Sanmina Corp: Form 10-Q for the period ended Dec 30, 2023

This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to our expectations for future events and time periods. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding trends in future revenue or results of operations, gross margin, operating margin, expenses, earnings or losses from operations, or cash flow; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations and the anticipated benefits of such plans, strategies and objectives; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements regarding litigation or pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements regarding the timing of closing of, future cash outlays for, and benefits of acquisitions and other strategic transactions, including our Indian joint venture; any statements regarding expected restructuring costs and benefits; any statements concerning the adequacy of our current liquidity and the availability of additional sources of liquidity; any statements regarding the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; any statements regarding the potential impact of supply chain shortages and inflation on our business; any statements regarding the future impact of tariffs and export controls on our business; any statements relating to our expectations concerning developments in the audit by the IRS of certain tax returns filed by us, including the potential impact of the IRS revenue agent’s report recently received by us; any statements relating to the expected impact of accounting pronouncements not yet adopted; any statements regarding future repurchases of our common stock; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Generally, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those contained in Part II, Item 1A of this report. As a result, actual results could vary materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly disclose any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring subsequent to filing this report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Investors and others should note that Sanmina announces material financial information to our investors using our investor relations website (http://ir.sanmina.com/investor-relations/overview/default.aspx), SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels to communicate with our investors and the public about Sanmina, its products and services and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on our investor relations website could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in Sanmina to review the information we post on our investor relations website. The contents of our investor relations website are not incorporated by reference into this quarterly report on Form 10-Q or in any other report or document we file with the SEC.

Sanmina Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Sanmina”, the “Company”, “we” or “us”) operate on a 52 or 53 week year ending on the Saturday nearest September 30. Fiscal 2024 and 2023 are each 52-week years. All references to years relate to fiscal years unless otherwise noted.

Overview

We are a leading global provider of integrated manufacturing solutions, components, products and repair, logistics and after-market services. Our revenue is generated from sales of our products and services primarily to original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) that serve the industrial, medical, defense and aerospace, automotive, communications networks and cloud solutions industries.

Our operations are managed as two businesses:

1. Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (“IMS”). Our IMS segment consists of printed circuit board assembly and test, high-level assembly and test and direct-order-fulfillment.

2. Components, Products and Services (“CPS”). Components include printed circuit boards, backplanes and backplane assemblies, cable assemblies, fabricated metal parts, precision machined parts, and plastic injected molded parts. Products include optical, radio frequency (“RF”) and microelectronic design and manufacturing services from our Advanced Microsystems Technologies division; multi-chip package memory solutions from our Viking Technology division; high-performance storage platforms for hyperscale and enterprise solutions from our Viking Enterprise Solutions division; defense and aerospace product, design, manufacturing, repair and refurbishment services from our SCI Technology Inc. (“SCI”) subsidiary; and cloud-based smart manufacturing execution software from our 42Q division. Services include design, engineering, and logistics and repair.

Our only reportable segment for financial reporting purposes is IMS, which represented approximately 80% of our total revenue for the three months ended December 30, 2023. Our CPS business consists of multiple operating segments which do not individually meet the quantitative thresholds for being presented as reportable segments. Therefore, financial information for these operating segments is combined and presented in a single category entitled “CPS”.

Trends and Uncertainties

Our business has been exposed to macroeconomic challenges such as inflation, supply chain constraints, foreign currency fluctuations, rising interest rates, market volatility, recession concerns and other factors that have been exacerbated by recent geopolitical conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East. Although the supply chain constraints continue to ease, we expect to see some headwinds to our revenue growth at least in the short term due to customers making adjustments to inventory levels in some of our end markets, combined with softness in the economy. Despite these many challenges, we remain focused on improving our operations, building flexibility and efficiencies in our processes and adjusting our business models to changing circumstances. We intend to continue diversifying into mission critical markets, creating a portfolio with longer product life cycles and higher technology and complex products. As our end markets evolve and grow, our ability to optimize our product and portfolio mix towards higher value opportunities will continue to be an important driver for our business going forward. Additionally, given that maintaining low costs is a cornerstone to our success and growth, we proactively handle cost impacts through a combination of well-calibrated pricing actions and targeted cost-saving measures to enhance overall stockholder value.

The overall impact of these challenges on our financial condition and operating results will depend on the severity of the macroeconomic factors and the duration of geopolitical conflicts. There can be no assurance that the measures we take will counteract the negative impact of these challenges.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). We review the accounting policies used in reporting our financial results on a regular basis. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net sales and expenses and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate the process used to develop estimates related to accounts receivable, inventories, income taxes, environmental matters, litigation and other contingencies, as well as estimates related to costs expected to be incurred to satisfy performance obligations under long-term contracts and variable consideration related to such contracts. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

A complete description of our critical accounting policies and estimates is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on November 16, 2023.

Results of Operations

Key Operating Results

(In thousands)

21

Net Sales

Net sales decreased to $1.9 billion for the three months ended December 30, 2023 from $2.4 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of 20.4%. Sales by end market were as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)

Net sales decreased 20.4% in the three months ended December 30, 2023 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by reduced demand in our telecommunications end market and customers in other markets making adjustments to inventory levels. The impact of these factors was partially offset by new program wins.

Gross Margin

Gross margin was 8.6% and 8.3% for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. IMS gross margin increased to 7.6% for the three months ended December 30, 2023 from 6.9% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to improved operating efficiencies and better margins from easing of supply chain constraints which, in the prior year, increased the cost of components and we passed the increased cost to our customers with little-to-no markup. CPS gross margin decreased to 13.0% for the three months ended December 30, 2023 from 14.5% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to lower volume and reduced operating efficiencies.

We have experienced fluctuations in gross margin in the past and may continue to do so in the future. Fluctuations in our gross margins may also be caused by a number of other factors, including:

• the impacts of supply chain constraints on our operations, the operations of our suppliers and on our customers’ businesses;
• capacity utilization which, if lower, results in lower margins due to fixed costs being absorbed by lower volumes;
• changes in the mix of high and low margin products demanded by our customers;
• competition and pricing pressures from OEMs due to greater focus on cost reduction;
• the amount of our provisions for excess and obsolete inventory, including those associated with distressed customers;
• levels of operational efficiency and production yields;
• our performance on long-term contracts, including our ability to recover claims for cost overruns; and
• our ability to transition the location of and ramp manufacturing and assembly operations when requested by a customer in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were $65 million and $61 million, respectively. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 3.5% and 2.6% for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The increase in absolute dollars was primarily due to higher incentive compensation and an increase in our deferred compensation liability resulting from strong stock market performance that increased the market value of participant investment accounts.

Other Expense

Other expense for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $1 million and $7 million, respectively. The decrease in other expense was primarily due to a $3 million decrease in fees for accounts receivable factoring and a gain of $4 million in the market value of participant investment accounts in our deferred compensation plan compared to the same period in 2023.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our provision for income taxes for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $21 million (26% of income before taxes) and $21 million (18% of income before taxes), respectively. The effective tax rate was lower for the year ended December 31, 2022 due to an approximate $8 million release of tax reserves.

