Item 1.
Business
Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors. For a discussion of important factors that could cause our results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, please refer to Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” and Part I, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” below.
GENERAL
Background
Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (referred to, with its consolidated subsidiaries, as "we," "us," "our," the "Company," "SWM INTL" or "SWM" unless the context indicates otherwise) is a multinational producer of performance materials, including papers, nets and films headquartered in the United States of America (the "U.S."). The Company operates under two reportable segments: Advanced Materials & Structures ("AMS"), which manufactures resin-based products used in specialty applications in the filtration, infrastructure and construction, transportation, industrial, and medical end-markets, and Engineered Papers ("EP"), which produces cigarette papers and reconstituted tobacco products for cigarette and cigar manufacturers, as well as various other non-tobacco paper products.
The Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1995 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark Corporation ("Kimberly-Clark"). On November 30, 1995, Kimberly-Clark transferred its tobacco-related paper and other paper products businesses conducted in the U.S., France and Canada to the Company and distributed all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company to its stockholders (the "spin-off"). As a result, the Company became an independent public company. We conduct business in over
90
countries and operate 22 production locations worldwide, with facilities in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Russia, Brazil, China, Belgium and Poland.
Our principal executive office is located at 100 North Point Center East, Suite 600, Alpharetta, Georgia 30022-8246 and our telephone number is (800) 514-0186. Our stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "SWM."
Strategic Transformation - Overview
Through 2013, the Company operated as a tobacco-centric paper operation. In late 2012, SWM's management and Board of Directors elected to pursue a strategic transformation by increasing profit streams outside the tobacco industry through business acquisitions, while carefully managing the profitable but mature tobacco operations. Over time, this strategy was intended to counterbalance the expected long-term pressures of the tobacco industry and transform SWM into a more diversified and growth-oriented enterprise while maintaining its company-wide focus on several underlying themes: manufacturing and innovation expertise in performance materials, operational excellence, and customer intimacy. The Company selectively targeted acquisition candidates that served diversified and growing end-markets, generated profitability associated with premium differentiated products, and had leading and defensible competitive positions in their core product categories. In addition, management believed many acquisition targets would have unique synergy opportunities when combined with the assets and capabilities of SWM, such as a global infrastructure and a robust operational excellence program, and ultimately, synergies with other similar companies acquired by SWM.
Pursuant to this strategy, management has used free cash flow and liquidity available through our credit facility to support growth investments. From 2013 to 2018 the Company invested a total of approximately $850 million acquiring
three primary businesses, DelStar, Argotec, and Conwed, and making two “bolt-on” acquisitions. These businesses together now comprise the Advanced Materials & Structures segment, which generated nearly $470 million in net sales in
2018
. The combination of AMS with non-tobacco sales in our paper business, resulted in total non-tobacco sales representing 51% of the Company’s total revenue in
2018
, up from approximately 6% prior to these strategic actions. The EP segment has remained the source of the majority of the Company's cash flow, enabling the growth investments in the AMS segment and supporting steadily growing dividends to shareholders; the Company has paid more than $285 million in dividends since 2013.
Strategic Transformation - Creating the AMS Growth Platform
In December 2013, the Company acquired DelStar, Inc. ("DelStar"), a manufacturer of resin-based nets, films and non-wovens, focused on the filtration, medical, and industrial end-markets. DelStar established SWM's presence in new industries and added a portfolio of high-value technologies. Management also believed DelStar could benefit from SWM's global footprint, operational excellence program, and ability to fund growth investments.
In October 2015, the Company acquired Argotec Intermediate Holdings LLC ("Argotec"), a manufacturer of urethane films for applications primarily in the transportation end-market. A key growth driver was increasing demand for surface protection films used for automotive paint protection and glass lamination. This business also serves customers in the medical and industrial end-markets. From a technology standpoint, Argotec added to SWM's growing resin extrusion capabilities and added scale to the AMS growth platform.
In January 2017, SWM acquired Conwed Plastics LLC (“Conwed”), a producer of resin-based netting. Conwed’s similarities to the Company’s existing netting production assets presented a compelling opportunity to drive synergies through footprint rationalization, procurement, and organizational realignment. Although operationally similar to AMS’ existing assets, Conwed added further end-market diversification, with approximately 75% of Conwed’s sales serving the infrastructure and construction end-markets. The remaining 25% of sales were split between filtration and industrial end-markets, which also complemented the existing AMS business.
The acquisitions described above comprise the AMS segment. The Company believes that these businesses advance SWM's goal of diversifying its revenue stream and offer long-term growth opportunities across a broad set of attractive end-markets.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which filings include this Annual Report on Form 10-K, Proxy Statements, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all related amendments, are available, free of charge, on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov
and on the Investor Relations section of our website at
www.swmintl.com
. Information from our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These reports are available soon after they are filed electronically with, or furnished to, the SEC. The website allows access to historical financial information, press releases and quarterly earnings conference calls, our Code of Conduct, corporate governance guidelines, Board of Directors committee charters, as well as disclosure of any amendment to or waivers of our Code of Conduct granted to any of the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer. The website provides additional background information about us including information on our history, products and locations. Requests for information, requests to contact our audit committee chairman, lead non-management director or the independent directors as a group, or requests to report concerns about accounting or other issues can be made in writing and sent to the Investor Relations Department at our principal executive office address listed above.
Our quarterly earnings conference calls are typically held the morning after our quarterly earnings releases and are available through our website via a webcast. The tentative dates for our quarterly earnings conference calls related to 2019 financial results are May 9, 2019, August 8, 2019, November 7, 2019 and February 20, 2020. These dates are subject to change. Instructions on how to listen to the webcasts and updated information on times and actual dates are available through our website at
www.swmintl.com
.
We have provided a Glossary of Terms at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Segment Financial Information
. We operate and manage two reportable segments based on our product lines: Advanced Materials & Structures and Engineered Papers. The Advanced Materials & Structures segment manufactures resin-based products used in specialty applications in the filtration, infrastructure and construction, transportation, industrial, and medical end-markets. This segment is comprised of the five businesses we acquired from 2013 to 2017: DelStar, the Pronamic and SNN acquisitions, Argotec and Conwed, which the Company has integrated into a more holistically aligned operating segment. Our Engineered Papers segment produces both tobacco-related papers and non-tobacco-related papers. Our tobacco-related papers, which comprise a large majority of EP's sales, include various papers used in cigarette production and reconstituted tobacco ("Recon"), a reprocessed tobacco material.
Additional information regarding "Segment Performance" is included in Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation. In addition, selected financial data for our segments is available in Note
21
. Segment Information, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and a discussion regarding the risks associated with foreign operations is available in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Market Risk. In conjunction with the change in reportable segments, corresponding information for all prior periods presented has been restated to correspond to the presentation in the current year.
Financial information about foreign and domestic operations, contained under the caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation" appearing in Part II, Item 7 herein and in Notes
13
,
14
,
17
and
21
("Restructuring and Impairment Activities," "Debt," "Income Taxes" and "Segment Information," respectively) to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in Part II, Item 8 herein, is incorporated by reference in this Item 1.
Advanced Materials & Structures
Products.
We manufacture and sell a variety of highly engineered resin-based nets, films, and other non-wovens. These performance materials are often used in growing applications serving the filtration, infrastructure and construction, transportation, industrial, and medical end-markets. Most of our production technologies are extrusion-based, meaning resin pellets are heated, softened, and forced through a metal die to form continuous sheets or strands. We have significant technological expertise in proprietary die construction, which our competitors often outsource, and we consider this an advantage in protecting our technology and competitive position. However, unlike the EP segment which relies primarily on patent protection for key innovation protection, AMS relies more heavily on trade secrets and manufacturing "know-how."
Our thermoplastic nets are used in a variety of applications, the most prominent of which is their use as spacer netting in reverse osmosis water filtration (“RO filtration") devices. We have established a strong presence in this application by customizing products to meet demanding customer specifications, such as thickness/weight, flow characteristics, and heat and pressure resistance. Our nets are also used in a variety of other filtration applications such as fuel and hydraulic fluid filters, pharmaceutical filters, and food and beverage filters. Another key netting application is erosion and sediment control products for the infrastructure and construction end-markets. Our nets are the outside layers in erosion control blankets, which are used to prevent erosion on sloped terrain. We also produce sediment control “socks” which are used to set perimeters around various development sites to contain sediment and prevent contamination of water sources. Our nets can also be found in a variety of industrial applications such as carpet cushion support and retail food packaging.
We manufacture our thermoplastic polyurethane films ("TPU") to have combinations of the following attributes; UV, scratch and water resistance and ultra-clarity. The ability to demonstrate these rare combinations make them ideally suited for demanding transportation-related surface protection applications, primarily automotive paint protection and security reinforced glass. These products are also used in certain niche applications such as graphics and laminated textiles in the industrial end-market, and also in the medical end-market. Other films, including apertured film products, are used in wound care applications, such as finger bandages and wound dressings for the medical end-market and are also used in specialty liquid filters for ultra-pure semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Our non-wovens are typically air-laid resin-based materials often used in liquid filtration and residential and commercial air filtration. In addition to rolled goods, SWM also manufactures rigid core tubing, an extruded resin product that also is primarily used in reverse osmosis water filtration devices, and flexible tubing used in various medical and industrial applications.
With the growth of our AMS division, our technical expertise around resin-based materials is increasing. We believe we have industry-leading innovation capabilities and an expanding product portfolio which we expect to support growth through collaborative product development opportunities with our customers.
Markets and Customers.
The AMS segment supplies customers serving the filtration, infrastructure and construction, transportation, medical, and industrial end-markets. Generally, the applications and customers the AMS segment serves are in growing end-markets, and as a percentage of total AMS segment sales are as follows: filtration - 25%, infrastructure and construction - 30%, transportation - 25%, medical - 10%, industrial - 10%. These products are highly engineered and often customized. In some cases, we are the sole supplier of certain products to our top customers, though no customer represents more than 10% of our consolidated net sales.
