their patents or other intellectual property claims, and we may have to pay substantial damages, possibly including treble damages, if it is ultimately determined that our products infringe. We may have to obtain a license to sell our products if it is determined that our products infringe upon another party’s intellectual property. We might be prohibited from selling our products before we obtain a license, which, if available at all, may require us to pay substantial royalties. Even if infringement claims against us are without merit, defending these types of lawsuits takes significant time, may be expensive and may divert management attention from other business concerns.
Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could significantly affect our profitability. In addition, audits by tax authorities could result in additional tax payments for prior periods.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in numerous non-U.S. jurisdictions.
Due to the potential for changes to tax laws and regulations or changes to the interpretation thereof, the ambiguity of tax laws and regulations, the subjectivity of factual interpretations, the complexity of our intercompany arrangements, uncertainties regarding the geographic mix of earnings in any particular period, and other factors, our estimates of effective tax rate and income tax assets and liabilities may be incorrect and our financial statements could be adversely affected. The impact of these factors referenced in the first sentence of this paragraph may be substantially different from period to period.
In addition, the amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities and by non-U.S. tax authorities. If audits result in payments or assessments different from our reserves, our future results may include unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities and our financial statements could be adversely affected. Any further significant changes to the tax system in the United States or in other jurisdictions (including changes in the taxation of international income as further described below) could adversely affect our financial statements.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate with market volatility.
The market price of our common stock has been volatile and may continue to fluctuate in response to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. The stock market in general, and the market prices of stocks of industrial companies in particular, have experienced significant price volatility that has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to our business or operating results. Broad market fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock, which in turn could cause impairment of goodwill that could materially and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
It is not uncommon when the market price of a stock has been volatile for holders of that stock to institute securities class action litigation against the company that issues that stock. If any of our stockholders brought such a lawsuit against us, even if the lawsuit is without merit, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit beyond any insurance coverage which we may have for such risks. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management. Any of these events, as well as other circumstances discussed in these Risk Factors, may cause the market price of our common stock to fall.
Risks Related to the Regal Rexnord Merger
The pendency of our acquisition by Regal Rexnord could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
On October 26, 2022, we entered into the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement with Regal Rexnord and Merger Sub, pursuant to which, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions described therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Regal Rexnord. Under the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement, at the closing of the Regal Rexnord Merger, each issued and outstanding share of our common stock (other than (i) shares owned by the Company, any subsidiary of the Company, Regal Rexnord, Merger Sub or any other subsidiary of Regal Rexnord, (ii) shares owned by stockholders of the Company who have validly exercised their statutory rights of appraisal under the DGCL and (iii) Company Restricted Shares (as defined in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement)) will be converted into the right to receive $62.00 per share in cash, without interest and subject to any required withholding of taxes.
The pendency of the Regal Rexnord Merger could cause disruptions in and create uncertainty surrounding our business, which could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations, regardless of whether the Regal Rexnord Merger is completed. These risks to our business include the following, all of which could be exacerbated by a delay in the completion of the Regal Rexnord Merger:
•the diversion of significant management time and resources towards the completion of the Regal Rexnord Merger;
•the impairment of our ability to attract, retain and motivate personnel, including our senior management;
•difficulties maintaining relationships with customers, distributors, suppliers and other business partners, who may defer decisions about working with us or seek to change existing business relationships with us;
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•the inability to pursue alternative business opportunities or make appropriate changes to our business because of requirements in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement that we conduct our business in the ordinary course and not engage in certain kinds of transactions or business activities prior to the completion of the Regal Rexnord Merger; and
•litigation relating to the Regal Rexnord Merger and the costs and distractions related thereto.
The Regal Rexnord Merger may not be completed within the expected timeframe, or at all, and significant delay or the failure to complete the Regal Rexnord Merger could adversely affect our business and the market price of our common stock.
The consummation of the Regal Rexnord Merger remains subject to customary closing conditions, including, among other things, (i) the receipt of certain non-U.S. antitrust and foreign direct investment approvals, (ii) the absence of any judgment enacted, promulgated, issued, entered, amended or enforced by any governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or applicable law enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the Regal Rexnord Merger, (iii) the absence of any law or judgment resulting in the imposition of or requiring any Burdensome Condition (as defined in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement) and (iv) certain other conditions set forth in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement.