As a result of an audit by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for fiscal years 2008 through 2010, we received a Revenue Agent’s Report (“RAR”) on November 17, 2023 asserting an underpayment of tax of approximately $8 million for fiscal year 2009. The asserted underpayment results from the IRS’s proposed disallowance of a $503 million worthless stock deduction in fiscal year 2009. Such disallowance, if upheld, would reduce our available net operating loss carryforwards and result in additional tax and interest attributable to fiscal year 2021 and later years, which could be material. We disagree with the IRS’s position as asserted in the RAR and intend to vigorously contest this matter through the applicable IRS administrative and judicial procedures, as appropriate. We do not expect resolution of this matter within twelve months and cannot predict with any certainty the timing of such resolution. Although the final resolution of this matter remains uncertain, we continue to believe that it is more likely than not our tax position will be sustained. However, an unfavorable resolution of this matter could have a material adverse impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

(In thousands)

Key Working Capital Management Measures

(1) Days sales outstanding (a measure of how quickly we collect our accounts receivable), or “DSO”, is calculated as the ratio of average accounts receivable, net, to average daily net sales for the quarter.

(2) Contract asset days (a measure of how quickly we transfer contract assets to accounts receivable) are calculated as the ratio of average contract assets to average daily net sales for the quarter.

(3) Inventory turns (annualized) (a measure of how quickly we sell inventory) are calculated as the ratio of four times our cost of sales for the quarter to average inventory.

(4) Days inventory on hand (a measure of how quickly we turn inventory into sales) is calculated as the ratio of average inventory for the quarter to average daily cost of sales for the quarter.

(5) Accounts payable days (a measure of how quickly we pay our suppliers), or “DPO”, is calculated as the ratio of 365 days divided by accounts payable turns, in which accounts payable turns is calculated as the ratio of four times our cost of sales for the quarter to average accounts payable.

(6) Cash cycle days (a measure of how quickly we convert investments in inventory to cash) is calculated as days inventory on hand plus days sales outstanding and contract assets days minus accounts payable days.

Cash and cash equivalents were $632 million at December 30, 2023 and $668 million at September 30, 2023. Our cash levels vary during any given quarter depending on the timing of collections from customers and payments to suppliers, borrowings under our credit facilities, sales of accounts receivable under numerous programs we utilize, repurchases of common stock and other factors. Our working capital was $1.8 billion as of December 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $126 million and $37 million for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Our working capital metrics tend to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter based on factors such as the linearity of our shipments to customers and purchases from suppliers, customer and supplier mix, the extent to which we factor customer receivables and the negotiation of payment terms with customers and suppliers. These fluctuations can significantly affect our cash flows from operating activities.

During the three months ended December 30, 2023, we generated $109 million of cash primarily from earnings, excluding non-cash items, and generated $17 million of cash due primarily to decreases in accounts receivable and inventory, which were partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable. Individual components of operating assets and liabilities fluctuate for a number of reasons, including linearity of purchases and sales, the mix of customer and supplier payment terms within our accounts receivable and accounts payable, and the amount and timing of sales of accounts receivable. The decrease in accounts receivable, inventory and accounts payable was primarily attributable to a decrease in business volume.

Net cash used in investing activities was $35 million and $37 million for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. During the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we used $34 million and $37 million, respectively, of cash for capital expenditures.

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities was $(128) million and $204 million for the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. During the three months ended December 30, 2023, we used $116 million of cash to repurchase common stock (including $10 million paid to applicable tax authorities in connection with these repurchases) and repayment of $13 million of borrowings. During the three months ended December 31, 2022, we received $216 million from sale of shares to Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited (“RSBVL”), used $8 million of cash to repurchase common stock primarily related to employee tax withholding on vested restricted stock units and repaid $4 million of long-term debt.

Other Liquidity Matters

During the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we repurchased 2 million shares of our common stock for $106 million under stock repurchase programs authorized by the Board of Directors. These programs have no expiration dates and the timing of repurchases will depend upon capital needs to support the growth of our business, market conditions and other factors. Although stock repurchases are intended to increase stockholder value, they also reduce our liquidity. As of December 30, 2023, an aggregate of $174 million remained available under these programs.

We are party to a Receivables Purchase Agreement (the “RPA”) with certain third-party banking institutions for the sale of trade receivables generated from sales to certain customers. The amount available under the RPA is uncommitted and, as such, is available at the discretion of our third-party banking institutions. Under the Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), the percentage of our total accounts receivable that can be sold and outstanding at any time is 50%. Therefore, as of December 30, 2023, a maximum of $450 million of sold receivables could be outstanding at any point in time under this program, as amended, as required by our Credit Agreement. Trade receivables sold pursuant to the RPA are serviced by us.

In addition to the RPA, we participate in trade receivables sales programs that have been implemented by certain of our customers, as in effect from time to time. We do not service trade receivables sold under these other programs.

The sale of receivables under all of these programs is subject to the approval of the banks or customers involved and there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell the maximum amount of receivables permitted by these programs when desired.

Under each of the programs noted above, we sell our entire interest in a trade receivable for 100% of face value, less a discount. During the three months ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we sold approximately $407 million and $796 million, respectively, of accounts receivable under these programs. As of December 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023, $146 million and $162 million, respectively, of accounts receivable sold under the RPA and subject to servicing by us remained outstanding and had not yet been collected. Our sole risk with respect to receivables we service is with respect to commercial disputes regarding such receivables. Commercial disputes include billing errors, returns and similar matters. To date, we have not been required to repurchase any receivable we have sold due to a commercial dispute. Additionally, we are required to remit amounts collected as servicer on a weekly basis to the financial institutions that purchased the receivables. As of December 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023, $24 million and $33 million, respectively, had been collected but not yet remitted. This amount is classified in accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

We enter into forward interest rate swap agreements with independent counterparties to partially hedge the variability in cash flows due to changes in the Secured Overnight Financing Rate benchmark interest rate associated with anticipated variable rate borrowings. See Note 3, “Financial Instruments” of the notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for details.

In the ordinary course of business, we are or may become party to legal proceedings, claims and other contingencies, including environmental, regulatory, warranty and employee matters and examinations by government agencies. As of December 30, 2023, we had accrued liabilities of $35 million related to such matters. We cannot accurately predict the outcome of these matters or the amount or timing of cash flows that may be required to defend ourselves or to settle such matters or that these reserves will be sufficient to fully satisfy our contingent liabilities.

As of December 30, 2023, we had a liability of $54 million for uncertain tax positions. Our estimate of liabilities for uncertain tax positions is based on a number of subjective assessments, including the likelihood of a tax obligation being assessed, the amount of taxes (including interest and penalties) that would ultimately be payable, and our ability to settle any such obligations on favorable terms. Therefore, the amount of future cash flows associated with uncertain tax positions may be significantly higher or lower than our recorded liability and we are unable to reliably estimate when cash settlement may occur.

Our liquidity is largely dependent on changes in our working capital, including sales of accounts receivable under our receivables sales programs and the extension of trade credit by our suppliers, investments in manufacturing inventory, facilities and equipment, repayments of obligations under outstanding indebtedness and repurchases of common stock. We generated $126 million of cash from operations for the three months ended December 30, 2023. Our primary sources of liquidity as of December 30, 2023 consisted of (1) cash and cash equivalents of $632 million (an aggregate of $217 million of our cash is held by Sanmina SCI India Private Limited (“SIPL”), our existing Indian manufacturing entity, that may not be used for general corporate purposes and must be retained in SIPL to fund its operations); (2) our Credit Agreement, under which $787 million, net of outstanding borrowings and letters of credit, was available; (3) our foreign short-term borrowing facilities of $71 million, all of which was available; (4) proceeds from the sale of accounts receivable under our receivables sales programs and (5) cash generated from operations. Subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including obtaining additional commitments from existing and/or new lenders, we may increase the revolving commitments under the Credit Agreement up to an additional $200 million.