Within the filtration end-market, reverse osmosis water filtration has exhibited historical long-term growth due to increasing global demand for drinkable water and we expect global infrastructure investments in this area to continue long-term. Our other filtration products are often used in the food and beverage industries and heavy equipment and machinery used in the oil and gas industries, filtering fuel and other hydraulic liquids, as well as serving other functions in the exploration, processing, and transport of oil, gas, and metals. We refer to non-RO liquid filtration products generally as process filtration. While sales of process filtration products, particularly those used in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, can be subject to cyclicality and commodity price volatility, we expect strong long-term demand across the product line.
Our sales to the infrastructure and construction end-market are largely comprised of erosion/sediment control products. Our netting is used in the production of erosion control blankets, which are used in highway development projects to cover roadside slopes during and after construction until vegetation has stabilized the ground. This is a primarily U.S. business, with expected growth supported by continued highway infrastructure investments. We also offer customers a unique sediment control solution, a filled “sock”, used to seal perimeters of development sites which could contain harmful contaminants. This product has gained adoption in the oil and gas exploration and production industry, and also has potential to displace legacy competitive products such as silt fence, which is often used to surround various construction sites to control sediment. In the construction segment, our netting products are used as support material for carpet cushion, construction materials protection, and support backing for sod production.
The majority of our TPU films are used in transportation-related surface protection applications, specifically automotive paint protection. This product is typically sold and installed in the after-market through dealerships or auto body shops. Recently, we have benefited from global adoption of paint protection films, particularly in Asia. Other surface protection applications, such as ballistic-resistant and security glass used primarily on vehicles can be impacted by government and military contracts. These films are also used in commercial architectural glass.
Our industrial applications are spread across a variety of other industries, such as apparel, food manufacturing, graphics and energy, while our medical film products largely serve the wound care management area of the medical end-market.
Sales and Distribution.
AMS products are primarily sold by the marketing, sales and customer service organizations of our AMS operations directly to manufacturers, however, in some geographic regions, we use sales agents to assist us in the sales process. As part of our enterprise transformation and integration efforts related to our recently acquired companies, we re-branded the acquired companies and transitioned our AMS sales operations toward a more unified organization. All acquired companies have been re-branded as SWM and the AMS sales organization will operate and go to market under the SWM trade name, with sales resources deployed by end-market and focused on selling products from across the totality of AMS offerings.
We typically deliver our products to customers by truck, rail and ocean-going vessels. As is typical in the industries in which we operate, ownership of the product generally transfers to our customer upon shipment from our manufacturing
facilities, except for certain export sales where ownership typically transfers at the foreign port or customer facility. In certain instances, we produce and hold or consign products for a limited number of customers for which title does not transfer until shipment from our manufacturing facility or the products are used by the customer. In these instances, we recognize revenue related to these products when control of the product transfers to the customer.
Competition.
Our AMS products are typically leaders in their respective categories and compete against specialty products made by competitors such as Marshall Manufacturing Company, Johns Manville, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Shaoxing Naite Plastics Co. Ltd., 3M Company, Covestro AG, Tenax Corporation, Intermas Group, and Hollingsworth and Vose Company. We believe our AMS products compete primarily on product features, innovations and customer service across the end-markets we serve. Of the end-markets we serve, industrial is generally the most price competitive due to a higher portion of commodity-type products that we often sell in order to maximize our machine utilization.
Raw Materials and Energy.
The primary raw material used in our AMS products is plastic resin, and we rely on a variety of commodity grade and specialty resins, including polypropylene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyamide (nylon) and a selection of specialized high temperature engineering grade resins. Our thermoplastic nets and apertured films are produced using a blend of specialty resins and commodity grade resins like polypropylene. Resin prices can fluctuate significantly and can impact profitability. Commodity grade resin prices typically correlate with crude oil prices while specialty resin prices often do not. Our TPU films are produced using specialty resins which are significantly more expensive than commodity grade resins.
We have multiple sources for most of our resin needs. However, some of our specialty resins are supplied by fewer manufacturers. We believe that our purchased raw materials are generally available from several sources and that the loss of a single supplier would not likely have a material adverse effect on our ability to procure needed raw materials from other suppliers. Our total resin purchases in
2018
and
2017
totaled $143 million and $129 million, respectively.
The majority of our energy requirements relate to electricity in the U.S. We consider this to be a relatively stable energy source.
Backlog and Seasonality.
In the AMS segment, customer orders are generally manufactured and shipped within 30 days or, in certain instances, within three months. Sales of our products within AMS are generally not subject to large seasonal fluctuations: however, we would expect the second and third quarters to be relatively stronger than the first and fourth quarters. As of
December 31, 2018
and
2017
, the AMS segment order backlog was approximately $65 million and $71 million, respectively.
Engineered Papers
Products.
Our EP segment produces both tobacco-related and non-tobacco-related papers. Our tobacco-related papers include various papers used in cigarette production and reconstituted tobacco ("Recon"), a reprocessed tobacco material, and comprise a large majority of EP's sales.
One of our key cigarette paper products is low ignition propensity ("LIP") cigarette paper. LIP cigarettes are designed to self-extinguish when not actively being smoked, thus offering a fire-safety feature. The U.S., the European Union ("E.U."), and several other smaller jurisdictions have mandated the use of LIP papers. Our solutions pioneered this cigarette paper category, and we remain a leader in this cigarette paper sub-segment through either direct sales or through licensing agreements. The Company maintains an extensive and active intellectual property portfolio.
Recon is another key component of EP's total sales and profits. The most significant of our Recon products is reconstituted tobacco leaf, (“RTL” or “traditional RTL”), which cigarette manufacturers often blend with virgin tobacco to achieve certain attributes in cigarettes, such as taste or reduced delivery of tar, nicotine, or other tobacco-related smoking constituents. Historically, the production of RTL has often been a cost-effective use for tobacco leaf scraps, though virgin leaf price and inventory supply conditions can shift the relative attractiveness of our products. We also produce a similar line of Recon products referred to as wrappers and binders for use in machine-made cigars. Recently, a new generation of tobacco industry products generally referred to as Heat not Burn (“HnB”) have been introduced into the
marketplace with a goal of reducing harmful effects of smoking. We generated commercial sales in 2018, and continue to develop products to meet potential demand should global consumer adoption gain momentum and the technology gains support from appropriate regulatory authorities.
Our non-tobacco paper products include a mix of lightweight papers including low-volume, high-value, engineered materials such as alkaline battery separator papers, as well as high-volume commodity paper grades for printing and writing, flooring laminates, and food service packaging, which are intended to maximize machine utilization. We intend to make continued diversification investments in our EP segment to broaden our offerings, utilize existing machine capacity, and/or further monetize our paper making and reconstitution technologies.
Our wet-laid paper making technologies can be broadly classified into two main production processes: flat-wire production and incline-wire production. Generally, our machines are flat-wire, meaning a liquid slurry of short pulp fibers and water are laid onto flat-wire conveyor belts, with the water draining through the wire as the fibers (wood, flax, tobacco, etc.) bond together to form a paper sheet. Incline-wire machines allow for increased drainage, enabling the use of longer fibers which bond into a more open web, increasing the porosity. Incline wire machines are typically associated with higher-value products given this added porosity, which is important in filtration and other specialty applications that tend to justify premium pricing.
The Company continues to focus resources on innovation through activities in our OneFiber lab where paper customers can work closely with our technologists to develop improved paper-based products and our LeafLab fiber reconstitution incubator at our facility in France. Our reconstitution technologies have potential to be utilized in products serving the cosmetics and packaging industries reprocessing botanical, vegetable, or other plant fibers. Furthermore, SWM’s Recon technologists are active in joint development with several cigarette manufacturers to drive continued innovation and product commercialization in the rapidly emerging Heat not Burn tobacco product area.
Markets and Customers.
Our EP segment is heavily influenced by global smoking trends, particularly in the U.S., the E.U. (both LIP markets), and Brazil where we have the majority of our operations and highest share of the category's volume. Historically, mature geographic regions, such as the U.S. and the E.U. have exhibited a steady decline in smoking rates, often to the low-to-mid single digits. Overall, approximately 88% of EP segment sales are to customers in the tobacco end-market, with the majority of tobacco sales comprised of cigarette papers, and approximately 12% of EP segment sales are related to a variety of non-tobacco customers and applications.
We supply the major, and many of the smaller, cigarette and cigar manufacturers. We sell our products directly to the major tobacco companies or their designated converters in the Americas, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Philip Morris-USA, a subsidiary of Altria Group Inc., Philip Morris International ("PMI"), Japan Tobacco Inc. ("JT"), and British American Tobacco ("BAT"), are our four largest customers and, together with their respective affiliates and designated converters, accounted for 28%, 31% and 35% of our
2018
,
2017
and
2016
consolidated net sales, respectively. Although the total loss of one or more of these large customers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, we do not believe that such a loss is likely given our significance in the worldwide supply chain of cigarette-related papers.
Sales and Distribution.
Our internal marketing, sales and customer service organizations sell most of our tobacco-related products directly to cigarette manufacturers or their designated converters. Most of our EP segment's non-tobacco related products are sold directly to manufacturers. In some geographic regions, we use sales agents. We do not sell our products directly to consumers or advertise our products in consumer media. We typically deliver our products to customers by truck, rail and ocean-going vessels. As is typical in our industry, ownership of the product generally transfers to our customer upon shipment from our plants, except for certain export sales where ownership typically transfers at the foreign port or customer facility.
Competition.
The specialized nature of tobacco-related papers requires unique papermaking equipment, technical expertise, and research and development capabilities to meet exacting customer specifications. These factors have limited the number of competitors capable of servicing global cigarette manufacturers.