Many of the conditions to consummation of the Regal Rexnord Merger are not within our control or the control of Regal Rexnord or Merger Sub, and we cannot predict when or if these conditions will be satisfied. There can be no assurance that our business, our relationships or our financial condition will not be adversely affected, as compared to the condition prior to the announcement of the Regal Rexnord Merger, if the Regal Rexnord Merger is not consummated within the expected timeframe, or at all. Failure to complete the Regal Rexnord Merger within the expected timeframe, or at all, could adversely affect our business and the market price of our common stock in a number of ways, including the following:
•if the Regal Rexnord Merger is not completed within the expected timeframe, or at all, the share price of our common stock will change to the extent that the current market price of our stock reflects assumptions regarding the completion of the Regal Rexnord Merger;
•we have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant costs, expenses and fees for professional services and other costs in connection with the Regal Rexnord Merger, for which we may receive little or no benefit if the Regal Rexnord Merger is not completed. Many of these fees and costs will be payable by us even if the Regal Rexnord Merger is not completed and may relate to activities that we would not have undertaken other than to complete the Regal Rexnord Merger;
•failure to complete the Regal Rexnord Merger within the expected timeframe, or at all, may result in negative publicity and a negative impression of us in the investment community and may lead to subsequent offers to acquire our company at a lower price or otherwise on less favorable terms to us and our stockholders than contemplated by the Regal Rexnord Merger;
•the impairment of our ability to attract, retain and motivate personnel, including our senior management;
•difficulties maintaining relationships with customers, distributors, suppliers and other business partners; and
•upon termination of the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement by Regal Rexnord under specified circumstances, we would be required to pay a termination fee of $100 million.
While the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement is in effect, we are subject to restrictions on our business activities.
The Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement includes restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to the completion of the Regal Rexnord Merger, generally requiring us to conduct our business in the ordinary course and, to the extent consistent therewith, use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve our relationships with customers, distributors, suppliers and others having material business dealings with us. In addition, we are subject to a variety of specified restrictions. Unless we obtain Regal Rexnord’s prior written consent (which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), except as specifically required by the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement or required by applicable law or as set forth in the confidential disclosure letter delivered by us to Regal Rexnord, we may not, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, limitations and qualifications, incur additional indebtedness, issue additional shares of our common stock outside of our equity incentive plans, repurchase our common stock, pay dividends other than regular quarterly cash dividends consistent with past practice, acquire certain assets or securities, sell or dispose of certain properties or assets (including material intellectual property rights), enter into material contracts or make certain capital expenditures. We may find that these and other contractual restrictions in the Regal Rexnord Merger Agreement delay or prevent us from responding, or limit our ability to respond effectively to competitive pressures, industry developments and future business opportunities that may arise during such period, even if our management believes they may be advisable. If any of these effects were to occur, it could materially and adversely impact our operating results, financial position, cash flows or the price of our common stock.
Risks Related to Strategic Transactions
Our acquisition of businesses and strategic relationships, or our failure to successfully integrate such transactions into our business, could adversely affect our future results and the market price of our common stock.
As part of our growth strategy, we have made and expect to continue to make, acquisitions. Our continued growth may depend on our ability to identify and acquire companies that complement or enhance our business on acceptable terms. We may not be able to identify or complete future acquisitions. We may not be able to integrate successfully our recent and past acquisitions, including the acquisition of Nook and the Fortive Transaction, or any future acquisitions, operate any acquired companies profitably or realize the potential benefits from these acquisitions.
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These acquisitions and strategic relationships involve a number of financial, accounting, managerial, operational, legal, compliance and other risks and challenges, including the following, any of which could adversely affect our future results and the market price of our common stock:
•any acquired business, technology, service or product could under-perform relative to our expectations and the price that we paid for it, or not perform in accordance with our anticipated timetable;
•we have in the past, and may in the future incur or assume significant debt in connection with our acquisitions or strategic relationships;
•acquisitions or strategic relationships could cause our financial results to differ from our own or the investment community’s expectations in any given period, or over the long-term;
•pre-closing and post-closing earnings charges could adversely impact operating results in any given period, and the impact may be substantially different from period to period;
•acquisitions or strategic relationships could create demands on our management, operational resources and financial and internal control systems that we are unable to effectively address;
•we could experience difficulty in integrating personnel, operations and financial and other controls and systems and retaining key employees and customers;
•we may be unable to achieve cost savings or other synergies anticipated in connection with an acquisition or strategic relationship;
•we may assume by acquisition or strategic relationship unknown liabilities, known contingent liabilities that become realized, known liabilities that prove greater than anticipated, internal control deficiencies or exposure to regulatory sanctions resulting from the acquired company’s activities. The realization of any of these liabilities or deficiencies may increase our expenses, adversely affect our financial position or cause us to fail to meet our public financial reporting obligations;
•in connection with acquisitions, we may enter into post-closing financial arrangements such as purchase price adjustments, earn-out obligations and indemnification obligations, which may have unpredictable financial results;
•in connection with acquisitions, we have recorded significant goodwill and other intangible assets on our balance sheet. If we are not able to realize the value of these assets, we may be required to incur charges relating to the impairment of these assets; and
•we may have interests that diverge from those of strategic partners and we may not be able to direct the management and operations of the strategic relationship in the manner we believe is most appropriate, exposing us to additional risk.
See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regal Rexnord Merger”.
We continually assess the strategic fit of our existing businesses and may divest or otherwise dispose of businesses that are deemed not to fit with our strategic plan or are not achieving the desired return on investment, and we cannot be certain that our business, operating results and financial condition will not be materially and adversely affected.