We believe our existing cash resources and other sources of liquidity, together with cash generated from operations, will be sufficient to meet our working capital requirements through at least the next twelve months. However, should demand for our services decrease significantly over the next twelve months, should we be unable to recover on inventory obligations owed to us by our customers or should we experience significant increases in delinquent or uncollectible accounts receivable for any reason, our cash provided by operations could decrease significantly and we could be required to seek additional sources of liquidity to continue our operations at their current level.

We invest our cash among a number of financial institutions that we believe to be of high quality. However, there can be no assurance that one or more of such institutions will not become insolvent in the future, in which case all or a portion of our uninsured funds on deposit with such institutions could be lost.

As of December 30, 2023, 33% of our cash balance was held in the United States. Should we choose or need to remit cash to the United States from our foreign locations, we may incur tax obligations which would reduce the amount of cash ultimately available to the United States. We believe that cash held in the United States, together with liquidity available under our Credit Agreement and cash from foreign subsidiaries that could be remitted to the United States without tax consequences, will be sufficient to meet our United States liquidity needs for at least the next twelve months.

Information regarding our contractual obligations was provided in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. There were no material changes in our contractual obligations as of December 30, 2023.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 30, 2023, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC, that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, revenues, or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources that is material to investors.

There were no material changes in our primary risk exposures or management of market risks from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that their objectives are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of disclosure controls and procedures must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that all disclosure control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 30, 2023. Based on their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 30, 2023 because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting discussed below.

(b) Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected in a timely basis.

We identified material weaknesses in the control environment at one of our divisions due to this division maintaining an inappropriate tone at the top. Specifically, division management did not sufficiently promote, monitor or enforce appropriate accounting policies and procedures, thereby resulting in inappropriate and unsupported adjustments to the quarterly contract cost estimate process. Additionally, we did not maintain a sufficient complement of finance personnel at the division with an appropriate level of expertise, knowledge and training in internal control over financial reporting commensurate with our financial reporting requirements. These material weaknesses contributed to an additional material weakness that the division did not design and maintain effective controls over the quarterly contract estimate review process, which lead to the failure to timely and appropriately record adjustments to quarterly estimates.

These material weaknesses resulted in the restatement of our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended October 3, 2020, October 2, 2021 and October 1, 2022 and for the quarterly fiscal periods included in such fiscal years and for the first fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2022. These material weaknesses also resulted in immaterial misstatements of our consolidated financial statements for the quarterly fiscal periods as of and for the periods ended April 1, 2023, July 1, 2023, September 30, 2023 and December 30, 2023. Additionally, each of these material weaknesses could result in misstatements of the accounts and disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

Management intends to remediate the material weaknesses described above primarily by ensuring that relevant program management and finance personnel possess sufficient knowledge and experience and are sufficiently engaged to identify, escalate and drive closure of matters that could impact estimated long-term customer program costs and/or require the recording of additional expenses in the Company’s financial statements. This is expected to be achieved through 1) replacements or new hires and organizational realignment, 2) providing training to relevant personnel, 3) expanding controls and designing appropriate procedures to support the completeness and accuracy of financial processes and 4) enhancing policy and procedures documentation to include more robust and specific guidance with respect to accounting for long-term contracts, including revenue recognition and the EAC process.

We believe these measures, and others that may be implemented, will remediate the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described above.

The material weaknesses will not be considered formally remediated until the controls have operated effectively for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that the controls are operating effectively.

(c) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) under the Exchange Act that occurred during the quarter ended December 30, 2023 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

End Market and Operational Risks

Adverse changes in the key end markets we target could harm our business by reducing our sales.

We provide products and services to companies that serve the industrial, medical, defense and aerospace, automotive, communications networks and cloud infrastructure industries. Adverse changes in any of these end markets could reduce demand for our customers’ products or make these customers more sensitive to the cost of our products and services, either of which could reduce our sales, gross margins and net income. A number of factors could affect these industries in general and our customers in particular, leading to reductions in net sales. These factors include:

• intense competition among our customers and their competitors, leading to reductions in prices for their products and increases in pricing pressure placed on us;
• failure of our customers’ products to gain widespread commercial acceptance, which could decrease the volume of orders our customers place with us;
• changes in regulatory requirements affecting the products we build for our customers, leading to product redesigns or obsolescence and potentially causing us to lose business; and
• the negative effects of inflation, rising interest rates and any potential resultant recession on customers’ end markets and their demand for our products and services.

We realize a substantial portion of our revenues from communications equipment customers. This market is highly competitive, particularly in the area of price. Should any of our larger customers in this market fail to effectively compete with their competitors, they could reduce their orders to us or experience liquidity difficulties, either of which could have the effect of substantially reducing our revenue and net income. There can be no assurance that we will not experience declines in demand in this or in other end markets in the future.

Our operating results are subject to significant uncertainties, which can cause our future sales, net income and cash generated from operations to be variable.

Our operating results can vary due to a number of significant uncertainties, including:

• our ability to replace declining sales from end-of-life programs and customer disengagements with new business wins;
• conditions in the global economy as a whole and in the industries we serve, which have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures and higher interest rates;
• fluctuations in component prices, component shortages and extended component lead times caused by high demand and supply chain constraints, disruptions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical events, such as the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, natural disasters or otherwise;
• timing and success of new product developments and ramps by our customers, which create demand for our services, but which can also require us to incur start-up costs relating to new tooling and processes;
• levels of demand in the end markets served by our customers;
• timing of orders from customers, the accuracy of their forecasts which drive the amount of components we order and the extent to which customers reschedule or cancel their orders;
• our inventory levels, which have been driven higher as a result of ongoing supply chain disruptions, with higher levels of inventory reducing our operating cash flow;
• customer payment terms and the extent to which we factor customer receivables during the quarter;
• increasing labor costs in the regions in which we operate;
• mix of products ordered by and shipped to major customers, as high volume and low complexity manufacturing services typically have lower gross margins than more complex and lower volume services;
• our ability to pass tariffs and price increases of components through to our customers;
• resolution of quality or other claims made by our customers;
• the degree to which we are able to fully utilize our available manufacturing capacity or expand, when necessary to satisfy customer demand;
• customer insolvencies resulting in bad debt or inventory exposures that are in excess of our reserves;
• our ability to efficiently move manufacturing operations to lower cost regions when requested by our customers;
• changes in our tax provision due to changes in our estimates of pre-tax income in the jurisdictions in which we operate, uncertain tax positions and our continued ability to utilize our deferred tax assets;
• political and economic developments in countries in which we or our customers or our suppliers have operations, which could restrict our operations or those of our suppliers and/or customers or increase our costs; and
• accuracy of management’s estimates of materials, labor and subcontractor costs relating to long-term contracts particularly for new products, as any impact due to changes in estimates must be recognized in the period of change.