As the sole domestic producer of cigarette papers in North America and Latin America (SWM production in Brazil), we believe that we have a significant majority of the category share in those regions. Our paper plants in France and LIP printing facility in Poland sell a large amount of their products in the E.U. We estimate that we have a direct share of more than 40% of cigarette paper sales in the E.U., and coupled with royalty payments from a key competitor to whom we have licensed our LIP technology, we believe we are able to monetize over 80% of the LIP-compliant E.U. cigarette market. Our principal competitors include delfortgroup AG (" delfort"), which licenses our LIP technology, Miquel y Costas & Miquel S.A. ("Miquel y Costas"), Julius Glatz GmbH ("Glatz") and PT Bukit Muria Jaya ("BMJ"). In December 2017, the Dusseldorf Court of Appeals affirmed the German District Court judgment of patent infringement against Glatz including an injunction against making and selling LIP cigarette paper. We believe that the basis of cigarette and our non-tobacco papers competition is price, consistent quality, security of supply, and level of technical service.
Outside of China, SWM is the only non-cigarette company that produces RTL through a paper-making process. Some cigarette companies such as Philip Morris-USA, British American Tobacco, JT and STMA (China) produce RTL primarily for their own internal use. Our customers' cigarette blending decisions, which affect our traditional RTL sales volumes, can be influenced by worldwide virgin tobacco prices and availability as well as the general attractiveness of various competing in-house Recon products. Huabao International Holdings Ltd, a Hong Kong company, produces Recon in China. We believe that the basis of competition in this geographic region is primarily quality and price. Similarly, for HnB products, we believe we are the only non-cigarette manufacturer with production capabilities.
Raw Materials and Energy.
Wood pulp is the primary fiber used in our EP segment. Our operations consumed approximately $54 million and $42 million of wood pulp in the years ended
December 31, 2018
and
2017
, respectively, all of which we purchased. While EP uses other specialty fibers, such as flax, in our operations, we believe that purchased raw materials are generally available from several sources.
Paper production uses significant amounts of energy, primarily electricity, natural gas and fuel oil. We believe that energy supply is generally reliable throughout our manufacturing footprint, although prices can fluctuate significantly based on demand. We enter into agreements to procure a portion of our energy requirements for future periods in order to reduce the uncertainty of future energy costs. We also have a sustainability program focused on reducing our impact on the environment.
Additional information regarding agreements for the supply of certain raw materials and energy is included in Note
20
. Commitments and Contingencies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Backlog and Seasonality.
While our U.S., Polish and Brazilian EP operations do not calculate or maintain records of order backlogs, we typically receive forecasts of future demands from certain larger customers which are used to manage production and ensure sufficient supply of paper products. Our French paper operations order backlog was approximately $27 million and $34 million on
December 31, 2018
and
2017
, respectively. Paper orders are typically received and shipped within a 30-day period. The RTL business operates predominately under a number of annual supply agreements. The order backlog for RTL was approximately $92 million and $100 million on
December 31, 2018
and
2017
, respectively, and is typically filled within one fiscal year.
Generally, sales of our paper and Recon products are subject to seasonal fluctuations due to periodic machine downtime and typically lower order volumes in the fourth quarter.
Research and Development
As of
December 31, 2018
we employ approximately 93 research and development employees in research and laboratory facilities in France, Brazil, Poland, and the U.S. We are dedicated to developing product innovations and improvements to meet the needs of individual customers. We believe that our research and product development capabilities have played an important role in establishing our reputation for high quality, superior products in both our AMS and EP segments. Within AMS, we have a history of finding innovative design solutions, including developing products that improve the performance of customers' products and manufacturing operations. We believe that our commitment to research and development, coupled with our investment in new technology and equipment, has positioned us to take advantage of growth opportunities in many places around the world. Within EP, our research and development has enabled us to establish and sustain leading shares in various cigarette paper products, specifically LIP paper. We also are working with customers to meet potential future demand for reduced-harm tobacco products.
Patents and Trademarks
As of
December 31, 2018
, we owned 38 patents and had 52 pending patent applications in our AMS segment. While we consider our patents, and the protection thereof, to be important, no single patent or group of patents is material to the conduct of our AMS business segment.
In our AMS segment, as described in the branding initiative discussed above, SWM made a strategic decision to transition away from certain legacy business trade names associated with our recent acquisitions in favor of a streamlined SWM enterprise branding approach. Thus, in 2016, the Company recognized an impairment of our DelStar trade name asset as further described in Note
11
. Intangible Assets, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Information. The Company will continue to market its products under the long-standing product-level brand names and trademarks such as "NALTEX®," "DELNET®," “ARGOGUARD®” and “ARGOTHANE®.”
As of
December 31, 2018
, we owned 234 patents and had 110 pending patent applications in our EP segment, covering a variety of cigarette papers, RTL, cigar wrapper and binder and other products and processes in the U.S., Western Europe and several other countries. We believe that our patents, together with our papermaking expertise and technical sales support, have been instrumental in establishing us as the leading worldwide supplier of cigarette papers. We believe that patents have contributed to our position as the world's leading independent producer of papers used for LIP cigarettes.
Management believes that in the EP segment, our "ALGINEX®" water-based technology trademark, our "GLUCIGEN
TM
" trademark for use in banded papers for the production of LIP cigarettes, and the "SWM" logo and trade names have been important contributors to the marketing of our products. Further, we have developed, individually or in conjunction with customers, technologies to address the demand for cigarette paper for LIP cigarettes in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the E.U. We have licensed to others the right to use certain of our LIP intellectual property, excluding ALGINEX® related intellectual properties.
Management of a large portion of SWM's research and development activities is provided from our Luxembourg City, Luxembourg operation ("SWM Luxembourg"). These activities are often performed at other SWM locations under contract by SWM Luxembourg, and funded by SWM Luxembourg. SWM Luxembourg has the authority to initiate and manage research and development projects in areas such as, but not limited to, LIP paper, Recon for heat-non-burn devices, netting and other extruded resin products, and our non-tobacco products unit (Advanced Fibers and Materials). This operation also provides global oversight and active management for much of the Company's intellectual property rights.
Employees
As of
December 31, 2018
, we had approximately 3,500 regular, full-time, active employees.
North American Operations
.
Hourly employees at the Spotswood, New Jersey, Ancram, New York and Minneapolis, Minnesota plants are represented by locals of the United Steel Workers Union. The two-year collective bargaining agreement with hourly employees at our Spotswood plant is effective through July 28, 2020. The three-year collective bargaining agreement with employees at our Ancram plant is effective through September 30, 2020. The three-year collective bargaining agreement with hourly employees at our Minneapolis facility is effective through October 31, 2020. We believe employee and union relations continue to be positive at the Spotswood, Ancram and Minneapolis operational facilities.
Our operations in Canada, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and the former DelStar and Conwed facilities, other than Minneapolis, are non-union. We believe that employee relations are positive.
French Operations
.
Hourly employees at our Quimperlé, Spay, and Saint-Girons, France plants are union represented. We believe that employee relations in France are positive.
Luxembourg Operations.
Employees at our Luxembourg office are non-union. We believe that employee relations in Luxembourg are positive.
Brazilian Operations
.
Hourly employees at the Pirahy, Brazil plant are represented by a union. The one-year collective bargaining agreement with employees at SWM-B is effective through May 31, 2019. We believe that employee relations are generally positive and comparable to those of other similarly situated Brazilian manufacturing operations.
Polish Operations
.
Employees at our Strykow, Poland facility are non-union. We believe that employee relations in Poland are positive.
Chinese Operations
.
Employees at our Suzhou, China facility are non-union. We believe that employee relations in China are positive.
English Operations.
Some hourly employees at our Gilberdyke, England facility are represented by a union. We believe that employee relations in England are positive.
Belgium Operations
.
Employees at our Genk, Belgium facility work in accordance with Belgium labor regulations. We believe that employee relations in Belgium are positive.
Environmental Matters
Capital expenditures for environmental controls to meet legal requirements and those relating to the protection of the environment at our facilities in the U.S., United Kingdom, France and Brazil were
$1.0 million
in
2018
, no material amount of which was the result of environmental fines or settlements. We expect such expenditures to be
$1.0 million
or less in each of the next two years, of which no material amounts are expected to be the result of environmental fines or settlements. Should the Company make material changes in the operations at a facility, it is possible such changes could generate environmental obligations that might require remediation or other action, the nature, extent and cost of which are not presently known. These expenditures are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or competitive position; however, these estimates could be modified as a result of changes in our plans, changes in legal requirements or other factors.
Working Capital
We normally maintain approximately 50 to 90 days of inventories to support our operations. Our sales terms average between 15 and 60 days for payment by our customers, dependent upon the products and market segment served. With respect to our accounts payable, we typically carry approximately 15 to 40 days outstanding, in accordance with our
purchasing terms, which vary by business location. The accounts payable balance varies in relation to changes in our manufacturing operations, particularly due to changes in prices of wood pulp, resins and purchased energy and the level and timing of capital expenditures related to projects in progress.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
The names and ages of our executive officers as of
March 1, 2019
, together with certain biographical information, are as follows:
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Dr. Jeffrey Kramer
|
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58
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Chief Executive Officer
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R. Andrew Wamser
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45
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Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
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Michel Fievez
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61
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Executive Vice President, Engineered Papers
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Daniel Lister
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46
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Executive Vice President, Advanced Materials & Structures
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Ricardo Nunez
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General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
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Robert Cardin
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Corporate Controller
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There are no family relationships between any of the directors, or any of our executive officers. None of our officers were selected pursuant to any arrangement or understanding between the officer and any person other than the Company. Our executive officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors and are elected annually by the Board.
Dr. Jeffrey Kramer
was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2017, after serving as Co-Chief Executive Officer since March 2017. Prior to joining SWM, Dr. Kramer served as Vice President, Lubricants of Brenntag AG, a distributor of chemicals, from January 2016. Dr. Kramer previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of J.A.M. Distributing Company from January 2013 through December 2015. J.A.M. Distributing Company is a distributor of high-performance lubricants and fuels. Dr. Kramer previously held various senior positions at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., an industrial gases company, including Vice President and Chief Technology Officer from June 2012 through December 2012 and Vice President and General Manager, Packaged Gases, from 2005 through June 2012.