A successful divestiture depends on various factors, including our ability to effectively transfer liabilities, contracts, facilities and employees to any purchaser, identify and separate the intellectual property to be divested from the intellectual property that we wish to retain, reduce fixed costs previously associated with the divested assets or business, and collect the proceeds from any divestitures. In addition, if customers of the divested business do not receive the same level of service from the new owners, this may adversely affect our other businesses to the extent that these customers also purchase other products offered by us. All of these efforts require varying levels of management focus and resources, which may divert our attention from other business operations. If we do not realize the expected benefits of any divestiture transaction, our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows could be negatively impacted. In addition, divestitures of businesses involve a number of risks, including significant costs and expenses, the loss of customer relationships, and a decrease in revenues and earnings associated with the divested business. Furthermore, divestitures potentially involve significant post-closing separation activities, which could involve the expenditure of material financial resources and significant employee resources. In addition, we may in some cases agree to hold the other party harmless against certain losses arising from a breach of representations or covenants, including specified environmental matters and certain income taxes arising prior to the date of acquisition, which also could involve the expenditure of material financial resources. Any divestiture may result in a dilutive impact to our future earnings if we are unable to offset the dilutive impact from the loss of revenue associated with the divestiture, as well as significant write-offs, including those related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We are required to abide by potentially significant restrictions under the Fortive Transaction Tax Matters Agreement which could limit our ability to undertake certain corporate actions (such as the issuance of Altra common stock or the undertaking of a merger or consolidation) that otherwise could be advantageous.
To preserve the tax-free treatment to Fortive and/or its stockholders of the Distribution and certain related transactions, under the Tax Matters Agreement, we are restricted from taking certain actions that could prevent such transactions from being tax-free. These restrictions may limit our ability to pursue certain strategic transactions or engage in other transactions, including using Altra common stock to make acquisitions and in connection with equity capital market transactions that might increase the value of our business.
General Risk Factors
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We are subject to tax laws and regulations in many jurisdictions and the inability to successfully defend claims from taxing authorities related to our current or acquired businesses could adversely affect our operating results and financial position.
We conduct business in many countries, which requires us to interpret the income tax laws and rulings in each of those taxing jurisdictions. Due to the subjectivity of tax laws between those jurisdictions as well as the subjectivity of factual interpretations, our estimates of income tax liabilities may differ from actual payments or assessments. Claims from taxing authorities related to these differences could have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial position. Moreover, changes to tax laws and regulations in the U.S. or other countries where we do business could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial position.
Global economic changes or continued volatility and disruption in global financial markets could significantly impact our customers and suppliers, weaken the markets we serve and harm our operations and financial performance.
Global economic and financial market conditions have been weak and/or volatile in recent years, and those conditions have adversely affected our business operations and are expected to continue to adversely affect our business. The continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and inflation as a whole will depend on future events. A weakening of current conditions or a future downturn may adversely affect our future results of operations and financial condition. Weak, challenging or volatile economic conditions in the end markets, businesses or geographic areas in which we sell our products could reduce demand for products and result in a decrease in sales volume for a prolonged period of time, which would have a negative impact on our future results of operations. The recent surges in COVID-19 cases due to new variants of the virus and the resurgence of inflation brought on by labor and supply shortages may have an adverse impact upon our business. Should these conditions persist for a prolonged period, this could result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
New or more stringent government regulations or standards designed to address climate change could increase our operational costs and severe weather associated with a changing climate could negatively impact our operations and those of our customers and suppliers.
We are subject to domestic and foreign regulations and standards governing emissions controls which are, in part, designed to address climate change. Due to increasing global concern over the effects of climate change, new or more stringent regulations and standards may be mandated. In addition, various stakeholders may demand additional controls beyond what is required by such regulations or standards. Such additional regulations, standards and demands may expose us to increased operational costs associated with compliance, data collection and disclosure, and raw material sourcing, our manufacturing operations, and the distribution of our products may be adversely affected. Further, tighter emissions controls as a result of these actions could increase our operational costs and could lead to disruptions in our operations as compliance is attained. Severe weather associated with a changing climate could also negatively impact our facilities, information systems and infrastructure, as well as those of our customers and suppliers. This could disrupt supply and customer demand and negatively affect our ability to fulfill orders, manufacture products and maintain operations. In addition, certain markets and industries which Altra serves may be negatively impacted by global trends and market adjustment in response to a changing climate which could have an adverse impact on our financial performance. There can be no assurance that our efforts to address these regulations, standards, or stakeholder demands will be successful or that any future investments we make in furtherance of achieving climate change targets and goals will meet investor expectations or any regulatory or legal standards regarding sustainability performance. If we fail to sufficiently address applicable regulations, standards and stakeholder demands or fail to achieve or improperly report on our progress toward achieving our goals and commitments to reduce our carbon footprint or address sustainability programs and initiatives, the results could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.