Variability in our operating results may also lead to variability in cash generated by operations, which can adversely affect our ability to make capital expenditures, engage in strategic transactions and repurchase stock.

We are subject to risks arising from our international operations.

The substantial majority of our net sales are generated through our non-U.S. operations. As a result, we are or can be negatively impacted by economic, political and other conditions in the foreign countries in which we do business, including:

• changes in trade and tax laws that may result in us or our customers being subject to increased taxes, duties and tariffs and import and export restrictions, which could increase our costs and/or reduce our customers’ willingness to use our services in countries in which we are currently manufacturing their products;
• compliance with foreign laws, including labor laws that generally provide for increased notice, severance and consultation requirements compared to U.S. labor laws;
• labor unrest, including strikes;
• difficulties in staffing due to immigration or travel restrictions imposed by national governments, including the U.S.;
• security concerns;
• political instability and/or regional military tension or hostilities, such as the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, the possibility of such conflicts broadening to areas outside the area of immediate hostilities and the actions taken by national governments in response to such hostilities;
• fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which may either increase or decrease our operating costs and for which we have significant exposure;
• the imposition of currency controls, which would have the effect of preventing us from repatriating profits from our foreign subsidiaries;
• exposure to heightened corruption risks;
• aggressive, selective or lax enforcement of laws and regulations by national governmental authorities; and
• potentially increased risk of misappropriation of intellectual property.

We operate in countries that have experienced labor unrest, political instability or conflict and strife in the past, including China, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand, and we have experienced work stoppages and similar disruptions at our plants in these countries. To the extent these factors prevent us from adequately staffing our plants and manufacturing and shipping products in those jurisdictions, our margins and net income could be reduced and our reputation as a reliable supplier could be negatively impacted.

We rely on a relatively small number of customers for a substantial portion of our sales and declines in sales to these customers could significantly reduce our net sales and net income.

Sales to our ten largest customers have historically represented approximately half of our net sales. We expect to continue to depend upon a relatively small number of customers for a significant percentage of our sales for the foreseeable future. The loss of, a significant reduction in sales or pricing to, or an inability to recover components liabilities from our largest customers could therefore substantially reduce our revenue and margins.

Customer order cancellations, push-outs and reduced forecasts could reduce our sales, net income and liquidity.

We generally do not obtain firm, long-term purchase commitments from our customers and our bookings may generally be canceled prior to the scheduled shipment date. Although customers are generally liable for components we procure on their behalf, finished goods and work-in-process at the time of cancellation, customers may fail to honor this commitment or we may be unable to, or, for other business reasons, choose not to, enforce our contractual rights. Cancellations, reductions or push-outs of orders by customers and reduced customer forecasts, whether due to changes in individual customer circumstances or end market changes or recessionary conditions in general, could cause our inventory levels to increase, consume working capital, lead to write-offs of inventory that customers fail to purchase for any reason, which could reduce our sales, net income and liquidity.

Our strategy to pursue higher margin business depends in part on the success of our CPS businesses, which, if not successful, could cause our future gross margins and operating results to be lower.

A key part of our strategy of providing end-to-end manufacturing solutions is to grow our CPS businesses, which supplies printed circuit boards, backplane and backplane assemblies, cable assemblies, fabricated metal parts, precision machined parts, and plastic injected molded parts, memory, RF, optical and microelectronic solutions, and data storage solutions and design, engineering, logistics and repair services and our SCI defense and aerospace products. A decrease in orders for these components, products and services can have a disproportionately adverse impact on our profitability since these components, products and services generally yield higher margins than our core IMS business. In addition, in order to grow this portion of our business profitably, we must continue to make substantial investments in the development of our product development capabilities, research and development activities, test and tooling equipment and skilled personnel, all of which reduce our operating results in the short term. The success of our CPS businesses also depends on our ability to increase sales of our proprietary products, convince our customers to purchase our components rather than those of third parties for use in the manufacture of their products, and expand the number of our customers who contract for our design, engineering, logistics and repair services. We may face challenges in achieving commercially viable yields and difficulties in manufacturing components in the quantities and to the specifications and quality standards required by our customers, as well as in qualifying our components for use in our customers’ designs. Our proprietary products and design, engineering, logistics and repair services must compete with products and services offered by established vendors which focus solely on development of similar technologies or the provision of similar services. Any of these factors could reduce the revenue and margins of our CPS businesses, which in turn would have an adverse and potentially disproportionate effect on our overall revenues and profitability.

Worldwide supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumption of strong worldwide demand for electronic products and components and geopolitical events have collectively limited our ability to manufacture and ship all of the products for which we have demand; our profitability will be reduced if we are unable to continue to pass on increasing component costs.

Over the past four years, our supply chain has been significantly impacted by interruptions in supplier and port operations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumption of strong worldwide demand for electronic products and components following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and geopolitical events, such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. As a result, we have experienced and continue to experience delays in delivery and shortages of certain components, particularly certain types of capacitors, resistors and discrete semiconductors needed for many of the products we manufacture. These conditions limited our ability to manufacture and ship all of the products for which we have demand and that require these components and have resulted in an increase in our inventories of other components that cannot be assembled into finished products without these components. These factors are exacerbated by the fact that we are dependent on a number of limited and sole source suppliers to provide key components that we incorporate into our products. In the case of semiconductors, most third-party manufacturing is concentrated among a small number of suppliers located in the same geographic area. Although conditions have recently improved, we expect some level of delays and shortages to continue to persist in some form in the short to medium term. Any such delays or shortages, including due to natural disaster or geopolitical issues or conflicts, could result in delays in shipments to our customers, which would reduce our revenue, margins and operating cash flow for the periods affected.

In addition, inflationary pressures resulting from supply chain constraints and generally improved economic conditions have led to sustained increases in the prices we pay for components and materials used in production and in our labor and transportation costs. While we seek to pass on to our customers the increased prices for components and shipping, plus a margin, our gross margins and profitability could decrease, perhaps significantly, over a sustained period of time if we are unable to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic had, and any future outbreak could have, a significant impact on our results of operations and financial condition by reducing demand from our customers, interrupting the flow of components needed for our customers’ products, limiting the operations and productivity of our manufacturing facilities and creating health risks to our employees.

Our business, operations and results of operations were significantly and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past four years and may continue to be impacted in the future to some degree. The COVID-19 pandemic 1) caused our customers to reduce their demand from us, 2) interrupted the availability of components we need for our customers’ products, 3) limited the operations and productivity of our manufacturing resources and 4) created health risks to our employees.

Although conditions have improved, our operations could again be similarly and negatively impacted in the event of any future outbreaks, including outbreaks caused by variants of COVID-19, such as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and its subvariants, and actions that government authorities may take in response.

Current U.S. trade policy could increase the cost of using both our onshore and offshore manufacturing services for our U.S. customers, leading them to reduce their orders to us.