R. Andrew Wamser
was appointed Co-Chief Financial officer on February 5, 2018 and, effective March 2, 2018, became the sole Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer and the Company's Principal Financial Officer. Prior to joining SWM, Mr. Wamser served as Vice President, Finance; Investor Relations and Treasurer of AutoNation, Inc., the largest automotive retailer by revenue in the US. Prior to that Mr. Wamser served as Managing Director, Investment Banking; Diversified Industrial Group of Barclays Capital Plc, now known as Barclays Investment Bank, the investment banking division of Barclays PLC. He also previously held other investment banking roles at Barclays Capital and UBS Investment Bank.
Michel Fievez
was appointed Executive Vice President, Engineered Papers in December 2014. He previously held the title of Executive Vice President, Reconstituted Tobacco at the Company since March 2010. Prior to that, he held the position of President - European Operations from June 2007 to March 2010. From 2003 to May 2007, Mr. Fievez served as General Manager One Side Coated Papers and then Vice President and General Manager Packaging, Metalizing and Office and Graphic with Ahlstrom Corporation, a fiber-based materials company. From 1998 to 2003, he held key management positions, including Managing Director, with Chesapeake Display and Packaging in Europe, and from 1994 to 1998, held the position of Vice President Manufacturing and Technology with Mead Packaging Europe. Before that, he worked for five years as Associate and Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company.
Daniel Lister
was appointed Executive Vice President, Advanced Materials & Structures on July 5, 2016. Mr. Lister joined SWM from Greif, Inc., a global leader in industrial packaging and services, where he worked since 2005. From 2009 to 2016 Mr. Lister held key international roles including, Vice President, Middle East Development and Division President and CEO of Greif Flexible Products & Services, a Joint Venture with the Al Dabbagh Group. Prior to his international assignments, Mr. Lister led key businesses in North America. Mr. Lister worked for The Dow Chemical Company from 2001 to 2005 where he held several commercial strategy, business growth, and business management roles.
Ricardo Nunez
was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in September 2017, after serving as Interim General Counsel since November 2016. Prior to joining SWM, Mr. Nunez served as General Counsel for Vivex Biomedical, Inc. a Marietta, GA based biologics company from April 2015 to July 2016. Prior to that, he served as SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for HD Supply, Inc. a spinoff from The Home Depot from March 2007 to April 2015. Mr. Nunez's previous experience also includes senior legal responsibilities at The Home Depot, General Electric, and Esso Inter-America, Inc. (the Latin America affiliate of Exxon Corporation), as well as private practice.
Robert Cardin
has served as Corporate Controller since November 2013. Previously, Mr. Cardin served as Controller for Syncreon International Group, a specialized provider of integrated logistics services to global industries, since 2011. Prior to that time he was employed by DENTSPLY International Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of dental products, as Assistant Corporate Controller from 2010 to 2011 and as Group Controller - Dental Consumables Business from 2004 to 2010.
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
Factors That May Affect Future Results
Many risk factors both within and outside of our control could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and on the market price of our common stock. While not an exhaustive list, the following important risk factors could affect our future results, including our actual results for
2018
and thereafter and could also cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we have made or may make.
We expect our business to continue to be adversely impacted by governmental actions relating to tobacco products, as well as by decreased demand for tobacco products due to declining social acceptance of smoking, new smoking technologies, and litigation in the U.S. and other countries.
In
2018
, approximately 49% of our net sales were from products used by the tobacco industry in making cigarettes or other tobacco products. Cigarette consumption outside of Asia has generally declined due to, among other things, the diminishing social acceptance of smoking, public reports with respect to the possible harmful effects of smoking, including effects of second-hand smoke, the use of other tobacco products, the development and use of new tobacco-related or substitute products or technologies, such as e-cigarettes, that do not use our products, and, particularly in the U.S., to litigation and actions on the part of private parties to restrict smoking. For instance, litigation is continuing against major U.S. manufacturers of consumer tobacco products seeking damages for health problems allegedly resulting from the use of tobacco in various forms. It is not possible to predict the outcome of such litigation or the effect adverse developments in pending and future litigation may have on the tobacco industry or its demand for our products, but in the past litigation has adversely affected demand for consumer tobacco products. These factors have led, and could lead, to certain merchants deciding not to sell tobacco products. As a result, the overall demand for conventional tobacco cigarettes outside of Asia has generally been declining in terms of volume of sales. These declines have had an adverse effect on demand for our products in these regions. We expect these trends to accelerate and thus to continue to reduce smoking levels and adversely affect demand for our products, which could have a material adverse impact on our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In recent years, governmental entities around the world, particularly in the U.S., Brazil, Russia, Australia and Western Europe, have taken, or have proposed, actions that had, or are likely to have, the effect of reducing consumption of tobacco products which, in turn, reduces demand for our products. These actions, including efforts to regulate, restrict or prohibit the sale, advertisement and promotion of tobacco products and their components, to limit smoking in public places, to control or restrict additives that may be used in tobacco products and to increase taxes on such products, are intended to discourage the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products. For example, in the U.S., the regulatory jurisdiction of the federal Food and Drug Administration was extended in 2009 to include tobacco products, and again in 2016 to include cigars and additional tobacco products. These products are now subject to product component disclosure regulations, new controls on ingredients and design changes, and additional restrictions relating to marketing and labeling. The federal Food and Drug Administration could promulgate additional regulations. In Brazil, regulations limit the use of additives to cigarettes. In the E.U., the Tobacco Products Directive regulates the content, effects, marketing and labeling of tobacco products, and both revisions to the Directive and the ongoing phase-in of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical Substances regulation ("REACH") may further restrict product ingredients. Additionally, the World Health Organization is actively promoting tobacco regulation, and other countries worldwide are in the process of adopting some or all of these restrictions. It is not possible to predict the additional legislation or regulations relating to tobacco products that may be instituted, or additional countries that may adopt such legislation or regulations, or the extent to which such legislation or regulations may impact the design or formulation of our customers' products. Such legislation or regulation may adversely impact the demand for traditional cigarettes and cigars, with corresponding impacts on our sales of cigarette papers, RTL and associated items, which could have a material adverse effect on our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our joint ventures in China serve only the local market. Declines in Chinese cigarette consumption could have a material adverse effect on our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, including our China Tobacco Schweitzer (Yunnan) Reconstituted Tobacco Co. Ltd. (“CTS”) and China Tobacco Mauduit (Jiangmen) Paper Industry Ltd. (“CTM”) joint ventures.
Our technological advantages are unlikely to continue indefinitely.
We consider our intellectual property and patents to be a material asset. We have been at the forefront of developing new products and technology within our industries and have patented several of our innovations, particularly with regard to cigarette paper used to produce LIP cigarettes. This has enhanced our ability to sell products and to provide added functionality and other value to the products we sell allowing them to command higher margins. This advantage has also enabled us to license certain of our patents and know-how to, and earn royalty income from, third parties. Ultimately, our patents will expire (generally before 2023) and some may be held invalid in certain jurisdictions before their expiration dates. In addition to protecting certain of our technological advantages through patenting, we also protect a significant amount of our technological advantages as trade secrets, especially with regard to our AMS segment and our RTL products. As we expand our operations to more locations and countries, the risk of the loss of proprietary trade secrets will increase, and any significant loss would result in the loss of the competitive advantages provided by such trade secrets. While we cannot predict the impact or the timing of these trends and eventualities, they likely will reduce our sales and margins from the levels that we otherwise would have achieved.
Effectively policing our domestic and international intellectual property and patent rights is costly and may not be successful.
Our portfolio of granted patents varies by country, which could have an impact on any competitive advantage provided by patents in individual countries. We cannot guarantee that any U.S. or foreign patent, issued or pending, will provide us with any continued competitive advantage.
We rely on patent, trademark, and other intellectual property laws of the U.S. and other countries to protect our intellectual property rights. However, we cannot guarantee that one or more of our patents will not be challenged by third parties and/or ultimately held invalid by courts or patent agencies of competent jurisdiction, which could remove the legal barriers preventing competitors from practicing our LIP technology among others.
Further, there can be no assurances that we will be able, or that it will be economic for us, to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property or infringing our patents without our authorization, which may reduce any competitive advantage we have developed. In the event that we need to enforce certain of our patents against infringement through judicial or administrative actions, the litigation to protect these rights is often costly and time consuming and diverts management resources; moreover, there can be no assurance that our efforts to protect our intellectual property will be successful, or that a defendant will not assert counterclaims against us or challenges to other intellectual property we may own.
Some of our patents have been the subject of opposition hearings. Like the actions we undertake to enforce our IP rights, oppositions filed against us in respect of our intellectual property are expensive and divert management time and resources.
Even when the Company is initially successful, there can be no assurance that the counterparty will not appeal, or that the appeal will not be successful. Even when successful at the appeal level, as with respect to patents such as EP 1,482,815 (relating to a low-viscosity polymers to print LIP bands), there can be no assurance that a patent will not be later successfully challenged in individual national court jurisdictions.
We do not believe that any of our products infringe the valid intellectual property rights of third parties. However, we may be unaware of intellectual property rights of others that may cover some of our products or services or a court or other governmental body may come to a different conclusion from ours. In that event, we may be subject to significant claims for damages or disruptions to our operations.
Because of the geographic diversity of our business, we are subject to a range of international risks.
Our operations are located in many countries around the world and operate, to a degree, in a decentralized manner. There are inherent control and fraud risks in such a structure. Moreover, we have manufacturing facilities in eight countries and two joint ventures in China and sell products in over
90
countries, many of which are emerging and undeveloped markets.