Although we maintain significant manufacturing capacity in the U.S., the majority of our manufacturing operations are located outside the U.S. The U.S., China, the E.U. and several other countries have imposed tariffs on certain imported products. In particular, the U.S. has imposed tariffs impacting certain components and products imported from China by us into the U.S. These tariffs apply to both components imported into the U.S. from China for use in the manufacture of products at our U.S. plants and to certain of our customers’ products that we manufacture for them in China and that are then imported into the U.S. Any decision by a large number of our customers to cease using our manufacturing services due to the application of tariffs would materially reduce our revenue and net income. In addition, our gross margins would be reduced in the event we are for any reason unable to pass on any tariffs that we incurred to our customers. Although our customers are generally liable for tariffs we pay on their behalf on importation of components used in the manufacture of their products, our gross margins would be reduced in the event we are for any reason unable to recover tariffs or duties from our customers. Further, although we are required to pay tariffs upon importation of the components, we may not be able to recover these amounts from our customers until sometime later, if at all, which would adversely impact our operating cash flow in a given period.

Transfers of business or operations may increase our costs and cause disruptions in our ability to service our customers.

Our customers sometimes require that we transfer the manufacturing of their products from one of our facilities to another to achieve cost reductions, tariff reductions and other objectives. These transfers have resulted in increased costs to us due to facility downtime, less than optimal utilization of our manufacturing capacity and delays and complications related to the transition of manufacturing programs to new locations. These transfers, and any decision by a significant customer to terminate manufacturing services in a particular facility, could require us to close or reduce operations at certain facilities and, as a result, we may incur in the future significant costs for the closure of facilities, employee severance and related matters. We may be required to relocate or close additional manufacturing operations in the future and, accordingly, we may incur additional costs that decrease our net income.

In addition, certain of our foreign manufacturing facilities are leased from third parties. To the extent we are unable to renew the leases covering such facilities as they expire on reasonable terms, or are forced to move our operations at those facilities to other locations as a result of a failure to agree upon renewal terms, production for our customers may be interrupted, we may breach our customer agreements, we could incur significant start-up costs at new facilities and our lease expense may increase, potentially significantly.

Regulatory, Compliance and Litigation Risks

We are subject to a number of U.S. export control and regulatory requirements relating to our defense business, with which the failure to comply could result in fines and reduction of future revenue.

We are subject to a number of laws and regulations relating to the export of U.S. technology, anti-corruption and the award, administration and performance of U.S. government contracts and subcontracts. In particular, our activities must comply with the restrictions relating to the export of controlled technology and sales to denied or sanctioned parties contained in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the U.S. Export Administration Regulations and sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department. The U.S. Commerce Department recently released rules that in some cases significantly restrict the export of U.S. technology to or from China. These laws could negatively impact our operations in China by making it more difficult to import components containing U.S. technology into China and to export finished products containing such components out of China. Any failure to comply with export control laws could result in significant fines or penalties. We must also comply with regulations relating to the award, administration and performance of U.S. government contracts and subcontracts with respect to our defense business, including regulations that govern price negotiations, cost accounting standards, procurement practices, termination at the election of the government and many other aspects of performance under government contracts and subcontracts. These laws and regulations are complex, require extensive compliance efforts and expenditures in the form of additional systems and personnel, and, in some cases, require us to ensure that our suppliers adhere to such regulations. Furthermore, our compliance with such regulations is subject to audit or investigation by governmental authorities. From time to time, we receive formal and informal inquiries from government agencies and regulators regarding our compliance. For example, we have received and are responding to several Civil Investigative Demands from the U.S. Department of Justice relating to certain contracts, projects, proposals, and business activities of our SCI subsidiary. Should we be found to have violated one or more government contracting laws or regulations, we could become subject to civil damages (which in some cases could be trebled) or criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including appointment of government monitors, termination of our government contracts and, ultimately, debarment from doing further business with the U.S. government. Any of such results would increase our expenses, reduce our revenue and damage our reputation as both a commercial and government supplier.

If we manufacture or design defective products, if there are manufacturing defects in the components we incorporate into customer products or if our manufacturing processes do not comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and standards, we could be subject to claims, damages and fines and lose customers.

We manufacture products to our customers’ specifications, and in some cases our manufacturing processes and facilities need to comply with various statutory and regulatory requirements and standards. For example, many of the medical products that we manufacture, as well as the facilities and manufacturing processes that we use to produce them, must comply with standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and products we manufacture for the automotive end market are generally subject to the IATF 16949:2016 standard. In addition, our customers’ products and the manufacturing processes that we use to produce them often are highly complex. As a result, products that we design or manufacture may at times contain design or manufacturing defects, and our manufacturing processes may be subject to errors or may not be in compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and standards. Finally, customer products can experience quality problems or failures as a result of defects in the components customers specify to be included in the products we manufacture for them. Defects in the products we design or manufacture, even if caused by components specified by the customer, may result in product recalls, warranty claims by customers, including liability for repair costs, delayed shipments to customers or reduced or canceled customer orders. The failure of the products that we design or manufacture or of our manufacturing processes and facilities to comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and standards may subject us to legal fines or penalties, cause us to lose business and, in some cases, require us to shut down or incur considerable expense to correct a manufacturing program or facility. In addition, these defects may result in product liability claims against us by third parties. The risk and magnitude of such claims may increase as we continue to expand our presence in the medical and automotive end markets since defects in these types of products can result in death or significant injury to end users of these products. Even when our customers or suppliers are contractually responsible for defects in the design of a product and defects in components used in the manufacture of such products, there is no guarantee that any indemnities provided by such parties will be adequate to cover all damages to which we may become subject or that these parties will have the financial resources to indemnify us for such liabilities, in which case we could be required to expend significant resources to defend ourselves if named in a product liability suit over such defects.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property or if we infringe, or are alleged to infringe, upon the intellectual property of others, we could be required to pay significant amounts in costs or damages.

We rely on a combination of copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret laws and contractual restrictions to protect our intellectual property rights. However, a number of our patents covering certain aspects of our manufacturing processes or products have expired and will continue to expire in the future. Such expirations reduce our ability to assert claims against competitors or others who use or sell similar technology. Any inability to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish or eliminate the competitive advantages that we derive from our proprietary technology. In addition, should a current or former employee use or disclose any of our or our customers’ proprietary information, we could become subject to legal action by our customers or others, our key technologies could become compromised and our ability to compete could be adversely impacted.

In addition, we may become involved in administrative proceedings, lawsuits or other proceedings if others allege that the products we manufacture for our customers or our own manufacturing processes and products infringe on their intellectual property rights. If successful, such claims could force our customers and us to stop importing or producing products or components of products that use the challenged intellectual property, to pay up to treble damages and to obtain a license to the relevant technology or to redesign those products or services so as not to use the infringed technology. The costs of defense and potential damages and/or impact on production of patent litigation could be significant and have a materially adverse impact on our financial results. In addition, although our customers typically indemnify us against claims that the products we manufacture for them infringe others’ intellectual property rights, there is no guaranty that these customers will have the financial resources to stand behind such indemnities should the need arise, nor is there any guarantee that any such indemnity could be fully enforced. We sometimes design products on a contract basis or jointly with our customers. In such situations, we may become subject to claims that products we design infringe third party intellectual property rights and may also be required to indemnify our customer against liability caused by such claims.

Any of these events could reduce our revenue, increase our costs and damage our reputation with our customers.

Allegations of failures to comply with domestic or international employment and related laws could result in the payment of significant damages, which would reduce our net income.

We are subject to a variety of domestic and foreign employment laws, including those related to safety, wages and overtime, discrimination, harassment, organizing, whistleblowing, classification of employees, privacy and severance payments. We may be required to defend against allegations that we have violated such laws. Allegations that we have violated labor laws could lead to damages being awarded to employees or fines from or settlements with plaintiffs or federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities, the amounts of which could be substantial, and which would reduce our net income. For example, in the first quarter of 2022, we paid approximately $4 million in a judicially approved settlement in connection with a lawsuit against us alleging violations of California Labor Code provisions governing overtime, meal and rest periods, wages, wage statements and reimbursements of business expenses.

Cyberattacks and other disruptions of our information technology network and systems could interrupt our operations, lead to loss of our customer and employee data and subject us to damages.

We rely on internal and cloud-based networks and systems furnished by third parties for worldwide financial reporting, inventory management, procurement, invoicing, employee payroll and benefits administration and email communications, among other functions. In addition, our 42Q manufacturing execution solutions software used by us and certain of our customers operates in the cloud. Despite our business continuity planning, including maintaining redundant data sites and network availability, both our internal and cloud-based infrastructure may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks and similar events. In addition, our systems, like those of other large companies, are regularly subject to third party hacking attempts. Despite the implementation of numerous network security measures, both our internal and our cloud-based infrastructure may also be vulnerable to such hacking attempts, the installation of computer viruses, malware or similar disruptions either by third parties or employees with access to key IT infrastructure. Cybersecurity attacks can come in many forms, including distributed denial of service attacks, advanced persistent threat, phishing, business email compromise efforts and ransomware attacks. There can be no assurance that a future malware attack or hacking attempt will not be successful in breaching our systems. Hacking, malware and other cybersecurity attacks, if not prevented, could lead to the collection and disclosure of sensitive personal or confidential information relating to our business, customers, employees or others, exposing us to legal liability and causing us to suffer reputational damage. In addition, our SCI defense and aerospace business is subject to U.S. government regulations requiring the safeguarding of certain unclassified government information and to report to the U.S. government certain cyber incidents that affect such information. The increasing sophistication of cyberattacks requires us to continually evaluate new technologies and processes intended to detect and prevent these attacks. Our insurance coverage for cyberattacks is limited. There can be no assurance that our cybersecurity measures will be sufficient to protect the data we manage. If we and our cloud infrastructure vendors are not successful in preventing such outages and cyberattacks, our operations could be disrupted, we could incur losses, including losses relating to claims by our customers, employees or privacy regulators relating to loss of personal or confidential business information, the willingness of customers to do business with us may be damaged and, in the case of our defense business, we could be barred from future participation in U.S. government programs.

Global, national and corporate initiatives addressing climate change could increase our costs.

Concern over climate change may lead to state, federal and international legislative and regulatory initiatives aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions through incentives, taxes or mandates and there is increased interest generally in voluntary corporate commitments to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases. Collectively, such initiatives and commitments could lead to an increase in both the price of energy and our operating costs. A sustained increase in energy prices for any reason could increase our raw material, components, operations and transportation costs, which we may not be able to pass on to our customers and which would therefore reduce our profitability, as would increased operating costs and investments due to our adoption, whether voluntary or mandatory, of measures to reduce our carbon footprint. We could also suffer reputational damage if our sustainability practices are perceived to be inadequate.

Any failure to comply with applicable environmental laws could adversely affect our business by causing us to pay significant amounts for cleanup of hazardous materials or for damages or fines.

We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including those governing the use, generation, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous substances and waste in the ordinary course of our manufacturing operations. If we violate environmental laws or if we own or operate, or owned or operated in the past, a site at which we or a predecessor company caused contamination, we may be held liable for damages and the costs of remedial actions. For example, in April 2023, a court issued a ruling finding us and other defendants liable for certain investigation and remediation costs relating to a site owned by a predecessor company in Southern California at which a disposal was alleged to have occurred. Although we estimate and regularly reassess our potential liability with respect to violations or alleged violations and accrue for such liability, our accruals may not be sufficient. Any increase in existing reserves or establishment of new reserves for environmental liability would reduce our net income. Our failure or inability to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations could also limit our ability to expand facilities or could require us to acquire costly equipment or to incur other significant expenses to comply with these laws and regulations.

Partly as a result of certain of our acquisitions, we have incurred liabilities associated with environmental contamination. These liabilities include ongoing investigation and remediation activities at a number of current and former sites. The time required to perform environmental remediation can be lengthy and there can be no assurance that the scope, and therefore cost, of these activities will not increase as a result of the discovery of new contamination or contamination on adjoining landowners’ properties or the adoption of more stringent regulatory standards covering sites at which we are currently performing remediation activities.

We cannot assure that past disposal activities will not result in liability that will materially affect us in the future, nor can we provide assurance that we do not have environmental exposures of which we are unaware and which could adversely affect our future operating results. Changes in or restrictions on discharge limits, emissions levels, permitting requirements and material storage or handling could require a higher than anticipated level of remediation activities, operating expenses and capital investment or, depending on the severity of the impact of the foregoing factors, costly plant relocation, any of which would reduce our net income.

Changes in financial accounting standards or policies have affected, and in the future may affect, our reported financial condition or results of operations; there are inherent limitations to our system of internal controls; changes in corporate governance requirements, policies and practices may impact our business.

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The preparation of our financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the recorded amounts of assets, liabilities and net income during the reporting period. A change in the facts and circumstances surrounding those estimates could result in a change to our estimates and could impact our future operating results. GAAP is subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC and various bodies formed to interpret and create accounting policies. A change in those policies can have a significant effect on our reported results and may affect our reporting of transactions which are completed before a change is announced. For example, in fiscal 2019, we implemented the new revenue recognition standard, which is complex and requires significant management judgment. Although we believe the judgments we applied in implementation of the new revenue recognition standard are appropriate, there can be no assurance that we will not be required to change our judgments relating to implementation of such standard in the future, whether as a result of new guidance or otherwise. A significant change in our accounting judgments could have a significant impact on our reported revenue, gross profit, assets and liabilities. In general, changes to accounting rules or challenges to our interpretation or application of the rules by regulators may have a material adverse effect on our reported financial results or on the way we conduct business.

Our system of internal and disclosure controls and procedures was designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving its objectives. However, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been or will be detected. As a result, there can be no assurance that our system of internal and disclosure controls and procedures will be successful in preventing all errors, theft and fraud, or in informing management of all material information in a timely manner. For example, as disclosed in Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, we have identified material weaknesses in the control environment at one of our divisions due in part to the division maintaining an inappropriate tone at the top. This division accounted for approximately 3% of our revenues on an annual basis.

Finally, corporate governance, public disclosure and compliance practices continue to evolve based upon continuing legislative action, SEC rulemaking and policy positions taken by large institutional stockholders and proxy advisors. As a result, the number of rules, regulations and standards applicable to us may become more burdensome to comply with, could increase scrutiny of our practices and policies by these or other groups and increase our legal and financial compliance costs and the amount of time management must devote to governance and compliance activities. For example, the SEC has recently adopted rules requiring that issuers provide significantly increased disclosures concerning cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and incident reporting and adopt more stringent executive compensation clawback policies and California has enacted legislation that will require large companies doing business in the state to provide significant disclosures concerning their greenhouse gas emissions and financial risks relating to climate change. Increasing regulatory burdens and corporate governance requirements could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors and qualified executive officers.