As a result, our manufacturing operations, sales and results, depending on their location, are subject to various international business risks, including, but not limited to, the following:
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Foreign countries can impose significant import, export, excise and income tax and other regulatory restrictions on our business, including limitations on repatriation of profits and proceeds of liquidated assets. While we attempt to manage our operations and international movements of cash from and amongst our foreign subsidiaries in a tax-efficient manner, unanticipated international movement of funds due to unexpected changes in our business or changes in tax and associated regulatory schemes could materially affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
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We are exposed to global as well as regional macroeconomic and microeconomic factors, which can affect demand and pricing for our products, including: unsettled political and economic conditions, including as they relate to Brazil, Russia and the Ukraine; expropriation; import and export tariffs; regulatory controls and restrictions; and inflationary and deflationary economies. These factors together with risks inherent in international operations, including risks associated with any non-compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the 2013 Brazilian Clean Companies Act, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, the 2013 Russian Law on Preventing Corruption and other non-U.S. anti-bribery law compliance, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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We participate in two joint ventures and have one manufacturing facility in China. The joint ventures sell our products primarily to Chinese tobacco companies. Operations in China entail a number of risks including international and domestic political risks, the need to obtain operating and other permits from the government, adverse changes in the policies or in our relations with government-owned or run customers and the uncertainty inherent in operating within an evolving legal and economic system. There are also risks inherent with 50% joint ventures, such as a lack of ability to control, and visibility with respect to operations, customer relations and compliance practice, among others.
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Changes or increases in international trade sanctions or quotas may restrict or prohibit us from transacting business with established customers or securing new ones, including as to Russia and the Ukraine, which are areas where the Company has offices and/or significant customers and as to which the applicable sanctions have changed unexpectedly on a number of occasions since 2014.
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Changes in the laws and regulations described above, adverse interpretations or applications of such laws and regulations, and the outcome of various court and regulatory proceedings, including in Europe and Brazil, could adversely impact the Company's business in a variety of ways, including increasing expenses, increasing liabilities, decreasing sales, limiting its ability to repatriate funds and generally limiting its ability to conduct business, all of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
New tariffs and other trade measures could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
In 2018, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum and a broad range of other products imported into the U.S. In response to the tariffs imposed by the U.S., the European Union, Canada, Mexico and China have announced tariffs on U.S. goods and services. The new tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or trade restrictions that may be implemented by the U.S. or retaliatory trade measures or tariffs implemented by other countries, could result in higher manufacturing costs and increased prices for our products, and we may not be able to pass the higher
manufacturing costs and price increases on to our customers. Through our joint venture partners, we also manufacture certain EP products in China. While sales of our products manufactured in China are currently sold only in local markets, any exports of our products manufactured in China to the U.S. may also be impacted by the tariffs and other restrictions on trade between the U.S. and China. While tariffs and other retaliatory trade measures imposed by other countries on U.S. goods have not yet had a significant impact on our business or results of operations, we cannot predict further developments, and such existing or future tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
We may be adversely affected by recent developments relating to the U.K.’s referendum vote in favor of leaving the European Union, particularly if the U.K. and the European Union are unable to reach a mutually satisfactory exit agreement before the current deadline of March 29, 2019.
The U.K. held a referendum in 2016 in which a majority voted for the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union, which is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” As a result of this vote, the U.K. and the European Union are negotiating to determine the terms of Brexit and their relationship going forward. The effects of the Brexit vote and the perceptions as to the impact of the withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union may adversely affect business activity and economic and market conditions in the U.K., the Eurozone, and globally and could contribute to instability in global financial and foreign exchange markets, including volatility in the value of the pound sterling and the euro. For example, since the Brexit vote, the value of the pound sterling has incurred significant fluctuations. If the value of the pound sterling continues to incur similar fluctuations, unfavorable exchange rate changes may negatively affect our operations located in the U.K., which may impact the revenue and earnings we report. In addition, if no formal agreement is made between the European Union and the U.K. prior to the deadline for the U.K.’s exit, which is currently set for March 29, 2019, continued deflation of the pound sterling could result. Any of these effects could have an adverse impact on the value of our assets in the U.K., as well as our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws or trade control laws, as well as other laws governing our operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business. The FCPA, the 2013 Brazilian Clean Companies Act, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, the 2013 Russian Law on Preventing Corruption and these other laws generally prohibit us, our employees, consultants and agents from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. We operate in a number of jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA violations, and we participate in joint ventures and relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject us to liability under the FCPA or local anti-corruption laws. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.
We are also subject to other laws and regulations governing our international operations, including regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control, and various non-U.S. government entities, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions on countries and persons, customs requirements, currency exchange regulations and transfer pricing regulations, or collectively, Trade Control laws.
However, there is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA or other legal requirements, including Trade Control laws. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Likewise, any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control laws by U.S. or foreign authorities could also have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
A significant portion of our revenues are generated from operations outside the U.S. In addition, we maintain significant operations and acquire or manufacture many of our products outside the U.S. The functional currency of our international subsidiaries is generally the local currency in which each subsidiary operates. In particular, a large portion of our commercial business is denominated in euros and Brazilian reals. Our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars. Therefore, we must translate revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities from functional currencies into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during, or at the end of, the reporting period. As a result, our future revenues, costs, results of operations and earnings could be significantly affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, especially the euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate and the Brazilian real to U.S. dollar exchange rate.
In addition, some of our sale and purchase transactions are denominated in a currency other than the local currency of our operations. As a result, changes in exchange rates between the currencies in which the transaction is denominated versus the local currency of our operation into which the transaction is being recorded can impact the amount of local currency recorded for such transaction. This can result in more or less local currency revenue or cost related to such transaction and thus have an effect on our operating profit. Our Brazilian and Polish operations are more fully exposed to currency transaction risk, especially as a result of U.S. dollar sales in Brazil and euro denominated sales in Poland. We also hold a significant amount of our cash balances in euros, thus any weakening of the euro versus the U.S. Dollar would reduce the amount of U.S. Dollars for which such balances could be exchanged.
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates also impact the amount reported in other income (expense), net. For instance, when a non-local currency receivable or payable is not settled in the period in which it is incurred, we are required to record a gain or loss, as applicable, to reflect the impact of any change in the exchange rate as of the end of the period. We also have to reflect the translation rate impact on the carrying value of our foreign assets and liabilities as of the end of each period, which is recorded as Unrealized Translation Adjustment in Other Comprehensive Income.
We utilize a variety of practices to manage this risk, including operating and financing activities and, where considered appropriate, derivative instruments. All derivative instruments we use are either exchange traded or entered into with major financial institutions in order to reduce credit risk and risk of nonperformance by third parties. Counterparty risk cannot be eliminated and there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. We generally hedge foreign currency transaction risk primarily through the use of derivative instruments, including forward and swap contracts and, to a lesser extent, option contracts. The use of derivative instruments is intended to mitigate or reduce transactional level volatility in the results of foreign operations, but does not completely eliminate volatility. If our future revenues, costs and results of operations are significantly affected by economic conditions abroad and/or we are unable to effectively hedge these risks, they could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and application of the U.S. tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate.
On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law legislation that significantly revised the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Tax Act, among other things, contains significant changes to corporate taxation. To date, the U.S. Department of Treasury has issued proposed regulations and guidance on some aspects of the Tax Act, but there remains considerable uncertainty as to the application of certain provisions of the Tax Act that may be relevant to us. As additional regulatory guidance is issued and finalized and as we perform additional analysis there could be material impacts to our tax obligation and effective tax rate. Any changes as a result of new or finalized regulations will be recorded in the period of adoption.
The Company could be subject to changes in its tax rates, the adoption of new U.S., or foreign tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities.
The Company is subject to taxes in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions where a number of the Company’s subsidiaries are organized. The Company’s future effective tax rate could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries
with differing statutory tax rates or future changes in tax laws or their interpretations as to the legality of tax advantages granted under various current and past corporate structures. Although none of the Company’s international tax arrangements are currently being challenged or threatened to be challenged, recent developments, such as the European Commission’s investigations on illegal state aid as well as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development project on base erosion and profit shifting may result in changes to long-standing tax principles or new challenges to our cross-border arrangements, which could materially affect our effective tax rate or require a restructuring of the holding of foreign subsidiaries. If the Company’s effective tax rates were to increase, or if any ultimate determination of the Company’s taxes owed is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, the Company’s operating results, cash flows, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
We face competition from several established competitors and, in our RTL business from tobacco leaf; we have limited market transparency.
Our four largest competitors for our EP business are delfortgroup AG ("delfort"), Julius Glatz GmbH ("Glatz"), Miquel y Costas & Miquel S.A. ("Miquel y Costas") and PT BUKIT Muria Jaya ("BMJ"). All four primarily operate from modern and cost-effective plants in Western Europe and Asia and are capable and long-standing suppliers to the tobacco industry. Further, three such competitors, delfort, Glatz and BMJ, are privately held and the third, Miquel y Costas, is a closely held public company. Thus, their financial results and other business developments and strategies are not disclosed to the same extent as ours, which provides them some advantage in dealing with customers. Given the concentration of most of our competitors in Western Europe, which has seen declining demand for tobacco products and has labor laws that make reducing capacity expensive and slow, excess capacity exists and therefore price competition is acute. We believe that all four competitors have good relationships with the multinational cigarette companies, as does the Company. The multinational cigarette companies have been known to use these close relationships to encourage the development of enhanced competition through supporting competitive products and facilities, especially when confronted with new, high-value technologies such as porous plug wrap in the past and LIP today. We believe our Engineered Paper products compete primarily on product features, price, innovations and customer service. Due to many of the factors described above, we have a limited ability to predict trends in the industry and there may be a time lag before we become aware of developing trends in the industry.