Liquidity and Credit Risks

Our customers could experience credit problems, which could reduce our future revenues and net income.

Certain of our customers have experienced significant financial difficulties in the past, with a few filing for bankruptcy. Financial difficulties experienced by one or more of our customers, could negatively affect our business by decreasing demand from such customers and through the potential inability of these companies to make full payment on amounts owed to us. Customer bankruptcies also entail the risk of potential recovery by the bankruptcy estate of amounts previously paid to us that are deemed a preference under bankruptcy laws. There can be no assurance that additional customers will not declare bankruptcy or suffer financial distress, in which case our future revenues, net income and cash flow could be reduced.

We may be unable to generate sufficient liquidity to maintain or expand our operations, which would reduce the amount of business our customers and vendors are able to do with us and impact our ability to continue operations at current levels without seeking additional funding; increasing interest rates will reduce our net income and operating cash flow; we could experience losses if one or more financial institutions holding our cash or other financial counterparties were to fail; repatriation of foreign cash could increase our taxes.

Our liquidity is dependent on a number of factors, including profitability, business volume, inventory levels, the extension of trade credit by our suppliers, the degree of alignment of payment terms from our suppliers with payment terms granted to our customers, the amount we invest in our facilities and equipment, the timing of acquisitions and divestitures, the schedule for repayment of our outstanding indebtedness, the timing of stock repurchases, the amount available to borrow under our credit agreement and the amount of accounts receivable eligible for sale under our factoring programs. In the event we need or desire additional liquidity beyond the sources described above to maintain or expand our business levels, make acquisitions or repurchase stock, there can be no assurance that such additional liquidity will be available on acceptable terms or at all. The sale of receivables under our factoring programs is subject to the approval of the banks or customers involved and there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell the maximum amount of receivables permitted by these programs when desired. In addition, because the interest rate we pay for borrowings under the Credit Agreement and the interest rate used to calculate the purchase price for receivables under our factoring programs are variable, recent sustained increases in interest rates resulting from actions taken by the Federal Reserve to reduce inflation both increases the amount of interest expense we pay, which reduces net income, and also reduces the amount of proceeds we receive from purchasers under our receivables factoring program, which reduces operating cash flow.

Any failure to maintain adequate liquidity would prevent us from maintaining operations at current or desired levels, which in turn would reduce both our revenue and profitability.

Although we believe our existing cash resources and sources of liquidity, together with cash generated from operations, will be sufficient to meet our working capital requirements for at least the next 12 months, should demand for our services increase significantly over the next 12 months or should we experience significant increases in delinquent or uncollectible accounts receivable for any reason, including recessionary economic conditions, our cash provided by operations could decrease significantly and we could be required to seek additional sources of liquidity to continue our operations at their current level. In such a case, there can be no assurance that such additional sources of financing would be available.

A principal source of our liquidity is our cash and cash equivalents, which are held with various financial institutions. Although we distribute such funds among a number of financial institutions that we believe to be of high quality, there can be no assurance that one or more of such institutions will not become insolvent in the future. For example, in the spring of 2023, three mid-sized regional banks failed and were placed under the temporary control of federal regulators. Although our cash and cash equivalents were not deposited in any of such banks, should the financial institutions in which our cash and cash equivalents are deposited fail and not be backstopped by the federal government or otherwise guaranteed, all or a portion of our uninsured funds on deposit with such institutions could be lost. Similarly, should the financial institutions holding the cash and cash equivalents of our customers fail and not be backstopped or otherwise guaranteed, our customers may become unable to satisfy their obligations to us. Finally, if one or more counterparties to our interest rate or foreign currency hedging instruments were to fail, we could suffer losses and our hedging of risk could become less effective.

As of December 30, 2023, approximately 70% of our cash was held in foreign jurisdictions. Some of these jurisdictions restrict the amount of cash that can be transferred to the U.S. or impose taxes and penalties on such transfers of cash. To the extent we have excess cash in foreign locations that could be used in, or is needed by, our U.S. operations, we may incur significant foreign taxes to repatriate these funds which would reduce the net amount ultimately available for such purposes.

Our credit agreement contains covenants that may adversely impact our business; the failure to comply with such covenants or the occurrence of an event of default could cause us to be unable to borrow additional funds and cause our outstanding debt to become immediately payable.

Our credit agreement contains a maximum leverage and minimum interest coverage ratio and a number of restrictive covenants, including restrictions on incurring additional debt, making investments and other restricted payments, selling assets and paying dividends, subject to certain exceptions, with which we must comply. Collectively, these covenants could constrain our ability to grow our business through acquisition or engage in other strategic transactions. Such facility also contains customary events of default, including that a material business interruption or cessation has not occurred. Finally, such facility includes covenants requiring, among other things, that we timely file quarterly and annual financial statements with the SEC, comply with all laws, pay all taxes and maintain casualty insurance. If we are not able to comply with these covenants or if an event of default were to occur and not be cured, all of our outstanding debt would become immediately due and payable and the incurrence of additional debt under our Credit Agreement would not be allowed, either of which would have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and ability to continue to conduct our business.

General Risk Factors

We are subject to intense competition in the EMS industry, which could cause us to lose sales and, therefore, harm our financial performance.

The EMS industry is highly competitive and the industry has experienced a surplus of manufacturing capacity. Our competitors include major global EMS providers, including Benchmark Electronics, Inc., Celestica, Inc., Flex Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Foxconn), Jabil Inc. and Plexus Corp., as well as other companies that have a regional, product, service or industry-specific focus. We also face competition from current and potential OEM customers who may elect to manufacture their own products internally rather than outsource to EMS providers.

Competition is based on a number of factors, including end markets served, price and quality. We may not be able to offer prices as low as some of our competitors for any number of reasons, including the willingness of competitors to provide EMS services at prices we are unable or unwilling to offer. There can be no assurance that we will win new business or maintain existing business due to competitive factors, which could decrease our sales and net income. In addition, due to the extremely price sensitive nature of our industry, business that we do win or maintain may have lower margins than our historical or target margins. As a result, competition may cause our gross and operating margins to fall.

Consolidation in the electronics industry may adversely affect our business by increasing customer buying power and increasing prices we pay for components.

Consolidation in the electronics industry among our customers, our suppliers and/or our competitors may increase, which could result in a small number of very large electronics companies offering products in multiple sectors of the electronics industry. If one of our customers is acquired by another company that does not rely on us to provide EMS services, we may lose that customer’s business. Similarly, consolidation among our suppliers could result in a sole or limited source for certain components used in our customers’ products. Any such consolidation could cause us to be required to pay increased prices for such components, which could reduce our gross margin and profitability if we are unable to pass on the corresponding cost to our customers.

Unanticipated changes in our income tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities or expiration of our net operating loss carryforwards could increase our taxes and decrease our net income; developments in pending audits could result in an increase in our tax expenses which would decrease our net income.

We are or may become subject to income, sales, value-added, goods and services, withholding and other taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for taxes and, in the ordinary course of business, there are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective income tax rates and liability for other taxes could increase as a result of changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in enacted tax laws, the effectiveness of our cash and tax management strategies, our ability to negotiate advance pricing agreements with foreign tax authorities, compliance with local trade laws and other factors. International initiatives require multinational enterprises, like ours, to report profitability on a country-by-country basis, which could increase scrutiny by foreign tax authorities. In addition, our tax determinations are regularly subject to audit by tax authorities. For example, we are currently undergoing audits of our tax returns for certain recent tax years in a number of jurisdictions, including the United States. In connection with one such audit, on November 17, 2023, we received a revenue agent’s report (“RAR”) from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), which asserted an underpayment of tax of approximately $8 million for fiscal year 2009. The proposed underpayment results from the IRS’s proposed disallowance of a $503 million worthless stock deduction previously taken by us. We disagree with the IRS’s position as asserted in the RAR and intend to vigorously contest this matter through the applicable IRS administrative and judicial procedures, as appropriate. However, an adverse result in this matter or additional developments in these or future audits would adversely affect our tax provisions, including through the disallowance or reduction of deferred tax assets or the assessment of back taxes, interest and penalties, any of which could result in a material increase to our income tax expense and therefore a material decrease in our net income and could have a material adverse impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. Further, as of September 30, 2023, we have cumulative net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) for federal, state and foreign tax purposes of $155 million, $337 million and $433 million, respectively. Our federal and state NOLs begin expiring in fiscal years 2028 and 2024, respectively, and expire completely at various dates through September 29, 2035. Certain foreign NOLs will begin expiring in 2024. When NOLs expire, our federal and state income tax rates will increase, which will reduce our net income.

We can experience losses due to foreign exchange rate fluctuations and currency controls, which could reduce our net income and impact our ability to repatriate funds.

Because we manufacture the majority of our products abroad, our operating results can be negatively impacted due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We use financial instruments, primarily short-term foreign currency forward contracts, to hedge our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, the success of our foreign currency hedging activities in preventing foreign exchange losses depends largely upon the accuracy of our forecasts of future sales, expenses, capital expenditures and assets and liabilities. As such, our foreign currency hedging program may not fully cover all of our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. If our hedging activities are not successful, our net income may be reduced. In addition, certain countries in which we operate have adopted currency controls requiring that local transactions be settled only in local currency rather than in our functional currency, which is generally different than the local currency. Such controls could require us to hedge larger amounts of local currency than we otherwise would and/or prevent us from repatriating cash generated by our operations in such countries.

We may not have sufficient insurance coverage for potential claims and losses, which could leave us responsible for certain costs and damages.

We carry various forms of business and liability insurance in types and amounts we believe are reasonable and customary for similarly situated companies in our industry. However, our insurance program does not generally cover losses due to failure to comply with typical customer warranties for workmanship, product and medical device liability, intellectual property infringement, product recall claims, or environmental contamination. In particular, our insurance coverage with respect to damages to or closure of our facilities, or damages to our customers’ products caused by cyberattacks and certain natural disasters, such as earthquakes, epidemics and pandemics (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), is limited and is subject to policy deductibles, coverage limits, and exclusions, and as a result, may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses. For example, our policies have very limited coverage for damages due to earthquakes or losses caused by business disruptions. In addition, such coverage may not continue to be available at commercially reasonable rates and terms. Our policies generally have deductibles and/or limits or may be limited to certain lines or business or customer engagements that reduce the amount of our potential recoveries from insurance. As a result, not all of our potential business losses are covered under our insurance policies. Should we sustain a significant uncovered loss, our net income will be reduced. Additionally, if one or more counterparties to our insurance coverage were to fail, we would bear the entire amount of an otherwise insured loss.

Recruiting and retaining our key personnel is critical to the continued growth of our business.

Our success depends upon the continued service of our key personnel, particularly our highly skilled sales and operations executives, managers and engineers with many years of experience in the EMS industry. Such individuals can be difficult to identify, recruit and retain and are heavily recruited by our competitors. As our key employees choose to retire or terminate their employment with us, we will be required to replace them with new employees with the required experience, which has become challenging in the U.S. recently due to the strong employment market. Should we be unable to recruit new employees to fill key positions with us, our operations and growth prospects could be negatively impacted.

We may not be successful in implementing and integrating strategic transactions or in divesting assets or businesses, which could harm our operating results; we could become required to book a charge to earnings should we determine that goodwill and other acquired assets are impaired.

From time to time, we may undertake strategic transactions that give us the opportunity to access new customers and new end markets, increase our proprietary product offerings, obtain new manufacturing and service capabilities and technologies, enter new geographic manufacturing locations, lower our manufacturing costs, increase our margins or further develop existing customer relationships. For example, in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, we entered into a joint venture with a wholly-owned subsidiary of RSBVL intended to create a world-class electronic manufacturing hub in India. The success of this joint venture is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timing of the joint venture obtaining “Trusted Source” designation under the India government’s “Make in India” initiative, adverse changes in the key markets the joint venture will target and the risks described above under the caption “We are subject to risks arising from our international operations.” Strategic transactions involve a number of risks, uncertainties and costs, including integrating acquired operations and workforce, businesses and products, resolving quality issues involving acquired products, incurring severance and other restructuring costs, diverting management attention from their normal operational duties, maintaining customer, supplier or other favorable business relationships of acquired operations, terminating unfavorable commercial arrangements, losing key employees, integrating the systems of acquired operations into our management information systems and satisfying the liabilities of acquired businesses, including liability for past violations of law and material environmental liabilities. Any of these risks could cause our strategic transactions not to be ultimately profitable. We may also choose to divest plants, businesses or products lines in the future. Divestitures reduce revenue and, potentially, margins and can involve the risk of retained liabilities from the operations divested, including environmental liabilities.

In addition, we have in the past recorded, and may be required to record in the future, goodwill and other intangible assets in connection with our acquisitions. We evaluate, at least on an annual basis, whether events or circumstances have occurred that indicate all, or a portion, of the carrying amount of our goodwill and other intangible assets may no longer be recoverable. Should we determine in the future that our goodwill or other intangible assets have become impaired, an impairment charge to earnings would become necessary, which could be significant. For example, during our fiscal 2018 annual goodwill impairment analysis, we fully impaired goodwill of $31 million associated with the acquisition of a storage software business we purchased in 2016.

We are subject to risks associated with natural disasters and global events.

Our activities, including manufacturing, administration and information technology management, can be adversely affected by natural disasters such as major earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes, fires and epidemics or pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change may cause certain of these events to become more severe and therefore more damaging. In the event of a major natural disaster affecting one or more of our facilities, our operations and management information systems, which control our worldwide procurement, inventory management, shipping and billing activities, could be significantly disrupted. Such events could delay or prevent product manufacturing for an extended period of time. Any extended inability to continue our operations at affected facilities following such an event could reduce our revenue. Further, geopolitical events like the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East may also impact our operations by affecting our supply chain or impacting our plants located in the region of instability.

Risks of Investing in Our Stock

The market price of our common stock is volatile and is impacted by factors other than our financial performance.

The stock market in recent years has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected our stock price. These fluctuations have often been unrelated to our operating performance. Factors that can cause such fluctuations include announcements by our customers, suppliers, competitors or other events affecting companies in the electronics industry, such as component shortages, currency fluctuations, the impact of natural disasters and global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, general market fluctuations and macroeconomic conditions, including concerns about inflation and recession, any of which may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate widely.