Our AMS segment products compete to some degree against specialty products made by Marshall Manufacturing Company, Johns Manville, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Shaoxing Naite Plastics Co. Ltd., 3M Company, Covestro AG, Tenax Corporation, Intermas Group, and Hollingsworth and Vose Company. We believe our AMS products compete primarily on product features, innovations and customer service. Some of these competitors are larger than we are and have more resources, thus the actions of these competitors could have an impact on the results of our AMS segment operations.
As a result of the foregoing, the Company faces significant selling price, sales volume and new product risks from its competitors, especially during periods (often annually) in which the Company's contracts with its major customers are subject to renewal or renegotiation.
Currently, fine papers used to produce cigarettes are only exported on a limited basis from available capacity in China and other Asian locations to western multinational cigarette companies due to government taxes and tariffs, which limit price competitiveness, as well as due to customer preferences. Should conditions change in this regard, capacity that currently is operating in China and elsewhere in Asia would present a risk to our competitive position outside Asia and place further pressure on our legacy paper production platforms. Similarly, we are starting to see increased competition for some of our AMS products from companies in China, which, we believe, may have lower operating costs than us, resulting in a potential price advantage for such companies.
In the RTL end-market segment, demand is a function, among other things, of smoke delivery regulations, the cigarette manufacturer's desire for a uniform and consistent product, the taste profile sought by cigarette manufacturers and the cost of recycling the tobacco by-product scraps relative to the cost of virgin tobacco products. Thus, our RTL business is also subject to competitive risk from lower cost virgin tobacco leaf or other, cheaper, cigarette fillers. These factors have resulted, and are likely to continue to result, in materially lower sales volumes for our RTL business, resulting in
downtime of certain production machines and, in some cases, accelerated depreciation or impairment charges for certain equipment as well as employee severance expenses associated with downsizing or restructuring activities.
Further, as a result of excess capacity in the tobacco-related papers industry and increased operating costs, competitive levels of selling prices for certain of the Company's products are not sufficient to cover those costs with a margin that the Company considers reasonable. Such competitive pressures have resulted, and could result in the future, in downtime of certain paper production machines and, in some cases, accelerated depreciation or impairment charges for certain equipment as well as employee severance expenses associated with downsizing or restructuring activities.
We are dependent upon a small number of customers for a significant portion of our sales; the loss of one or more of these customers, or changes in their cigarette blending approaches, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Four customers, together with their respective affiliates and designated converters, accounted for over 28% of our net sales in
2018
. The loss of one or more of these customers, or a significant reduction in their purchases, particularly those that impact our sales of LIP papers or Recon, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. The enhanced capabilities provided by RTL in the area of product design and regulatory compliance are important to our customers. However, future RTL results could be adversely affected by fluctuations in customer inventories, changes in the cigarette tobacco blending approaches by our customers, changes in regulations and tariffs and the price of virgin tobacco leaf.
In addition, significant consolidation has occurred among our tobacco customers and may continue to occur, thereby increasing our dependence upon a fewer number of tobacco industry customers and increasing the negotiating leverage of those customers that remain. If any of our customers were to change suppliers, in-source production of Recon or cigarette papers (including those used to produce LIP cigarettes), institute significant cost-cutting measures or experience financial difficulty, then these customers may substantially reduce their purchases from us, which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, adverse results in the negotiation of any of our significant customer contracts, the terms of which are typically negotiated every one to three years, could significantly impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We are dependent upon the availability of credit, and changes in interest rates can impact our business.
We supplement operating cash flow with bank borrowings under a secured credit agreement with a syndicate of banks. Borrowings under this agreement will mature in September 2023 and September 2025. To date, we have been able to access credit when needed and on commercially reasonable terms. However, deterioration of credit markets, including an economic crisis in the U.S. or elsewhere, whether or not caused by the U.S. or European debt ceiling, deficits and budget issues, could have an adverse impact on our ability to negotiate new credit facilities or access or renew our existing one. Constraints on the availability of credit, or the unavailability of credit at reasonable interest rates, would negatively impact our business, including potentially impairing our ability to declare dividends, conduct share buy-backs and make acquisitions.
Our secured credit facility contains certain financial covenants. In the event of material unforeseen events that impact our financial performance, particularly during a time when we have material amounts of debt, a situation could arise where we are unable to fully draw from our existing credit facility notwithstanding that there is otherwise available capacity.
Our credit facilities are secured by substantially all of the personal property of the Company and its domestic subsidiaries. In the event of a default on these agreements, substantially all of the assets of the Company could be subject to foreclosure or liquidation by the secured creditors.
We may utilize a combination of variable and fixed-rate debt consisting of short-term and long-term instruments. We selectively hedge our exposure to interest rate increases on our variable rate long-term debt when we believe that it is practical to do so. We have utilized various forms of interest rate hedge agreements, including interest rate swap agreements, forward rate agreements and cross currency swaps. There are inherent risks associated with interest rate
hedges, including those associated with the movement of interest rates, counterparty risk and unexpected need to refinance debt, thus there can be no certainty that our hedging activities will be successful or fully protect us from interest rate exposure. As of
December 31, 2018
, the percentage of the Company’s fixed and floating interest rate debt was 56% and 44%, respectively. The Company has entered into a number of interest rate hedge transactions to convert floating rate debt to fixed. Including the impact of these transactions, as of
December 31, 2018
, the percentage of the Company’s debt subject to fixed and floating rates of interest was 85% and 15%, respectively.
Our use of interest rate hedge agreements to manage risk associated with interest rate volatility may expose us to additional risks, including the risk that a counterparty to a hedge agreement may fail to honor its obligations. Developing an effective interest rate risk strategy is complex and no strategy can completely insulate us from risks associated with interest rate fluctuations. There can be no assurance that our hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Termination of interest rate hedge agreements typically involves costs, such as transaction fees or breakage costs.
Changes in the method pursuant to which LIBOR rates are determined and potential phasing out of LIBOR after 2021 may adversely affect our results of operations.
LIBOR and certain other “benchmarks” are the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. These reforms may cause such benchmarks to perform differently than in the past or have other consequences which cannot be predicted. In particular, on July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, publicly announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. It is unclear whether, at that time, LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established. Any uncertainty regarding the continued use and reliability of LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate could adversely affect the performance of LIBOR relative to its historic values. If the methods of calculating LIBOR change from current methods for any reason, or if LIBOR ceases to perform has it has historically, our interest expense associated with the unhedged portion of our outstanding indebtedness or any future indebtedness we incur may increase. Further, if LIBOR ceases to exist, we may be forced to substitute an alternative reference rate, such as a different benchmark interest rate or base rate borrowings, in lieu of LIBOR under our current and future indebtedness and interest rate swaps. At this point, it is not clear what, if any, alternative reference rate may be adopted to replace LIBOR, however, any such alternative reference rate may be calculated differently than LIBOR and may increase the interest expense associated with our existing or future indebtedness.
Finally, the replacement or disappearance of LIBOR may adversely affect the value of and return on our LIBOR-based obligations and the availability, pricing and terms of LIBOR-based interest rate swaps we use to hedge our interest rate risk. Alternative reference rates or modifications to LIBOR may not align for our assets, liabilities, and hedging instruments, which could reduce the effectiveness of certain of our interest rate hedges, and could cause increased volatility in our earnings. We may also incur expenses to amend and adjust our indebtedness and swaps to eliminate any differences between any alternative reference rates used by our interest rate hedges and our outstanding indebtedness.
Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely affect our borrowing costs, business and results of operations.
Our internal and external expansion plans and asset dispositions entail different and additional risks relative to the rest of our business.
From time to time, we consider acquisitions either within the tobacco industry or outside the industry in connection with our diversification initiatives, such as our acquisitions of DelStar Technologies, Inc., Argotec LLC and Conwed Plastics LLC. This acquisition activity could involve confidential negotiations that are not publicly announced unless and until those negotiations result in a definitive agreement. It is possible that an acquisition could adversely impact our results, credit ratings or the outlook of our business, due to, among other things, integration and employee retention challenges, contrasting company cultures and different information technology and reporting systems. Also, acquisition opportunities are limited and present risks of failing to achieve strategic objectives, smooth integrations or anticipated synergies or returns. There can be no assurance that we will be able to acquire attractive businesses on favorable terms, that we will realize the anticipated benefits or profits through acquisitions or that acquisitions will be accretive to our earnings. Changes in our portfolio of businesses, assets and products, whether through acquisition (such as our
acquisitions of DelStar, Argotec and Conwed), disposition or internal growth, present additional risks, including causing us to incur unknown or new types of liabilities, subjecting us to new regulatory frameworks and new market risks, and acquiring operations in new geographic regions with challenging labor, regulatory and tax regimes. The potential future expansion of our AMS business unit or other operations could cause these operations to face additional competition from larger and more established competitors than is currently the case.
Our ability to dispose of idled assets and the value that may be obtained relative to their book value can result in significant impairment charges. Building a new plant or other facility or relocating, rebuilding or otherwise modifying existing production machinery is a major undertaking and entails a number of risks, including the possibility that the contractors and sub-contractors who are expected to build the facility or rebuild the machine and supply the necessary equipment do not perform as expected, the possibility of cost overruns and delays, or that design defects or omissions cause the facility or machine to perform at less than projected efficiency or at less than projected capacity. In addition, commencement of production at a new site or at a rebuilt or relocated machine is time consuming and requires testing and acceptance by customers and potentially by regulators, of the facility and the products that are produced. Also, while we anticipate sufficient demand for the facility's or machine's output, there can be no assurances that the expected demand will materialize. For more information on our expansion plans, see Part II, Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation" of this report.
We also expect to continue to expend resources to diversify and expand our product portfolio. Research and development and product diversification have inherent risks, including technical success, market acceptance, new regulations and potential liabilities. We cannot guarantee that such efforts will succeed, that we will not incur new or different liabilities or that we will achieve a satisfactory return on such expenditures.
We may not successfully integrate acquisitions or integrate other SWM operations into AMS and we may be unable to achieve anticipated cost savings or other synergies.
The integration of the operations of acquired companies involves a number of risks and presents financial, managerial, reporting, legal and operational challenges. We may have difficulty, and may incur unanticipated expenses related to, integrating information systems, financial reporting activities, employee retention and integrating and retaining management and personnel from acquired companies. Among these risks are potential loss of consumer awareness and demand for the acquired companies’ products based on the rebranding of those products under the Company’s legacy brand names. Additionally with respect to the acquisition of Conwed in early 2017, we may not be able to achieve anticipated cost savings or commercial or growth synergies, for a number of reasons, including contractual constraints and obligations or an inability to take advantage of expected commercial opportunities, inability to achieve increased operating efficiencies or commercial expansion of key technologies. In the second half of 2015, we formed our AMS business unit comprised of these operations and certain other SWM resources. The future success of AMS depends, in part, on our ability to attract additional management, retain key employees, integrate new personnel, operating and reporting systems as well as execute AMS’ growth strategy. Failure to successfully integrate acquired companies into AMS may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Our restructuring activities are time-consuming and expensive and could significantly disrupt our business.
We have initiated significant restructuring activities in recent years, including restructurings in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 in France and the U.S., during 2014 in Brazil and during 2012 in the Philippines, that have become part of an overall effort to improve an imbalance between demand for our products and our production capacity as well as improve our profitability and the quality of our products. We expect to continue these restructuring efforts from time to time. Restructuring of our existing operations, or as a result of acquisitions, involves issues that are complex, time-consuming and expensive and could significantly disrupt our business as well as garner review from regulatory authorities which could result in financial impacts to the Company. The challenges involved in executing the actions that are part of our ongoing and, potentially future, restructuring plans include:
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demonstrating to customers that the restructuring activities will not result in adverse changes in service standards or business focus;
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consolidating administrative infrastructure and manufacturing operations while maintaining adequate controls throughout the execution of the restructuring;
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preserving distribution, sales and other important relationships and resolving potential conflicts that may arise;
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estimating, managing and minimizing the cost of the restructuring activities;
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minimizing the diversion of management attention from ongoing business activities;
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maintaining employee morale, retaining key employees, maintaining reasonable collective bargaining agreements and avoiding strikes, work stoppages or other forms of labor unrest while implementing restructuring programs that often include reductions in the workforce;
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securing government approval of such plans, where necessary, and managing the litigation and associated liabilities that often are associated with restructuring actions;
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incurring costs associated with delays in restructuring activities caused by labor negotiations and/or governmental approvals;
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coordinating and combining operations, which may be subject to additional constraints imposed by collective bargaining agreements and local laws and regulations; and
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achieving the anticipated levels of net cost savings and efficiency as a result of the restructuring activities.
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If we do not achieve future and continued expected benefits as a result of our legal entity realignment, the ability to achieve our financial guidance for operating results and our financial condition, results of operations and cash-flow could be adversely affected.
In 2014, 2016 and again in 2017, we re-examined and re-aligned certain internal business operations and our legal entity structure in order to improve our cash-flows, have easier access to our foreign cash, centralize, enhance the management of our intellectual property and streamline certain internal business activities. Steps to accomplish these objectives have been taken and additional steps may be taken later as we continue to grow certain of our operations, diversify our business and continue our business analyses. We anticipate that there could be further realignment activities in the future.
Realignments can present significant risks of events occurring that could delay, halt or adversely affect the success of a project, including delays encountered in finalizing the scope of, and implementing, the realignment, the failure to achieve targeted benefits or savings, the failure to follow appropriate regulatory requirements or internal processes and procedures and a potential decrease in employee morale. Further, there can be no assurance that the taxing authorities of the jurisdictions in which we operate, or to which we are otherwise deemed to have sufficient tax activity, will not
challenge our interpretation of tax laws and regulations or the tax benefits that we expect to realize as a result of the realignment. Any such challenges (including our response thereto) can be time consuming or expensive with potentially uncertain outcomes, including as to additional interest, penalties or increase in back taxes that could be payable by us. In addition, changes to U.S. or non-U.S. tax laws and regulations may materially impact the anticipated benefits of our legal entity structure and any potential future realignments. Any future impact to our effective tax rate will also depend on our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with the regulatory requirements for such a realignment including applicable taxing provisions and realization of our anticipated profits as well as the countries in which such profits are realized. Further, we have incurred certain costs in connection with the realignment and we may incur additional costs, including ones that are not currently expected to be incurred. There also can be significant costs and complexities around meeting the necessary tax accounting rules as required by our realignment structure and regulations applicable to us and it is possible that the authorities might disagree with our accounting treatment or that there may be a disagreement or dispute regarding our calculations. It is also possible that the authorities might change, either prospectively or retrospectively, certain complex tax rulings that would have potentially significant impacts to our financial results. Additionally, due to the complex nature of some of the accounting and taxation calculations, the Company may incur significant costs in defending its interpretation of positions in regards to certain tax legislation, rulings and inquiries.
To the extent these risks or circumstances occur, we may fail to achieve the future financial and business benefits that we anticipate as a result of the realignments, our tax rate may increase and our future operating results, financial condition and cash flows may be negatively impacted. Thus, there can also be no assurance that we will realize the expected future benefits of the realignments.
Our financial performance can be significantly impacted by the cost and availability of raw materials and energy and we may have limited ability to pass through increases in costs to our customers.
Raw materials are a significant component of the cost of the products that we manufacture. The cost of wood pulp, which is the largest component of the raw materials that we use in our EP segment, and some resins used by our AMS segment are highly cyclical and can be more volatile than general consumer or producer inflationary changes in the general economy. For instance, during the period from January 2013 through December 2018, the U.S. list price of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp ("NBSK") a representative pulp grade that we purchase, increased by 61%. Also, in that same time period, the cost of polypropylene has fluctuated significantly based on a number of factors, including changes in global oil markets. As we periodically enter into agreements with customers under which we agree to supply products at fixed prices, unanticipated increases in the costs of raw materials, or the lack of availability of such raw materials (due to force majeure or other reasons), can significantly impact our financial performance. Even where we do not have fixed-price agreements, we generally cannot pass through increases in raw material costs in a timely manner and in many instances are not able to pass through the entire increase to our customers. Further, some of the resins we use in our AMS segment are only available from a single supplier, or a limited number of suppliers. Consequently, such supplier(s) can control the availability and thus the cost of the resins we use, notwithstanding any changes in the cost of oil. It can be time consuming and costly, and occasionally impractical, to find replacement resins where such suppliers limit the availability or increase the cost of resins we use.
Paper manufacturing is energy-intensive. In France, Poland, China and in the U.S., availability of energy generally is reliable, although prices can fluctuate significantly based on variations in overall demand. Western Europe is becoming significantly dependent on energy supplies from the Commonwealth of Independent States, which in the past has demonstrated a willingness to restrict or cut off supplies of energy to certain customers. The volume of oil or gas flowing through pipeline systems that ultimately connect to Western Europe also has been cut off or restricted in the past, and such actions can adversely impact the supply of energy to Western Europe and, consequently, the cost and availability of electricity to our European operations. In Brazil, because production of electricity is heavily reliant upon hydroelectric plants, availability of electricity can be, and has been in the past, affected by rain variations. Electricity in Brazil is also heavily taxed. Due to the competitive pricing for most of our products, we typically are unable to fully pass through higher energy costs to our customers. Periodically, when we believe it is advantageous to do so, we enter into agreements to procure a portion of our energy for future periods in order to reduce the uncertainty of future energy costs. However, in recent years this has only marginally slowed the increase in energy costs due to the volatile changes in energy prices we have experienced.
A failure of, or a security breach in, a key information technology system or process or other unusual events could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business; IT project delays and overruns are possible.
We rely extensively on information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-party service providers, to analyze, process and manage transactions and sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our employees. The secure processing and maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy and we rely heavily on the integrity of this data in managing our business. Insider or employee cyber and security threats are increasingly a concern for all companies, including ours. In addition, social engineering and phishing are a particular concern. We are continuously working to install new, and to upgrade our existing, information technology systems and to provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware and other cyber risks to ensure that we are protected, to the greatest extent possible, against cyber risks and security breaches.
Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or be breached due to employee or third party error, malfeasance or other disruptions. To date, we have not had a significant cyber breach or attack that has had a material impact on our business. However, any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims, proceedings, or regulatory penalties, including penalties under EU privacy laws, and could disrupt our operations.
There are further risks associated with the information systems of companies we acquire, both in terms of systems compatibility, level of security and functionality. It may cost us significant money and resources to address these risks and we may fail to address them successfully, adversely impacting our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
From time to time, we undertake significant information technology systems projects, including enterprise resource planning updates, modifications and roll-outs. These projects are subject to cost overruns and delays. Not only could these cost overruns and delays impact our financial statements but a delay in the completion of a needed IT project could adversely impact our ability to run our business and make fully informed decisions.
We rely on a limited number of key employees, have had significant personnel turnover and have had difficulty in attracting and hiring qualified new personnel in some areas of our business.
The loss of any of our key employees, including our CEO and his direct reports, due to retirement, difference in culture with acquired businesses, the demands of our business, our tobacco-related operations or otherwise could adversely affect our business and thus our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Because a large part of our business is tied to the tobacco industry, we may also experience difficulty in retaining and hiring qualified executives and other personnel in our AMS segment, at corporate and/or in EP. This may be caused by the health and social issues associated with the tobacco industry. We not only compete for talent with consumer products and other companies that enjoy greater social acceptance but also with larger, more established companies within the tobacco industry.
As we diversify through acquisitions outside our tobacco-related operations, we run the risk of turnover of key personnel within the businesses we acquire as well as difficulty in finding and attracting first class talent in industry segments that are new to us. This could slow the growth of these businesses and impede our ability to find and complete synergistic acquisitions.
Our business is subject to seasonal or cyclical market and industry fluctuations which may result in reduced net sales and operating profits during certain periods.
Sales of our EP products in the U.S., Europe, China and Brazil are subject to seasonal fluctuations. In the U.S. and Europe, customer shutdowns typically occur in August and December and historically have resulted in reduced net sales and operating profit during those two months. Likewise, the production of cigarettes in China for the Chinese market slows significantly before and during Chinese New Year, with a corresponding reduction in demand for our EP products. Additionally, our facilities occasionally shut down equipment to perform additional maintenance during these months or as a result of slow demand, resulting in higher product costs, higher maintenance expenses and reduced operating profit. In Brazil, customer orders are typically lower in December due to a holiday season during much of January and February. The oil & gas, mining and automotive industries are important to sales in our AMS segment and these and other industries tend to be cyclical, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows during the duration of their down cycles.
Our business depends upon good relations with our employees; work stoppages, slowdowns or legal action by our unionized employees may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We employ approximately 3,500 employees, including manufacturing employees represented by unions. Although we believe that employee and union relations are generally positive, there is no assurance that this will continue in the future. We may experience difficulties in maintaining appropriate relations with unions and employees in certain locations. Problems or changes affecting employees in certain locations may affect relations with our employees at other locations. The risk of labor disputes, work stoppages or other disruptions in production could adversely affect us, especially in conjunction with potential restructuring activities. If we cannot successfully negotiate or renegotiate collective bargaining agreements, or if negotiations take an excessive amount of time, there may be a heightened risk of work stoppages and we may be unable to achieve planned operational efficiencies. Work stoppages may be caused by the inability of national unions and the governments of countries in which we operate from reaching agreement, and are outside of our control. Any work stoppage or failure to reach agreements with our unions could have a material adverse effect on our customer relations, our productivity, the profitability of a manufacturing facility, our ability to develop new products and on our operations as a whole, resulting in an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our business is subject to various environmental laws, regulations and related litigation that could impose substantial costs or other liabilities on us.
Our facilities are subject to significant federal, state, local and foreign environmental protection laws with respect to air, water and emissions as well as the disposal of solid waste. We believe that we are operating in substantial compliance with these laws and regularly incur capital and operating expenditures in order to achieve future compliance. However, these laws may change, which could require changes in our practices, additional capital expenditures or loss of carbon credits, and we may discover aspects of our business that are not in compliance. Violation of these laws can result in the imposition of significant fines and remediation costs. In France, we presently have sufficient authorized capacity for our emissions of carbon dioxide through 2020. However, this authorization must be renewed periodically. We cannot predict whether we will have sufficient authorized capacity to conduct our operations in France as presently conducted or to do so without having to make substantial capital expenditures in future years.
We are a member of a potentially responsible party group ("Global PRP Group") that entered into a settlement with the State of New Jersey in 1993 concerning the remediation of a landfill site in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The landfill remediation has been completed. We have established a reserve of approximately $0.4 million that we believe is adequate to cover our ongoing liability, but we remain exposed to post-closure operating costs over an extended period of years that cannot be fully known or estimated at this time.
Additionally, in recent years, assessments of the potential impacts of climate change have begun to influence governmental authorities, consumer behavior patterns and the general business environment of the European Union
and the United States. The implementation of these policies may require us to invest additional capital in our properties or it may restrict the availability of land we are able to develop. These changes, or other changes in other environmental laws or the interpretation thereof, new enforcement of laws, the identification of new facts or the failure of other parties to perform remediation at our current or former facilities could lead to new or greater liabilities that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Although we are not aware of any environmental conditions at any of our facilities that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, we own facilities in France, the U.S. and elsewhere that have been operated over the course of many decades. Should the Company make material changes in the operations at a facility it is possible such changes could generate environmental obligations that might require remediation or other action, the nature, extent and cost of which are not presently known. We may also face higher disposal and clean-up costs to replace equipment or facilities containing materials that were compliant when installed, but are now considered contaminants. Additionally, as we sell closed or other facilities or materially alter operations at a facility, we may be required to perform additional environmental evaluations that could identify items that might require remediation or other action, the nature, extent and cost of which are not presently known. We may also incur environmental liabilities in connection with assets or businesses we may purchase in the future.
Increases in costs of pension benefits may reduce our profitability.
Our results of operations may be negatively affected by expenses we record for our defined benefit pension plans. Generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., ("GAAP"), require that we calculate income or expense for the plans using actuarial valuations. These valuations reflect assumptions about financial markets, longevity of our current and former employees and other economic conditions, which may change based on changes in key economic indicators and mortality tables. We are required to make an annual measurement of plan assets and liabilities, which may result in increased funding obligations or negative changes in our stockholder equity. At the end of
2018
, the combined projected benefit obligation of our U.S. and French pension and other postretirement healthcare plans had a net underfunding of
$27.8 million
. For a discussion regarding our pension obligations, see Note
18
. Postretirement and Other Benefits of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 and "Other Factors Affecting Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Part II, Item 7. Although expense and pension funding contributions are not directly related, key economic factors that affect expense would also likely affect the amount of cash we would contribute to pension plans as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") for U.S. plans. Failure to achieve expected returns on plan assets driven by various factors, which could include a continued environment of low interest rates or sustained market volatility, could also result in an increase to the amount of cash we would be required to contribute to pension plans.
We are subject to various legal actions and other claims.
We regularly are involved in legal actions and other claims arising in the ordinary course of business and otherwise. We are also subject to many laws and regulations around the world. Despite our efforts, we cannot guarantee that we are in compliance with every such law or regulation. Because of the complexity of Brazilian tax laws and court systems, legal actions are a particular risk that affects our Brazilian operations. Although we believe that our positions in pending disputes about state and federal taxes are correct and will ultimately be upheld by Brazilian courts, the outcome of legal proceedings is difficult to predict. An adverse result in one or more of these tax disputes could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We are also subject to other litigation in Brazil, including labor and workplace safety claims. Although we do not believe that any of the currently pending actions or claims against us will have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, we cannot provide any assurances in this regard. Information concerning some of these actions that currently are pending is contained in Note
20
. Commitments and Contingencies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and in Part I, Item 3, “Legal Proceedings” of this report. We also cannot give any assurances as to any litigation that might be filed against us in the future, including any claims relating to the alleged harmful effect of tobacco use on human health.
Significant impairment charges could result from our evaluation of the Philippines RTL manufacturing site.
We suspended construction of our Philippines RTL manufacturing site during 2011. During 2015, as a result of management's intent and ability to dispose of these assets, the amounts were reclassified from property, plant and equipment to assets held for sale in our balance sheet. The carrying value of these assets is based on estimated fair value less cost to sell. During 2017, we compared the estimated fair value less cost to sell to the net book value of the assets which resulted in our recording of an impairment charge of $4.0 million.
In years prior to 2015, the carrying value of the assets was evaluated for impairment at each reporting period by assessing the recoverability of the costs based on the undiscounted cash flows of the operation, the likelihood of its reactivation and any alternative uses for the equipment. This evaluation, along with declines in our RTL volumes, resulted in 2013 in an impairment of $37.2 million. Further declines in the estimated fair value of these assets could result in a decision to record a further impairment of some or a substantial portion of the remaining outstanding balance of these assets, which was
$12.0 million
at
December 31, 2018
.
One portion of our business is dependent upon a single plant; further, we have limited cross redundancy across our facilities.
Sales of RTL products represent a substantial portion of our revenues and profits. We presently produce RTL at only one facility located in France and wrapper and binder products at only one facility located in Ancram, New York. In our AMS business, in order to enhance the protection of our trade secrets, critical proprietary dies used in a significant portion of our extruding operations are made with very limited personnel trained to manufacture them and very strict access to the equipment. Further, in order to achieve operational efficiencies, among other reasons, we have limited ability to shift production across our various facilities, thus the loss of production at one facility may not be able to be mitigated by increased production at another. Consequently, natural disasters, pandemics and other unusual events could cause the loss of, or interruption of operations for a significant length of time at, one or more of our facilities in six different countries, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Any loss or interruption of the operations of our facilities may harm our operating performance.
Our revenues depend on the effective operation of our manufacturing facilities. The operation of our facilities involves risks, including the breakdown, failure, or substandard performance of equipment, power outages, the improper installation or operation of equipment, explosions, fires, natural disasters, failure to achieve or maintain safety or quality standards, work stoppages, supply or logistical outages, and the need to comply with environmental and other directives of governmental agencies. The occurrence of material operational problems, including, but not limited to, the above events, could cause the loss of, or interruption of, operations for a significant length of time, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Fluctuations in construction and infrastructure spending can impact demand for certain of our products.
Demand for certain of our products depends on spending in the construction industry, both residential and non-residential, as well as infrastructure sectors. Spending in those sectors is impacted by numerous circumstances beyond our control including, but not limited to, interest rates, availability of financing, housing inventory, capital spending, corporate investment, local, federal and state regulations, as well as availability and commitment of public funds for municipal spending, capacity utilization and general economic conditions. Decreased spending in any of these sectors could have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows during the duration of their down cycle.
Historically, we have experienced significant cost savings and productivity benefits relating to our ongoing operational excellence program; however, these benefits may not continue indefinitely or at the same levels.
Historically, we have experienced significant cost savings and productivity benefits relating to our ongoing operational excellence program as it relates to our tobacco operations that have supported our margins during periods of significant
attrition in the tobacco industry. We expect to continue to achieve significant savings and benefits from this program; however, in light of continued industry attrition, execution risks and other factors, we may be unable to continue in the future to obtain savings and benefits in line with historical achievements, and our profitability and financial results could be adversely affected.
Similarly, though we have initiated implementation of this program in our AMS business operations in order to achieve margin improvements, due to the different company cultures of the acquisitions that make up a significant part of AMS and our continuing integration of these acquisitions, we may not be able to achieve the desired margin improvements through our operational excellence program at AMS.